Agnitus rose from his chair with a slow movement, as if he had made up his mind long before.
He ran a hand through his hair, slightly messing it up, and walked until he was close enough to Kael.
For a second he seemed to hesitate, but finally he placed his left hand on the Demon King's shoulder.
Kael felt the weight of that gesture. It wasn't a strong pressure, but it carried meaning.
"I'm really sorry, Kael, but I'm not going," Agnitus said in a firm voice, without a trace of mockery or arrogance. "Maybe the others will, or some of them, but don't count on me this time. Tomorrow I start training with the kid I fought against."
There was no hatred in his words, nor disinterest. It was a clear decision, made with conviction.
Kael opened his mouth as if to say something, but Agnitus had already slowly withdrawn his hand from his shoulder. Without looking back, he turned and left the room in complete silence.
The sound of his footsteps faded into the castle corridors.
Kael remained standing, motionless, staring at the door through which Agnitus had disappeared. He didn't feel angry. Nor disappointed. Deep down, he understood his decision. Still, a small feeling of emptiness formed in his chest.
The atmosphere became strange. No one spoke. No one moved.
It was then that Seraphyne stepped forward, breaking that uncomfortable silence with her confident voice.
"Kael, I will choose who will accompany you on this trip," she said calmly, crossing her arms. "In the end, I won the competition and I'm the captain of this group. So in about ten minutes, or whenever you have time, come by my room and I'll tell you."
She didn't sound authoritarian, but she also left no room for discussion. It was clear she had already thought it through.
Without waiting for a reply, Seraphyne turned and left the room. One by one, the others began to follow her.
Some exchanged glances, others said goodbye with small nods, but no one said a word.
In a matter of seconds, the enormous room was almost empty.
Only Kael, Serenna, and Nyxelle remained.
Nyxelle, who had stayed silent the entire time, began to move carefully.
She approached the table and started cleaning it with slow movements, placing the lunch she had brought.
Her hands moved with a certain clumsiness, as if she still wasn't used to that kind of task.
"My lord Kael, the food is ready now," she finally said, bowing slightly. "Please, sit down and enjoy. You too, Miss Serenna."
Kael nodded and walked to the table. He sat across from Serenna, who was already settling into her place. For a few seconds they said nothing, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. They were simply tired.
The food was hot and had a pleasant aroma. Kael took the first bite calmly. It wasn't the best meal he had ever tasted, but it had something special. Maybe it was the effort behind it. Maybe it was the moment.
Serenna ate in silence, with small, careful movements. Every now and then she lifted her gaze to look at Kael, but quickly looked away when he noticed.
Time passed without them realizing it.
When they finished, Kael slowly rose from his seat. He walked over to one of the large windows in the hall and placed a hand on the cold glass. Outside, the sky was beginning to turn shades of orange and red.
The sun descended little by little, hiding behind the distant mountains.
Kael gazed at the landscape for several seconds.
Without thinking too much, he decided to walk through the castle. He didn't want to stay still. He needed to clear his mind.
The corridors were long and silent. Some were lit by torches, others by a soft light that seemed to come from the walls themselves. With every step, the castle felt bigger. Older. More alive.
Kael passed huge doors, staircases that went up and down without a clear destination, and empty rooms that seemed to have been abandoned centuries ago. He felt small inside that place.
Finally, he asked one of the servants for Seraphyne's room. After receiving several directions, he kept walking until he reached a quieter area of the castle.
He stopped for a moment before arriving.
He looked toward a nearby window and noticed that the sun had completely disappeared. The sky was dark, covered in stars. Night had arrived without him noticing.
Kael sighed several times, as if trying to calm himself.
In front of him stood a sturdy wooden door.
Knock, knock, knock, knock.
"May I come in?" he asked in a low voice.
"Yes," Seraphyne replied from inside.
Kael opened the door slowly. He felt a slight nervousness. It wasn't fear, but it wasn't comfort either. Entering a woman's room, alone, still felt strange to him.
The room was very similar to his own. A huge bed occupied the center, perfectly made. In front of it, a small table with armchairs around it invited sitting. On the sides, closed wardrobes, and at the back, a door leading to the bathroom.
Seraphyne was already there. She was wearing simple pajamas. She didn't look dressed up, but she still had a strong presence. Kael looked away for a second, feeling a little awkward.
He sat in one of the armchairs, just a few inches from her.
"Kael, I'm going to be honest," Seraphyne began, in a calmer tone. "I chose Viridia to be our guide. Being an elf, she must know the paths to her kingdom, especially considering how hard it is to find her race."
"You're right," Kael replied without hesitation.
"The others will be Magnus… and me."
Kael remained silent for a few seconds. He didn't seem surprised. Deep down, he had already expected it.
"So it'll be Viridia, Magnus, and you," he said finally. "I suppose I know why you made that decision. And I trust you."
Seraphyne looked at him steadily, as if searching for something in his eyes.
"We leave at dawn tomorrow, right?" Kael asked.
"That's right. I already told the others."
There were no more words.
Kael slowly rose from his seat. He nodded one last time and walked toward the door.
As he left the room, the silence of the castle enveloped him once again.
While walking through the corridors, he thought about the journey that was about to begin. About the elves. About the decisions he had made. About the ones he still had left to make.
Without saying anything else, he returned to his room, mentally preparing himself for the next day and for the trip that would take him to the elven kingdom.