High above the mortal realm, where golden clouds formed eternal walkways and the air shimmered with divine power, stood a balcony unlike any other. Carved from living starlight and morning dew, it jutted out from the Palace of Waters, Akurnni's residence.
The deity of blue seas stood there, his robust frame draped in robes that seemed woven from ocean waves themselves.
Beside him lounged Ivyona, her form constantly shifting between sunrise colours as she sipped wine from a crystal glass.
"Your latest acquisition is quite fascinating," Ivyona mused, referring to the ancient pearl Akurnni had retrieved from the Abyssal Plains. "Though I must say, turning it into a paperweight seems rather... mundane."
Akurnni was about to defend his decorative choices when something caught his attention. His expression shifted, eyes focusing on the mortal realm far below.
"What is it?" Ivyona asked, noting the sudden tension in his shoulders.
"Belan," he muttered, his voice rumbling like distant thunder. "My daughter is in combat."
Ivyona rose gracefully, moving to the balcony's edge. Through the divine mists, they could see the battle unfolding in Riverbank City—a dramatic display of cherry blossoms and void energy that was decidedly not going in Belan's favour.
"Ah," Ivyona said, hiding a smile behind her glass. "It seems your little rose has found herself a thorn."
Akurnni's jaw clenched as he watched Jolthar's void-wreathed blade tear through his daughter's legendary technique. "This is no mere mortal swordsman. The void doesn't bend to just anyone's will."
"Indeed." Ivyona's eyes narrowed as she studied Jolthar. There was something about him, a faint resonance that tickled at her divine senses. A hint of... but no, that was impossible. Unless...
"I should alert Raayani," Akurnni decided.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Ivyona questioned, but Akurnni had already sent a message to Raayani, Belan's mother.
"I'm not going there myself; I'm just warning her mother, that's all," he replied, his gaze returning to the sprawling city below.
She listened, but her focus was on Jolthar. Something about him caught her eye—a faint aura, hints of divine power glimmering around him. Akurnni seemed oblivious to it, his attention elsewhere.
A subtle smile played on her lips as she observed the unfolding drama in the mortal realm, intrigued by the unforeseen twists fate had woven into their lives.
The air crystallized first. That's how it always begins when a powerful woman of Blue Rose descends.
A single white swan pierced through the clouds, its wings trailing stardust, and as it touched the rubble stones, reality itself seemed to hold its breath.
As the swan landed with delicate grace, a woman descended from the top of the swan, where a small carriage was present.
Jolthar had heard tales of the Blue Rose Matriarch's beauty, but no bard's song had done her justice. Her hair was a living flame, each strand a different shade of sunset, flowing like liquid copper in an impossible breeze. Her form was a sculptor's fever dream—curves that seemed to follow the sacred geometry of creation itself, wrapped in robes that appeared woven from twilight and dawn. But it was her eyes that truly caught him—pools of liquid gold that held entire universes in their depths.
For a heartbeat, Jolthar understood exactly why Roblan, that lucky bastard, had risked death and damnation for one night with her. A mere glance from her would send men and women alike into a trance, willing to do anything for just a moment of her attention.
Then his warrior's instincts screamed a warning.
The beauty before him had transformed into something terrible.
Rage carved lines of divine fury across her perfect features, and the air began to thicken with power. When she spoke, her voice carried the weight of mountains:
"YOU DARE HARM MY DAUGHTER?!"
The pressure hit like a massive tidal wave.
Jolthar felt reality itself trying to crush him, as if he were being pushed into the deepest part of oceans, which had no end. His knees buckled despite his iron will, forcing him into a crouch.
Every breath was a battle, every heartbeat a war against the overwhelming her presence.
His void-touched powers responded instinctively, darkness seeping from his pores as the Void Wrath tried to carve out a space for him to exist. But it was like trying to hold back an avalanche with a paper fan. The void energy could only slightly dampen the crushing pressure, turning what would have been instant death into mere excruciating agony.
Through gritted teeth, Jolthar managed to look up at Raayani.
She was floating now, her form haloed by pure power, the air around her shimmering with heat distortions. This was what it meant to face a being beyond the tier system—a genuine power entity whose very presence could rewrite the laws of nature.
Just as black spots began dancing in Jolthar's vision, a sound split the heavens - a thunderclap so powerful it seemed to crack the sky itself. The crushing pressure vanished as if it had never existed, leaving Jolthar gasping for air.
In the ringing silence that followed, boots hit the stones with mechanical precision. Follow current novels on novèlfire.net
Five figures in matte black armour materialized from shadows that shouldn't have existed in the middle of the day. Their armour seemed to drink in the light, covered in runes that hurt the eyes if you looked at them too long. Each wore a helm shaped like a raven's skull, but it was their leader who drew all attention.
Lady Maena stepped forward, her own midnight-black armour decorated with silver patterns that moved of their own accord.
Unlike her soldiers, she wore no helm, letting everyone see her face—sharp features set in an expression of cold amusement, her silver black hair fluttered at the back of her head.
"Now, now, Lady Raayani," Maena's voice carried the chill of deep space. "Let's not get carried away."
The tension in Riverbank City's courtyard crystallized as Maena stepped forward, her presence causing the very air to thicken with unspoken power.
She moved and positioned herself near Jolthar with casual precision.
Raayani's eyes narrowed, recognition flickering across her features. "Maena Kaezhlar. Why are you interfering in my matters?"