The Veyris Empire was unusually loud that day.
Not from war.
Not from alarms.
But because Ignisia and Sun Wukong had decided to spar responsibly.
Which meant:
half the training grounds were on fire
three towers were leaning sideways
Lyra was cheering loudly
Seraphina was pretending not to be concerned
Cosmyra was calculating repair costs in silenceIgnisia spun her black-red spear with a grin.
…You talk too much, monkey.
Wukong laughed and planted his staff.
You swing too hard, dragon.
They charged.
Staff met spear.
The impact shook the sky but remained inside Kael's safety barriers.
Ignisia's flames spiraled.
Wukong's footwork danced across impossible angles.
They were both clearly having fun.Then
something entered the battlefield without permission.
A being cloaked in jagged black armor stepped from a tear in space.
Its presence was sharp and hostile.
Its eyes locked directly on Kael Veyris.
I have come to kill you.
Everything paused.
Ignisia stopped mid-strike.
Wukong lowered his staff.
Umbryssia's void stirred.
Kael, seated nearby as if watching entertainment, looked at the intruder.
Then said calmly:
…You are too weak. Before anyone else moved
a graceful figure appeared beside Kael.
A woman whose presence carried quiet authority and elegant danger.
She looked at Kael briefly.
…I got this, husband.
The wives glanced over.
Ignisia smirked.
…Oh, this'll be fast.
Kael simply nodded.
…Proceed. Nxy raised one hand.
No force exploded.
No energy wave formed.
She spoke softly:
…Existence Editing.
The air around the attacker froze.
Not physically
definitionally.
Nxy continued:
Status: defeated.
Identity: harmless memory.
…Purpose: concluded.
The being staggered.
Its armor faded.
Its hostile aura unraveled.
Its very reason for appearing rewrote itself into nothing useful.
No what have you
Then it collapsed into a quiet stream of fading particles.
Gone.As the being vanished, its last voice echoed weakly:
…My brother… will not let you go with this…
Silence followed.
Everyone looked toward Kael.
Kael Veyris smiled.
Not widely.
Not dramatically.
Just enough to be terrifying.
"…Good."Wukong whistled softly.
Your family is insane.
Ignisia twirled her spear.
You're just noticing?
Seraphina sighed.
We prefer capable.
Umbryssia added quietly:
Insane is also acceptable.Kael looked toward the space tear that had already healed.
If the brother wishes to come…
A pause.
He may.
Wukong grinned.
Now I definitely need to stay longer."Ignisia pointed her spear at Wukong again.
Fight's not over.
Wukong spun his staff.
Good. I was getting bored.
Kael leaned back calmly as chaos resumed around him.
One challenger erased.
Another promised.
His wives amused.
His friend laughing.
And somewhere in the distance
a brother had just made the worst decision of his existence.