It didn’t take long before the mainland finally began appearing in the distance. Massive forests stretched across the horizon, broken only occasionally by rivers, mountain ranges, and scattered settlements barely visible from above.
Elyndra’s expression gradually turned solemn as she stared far into the distance. There, towering above the surrounding forests like a pillar reaching toward the heavens, stood Avanriel, the World Tree of the Elven Realm. Even from this distance, it was impossible to mistake.
Silence briefly settled inside the cabin as Elyndra quietly looked toward her homeland, her deep blue eyes reflecting the distant light filtering across the massive tree.
Today was the day the ruler of the Elven Realm traditionally opened the royal court to the public.
Deep within the heart of the Elven Realm, nobles of the great houses, knights, merchants, and representatives from the surrounding elven territories slowly filled the enormous chamber built beneath the branches of the World Tree. Sunlight filtered through the crystalline leaves high above, casting shifting patterns of gold and green across the polished white floors of the throne hall.
At the center of the chamber stood the royal throne.
Despite the formal proceedings, the atmosphere inside the court remained tense. Ever since Elyndra’s disappearance, uncertainty had quietly spread throughout the kingdom. Rumors continued circulating among both the nobility and common citizens alike.
Some claimed the former queen had died. The others whispered that she had fled, and some believed darker things entirely. Regardless of the truth, the throne had not remained empty for long.
The uncertainty had begun affecting more than the nobility. Across the capital, even ordinary elven citizens had started feeling the growing tension within the realm. Merchants whispered about rising military movements between territories, travelers spoke of noble houses gathering private forces, and unease quietly spread beneath the otherwise peaceful image of the realm.
Yet while the kingdom remained focused on the tensions brewing within its borders,
Neither those inside the royal palace nor the crowds gathered below were aware that high above the capital, an aerial craft was quietly hovering in place.
Its reflective camouflage system distorted the surrounding light across the hull, making the Hover Jet appear almost transparent from below. Only a faint mechanical hum lingered quietly above Avanriel’s enormous canopy.
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere had noticeably grown heavier.
Kyndris remained standing near the side of the cabin while silently looking toward the royal palace far below. Briefly, her thoughts drifted back toward her final conversation with the Commander before the mission began.
“No matter what happens… don’t let anyone get hurt, Kyn.”
The memory lingered quietly in her mind.
For some reason, the words stayed with her more than usual. Almost as if the Commander had already expected this mission to become complicated.
Still, her task remained simple.
Keep everyone safe.
“This is it,” Kyndris finally spoke calmly while looking toward the palace beneath them.
“There’s no backing out now.”
Elyndra remained silent for a brief moment before turning toward the others inside the cabin. Her blue eyes briefly lingered on each of them. Reis was quietly monitoring the controls near the cockpit, Hana seated nearby with her medical package resting against her side, and Altea practically vibrating with excitement near the cabin window.
Slowly, Elyndra smiled faintly.
“Yes…” she said softly.
“I have all of you now.”
Nearby, Hana leaned forward and carefully adjusted a small lens-like device attached discreetly near the collar section of Elyndra’s dress.
“Okay, the feed is set,” Hana said while finishing the calibration. “If you need help just… call, Elyn.”
The tiny embedded device flickered faintly before synchronizing with the Hover Jet systems overhead.
“Understood,” Elyndra answered softly.
“Hold tight.”
“Mhm.”
This time, Kyndris removed her dark military coat and set it aside near the cabin wall.
Without it concealing her frame, the sleek combat-fitted innerwear beneath became fully visible, designed for mobility while contouring naturally against her tall athletic physique. Subtle black scales traced along portions of her skin while faint blue energy lines from the shielding system glowed softly beneath the dim cabin lights.
Then Kyndris leaned down slightly toward Elyndra.
By now, Elyndra already understood what was coming.
Without protest, she quietly wrapped her arms around Kyndris as the Vice Commander lifted her effortlessly into a princess carry.
To Kyndris, Elyndra’s weight felt almost nonexistent, as though she were carrying little more than a feather.
“Open the hatch.”
“Got it,” Reis answered immediately from the cockpit.
The lower hatch slowly opened beneath them, violent winds rushing upward into the cabin as the palace grounds became visible far below.
“I’ll be back soon,” Kyndris stated calmly while looking toward the others.
“Remain on standby.”
“Got it, Vice Commander,” Reis responded.
Hana gave a nervous nod from her seat while tightening her hold around the medical pack beside her.
Meanwhile, Altea immediately waved both hands enthusiastically.
“Good luck, Elyn!”
It was then.
Kyndris jumped.
Elyndra instinctively tightened her hold as both of them rapidly descended through the skies toward the palace below. The powerful winds roared around them.
And just before reaching the ground,
Massive draconic wings suddenly spread open from Kyndris’ back.
The motion immediately slowed their descent before both women landed perfectly in front of the palace hall entrance with a heavy gust of wind scattering across the surrounding area. Dust briefly swirled upward around them, partially obscuring the two figures beneath the fading turbulence.
The enormous line of gathered civilians instantly erupted into panic and confusion.
"AHHHH!"
“What was that?!”
“A dragon?!”
Royal guards immediately rushed toward the landing site with weapons drawn.
Only to freeze completely the moment they recognized the blonde elf standing beside the draconic woman.
“…Queen… Elyndra?…”
Elyndra remained silent.
For a brief moment, she simply glanced toward Kyndris beside her. Kyndris gave a small nod in return before stepping backward slightly.
Then, with a single powerful motion, her massive draconic wings spread open once more before she launched herself back into the skies above, disappearing rapidly toward the nearly invisible aerial craft hovering far above the palace.
Leaving Elyndra alone.
This time, there was no distance separating her from her people anymore. No uncertainty. No rumors. Only the countless gazes now fixed upon her, once again, people who once believed their queen had vanished forever.
Many looked shocked, some were relieved, some were fearful, and some simply stared in disbelief.
Elyndra quietly straightened herself beneath their eyes. Her long blonde hair shifted gently beneath the winds left behind by Kyndris’ departure, while her deep blue eyes remained fixed upon the palace ahead.
Because, regardless of politics, rumors, or whoever currently occupied the throne, the woman walking gracefully and proudly toward them was still the queen they once swore loyalty to. The guards knew Elyndra lacked the overwhelming strength and magical power expected of past rulers, yet even so, none of them could deny that she was the last remaining royal blood of the Elven Realm. That alone carried enormous weight within elven society, because for generations the royal lineage had been viewed as the symbol chosen to rule beneath Avanriel itself. To raise a weapon against the final surviving heir of that bloodline was not a decision most guards could make lightly.
Some of the older guards even lowered their heads slightly as she passed.
And beneath the weight of countless silent stares, Elyndra quietly walked toward the massive palace doors alone. The doors of the royal court opened with a thunderous sound that echoed across the great hall beneath Avanriel.
The conversation stopped instantly.
Nobles turned. The guards inside the hall stiffened, and seated upon the silver throne beneath the crest of the royal bloodline,
Lord Vaerion froze.
Elyndra walked into the chamber slowly beneath the crystal light filtering down from the branches of the World Tree.
Whispers immediately spread like wildfire.
Impossible. She survived?
For several long seconds, even Vaerion himself looked not merely surprised but genuinely shaken. He knew better than anyone what should have happened that afternoon.
His fingers tightened subtly against the armrest of the silver throne as his eyes remained locked onto Elyndra’s figure approaching through the chamber. The color drained slightly from his face before he quickly forced himself to remain composed.
He still remembered it clearly. The isolated cliffside beyond the court gardens. The violent winds, and Elyndra disappearing over the edge after being struck by his wind magic.
No ordinary elf could have survived a fall like that.
And yet, she stood before him completely alive like a ghost from the past.
Her presence felt different… The Elyndra standing before him no longer carried the quiet hesitation he remembered from before her disappearance.
For the first time since taking the throne, Vaerion looked genuinely uncertain.
“…Elyndra. You came back.”
“Yes, Lord Vaerion, or King…” Elyndra answered calmly.
Silence lingered briefly throughout the hall.
Then slowly, Vaerion regained composure. The brief shock faded from his expression, replaced once more by the cold, controlled demeanor expected of the new ruler seated upon the throne. Yet beneath that calm surface, his eyes remained locked onto Elyndra carefully, as if still trying to understand how she was standing alive before him at all.
“You return after abandoning the realm,” Vaerion declared.
“And now you dare enter this court?”
Elyndra stopped at the center of the chamber.
For a brief moment, she almost wanted to laugh, hearing such obvious lies spoken so confidently before the entire court. However, accusing the king without evidence would accomplish nothing here.
But unlike before. Elyndra no longer felt the same as the queen who once disappeared from this palace.
After everything she had witnessed within the Atlas Origin Base, the endless political struggles of the realm suddenly felt… Insignificantly small.
The lands these nobles endlessly fought over now seemed meaningless compared to the sheer vastness of the universe Atlas had explained to her.
There were entire worlds that existed beyond this one. Worlds larger than kingdoms. Larger than empires that she could imagine.
The realization had shaken her more deeply than she cared to admit.
It even made her question herself.
What were they truly fighting for?
What had her father died protecting?
The Commander once casually told her that, if she wished in the near future, entire continents upon distant worlds could eventually be granted to the elves. A future where her people could thrive peacefully without endless war.
And yet here, inside this court, the great houses continued pushing the realm toward bloodshed over forests and borders that suddenly felt unbearably small to her now.
Elyndra no longer returned simply to reclaim the throne.
She returned to stop the direction the realm itself was heading toward.
Then slowly, she raised her eyes toward the throne.
“I came to reclaim what belongs to the royal bloodline.”
The words immediately stirred the nobles.
However, unlike the reaction Elyndra may once have expected, there was little sympathy within the chamber. There was only tension, some even wore irritation.
Due to the fact that her claim carried legitimacy, none of them could deny it. Elyndra was the last direct descendant of the royal bloodline blessed beneath Avanriel. The final surviving heir of the throne.
However, she already understood that bloodline alone was no longer enough within this realm. No… Not for the people standing inside this court.
One of the great noble lords rose first. More followed soon after.
“The realm has already moved forward.”
“The great houses have already recognized Lord Vaerion’s rule.”
“Trade and military authority stabilized under the current administration.”
Murmurs of agreement quietly spread across the chamber.
Elyndra remained silent at first.
Then slowly, her eyes narrowed.
Vaerion calmly descended the throne steps, his gaze fixed steadily upon her.
As he looked at Elyndra, memories of her rule clearly resurfaced within his mind. Years spent restraining the ambitions of the great houses. Delaying military expansion. Refusing to escalate border conflicts despite increasing pressure from both the nobility and neighboring human kingdoms.
“You always hesitated,” He said evenly.
“While neighboring human kingdoms strengthened themselves, you spoke only of diplomacy and restraint.”
Several nobles openly nodded now.
“The human kingdoms continue expanding.”
“And yet during your reign, the military stagnated.”
Elyndra’s expression slowly hardened.
“So that’s it?” she finally asked quietly.
She had hesitated before.
But not anymore.
For years, she had tried to believe the court still cared about protecting the realm rather than feeding its ambitions. She endured endless pressure from the great houses, constant demands for military strengthening, and repeated calls to prepare for larger conflicts she knew would eventually cost countless lives.
Part of her had always hoped those voices came from fear, not greed.
But standing here now, hearing the agreement spreading openly throughout the chamber, Elyndra finally realized how alone she truly had been during her rule.
The hall gradually fell silent again.
Elyndra’s fists slowly clenched at her sides.
“This court wanted war!”
No one answered immediately. However, the silence itself was enough.
One of the nobles finally spoke.
“We wanted strength.”
Elyndra suddenly laughed once. It was a bitter sound.
“You speak of strength while sitting safely inside this court.”
Her voice rose sharply throughout the chamber.
“You call me weak because I refused to throw thousands of our people into pointless slaughter to satisfy whose ambition!!?”
Several expressions darkened immediately.
But Elyndra no longer stopped.
“For years, this court delayed rebuilding the borders, delayed the peace talks, yet still demanded more military power. For what!? War!?”
Her gaze swept across the nobles one by one.
“And did any of you even think about the people who would actually die for it?”
The atmosphere inside the chamber became increasingly tense.
“You sit here talking about strength while treating war like a strategy written upon parchment.”
Her voice cracked slightly now, not from fear.
From anger.
Several nobles visibly looked offended now.
One even slammed his hand against the armrest beside him.
“You would rather leave the realm defenseless?!”
“I would rather not let this kingdom survive by becoming the very thing we once feared!”
The hall exploded into shouting.
Vaerion raised one hand sharply. Slowly, the silence crashed down again. Then, he looked toward Elyndra with something almost resembling disappointment.
He said calmly,
“This is why the court lost faith in you.”
For a brief moment, the words struck Elyndra harder than anything else said so far. Looking around the chamber, Elyndra realized he was right.
Most of the people inside this hall had already chosen.
However, instead of shrinking down, it only made her angrier.
King Vaerion spoke again.
“Your Blood claim does not secure a kingdom.”
His gaze sharpened before continuing,
“The throne requires strength.”
Several nobles nodded immediately, the military leaders, expansionist houses, and the Court officials who benefited from the current administration.
For a long moment, Elyndra remained silent beneath their eyes.
Then slowly, she straightened herself.
“You speak as if taking arms is inevitable,” she said quietly.
Vaerion’s expression remained calm.
“It is.”
His voice echoed clearly throughout the chamber.
“The neighboring kingdoms continue arming themselves while humanity expands further every year. And if this realm continues hesitating, we will eventually lose far more than we did in the last war.”
Silence followed briefly.
Then murmurs of agreement quietly spread throughout the court.
Elyndra stared at him silently.
Then Vaerion calmly continued.
“You may still possess royal blood,” he said evenly.
“But this court has already chosen the future of the realm.”
His voice lowered slightly.
“And it is no longer you.”
Silence filled the chamber.
Hearing it spoken so directly, the weight of it pressed heavily against Elyndra’s chest.
Even so, Elyndra understood why.
If she forced herself to look through their perspective, the fears of the nobles were not entirely unfounded. Humanity expanded rapidly with every passing decade. Kingdoms grew larger. Greed and conquest constantly reshaped the continent through war.
Back then, during her reign, Elyndra pursued diplomacy because she feared endless bloodshed.
But she also understood the uncomfortable truth now standing before her.
If humanity had truly chosen war one day, the Elven Realm under her leadership possessed little ability to deter it. Alone, she had no overwhelming power capable of forcing peace.
It was most likely the greatest reason this court no longer believed in her rule.
However, that was only true when she stood alone.
And that was why Elyndra still returned to this court despite everything.
Not merely to reclaim the throne,
But to convince the realm, there could still be another path forward besides militarization and inevitable war.
And in the end, this court refused to believe such a path existed at all.
Seeing her silence, Vaerion’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“This discussion is over.”
Vaerion slowly raised one hand once more. His expression completely lost whatever warmth remained.
“I had hoped your return could be resolved peacefully,” he said calmly.
At his signal, the royal guards immediately tightened formation throughout the throne hall. Steel echoed sharply as weapons were raised in unison around Elyndra from every direction.
Along the outer walls of the chamber, court mages stepped forward beneath Avanriel’s light.
Vaerion continued coldly,
“But your presence now threatens the stability of the realm itself.”
Elyndra’s eyes widened slightly.
Then several guards began approaching her decisively.
The nobles had already made their choice.
However, Elyndra did not move.
Instead, her blue eyes slowly steadied, filled not with panic, but clarity.
After everything said within this chamber, she finally understood something.
No matter what words she used. No matter how much she tried to explain.
This court would never abandon the path it had chosen.
“There was no other way…” Elyndra whispered.
Vaerion ignored her entirely.
“Detain her.”
The command echoed sharply across the chamber.
The guards advanced.
Then suddenly…
BOOOOOOM.
The entire throne hall shook violently.
Before anyone could react, a dark figure crashed directly into the center of the chamber beside Elyndra, hard enough to fracture the marble floor beneath them.
Wind and dust blasted violently outward across the hall.
Nobles screamed.
Guards stumbled backward instinctively.
And standing beside Elyndra as the dust slowly settled was Kyndris.
Faint blue shielding light flickered softly across her tall figure while black draconic scales reflected beneath Avanriel’s light. Her massive wings slowly folded behind her back as slit-pupil eyes swept coldly across the guards surrounding Elyndra.
The atmosphere instantly tightened.
No one dared to move. Every instinct inside the hall screamed danger the moment she appeared.
Then another figure suddenly descended from above.
“ELYYYYN!”
Altea rapidly flapped downward through the fractured opening before landing beside Elyndra almost instantly.
She immediately moved protectively closer to Elyndra’s side while glaring toward the surrounding guards.
For several long seconds,
Silence swallowed the throne hall completely.
“Vice Commander…”
Elyndra’s voice came out quieter than expected.
It was not fearful nor ashamed. She just felt… tired.
Because despite everything, this was exactly what she had wanted to avoid.
Foreign power entering the royal court.
Fear spreads through her people.
Violence inside the heart of the Elven Realm itself.
However, after everything that happened, Elyndra knew words alone were not enough.
Slowly, she steeled her resolve. There was no going back...
“You did well.”
Kyndris’ voice remained calm as she stood beside Elyndra.
“It is our time now.”
The atmosphere inside the throne hall finally snapped.
“Seize them!” King Vaerion shouted in panic.
The royal guards surged forward almost immediately.
Court mages raised glowing formations throughout the chamber as waves of mana rapidly gathered beneath Avanriel’s light.
And then, Kyndris moved.
The polished floor beneath her shattered instantly.
BOOM.
Several guards were thrown backward before they could even react.
A mage released a volley of flame spears,
Only for the attacks to collide harmlessly against the glowing blue barrier surrounding Kyndris’ body.
The T1 Energy Shielding flared brightly for a brief second before stabilizing once more.
Shock spread throughout the hall.
Too fast!
Several more guards rushed simultaneously from both sides.
Kyndris stepped forward once.
A single strike from the blunt rear section of her weapon sent one crashing across the chamber without lethal force. Another guard was disarmed almost instantly before collapsing unconscious against a pillar.
She wasn’t killing them. The difference in power was overwhelming.
To the elves inside the throne hall, it no longer looked like a battle.
It looked like an adult effortlessly suppressing children.
Meanwhile,
Altea suddenly launched herself upward.
“Too slow!”
The small draconic girl rapidly spun through the air before slamming directly into a group of advancing guards hard enough to send them tumbling across the fractured floor.
Another guard attempted to grab her from behind,
Only for Altea’s tail to whip across his weapon before she kicked him backward with surprising force.
Despite her smaller size, her movements were absurdly fast.
Unpredictable.
One court mage hurriedly formed a restraining spell beneath her,
But Altea simply flapped upward at the last second while laughing.
“You almost got me!”
The spell detonated harmlessly against the floor instead.
Several guards visibly hesitated now.
Because, unlike Kyndris’ terrifying calmness, Altea fought with almost playful energy.
Which somehow made the situation feel even more overwhelming.
The nobles quickly realized it.
Panic soon spread.
Court mages attempted restraining spells,
Only for the magic circles themselves to destabilize the moment Kyndris broke through the formation line.
The throne hall descended into chaos.
There was constant shouting. Collapsing mage barriers.
Guards scrambling across shattered marble floors.
And through all of it,
Elyndra remained standing still.
Watching the fight, her expression slowly hardened as the very court that once called her weak now collapsed beneath warriors from beyond their realm.
Altea darted rapidly through the hall overhead, forcing guards and mages backward every time she descended. One mage attempted to target Elyndra directly with a spell formation,
Only for Altea to slam directly into him mid-cast before the magic circle could fully activate.
“Not allowed!” she shouted while sending the stunned mage tumbling across the floor.
Meanwhile, Kyndris continued advancing through the throne hall almost unstoppably.
Vaerion himself attempted to cast another spell.
Mana surged violently around his arm,
However, Kyndris appeared before him instantly.
The pressure wave alone cracked the floor beneath the throne.
At that moment, Vaerion froze. This time, Real fear appeared across his face.
Kyndris’ glowing blue draconic slit-eyes locked onto him coldly.
A second later, Vaerion was slammed against the base of the throne platform hard enough to completely shatter the stone behind him before collapsing unconscious.
Silence followed.
The surviving guards no longer advanced.
The nobles stared in disbelief at the ruined hall surrounding them.
Because the conflict had ended almost as quickly as it began.
And standing at the center of it all was Elyndra.
Slowly, she began walking forward.
No one stopped her. With Kyndris and Altea within the hall, nobody could.
Her footsteps echoed quietly across the fractured marble floor as she ascended the throne platform beneath Avanriel’s light.
Vaerion remained collapsed beneath the throne, barely conscious as blood stained the shattered marble around him.
For a brief moment, Elyndra simply looked down at him silently.
Then slowly, she reached toward the silver crown resting beside him and lifted it carefully into her hands.
The symbol of the royal bloodline.
The legacy of generations.
The chamber remained utterly silent as Elyndra finally placed the crown back upon her head once more.
Elyndra finally spoke.
“My name is Elyndra Vaelaris, daughter of King Altherion Vaelaris, heir of Avanriel, and rightful sovereign of the Elven Realm.”
Her voice echoed powerfully throughout the shattered throne hall beneath the World Tree itself.
“The authority of the crown is hereby restored.”
No one interrupted her. No one dared to.
“All unauthorized military mobilization against the human kingdoms will cease immediately.”
Several nobles visibly tensed upon hearing the declaration.
Below the throne platform, Vaerion slowly regained consciousness before coughing violently against the fractured stone beneath him, traces of blood staining the shattered marble floor.
His unfocused eyes slowly lifted toward Elyndra.
“What… have you done…”
For a brief moment, Elyndra remained silent.
She had thought about that moment countless times.
The cliff. The violent winds. Her fall into the abyss.
She remembered it perfectly.
No matter how many times she replayed that moment in her mind,
Her story should have ended there.
And yet somehow… she lived.
As if fate itself had diverted from its original course the moment she survived.
Elyndra slowly lowered her gaze toward Vaerion.
“Times change, Lord Vaerion.”