The platforms followed a flow worthy of an imperial capital.
Various items moved up and down from the Embassy, and the city beside the castle never stopped.
Still somewhat trying to understand the scale of everything that had happened, a young man stood in front of a mirror that stretched from the floor to the ceiling of the vast room.
He had just put on a black cargo pants covered in adornments and pockets.
Now, he was putting on a simple white shirt, along with a black overcoat that nearly dragged along the floor.
The clothes were a little too large for the young man, but they were what the Embassy’s staff had managed to find for him.
After taking a hot bath, with droplets of water still clinging to his wet hair…
Kair threw himself onto the enormous bed and allowed it to embrace him for many good hours.
It would have been strange if any of those young people still had even the slightest bit of energy after the events of the previous night.
Hours passed, and the room’s runic systems adjusted the interior lighting to match the light coming through the enormous window beside Kair’s bed.
Several times, Embassy staff knocked on the bedroom door and even opened it to check whether everything was all right, but after seeing the young man sleeping deeply, they left the meals and walked away with faint looks of pity.
It was only after noon, when his meals had already been replaced three times, that Kair finally woke up.
So that’s it…
I’m alive.
Without moving a muscle, his eyes opened and examined the ceiling of the room.
My head feels much lighter, but…
What the hell smells this good?
With a small jump from the bed that turned into a fall and a stumble, as Kair accidentally transformed some of the muscles in his legs into wolf paws, he approached a cart that had not been there when he fell asleep.
On it, several traditional dishes were still warm, waiting for him.
Beside them was a note written in elegant letters: “Some of the staff notified me that they came to serve you food several times, but you were asleep.
I asked them to accumulate several meals and use some runic inscriptions to keep the food warm.
Eat plenty.
Those who have just awakened tend to be very hungry.” Signed: Ambassador Lucian…
Who signs his name with his title?
Isn’t that a little pretentious?
Oblivious to the basic customs of etiquette and the more complex politics of the Empire, Kair began devouring the various meals like a truly starving wolf.
And, in a way, he was one.
While eating, he finally looked toward a nearly imperceptible region of his field of vision, one that had deliberately been made difficult to notice whenever the user did not wish to perceive it.
The system!
When he willed it, a screen appeared directly in front of his eyes.
And finally, he read it.
[Kair Aethersoul] [Lineage: Aethersoul] [Assimilations: Lunafang] [Rank: Common] [Abilities: Transformation] The radioactive blue pastry, with a taste as sweet as its name suggested, Piece of Heaven, caught in Kair’s throat, and he nearly suffocated trying to spit the sweet out.
“Cough!” “Cough!” “Cough!” After taking a few gulps of water, Kair calmed down and threw himself onto the bed.
He analyzed the screen illuminating his face.
“What the hell kind of name is that?
I’ve never seen or heard of any lineage that ends with Soul…
And I certainly don’t look like some strange beast.
Literally, from what I’ve seen, I have the lineage of a Lunafang…” Now, with more calm and control, Kair transformed his forearm and hands into claws.
“White fur and silver claws with faint lunar glimmers…
Nothing about Soul…
Unless my lineage has other abilities that I don’t have access to yet…” Kair performed a few more tests, but the only thing that answered him was the wolf inside him.
That woman…
The Weaver.
Looking back now, she was actually…
NO!
SHE WAS LITERALLY A CREATURE ABOVE ELITE!
Putting aside his hormonal thoughts, which, given Kair’s age, were perfectly normal, he finally stood up.
I need to research this surname…
And the Lunafangs too.
If these are two lineages…
Would I have two bloodlines inside me?
What consequences would that have?
What would happen if someone could see my information screen?
His thoughts grew darker.
Lineage was everything, as far as Kair had seen.
Even if, theoretically, it did not prevent someone from becoming stronger, without a good lineage, one’s path would be so difficult that, after a certain point, climbing in rank would become impossible.
Maybe that’s what happened to my uncle?
For the King of Duskfang to know about him, it means that, even if he looked normal, he must have been a great warrior.
Lost in his thoughts, Kair did not even notice that he had made his way toward the transparent glass window.
From there, lost in thought, he stared at a bustling city.
His eyes finally focused on the view, and he managed to realize just how small his hometown was and how far behind it was.
The area had numerous airships overhead, mechanical bridges, and several elevators like the one that had brought him to the Embassy’s castle.
I don’t remember seeing more than two airships before the day I was evacuated and immediately taken to the Lineage Ceremony.
But now…
Dozens of them, and of all different sizes.
Kair’s analysis and thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door open.
Almost instinctively, his claws emerged, and he stared at the figure standing in the doorway.
With his hands raised and an iron fang protruding from his mouth, Kair immediately recognized the wolf invading his room.
“Well, well, well…
The sleeping princess has finally awakened.
You know…
The walls have soundproofing runes, but your snores echoed through the corridors.
You almost kept everyone from sleeping.” Rovan entered the room with playful steps, and his teasing tone made something inside Kair vibrate.
With a silver fang between his lips, he did not let it slide.
“My snores?
Ah…
Was it really them, or are your ears just as sensitive as those of cute little bunnies?” Rovan froze.
He had not been ready for that…
It was the second time Kair had thrown a jab at him, and he did not like it one bit.
For the next few minutes, the two young wolves looked like a pair of children throwing insults and veiled provocations at each other.
When they were done, Rovan was red as someone who had just lost the battle of his life.
He threw himself onto Kair’s bed and immediately changed the subject.
“So, have you decided what ridiculously tight and completely non-anatomical outfit you’re going to wear to the ball?” Rovan’s words made Kair stumble.
He turned toward the young Ironfang.
“Excuse me?
Clothes?
Ball?
Dancing?” Rovan let out a faint victorious smile when he saw Kair’s face.