CHAPTER 153: CHAPTER 153 | ROYAL DECREE

The supposed "Daughter" stepped calmly into the chaotic field, her figure illuminated faintly by the glow of the still-whipping pillars.

Gaius exhaled, relaxing the iron clench of his fist.

His massive shoulders lowered slightly, though his presence still pressed heavily on the square. His gaze shifted to her, eyes narrowing with recognition.

"What are you doing here, Rina?"

Air eidra pulsed faintly around her hand, swirling gently before dissipating into calm streams as she raised it.

With a graceful motion, she let the energy fade entirely, showing she came not to fight but to speak.

She dipped her head in acknowledgment before her voice carried, firm yet respectful.

"I congratulate you on your victory, Father. I have only just arrived moments ago, using a transporter portal the soldiers had prepared and activated. I bring news."

"So they’ve already set the portal, then," Gaius muttered with a grunt, his tone acknowledging her efficiency.

He tilted his head slightly, studying her with sharp eyes.

"Well, get on with it. What’s the news?"

Rina reached into the folds of her cloak, her movements steady but deliberate.

Her fingers closed around something within before she drew it out—a parchment, its surface marked with intricate insignia that caught the faint glow of the square’s banner above.

She held it for a moment, glancing down at the words as though weighing the message within.

*Ahem!

A small cough escaped her lips, clearing her voice before she finally spoke, each word measured, carrying authority not of her own

...but of the throne.

"By Royal Decree," she began, her tone formal and commanding,

"you, General Gaius, along with Battlemaster Venedix’s apprentice, are hereby summoned to attend the Royal Assembly. It shall commence in exactly three days’ time."

The words hung in the air, heavier than any strike exchanged moments before.

The storm of wind that had dominated the battlefield now seemed to pale against the decree of the throne.

Gaius’s chest rose and fell as he grunted deeply, his jaw tightening at the weight of her announcement.

*sigh...

A sigh escaped him, long and weathered, as if the very mention of "return" pulled a burden back onto his shoulders.

"So... it’s finally time to return, eh?"

His voice rumbled, laced with both resignation and acceptance.

Slowly, his eyes turned away from his daughter, falling instead upon Jinn.

The crimson-haired apprentice still gripped Fangeryth firmly, his stance sharp, his aura flickering faintly in the aftermath of the duel.

Gaius studied him in silence, as though measuring what this decree would mean not only for himself—

but for the boy standing before him.

.

.

.

Gaius then exhaled through his nose, the sound more like a low rumble than a breath, before bringing his hand up to the bridge of his brow.

His thumb and index finger pressed firmly against it, rubbing slowly as if to ease the burden now thrust upon them by the decree.

His eyes remained half-lidded for a moment, silent in thought, before his voice finally broke the stillness.

"Go. Prepare yourself for departure. We’ll use the portal come sunrise."

His words were firm, spoken with the calm authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed.

Jinn gave a faint nod, his expression unreadable, before his hand moved fluidly.

*Shhhk!

Fangeryth slid back into its sheath, the sword locking into place with a crisp, resonant sound that carried across the quiet square.

Without another word, Jinn turned on his heel and began to walk.

His boots crunched against the fractured earth, stepping across the battlefield that only moments ago had been alive with pillars of wind and arcs of crimson eidra.

Now, the cracks in the stone and the uneven terrain stood as scars of the clash.

His steps were steady, though the heaviness of the moment pressed against his shoulders like unseen weight.

But before he could take another pace further, a hand landed lightly on his shoulder.

The unexpected touch halted him in his tracks.

His head turned slightly, crimson strands of hair brushing against his cheek as his sharp eyes glanced back over his shoulder.

"H-Heya, Jinn! It’s been a while!" came a familiar voice, slightly muffled and distorted through the helmet the figure wore.

Despite the artificial edge to the sound, the tone carried a brightness, a cheerfulness that clashed against the heavy silence left in the aftermath of battle.

"It’s been exactly one year since you’ve been back at the capital..." she said, her tone laced with a hint of excitement.

The distortion in her voice could not mask the sincerity of her words.

"Some people are eager—no, excited—to see how far you’ve progressed!"

Her cheer seemed genuine, almost playful, but beneath it lingered the unspoken weight of expectation.

A year away from the capital was not easily forgotten, nor was the return of a man whose name and actions had begun to spread like fire.

Jinn’s lone eye narrowed, his gaze sharp beneath the banner’s glow.

Slowly, deliberately, he raised his hand to hers.

With a subtle but undeniable firmness, he swatted Rina’s hand off his shoulder, the gesture neither harsh nor gentle—simply final, the act of a man unwilling to be pulled along by another’s casual touch.

"I take it Lady Akavi will be finding me soon," Jinn said, his tone calm yet edged with a quiet certainty.

His eye stayed on her, unwavering, before shifting briefly toward the distance as though he could already feel Akavi’s presence drawing closer.

He turned back to Rina, his voice heavy with the weight of someone who saw through her words.

"And she asked you specifically to make me meet her."

The words struck with precision, as though he had known her purpose all along.

Rina flinched slightly, her body stiffening before her composure cracked.

"Well... yes, also that..." she admitted quickly, her hand rising behind her head in a nervous gesture.

A forced laugh slipped out, brittle and fake, echoing weakly against the fractured stone around them.

"But I was really here to pass on the message of the invitation to my father as well!"

Her excuse tumbled out clumsily, lacking the confident edge she had shown earlier.

Jinn, however, did not move an inch.

His expression remained stern, his eye narrowing further as the air seemed to grow heavier around them.

"Then let’s not waste any more time," he said, his voice serious and sharp, carrying no room for debate.

"Take me to her."

"O-Okay!" Rina stammered, caught off guard by his decisiveness.

She straightened up quickly, her tone shifting into a rush of compliance.

"I’ll just inform Father about me and you departing early. You go on ahead and wait for me at the portal—it’s just directly east from here!"

She didn’t even wait for Jinn’s reply.

With hurried steps, she spun on her heel and sprinted toward Gaius,

*flap!

her cloak flaring behind her as her boots clattered against the fractured ground.

Jinn pivoted without hesitation, his movements deliberate, and began striding east.

Each step was heavy, the thud of his boots echoing faintly across the scarred battlefield.

His crimson hair swayed faintly with the night air as his lone eye swept forward, ever watchful.

Then, ahead, his gaze sharpened.

Shadows loomed just beyond the ruined square, illuminated faintly by the pale, steady glow of the soldier’s erected lights.

The silhouettes resolved themselves into familiar shapes—armed figures waiting silently.

The other members of his squad.