CHAPTER 20: CHAPTER 20 - THE ANNOUNCEMENT.

The sun was almost gone, slipping behind the far-off mountains. The air was still.

Kael stood on the flat roof of a building that overlooked Veldera’s market district.

He had both arms wrapped lazily around the two little girls in his care, holding them like they weighed nothing at all. They leaned against him the way kittens tuck themselves in when they’re curious but safe.

Alenia and Lyra were at his side. Alenia stood straight, calm as always, while Lyra’s manner was gentler, almost deferential. Evethra was a step behind, quiet, waiting, as if even here she was still playing the part of the ever-watchful maid.

And below...

There was a crowd. A big one.

Kael tilted his head a little, eyes sliding down to where the plaza was packed full of bodies. Demihumans everywhere—fox ears, tails, horns, scales, even hulking minotaurs pressed in with the rest. Stalls had been shoved aside, slave traders had cleared out. Even the stubborn ones had given ground.

People were packed shoulder to shoulder, their kids perched on rooftops just to see better. Men, women, elders—all of them craning their necks upward.

Every single one of them was staring at him. Waiting.

Kael blinked once and let out a long, slow sigh.

"...Well. That’s a lot of faces," he murmured, voice unhurried. "Didn’t think this many would bother."

Alenia smirked, brushing her hair back from her face. "You did crush the city lord like a melon. People remember things like that."

Lyra gave a small nod, softer in tone. "Your name spreads quickly. We whispered you’d speak, and the whole city poured in."

Alenia added with a dry chuckle, "Even the slavers didn’t argue. One word—’meat paste’—and they let their slaves out for the day."

Kael’s laugh came out low, amused. "Meat paste, hm? That’s new. I’ll take it. Never thought fear could taste culinary."

Behind him, Evethra moved forward, fussing over the fold of his coat like it mattered, smoothing it back into place before stepping away again.

Kael let out another laugh under his breath, wondering whether she’d always been like that, or if she was turning into something beyond maid.

Rue, perched in his left arm, was peering out at the crowd, her tiny hands held up like pretend binoculars. "There are so many people!" She whispered.

Rina didn’t speak, just hugged Kael tighter and stared wide-eyed at the endless press of ears and tails below.

The crowd buzzed with whispers.

"That’s him, right?"

"The one who killed the city lord?"

"I heard he used magic nobody’s ever seen."

"Is he going to declare war?"

"No... he wouldn’t... right?"

"...If he did, I’d follow him."

"Same."

Kael could hear it all. The doubts, the hopes. He didn’t mock them for it. People always turned restless when they didn’t know what came next.

"Alright," he said at last, quiet as if talking to himself. "Guess I should look impressive."

His shoulders flexed once, and then wings unfolded—black and glossy, edges catching gold from the last of the sun.

The sound that followed wasn’t noise at all. It was silence. The whole plaza gasped at once and then fell into stillness.

Kael didn’t flap, didn’t struggle. He just... rose. His wings stretched out behind him, huge, and the shadow they threw across the plaza made it look like something out of myth had stepped down into their city.

Rue squealed, clinging to him with a grin. "WAH! W-we’re flying again!"

Rina buried her face in his neck, fingers clutching his coat tight.

Kael floated upward with both of them in his arms as if it was nothing, his long coat fluttering around him. His expression stayed calm, unreadable.

And below, everything stopped.

Hundreds of eyes. No sound but breath. All fixed on him.

Kael looked down at them, the faintest curve to his mouth.

He knew what they saw—girls who adored him, boys who admired him, women who looked at him like he was warmth itself, men who already felt the pull to follow.

For him, it was just... what he did. He hadn’t aimed for it. He hadn’t wanted it.

But for them—it was something they’d never thought they’d get.

He’d changed lives without trying.

There was a woman who hadn’t smiled since she was eighteen. Now she did, because he’d freed her.

A guard who’d loved her for years had cried when he saw her happy.

An old man who had lived long enough to see nothing change had watched the city lord die at last, and it was enough to make him believe again.

Every single person in that plaza had some thread tied to what Kael had done. And now they were here.

He let them sit in that silence. Let it stretch.

And then, finally, he spoke.

"...Hello."

Just that.

It rippled through the crowd like a stone dropped in still water.

"I’m told introductions matter," Kael went on, voice smooth, unhurried. "So here’s mine. My name is Kael."

Murmurs broke. Some knew the name. Others didn’t, until now.

"I arrived here not long ago," Kael continued, "in your forest, in your city, in your world. I’ve killed a man. Several, actually. But I must say, I’m not sorry."

Gasps. Some were shocked. Others... delighted.

"I heard stories of cruelty. Of cages. Of collars." His golden eyes narrowed slightly. "Then I saw it myself. And as someone who greatly enjoys his naps, I found the noise... bothersome."

That drew uneasy laughter. Small at first. Then bigger.

"So I did what anyone would do. I turned the noise off."

This time, laughter burst out freer and more genuine.

Rue giggled. "You’re funny!"

Kael winked at her. "Don’t spread it around. I’ve got a reputation."

His voice lowered, the humor slipping into something heavier.

"I’m not your savior," he said.

But the crowd didn’t care what he called himself. To them, he already was.

"I’m not here to lead a revolution," Kael went on. "I don’t want thrones. Don’t want crowns. All I wanted was peace. Sleep."

He looked down at the girls in his arms. "But peace isn’t silence. And it isn’t chains."

He scanned the crowd, and to him, it was obvious—the faint glow of seals, collars, the things forced onto necks and wrists.

There was no chant. No show. Just a snap of his fingers.

Something invisible rolled outward, golden sparks flickering at the edges of every collar, every brand. For a second the chains appeared—ugly things etched into soul and skin—and then they were gone. Just gone.

Gasps turned to silence again.

Even Alenia and Evethra felt it. Slaves themselves.

Evethra pressed a hand to her chest, whispering, "My lord..." Her eyes were wet, but steady.

Alenia stared at him, quiet, a storm behind her calm face. Inside she had made a choice: ’I’ll tell him everything.’

Not now. But soon.

Kael’s voice carried over the crowd again.

"That part always annoyed me most," he said, casually, as if he were talking about weather. "Being told to smile by someone who’s never known warmth."

And the crowd broke. Tears. Laughter. Sobs and cries.

The cheerful dog-girl from the brothel street was on her knees, weeping as she looked at him. Others—faces Kael recognized—looked up with the same thing in their eyes: gratitude.

Kael let them have that moment. Then he spoke again.

"I won’t stay long," he said. "By tomorrow’s dawn, I’ll be gone. Back to where I came from. I have... places to be and a nap schedule to honor."

A wave of whispers rushed through the crowd—shock, fear, confusion.

"But," Kael added, raising one finger with a faint smirk, "for those who wish to walk away from this city... from these chains, this silence, this misery—you’re welcome to join me."

His tone softened. "I won’t lead you. Won’t promise you glory, comfort, paradise. I’m not generous. Or ambitious."

Rue piped up, giggling. "But you’re lazy!"

Kael looked down at her, mock-wounded. "Rue... cruel words."

"I saw you sleeping standing up!"

"I was meditating."

"You were drooling."

"That was condensation. Humidity."

She stuck out her tongue at him.

Kael kissed her forehead. "Anyway. I’ll be waiting. Northern gate. At sunrise."

He turned back to the crowd. "Bring what you need. Leave what you should. Tonight, you decide what kind of tomorrow you want."

Rue tugged at him again. "Will we fly tomorrow too?"

"Of course," Kael said without hesitation, smirking. "Walking is beneath me. Too... pedestrian."

Rina flushed scarlet and burrowed closer into his chest, clutching his coat.

Kael glanced at her, lips twitching. "Rina’s bracing for turbulence already."

She nodded shyly against his shoulder.

Lyra let out a light laugh. "You really have your hands full."

Alenia crossed her arms. "And they love it."

Evethra stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Shall I prepare departure plans, my lord? Your schedule—"

"—has never existed," Kael cut her off, flicking his hand. "Let’s not start now. We leave with the sun. Until then..."

He turned once more to the crowd. "Enjoy your night. Dance. Eat. Fall in love. Pack your socks. If you don’t own socks, steal someone else’s."

Laughter rippled through the plaza, softening everything.

"And tomorrow... if you’re curious, reckless, or just too enchanted by my good looks—" his eyes glowed faint gold as he grinned—"meet me at the gate. I’ll take you somewhere else."

He paused. "Just don’t expect me to carry your luggage."

With that, Kael pulled back from the edge. His wings folded in, Rue and Rina still in his arms, and his shadow disappeared from the crowd’s sight like curtains closing.

The day ended. But the story didn’t.