CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28 - THEIR LEADER.

The evening came quietly.

Birds trilled from high branches, their voices sharp against the gentle rustle of the forest.

The sun dipped into the horizon, spilling gold-orange over distant peaks, and the air carried that damp coolness of an ending day.

Before the hut, more than two hundred demihumans had gathered.

Fur, feathers, and scales shimmered in the morning light as families pressed close together, whispering among themselves. Children tugged at their parents’ arms, eyes wide with expectation.

"Do you think he’ll do something exciting again today?" One foxkin muttered, ears twitching.

"He always does something when there’s a crowd," a hedgehog mother replied. "You saw what happened to those knights—"

"Shh! Don’t remind me! My son still hasn’t stopped pretending he’s Kael every time he swings a stick."

The crowd’s muttering swelled, a mixture of awe and unease. For all his laziness, whenever Kael stood before them, something happened.

Then, he appeared.

Not walking, but floating.

Kael hovered above them in the morning light, a golden silhouette against the setting sun.

He had no Rue tugging at his sleeve or Rina nestled in his arm. It was just him, suspended in the sky, posture relaxed as if he were leaning on invisible air.

It was Alenia’s suggestion to make him look more imposing, but Kael—Kael had no interest in being intimidating. His presence wasn’t cold steel and sharp edges.

No—his presence was firelight and wine, smooth charm and easy amusement. The kind of attention you gave freely, because you wanted to.

Golden eyes swept lazily over the crowd, his smile tugging as if he already knew every thought buzzing below.

When the murmurs finally quieted, Kael stretched, voice rolling out warm and velvet-smooth.

"Well," Kael began, voice smooth and rich, carrying easily through the air. "I imagine most of you are wondering what I’m going to say. Truth is, so am I. I didn’t exactly wake up this morning with a speech tucked under my pillow."

A ripple of laughter ran through the crowd, loosening the tension.

"But let me start with this: I told you all before that I had no interest in becoming anyone’s lord."

His eyes scanned the crowd, finding some people growing confused as to why he was bringing up that topic, so he added, "I still don’t."

A ripple ran through the crowd, but before they could think of something—

"But..." Kael’s smile curved. "...a society without a leader isn’t really a society. Someone has to stand at the top. And it looks like you’ve all shoved me into that role. Rude, by the way."

Laughter scattered through the crowd, easing shoulders.

"Now, when most people think of lords," Kael continued, one hand raised casually, "they imagine someone who barks orders, makes you bow, and demands you scrub their boots until you can see your reflection."

Some heads lowered, but Kael continued. "That’s not me, though. I’ve already got good boots, and trust me—your reflections aren’t that flattering."

Even some of the most serious adults couldn’t help but chuckle at that. A few children actually bent down to check their reflections in puddles, causing their parents to groan.

Kael smirked, leaning back in the air as if lounging on a couch only he could see.

"I’ll be a leader, but not that kind of leader. I won’t ask you to solve my problems. You’re not strong enough for that anyway."

The bluntness was so dry, so effortlessly smooth, that the crowd actually laughed harder than before.

"But listen carefully. I will not shelter you."

The crowd quieted, smiles fading as the seriousness enveloped the area.

"I’ll help you learn to survive, but I won’t survive for you."

"I’ll show you how to hunt, but I won’t hunt for you."

"I’ll give you places to stay, but I won’t live your lives for you."

Each line he said made the demihumans straighten more than they ever had.

After all, those words weren’t demotivating. Rather, those words told them that they could all start over in their lives.

Kael, on the other hand, went on, "You’ll get enough from me to stand—but whether you walk or crawl after that... depends on you."

His smile then softened, though his words carried a sharper edge. "Because if you rely too much on me... then I’ll get bored. And when I get bored, I tend to... make things disappear."

For the first time, his eyes hardened. Cold. Predatory.

"Anyone who crosses me... becomes my food."

The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush.

Even the children who never imagined Kael as frightening shrank behind their parents, wide-eyed because Kael was intentionally letting them feel a bit of his aura.

The earth itself seemed to be still under that weight.

Then, as if the cold expression from before was a joke, Kael’s grin returned, sharp and dazzling.

"I’m kidding."

The crowd exhaled all at once. Relief rippled. Some even laughed nervously.

But Kael tilted his head, smirk widening.

"...Not really."

Half the people froze again. The other half laughed, unsure if they were supposed to.

The result was a ripple of confusion that left the whole crowd teetering between awe, fear, and amusement—exactly where Kael liked them.

Off to the side, a different kind of sigh broke.

Lyra shook her head fondly, silver ears twitching. "That’s Kael for you..."

Alenia pinched the bridge of her nose, though her lips curved despite herself. "Elegant chaos, through and through."

Selene let out a quiet laugh, wings shifting. "...I suppose this is leadership. In its own way."

Evethra lowered her eyes reverently, her voice steady. "Whatever form it takes, it is perfect."

Beside them, the earth bear sat like a boulder, Rue and Rina perched happily on its back. The massive beast grunted, not in the least satisfied with how he was turned into a steed.

"I told you before: don’t pull my ears!" He growled at Rue and Rina, but the girls merely giggled.

Rue kicked her legs cheerfully. "Big brother’s speeches are fun!"

Rina hid her face in her hands, whispering. "...Scary. But... also funny."

The earth bear huffed, turning his head away. "...He’s ridiculous."

But even he, gruff and pouty as he was, couldn’t deny it—Kael had them all.

Every single soul below hung on his words, torn between laughter and fear.

In that moment, whether he admitted it or not, Kael stood as their leader.

For a while after that, the silence from Kael’s last words lingered like smoke, but before the weight of it could settle too deep, he shifted.

Kale’s smile relaxed again, his tone warm and unhurried.

"Now then," he said, his voice carrying over the gathering like a breeze, "as I mentioned before, I’ll be giving you a place to live. So why don’t we start with that?"

A ripple ran through the crowd, this time not of fear but curiosity. Shoulders eased. Parents loosened their grips on children. A hedgehog boy tugged at his mother’s hand.

"Will I be able to see that shiny coin thing that you said he did in the street you worked on?"

"I don’t know," she whispered back, though her eyes were fixed on Kael with the same hope as her son.

Others whispered too.

"Last time he made gold rain from the air—"

"Rain, yes. I can still remember my wet linen from that time."

"My cousin swears he turned a man’s sword into bread."

"You’re lying—!"

Children bounced on their toes, tails and ears twitching with excitement.

Slowly, the crowd was forgetting the cold edge of his earlier warning, swept up instead in what they had come to expect from him: something extraordinary.

Kael rubbed his chin, golden eyes wandering the clearing.

The people pressed close together in this small patch of open earth, but beyond that, only trees.

Those trees were thick, with towering trunks, their canopies blotting out the sky. Roots knotted the ground as the forest stretched endlessly in every direction.

"Hm." He leaned back in the air as though weighing the forest against an invisible scale. "What to do, what to do..."

For a long beat, he seemed genuinely lost in thought. Then, all at once, something glinted behind his eyes.

That grin spread across his face—the kind that promised trouble, elegance, and a spectacle all at once.

Down below, his group immediately reacted.

Alenia exhaled through her nose, hand lifting to her forehead.

"Here it comes..." She murmured, half-resigned, half-amused.

Evethra’s crimson eyes gleamed as she recognized that expression. Reverence flickered in her voice, soft as a prayer. "Master... again, that look. Just like that time..."

Lyra’s ears twitched wildly, both dread and delight sparking in her gaze. "Oh no—oh yes. This is... This is going to be ridiculous, isn’t it?"

Rue nearly vibrated in place atop the earth bear, tails wagging. "Big brother’s thinking of something fun! I can tell!"

Rina peeked through her fingers, whispering, "...Scary-fun..."

The earth bear groaned low, as though the sound came from the earth itself. "...Spare me. Whatever it is, it’ll be nonsense again. I can feel it."

Above them all, Kael’s grin only widened, golden eyes flashing with mischief and charm.

The crowd also leaned forward, waiting, their breath held—because whatever came next, it was going to be unforgettable, at least for them.

They could all feel it in their bones.