The following day passed far more quietly than I had expected. I wasn’t rushing from one impossible problem to the next. Gerald buried himself inside his workshop, refusing to let anyone disturb him while the final pieces of the ship came together, Evelyn spent the entire day receiving guests and making arrangements throughout the settlement, and I found myself doing something surprisingly unfamiliar.
Nothing.
I spent most of the day with my family, occasionally helping my father with small tasks around the house, listening to Roland passionately explain why he should replace his father as the new head as soon as possible, and allowing my mother to repeatedly ask whether I had prepared everything I needed despite the fact that we weren’t leaving for at least another two days.
Before I knew it, evening had arrived.
The moment I stepped outside my room dressed in a fresh set of black robes embroidered with subtle silver patterns, all three of them were already waiting for me.
My mother walked over first and, without saying a word, adjusted my hair before brushing away an imaginary speck of dust from my shoulder. She stepped back a pace, studied me carefully, then nodded to herself with obvious satisfaction.
"There. Now you look presentable."
I looked down at myself.
"I looked presentable before."
"You looked acceptable. There is a difference."
I wisely decided not to argue. My father crossed his arms while looking me up and down before a proud smile slowly appeared on his face.
"You’ve grown."
I blinked.
"I’ve literally been taller than you for years."
"That’s not what I meant."
His voice carried an unusual warmth.
"When I left Vaythos.....you were still just my son."
He smiled.
"Today you’re walking into a gathering where Saints who decide the fate of entire civilizations are going to judge whether you’re worthy of leading them."
His eyes shone with unmistakable pride.
"I wish I could’ve seen you achieve all of this while we were still alive."
A strange silence settled between us.
"I wasn’t there to watch you become the Guardian of Vaythos. I didn’t see you stand against the Eternals. I never saw the worlds you’ve protected."
He slowly shook his head.
"But..."
A smile spread across his face.
"I get to see this."
His hand rested firmly against my shoulder.
"And I couldn’t be more proud."
Beside him, my mother nodded in agreement before reaching up and gently fixing a strand of my hair that had somehow escaped her earlier inspection.
"We missed a great deal of your journey."
Her smile carried both happiness and regret.
"But seeing the man you’ve become..."
She looked directly into my eyes.
"...I think we would have been proud regardless of how or where we saw it."
For a moment I simply stood there. Then I smiled and hugged my mother.
"Thanks."
Roland, who had been watching the scene with unusually suspicious eyes, suddenly cleared his throat loudly.
"Wonderful. Very emotional. Now stop before all of you start crying."
Nobody had been crying. He pointed dramatically toward me.
"And remember one thing."
"What?"
"If anyone there insults the Ironharts..."
His grin widened.
"...hit them."
My mother immediately smacked him on the shoulder.
"Don’t encourage him."
"What?"
"I’m giving perfectly reasonable advice."
Before the discussion could continue, a familiar voice drifted in from outside the house.
"I sincerely hope that isn’t part of tonight’s diplomatic strategy."
Gerald walked through the open doorway with both hands clasped behind his back. Unlike his usual appearance inside the workshop, today he wore simple dark robes embroidered with delicate golden patterns.
"I see everyone’s already gathered."
My father smiled.
"We were just sending him off."
Gerald looked toward me before giving a satisfied nod.
"You clean up surprisingly well."
"You do too. I hope it’s not for Evelyn," I winked at him.
He smiled.
"Shall we?"
I nodded before turning back toward my family.
"I’ll see you later."
"You’d better."
My mother smiled.
*******
The streets of the Ironhart Settlement looked completely different from anything I had seen over the past week.
Every major road had been decorated with glowing crystals that floated gently above the ground, bathing the settlement in a soft silver light. Countless Ironharts walked through the streets carrying trays of food, barrels of drinks and decorations toward the central district where tonight’s gathering was being held.
At first glance the atmosphere appeared festive.
A celebration.
The longer I observed, however, the more I noticed the layers hidden beneath the surface.
There was security everywhere.
Not obvious enough to disturb the guests, but impossible to miss once I began paying attention.
Every rooftop concealed at least one Transcendent whose attention never wandered from the surrounding streets. Formation arrays had quietly been activated throughout the settlement, their runes hidden beneath decorative stonework. I even sensed Saints calmly observing the area while pretending to enjoy the evening like everyone else.
They weren’t guarding against ordinary threats.
They were preparing for the arrival of some of the strongest hidden existences in the Prime Territory.
"They’re taking this seriously."
Gerald followed my gaze before nodding.
"We would be fools not to."
He smiled faintly.
"Some of tonight’s guests haven’t visited another hidden settlement in thousands of years."
"And some?"
"Some have never met one another at all."
I looked toward another concealed Saint watching us from a nearby rooftop.
"They’re expecting trouble."
"No."
Gerald shook his head.
"No. Any trouble here means danger to an entire bloodline. The guest won’t be so stupid. But its always best to be cautious. That’s how Evelyn rolls."
By the time we reached the settlement’s central plaza, the enormous banquet hall had already begun filling with Ironharts. Long wooden tables stretched across the chamber beneath an impossibly high ceiling supported by ancient stone pillars, while floating crystal chandeliers illuminated the room with warm golden light.
For now...only Ironharts occupied the hall.
Evelyn stood near the entrance speaking with Samuel, Marcus, Dean and several other Saints I hadn’t yet met. Even among such powerful existences, she somehow remained the center of attention.
The moment she noticed us approaching, her face brightened.
"Finally."
She looked me up and down before placing both hands on her hips.
"I have to admit....you clean up rather well."
I laughed.
"That’s the second time I’ve heard that today. Then it must be true."
She stepped closer before circling me once like a grandmother proudly inspecting her grandson.
"Handsome."
She nodded approvingly.
"Very handsome."
Gerald snorted beside me.
"Not better than me."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow.
"You?"
"Yes, me."
"Shameless," She looked genuinely impressed. "I should write today’s date down."
Ignoring the two of them, I looked around the hall.
"So...Where is everyone?"
"They’re coming."
Samuel answered calmly.
"But not immediately."
Marcus chuckled.
"The strongest people rarely enjoy arriving first."
"They prefer making an entrance."
Dean folded his arms.
"At the moment, most of them are already somewhere inside the settlement."
"They’re observing."
Evelyn nodded.
"Everyone wants to see the competition before revealing themselves."
I couldn’t help smiling.
"So they’re all hiding."
"They call it observing."
Gerald corrected.
"I call it hiding."
Before anyone could continue, the enormous doors at the far end of the hall slowly opened.
A powerful yet remarkably gentle aura spread through the chamber.
One of the attendants standing near the entrance straightened immediately before announcing in a clear voice,
"Representatives of the Astral Race have arrived."