"My deepest gratitude for your invitation."
Evelyn returned the greeting with a polite smile.
"We appreciate your willingness to come."
"I imagine you do."
His smile widened slightly.
"After all....there aren’t many races willing to involve themselves in something this dangerous."
Kaelra quietly clicked her tongue.
"Get to the point, Shade."
The Noctari slowly turned toward her.
"My. It appears Lady Kaelra is still as... wonderfully patient as ever."
"I’m patient enough," Kaelra smiled.
Neither of them looked amused. Sue stepped forward before the atmosphere could sour any further.
"It has been many centuries, Lord Shade."
"It has."
The Noctari leader gave her a courteous nod.
"And yet your beauty remains untouched by time."
Sue smiled politely.
"So does your talent for saying exactly what people wish to hear."
"One survives by cultivating useful habits."
Only then did his gaze slowly drift toward me.
For some reason...It felt less like someone looking at me....and more like a knife slowly examining where to cut.
"So."
A faint smile appeared upon the featureless face.
"The famous Lord Billion. I’ve heard an astonishing number of stories about you."
I smiled back.
"I hope at least half of them are true."
"Oh. They’re all true."
His silver eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"What interests me....is how much of the truth people still haven’t discovered."
Something about the way he said those words immediately put me on guard. This wasn’t the straightforward confidence of the Dragons. Nor the quiet wisdom of the Astrals. Nor the gentle courtesy of the Essari.
This man sounded as though every sentence carried two meanings, and he deliberately allowed people to choose the wrong one.
Before the lingering unease bought by the Noctari had completely faded, the great doors of the banquet hall opened once more. Unlike the previous arrivals, however, there was no overwhelming pressure, no loud laughter and no unsettling silence accompanying the newcomers.
Instead, a gentle breeze drifted through the entrance carrying the fresh scent of rain-soaked forests. Tiny emerald particles floated through the air like drifting leaves before dissolving into Soul Force, and for reasons I couldn’t explain, the atmosphere throughout the hall became noticeably lighter.
The attendant immediately straightened his posture before announcing in a clear voice, "Representatives of the Elven Sanctuary have arrived."
Three Elves entered side by side.
The man walking at the front stood close to seven feet tall, he carried himself with effortless dignity. Long silver hair rested neatly behind his shoulders, contrasting with skin that seemed to carry a faint golden glow beneath the lights of the hall.
His emerald-green eyes calmly observed everyone while the simple white robes he wore, embroidered only with delicate golden vines, somehow conveyed more nobility than the elaborate attire worn by kings.
Following behind him were another man and a woman, both carrying themselves with the same elegance that seemed almost instinctive to their race. The younger man possessed shoulder-length dark green hair and sharp amber eyes that continuously studied the gathering with the alertness of an experienced warrior, while the woman beside him looked equally striking with her silver hair flowing almost to her hips and calm sapphire eyes that carried neither arrogance nor fear. None of them wore excessive ornaments or expensive jewelry.
Even Kaelra’s expression softened slightly as she watched them approach.
"Still showing off without even trying," she muttered with a snort.
The leading Elf’s attention soon settled upon Evelyn, and a warm smile appeared on his face. Placing one hand over his chest, he offered a respectful bow before speaking in a calm, pleasant voice.
"Lady Evelyn, it has indeed been a long time. I was beginning to think you intended to spend the rest of eternity hiding inside this settlement."
Evelyn smiled just as warmly and returned the gesture.
"I could say exactly the same about you, Aelion. The forests must have become terribly lonely if they were willing to let you travel this far."
"They complained," Aelion admitted with a quiet chuckle. "Fortunately, they also understood that some journeys are worth taking."
Kaelra let out an exaggerated sigh loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"There you go again."
Aelion looked toward her.
"There who goes?"
"Talking like every sentence belongs in an ancient poem."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of the Elf’s lips.
"I wasn’t aware that speaking politely had become a crime."
"It isn’t. It’s just exhausting."
"I’ll try to be less exhausting."
The exchange drew quiet laughter from several nearby Saints. Evelyn looked between the two of them before shaking her head.
"You know, after all these thousands of years, I still can’t decide whether you two actually like each other."
Kaelra answered first.
"I tolerate him."
Aelion nodded thoughtfully.
"And I consider that tremendous progress compared to our first meeting."
The Dragon woman laughed.
"That’s because during our first meeting I almost killed him."
"That is not how the events happened," Aelion corrected.
"No need to lie Aelion," Kaelra said, waving her hand dismissively.
Only after greeting the others did his attention finally settle upon me. His eyes studied me calmly for several moments, not in the evaluating manner used by the Noctari nor with the open curiosity displayed by the Astrals. Instead, it felt as though he simply wished to understand the person standing before him.
He extended his hand.
"My name is Aelion Sylvaris. These are my companions, Caelan and Lady Elara. We have come on behalf of the Elven Sanctuary, and I sincerely hope that together we can accomplish what countless generations before us could not."
There wasn’t an ounce of arrogance in his voice, yet there was absolute confidence.
Suddenly, I felt as though another pillar of the expedition had arrived. The Astrals brought wisdom, the Dragons overwhelming strength, the Essari unmatched harmony between Essence and Soul Force, while the Noctari represented an unsettling necessity that nobody fully trusted.
The Elves, however, felt different. Looking at the three of them, I had the strange impression that if the others were the expedition’s sword and shield, then the Elves would become its steady hands, quietly holding everything together whenever chaos threatened to tear it apart.
A smile found its way onto my face as I stepped forward and accepted Aelion’s extended hand.
"The pleasure is mine, Lord Aelion. I’m glad the Elven Sanctuary chose to answer our call. Having your people stand with us gives me a great deal more confidence in what lies ahead."
Aelion returned the handshake with a firm but gentle grip.
"Confidence is a good beginning," he replied with a warm smile. "Let us hope that, before this expedition is over, it also becomes the correct one."
After the Elves had settled among the other delegates, the banquet hall gradually became busier. The attendant’s voice continued to echo at regular intervals as one ancient race after another crossed the gates of the Ironhart Settlement.
Representatives of the Griffon Clans arrived with their proud, eagle-like features and broad feathered wings folded neatly behind their backs, followed shortly by the Nagas.
Not long after came a delegation from the Insectoid Hive, towering humanoid beings protected by dark chitinous armor with intricate crystal-like wings folded behind them, each movement displaying an eerie level of coordination.
Even the Demons answered Evelyn’s invitation, sending three horned Saints whose crimson eyes and oppressive presence immediately drew wary glances from several of the younger Transcendents.
By the time the final invitations had been answered, the banquet hall had transformed into something I never thought I would witness, a gathering where nearly every great hidden race of the Prime Galaxy stood beneath the same roof, speaking not as rivals separated by history, but as allies preparing for a single expedition that would decide the future of the entire Prime Territory.