While the Stonefangs were settling in the quarter assigned to them, Kael was on his way toward the elderly kitchen.
"It’s been two days since you have been there. It’s only Lavinia who’s bringing them food."
Imperia, who knew they were alone, finally walked out of the Sanctuary and settled inside his pocket. She found this place far more comfortable than the Sanctuary.
"I’ve been busy. You should know that."
Kael answered and Imperia nodded lightly. Kael had barely trained these last few days, let alone brought food for the people.
He was honestly glad he left it to Lavinia; she was far more responsible than him.
Just as Kael was thanking the Mage in his mind, the air around him changed and he—
"You are back."
He smiled. Just then, the air around him trembled and sothing materialized in it, jumping right into Kael’s arms.
"Father!"
Cirri quickly snuggled close, rubbing her head on his chest. Kael too gently rubbed her head and then—
"Did you clean everything up?"
He asked.
"Mhm."
Cirri nodded.
Weeks had passed since it started snowing in the Heights and while it wasn’t continuous like it becos when the season is at its peak, currently, the entirety of the Heights was covered in a layer of white at least two feet deep.
With snow as dense as this, even the slightest movent was traceable. As for a thousand tribesn moving from one place to another?
The snow would make it obvious. Even if Kael and the Stonefangs avoided the scouts, the tracks they left in the snow would make it obvious.
Unless... soone erased those tracks, and that was what Cirri was doing till now.
The Sky Dragon, while following the tribe, also had another job—she had to move the winds behind them in a way that the footsteps left behind by the tribe were erased.
Of course, this wasn’t the most effective thod. In fact, it was quite easy to figure out, considering how Cirri would basically end up turning the entire path into one clean field that no one had ever stepped on.
Such cleanness itself would attract attention, and if the scouts were thodical, while it would take longer than it would have if Cirri hadn’t acted, they would find out the truth eventually.
But even then, the ti Cirri bought with her actions alone was quite a big advantage. After all, the Primordial Sky Dragon did not make it easy for the scouts to figure things out. Even though she did clean up, she left so ’spots’ untouched, leaving so false traces that would lead them nowhere.
"Well done."
Kael praised as he continued to pat Cirri’s head. Hearing those words, Imperia’s head popped out of his pocket and the ant began staring at her father with a look of anticipation. Seeing that sight, Kael laughed out loud; it was rare to see his daughter act in such a manner, so it was quite refreshing.
"Yes, you were helpful as well, Ria. You always are."
He praised openly.
Obviously, the only reason he and the Stonefangs managed to travel from the Stonefang land to the Wall without any scouts seeing them was because this little thing was constantly guiding him from his Sanctuary.
Yesterday night, Kael had already spread more than twenty thousand ants throughout the path, covering the entire area in a way that *any* movent within five kilotres of the path would be detected instantly.
Kael, even before he began moving, had information regarding *all* the scouts in the area—how they moved, their scouting paths, the ti they took breaks, the ti they made their reports. He already knew everything, and Imperia arranged the entire operation in a way that barely any scouts would find them.
As for those who would and couldn’t be avoided...
"You didn’t forget , did you, Father?"
While Kael was talking with his Bonds, the air around him trembled again, and another portal opened. This ti, it was much bigger than the one Imperia ca out from, and from there, another white little thing walked out and gracefully landed onto Kael’s shoulder.
"How could I?"
Kael answered with a smile, leaning his head against the Fox.
"Thank you for helping today, Vita."
Yes, last but not least—Vitaria. The scouts that *could not* be avoided due to various reasons were taken care of by Vitaria. The Fox only showed herself when she wanted to, so even as the tribe moved right in front of them, the scouts never moved.
To them, from the beginning to the end, everything was completely normal.
The entire operation was quite similar to how Kael and Lavinia escaped the city back when they first t.
"The pleasure’s all mine."
Vitaria chuckled and nodded lightly, clearly enjoying her father’s gratitude despite her words.
Kael laughed; it had been a long ti since a genuine smile had appeared on his face, especially ever since Igni was hurt.
"How is Igni?"
He asked in a low voice.
Kael had been keeping a constant watch on his firstborn, talking to him at every opportunity he got. Igni, however, had mostly been asleep since a Dragon’s body recovers the fastest when he’s resting. And since Kael himself couldn’t keep entering his Sanctuary—because the fact that he *could* was a secret and because he had no ti to do so—his children were the ones keeping watch on their eldest brother instead.
"Nyrri’s with him. He is doing fine."
Imperia inford.
"The little thing has not left his brother’s side ever since he returned. Even if he is sleeping, he wakes up the instant there is movent around him. He is being extra careful."
Vitaria muttered, recalling how much the Laviatharid was doing for his elder brother.
Kael nodded at those words with a smile; he had seen it as well and he couldn’t be more grateful to him.
"Yes, as long as Nyrri is with Brother Igni, Father doesn’t have to worry."
Cirri spoke.
"Mhm, especially when Father already has multiple things to worry about."
Imperia nodded, her eyes looking right into Kael’s as the two exchanged a aningful glance.
"I should go."
After a short silence, Kael muttered. His children nodded. Both Cirri and Vitaria returned into the Sanctuary to see their brother, and Imperia returned inside Kael’s pocket.
Kael then took a deep breath and prepared to face what he was about to see as he left for... the elderly kitchen.
For the last two days, Lavinia had been delivering food herself. Kael didn’t visit the elderlies even once; he didn’t have ti. Even now, he was only going there because the Mage was waiting for him.
"Lord Kael!"
"Dragon God!"
"You are here!"
And the instant he arrived, he was surrounded. People who had been standing in line for half an hour quickly left their position without a second thought and went to him.
These people too had heard the announcent. They too knew that the enemy was going to live with them from now on, and the life starting today would only get more complicated.
This was the reason why the Elderly Kitchen—a place that was bustling with joy and murmurs almost every single day—was dead silent today.
That is of course, until Kael appeared, and after he did, the smiles returned with him. Yes, the people knew he was the one who announced and even arranged the arrival of the Stonefangs. If anything, they should be angry at him; the tension should have been higher because of his arrival, but...
None of that happened.
No matter what, these people just couldn’t bring themselves to bla the man who had been feeding them for weeks now. Not to ntion Kael wasn’t a Velmourn to begin with—none of them considered him as one of theirs.
He was not a man.
He was a God.
And a God does not distinguish between humans, no matter what tribe or power they belong to.
A God only sees what is right and what is wrong. And if the Stonefangs were in the right or had approached the God to atone for their sins, the God would not abandon them.
That was simply not possible.
Kael too smiled at these people.
"Please, return to your positions."
He spoke calmly. The people nodded as well, and after exchanging a few warm greetings, they began returning.
Kael too walked toward the kitchen, where the elderlies and Lavinia waited for him. The mont he entered, Lavinia hugged him.
The elderlies smiled at him, but they knew the couple needed so ti alone, so none of them interrupted.
"She is quite good, isn’t she?"
Lavinia comnted in a low voice as she glanced at the people behind, who were now standing in line, just like Kael told them to.
Kael looked back and for a mont he seed... concerned.
"They now truly believe I am... a God."
He did not like that idea.
But he saw how Vandra’s simple words were more than enough to calm a big chunk of the crowd, and she didn’t just calm them down; she used this opportunity and recruited more people.
Vandra was... scarily efficient.
She was also the reason he was so... readily accepted and even welcod by the people here, despite having brought their most hated enemy inside their ho.
He could see how this could and would help him in the future but...
Kael just...
He just felt like it was all growing into sothing... far grander than anything he had been imagining.
"Should we... really let this happen?"
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