Kaelissa stepped into the grand hall, her silver hair gleaming under the soft light filtering through the high windows.
Her cold, piercing eyes locked onto the figure at the far end—Graviel, seated on his ornate throne. His silver gaze, sharp and calculating, bore down on her with a weight that pressed against her chest.
She stopped a few steps from the center, bowed slightly, and spoke with her usual directness.
"It's been a while, Father. Four years, to be exact."
Graviel's face remained unreadable, his presence suffocating. The grand hall, bustling with life, felt silent under his dominion. Standing near him was Darius, always poised, while the elders watched from the side.
Kaelissa waited, her face calm despite the scrutiny, but her fingers twitched. She had spent years pushing her limits on the Cloud Jade Mountain. Yet now, as her father measured her, she felt that familiar doubt creeping in.
