Chapter 20
The Demon Tiger's Shadow
The door to his cabin hissed shut, sealing Kaelen in a pocket of silence amidst the low, ever-present hum of the starship. The orientation's grandeur and the buzz of hundreds of Enhanced minds had been overwhelming. Here, in the neatness of room G-17, he could finally decompress. He placed his kit bag in the small storage locker, the final, tangible anchor to his old life on Aethelgard stowed away.
A sharp rap at the door broke the silence. He opened it to find Jax, practically vibrating with energy.
"You can't just hide in there! Come on, we're all going to the mess hall. Roric, Luna, Elara. It's like our first official team meal," Jax declared, his earlier nerves seemingly replaced by a relentless social drive.
Kaelen almost refused, the pull of Valeria and the need to process the day's events a powerful lure. But he saw the earnestness in Jax's eyes. This was part of the new life, too. Building connections. "Alright. Give me a minute to get freshened up."
Five minutes later, clean and in a fresh shipsuit, he joined the group in the corridor. Roric was a stoic mountain of patience, Elara observed the stream of people with her quiet intensity, and Luna stood with an effortless poise that made the sterile hallway seem like a royal court.
The mess hall was a cavernous, multi-level space, bustling with life. The air was a mixture of recycled oxygen and the enticing smells of synthesized food from a dozen different culinary traditions. They found a table near a large viewport, the star-dusted blackness a silent audience to their meal.
Conversation flowed easily, fueled by the novelty of their situation. Roric described the deep, resonant bustling-cities of Capital, where the forges glowed day and night. "You can feel the planet's heartbeat on the roads," he rumbled. "Down here, it's all about what you can build, what you can make with your own two hands." He looked slightly disdainfully at his nutrient-rich protein patty. "The food here… lacks substance."
Luna, in contrast, spoke of the vast, sun-drenched aquaculture domes of Oceanus. "The light filters down through layers of polarized crystal, making the water shimmer with every color. My family owns a pearl farm there. The Enhanced there… we learn to feel the currents, the pressure, the very flow of life in the water. It's… fluid." She elegantly manipulated her utensils, her movements a dance in themselves.
Elara spoke little of her homeworld, focusing instead on the emotional tapestry of the room. "It's… loud in here," she said softly, her eyes distant. "So much hope, so much anxiety. A few are terrified. Most are just… determined. It's a powerful thing to feel."
Jax, of course, dominated much of the conversation with tales of Aethelburg's entertainment districts and his dreams of one day having a Aegis League highlight reel. "Imagine, a pyro-kinetic from the data-streams making it big on Elysian! They'd make a drama-series about it."
Kaelen listened, adding only snippets about his own life as a data-archivist, carefully editing out any mention of Soul-Walking or Renly. He was a spectator in his own story, observing the formation of this nascent group, this small crew within the ship's vast population.
Later, back in the quiet of his cabin, the pull of Valeria was irresistible. He lay on his bed, the ship's gentle vibrations a lullaby, and closed his eyes. The journey across the Veil was now a well-worn path, a conscious uncoupling from one reality and a sinking into another.
---
He opened his eyes to the familiar, rough-hewn wooden ceiling of the Bluestone manor. Dawn was just breaking, casting pale light through the window. The crisp, autumnal air of Valeria, scented with woodsmoke and decaying leaves, was a welcome shock after the ship's processed atmosphere. He was Renly again.
The day was spent in the comforting rhythm of lordship. He inspected the nearly completed grain stores, discussed the winter salt preservation with Elron, and oversaw the militia's morning drill. Lyra the brewer's daughter was now one of his most promising recruits, her strikes with the spear showing the focus he had told her about. Young Will, the boy he'd saved from the boar, followed him like an eager shadow, hanging on his every word.
It was on the second day that a scout ran in, announcing a merchant caravan approaching from the north, flying the colors of Rose City.
Renly met them at the bridge. The caravan was a lively affair of a dozen wagons, guarded by hard-eyed mercenaries. The lead merchant, a jovial, round-bellied man named Fendel, bowed deeply upon seeing Renly's Knightly sigil—a simple, newly painted blue stone on a grey field.
"Ser Knight! A blessing to see a new protector in these lands. We are bound for Silverstream, with goods from the Count's own workshops."
Renly invited Fendel to the manor for a midday meal. Over roasted fowl and hearty bread, the merchant's tongue was loosened by Renly's good wine.
"You had a nasty time of it with the beast tide, I hear," Fendel said, shaking his head. "A terrible business. But it could have been far worse. The cause of it all was the Demonized Tiger."
Renly leaned forward. "Demonized Tiger?"
"Aye," Fendel's joviality faded. "A creature from the deepest, darkest part of the Bramblewood. As large as a cottage, with claws that could shred steel and a roar that could shatter a man's mind called Black Wind Tiger. It was a being of pure malice, stirring up the lesser beasts, driving them from their territories in a panic. That's what caused the tide that hit you and all the other border fiefs."
He took a long drink. "The Count himself led the hunt. Called in favors from across the province. Even that famous mercenary, Bor the Mountain, was there. The fight was legendary. They say the Count's aura of regeneration was the only thing that kept him standing after the beast's poison seeped into his wounds. But they slew it, in the end."
Fendel's eyes gleamed with mercantile interest. "The real prize was the Demon Core. A crystallized knot of the beast's life force, taken from its heart. Such a thing… it's a once-in-a-generation treasure. It can catalyze a breakthrough, they say. Help a peak Senior Knight become a Grand Knight, or drastically accelerate the progress of a younger noble."
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "The rumor in Rose City is that the Count is weighing his options. His own son is a promising Official Knight. With the core, he could be a Grand Knight in a decade, securing the family's power for another generation. But… the Count is also a key supporter of the Second Princess, and she is a Senior Knight of renown. Gifting it to her would put her deeply in his debt and could elevate his entire house to new heights at court. The succession politics of it are… delicate."
The information was a key piece in understanding the wider world. A Grand Knight was a strategic asset, a power on the level of a qualified. 2nd Order Federation Enhancer. The struggle for such power was a universal constant.
After the caravan departed, its bells fading into the forest, Renly's life settled back into its routine, but now with a deeper understanding of the forces that shaped his world. He formally took on Lyra and Will as his personal attendants, a practical move that gave them valuable experience and solidified their loyalty. Lyra managed his household with surprising efficiency, while Will proved an eager and capable squire-in-all-but-name, caring for his gear and horse with reverent attention.
For several days, he trained, mediated minor disputes, and walked the lands of Bluestone, his connection to the village and its people deepening with each passing sunset. He was building something real here, a life of purpose and respect.
---
Kaelen's eyes opened. The soft, artificial morning lighting of his ship cabin was gradually intensifying, simulating a dawn. There was no disorientation, only a smooth transition. He felt the steady power in his limbs, an echo of Renly's training, and the calm certainty of a leader.
He lay there for a moment, the hum of the Pioneer's Dawn a stark contrast to the memory of birdsong in Bluestone. Two lives, running in parallel, both hurtling toward an unknown future. One aboard a starship crossing the void, the other in a stone manor on the edge of a mystical forest. And he was the thread binding them together.