Chapter 18

Kifo, still clad in his draconic skull helmet and tribal vestments, sits atop the table like a goblin king,

cross-legged and sipping from a floating chalice of Spirit Wine. He’s midway through telling a bizarre story about the time he tried to raise an undead orchestra for entertainment.

Lily approaches, plate in hand. On it: Candy Stars, a slice of grilled cheese pizza, and a suspiciously glowing scoop of “Alto-styled” ice cream.

Lily (muttering mid-bite):
You sound like you could be a kid in my school.

Everything stops. Even the floating candles dim slightly. Kifo blinks, his chalice freezing mid-air.

Kifo:
…I beg your pardon?

Lily (cheerful):
Like, the way you talk. It’s like, weirdly excitable, but also like you’re trying to act mysterious and cool but end up sounding like that kid who monologues in the middle of lunch break.

Berwick, who’s sitting nearby with a book half-open, immediately snorts. Asche chokes slightly on his drink. Shizuku, from a nearby lounge chair, raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment. Alto quietly grins from behind his glass of Star-Sparkling Water.

Kifo blinks again, then bursts out laughing. It echoes around the hall like a thousand owls all hooting in amusement.

Kifo (delighted):
Oh! Oh, I like you! You’ve got gall! Not many mortals talk to me like that.

Lily (smiling with pride):
I am the Universal Princess.

Kifo (smirking):
Right. The daughter of the Emperor and the Celestial Captain. No wonder you’re bold. You’ve got shadows in your blood and light in your mouth.

Lily (shrugging):
Still doesn’t change the fact you act like a theater kid with dark magic.

Kifo places a hand on his chest, dramatically wounded.

Kifo:
And yet, you wound me more than any blade could! A fifteen-year-old… putting the Primordial of Darkness in his place.

Shizuku (flatly):
You probably deserved it.

Kifo grins, shadowy tendrils coiling playfully around his arms.

Kifo:
Perhaps I did. But if I must be spoken to like a teenager, then I demand a crown. A little spiky one.

Lily:
I’ll make you one out of marshmallows later.

Kifo laughs again, louder this time. The shadows on the walls flicker and sway with his amusement.

Kifo (grinning):
Deal.

As laughter and chatter rise again in the main hall, Shizuku leans back, eyes briefly drifting toward the towering windows overlooking the ever-present night sky. Despite the levity, he knows what comes tomorrow.

A dragon of darkness awaits. But tonight, his daughter just casually roasted the god of shadows—and somehow made him more bearable.