THE CALM BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT

Shu stared at his mother in shock, his mouth hanging open for a moment before he finally found his voice.

"Wow... that was epic."

He sat upright on the bed, still trying to process everything he had just heard. After a moment, his expression turned puzzled.

"But why did you ask so much from her though?"

Hannah leaned back against the headboard and folded her arms.

"The world of kantar is very particular about balance," she explained. "You can't get something without something of equal value being given up. As a celestial, it was my job to tell her what the kantar system demanded for her to get what she wanted."

Hanz, who had been sitting upright through the entire story, leaned forward even further.

"What about Elena?" he asked. "What happened to her?"

Hannah chuckled at the curiosity in his voice and opened her mouth to answer.

A knock interrupted her.

The door creaked open.

The Werewolf King stepped inside, accompanied by a beautiful woman with long white hair that seemed to glow beneath the room's lantern light. Her emerald-green eyes immediately locked onto Hannah.

For a brief moment, she froze.

Hannah noticed the look and smirked.

"Elena. Long time no see."

She rested her chin on her hand.

"What? Surprised I'm mortal now?"

The woman blinked several times before letting out a slow breath.

Hearing the name Elena made Shu and Hanz turn almost simultaneously. The woman looked exactly as Hannah had described her.

Hanz smirked slightly.

Inside his mind, his inner demon chuckled.

"Well, Sherlock. Looks like your question was answered."

Ignoring the comment, Hanz continued observing her.

Elena regained her composure and walked toward Hannah.

"I just didn't think I'd ever see you look so calm..." she admitted. "...or so free."

Hannah's smirk softened.

"Well, a lot of things have happened over the years."

She stood and walked over to Shu before casually resting an arm across his shoulders.

"Being a mother does a lot to you."

Elena's gaze shifted from Hannah to Shu.

The surprise on her face became impossible to hide.

The king laughed and lightly tapped her shoulder.

"I told her you had a son now," he said. "She didn't believe me."

Shu scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward wave.

"Yo. Nice to meet you, Elena."

His casual greeting seemed to snap her out of her thoughts.

Elena smiled politely.

"It's nice to meet you too, Shu."

The king clapped his hands together, eager to get to the reason for his visit.

"Now then."

Everyone's attention shifted to him.

"We came here to inform you that the sandstorm above will be going on for quite some time."

His expression became more serious.

"Our Oracle believes the storm was created by Shun. He can't directly or indirectly harm Shu because of the Enkairadion, so he's resorted to delaying you for as long as possible."

The king walked toward one of the room's windows.

"However, there will be a full moon in three nights. The moonlight should reveal weak points in the storm. If our predictions are correct, you'll be able to continue your journey then."

He turned back toward the group.

"In the meantime, we're hosting a tournament in honor of the Great Khali."

A grin spread across his face.

"Would you care to participate?"

Inside Hanz's mind, his inner demon immediately smirked.

"We have to enter."

Hanz resisted the urge to groan.

"I can sense some pretty strong kantar signatures in this city. It'd be a good chance to go all out for once."

Hanz rolled his eyes.

For once, however, he actually agreed. A fight with no world-ending consequences sounded refreshing.

He raised a hand.

"Sounds fun. I'm in."

The king's grin widened.

Everyone immediately looked at Shu.

Shu blinked.

Then laughed.

"Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

He shrugged.

"Of course I'm in. Sounds fun."

The king burst out laughing and patted Shu firmly on the shoulder.

"Excellent!"

His eyes gleamed with excitement.

"I can't wait to see what the son of Khali is capable of."

He then glanced toward Hanz.

"The tournament starts in a couple of hours. Let's get you two prepared."

The king gestured toward the door.

Shu hopped off the bed while Hanz followed behind him.

A few moments later, the two young men left with the king, leaving only Hannah and Elena behind.

The room suddenly felt much quieter.

Elena slowly walked toward the large silver table positioned at the center of the room. Her fingers trailed across its polished surface as she made her way to the bed opposite Hannah.

She sat down.

"So..."

A small smile appeared on her face.

"It's been a while."

Her expression softened.

"I thought you got erased with the other celestials."

Hannah let out a small laugh.

"Yeah. I did."

She stretched her legs out across the bed.

"Then I came back as a mortal."

A nostalgic smile crossed her face.

"It was confusing. When I woke up, my belly was swollen and I had that rascal kicking me from the inside."

Elena stared at her in amazement.

"I never thought someone who fed on destruction could be such a good mother."

The words escaped before she could stop them.

Images flashed through her mind.

The war.

The screams.

Entire battalions collapsing beneath Khali's overwhelming presence.

Humans dying by the thousands.

Hannah caught the memory and laughed.

"We celestials are capable of love too."

Her smile became gentler.

"We were just bound by rules."

She looked toward the ceiling.

"A lot of rules."

"The kind needed to keep the world balanced."

Elena nodded slowly.

"I think I understand."

She folded her hands in her lap.

"Ever since becoming queen, life has been... restrictive."

Hannah nodded knowingly.

Then a mischievous grin appeared on her face.

"Speaking of responsibilities..."

Elena immediately looked suspicious.

Hannah pointed at her.

"You and Jax have a kid yet?"

Elena nearly choked.

The question caught her completely off guard.

"W-Well..."

A faint blush crept onto her face.

"We're trying."

She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

"But nothing yet."

"The Oracle says it takes a while for purple-eyed wolves like me to conceive."

She sighed.

"Something about my kantar pressure being too high."

Hannah stood and stretched, her joints popping loudly.

"Well, I'm sure you'll get one sooner than you think."

She walked toward the door before glancing back over her shoulder.

"I believe your husband said the tournament is starting soon."

A proud smile spread across her face.

"I wanna go cheer my kid on."

She opened the door.

"You coming?"

Elena smiled and rose to her feet.

"Of course."

Together, the two women stepped out into the corridor.

As they walked through the palace halls, the sounds of celebration were already beginning to spread through the underground city. Distant drums echoed through the stone passageways, mixed with the excited chatter of thousands of werewolves gathering for the upcoming tournament.

Elena glanced at Hannah from the corner of her eye.

"You seem awfully excited."

Hannah smirked.

"Of course I am."

"Why?"

Hannah's smile widened.

"Because my son inherited my talent for finding trouble."

Elena blinked.

"...That's not something most mothers would be proud of."

Hannah laughed.

"Maybe."

Her gaze drifted ahead.

"But after everything he's been through, it's nice seeing him enjoy himself."

For a moment, Elena remained silent.

Then she smiled.

A genuine smile.

"Yeah."

The two continued down the corridor to watch the tournament .