Back at Heaven’s Gate

"You know that taking me along will be detrimental to you…." Sentios said as he stepped next to Ren, who just smiled, leaning onto the railings of the Skyshark as they were flying high above the clouds towards the Storm Coast.

"Like I care about that~" she chuckled, tucking her long, silver-colored hair behind her ear, watching the blue sky above and the thick clouds below them. She was wearing a simple, white, one-piece, sleeveless outfit, ditching her usual clothes for this trip. "They should be happy that I show up not wearing my Sect uniform! This is all they should care about, as I represent myself and not the Sect." she looked back at him. The same was true for Sentios, Kitten, and Ariana, as none wore the Immortal Wonders Sect's colors.

"Just try not to cause immediate trouble, Master!" Ariana shouted, who was now behind the Skyshark's wheel, easily controlling it, sailing towards the east.

"Do I look like one who does that?" she raised her eyebrows, leaning against the railing, crossing her arms before her chest.

"You do!" Kitten replied before Ariana could. She was at the front of the ship, leaning forward, excitedly watching the scenery passing by just like a kid on tour, not even looking back.

"She is right." Sentios nodded with surprising calmness. "I experienced it first hand."

“Eh… okay, okay… I won't argue with you three." Ren rolled her eyes. "But shouldn't you all be more worried about Lulu and Yanda? They arrived at Heaven's Gate way before us."

"There is King Kaipan with them, so I don't think they would land in too much trouble." Sentios shook his head. "They should get some heated looks and slurs thrown at them, sure… but the Kingdom is not that united like the Empire. Even those who may direct some bad looks towards them may agree with Kaipan's decision behind closed doors."

"Mmm, this is why I took you with me; you lived here long enough. I'd like a brief summary of what I should expect."

"Well…" Sentios sighed, closing his eyes, thinking for almost a minute before continuing, "It's complicated."

"You sound like Isha…." Ren looked up at him with slanted eyes. "It is an alliance of kingdoms, not a teenage girl!"

"True, that is why I say it is more complicated than you think!" Sentios repeated his words. "Because usually, it goes like this; A hates B, but A hates C more, so they are allied with D. D hates B more than C and allies with A because E hates C too, who hates A and D. And if you ask simply 'WHY?!' none of them remembers the reasons!"

"What?" Ariana and Ren asked simultaneously and in the same tone of voice.

"Exactly." Sentios chuckled. "It is all based on which Kingdom hates who right now for something that happened 100, 200, or 300 years ago! If you sit down with them and start peeling back the clues, you will see them switch sides inside the alliance in a snap of a finger!"

"How did they stay allied for so long, then?" Ariana blinked her eyes rapidly, unable to wrap her head around them.

"Interests… and the Naulins. One of them always wants something the other has, and the Naulins learned to manipulate and mitigate their conflicts. This is exactly why the Empire exists! Forefather Aerthus grew up when the Empire's territory acted similarly. Riddled with kingdoms battling and fighting against each other! He had had enough, conquered them all, and unified the land, establishing the Empire. Of course, this huge entity had its changes throughout the years, and for the Kingdom of Ten, the easiest way was to always point at the Empire if something happened, especially when Aerthus VII ruled. I learned about it from Rudrick; it was the best years for them, the fearmongering and by that alone the control they could pressure onto the rest of the kingdoms… it was the golden years for the Naulin bloodline."

"It's a chess game, then!" Ren said, scratching her chin.

"With a board that resets every few hundred years. Look, what I can tell you is that King Kaipan has allies in the alliance. At least three other kingdoms think the same as he does, and if he can leave the alliance, I am sure they will attempt the same move. They lack confidence because they are not in direct contact with your Sect. Trust me, if Kaipan succeeds, those kingdoms will contact your Sect immediately." Sentios explained calmly.

"Then they won't let him leave!" Ariana sighed. "If they let him hop out, it means the end of the Kingdom of Ten as it is. There is no reversing its breakup!"

"There is." Sentios continued. "They just need to paint the whole kingdom as a puppet for the Immortal Wonders Sect, scare the rest into submission with the notion that they will be next if they don't stand together."

"I don't think it will work this time." Ren smiled. "By now, they can see through it, and not to mention, here I am, flipping the table on them with my claim for the Naulin's throne."

"You will face a big pushback, that is for sure." Sentios looked into her eyes. "The people living in the Naulin Kingdom are… well… you'll see."

"That is why I am interested in seeing them. My mother lived there and grew up there. She is a living example that they are not all like Rudrick or Zelig. I want to see them in the flesh because I met only the zealots and leaders drunk on superiority complexes. I want to meet with those who are just… living there. I'll use Zelig's own obsession against him! Someone who built his own little 'empire' on one thing, competing and matching the achievements of Sect Head. He is the one who made it possible for me to do this! He wants to keep up his carefully built image so hard that if he says 'NO' to me so openly, it will tarnish his image, and he will not accept that! It would be a loss in his eyes."

"If he is a little bit like Rudrick, he hates losing." He let out a long breath.

"I'm sure of that. Why would he place Heaven's Gate into the territory of the exact Kingdom that schemed to stab him in the back? Why would he immediately copy Aerthus's idea of a Sect without putting any real thoughts into it beforehand? All for competition's sake so in the end, he can say he won." Ren replied. "That is why I am sure he will entertain my claim to the throne but makes it into some kind of… trial or competition or something so that he can beat me himself or by proxy. Just so he can tell himself in the mirror while standing before it, stroking his small ego between his legs that he once again… won."

"Master!" Ariana blushed.

"Oh? Sorry, I forgot you still did not see one in person; you know, usually, an ego looks like-" She giggled, watching her disciple as she continued.

"Master! Stop! I know what a penis looks like!" Ariana screamed with complete embarrassment.

"Penis? Who talked about penises? I was talking about a person's ego!"

"Uuugh… I'm not talking with you anymore today!" Ariana stomped loudly, puffing up her cheeks like a kid, drawing a laugh between Ren's lips and a chuckle from Sentios.

…
….
…..

As the Skyshark descended down, landing at the same place as years before. Now, the welcoming party only contained Zelig as he welcomed Ren while they walked off the ship.

"You are a day earlier than expected." he walked up to her, looking over the rest, only lingering on them for a brief moment. He quickly discarded the rest of the group, refocusing his mind on Ren.

"I don't like being late. I prefer waiting for others instead." Ren replied with a smile as they started walking towards Heaven's Gate's main building, matching each other's steps. They wore the same pose while strolling, holding their hands behind their backs and looking like a pair of siblings. "I like the weather here." Ren chuckled, watching the sky as on the western part. It was clear, with few friendly white clouds, and the sun could shine through them while marching towards the west, with a warm, golden light, bathing the city in its glory. On the east, dark, deep-blue, gray, and black storm clouds whirled, constantly flashing with lightning. They were going over the horizon as far as the eye could see, finally merging with the image of the wildly trashing ocean.

"The elements are harsh here. Perfect to train people and let them experience nature's powers."

"Mmm, I see. Did any of my disciples cause trouble while being here?" Ren asked with a soft smile, looking up at him with one eye.

"No, they keep accompanying King Kaipan most of the time."

"Good, we can't let anything happen to him."

"You speak like they could protect him if I want to kill someone," he replied, and if someone did not know who they were, he would mistake their talk for some friendly, familial chit-chat.

"Yes, you could kill them, but then when I arrive, I would be really, really angry."

"And?" He looked down, watching Ren's pupils flashing with electricity.

"Then we would have to do battle to the death."

"That is not good. I would not want to kill someone so talented."

"Oh? Then what would you want to do with someone like me?" she laughed, tilting her head backward. "Just not the same as my late great-grandfather? Use me as a breeding cattle?"

"No. That would be wasting your potential. There is no guarantee you can give birth to the same talent. For example, if I remember correctly, your younger brother is nowhere near your level! He is not as talented as his older sister… yet he is learning from your father with your Sect's help. With more resources than you had, he still lags behind your achievements."

"It seems you looked into things while waiting for me," Ren answered with a bit colder voice.

"No. I did it already, years ago. Even though the kid has no real outside indicators of being my descendant, he is still one of my offspring, " Zelig said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I keep track of my bloodline even if he or she only has a silver of it, being a halfbreed, that is."

"How caring…" Ren rolled her eyes, scoffing at his words. "I know you have an extensive family tree, and you like trimming your branches every now and then! I bet there are not many 'mutts' around, eh?" She asked with a deep, sarcastic tone.

"There aren't many, yes… and yes. I keep my tree strong and healthy; no shame in that! You will do the same!" came the first chuckle as his lips curved upwards.

"Hm?" Ren furrowed her brows, not really understanding it, but Zelig quickly shone light onto what he meant.

"I can't make you Queen right away, but after we are done here, I'll accompany you back to Rozex, and you can take over Rudrick's line. I went through the possibilities, and I'll choose the next King or Queen of the Naulins from one of the branches, competing for the position. I won't show favoritism, so be prepared for some hard work!" Zelig laughed as they arrived at the guest quarters and showed their group their lodging, a whole courtyard just for them. "I'll come for you when the meeting takes starts. Please, until then, don't leave this courtyard."

"Is that a threat?" Ariana asked, stepping next to her Master, not showing any fear before Zelig.

"No," Zelig replied without even looking at her, still watching only Ren before he started slowly walking away. "But the others here are not as friendly as I am, and I don't want to deal with headaches."

"I can relate to that." Ren sighed, watching him leave before they entered the courtyard.

"Master?" Ariana asked, watching Ren in deep thought as she walked along the sneaking path in the garden, surrounded by beautiful flower beds filled with blooming violet-colored flowers. Her arms were crossed before her chest, holding her chin as she was thinking, not even blinking for minutes straight.

"I expected more resistance… he adapted quickly." She sighed in the end, standing before the entrance to their lodging.

"Well, he is an old fox…." Sentios said, licking his dry lips, still feeling really pressured by only the leftover presence of Zelig.

"And has a horrifying smell…." Kitten added, keeping close to him, almost merging into his shadow, "It is a strong and bloody one…."

"Mmm." Ren nodded, turning towards them before shaking her head and stretching, wearing a relaxed expression. "Well, whatever! Let's go and relax a little, and you can tell me everything about the kings I am going to meet tomorrow!" laughed, looking at Sentios, who just followed her inside with a nod, not knowing what to expect from the meeting where the Kingdom of Elroth's fate is going to be decided tomorrow.