The safest place in the entire Underground City had to be the Valkyrie Fortress. During Ira’s three years, he had made sure that nothing could go wrong with it. Of course, it appeared like an ordinary fortress to the common eye but there was much more to it. A permanent spatial barrier covered the entire thing. There was no way someone could teleport in or even try and use certain methods to look inside without him knowing.

Since Ira wasn’t totally unaware, he used his abilities to create special training rooms for the Valkyries, rooms where time and space was altered. It was something he copied from Raveria, his basic manipulation of time where he could turn minutes into hours. Of course, the one who frequented the rooms the most was Avery. If she wasn’t spending time with Ira or her children she’d be training. Her own advancements couldn’t compare to Ira but her divinity had quickly reached its peak. In fact, Ira’s sigil had finally become useful as it kept her from ascending since her body contained entirely too much divine energy.

At the moment, Avery was watching Ira who slept blissfully under a tree with Raveria, Zephyr, and Valeryn next to him. It had to be said that Ira could go more than a month without sleep if he wanted, but he enjoyed napping with his children who still needed their rest to grow.

Avery grinned before leaving them to their own devices and heading toward a small room. She opened the door and was greeted with the sight of Sylun who took a light sip from her tea.

“Ah, the Keepress,” Sylun said with a smile.

“You wanted to speak to me about something?” Avery asked as she sat down, getting straight to the point. She ignored the title given to her because it had become commonplace over the last three years. A sort of sub-religion formed where Avery was seen as the Keepress of the Sun. The Sun brought no actual benefits to the races of the Dark Elf Empire unlike the Red Moon, but it still found its place in the religion centered around Ira. The Sun was seen as something to keep the races of the Empire in check, a reminder for them to not grow too comfortable with the blessing of the Red Moon. After all, Ira said it himself that he didn’t want a nation of people who constantly depended on him to solve their problems. It was something written in the “Lunar Scriptures” a set of religious tomes that encapsulated Ira’s words while serving as a base for the religion.

“Yes, it seems that Sylvia has become pregnant with her first child,” Sylun spoke with a wonderful smile.

“Wonderful, but I’m sure you didn’t come here to only inform me of that.” It was clear that Avery was waiting for some other piece of news so Sylun didn’t delay.

“The group of Lycanthropes I sent to learn about the Angel, Gavreel, have returned after spending more time than was expected. Unfortunately, it seems they were...captivated by her presence.” Sylun spoke regretfully while showing that she was ashamed.

“Was there some sort of spell used?” Avery asked.

“No, nothing of the sort. At least, none of my mages could detect anything even after rigorous testing. I’ve learned that she is extremely skilled in healing, it’s said that she could cure any disease or affliction. It’s said that she cured thousands of people in one day without resting.”

“So is that her limit?”

“Not from what’s been reported. The group said she would have continued if the humans at the temple didn’t beg her to rest...The lycanthropes I sent out spoke with a lot of admiration for her and even went so far as to suggest we invite her to the Underground City. I find it strange because it’s been acknowledged that the Gods turned their backs on us, but even so, they spoke positively of the angel. There was no shred of doubt in their minds that she was here to help.”

“And what do you make of it?” Avery inquired.

“I’m sorry?” Sylun sought clarification in response. “If it’s a matter of loyalty then there is no need to worry about me. I will worship the Keeper until my last breath and whatever may come after it.”

“I wanted to know what you think about Gavreel’s intentions” Avery replied.

“Oh...I can’t be sure but it appears she’s only here to assist as she’s said time and time again. So far, her actions have proven that she has no other purpose other than to maintain peace.”

“I see.” Avery took a moment to contemplate Gavreel’s behavior. It was possible that she genuinely arrived to restore order but it was possible that she was keeping up a facade. Though if that was true, Gavreel should’ve been speaking more about unifying the continent which hadn’t happened yet. Avery’s final verdict was to maintain caution and to immediately attack should Gavreel show any signs of becoming an enemy.

“You don’t need to send anyone else to see her. I doubt we’ll learn any more than we already have.” Avery sighed.

“Onto other matters,” Sylun said, shifting topics. “I was wondering if the Keeper still planned to be present during the demonstration. The children we’ve trained have all been outstanding so far.”

“He’ll be there, Ira isn’t one to speak falsely.”

“Thank you, Keepress.” Sylun smiled.

…

Elsewhere, Valeryn awoke from his nap before his siblings and stood up.

“Ryn?” Ira called out to his son. Valeryn was certainly the calmest of his siblings. He always appeared to be in deep thought or distracted by something else when he wasn’t interacting with his family.

“I’ll be back,” Valeryn said.

“Stay within the fortress.”

Valeryn nodded and Ira closed his eyes before going back to sleep. As long as Valeryn stayed with the fortress there would be nothing for Ira to worry about.

Valeryn left the garden and headed toward the Valkyrie’s training hall. There were various rooms within the entirety of the hall. Some had standard wooden floors, others had sand covering the ground, and a few were even covered in stones. The idea was to create a sense of familiarity with different terrains, it was a small detail but when paired with thousands of hours of training, it brought impressive results. Even though the Valkyries didn’t need to fight on the ground they were nothing if not thorough in their preparation for any situation.

Most of the rooms were occupied and Valeryn could hear the sounds of swords striking a target, whether it be a sparring partner or a training dummy. The distinct metallic ring sounded like music to him. Each sword brought a different tone with it, some were violent and loud while others were silent and sharp. It was hard to describe to an ordinary person, it was something only Valeryn could feel.

“Hmmm,” Valeryn stopped in front of a certain room. He could hear a hefty blade being swung around so he decided to enter.

Inside the room, Maevyn and Cibylla were in the middle of a light sparring session when Valeryn entered. His neat black hair, yellow eyes that held a relaxed gaze, and his radiant complexion all instantly told of his origins.

“Valeryn, does your father know you’re here?” Maevyn put her sword down and immediately inquired. Like all the Valkyries in the Thynne Family, she had interacted with Ira’s children on occasion so they had some familiarity between them.

“Yes,” Valeryn answered without a change in expression.

“Then...Did you need something from me?” Maevyn asked.

“No,” Valeryn answered again in an almost languid voice.

“Well, feel free to have a seat.” Maevyn was at a loss as to how to deal with Ira’s son so she thought it best to ignore it. When she turned back to Cibylla, she saw that the girl’s eyes were widened in shock.

“T-The Keeper’s son?!” Cibylla exclaimed to herself.

“Ah, it’s your first time meeting him, isn’t it? Valeryn isn’t as lively as his sister but I think that's a good thing, don't let it bother you.”

“I would never be bothered!” Cibylla’s unconsciously shouted in response.

“...Let’s get back into it, Cibylla.” Maevyn didn’t say much about her apprentice's reaction and continued with their practice.

Maevyn was only able to swing her sword once before Valeryn spoke up.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Valeryn stated.

“What?” Maevyn asked while being taken aback.

“Your swing is wrong,” Valeryn elaborated.

Maevyn was left speechless as she was literally a being who had fighting in her blood. Valkyries were innately talented with weapons so she would know if something was off with her posture.

Valeryn approached Maevyn before she could speak and held his hands out.

“The sword,” Valeryn said with his hands outstretched.

Maevyn gave a short grunt but ultimately humored him. “It’s heavy.”

The sword which was a few hundred pounds was placed into Valeryn’s hands but he didn’t even react as he easily lifted it. It was a comical seen seeing a small child hold a sword that was larger than his own body, but no one laughed.

Valeryn moved his hands around and tightened his grip on the greatsword before he finally spoke, “You have to swing like this.”

As soon as he finished, he raised the sword overhead and swung downward. His move resulted in a huge gust of wind pushing Maevyn and Cibylla backward while a loud shock caught them off guard. Valeryn swung upward and the scene was repeated.

“What?!” Maevyn was surprised as she saw very little exertion on his part. It was like the sword moved on its own and the effects were just as jaw-dropping. The sword she used, while extremely heavy, was more or less an ordinary greatsword. Only when one reached a mastery over their weapon could they produce a similar effect yet Valeryn’s swings were different. He made it seem as if he was using an enchanted weapon.

“I don’t want to break anything so I can’t do more but that’s how you should swing it.” Valeryn handed the sword back and Maevyn accepted it while in a daze.

“How did you do that?” Maevyn couldn’t help but to ask.

“...I can see the best way to swing it,” Valeryn replied with difficulty. It was hard for him to explain but he could visualize a path that yielded the highest result.

Maevyn tried to replicate what she saw out of curiosity but she found it extremely difficult. Valeryn shook his head and then made adjustments to Maevyn’s posture. He tapped his foot against her leg to indicate where she should stand and then changed where the position of her hands ever so slightly. Maevyn didn’t even think about how weird it was to have a child who only looked to be about five or six years old show her how to use her own weapon. Cibylla just stood at the side while attempting to soak up everything she could.

After ten minutes or so, Valeryn finished and nodded to indicate Maevyn should try it.

“...What is this?” Maevyn immediately noticed that her greatsword felt lighter before she even swung it. She then looked to Valeryn and realized he was waiting for her to swing so she did and what came next couldn’t compare to what Valeryn did. An audible whoosh sound could be heard while a light breeze could be felt. It should be said that she didn’t put any effort into the swing, she felt as if it moved on its own.

“It’s...acceptable,” Valeryn said as much but his face showed no sign of approval.

“Valeryn!” Harper suddenly burst through the door.

“Yes?” Valeryn answered.

“Let’s play,” Harper spoke with enthusiasm. She looked to be around sixteen years old due to certain factors. Being exposed to Raveria’s ability before the latter could control it in addition to her own bloodline helped to mature Harper a lot faster. Though mentally, Harper kept her childish behavior.

“Ok.” Valeryn grabbed onto Harper’s hand.

“The Keeper’s sister?” Cibylla spoke faintly. She recognized the three black circles between Harper’s eyebrows instantly. There were some who said that the circle at the top turned red when the Red Moon was out.

Harper didn’t pay any attention to Cibylla or Maevyn and hurriedly left with Valeryn as if the pair would steal him away if she didn’t act quick enough.

Maevyn and Cibylla stood in shock for two entirely different reasons but they could both agree the day took a strange turn.

“...That’s enough for today, it should be about time for the Bone Inscription Ceremony,” Maevyn said after a brief period of silence.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Cibylla answered while still in a stupor over what had occurred.