Time passed, and they finally arrived in the palace of the patriarch which was at the peak of the mountain. The palace was enormous! Standing thousands of feet high, the palace was actually bigger than expected. It was covered by fogs of clouds in which it stood. It was a 5 story mega palace. Its beauty rivaled most post-modern palaces known on the planet of Paan.

Standing in the doorway of the palace, Denzelle, Alex, and the palace guards were all waiting. Confused as to why they didn't go in, Alex was about to ask a question. However, before he could speak, Denzelle turned and looked at him. Looking at Alex, Denzelle said, "I can't go in from here. Just follow the purple rug, and you will meet the patriarch. Remember, bow before you speak. She doesn't tolerate disrespect! Goodluck"

Feeling satisfied by Denzelle's answer, Alex nodded his head obediently and walked in. As soon as he walked in, his jaws dropped. His whole being was literally about to drop in awe. With jaws dropped, Alex unconsciously walked forward as he enjoyed the scenery before him.

Inside, there were all sorts of beautiful designs on the walls. It depicted all sorts of historical images of many different races alike. There were also sculptures and mirrors which resemble angels and all sorts of different creatures.

In the middle of the floor, there was a purple rug that came from the throne all the way to the door. It looked extravagant and rich! On both sides of the rug, there were beautiful artistic designs that were made of all sorts of beautiful golden symbols and texts.

On the ceilings, it was spectacular! Instead of arts and chandeliers, there were crystals! Living magical crystals beautified the whole ceiling. They were uniquely placed together to make a mirage of the queen. Looking from below, one could see an image of the patriarch smiling graciously.

As always, all good things must come to an end. Unconsciously, As Alex walked, he didn't know when he had arrived before the throne room of the patriarch because he was still amazed at the beautiful thing inside the palace.

Looking at Alex, the patriarch didn't know if he was intentionally ignoring her presence. That being said, she took a moment to clear her throat before she spoke to him.

"Uhm." She said as she cleared her throat.

Hearing this, Alex was finally brought back into reality. He was ashamed of himself because he didn't know he was caught fantasizing about the palace. To redeem himself, Alex bowed down to reverence the patriarch before him.

"Ah, forgive me, your majesty. I was just taken unaware by the beauty of your palace." Alex said honestly.

Seeing this, the patriarch nodded her head in acknowledgment of his apologies.

"My name is Alex Kings. I am the son of Kai Kings." Alex said shortly after.

"I know who you are, welcome. Your father and I are friends." She said calmly.

Shocked by her response, Alex asked inquisitively, "If you don't mind me asking, how do you know him? How can a lofty patriarch like you befriend my old man?"

"We have a history together. He and I were childhood friends who shared wins and woes together. We were also lovers at one point. We both built our first house together. We took care of one another. We even built this sect together…" She replied honestly.

"Wow...Sorry if I seem odd to you, my old man doesn't tell me a lot of things about his youthful days." Alex said.

"It's okay. He has always been a man who kept to himself after all," she said.

"Now, that is true. Haha" Alex replied as he laughed

"Anyways, I never introduced myself. My name is Fiona, I am the patriarch of the Great Silverback Gorilla sect." Fiona said with a carefree tone.

"Nice to meet you, your highness," Alex said with a slight bow.

"Nice to meet you too, Alex. Please, what brings you here by the way? I hope all is well back home?" Fiona asked seriously.

Hearing her question, Alex was silent. He didn't know how to respond. He didn't even know where to start.

Helpless, he sighed and finally said, "No. A group of men is chasing after my family. We don't know what they want. They killed my brother and his family for no reason.."

While he was still speaking, Fiona cut him and said in shock, "WHAT! Who did it? Why would they kill your brother and his family?"

"Yes...I don't know exactly. This is why My father asked me to come to you. He said he desperately needed your help. He asked me, to ask you, to please accept us; Jedidiah and me into your sect." Alex said promptly.

"Oh...Who is Jedidiah, and I hope your father is alright. Anyway, welcome. This is practically your second home. After all, your dad helped me start this sect." Fiona replied.

"Thank you so much. Jedidiah is my nephew. He is the last born son of my brother, David. Before he died, I managed to save Jedidiah when David called me. Unfortunately, I only managed to save Jedidiah. So, I have to take care of him now." Alex sighed as spoke.

"Hmm...Okay. I will restore you and make you an elder of honor. This is your ancestral right because you are the son of Kai, the second patriarch of the Great Silverback Gorilla sect. To be honest, it was him who even chose to name this sect after its totem beast." Fiona said frankly.

"Oh, wow. Thank you so much for your kindness. I swear this day to serve our sect faithfully." Alex vowed as he knelt down on one knee.

"Haha, It's your right. Tell your father I'd love to pay him a visit someday. However, also tell him that he is free to come back home." Fiona said softly.

"Okay, thank you. I will do so, thank you so much." Alex said as he bowed again.

Looking at Alex bowing, Fiona was comforted in this. "It is well, you may go. Before you leave, take this token. This is your token. When you are coming back, show the guards this token and they will let you in. This is your family's token, your father's original token."

Looking at the golden token in her hands, Alex was shocked! He never doubted Fiona's words. However, he never also believed her words fully until now he saw the token. This act made him feel more at home.

"Thank you," Alex said as he took the golden token from Fiona. After that, he bowed once more and left the palace.

He was heading straight to a town called Old Wood. He was going to a company called Omega. This is a mega business that was owned by Meghan's family, Jedidiah's maternal family.

Alex was going to search for Meghan's sister, Mary. Following the death wish of Meghan, Alex has to go to Meghan's family and tell them the bad news of her passing away. He is also bound to his promise to Megan to also take care of Jedidiah with Mary.

Alex didn't want to be the one to tell the sad tale, but he knew he had to do so. Saddened, Allex wore the token around his neck and flew out of the Great Silverback sect.

*****