Mira stood near the edge of the courtyard with her arms folded, looking as composed as ever, while Isla waited beside her with a small bag held in both hands.

Tessa appeared fully prepared to leave at a moment’s notice, though the occasional yawn she failed to suppress suggested she had not slept nearly as well as she would have liked.

Aria, on the other hand, looked as though she had only just dragged herself out of bed.

Her short but growing blue hair was slightly disheveled, and although she had already changed into a fresh set of clothes, the tired expression on her face made it obvious that she would have preferred several more hours of sleep.

The moment she saw Elion approaching, her narrowed gaze settled upon him. "You look surprisingly energetic."

Elion smiled. "I slept well."

When he came to her last night, she had been able to smell Celeste’s scent on him, so she was confused about how he could look so fresh despite doing so much.

And considering who he had shown up with, perhaps he had done even more ’activities’ afterward. Her narrowed eyes shifted toward Zenith, who appeared equally refreshed.

"Slept well huh? That makes one of us."

Zenith tilted her head. "Well, to correct you, we didn’t really sleep." Aria’s expression darkened.

Elion decided it would be better not to involve himself in that particular conversation.

Celeste stood a short distance away with Lilith, Lucius, and Dorian. She now wore a more comfortable black gown beneath a thick crimson cloak.

Her white hair fell freely down her back, and the Heavenly Petal remained clearly visible upon her ring finger.

Although her expression was composed, Elion could tell that she was still unhappy about his departure.

He approached her first. "You know I will be back soon."

"You said one and a half days."

"I’m not making any promises, but I will try my best."

Celeste stared at him for several seconds. "If you are even one minute late, I will come and find you myself."

Elion glanced toward Lucius. "Is she always this threatening?"

"She takes after her mother," Lucius replied calmly.

Lilith smiled. "I would consider that a compliment."

Celeste ignored them and stepped closer to Elion. Elion lowered his gaze toward her stomach before placing one hand gently against it.

There was still no visible sign of the child growing within her, but simply knowing it was there made his expression soften.

"Take care of yourself as well."

Celeste placed her hand over his. "I will." He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

For a moment, Celeste remained still. Then, apparently deciding that such a restrained farewell was not enough, she caught the front of his coat and pulled him down into a proper kiss.

Elion heard Aria release a faint, irritated sigh from somewhere behind him. Celeste only released him once she was satisfied.

Her pale cheeks carried a faint blush, though her gaze remained firm.

"One and a half days."

He gave her a wry smile.

Dorian approached next and rested one heavy hand upon Elion’s shoulder. "Once you return, your training begins."

Elion looked at him. "I was hoping you had forgotten."

"I have been looking forward to it all morning."

"That is exactly what worries me."

Dorian grinned. "Enjoy your freedom while it lasts."

Elion removed the Grand Elder’s hand from his shoulder. "I am starting to reconsider coming back."

Celeste tightened her grip around his arm. "You will return."

Elion looked down at her. "I was joking."

"Good."

Lucius stepped forward after Dorian.

Unlike the others, he did not waste time with a long farewell. "Be especially careful about revealing your dragon bloodline."

"I have no intention of advertising it."

"That is not what concerns me. Remember what I said: the stronger ones can smell it on you."

"I will keep that in mind."

Lucius nodded once.

Elion stepped away from Celeste and raised one hand.

The surrounding space rippled. A moment later, the Ark of Infinity emerged from nothingness above the courtyard.

The small spherical vessel appeared without sound, its polished exterior reflecting the pale crimson sky over Dreadmoor Hollow.

Within a few seconds, Elion, Zenith, Mira, Aria, Tessa and Isla were all sucked into the Ark while waving goodbye.

The next moment, Elion appeared inside the Ark’s familiar white lounge, where the others had already begun settling in.

Mira occupied one of the couches, while Isla placed her bag beside a nearby seat. Tessa immediately headed toward the corridor, probably to train, and Aria dropped onto the longest couch with a tired groan.

Zenith stood before one of the wide observation panels, staring down at the view of the clan below.

The Ark had already begun zipping into the skies.

Elion moved toward the central control panel. "Ark, set a course for Silvergrove."

A soft feminine voice answered from somewhere within the vessel.

[Destination confirmed. Estimated travel time calculated.] The interior shifted faintly as the Ark rose higher above Dreadmoor Hollow.

Through the circular panels, the towering black castle and its surrounding structures and cliffs gradually shrank beneath them. The surrounding settlement, mountains, and crimson forests soon blended into the dark landscape below.

Celeste remained visible in the courtyard for several moments, her white hair making her easy to recognize among the gathered vampires, especially since one of the panels seemed to focus on just her.

Elion watched until the clouds finally obscured her from sight, moving back to the screen with the intention to check the route displayed before him.

The Ark had already begun crossing the vast distance separating Dreadmoor Hollow from Silvergrove.

With its concealment systems active, no one below would be capable of detecting the vessel even if they possessed extraordinary perception or a specialized artifact.

The journey would not take long, but what little time they would spend traveling gave him enough time to think about what awaited him.

The duel was the simplest matter.

Whoever his opponent was, the fact that Elion was confident in winning did not excuse his failure to appear at the appointed time.

He could only hope they had not taken offense, though even that felt like a stretch.

More than that, he was looking forward to meeting up with Aeron and Zenovia again.

’I wonder what they have been up to?’

The worst-case scenario would be arriving only to discover that they had already left Silvergrove.

Unfortunately, the world did not revolve around him, and other people had important matters of their own to attend to.

Still, there was little point worrying about it before he arrived.

Elion turned his attention back toward the wide windows as the Ark continued its rapid journey across the sky.

The dark lands surrounding Dreadmoor Hollow had long since disappeared behind them, replaced by a massive range of tall mountains.

...

Back in Dreadmoor Hollow, it was only Lucius and Dorian inside the council room, standing on either side of the long dark oak table.

Dorian wore a confused expression.

"I do not understand why you did not tell the boy about Celeste’s grandfather," he said.

Lucius merely shook his head, causing his tousled hair to shift slightly.

"What use would there be in telling him about someone who may never return?"

"You think he is..."

Lucius shook his head again.

"I still have hope that he is alive, but we must also prepare ourselves for the worst possible outcome."

Dorian gave him a long look.

He did not understand how Lucius could remain so calm while speaking of his own father’s possible death, but perhaps that was what it took to be a monarch.

Yet that was not even the worst part.

If Celeste’s grandfather truly was dead, then they might never recover his body and lay him to rest among their great ancestors.

Perhaps that would be the greatest loss of all.