A New Path

Grand chamber doors creaked open, their ornate carvings catching the glow of the rising, morning sun filtering through the high windows. Caelus stepped inside alongside Kiria and Heldran, all being guided by a nervous-looking attendant. The chamber was vast, lined with deep blue banners and a carpet of similar colour embroidered with Eldralis' sigil—a dragon coiled into an orb. A grand bed sat in the middle of the room, and on the desk next to it sat King Marcus Eldralis.

Though he was not dressed in his formal clothing, his presence was still commanding. His sharp amber eyes turned to meet the approaching group, lingered on his red-faced daughter before shifting to Caelus.

"Why... are you all here?" the King pondered, arching his brow

"Your Majesty! Sirs Heldran and Caelus would like to discuss some matters with you. Her Highness, the princess, would like to as well." the attendant announced

"What are you doing here, Heldran? I thought you were with the rest of the order at the manor?"

"About that..." Heldran quietly replied

"Well, Your Majesty!" Caelus projected, "Heldran, here, and his River Souls came to the inn this early morning and attacked me!"

"Is this true?" the King sternly asked

"Yes, sir..." Heldran shamefully admitted

"Why did they come for you, Sir Caelus?"

"That Claris lady said she wanted to take me to see you, to take you up on your offer."

"And where are they now?"

"They're all in the eastern square. Unconscious..." Caelus added with a nervous laugh

"It is only fair." Marcus replied, "Heldran!"

"Yes, my king?!" the knight duly replied, going down on one knee

"You, of all people, should know that I would never condone you mobilising the River Souls in such manner!"

"I offer my deepest apologies, my lord! It will never happen again!" Heldran heartfully declared

"I will hold you to that." Marcus accepted, "Now," he continued, setting his gaze to his daughter, his demeanour softening, "Kiria, my girl, what did you need to discuss with me?"

"I wanted to talk to you about your bargain to Sir Star Chi—um, Caelus." the princess uttered, breaking past her embarrassment

"You as well?"

"I have asked him to work with our kingdom, not as a soldier, but as a friend."

"An interesting proposition!" Marcus spoke, resting his chin on his knuckles as his gaze fell onto Caelus, "And you, Star Child? Do you accept these terms?"

"Yeah, as long as you don't try pulling anything funny, I don't mind working with you." Caelus nodded

"I'm glad." the King let out a quiet chuckle. "Well, as an ally of Eldralis, your life is no longer Vornacia's to claim. Any attempt at your life will be an act of war, from now."

"Good to know that no one's gonna pop up tryna kill me anytime soon." Caelus exhaled

"Indeed. This may be a shameless request, seeing as we just settled the details of our alliance," Marcus continued, "but this task is one of great importance for the progress of my kingdom."

"Go on..." Caelus raised a brow

"The Adventurer's Guild seeks to expand in Eldralis. While they do already have a guild hall, here in Velderan, I want you to escort their envoy, a man by the name of Jaser, to Willowstead. He will oversee the construction of the second guild hall. I hope I can entrust this to you?"

"Sure. Sounds easy enough." Caelus replied assuringly

A few hours had passed. Caelus, now accompanied by Mira and Elise, after a very lively meal, met Jaser outside the castle. The man was slightly smaller than Caelus, standing slightly hunched. He had the air of a scholar rather than an adventurer about him.

"I-it's an honour, Star Child," Jaser stammered, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, "I look forward to working with you."

"Relax, man. Just call me Caelus." he spoke, placing a hand on his shoulder

The journey back to Willowstead passed without major incident, though they faced the usual travel hardships—marshy roads, cold winds, and the occasional beast lurking too close for comfort.

"Everyone! We're back!" Elise announced

Upon hearing these words, the town stirred to life, all the townsfolk asking how they've been and what happened on the road. The returning travellers wasted no time in getting rest from their toils. Upon the next day's arrival, they immediately met with Jaser, who was surveying the quickly bought and reserved land where the project would take place.

"Well, based on the materials and available labour, it should take about three to six months to finish..." he sighed, rubbing his chin

Caelus looked over the land and pondered. "Hmm... three days."

"Pardon?" Jaser blinked

"I can get it done in three days." he said, holding up three fingers

The envoy looked bewildered. "That's impossible—"

"Should save us some trouble on our task, right?"

Before Jaser could interject, Caelus had already lifted a stack of lumber the size of a small house onto his shoulder, walking off to start the job he was given.

"You'll get used to it." Mira smirked

Three days had passed, and a new Adventurers' Guild Hall stood tall in Willowstead.

Jaser stood in the vast hall, his face pale as he looked about the completed structure.

"T-this... s-stuff like this shouldn't be possible..." the man uttered out, meekly

"I think you just have to get used to it." Elise chuckled

With the hardest step cleared, only staffing and operations remained. Caelus leaned back against a reception desk, letting out a content sigh. His task was complete.

"Hey, Jaser!" he called out, "Shouldn't there be a few people coming to help set up the new hall?"

"O-oh yeah... I'll get to accommodating them..." Jaser spoke, snapping back into reality

As the envoy walked off into the distance, Caelus reflected on recent events. His return sparked uncertainty and slight conflict, but now, he had laid the foundation for something greater: a new light shining in the sky, a new trail waiting to be blazed.