The footsteps grew clearer.

They did not echo loudly. They didn’t need to. Each step carried intent, and intent carried weight. The harmonic hum threading through the hall deepened, not in volume, but in depth, as if reality itself leaned forward to listen.

From behind the imperial dais, space bent.

A corridor of folded distance unfolded like a curtain drawn aside by invisible hands, revealing the inner sanctum passage reserved for only one bloodline.

The Kael’Dri.

First came motion in the shadows; six silhouettes stepping forward in perfect unison. They emerged without announcement, without flourish, yet the pressure in the hall spiked instantly.

Galeno led the formation, his massive frame contained within a tailored black suit that did nothing to hide the truth of what he was. Each step he took sent subtle tremors through the marble floor, the very earth recognizing its elder. His eyes were calm, ancient, unyielding.

Maverick followed, posture relaxed, smile faint, but the air around him shimmered with restrained violence, and the rare concept of change, like a blade sheathed too tightly. His grey skin seemed to shimmer under the light of the chandeliers.

Stygian was next, his purple hair slightly alight with purple flames. The air around him was chilly and dry, like death had decided to walk with him. His tail was also alight with purple necrotic flames, which made most of the guests wonder just how the emperor kept surprising them every time.

Onyx moved gracefully, but with an unhinged smile. A smile that most of the guests instantly recognized as something accepted by the emperor. If Galeno was the emperor’s foundation, the Onyx gave the vibe of the emperor’s darkness. His chaos. Her pale skin and black hair gave her a very appealing look to most, especially with the way her hips moved as she walked. She was beautiful in a way that wouldn’t lose out to even the empresses. She was the emperor’s spirit guardian after all. They were technically children of the emperor; they represented concepts he embodied.

Sage followed, walking serenely, sound runes flickering briefly along his sleeves as if the hall itself whispered secrets to him, and he listened. His draconic horns glowed slightly with sound energy while his tail swayed rhythmically as he moved. And he seemed to have grown thinner than he was some time ago; coupled with the monocle he wore on his left eye, he looked more of a scholar than a warrior, but everyone could feel the barely restrained power.

Saareiya brought up the rear, her presence subtle yet unsettling, eyes scanning the hall with the amused curiosity of something that understood the mind as easily as anatomy. Her silver hair had turned into pure psychic energy, the kind that made even dragons flinch.

They spread out instinctively, forming a living bulwark. All who saw this display were astonished and in awe of experiencing it, but the more experienced ones, the ones with eyes, saw something else.

Ethan was once human, so he followed the human cultivation system; Spirit Beast System. He had spirit beasts, and that didn’t change even after he evolved. It was something ingrained, part of his anatomy, his genes, his very existence.

Spirit beasts grew alongside their masters, and even if the master turned out to be stronger, it wouldn’t be by much.

So what happens if the master becomes a Saint and the spirit beasts evolve?

They become spirit guardians, becoming the very aspect of what they represent as part of their master.

Galeno was Ethan’s foothold, his foundation. Maverick was Ethan’s change, his alchemy. Stygian was Ethan’s immunity to pain and death, the cold part of his soul. Onyx was Ethan’s madness, his chaotic side. Sage was Ethan’s calmness, and Saareiya, his mind.

Together, they were Ethan. And this was what the truly powerful were seeing.

They weren’t seeing fine gentlemen and ladies... no! They were seeing monsters, the kind that could destroy continents in a day. They were creatures of doom made to bring order to wherever they appeared.

And this brought up another question.

If these were the emperor, then where was his shadow?

As if waiting for them to ask this question, the room suddenly darkened. Out of the darkness stepped a being clad in dark obsidian armor with no space except where his eyes were, glowing with a deep, cold crimson light that brought chills to whoever stared too long.

He was so tall that he only fell short of Galeno, who appeared to be the tallest there, even taller than the dragons. Galeno is his true humanoid form was close to nine feet tall, very tall. He was a giant.

In front of this being stood two people, the Crown Prince and Princess. Regnare was in his true hybrid form this time, white fur and blue scales blending in a beautiful tapestry on his face and hands. His horns were on full display, glinting with spirit energy. The only thing missing was his wings. He wore a white military uniform with deep silver designs.

Delphina was also in her true appearance, a hybrid of a high human and a vampire. Her hair was short as always, but was streaked with golden, releasing luminous light as she moved. She wore a beautiful black dress with dark silver designs and red embroidery, and beautiful shoes to match.

Galeno and his team, sensing their appearance, opened the way for them to pass, nodding quietly to the dark armored being.

Kaldaroth accompanied them to their seats and marched to stand right behind the emperor’s throne. This made all those wondering who he was gasp in shock and fear.

His aura was suffocating, reeked of blood, menace, and something wicked... curses. He was curse in human form!

He could be nothing else but the emperor’s shadow.

Then...

Ethan Kael’Dri stepped through.

The hall did not merely react.

It acknowledged him.

His form was unmistakably altered.

His ears were sharper now, rising through his silver-white hair, which fell loosely around his shoulders. Above them sat tiger-bear ears, white-furred with faint silver striping, twitching once as he took in the room. A thick white tiger tail swayed slowly behind him, each movement controlled, deliberate.

His hands bore claws, not exaggerated, not monstrous, but clearly not human, glinting faintly as his fingers flexed once.

His eyes...

One silver.

One gold.

Both burned with depth.

This was not a disguise. Not a transformation meant to impress.

This was him, closer to the truth than most would ever be allowed to witness.

In his arms were Selene and Sol.

Selene slept peacefully, tiny fingers curled into the fabric of his sleeve, her presence soft yet impossibly dense, like a star wrapped in silk.

Sol was awake.

His golden eyes were open, calm, and far too aware for an infant. As Ethan walked, the runes carved into the pillars flickered briefly, reacting to something ancient and radiant coiled inside the children.

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

Not fear.

Reverence.

Behind Ethan came his wives, arrayed not as ornaments, but as pillars.

Harley walked first among them, her expression composed, gaze steady, the quiet strength of someone who had stood beside Ethan before the empire ever knew his name. Her sharp eyes were golden and slit, like a wise serpent’s waiting to strike.

Clara followed, sharp-eyed and observant, already reading the hall like a battlefield, spirit energy glowing around her.

Carmen moved with relaxed grace, smile warm, but her presence carried a subtle authority that made nobles straighten unconsciously.

Andriel’s silver eyes glowed faintly as she stepped forward, her connection to the deeper flows of magic resonating with the formations woven into the hall.

Lisa’s aura was bright, energetic, impossible to ignore, life and mischief wrapped together in a way that made even hardened warriors glance twice.

Pisces walked calmly, water-aligned presence flowing smoothly, grounding those nearest to her without effort.

Seraphis carried herself like temptation made flesh, her gaze flicking coldly across the hall as if daring anyone foolish enough to stare too long.

Christel’s presence was deep, precise, her eyes missing nothing, calculating probabilities faster than most could think.

Elaine moved quietly, almost blending into the space, yet anyone sensitive to danger felt her like a blade resting lightly against their throat. She was too relaxed, almost sleeping as she walked.

Barki’s steps were heavy, confident, her draconic lineage impossible to fully suppress. Several dragons in attendance stiffened instinctively. She was, after all, the Dragon Ruler of Flames, a Saint Realm being at the 3rd Ascension.

Vaeloria’s aura shimmered with layered willpower, reality subtly warping around her as if unsure how to interpret her existence.

Asteria walked last among them, her presence vast and cosmic, stars seeming to glimmer faintly in her eyes as she gazed calmly upon a hall filled with beings who barely registered to her true scale.

Together, they were not excess.

They were balance.

Ethan reached the dais.

The moment he ascended the first step, the throne responded.

The hovering sigil behind it rotated once, slowly, then settled.

When Ethan sat, the sound was not of stone meeting stone.

It was of finality.

The throne accepted him.

The hall exhaled.

No command was given.

No order spoken.

And yet...

Every being present felt it.

This was the axis.

This was the point around which Anbord turned.

Ethan looked out over the hall, his expression calm, his presence vast, and for a heartbeat, every soul, king, ancestor, dragon, demon, citizen felt seen.

Not judged.

Seen.

Selene stirred slightly.

Sol’s gaze swept the hall once, unblinking.

Somewhere deep within the castle, bells began to ring.

Slow.

Measured.

Ancient.

The ceremony had truly begun.