The gates of Nightengale City opened without haste, stone and obsidian sliding aside as if acknowledging an equal.
Moonlight spilled across the threshold, pale silver mingling with crimson glow from the inner wards. Mist rolled outward in slow, deliberate waves, carrying with it the unmistakable presence of ancient mana.
Jax stood calmly at the edge of it, hands at his sides, posture loose but unguarded. Hydra transformed to her Human form, her magnificent body revealed as she stood behind Jax, awaiting what to happen next.
They saw Nulissa walking through the gates by herself to greet them.
She was taller than most of her kin, standing a full head above the vampiric honor guard flanking her. Her blood-red hair flowed down her back like liquid silk, catching the moonlight with a subtle sheen. Crimson eyes glowed softly, alert with a depth that spoke of centuries of thought rather than violence.
She wore no armor.
