Lucian thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement with the girl's plea for peace.
"Very well. If that is your request, then I will accept."
At his words, the Nightfolk girl let out a long breath of relief. Her heart had been pounding with a speed unnatural for her kind. To beg for peace from one who could destroy them all in moments—such desperation weighed heavily on her.
All the more so because they had just attacked him. If negotiations had failed, she would surely have died where she stood.
Thankfully, it seemed Sellia's secrets—and its sorcerers—had proven valuable enough. This man had agreed.
Yet the future remained a shrouded darkness. Would Sellia even survive under his command?
He was the Academy's sworn enemy. Could he truly withstand their vengeance?
Even if he could—and even if Raya Lucaria could not lay a hand on him—Sellia was far weaker. If he turned a blind eye to the Academy's retaliation, they would still be annihilated.
The truth was bitter: the terms they offered could not buy protection, only temporary reprieve. They had provoked a foe they could never defeat.
If they pressed further, Sellia would simply be wiped out by this one man alone. So, they had chosen to submit, to become his vassal—choosing slow death over swift annihilation.
At least slow death offered a chance to struggle.
The girl still did not know what manner of man Lucian truly was. One day, when she looked back on this night, she would be glad she had entrusted Sellia to him.
—
For Lucian, the ambush had been little more than an annoyance. Like being nipped by a giant dragonfly; painless, but insulting.
Still, what he gained in return was worthwhile.
A cadre of powerful sorcerers.
Stormveil was sorely lacking in long-range firepower. Lucian intended to scatter Sellia's sorcerers among his squads, using them as surprise support against his enemies. Masters of assassination, their sudden strikes would turn battles in his favor.
Even if they never ventured out as killers, they could serve as teachers—training his own mages in Stormveil.
At present, his fortress had no true magical elite. Lancelot was competent, but busy managing affairs—and courting women in his rare free time. Lucian couldn't very well demand he spend his remaining hours as an instructor.
The rest were but low-level magicians, hardly worthy of note. Even the eccentric Sorcerer Thops, though brilliant, was better left to his research on the Thops Barrier. That breakthrough was worth more than a dozen new apprentices.
Sellia's magicians, however, could fill this void.
Most importantly, the girl had promised him Sellia's true secret.
Sellia bore another name; the Heirs of Eternity. Beneath their feet lay Nokron, the Eternal City, and with it, fragments of the lost knowledge of the Nox Dynasty.
The Nox left behind wonders. Raya Lucaria and Caria's royal house had already seized parts of this heritage—research into spirits, mysteries, and artificial life. From their studies had come the Albinaurics, their silver blood a cold echo of the Nightfolk. Their origins lay in the Silver Tear Mimics, their blood silver and unfeeling, like the Nox before them.
The dynasty had also birthed Dragonkin Soldiers, living lightning orbs, and the Mimic Tear. Caria inherited much, yet even they had not unraveled every secret of Sellia.
Whatever the girl intended to reveal, it was something not even Caria possessed. Otherwise, it would be no bargaining chip.
Lucian's anticipation grew. What could the Heirs of Eternity guard so closely?
It would not be mere sorceries or battle arts. Had they such weapons, they would already wield them in defiance. Perhaps it was something useless to Sellia's survival, yet priceless in another's hands.
Something like the Fingerslayer Blade sought by Ranni—a relic that could slay the Two Fingers themselves. The Nox had indeed forged such blasphemies.
Such items could not save Sellia, but they might serve Lucian well.
"Since you are now my vassals," he said firmly, "I will not abandon you. Provided you remain loyal."
The girl lowered her head. "So long as you do not cast us aside…"
He studied her, then asked, "What is your name?"
"Stella."
His brows lifted. "Like Nokstella—the Eternal City itself?"
"Yes," she said, her silver eyes glinting. "It means 'star.' You are well-versed in the Nox."
Lucian gave her a long look. Names such as hers were not chosen lightly. Still, a servant with such lineage was no bad thing.
Stella hesitated, then asked softly, "My lord… what should we call you?"
"Lucian," he replied simply. Then, after a moment; "Storm King of Stormveil. Shardbearer of Limgrave. Those are my titles."
It was important for new subjects to understand the power of the one they served. Stella only looked on with wide eyes, awed though uncertain.
Thus did the Storm King claim Sellia as his own.
—
Stella soon gathered the town's remaining sorcerers. Together, they presented Lucian with treasures long hidden—among them, a Stonesword Key and the legendary Lusat's Glintstone Staff.
He took the key first. Unlike ordinary keys, this one glimmered faintly with starlight.
It could unlock the portals of the Four Belfries, gateways to distant lands: the Chapel of Anticipation, Nokron's eternal night, and the crumbling ruins of Farum Azula.
Though the realms lay beyond easy reach, the key would grant him passage when the time came.
Next, he lifted Lusat's staff. Crude in form, like a rough stone pillar sprouting with raw glintstone, yet heavy, almost like a greatsword.
When Lucian grasped it, no power flowed. For him, it was but a stick of stone.
His intelligence was far too low to comprehend its wisdom. The true Glintstone Masters had touched the primeval current within the stone; Lucian could not even glimpse its edge.
Even so, he marveled at the gulf between himself and a true master.
—
Stella then led him to a grand structure at Sellia's rear: the Church of the Chairs.
"It was built by our ancestors of Nokstella, when they first walked the surface," she explained. "And here lies Sellia's true legacy."
Inside, a colossal throne dominated the hall. Its size was so vast that even if Lucian magnified his form with a Great Rune, he would look like a child in a giant's seat.
At its base, a Night Maiden and a Nox Swordstress knelt in greeting, already aware of the pact made.
Within the hall rested two stone chests. Lucian's pulse quickened—what secrets had Caria never stolen?
The first contained a long, curved blade. The second, a scroll.
Lifting the katana, Lucian frowned. Its patterns resembled those of the Fingerslayer Blade, etched like human bones.
Words shimmered faintly before his eyes:
[Shadow of the Stars (Sealed)]
Stella spoke. "This is the Shadow of the Stars. And this, the spell of Eternal Darkness."
"The Eternal City knows no true sky. Magic is born from the stars, and stars are born from darkness."
"To seek that source, the Nox forged false moons, false heavens—and false darkness. From their efforts, this sorcery was discovered, and magic was carried further still."
"The blade, forged as the shadow of the stars themselves, is its sibling."
Eternal Darkness—a sorcery of great renown. And this blade… a weapon of equal rarity.
Yet Stella was not finished. She guided Lucian to the rear wall of the temple, revealing a hidden passage.
It led down into a vast cavern. Above, a false starry sky shone with soft light. Along the walls, like a hive, countless alcoves housed sleeping creatures.
They had the heads of dragons, but their skin was smooth, silver, and scale-less.
"What are these?" Lucian asked.
"Relics of the Nox," Stella replied. "The dragon is the king's fortress. The Nox sought to make their own, to guard their King of Night. They failed. These are what remain."
She whistled. One creature stirred, crawling out.
It was no true dragon—more a vast lizard with skeletal wings, long tail, and hooked claws that let it cling to the stone. Its body was larger than a horse, its head undeniably draconic.
"They obey completely," Stella assured him. "They are no wild beasts. Their strength is no greater than any beast their size, but as mounts, they excel."
Lucian mounted one to test it. The saddle was rough, the gait uncomfortable—but its speed shocked him. Slower than Torrent, but far faster than any horse. It could even run along walls as if they were flat ground.
Endurance was lacking, but its carrying strength was formidable. A versatile steed, better than most.
"And you still hold the method to create them?" Lucian asked.
Stella nodded. "Yes. But they have little use for Sellia. That is why we never bred more."
Lucian dismounted, satisfied. "Good. My Drakeblood Knights shall have their steeds. For now, keep them safe. I will send men to claim them."