"And where is her mother?" the woman pressed, her quill hovering over a piece of parchment.
The responses came in a synchronized, disastrous overlap.
"She doesn't have a mother," Zaliyah stated coldly.
"He is in the Human Realm" Sylaris announced proudly at the exact same time.
The silence that followed was absolute. Zaliyah's heart stopped. He snapped his gaze down, giving his daughter a stern, terrifying look that carried the silent, roaring command: Not another word. Keep your mouth shut.
Sylaris clamped her mouth shut, recognizing the danger in her father's eyes, She buried her face back into his furs.
The headmistress let out a long, slow sigh, while the young teacher in the corner offered a small, nervous smile, trying to ease the sudden, suffocating tension.
"I presume," the headmistress continued, leaning forward over her desk, "that you rushed here because of the perimeter alarms regarding the snow monsters?"
Zaliyah managed a nod. "Yes."
"Well, you may rest easy knowing that thanks to your... unique daughter, there were absolutely no casualties among the student body or the staff."
Hearing the praise, Sylaris couldn't help herself. She popped her head out from Zaliyah's chest and flexed her chunky little arms again. Zaliyah, unamused, brought his hand down in a gentle but sharp slap against her arm, pinning her limbs down. Now was not the time for her to play the arrogant champion.
Zaliyah furrowed his brows, looking directly at the headmistress. "What exactly do you mean by that? Snow monsters are rabid, feral beasts driven by pure bloodlust. How did a fragile little girl prevent a massacre?"
The headmistress didn't answer directly. Instead, she extended her hand toward the young teacher, giving her the floor. "Miss Elara was the instructor in the room when the breach occurred. She will recount what transpired."
The teacher took a breath, her hands trembling slightly as she folded them into her sleeves. "The beasts... three massive high-altitude snow monsters broke through the eastern glass dome. They invaded our classroom. The children were screaming, and I... I was preparing to cast a defensive barrier, though I knew it wouldn't hold them all. But before they could strike, Sylaris stepped in front of the class."
The teacher paused, swallowing hard.
"I don't know how to explain it, my lord . I have never seen such a phenomenon in all my years of magical study. Sylaris didn't chant.
She didn't draw a spell. She simply looked at them. And somehow... she mind-controlled them. She had them under her total dominion. They did whatever she pleased. She... she commanded two of them to perform a synchronized dance for the amusement of the class."
A muffled, proud giggle escaped Sylaris from Zaliyah's lap. Zaliyah snapped his head down, leveling her with one angry, warning look, and the child instantly choked back her laughter, tucking her chin in.
"But that was not all," the teacher continued, her voice dropping into a shaky whisper. "There was a third monster-a larger one that seemed to resist her initial command. It snarled at her. It refused to adhere to her wishes. And... and Sylaris became angry. She didn't use a blade or fire. She simply twisted her little hand in the air. The beast's bones began to protrude from its skin. Its entire body twisted in a horrific, unnatural spiral, its spine snapping from the inside out until... until it exploded. Flesh and black blood showered the entire front row of the classroom. It rained down upon her classmates."
Zaliyah listened in absolute horror. Deep in his chest, a paternal instinct felt a surge of fierce pride, turns out Sylaris actually paid attention to his teachings on the mountain , he was more than proud of her , But that pride was instantly crushed by a paralyzing wave of fear. Demon magic was rooted in destruction, fire, and dark curses. Demons did not possess the ability to bend the minds of living creatures or command the natural fauna of the world.
Mind control and dominion over beasts were distinct, unmistakable signatures of a completely different lineage.
Outside the doors, Harun stood frozen, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly the leather creaked. His enhanced hearing caught every word flowing through the walls. His heart hammered in his chest. If the secret became known, he realized with a dread that made his skin crawl. The child will become a target for the entire Imperial Council if this reaches the Capital.
The headmistress leaned back in her chair, the black wool of her gown rustling like crows' wings.
"The younger nobles are currently in the healing ward, too traumatized by the sheer brutality of what they witnessed. But what is of paramount importance to this board, is her heritage. What kind of core does your daughter possess that allows a toddler to override the primal instincts of feral beasts? What blood flows in her veins?"
Zaliyah kept his face a perfect, emotionless mask. He leaned back on the chaise, his voice smooth and deceptively gentle. "She possesses a golden core."
The office went completely silent. The teacher gasped softly, her eyes widening. A golden core was a legendary attribute in the high realms-a biological marker that highlighted an individual was of exceptionally high birth, descended from an extremely powerful and ancient lineage of demons.
The headmistress cleared her throat, her skepticism not entirely washed away. "I am fully aware of the immense capabilities of those who possess a golden core. It grants unparalleled raw power, yes. It grants longevity and devastating destructive capabilities. But it does not allow a demon to communicate with or mind-control beasts. I am afraid that specific trait... the absolute dominion over all living creatures... is a divine authority reserved exclusively for the..."
She paused, leaving the word hanging in the air like a blade.
Zaliyah didn't flinch. He chimed in smoothly, finishing her sentence with icy precision. "Celestials."
"Correct," the headmistress snapped, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses.
Outside, Harun felt his heart drop straight into his stomach.
"My daughter is of royal lineage," Zaliyah lied flawlessly, his voice dripping with a dangerous authority. "A forgotten branch of the high bloodlines. Her ancient blood permits her to possess unique traits that current demons have long lost. Her golden core manifests differently."
Sylaris looked up at her father, her brow furrowing in complete, genuine confusion. She tilted her head, her blue eyes blinking. "Huh? Dada, what are you-"
Before she could ruin the lie, the young teacher gushed in amusement, clasping her hands together. "Oh, an ancient lost bloodline, How wonderfully tragic and beautiful, No wonder she is so different , so smart and exceptional"
The headmistress, however, was not an idealistic young tutor. She was an old, cynical academic who had survived centuries of political shifting. She stood up from her desk, leaning her hands on the wood. "An interesting tale. But history leaves physical markers. All true descendants of the high royal families, even the lost branches-possess the physical manifestations of their power. Tell me... where are her horns?"
Sylaris hands flew to her head , touching her non-existent horns .
Zaliyah forced an elegant smile. "She suffers from a rare case of stunted growth. Her physical demonic traits have been delayed. The physicians are monitoring it"
"How convenient," the headmistress countered, her voice sharp as a razor.
"Then let us look for the ultimate proof. Every single child born of the true royal lineage carries the glowing red Imperial Sigil upon their forehead when their core awakens to defend them. It is a biological impossibility to suppress it. Or is the young Sylaris the only exception in the entire history of our realm?"
Zaliyah's throat went dry. The words died in his mouth. He sat completely speechless on the velvet chaise, his mind racing through a desperate labyrinth of options. The lie had reached its limit. The headmistress knew.
A cold instinct took hold of Zaliyah's celestial core. His eyes darkened, the purple irises shimmering with a predatory fire. I have to kill them, he thought, his mind travelling to the mountains, he would summon the snow monsters to wipe out the entire school. I have to slaughter the headmistress, the teacher, and anyone else who saw her. I will wipe this school from the map before I allow anyone to implicate my daughter or drag her to the capital city.
He was just about to summon his ice magic to freeze the room solid when a loud, echoing, resonant noise shattered the life-or-death tension.
PFFFFFFFFT.
The sound of an undeniably loud toddler fart ripped through the silent office.
Sylaris's face was bright red, her tiny features strained as she sat on Zaliyah's lap. She had spent the last thirty seconds fiercely squeezing her eyes shut and straining her entire body, trying with all her might to force a glowing red sigil to appear on her forehead to prove she was of royal lineage.
Instead, the pressure had backfired.
She offered a giant, sticky, embarrassed smile, her eyes looking up at Zaliyah's horrified face.
"Sorry, Dada... I tried really hard."
The dark aura in the room instantly vanished, replaced by an agonizing, awkward silence. The teacher turned her head away, her shoulders shaking as she tried to suppress a laugh, while the headmistress's face hardened into disgust.
The headmistress didn't say another word. She simply raised her right hand and flicked her wrist with a commanding motion.
The shadows in the corners of the room instantly detached themselves from the walls. Two huge demon warriors, clad in black iron armor and wearing faceless obsidian visors, emerged out of the darkness.
They carried polearms that gleamed with dark, suppressing enchantments.
The headmistress pointed a finger toward the child resting in Zaliyah's arms.
"Take the child away," the headmistress spoke, "She is a threat to imperial security, and her registry is fraudulent. She will be detained until the Capital sends an inquisitor."