Serika and Feng both gave Quinlan a long, unmistakable once-over: eyes trailing from the top of his freshly combed hair all the way down to the finely tailored ensemble he now wore. Gone were the tattered, sweat-stained robes of his Zhenwu days. In their place was a sleek, dark outfit that clung to him with subtle elegance, accentuating his height and power.
Serika let out a low whistle with a broad grin spreading across her face. “This fashion is certainly new to me, but I like it a lot,” she said, flashing him a thumbs-up. “You look amazing, Quinlan.”
Feng’s cheeks turned an instant shade of pink, but she nodded begrudgingly, eyes not quite meeting his. “I really don’t wanna say this because I know it’ll inflate your ego even further despite it already being the size of a whole world, but yeah… You look pretty good…” she muttered, fidgeting slightly as her fingers poked at her sleeves.
At that, both Mearie and Luminara lit up like twin suns, beaming at Quinlan with twin smugness only mothers could perfect.
“See?” their expressions seemed to say. “We told you so.”
Quinlan sighed. He had insisted that showing up naked wouldn’t faze either Feng or Serika after all the time they’d spent with him being in his spent cultivation robes, if not buck naked, but apparently, some things did matter. Treating ladies with a bit of flair, as it turned out, was only proper.
“I know just the place for a good little chat!” Luminara chirped suddenly, clapping her hands together, changing the topic.
“Oh yes,” Mearie added, her golden eyes sparkling with mischief. “Something elegant, with a touch of ancient charm. And no loud miscreants to interrupt us.” The human primordial was visibly thinking about a certain pig-faced primordial shapeshifter and a permanently horny, slutty primordial succubus.
Quinlan watched amusedly as both his mothers turned with graceful motions toward the exit of the treehouse, clearly expecting everyone to follow.
Before moving, however, he looked toward the quietest presence in the room: Malakar, who sat perfectly still on a carved chair near the far window, eyes closed and breathing so slowly he could’ve passed for dead.
Quinlan’s brow furrowed. “If we’re stepping away from this place… will Malakar’s veil still protect Serika and Feng?”
That got Mearie’s attention. She looked back at her son and offered a knowing smile.
“Proximity means little to some of the high-tier spellweavers, Quinnie. What matters a lot more is the quality of their concentration. And Malakar’s concentration isn’t something that breaks over something measly like the distance of a few hundred miles. He’s not exactly a tavern magician.”
At that, Quinlan stared at the old man again.
Malakar didn’t move. Didn’t twitch. But in that stillness, Quinlan suddenly imagined an ocean of willpower humming beneath those closed eyes.
He gulped.
Right. This old bastard wasn’t one of the strongest primordials for nothing.
…
Moments later, the group descended from Luminara’s sprawling treehouse by floating root bridges. The air outside was fresh with morning dew and sweet flower-spice, and the Primordial Grove buzzed with natural energy as the group stepped into the vibrant forest clearing where the first female elf had made her home in exile.
Luminara took the lead, her long blonde hair flowing behind her, humming to herself with every step.
“I know the perfect place nearby… There’s a path that leads to a very romantic spot that Miri and I like a lot.”
Not knowing how to react, the others merely nodded in response.
As they were all quite speedy on their feet, the journey was swift. Soon, the trees began to thin. Not into open field, but into something far stranger. The air changed. Darkened. Cooled.
Instead of sunlight, they stepped into the dim of crimson twilight
The forest gave way to a canyon choked with red vines and black thorns, twisting upward like the spires of a forgotten cathedral. Crumbling pillars stood between the roots, ancient and worn, decorated with faded murals of pale-skinned figures with elegant robes and hollow eyes.
The trees here did not sing.
The wind did not move.
It was a place untouched by time.
A place Quinlan had never been to before.
His steps slowed. “…Mothers? What is this place?”
Luminara glanced over her shoulder with a cheeky little smile. “This is the Sanctuary of Slumbering Lords. A resting place of our kindred spirits, the Primordial Vampires.”
Even Serika paused mid-step.
“…Vampires?”
The pale-skinned bloodsuckers have even made their legends traverse into the sealed-off world of Zhenwu without being physically present.
“Yes,” Mearie said warmly, her gaze lingering on a thorn-wrapped archway as they stepped beneath it. “Soon after what had happened to us ‘back then,’ the vampire primordials entered deep slumber, leaving their estates behind… Lumi and I like to come here from time to time. It’s peaceful. Quiet. A little tragic, but beautiful all the same.”
“Oh, very much so,” Luminara added, her tone breezy yet oddly respectful as she glided over a staircase carved from dark crystal. “The vampires might be aggressive, ambitious, and ridiculously territorial, but they have excellent taste.”
She spread her arms dramatically, gesturing to the hall that slowly came into view. Shadows danced against towering obsidian mirrors. Crimson velvet banners—frayed by time—hung like ancient judgments. The scent of dried roses and old incense that somehow retained their strength even after all these millennia clung to the air, mingling with something even older… something mournful.
“They were the nobles of our kind. So dramatic, so theatrical. Everything was elegance and symbolism with them. ‘A throne must ache to be filled.'” Her eyes glittered with nostalgia. “Their palaces weren’t just homes—they were statements. Declarations.”
Mearie chuckled before she continued, “That’s why we thought this might be the perfect setting for our little talk. We didn’t want to sit you people down in a boring chair at a simple table… This place should make the day a lot more memorable for you guys.”
Feng looked around with wide eyes, as if expecting a vampire duke to leap from the shadows.
“…I feel underdressed,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry, they won’t wake for at least another few millennia. They rarely do these days…” Luminara sighed with a saddened expression. “They can’t take our current situation very well… That’s why they just sleep more and more, like most of us primordials do.”
Quinlan took one look at Luminara’s quiet expression, the melancholy that clouded her usually radiant face, and stepped closer. He didn’t say anything at first, just wrapped one arm gently around her shoulders and gave her a firm, reassuring squeeze.
“It’s going to be alright… I know I’ve still got a long way to go, but I will get strong enough one day. Strong enough to change your cruel predicament. So wait for me, mothers.”
His words made both mothers pause.
Mearie smiled first, slow and warm. “Quinnie…”
Luminara turned to him and brushed a hand through his hair with featherlight affection, transforming his hold on her shoulder into a full-blown needy hug. “Our little miracle.”
*Sskreeeee!!*
A flurry of leathery wings shot out from the darkness above, and a giant bat fluttered overhead with a piercing cry.
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