Chapter 1072: Reconciliation
The sun was out, the air was warm, and a gentle breeze blew through Leon’s hair. By most standards, it was perfect weather, and being outside should’ve brought a smile to anyone’s lips.
Leon, however, wasn’t smiling; he was more annoyed than anything else. The expedition to the Nexus would launch in a little over a month, and he had a lot of work to do to ensure that it kept to schedule. But here he was, quietly sitting in a large pavilion in a lightly forested part of Stormhollow’s hinterland, accompanied by a force of Tempest Knights, his wives, Anastasios, the Grand Druid, numerous secretaries, and his ladies’ followers. Cassandra’s guards, in particular, were out in force, though other casual friends made among the Tribes were a part of all of his wives’ entourage.
From the pavilion, they had an enviable view of the Ontarii Sea, and the sparse forest was delightfully inviting, just begging for hikes. Leon himself had gone on a few small hunts in these woods over the years.
They hadn’t assembled in the pavilion for recreation, however. Instead, they were there for something altogether more serious. And, when a relatively small transport ark landed nearby, the reason for their assembly came walking down the ramp.
First out of the ark was a man that Leon had quietly hoped to never see again: the Keeper of Memory, looking much as he’d always had—bald, pale from lack of sun, and dressed in shapeless brown robes that looked spectacularly cheap. The Keeper had arrived in the skies above Kataigida unencumbered by followers, though he’d at least seen fit to call ahead and arrange transport across the misty veil and then to Stormhollow afterward.
The second person who came walking off the ramp was Andromache, Cassandra’s older sister. She was followed by only two guards. While Keeper had arrived on his own, Andromache had come with an ark of her own, which remained at Leon’s palace. Fortunately, she hadn’t complained too loudly when asked to come to the pavilion with so few guards.
“My little girl,” the Grand Druid immediately cried out as Andromache stepped off the boarding ramp. The old former Empress sprang up from her seat with incredible energy and moved to Andromache’s side so quickly she’d practically teleported. Andromache had hardly a moment to realize what was happening before her grandmother had all but tackled her and pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Achieving Apotheosis has certainly put a spring in her step,” Cassandra murmured from beside Leon. With a wink and brush of her recently-colored purple hair, Cassandra strode toward her family, a determined look settling over her face. She completely ignored the Keeper as she passed him, and the Keeper ignored her in turn.
Instead, Keeper came striding directly toward Leon, his tenth-tier aura subtly pulsing with every step. Not a shred of killing intent could be sensed in his aura, but Leon remained on guard, anyway. Though he’d achieved Apotheosis, he didn’t discount the possibility that Keeper could still do severe, and possibly fatal, damage to him if push came to shove.