Chapter 60: House Elowen And Mark’s Pain.
Chapter 60: House Elowen And Mark’s Pain.
Meanwhile...Mark Vaelcrest was making certain moves.
As the portal shimmered and collapsed behind him, Mark found himself standing at the edge of a grand courtyard unlike any other.
Before him rose a titanic gate forged of sun-glinting aether-infused steel, each bar of it humming faintly with stored energy.
The gates were adorned with twisting vines of living goldleaf that shimmered with slow, pulsing light—plants nourished not by soil, but by pure, ambient Aether. Blossoms of impossible hues bloomed where no roots touched earth, petals shifting colors in slow, hypnotic cycles.
Between the latticework of the gate, the family crest of House Elowen shimmered like a mirage: a winged serpent coiled around a seven-pointed star, its scales made of light, its eyes two tiny sapphires set into the metal itself.
House Elowen—Grand Duke Elowen’s domain. One of the Seven Inner Noble Families of the Somara Empire. Their bloodlines ran so close to the throne that even whispers of dissent from their estate could send waves through the Senate and the Throne Court.
However, even though they carried one of the three Grandduke titles in the empire, this house had fallen behind on the emperor's favor.
The reason for this was unknown. Some said that their power was slowly declining. Such that after the current Grandduke, another might not rise from this house.
In recent years, the fact that the number of talents from this house had decline was further proof of this.
However, a lion, even with broken claws, could still ruin meat.
Besides, the fact that they still held a grand Duke position, spoke mights of their power.