[House Veyrath — Seyra’s Study Chamber — The Next Day]
The morning sunlight entered through the tall arched windows of Seyra’s study chamber, illuminating the carved sandstone walls and the rows of ancient manuscripts arranged upon the shelves.
Seyra sat upon a cushioned chair, her little legs dangling above the floor; beside her lay Veyra, the enormous white leopard resting comfortably upon a thick carpet.
Across the desk sat High Priest Nerath Zair; the young high priest wore an ivory robe embroidered with golden patterns. His golden eyes rested upon the little girl before him.
"Lady Seyra, yesterday we discussed the nature of elemental contracts and the seven Divine Guardians. Today, we shall study one of the most powerful beings among them."
"Who?"
"Azhar. The Divine Guardian of Fire."
Seyra’s violet eyes widened.
"Azhar!"
Nerath nodded.
"Azhar is one of the strongest elemental beings ever to emerge from the primordial age. His birth is recorded in the oldest surviving scriptures of Eshkaran."
He turned the manuscript toward her.
A magnificent crimson tiger was illustrated upon its surface. Its enormous body was surrounded by golden flames, while its eyes shone like molten gold. Flames curled around its paws, and its roar appeared to shake the very heavens depicted behind it.
Seyra stared at the illustration.
"Oh...I saw him."
Nerath froze as he asked, ’You...saw him?"
Seyra did not say anything, and then Nerath continued telling about the Azhar—the Fire Elemental beast.
According to the ancient scriptures, Azhar was born from the wrath of the Twin Divine Dragons and the first roar of the primordial flames. Their divine fury shook the foundations of creation. When Azhuriel, the Golden Dragon of Creation, and Elyndra, the White Dragon of Eternity, unleashed their primordial power, the flames that emerged from their divine conflict gave birth to a being unlike any other.
From that divine fury came Azhar.
Seyra looked at the illustration again. "So... he was born from the dragons’ anger?"
"Precisely."
Nerath continued...
Unlike ordinary elemental beasts, Azhar possesses divine authority over Fire. His flames are not merely capable of burning flesh or stone. They can consume magical barriers, overwhelm elemental defenses, and reduce entire battlefields to ashes; his roar is said to shake mountains. His presence alone can cause lesser fire spirits to bow before him."
Seyra stared at the illustration with renewed admiration.
"That is amazing."
"It is," Nerath agreed. "But Azhar’s greatest distinction is not merely his strength. It is the contract he formed with humanity."
Seyra looked up.
"A contract?"
Nerath nodded.
"Among all the elemental beings, Azhar is one of the most difficult to approach. He does not accept the authority of humans simply because they possess a powerful Aether Core. Neither wealth nor noble blood alone can command his allegiance."
He placed his finger upon the golden tiger symbol.
"Yet, during the earliest age of the empire, a single human succeeded in forming a contract with him."
Seyra leaned forward.
"Who?"
"The ancestor of House Azrath."
For a moment, she said nothing, and Nerath continued.
"According to the imperial records, the first human to form a contract with Azhar belonged to an ancient family whose name has long since become inseparable from the history of Eshkaran."
He slowly turned the manuscript.
The next illustration depicted an ancient warrior standing before the enormous crimson tiger. The warrior wore bronze armor, and a golden flame surrounded his body. Behind him stood the banners of a family whose crest bore the image of a roaring tiger.
"House Azrath."
Seyra blinked.
"Azrath?"
"Yes."
Nerath’s golden eyes remained upon the ancient illustration.
"The family took its name from the Divine Guardian, who had chosen their ancestor. From that day onward, the bloodline became known as House Azrath...the House of the Flame, and to this day, no other human has ever formed a contract with Azhar."
Seyra nodded, and Nerath continued,
"The contract with Azhar is inherited through the ancient bond established by his ancestors to Malik, and House Azrath rose to prominence because its ancestor was chosen by Azhar."
Nerath’s voice grew deeper.
"In the beginning, House Azrath was merely one among many powerful families, but the contract with the Divine Guardian changed its fate. Their bloodline became renowned throughout the ancient kingdoms. Their influence grew, their armies became feared, and eventually, their descendants rose to the imperial throne."
He closed the manuscript halfway.
"Thus, the family that once stood before a Divine Guardian became the ruling House of Eshkaran."
Seyra stared at him, then she slowly whispered, "So... the Maliks became emperors because of Azhar?"
"Indeed."
She considered this information.
A divine tiger, an ancient contract, a noble family that rose to power, and an emperor who could command an entire empire.
Then Nerath said, "And nobody else can make a contract with him...that is what the surviving records tell us. However...that may change now."
Veyra glanced at him.
’This priest is rather clever.’
Seyra glanced down at her and smirked. ’We call...a beauty with brains.
Veyra let out a quiet sigh.
’You are supposed to be listening to your lesson.’
’I am listening.’
Veyra closed her eyes; meanwhile, Nerath had noticed Seyra looking down beside her chair. He followed her gaze; there was nothing there, only an empty stretch of carpet.
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"Lady Seyra? Has something happened?"
"No?"
Nerath studied her for a moment. "It appeared as though you were speaking to someone beside you."
Nerath glanced at the empty space beside her once more.
"Or perhaps..." His expression turned thoughtful. "You were speaking to an invisible elemental beast?"
. . .
. . .
Silence.
Seyra blinked.
’Yeah...pretty darn smart.’
Seyra offered him her sweetest smile, the sort of smile that usually meant, ’Are we done here?’
Nerath regarded her for another moment before returning his attention to the manuscript. "Very well. Let us continue."
Veyra gave another weary sigh; the little girl turned her attention back to the illustration of Azhar.
The magnificent crimson tiger occupied the center of the parchment, surrounded by golden flames.
Seyra studied him for a moment, then she leaned closer to Veyra and whispered so quietly that Nerath could barely hear her.
"Azhar is really impressive."
Veyra followed her gaze toward the illustration, her silver eyes narrowed slightly.
’He is certainly powerful.’
There was a brief pause, then the white leopard lifted her chin with unmistakable pride.
’But you formed a contract with me first.’
Seyra looked down at her.
’Oh?’
Veyra lowered her head with satisfaction.
’Remember that, little one. I was your first Guardian.’
Seyra smiled.
’Of course. You’re my first divine friend.’
The white leopard closed her eyes, apparently satisfied with the answer.
For an ancient Guardian who had witnessed the rise and fall of kingdoms, being someone’s first friend was an unexpectedly pleasant distinction.
***
[House Veyrath — Main Hallway — Later That Afternoon]
The long hallway of House Veyrath was filled with the warm afternoon sunlight. Small footsteps echoed against the polished floor as Seyra walked down the corridor, humming a cheerful tune.
Beside her walked Captain Ishtar Khaelis, dressed in her usual dark uniform. Her posture was straight, her expression composed, and her eyes occasionally shifted toward the little girl to ensure she wasn’t wandering off.
Seyra, however, seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood; she swung her arms as she walked, humming another tune.
Captain Ishtar glanced down at her.
"You seem particularly happy today, my lady."
Seyra turned toward her, then her face brightened into a wide smile. "It’s because I attended High Priest Nerath’s lesson!"
"Is that so?" Ishtar smiled politely. "It seems the High Priest is a good tutor."
"He is!"
Seyra nodded enthusiastically, then her lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"It’s also very interesting to stare at his face."
. . .
. . .
Ishtar blinked, "I-I see..."
Seyra looked up at her with complete seriousness.
"His face looks like something from a comic book. Perfect features, beautiful eyes, flawless skin..." She paused, apparently recalling the High Priest’s appearance.
"It’s almost unfair."
Captain Ishtar maintained her professional smile.
"I see."
Seyra continued walking, completely unaware of the quiet struggle taking place behind the captain’s composed expression.
"Actually, I’ve decided something."
"What would that be, my lady?"
"I’ll have a boyfriend like him when I grow up."
Ishtar’s steps faltered for half a second.
"He must be tall, extra handsome, extra flawless. His skin should glow like glass, his arms should have attractive muscles, and he must have six-pack abs."
She paused.
"More than six is acceptable too."
Captain Ishtar’s smile remained in place, somewhere deep inside; however, she was beginning to question whether she had heard correctly.
Seyra looked up at her.
"What do you think, Captain Ishtar?"
Ishtar cleared her throat. "Those are... rather specific requirements, my lady."
"Of course. I must have standards."
"Certainly."
Captain Ishtar’s smile became slightly strained.
’Azram is going to have a difficult time when he hears this. I only hope the Azram doesn’t declare an ban on every eligible bachelor in Eshkaran.’
She could already imagine Vaerun’s expression upon learning that his four-year-old daughter had begun preparing a list of requirements for a future husband. It would probably be the most dangerous conversation in the history of House Veyrath.
***
[House Veyrath — Main Hallway — A Few Moments Later]
As they approached the main reception hall, Seyra suddenly spotted a familiar figure standing near one of the carved pillars.
"Uncle Renn!"
She immediately hurried forward; the elderly butler turned at the sound of her voice. "Oh! My lady. Have you finished your lesson?"
Seyra nodded proudly.
"Yes! High Priest Nerath taught me about Azhar today."
"Is that so? Then you must have learned something interesting."
"Very interesting!"
She was about to explain how Azhar had been born from the divine fury of the Twin Dragons when she noticed another figure standing beside Renn.
A small boy.
He wore an elegant outfit of deep blue silk, with delicate silver embroidery along the collar and sleeves. His black hair was neatly combed, and his ocean-green eyes were fixed upon her, his cheeks were faintly pink.
Seyra stopped and for a moment, she simply stared as a familiar voice reached her ears.
"Greetings... Lady Seyra."
Her eyes widened.
"Enlil!"
The boy’s cheeks turned even redder. Seyra hurried toward him and immediately caught both his hands.
"What are you doing here?"
Enlil looked down at their joined hands before raising his gaze to her.
"I... I came to meet you."
Seyra’s smile widened. "Really?"
He nodded shyly.
"I wanted to see you again."
For a moment, Seyra looked at him, then she enthusiastically waved their joined hands. "That’s wonderful! I thought I would never see you again!"
Enlil’s face grew even redder.
"I... I wanted to visit earlier, but Father said we needed to wait for permission."
Seyra nodded.
"That’s understandable."
"Yes."
She smiled brightly. Enlil lowered his head, trying to hide his smile. Captain Ishtar watched the exchange from a short distance away.
The young lady, who had been discussing the physical requirements of her future husband only moments earlier, was now happily holding the hands of a boy her own age.
Children were truly unpredictable and Renn looked between them with a fond smile. "My lady, young master Enlil has come with his family to pay a visit to the Azram."
Seyra looked up.
"His family?"
Before Renn could answer, an elderly voice came from behind the boy.
"If you wish, Lady Seyra, you may certainly have him as a playmate."
Seyra turned, an elderly man stood a few steps away.
He appeared to be in his early fifties, with neatly combed grey hair and a dignified bearing. His clothes were made of fine dark-blue fabric, decorated with subtle silver patterns. Despite his age, his posture remained straight, and his expression carried a gentle warmth.
He smiled at her.
"Greetings, Lady Seyra. I am Kassur Nabu, the elder of House Nabu."
Seyra’s smile slowly faded as her little fingers remained wrapped around Enlil’s hands.
Kassur Nabu.
For several seconds, she simply stared at the elderly man, the name echoed through her mind and her mind went silent as she thought deep...
’The maternal grandfather of the female lead...does that mean...the original story is finally beginning? Or...it already has?’