Bölüm 3026 Aile Birleşimi

Bölüm 3026 Aile Birleşimi

A rift split open in the darkness of space, and a figure stepped through.

A brown-haired man clad in a dark green robe embroidered with faint silver threads emerged from the void.

It was Emery.

With a casual sweep of his arm, a storage rune flared to life. From it unfolded a sleek vessel nearly ten meters long, its hull forged from seamless dark metal that reflected almost no light. Its narrow silhouette resembled a flat-bladed sword, complete with swept wings and a streamlined profile built for speed rather than intimidation.

It was a Wraith-class ship.

Night Raven.

A recent purchase—and an indulgent one.

The ship was compact enough to slip quietly through the sectors, yet fast enough to justify every spirit stone he had spent on it. More importantly, it gave him the freedom to travel quickly between Khaos Waypoints and his destinations.

He stepped aboard.

The hatch sealed behind him with a soft hiss, and a calm mechanical voice echoed through the cabin.

"Please state your destination."

"Ouroboros," Emery replied.

The engines awoke with a low hum as the Night Raven glided silently into the void.

With the combination of his Khaos Waypoints and the vessel's extraordinary speed, a journey that would normally take weeks could now be completed in mere hours. The far side of the quadrant had been reduced to little more than an afternoon's travel.

---

[You have arrived at your destination.]

[Ouroboros]

[L-Class Planet — High Realm]

The emerald world expanded across the viewport as the Night Raven descended through the atmosphere.

An endless expanse of forests and swamplands stretched beneath him, broken only by a single magnificent city rising at the planet's heart. Small spherical drones lifted to meet the incoming vessel, escorting it over the vast canopy and mist-covered marshes before the metropolis finally came into view.

Emery's gaze lingered on the familiar sight as old memories quietly resurfaced.

The ship settled onto a landing platform near the royal palace, and Emery stepped into the humid air, thick with the rich scent of wetlands and ancient forests.

He did not walk far.

Instead, he raised a hand, and a spatial rift quietly opened beside him, connecting to one particular waypoint.

A figure stepped through.

A young woman with silver hair stretched both arms above her head before letting out a long, satisfied sigh.

"Ahhh... finally home."

It was Shinta.

His daughter.

The Princess of Ouroboros.

The academy had kept her relentlessly occupied over the past several years, and Emery had decided—almost on a whim—to steal a few days of her time for himself. She had accepted the invitation without the slightest hesitation.

"Thank you, Father," she said with a bright smile. "I really needed this."

Their arrival did not go unnoticed for long.

News of the young princess's return spread through the Serpent Palace faster than any official announcement. By the time Emery and Shinta reached the palace proper, attendants, elders, and nobles had already gathered to receive them, bowing respectfully as they guided the pair through grand corridors of polished jade and living stone, where carved serpents coiled around towering pillars. Rows of silver-armored royal guards lowered their spears in salute as they passed, and Shinta cheerfully waved to more than a few of them by name.

At last, they were escorted into the inner sanctum.

Waiting upon the great throne was a majestic woman with pale skin and silver hair, her presence ancient and dignified, carrying the quiet authority of someone who had ruled for centuries. The atmosphere itself seemed to grow heavier around her.

The Ouroboros Queen.

The moment Shinta saw her, all royal etiquette vanished.

"Grandmother!"

She ran straight across the hall.

The Queen's glacial expression melted the instant her granddaughter reached her. She caught Shinta in a gentle embrace before holding her at arm's length, carefully examining her from head to toe with the critical eye of a grandmother who refused to miss even the smallest detail.

"You are no longer a child," the Queen replied, brushing a strand of silver hair behind Shinta's ear. "Must you still behave like this?"

"That's because I missed you so much, Grandmother," Shinta answered without the slightest embarrassment, happily nestling back into the embrace.

"If you truly missed me, you would come home more often." The Queen's words were reproachful, but the affection in her eyes betrayed her completely.

Shinta immediately twisted around and pointed accusingly at Emery.

"That's Father's fault. He's the one who buried me under academy work."

Emery nearly choked.

That little devil.

He knew well what had actually kept his daughter away, and it had very little to do with academy responsibilities. If anything occupied most of her free time, it was a certain young man. Yet here she was, shamelessly placing the blame entirely on him.

Without releasing Shinta from her embrace, the Queen's gaze slowly shifted toward Emery.

Her expression remained calm, but her eyes were cool, sharp, and unmistakably questioning.

"Is that so?" she said, gently stroking Shinta's hair. "Working my granddaughter to the bone..." She clicked her tongue in disapproval before asking, "Tell me, child, now that your father has another little daughter to dote on, has he begun to neglect you?"

Emery can't help to suddenly felt chill to his bone.

Shinta turned to look at Emery.

And she smiled.

It was a sweet smile. An innocent, dutiful, daughterly smile. "No, Grandmother," she said warmly. "My father would never treat me that way. He loves me very much."

The words were flawless.

The smile, however, carried an entirely different message — one aimed straight at Emery, and legible only to him.

*You owe me one, Father.*

Emery returned the smile with the strained composure of a man being quietly extorted and wisely chose to remain silent.

The grandmother and granddaughter continued chatting happily, leaving Emery standing there like an outsider.

Watching the exchange, he couldn't help but smile despite his exasperation.

He visited Ouroboros so rarely, and with a twinge of guilt he admitted to himself that this trip had not been entirely for family. He had come because he needed something. Bringing Shinta along had been his way of making the visit feel less like a business errand and more like a family reunion.

He simply hadn't expected his daughter to charge interest for the favor.

Only after finishing her conversation with Shinta did the Queen finally turn her full attention to him, her gaze calm, knowing, and faintly amused.

"So," she asked in a tone that suggested she had seen through his intentions the moment he entered the palace, "what is it that you need?"

Emery offered an awkward smile.

"I came to visit the Serpent Gene Facility."

"You need no permission for that," the Queen replied casually. Then her expression darkened ever so slightly. "Although the facility is not what it once was."

She explained that ever since the Allied Gene Center had been established, many of Ouroboros' finest researchers and much of its funding had been drawn away to the new institution. There had been little she could do to stop the Halfblood Alliance's collective decision.

With a dismissive wave of her hand, she added, "You may do whatever you like with what remains of our facility."

Emery's jaw tightened, though he simply nodded.

Kayelin had already briefed him on the situation, but he had wanted to see the state of the facility with his own eyes.

After a brief pause, he asked his second question.

He wanted to know about the condition and whereabouts of Ronan, the Serpent Supreme.

For the first time since he had arrived, the Queen's composure faltered. The reaction lasted only an instant, but Emery caught it.

She remained silent for several moments before deciding not to answer directly.

Instead, she asked a question of her own.

"You have been the Stellar Beast Emperor for a decade now." Leaning back upon her coiled throne, she regarded him with open curiosity. "Tell me... just how strong have you become?"

Emery released a long, resigned sigh.

He had already suspected where this conversation was heading.

The Queen confirmed it with a casual flick of her finger.

A figure entered the hall.

Grand Magus Atika strode forward with a sword already resting across her shoulder, her expression as calm and composed as ever.

Standing beside her grandmother, Shinta's eyes immediately sparkled.

"Oh," she said with an excited grin.

"This is turning into a fun holiday already."