Book 5, chapter 23

The doors to the grand ballroom slowly swung open, and Zee entered. Crystalline chandeliers hung across the vaulted ceiling, with beautiful marble pillars along the walls to support it. Gray banners hung down from the roof, depicting the imperial crest. Less prominent were the banners with the clan and house symbols with direct ties to the emperor.

Walking forwards, the entrance led out onto an elaborate decorated balcony, with a carved railing that led to a wide staircase that led down onto the main floor.

Amidst the gaudy decoration, It took her a few seconds to notice a pompously dressed man beside the top of the stairs.

He was rail thin, with a bright orange feather hat, and pants that looked incredibly tight. His pants looked so tight in fact that it looked like he had one hell of a wedgie. Given the way he shifted uncomfortably, Zee was willing to bet her left sock that he was regretting his choice of clothing.

Behind her, she heard the clack of boots on marble, prompting Zee to quicken her step. Draveroc was speed walking to catch up, and Zee had no desire to be associated with him.

The crier looked a bit startled as Zee walked right past him. He was usually meant to introduce people,

but Zee had no time to wait. Draveroc was catching up quickly. With an apologetic smile, she rushed past the unfortunately dressed crier, taking the stairs two at a time down into the ballroom proper.

Her rushed entrance drew more than a little bit of attention from the gathered nobility. Many were eying her curiously. Judging by the hushed whispers, the yellow of her dress was not lost on them.

Feeling as though the eyes of everyone were on her, Zee glanced over the patrons of the crowded ballroom. Most were unfamiliar faces, though a few stood out. 

Julian the most, as he was standing by himself at the far end of the ballroom. Wanted to distance herself further from Draveroc, she politely brushed off several people who tried to approach, only pausing once she reached her goal.

"What do you think?" Zee asked, pausing infront of Julian, and performing a twirl to show off the dress.

"Looks good, though I don't think it's very practical for combat," Julian said. 

"I know right, how am I supposed to kick someone in the face with so many layers of fabric hindering my legs?" Zee asked.

Julian laughed.

"That is a reasonable complaint. Sometimes i think that is the reason they force us to wear such impractical clothing to these events," Julian said.

She gave him a once over. Julian had his straw brown hair combed to one side, with only faint hints of a beard showing. He wore an all black coat, with a button up blue shirt underneath.. An embossed belt held up silken pants which went well with the polished leather boots he wore.

There was no sign of his sword, though she doubted it was far. Julian probably had it tucked away in a spatial storage just like she did.

Zee smiled.

"It's good to see you grandpa, thanks for lending me the broach," Zee said, tapping the crystalline flower in question.

"No problem, it was just collecting dust in my vault. Seeing you wear it brings back fond memories.

I swear, you are starting to look just like your grandmother," Julian praised.

His smile seemed genuine, but Zee could see the tension around his eyes.

He seemed worried about something, though she wasn't sure what that could be.

It was probably just the stress of the recent attack. "Grandpa, I'm surprised you are here. I thought you didn't like these kinds of functions?" Zee asked.

He rubbed at the stubble on his chin. 

"Attending war councils is usually not my preference since I left the navy, but there are extenuating circumstances," Julian said diplomatically.

"Like what?" Zee probed.

He frowned, his gaze flitting across the room.

"Oh, look, one of your cousins has arrived," Julian said, in an obvious attempt to deflect the conversation.

Zee took the hint and looked to see who had just entered.

It was, of course, Draveroc, decked in enough finery and jewels to shame most royals.

"That's a bit much, don't you think?" Zee asked. 

"It is quite flashy. Do you think he is trying to impress someone?" Julian mused.

"Probably. It looks like he robbed a jewelry shop," Zee quipped. 

Julian smirked. "Perhaps he did. Look over there, the imperial treasurer looks like someone spit in his tea," Julian said, pointing out the man in question.

The treasurer was a short, rotund man, with a balding head, hefty gut, and a permanent frown on his face. Given the deep lines on his forehead and cheeks, that was probably his go to expression. He had the aura of a non combat cultivator, though it seemed like he was the most feared person In the hall.

The pudgy man made a B line across the hall towards Draveroc, and everyone scrambled to get out of his way. 

These were the strongest, and most influential men and women in the empire, and yet, none dared get In his way.

"It looks like he is on a warpath. Look, Draveroc just noticed the threat," Zee said. 

Julian chuckled as Draveroc's face scrunched up. It looked like he wanted to flee back up the stairs, but couldn't because that would be seen as rude.

Zee listened with great Interest as the treasurer lay into him like he was a child. They argued in hushed whispers, but it was still carried over the entire ballroom.

"I take it this isn't the first time Draveroc had done something like this?" Zee asked, watching on with amusement as the treasurer berated the princling.

 Julian ran a callused hand over his pristine black and gray suit coat. "I wouldn't know. I usually avoid political functions like the plague. All the pointless drama, political maneuvering, the two faced schemes. I despise them all," Julian said. 

"Is that why you started our clan in a small town like Othera?" Zee asked curiously.

He nodded. "Yes, it was a good way to distance myself and my family from the vipers at court," Julian said.

Zee let out a regretful sigh. "Doesn't look like it worked. I am the so-called Heir apparent, and you are drafted into some scheme the emperor has concocted," Zee pointed out. 

"At least your mother and father were not caught up in this mess," Julian said, not denying her statement. That was more than enough confirmation, and made sense. Why else would Julian be here if not for the emperor's schemes.

Zee's expression turned thoughtful. "That's one good thing I guess. If great grandpa tries to drag them into this, I am going to kick him where the sun doesn't shine," Zee said.

Julian laughed," I would pay to see that." 

"What is this you are willing to pay to see?" Asked a grizzled older man with a wicked scar across his face. Zee glanced, over at the man who approached them. He was around her height, with wide shoulders and a thick build, his once brown hair greying at the temples. He looked oddly familiar, though she wasn't sure why.

Julian seemed to recognize him. "General Danma? You are still alive? I thought you would have kicked the bucket already," Julian greeted, seeming genuinely happy to see the man. 

The grizzled naval officer grunted in amusement. "I'm not that easy to kill. Besides, if I were to die, who would keep you honest?" Danma asked.

Julian laughed, and the two men clasped forearms. With a jovial smile, Julian gestured over at Zee, who didn't even know Julian had friends.

"This is my granddaughter, Zee. She is about the same age as your boy, Elvot, was it?"Julian asked.

The grizzled older man's face brightened.

"You don't say? So, you are that troublemaker everyone has been talking about? How can someone so thin cause so much trouble?" he asked incredulously. 

Zee flushed as he looked her up and down. Julian only scoffed. "Don't let her appearance fool you, she is more of a troublemaker than I was when I was her age," Julian said. 

Danma laughed, the sound echoing around the room. "It must run in the family. Good to meet you, Zee, you can call me Dan," Danma said, offering a meaty hand to shake.

She clasped his hand, and squeezed as hard as hard as she could, which prompted a smile to light up the general's face.

"Not bad, not bad at all! For someone as frail looking as a willow, you have some admirable strength," he said, nodding in approval. 

"Not bad yourself, for an old man," Zee replied.

Danma chuckled, releasing her hand.

"It's good to see that some of the younger generation have some backbone," Danma said.

Zee smiled, "So, how do you two know each other? Grandpa hasn't spoken much of his time in the navy," Zee said.

Danma's grin could have lit up the room. "Ahh, we met a long time ago, back when we were just E-grade cultivators and junior officers," Danma said.

Over the next ten minutes or so, Danma shared a few stories about their time in the Navy. Elvot's father seemed like a nice enough guy. He had no filter, just speaking his mind. That kind of blunt honesty was quite refreshing. 

As it turns out, general Danma and Julian had known each other for a long time. They had both served time in the Navy together.

That was where Julian met Verenia, who had been a commissioned officer, and their superior.

Danma gestured theatrically. "Can you believe it, Julian actually had the gall to approach and ask out Verenia. At the time, he was just a newly raised lieutenant. She was a colonel, and also the daughter of the emperor. I swear, I have never in my life seen something that ballsy before, nor since," Danma said.

"And she actually said yes?" Zee asked curiously. 

"Oh, god's no. It's against regulation to have relations with someone of a lesser rank. She said that she wouldn't even consider courting him until he became a vice admiral," Major Danma said.

"But doesn't that take a long time to advance from lieutenant to vice admiral?" Zee asked.

General Danma nodded.

"It took him about fifteen years. Then, in another show of borderline suicidal courage, he approached her again." Danmas story came to a screeching halt as something in the air changed.

Zee's attention flitted around the room as a deathly presence washed over her. She whirled, just as an all too familiar creature entered the room.

Its presence and appearance drew the attention of everyone in the room. A humanoid at least two heads taller than everyone in the room, stood at the top of the stairs. It was clad in turquoise robes that covered most of his thick exoskeleton. Lacking any hair, with a layer of grey bone covering its face, the humanoid had two black orbs for eyes. 

With wide shoulders and a thickly built frame, he was physically imposing. His presence dominated the room as if demanding everyone's attention.

It wasn't just his size either. The ocean of miasma contained in his body overshadowed the creature's imposing form.

It felt like he was death incarnate, his body like the gateway to the afterlife. Her body broke out in a cold sweat, as she took in the bone lord's appearance. It was quite jarring. She had to forcibly steady her racing heart. No matter how many times she was in close proximity to Glendale, his presence made her break out in a cold sweat.

She could understand why, even if she didn't like it. 

Glendale was an undead abomination, an unnatural creature that shouldn't even exist. 

And yet they did. The undead flourished, and we're even one of the top forces in the entire galaxy. The Terlashar were a distant branch of the undead empire, which was an A-grade force.

From what she understood, the Terlashar was primarily run by the bone lords, which were like nobility. And Glendale was one of the highest-ranking members in their coalition.

Zee glared at the creature, while everyone else did their best not to stare. Glendales' appearance at the war council reminded her that Julian had struck an alliance with the Terlashar.

It also brought back some very unpleasant memories of her time in the death chasms. The hulking undead slowly descended the stairs, and with a confident gait, walked through the crowd. 

Despite all the living beings around him, the bone lord didn't seem phased in the slightest. 

Glendale paused about ten feet away from their little group, giving each of them a once-over. His gaze paused on Zee, and she could practically hear his smile when he spoke.

"It's good to see that you haven't been slacking off on your training. Having you die after all my hard work would be such a waste," Glendale said, in a raspy voice.

Zee glowered up at the hulking bone lord. "Your concern is touching. I was kind of hoping you would drop over dead, but sadly, the heavens are not that kind," Zee retorted.

The mask of bone on his face twitched, which she knew was his form of a smile. "Just as obstinate as always. Perhaps I should awaken you after all? Your corpse would make a nice revenant," Glendale said.

Zee didn't back down to his casual threat. "Maybe you should. You would be doing me a favor by making me a revenant. However, you may want to consider that carefully. I bet the emperor would not be very happy that you turned his heir into an undead," Zee countered.

Glendale let out a raspy laugh. "For such a weakling, you are quite cheeky. Julian, you need to smack some sense into her," Glendale said.

Julian snorted in bemusement. "I doubt it would work. You had her for two years, and she only got worse," Julian said.

"Hmm, you may be right. Do you think she would be this obstinate as a revenant?" Glendale asked, his tone casual.

"No idea. Revenants often have similar personalities to the previous owners of their bodies. It's probably not worth all the headache, though she may be more compliant," Julian mused.

Zee gaped over at Julian. "I hope you are joking grandpa. You better not let me become an undead," Zee said.

Julian shrugged. "I'm just saying, you might prefer that over becoming the empress," Julian said as if truly considering it.

Zee was more than a bit worried about that idea. It was hard to tell if Julian was joking or not. General Danma rolled his eyes.

"You two need to stop messing around. You are stressing her out," Danma said, in a chastising tone.

Surprisingly, both her Grandpa and Glendale quieted down.

Zee raised an eyebrow at Danma. He shrugged his wide shoulders. "This isn't the first time I have had to reign in these two. We have fought in a few wars together," Danma said in explanation.

Zee felt like she was in over her head. Every time she thought she was getting a hang of things, there was another surprise. It was quite vexing being in the presence of people who had lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

With such a long life, they were bound to be both enemies and friends at one point or another. Was this the reality of being a cultivator? To endure the millennia, and change allegiance on the whims of fate? It seemed like it. It hadn't been long since the Terlashar were technically their enemies, and now they were allies of circumstance.

The emergence of the eternal throne formed their current alliance, but would it endure? It was doubtful. They were working together because of the outsiders. The alliance of circumstance would probably fall apart once they found the entrance to the throne itself.

The outsiders like the Kul a Var, and the Ashary wouldn't just let them take it. What's worse, the undead would doubtlessly stab them in the back once they found it. Zee was more than a bit troubled by that. Given she was being pushed into acquiring the keys to help find the throne, she would most certainly get caught up in the struggle.

Given the ones fighting for the throne would all be peak celestials looking to rank up to the boundless ranks, Zee would be a lizard on the chopping block. She needed to find a way to avoid that potential outcome at all costs. Zee tuned out the three ancient cultivators as they made idle small talk. They were all old schemers, Danma included.

If she had learned one thing over the last six years, it was that old schemers only looked out for themselves. In a bid to take the throne, Zee doubted any of the old monsters trying to take that next step would worry about her.

They had their own goals and wouldn't hesitate to crush her to achieve them. Zee even had some doubts about Julian. He had risked war with the blood gorgers, and the wrath of the emperor to come save her, but would he be willing to give up the eternal throne for her?

Would he throw her under the cart to achieve his goal, or would he protect her? Zee's dark thoughts were interrupted as the crier cleared his throat loudly.

In a deep voice that carried through the room, the crier spoke. "Everyone, please show your respect. The heart of the sun, the avatar of dominion, and protector of the flame, his imperial majesty, emperor Jenelovia Al Farsaic, has arrived," the crier shouted, bowing deeply towards the double doors.