Gathering of Sovereigns (2)

Deep in the enormous forest where the Wood Elves dwelled, several days' journey down the Broadhead River that flowed in from Grens Province, was a great lake, one of the largest of any known on the continent. Surrounded by woods, this lake, twice the size of Lake Superior in North America, had multiple isles, both natural and artificial, upon the largest of the former was built a great magical city, though only a quarter of Valour City's size. This city, Cyelume, was the city-state of the High Elf Nation that was its namesake. As they had low propagation rates and rarely allowed visitors to their homeland, most High Elves lived within its borders. As the city and nation with the greatest magical skill in Andor, it was the dream of many mages to visit Cyelume, if even for a moment.

Around the largest island were several pillars of more than 100m in height, with a large hole placed near the top of each pillar. Countless runes glowed on the surface of the pillars as they held great chains twice the size of Earth's Triple E cargo ship's anchor chain. These rune-covered chains stretched up above the city to connect with hooks expertly attached to the centermost sides of an enormous silvery-white sphere that any modern person would find reminiscent of a disco ball. Odd choice of aesthetics aside, this great orb floated with no external influence, in a manner that would make it fly off into the sky if not for the great chains holding it down. This great orb, one of the few working relics of the Ancient Elves, was called, according to translations of its inscriptions, the Eye of Selene. Its true purpose remains unknown, like its far more powerful kin, the Atlas Pillar, but some of its functions have been discovered. For example, using the power of condensed moonlight, which was inexplicably converted into a liquid within the orb, the Eye of Selene could project an immensely powerful barrier around the isle it hung above. The barrier's strength was proportional to the amount of moonlight liquid, the time of day, the clarity of the weather, and other minor factors such as the presence of a mage above Lv. 10.

Directly beneath the Eye of Selene was a great manor, seemingly constructed from crystals that shone like the Eye of Selene did at night. This manor was also a remnant of the Ancient Elf Empire and was closely related to the Eye of Selene. As the home of the Royal High Elves, the Crystal Palace was understandably one of the most wondrous dwellings in the world. The Sovereign Teleportation Array stood in one of the largest towers of the manor, where it drew power from the palace's connection with the Eye of Selene in order to function without costing exorbitant sums of money. With the tower's highest floor and roof giving the impression of being made of only glass from within but a true tower wall from the outside, arriving in the tower could make one forget that they were inside.

Upon arriving in Cyelume, the first thing Luca witnessed was the brilliant view of the city below, along with the distant but still ginormous chains. Tapping Arcturus on the head, he directed his partner to follow his vision directly upwards. The pair took in the spectacular sight of the great Eye of Selene hanging high above them like an eternal sentinel. They didn't have much time to do so, however, as Arthur interrupted them from their reverie as he spoke to a well-dressed High Elf man appearing to be at the tail-end of middle-age, "Ah, Cylaros. I see your queen is having you play gatekeeper again."

A small grin crossed Cylaros's face, "As Her Majesty's most trusted servant, she entrusted me with this task. Due to the need to maintain utmost secrecy, she deemed it best that I greet each sovereign upon their arrival. At present, you are the third to arrive." The High Elf butler had served Nesine faithfully since she was little more than a baby, prior to which he served as her mother, Mihnne's butler, for more than 150 years. Though he was certainly not the oldest High Elf, he was the seniormost member of the palace staff at nearly 300 years old, a fact that was attributed to his youthful talent enabling him to touch the threshold of the Legendary realm. While he never surpassed that last step, he did gain the extended lifespan that came with the growth and nourishment of mana within the body and soul. Due to his history and status, even the foreign sovereigns respected the man. Arthur just happened to be the kind of person who treated those he respected as old friends rather than great figures.

"Don't tell me that old Bhelen arrived before me. I don't need him prattling my ear off about being late. Old codger wouldn't manage to get to anything done if his wife wasn't threatening to burn all the booze." Arthur was painfully aware of the nature of dwarves to enjoy alcohol. The worst of the ones he'd met was Bhelen, hands down. Even if he jokingly said that he breathed ale more than he did air, nobody would find it funny, as the Dwarven King was the most incorrigible alcoholic on the planet. If not for the fact that he was a natural ruler, at least for dwarves, and he had a knack for commanding even the most unruly people, he never would've become a king. Most government affairs were handled by his wife, who was prone to migraines from the amount of degeneracy her husband got himself into when she took her eyes off him.

Cylaros chuckled briefly, "No, the Dwarven King has not yet arrived. His Majesties Gethras and Rhonin arrived not long ago. I'm sure you remember how to reach Her Majesty's study?"

"Even with these seemingly invisible walls, I'll never forget where the door is. Thank you, Cylaros. Good luck getting Bhelen to listen enough to go through the door." Arthur truly felt bad for anyone that had to put up with the Dwarven King's behaviour. After being politely waved off, the Valarian King gestured for the two youths to follow him as he walked directly towards a wall. Stopping just before it, the king reached out to firmly grasp an invisible handle at waist-level, at least to him, and pulled.