"Take a seat," Roratha commanded.

Selistar looked around the luxury apartment taking a seat at the kitchen table. Roratha sighed and looked into the kitchen. The other four hooded Theronites instantly got on edge. Selistar raised his hand and calmed down the 4 of them. Roratha rolled her eyes as she looked at the four of them.

"You think I'm getting a kitchen knife to attack your little prince? This new patch of Theronites is quite skittish." Roratha started to chuckle as she mocked the four of them.

"I'm sure you can understand why," Selistar said as he was a bit on edge himself. Roratha was widely known as the greatest Theronite from her developmental group, before she left she was well on her way to becoming the strongest of their current era.

"Do you still prefer green tea?"

"Yes, especially yours." Selistar smiled.

"So, why are you here? What has changed that Aron would risk the life of his own child to bring me in?" Roratha asked as she began preparing the tea.

"Zac happened…" Selistar grumbled under his breath.

"Ah… yes. I'm well aware of your situation. Once again, Aron is hoping everyone else will clean up the mess caused by his incompetence." Roratha scoffed.

"How dare you speak of…" One of the Theronites began to speak, but space instantly collapsed on his right arm, popping it like a balloon, as Roratha shot them a glare.

"Aron is not Auranthos' Threnos. Your calling is not to act as the leader's lapdogs. You only move on issues directly tied to Auranthos' Threnos or that pose a direct threat to the very existence of Heka." Roratha growled at the Theronites.

The man who got his arm popped did not even whimper. Their arm would grow back in a few minutes, so they were not concerned, and they had long been accustomed to experiencing such pain. He spoke again,

"Is this not such a moment? That beast is coming for the lives of Seren and Aron."

"Neither of them are Auranthos' Threnos, and their existence is not necessary for Heka's continued existence. Why are you here?!!" Before the Theronite could respond, Selistar raised his hand to silence him.

"Look at you, following commands like a dog, ridiculous. We act as a separate branch from the Persequions within Heka. We don't answer to anyone, but—"

"Auranthos' Threnos… yes. That's why we are here to bring you in. You are the only one that can bring who we believe to be Auranthos' Threnos to where he belongs." Selistar said.

The sound of Roratha shattering glass in her hand startled the others in the room. She stared daggers in Selistar's direction.

"Absolutely shameless rats! You drive me from my home and everyone I know, denying tooth and nail the legitimacy of my son. Now you say you believe him to be Auranthos' Threnos? Ridiculous!!!"

Selistar lowered his face, recognizing the foolishness of the situation. However, he still needed to present their side if things were to end peacefully. If they change their judgment to believing Kenji was possibly Auranthos' Threnos, they could also revert Roratha's status as an Oathbreaker. In fact, they could elevate her status, claiming she was more dedicated than anyone else to her mission, even if it meant going against all of Heka.

"We are willing to recognize the possibility is there. You don't understand the position my father and mother were in at the time of your leaving. Too many of the elders refused to believe that…"

"Shut up. Do not speak the lies peddled to you by your father to me as if I wasn't there." Roratha sighed and walked towards Selistar, placing a cup of tea before him. They must have thought she would be overjoyed and come running back with Kenji. She could see how Aron thought this. He always felt isolated from the other Murmus. He must have thought she was as desperate as he was for acceptance.

She sighed and sat on the opposite side of him. She was clearly annoyed by the entire situation, but she could hardly be too upset with Selistar. In her eyes, he was still a dumb kid believing whatever his parents told him.

"What is Seren thinking?" Roratha thought to herself. She didn't understand what was going through her mind, letting all of this happen. She was far too intelligent for this.

"Those elders that denied the possibility of Mythara being Auranthos' Threnos were placed there by your damn father after The Darkest Day. Speaking of your father. If these are his feelings, why is he not here, bringing me in himself?" Roratha asked.

"He… Zac is after Mother; Father feels he can't let her out of his sight. I'm sure you can understand." Selistar had brought up this point to his father as well. The gesture would mean far more coming from him rather than sending his son.

"Yes, I understand. He's using Seren as an excuse again."

"What do you mean by 'again?" Selistar asked.

"How much do you actually know about The Darkest Day?" Roratha asked.

Selistar stared at his aunt for a moment. Roratha was many things, but she was not a liar. She had no reason to; she stood by her principles and had the strength to uphold them. If he knew anything about his father, he knew he could and would do anything to get his way. Selistar sighed.

"I know that the greatest warriors of their generation and most of the Elders, at the time, were wiped out by a creature. There were only 5 survivors. Three elders, you and Father…" After he finished explaining, Roratha began to laugh hysterically. She massaged her temples in frustration.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Father was right… That leech was better off dead." Roratha growled, and Selistar's eyes widened a bit. His great-uncle, Dravemir, was one of the strongest, most respected Theronites in their history, and he had that much contempt for his own nephew? He had heard the stories of how great his late family members were. Their greatness is what fueled his father's obsession.

"The Murmus clan has always produced our strongest Persequion. As such, every able-bodied Murmus was present on The Darkest Day. Everyone, except your father. His excuse? He wanted to be present at your birth…" Roratha started to chuckle. Selistar had a look of disbelief on his face, and the Theronites behind him were just as shocked.

"Your cousin, Drakhalon's son? Killed by your father. Me and my child? Cast out." Roratha dropped another bomb on Selistar's head as she took a sip of her own tea. Selistar didn't say a word; he just sat there in silence.

"He craves power and fears losing it. So much so, that he would put his own family at risk." Selistar nodded his head in understanding. He had seen the signs of his father's inferiority complex but never witnessed it fully. He didn't think he would go that far.

"Let it be known. I have a great deal of respect for your mother and feel that you will make an excellent leader. But while your father is running things. I will not assist you in bringing in Mythara, especially if you truly believe him to be Auranthos' Threnos." Roratha said flatly.

"So you'd rather leave Auranthos' Threnos in the hands of the offspring of the monster that killed most of our family and is planning to kill the rest?"

"And whose fault is that?" Roratha's dead eyes glazed over.

Roratha was over all this nonsense. Until five minutes ago, they viewed her son as an abomination, but now that they need their strength? Now the possibility he could be Auranthos' Threnos is taken seriously. She sighed and then stood up from her seat.

"We were at fault for breaking into a nesting dragon's lair and making demands and threats. In response to our hubris, we experienced The Darkest Day. The elders and I explained to your father, in great detail, the power of that woman. Instead of heeding our warning and steering clear until we were ready, he ignored all common sense, doubled down, and ended up killing a dragon's mate and unborn child!!" Roratha's rage exploded as the space itself shook.

Aron's actions spit in the face of the sacrifices made by those on that day. The fact that all they had gained from that tragedy would be squandered by the machinations of a coward was infuriating. She stared at Selistar and the Theronites there with him.

"He didn't get to experience that tragedy. In his ignorance and arrogance, he created the possibility for an even greater one. So maybe he should feel it; maybe he'll finally learn something." Roratha began to chuckle.

Selistar knew there was no use in reasoning with her any further. She had already made it clear that even if she viewed his mother as a friend, letting her die was the better option. Selistar fully understood this to be true. However, just like Roratha would do anything to protect Kenji, Nina would do anything to protect Zac, and he would do anything to protect his mother.

"Very well… It seems we will have to take you back by force." Selistar stood up as he stared at his aunt.

"People tell me I have surpassed Uncle Dravemir. Are you sure you want to do this?" Selistar smiled.

"And? Is there pride in surpassing a stationary target?" Roratha asked.

Selistar's face sank at his aunt's words. He had always heard that Dravemir was the standard that all Theronites dreamed of surpassing. Yet, after hearing about his growth, his aunt felt nothing. Was she even stronger than what they had thought? Did his father downplay her abilities so that his position was further solidified?

Was he foolish enough to not even relay that to him so he could properly prepare? Even if there was a plan, that would be too foolish even for him. Selistar gritted his teeth, knowing full well that may be the case. Given Roratha's personality, she would not strive for needless recognition.

Roratha began to chuckle as the space began to bend and turn. Everyone felt their center of gravity shifting and turning. Their visions became blurry, and when they regained their bearings, they found themselves in a white void. Selistar's breathing began to pick up.

This was an astonishing feat. She didn't expand an existing space, she didn't condense a space, nor did she transport them to a different location. She had created an honest-to-God pocket dimension.

"How…"

"I picked it up after entering Nina's nest. My eyes were opened up to a great many things that day. I have long since surpassed my father. So come… children, let me set a new standard." Roratha extended her hands, beckoning them to come.

The banquet had finished. Aron and Seren, along with a few of the elders, including Leo and Stefan, were standing in a spacious empty room. None of them were talking; they were simply waiting. Léonie looked over at Seren and asked,

"Do you think everything will be alright?"

"No need to worry; even if he can't subdue her, he should be able to achieve Plan B. Roratha won't be able to bring herself to hurt Selistar." Seren smiled darkly.

At that moment, a portal appeared in front of them, and two figures came flying out. One of them was a bruised Selistar, who rolled to a stop in front of the elders. The other floating there in the middle of the room was Roratha.

"Where are the others?" One of the elders asked.

"Space collapsed on their heads before they could even process what was going on." Selistar breathed heavily as he looked at his aunt.

"Hmmm, so who is it?" Roratha scanned the room.

Selistar was indeed worthy of saying he had surpassed Dravemir. He managed to hold up quite well against her in their brief scuffle. He was stronger than she was at his age, at the very least. Annoyingly… the moment he managed to touch her, she felt an irresistible pull, and they were transported here. She was ripped through space even through her pocket dimension. That could only mean one thing: someone was a spatial anchor here.

"Well, would you look at that? You finally got your hands a little dirty for once." Roratha looked at Aron, who didn't speak a word.

"Yes, as you see, Aron is using all his might to act as a spatial anchor. As long as he is alive, you will not be able to exit this designated space." Seren explained.

"It's not just him, is it?" Roratha could feel the tying of space between the elders and Aron. They gathered all the elders who had spatial abilities to help strengthen Aron's spatial anchor. She let out a sigh. This was truly unexpected. They must truly be desperate to plan this far ahead just to draw her in.

"Looks like I have no choice…" Roratha smiled gently before the space around her began to collapse on her.

"Are you crazy?!" Selistar shouted as he extended his hands to prevent Roratha from collapsing space on herself.

"I'd rather die than let you use me to manipulate my child!!!" Roratha shouted.

"You two… you're up. Time to show your worth." Seren motioned for Léonie and Stefan.

"Devin…" Léonie spoke to Devin, who was struggling to stop his aunt from killing herself.

"I know…"

Devin, Léonie, and Stefan all looked at Roratha, speaking in unison.

"Overclock."

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