The aroma of freshly brewed coffee quickly filled Elion’s room, overpowering the scent of herbs, old books, and overly healthy plants that occupied much of the space. Morning light streamed through the tall windows in golden streaks, illuminating particles suspended in the air and highlighting the comfortable disarray of the room. Kael sat in a chair that creaked slightly whenever he shifted, while his mother moved between the counter, table, and cabinets like someone incapable of performing only one task at a time. In less than two minutes, she had made coffee, rearranged half a bookshelf, complained about the nonexistent dust, and placed before him a plate of sweet rolls that clearly hadn’t been made in that room.

Kael held the cup with both hands for a moment, savoring the warmth before taking his first sip. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the kind of rare pause between people who didn’t need to fill every space with words to confirm their closeness. Elion sat across from him, crossing one leg over the other and resting his chin on his hand, watching his son with the impatient curiosity of someone wanting updates accumulated over years.

"Start from the beginning," she said, pointing at him with a spoon. "And don’t give me any abridged versions. You inherited that habit from your grandmother, and I refuse to tolerate it."

Kael took a sip before replying. "Elizabeth showed up asking for help. Her mother had disappeared, and the Vampire Kingdom was unstable. There were internal persecutions, accusations of treason, and clear signs of external control."

Elion nodded slowly, without genuine surprise. "Then the circus finally caught fire."

"It was already burning before I arrived," he replied calmly. "It was just hidden behind red curtains."

She chuckled and gestured for him to continue.

Kael recounted the journey to the kingdom, his first impressions of the central city, the widespread fear among nobles and soldiers, the lack of real coordination, and the atmosphere of paranoia that permeated every corridor of the palace. He described how contradictory orders arose daily, how old families were being punished without consistent reason, and how the military apparatus seemed to serve more to monitor its own people than to defend borders. Elion listened with genuine attention, interrupting only to push more food closer to him.

"You’re thin," he commented mid-explanation.

"I’m not."

"You’re emotionally thin, so eat."

Kael only partially ignored the remark and took one of the loaves of bread. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

When he reached the part about the confrontation with Vlad, he was direct as always. He explained the initial attempt at dialogue, the evident external influence on the king, his mental deterioration, and the absence of any significant resistance when he decided to act.

"I defeated him quickly," he concluded, taking another sip of coffee. "Too fast to justify the title he carries."

Elion was silent for a split second.

Then he burst into a loud, hearty laugh, leaning back in his chair while slamming one hand on the table. The laughter echoed throughout the room, startling two plants near the window, which discreetly closed their leaves.

"You’re telling me," she said between laughs, "that you entered the Vampire Realm, faced their great dark sovereign... and easily dismantled him?"

"Yes."

She laughed again, now wiping the corner of her eyes. "Oh, that’s wonderful. If I had known, I would have bet money."

Kael didn’t react.

"Elion."

"Sorry, sorry." She took a deep breath, still smiling. "I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at them. For decades they’ve been selling the image of a terrifying, indestructible monarch, heir to eternal night and other melodramatic phrases... only to be defeated by my bored-looking son."

"I wasn’t bored."

"You always seem bored."

She picked up her own cup and took a longer sip before resting her elbows on the table.

"The previous king was different," she said, now in a more serious tone. "He was an interesting man. Firm, intelligent, sometimes too cruel, but aware of the weight he carried. He knew how to negotiate, knew how to yield when necessary, and understood that governing is not the same as dominating."

Kael raised his gaze slightly. "You knew him?"

"A few times." Her smile took on a nostalgic and ironic tone at the same time. "He tried to court me at a diplomatic party. He said my eyes looked like twin moons over a dark lake."

Kael remained silent.

"It was awful," she finished. "But he had courage. The current one... doesn’t."

She slowly swirled the cup between her fingers.

"Vlad was born into a system that chewed him up from a young age. The Vampire Kingdom lives trapped in ancient structures: blood purity, lineage, inner fear, tradition as shackles. Some kings control it. Others are controlled by it." Her eyes narrowed. "He seems to have been the second type even before the external influence."

"I had that impression too," said Kael. "Even without the entity, he was already weakened."

"Exactly." Elion pointed at him with satisfaction. "You’re learning politics, how awful."

"No."

"Denial is also politics."

She stood up, refilled the cups, and sat down again. Her movements had a constant energy, almost impossible to follow. Kael, in contrast, looked like a functional statue holding coffee.

"When you grow up inside a throne surrounded by dead expectations," she continued, "you either break the structure or you become its servant. Vlad clearly didn’t break anything."

"I broke a few things for him," Kael replied.

Elion smiled broadly. "My maternal pride grows."

Kael ignored this and shifted the focus slightly. "One thing surprised me."

"Only one?"

"The scale of the Witch Kingdom’s strategic power."

She rested her chin on her hand again, intrigued.

"The dome," Kael continued. "Knowing that Grandmother could wipe out almost the entire Vampire Kingdom if she decided to activate it at full scale... that was unexpected."

Elion made a short, almost amused sound. "Ah. You figured that part out."

"I knew there were continental defenses. I didn’t know they were so absolute."

She leaned back in her chair, now assuming the air of a professor about to explain something she considered obvious.

"The Witches are, objectively, the most powerful nation in the world," she declared calmly. "Not always the largest. Not always the richest. Not always the most populous. But the most dangerous? Without comparison."

Kael remained listening.

"The problem is that many people measure power only by visible armies," she continued. "They count soldiers, ships, walls, tamed dragons, metal reserves. That impresses simple people. We work on a different scale."

She pointed to the ground, as if the kingdom itself were beneath her feet.

"The dome is not just a barrier. It’s a living territorial matrix. It responds to invasion, converts hostile energy, distorts enemy logistics, closes routes, interferes with external magic and, if authorized by the sovereign..." She smiled slightly. "It eliminates entire populations."

Kael drank his coffee without altering his expression.

"It’s efficient," he commented.

"That’s why no one has seriously tested our borders for centuries." Elion shrugged. "Any significant offensive against us ends the same way: well, we kill them all."

She said it with such nonchalance that it seemed like she was commenting on a weather forecast.

"So we are the most powerful nation."

Kael tilted his head slightly. "That sounds less like stability and more like absolute deterrence."

"Excellent definition." She pointed the spoon at him again. "See? Politics."

"Don’t continue."

Elion laughed and went on.

"Your grandmother has put almost every nation in check at least once. Human kings, draconic lords, maritime councils, solar empires, subterranean clans... they’ve all received letters, demonstrations, or reminders."

"Reminders?"

"Small things. An entire fleet appearing frozen in the harbor with no ice nearby. An army marching and discovering that the path has led back to the starting point for ten days. A castle waking up surrounded by poisonous forest. Creative diplomacy."

Kael considered the information for a few seconds.

"She never mentioned that."

"Because for Eleanor, that’s Tuesday."

He let out a discreet sigh, acknowledging the involuntary repetition of the phrase he’d heard before.

Elion watched him with an amused glint in his eyes.

"You still underestimate her a little."

"I don’t underestimate her."

"Yes, you do. You measure strength by direct destructive capacity." She pointed to his chest. "She measures it by permanence, structure, preparedness, and possibility. You can destroy a city. Your grandmother makes cities surrender without attack."

Kael didn’t immediately object.

"What makes all this more irritating," he finally said, "is her continuing to dramatize family matters."

"That makes it all the better," Elion retorted. "Power without theatrics is wasted."

She leaned forward.

"And you? How did you feel watching an entire kingdom almost crumble from within?"

Kael took a few seconds to answer, something rare for him.

"Unnecessary."

Elion raised an eyebrow.

"Explain."

"The collapse didn’t come from real external force. It came from accumulated weakness, institutionalized fear, and leaders incapable of correcting course. The entity simply took advantage." He put down his cup. "They were already broken."

She nodded slowly, now with genuine approval.

"That’s a correct analysis." Her eyes softened for a moment. "And dangerous. Because whoever understands that starts seeing cracks everywhere."

"I already see them."

"I know."

The room fell into a brief silence. Not uncomfortable, just dense with meaning.

Then Elion smiled again and broke the weight as he always did.

"But I also see something else."

"What?"

"My son came home, drank my coffee, and knocked down a king on the way." She opened her arms dramatically. "Excellent week for me."

Kael stared at her for a moment.

"Your coffee is still too strong."

"And you remain emotionally ungrateful."

She stood up again and began preparing another round without consulting anyone.

"After Eleanor finishes invading other people’s memories," he said while shuffling utensils, "we’ll have bigger problems to deal with. If the creature manipulating Vlad is what I suspect, this won’t end in the Vampire Realm."

"I suspect that too."

"Of course you suspect that." She glanced over her shoulder. "You inherited healthy paranoia from the family."

"That’s not inheritance."

"Everything about you is inheritance or reaction."

Kael decided not to answer.

Elion returned with more coffee and placed the cup firmly before him.

"Drink. Rest afterward. And then tell me why you really took so many years to visit me."

Kael looked at the steaming cup.

"I was busy... and it wasn’t years..."

She smiled with immediate triumph.

"Weak answer. Great sign. Means guilt."

"It doesn’t."

"It means absolutely."

He picked up the cup and drank in silence while she continued smiling, overly pleased with herself.

Outside, the palace remained vast and ancient. Somewhere above, Eleanor delved into sealed memories capable of altering the balance between kingdoms. In another corridor, Exelia finally rested. And there, amidst strong coffee, constant teasing, and a messy table, Kael found something that wars, titles, and thrones rarely offered.

A few normal minutes.

Even if, in his family’s case, normality included strategic discussions about preventive genocide between a second and third cup of coffee.