A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Thus, Elora and the others continued forward, after leaving Aster behind to return to her post. When they passed through the gate, the entire city opened up to to them, and it was an impressive sight.

It largely built out of grey stone houses and spires that stretched into the distance. Visually, it was comparable to what the ancient African and South American stone cities would have probably looked like in their prime. Except this place was not only far larger, but also likely constructed with more advanced architecture and the aid of aetherium.

The houses weren't built particularly tall, but most of them still had several stories, with living spaces on every floor. The spires, on the other hand, went high into the sky, and looked like single room apartments stacked om top of each other.

In one glance, it was obvious this city could house tens of millions without issue.

Naeku led them towards the very centre of it all, where they could see a large, ornamental building, and while it followed no known modern architecture design, it was quite clearly meant to be a palace.

Along the way, they came across a large number of people. Yet, according to Naeku, their population didn't exceed a few million—they were simply all located in this part of the city.

"Are these all your people?" Astrid asked curiously as she tried to distract herself from worrying about Erik. She'd put down Emma, as she and Emily were currently walking, rather than being carried, because the environment didn't allow their group to run at Runebound level speeds anymore.

"Not entirely," the werepanther shook her head. "Some of the larger pre-awakening cities in the horn are still occupied, even though they've submitted to our rule."

Before continuing, she sighed helplessly, "Many others still shun the idea of a large city, and prefer their pre-awakening villages, despite the constant attacks by first and second ranked beasts. We've helped them build defences, and many still accept us as their rulers, but I shudder to think what will happen when third ranked beasts begin to appear."

"Couldn't you just force them to move?" Astrid wondered aloud with a raised eyebrow.

"W— What? No, of course not!" Naeku vehemently denied, actually looking shocked. "As rulers, it is our duty to protect and support our people, not force them all into once place for our convenience!"

Astrid shrugged and scoffed, "I agree that freedom is important, but sometimes you need to make decisions to protect your people against their own stupidity."

Naeku grumbled and snorted, "That's the rhetoric of a weak leader! A strong and competent leader can protect their people no matter the decisions they make!"

But Astrid wasn't deterred, and rolled her eyes, "A strong and competent leader would also realize the limitations of their own capabilities, and know that they can't be everywhere at once, nor can they compensate for all of their people's shortcomings."

Surprisingly, it was Elora who now chose to provide her opinion. An opinion that surprised some of them at first. "I think they're doing the right thing," she shrugged indifferently.

"Seriously?" Emily responded sceptically. "You're the one advertising for freedom of choice?"

"Absolutely," the fairy nodded with a small chuckle. "You participated in that battle, too, didn't you? It was clear that their biggest strength is unity, trust in leadership, and common good, which Naeku can forge into a powerful fighting force, using her abilities, motherly aura, and strategic acumen."

Seraphina, Nora, Anne, Emily, and Astrid all still looked at Elora a little strangely, while Naeku nodded with pride, as her estimation of Elora quickly rose.

Emma, meanwhile, ignored their conversation, as she remained focused on Erik. She'd grasped his hand with one of her own while she walked next to the floating disc, and continuously used her first ranked light spell to heal him as much as she could, even though his life wasn't currently in serious danger anymore.

At least, not so long as the armour and its sigils kept him stable.
Continue your adventure with empire

Regardless, when Elora continued, everyone suddenly recognized her again. "So, you see, if they forced their people to move against their will, it would break the trust and harm the unity, their strongest assets."

Her lips curled up in a sinister grin, "On the other hand, if they simply wait for some of those smaller villages to start taking serious losses, they can swoop in as heroes and transport them to the city willingly, thus only strengthening the unity and trust in their rulers."

Instantly, understanding dawned on the others and they chuckled in a strange sort of relief, knowing Elora was still the same as always.

Naeku's expression, however, instantly turned into a horrified one as she looked at Elora with wide eyes.

"I—" she began, but then closed her mouth again, before looking ahead and staying quiet, a complicated expression on her face. Clearly, she hadn't really thought about that, and now she couldn't help but wonder if Elora's reasoning had anything to do with her own, even if subconsciously.

Meanwhile, Elora smirked slightly. "A ruler can never be perfect, Naeku. There are always difficult decisions to make, and none will turn out exactly as you want them, because you aren't ruling copies of yourself, you're ruling over a great many different thoughts and opinions, many of whom won't think the way you do."

Ten she shrugged with a chuckle, "Your motherly aura actually smooths out a lot of those edges already, but if you really want everyone to simply do what you want because you know what's best for them, enslavement is the only option."

"Ugh", Naeku groaned and sank deep into thought as they continued walking. She'd already been told about the effect of her motherly aura by Elora, but she hadn't really thought about the implications yet. Until now.

Leaving Naeku to her thoughts, they continued towards the palace as they looked at the people around them. The first thing that surprised them about what they saw was the impressive mix of vampires, humans, and shapeshifters, who appeared to be getting along very well.

That is not to say that they were happy, however. In fact, a clear gloom hung over the city and its inhabitants. But, considering the presence of the humanitas sangh at their border, that probably wasn't surprising.

Still, there was clearly no barrier between the different races here, and that intrigued Elora the most.

She didn't much care about the social consequences of discrimination between the races, but she knew that a strong empire could only rule with inclusivity. If you didn't, you were not only dismissing the worst, but also the best that the other races had to offer.

They passed social gatherings, stores, markets, and food stands, most of which worked on a basis of haggling and trading of goods. All-in-all, despite the gloom hanging over everyone, it was a lively city.

Then, finally, they arrived in front of the palace.