Kaelith lay sprawled across her velvet settee, white hair streaked with crimson spilling over a cascade of silk cushions.
A faint purple glow bathed the room, the source floating above her palms: a magical presentation sphere, humming softly with encoded runes. Inside the orb, a vision unfolded.
Celestian University.
The premier academy of magical arts and interrealm diplomacy.
The dome-shaped lecture halls shimmered with floating crystal gardens. Students: Demon, Celestian, Human walked side-by-side along levitating bridges, their robes fluttering in the wind.
Great towers of white stone twisted upward like reaching hands, each glowing with a distinct magical hue.
In the center of the sphere, a grand amphitheater came into focus, surrounded by mirrors that captured and projected ongoing lectures into the sky.
Kaelith's grey eyes gleamed like polished marble.
She sat up quickly, the magic orb bobbing above her shoulder like a curious bird. "That's it," she whispered, breath catching. "That's where I'm going."
Her Sovereign Flame stirred faintly beneath her skin, flickering purple heat curling around her fingertips in excitement. She clenched her fist until it vanished. Control first. Emotion later.
She leapt off the settee, bare feet landing softly on the plush black carpet embroidered with red and silver roses.
The palace waited beyond.
Kaelith flung open the double doors of her chamber. A breeze swept through the hallway, carrying with it the mingled scents of spiced fruit and rosewood polish.
The Demon palace was not a fortress of intimidation, not anymore.
Not since Elysia.
Gone were the black stone arches and endless blood-red banners. Now the halls breathed color.
The walls, once harsh obsidian, were softened by enchanted murals that shimmered and shifted gently celestial skies at dawn, demon flame rendered in soft purples, dragons painted in swooping gold arcs across the ceilings.
Carved sconces in the shape of blooming lotuses glowed with ambient starlight, and the dark floors were softened with long carpets of ivory and deep crimson.
Everything smelled faintly of lavender and clean parchment.
Kaelith's mother had hated it at first Malvoria called the changes "floral nonsense" and declared war on the curtains but Elysia had insisted.
"This is a home now," she'd said, arranging soft pink roses in a tall crystal vase by the war chamber door. "Not just a fortress."
Kaelith had watched them argue with the fond exasperation reserved for parents too in love to properly bicker.
She moved swiftly through the halls now, her sleep robe fluttering behind her. Her horns small, red, and delicately arched like a royal circlet caught the light as she passed.
A pair of guards bowed as she swept past. "Good morning, Princess."
She nodded curtly. "Is breakfast ready?"
"Almost, Your Highness."
Perfect. She was early. For once.
She entered the grand dining hall with her chin held high.
The hall was a blend of power and peace high ceilings with draped velvet in indigo and gold, long windows letting in the early morning light, and a massive table carved from demonwood and inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
A mural of the three realms: Demon, Celestian, and Human spanned the far wall in glowing enchanted ink.
A crystal chandelier, filled with floating flames of every magical color, hung above like a suspended constellation.
At the head of the table sat Queen Malvoria, back straight, expression unreadable, already dressed in her command attire: black coat lined with red silk, crimson shoulder pauldrons gleaming, her massive sword sheathed beside her like a silent warning to the universe.
She looked up immediately, her gaze locking onto Kaelith.
"You're early," Malvoria said, one brow arching. "Suspiciously so."
Kaelith took her seat across from her mother, doing her best not to fidget. "It's allowed to be a good day."
"Mm." Malvoria poured herself a steaming cup of black tea and sipped. "Define 'good.'"
"I'm applying to Celestian University."
Silence.
The teacup hovered halfway to Malvoria's lips.
Kaelith braced.
"The university?" her mother repeated slowly, eyes narrowing. "That university?"
Kaelith nodded. "Yes."
Malvoria set the cup down with deliberate care. "No."
Kaelith blinked. "What?"
"No."
"That's it? Just—'no'?"
"Yes. You're not going."
"That's not fair—!"
Malvoria's eyes sparked. "You think fairness is relevant? That place is crawling with politics, arrogance, and people who would love to see you fail. Or worse."
Kaelith clenched her fists beneath the table. She kept her tone steady. "I'm not a child."
"You're my child."
"I'm also heir to the Unified Peace Accords. And part of that job involves diplomacy."
"There are safer ways to learn diplomacy than hurling yourself into a nest of entitled elitists."
Kaelith felt her magic stir again, heat rising in her chest. "Then maybe I don't want 'safe.' Maybe I want earned."
Malvoria's face didn't change, but her fingers curled slightly around the hilt of her tea spoon like it was a weapon.
Before the conversation could ignite further, the twins burst into the room like chaos given form.
"Kaelith! You're up!" Ulrich shouted, already climbing onto a chair.
Ulricha followed close behind, dragging a stuffed hellcat by one leg. "She's always up. You're just late, dummy."
"I'm not late, you're early—"
"You don't even know what early means—"
"Do too!"
Kaelith exhaled slowly, watching her siblings bicker with mild affection. The twins, Ulrich and Ulricha were seven years old, barely contained energy with matching obsidian curls and endless curiosity.
They were either attached at the hip or engaged in near-constant verbal combat.
Hestia arrived next, the smallest of them all, barely five. She wore a serious expression and a long black cape several sizes too big. Her white-blonde hair was braided into tight coils, her grey eyes solemn.
"Morning," she said with more dignity than a war council.
Kaelith smiled, softening. "Good morning, Little Flame."
Hestia climbed into her chair with careful precision, as if she were preparing for battle. "There's strawberry jam today. I asked for it."
"Of course you did," Kaelith murmured.
Malvoria leaned back slightly, observing them all.
The warmth in her eyes was subtle. Controlled. But it was there. Kaelith knew it.
Still, her words stung.
Kaelith wasn't reckless. She wasn't naive. She knew what the university was. The dangers. The politics.
The tension. But she also knew what it meant to never be seen for who she was. To constantly live as the daughter of war and peace—born from treaty, shaped by two legacies that didn't quite fit.
Demon nobles thought she was soft. Celestian elites whispered that she was unnatural. Humans regarded her like she was a myth.
And Malvoria protected her like the world was a threat with teeth.
Which, to be fair, it was.
But Kaelith wanted to fight for her own place in it. Not just inherit one.
"Mother," she said quietly, after the twins had launched into a very serious debate over toast toppings, "You can't keep me behind the gates forever."
Malvoria met her gaze.
"I know," she said. "But I will delay the world's teeth as long as I can."
Kaelith's throat tightened, but she nodded.
She didn't expect the warmth of her mother's next words.
"You're strong, Kaelith. I know you are. But strength doesn't mean you don't need protection. Especially when people will target you because you're strong."
"I want to prove myself," Kaelith said. "Not because of who raised me. But because of who I chose to be."
There was a long pause.
Then softly Malvoria exhaled. "Let's talk about it. After breakfast."
Kaelith blinked. That was not a no.
A smile tugged at her lips before she could help it.
She looked down at the strawberry jam toast Hestia was carefully sliding onto her plate.
The Sovereign Flame coiled quietly inside her chest, warm and eager.