The last to arrive was the representative of the demon race, Drazmiel, a Luxivore demon who fed on pride, and one of the oldest allies of the Demon Lord. Like Thalorien, Drazmiel was unwaveringly loyal to Caelum. He entered the council hall with quiet dignity, accompanied by his three children, each a powerful figure in their own right.
The Dwarves do not have any representative because they already have Peanut, who serves as their voice on the council. They are makers, builders, and innovators. They would rather use their minds to create new inventions than engage in arguments with other demi-humans.
Also present in the council were the five Academy Directors, overseers of all demi-human education across Velrathis. Though a thousand years of peace had passed, Demon Lord Caelum had always insisted that demi-humans continue training in magic and self-defense. "Never trust peace blindly," he once said.
Over time, the Academy evolved. Seven hundred years ago, under Caelum's directive, the curriculum expanded beyond magic and survival. Business, innovation, finance, and fashion were introduced, and soon after, music, entertainment, culinary arts, and many other disciplines followed. The result was the modernized Velrathis Empire, shaped by the Demon Lord and his prodigious children.
As the Academy Directors took their seats and caught sight of Alpha's newest Rune symbol sketched onto the Aetherglass table, their faces lit up with excitement, too much excitement, it seemed, as Alpha rolled his eyes at their visible enthusiasm.
"I hope none of you made other plans for today," Alpha said with a crooked smile, resting back in his chair. "Because we're not the only ones attending. My siblings will be arriving shortly. So I suggest you stretch your patience a bit. This won't be a normal council meeting. Think of it more like... a market square."
The veteran members, Thalorien, Drazmiel, and Thaleia Windshard, the shapeshifter harpy and head of the Academy, nodded in quiet understanding. But the younger representatives looked stunned. A full council meeting was rare, held only once every ten years unless an emergency occurred. Even then, the ten children of the Demon Lord had never all gathered together in one place.
Today would be the first time most of them would see not only Caelum himself, but all of his children. A once-in-a-lifetime event.
Before anyone could respond to Alpha's words, a sudden crash shattered the tense anticipation.
BOOM, CRACK!
From the balcony side of the Scryglass wall, an explosion of enchanted glass erupted inward.
But Cosmo moved instantly. With a flick of his hand, he cast Impenetrable Shield, the translucent golden dome snapping into place just in time to block the incoming shards from hitting anyone, especially Alpha.
As the glowing fragments settled harmlessly to the floor, everyone turned to the center of the chaos… and saw it.
A hoverbike.
Sleek, metallic, and humming with energy, parked right in the middle of the grand conference room.
Behind the handlebars was not its owner, but Orso, second eldest of the Demon Lord's children, built like a fortress, grinning like a boy who had just broken a toy on purpose. He looked absurd straddling the delicate, customized hoverbike, his massive frame making it look like a child's ride.
Behind him, clinging to the back seat and looking mortified, was none other than Peanut. Her wide eyes screamed disbelief.
"You stupid, all-muscle pea-brain!" Peanut shouted, jumping down the moment they stopped. She stormed to the front of the bike, glaring up at her older brother.
Orso just chuckled, clearly pleased with himself.
Orso, a bear shifter, was enormous, bigger than any other shapeshifter in Velrathis. One ear was missing, and a deep scar crossed over his left eye like a badge of war. Despite the grandeur of the conference room, the space suddenly felt small with him inside.
That he was being berated by his much smaller, much louder little sister made the scene all the more ridiculous, at least to everyone except Alpha and Cosmo, who watched the chaos unfold with practiced calm.
Peanut was one of the younger siblings, the sixth-born. A fox shifter, brilliant, temperamental, and three times smaller than Orso, but not one bit less terrifying when angry.
"You said this new model could withstand molten lava. But you never tested it. So I'm testing it now," Orso said with a shrug. "Here. In the Dark Tower."
"Are you insane?! Does the tower look like a molten lava to you?!" she fumed, throwing her hands in the air. "Is your brain entirely made of muscle?!"
Orso just kept grinning.
"I will never let you drive any of my bikes or any of my vehicles again. Ever. I should've known better."
As Peanut continued to rant, hands flailing and voice rising in octave with each word, Cosmo quietly sighed, his expression calm and unbothered. With a graceful flick of his wrist, he repaired the shattered Scryglass wall once again. This time, however, instead of sealing it shut, he left the balcony doors open.
Alpha raised a brow from his seat, watching him. "You're leaving it open?"
Cosmo nodded, expression deadpan. "Yes, Master. Because I have a very strong feeling… this is going to happen again."
Peanut's fiery scolding halted mid-sentence as the room shifted. One by one, the high-ranking members, Thalorien, Drazmiel, the Academy Directors, and even Virelya, stood and offered respectful bows to the new arrivals.
The younger representatives of the Night Dwellers and Shapeshifters, however, were frozen in place, wide-eyed as they stared at Orso.
Orso, the one and only reigning champion of the Veyl Arena, feared for his strength, unmatched in combat, was here. And worse, or perhaps better, they were now realizing why he was so untouchable.
They had no idea he was one of the Demon Lord's children.
Peanut, on the other hand, was already infamous across the Empire. Her name was stamped on nearly every major magitech innovation in the last eight hundred years. But her face? Rarely seen in public. Until now.
Orso responded to the greetings with a low grunt. Peanut gave only a curt nod, though she did offer a slight, respectful bow to Thalorien, Drazmiel, and Thaleia, the only ones amongst the representatives in the room older than her. The rest, while physically mature, were all several centuries younger.
Without another word, Peanut walked to the third seat on the left, at the far end of the Aetherglass table, where the Demon Lord's high throne stood at the center. She seated herself gracefully.
Orso, meanwhile, crossed the room with heavy steps and settled onto the floor, near Kaelith's seat. Kaelith, swallowed hard. If he hadn't already been pale, he would have turned ghost white.
Orso didn't like Night Dwellers. He hated the scent of blood, their food, their essence.
With a low growl, he tilted his head toward Kaelith in a silent command: Sit at the table.
Kaelith hesitated, frozen with indecision. He hadn't been officially given permission to rejoin the council table after his earlier humiliation. But Cosmo, always graceful and precise, stepped in and pulled out the chair beside Virelya, Kaelith's rightful seat.
That was the signal.
Kaelith clenched his jaw, trying to salvage what remained of his pride and dignity, and returned to his seat.
Then Cosmo turned to Orso and conjured a large velvet cushion. He placed it gently on the floor beside the table.
Orso sank onto the cushion without complaint.
He preferred sitting on the floor, not just because of his enormous size, which would've taken up far too much room at the table, but for something far more personal. The corner brought him comfort. It reminded him of a time long ago… when their mother used to sit cross-legged on the floor, humming softly, with his head in her lap and her fingers combing through his head.
No one else knew that.
The moment passed quietly, until the grand double doors opened once again.
In walked Nugget, followed closely by Melory.
Nugget stopped at the threshold, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the hoverbike parked squarely in the middle of the room. She looked over at Alpha, then at Cosmo, then back at the bike.
"I didn't know we had designated parking inside the council chamber," she said dryly.
Several snorts of laughter were stifled around the table.
Nugget then made her way to the second seat beside Peanut, nodding politely in response to the formal greetings offered by the other representatives. Behind her, Cosmo conjured an elegant chair for Melory, who took her seat gracefully and quietly, as was her nature.
"Blame that all-muscle pea-brain in the corner," Peanut muttered, eyes still blazing as she gestured toward Orso, who simply grinned back like a proud bear who'd done exactly what he intended.
"You still haven't learned, huh?" Nugget said as she settled comfortably into her seat. "Why would you let him drive your bike? It's not like this is the first time he's pulled something like that."
Peanut crossed her arms, still fuming. "Because he used his 'I'm-the-second-eldest' card again."
Nugget chuckled, leaning back with a smirk. "Well… as the saying goes, you deserve what you tolerate."
No sooner had Nugget and Melory taken their seats than the all-too-familiar sound of shattering glass echoed across the grand hall.
Again.
The Scryglass wall on the balcony side, not the open doorway, exploded inwards for the second time that day.
Cosmo, as expected, was already in motion before the shards could fly. With the calm precision of someone used to this exact brand of chaos, he summoned an Impenetrable Shield just in time to protect everyone in the room.
But this time, it wasn't a hoverbike.
It was a kick.
A very deliberate, dramatic, and incredibly strong kick from none other than Tuf.
Just moments earlier, he and his younger brother Neko had already spotted the conference chamber from his sleek black Aetherwing gliding through the sky. Without hesitation, Tuf began strapping on a set of reinforced harnesses, clearly preparing for something reckless.
"You're really squeezing the last few hours of your life, huh?" Neko muttered, half amused, half horrified. He already knew exactly what his brother was planning.
"Master, please!" Naelira practically begged, exasperated. "Master Alpha is definitely going to kill you this time."
But Tuf, as usual, paid her no mind. Instead, he looked over his shoulder at his brother, then at Sazrielle, who was biting her lip, clearly torn between disbelief and... well, admiration. Tuf's devil-may-care attitude had that effect on women, and Sazrielle was no exception.
"Goodbye, brother. Goodbye, world. Goodbye, Nae-nae," Tuf said dramatically, flashing a charming grin before leaping from the Aetherwing.
And then, with perfect form, he swung his body in mid-air and kicked the Scryglass wall adjacent to the already open balcony doors.
CRASH.
He landed with a roll, then stood upright with his arms raised. "Mission Impossible… accomplished!" he declared proudly, mimicking a pose straight out of an old Earth action movie.
Not that anyone, aside from his siblings, had any idea who Tom Cruise was or what Mission Impossible even meant.
A moment later, Neko landed with feline grace, followed closely by Naelira and Sazrielle, who each made soft, soundless landings behind him.
Cosmo closed his eyes briefly, muttering under his breath, "Demon Lord, why am I being punished by your children?" Still, with practiced ease, he repaired the shattered Scryglass once again. This time, however, he didn't just fix it, he reinforced it with a layer of Impenetrable Shield. Not that it would matter if someone decided to punch or kick it again. Physical force from these siblings rarely played by magical rules.
Peanut, still visibly annoyed, threw Tuf a death glare as he swaggered into the room and dropped himself into the first seat on the right side of the empty black velvet high chair.
"You're crazy, do you know that?" she snapped.
"I know," Tuf replied with an irresistible grin.
Several women in the room, attendants and representatives alike, blushed involuntarily.
Tuf was, without doubt, the most charming and devastatingly handsome among the Demon Lord's children. His effortless magnetism, roguish smile, and wild, untamable energy made him impossible to ignore. He didn't even try to be alluring, yet the effect he had on people, especially women, was undeniable.
Neko took the second seat beside Tuf, offering a brief nod of acknowledgment. Behind them, Cosmo conjured additional elegant chairs for Naelira and Sazrielle, who took their places quietly behind their respective masters.
Tuf casually leaned back and waved across the room.
"Yow, brother! Wazzup!" he called out to Alpha at the opposite end of the table, grinning ear to ear. "Wazzup everyone?"
Alpha slowly shook his head, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward in mild amusement. He didn't respond, but the look said everything: You're lucky I'm too tired to scold you today.
The representatives, especially the newer ones, exchanged confused glances.
"Wazzup?" a few of them whispered among themselves.
It was the first time they had heard the word, and it came from the forever twenty-six-year-old panther shifter whose wild entrances were as infamous as his flirtatious reputation.