Rylan adjusted the strap of his luggage one last time in front of the carriage that would take him to the Imperial Academy.
"You will be fine alone for a day in the city."
Kael nodded from his position next to the entrance of the Drayvar mansion, with Aldric and two other guards flanking him.
"I have an escort. I will see the city. Tomorrow I return to Stormvale. Simple."
Rylan looked at him for a moment longer, with an expression that suggested he wanted to say something more but couldn't find the appropriate words for the occasion.
Eventually, he just nodded.
"Don't cause trouble."
"Me? Trouble?"
Kael tilted his head with an innocence that convinced no one.
Rylan did not smile back. He simply climbed into the carriage with a movement that spoke of contained nervousness about what awaited him at the Academy.
The vehicle drove away, disappearing between the streets of Vaeloria toward the eastern edge of the city where the Empire's most prestigious institution awaited its new student.
Kael watched him leave until he was no longer visible.
And then he turned toward Aldric with a smile that was considerably more genuine.
"Good. I have a full day to see the capital of the Empire. It would be a waste to spend it locked up in the mansion."
Aldric nodded with the resignation of someone who knew that protesting would be useless.
"Any specific destination, young Kael?"
"All of them."
"...that is not possible in one day."
"Then let's see how much we can cover before it gets dark."
And with that, Kael began to walk toward the streets of Vaeloria with the determined step of someone intent on absorbing everything possible in limited time.
Vaeloria was...
Different.
Completely, utterly different from Stormvale in ways that went beyond simple size.
This was the first world.
The buildings were not simply large.
They were architectural statements that defied logic.
Refined white stone shining under the sun, elaborate designs engraved on every surface, towers rising with a boldness that bordered on justified arrogance.
Every structure silently competed with its neighbors to demonstrate superiority.
More elaborate columns.
Larger windows.
More intricate decorations.
It was a visual competition that never ended.
And the technology.
Flameless lamps, constant light emanating from crystals imbued with Aether.
They did not flicker.
They did not require oil.
They simply shone with uniform intensity.
Carriages moving without horses, mechanisms humming with contained energy.
Wheels turning with mechanical precision.
Flares launching high from different points, exploding into specific symbols.
A visual communication system constantly operating over the city.
Overwhelming.
Impressive.
Exactly as expected and more.
Kael walked for hours, absorbing everything. Aldric and the guards followed him, maintaining a respectful distance but constant vigilance.
They passed through markets where merchants sold goods from all over the continent.
Silks that looked liquid.
Metals that shone with impossible tones.
Spices with aromas that filled the air.
They passed through workshops where artisans created works that combined technique with Aether.
Armor that adjusted automatically.
Weapons that maintained a perfect edge.
Jewels that projected light upon contact.
Everything was more.
Bigger.
More elaborate.
More impossible.
And then he saw it.
The Colosseum.
A massive structure dominating an entire district, circular and rising with dimensions that made even the largest buildings seem modest.
Walls of dark gray stone reinforced with metal that shone with imbued Aether, gigantic arches allowing a glimpse of the interior without fully revealing it.
The scale was almost obscene.
Kael stopped in front of it, looking up with his neck tilted to capture the full magnitude.
"What is it?"
Aldric stepped closer slightly.
"The place where tournaments are held to determine the strongest in the Empire. Formal combat between Aether users of all levels. Some for honor, others for prizes, all for glory."
Concentrated power in an arena for mass entertainment.
Aether Gladiators.
Violence elevated to spectacle — but real violence with real consequences.
"Can we go in?"
"There is no tournament today. It is closed."
Kael nodded, memorizing the location.
'Someday.'
'Someday it would be interesting to see how strong the Empire's elite truly was when they were allowed to fight without political restrictions.'
He continued walking, leaving the Colosseum behind but not forgetting it.
The hours passed.
Pleasant because every district revealed something new.
Frustrating because time was consumed while all of Vaeloria stretched out with more things than one day could contain.
The districts changed as he advanced deeper.
Each area progressively more impressive, a visual escalation where proximity to the center equaled importance.
And then he noticed the change.
The flow of people.
Everyone moving in the same direction.
Hundreds.
No.
Thousands.
Converging toward some invisible central point.
The noise gradually grew.
Not chaos, but concentrated energy of a massive crowd moving with a singular purpose.
Kael looked at Aldric with a silent question.
Aldric looked as bewildered as he did.
"I don't know what is causing this."
"Let's follow."
He let himself be carried by the human current, allowing the flow to guide him while Aldric stayed protectively close.
The guards flanked, hands near swords but not drawn.
The crowd thickened with every step.
Thousands turned into more thousands.
Density increasing until moving required active effort.
And then the plaza was revealed.
Enormous.
Impossibly enormous.
A space stretching for kilometers, surrounded by government buildings that seemed small in comparison.
And filling it completely were the people.
Tens of thousands.
Perhaps hundreds of thousands.
Kael had never seen so much humanity concentrated in a single place.
And the diversity was astonishing.
Nobles of the Great Houses with varied emblems.
Wealthy merchants with exotic silks.
Warriors from other kingdoms with foreign-designed armor.
Diplomats with ceremonial robes marking origins in distant empires.
Citizens of Vaeloria filling the spaces.
Pilgrims with solar symbols, members of the Cult of the Eternal Sun.
All here.
All waiting.
No one explained what they were waiting for but everyone knew.
The energy was palpable, thick anticipation in the air like a storm about to break.
Kael tried to see over the heads but his height was a considerable disadvantage.
"Aldric."
He didn't have to explain.
Aldric crouched down.
Kael climbed onto his shoulders.
Now he had a clear view over the sea of heads.
And he saw the Elevated Way.
An impossible structure that cut through the city like a declaration of engineering and power.
A raised road built with refined white stone that shone under the sun, massive columns supporting it forty meters above the ground, wide enough for complete processions to transit without restriction.
Majestic was not a sufficient word.
It was deliberate excess, a design that clearly said:
We can build this, and we built it because we can.
And then silence fell.
Instantly.
Thousands of conversations cutting off simultaneously as if an invisible command had been issued.
The Elevated Way, previously empty, now contained figures.
A procession approaching from the distance.
Guards first.
Many guards.
Armor that shone, a perfect formation that spoke of training that surpassed anything Kael had seen in Stormvale.
The Sentinels of Dawn.
Even without anyone saying it, Kael knew.
Absolute elite.
And behind them...
He.
The distance was considerable.
Forty meters of height plus hundreds of meters of horizontal length separated Kael from the figure on the Elevated Way.
It didn't matter.
It was impossible not to see him.
Impossible not to feel him.
Titus Draconis.
The Eternal Emperor.
A robe that flowed as if it were made of solidified light rather than cloth, wide sleeves that moved with every step with a grace that contrasted the absolute power emanating from it.
Intense red dominated, a deep crimson with darker shadows that suggested impossible depth, touches of golden light interwoven that made the design shine as if fire lived within the fabric.
Long, straight hair falling over his shoulders and back, red that was almost blood but more vibrant, more alive, more impossible.
Strands capturing sunlight and transforming it into something more dramatic.
And his presence...
God.
His presence.
A golden aura visibly emanating, Sunfire manifesting even without apparent intention to use it.
It was not an attack.
It was not a demonstration.
It was simply what he was — power so concentrated that it constantly leaked out without conscious effort.
Three hundred years.
Three hundred years of power condensed into human form.
He walked with the absolute certainty of one who had never been successfully challenged, never had to doubt, never had known a real limit to his will.
The crowd reacted.
Some fell to their knees out of respect that bordered on adoration.
Others bowed deeply, proud nobles lowering their heads before authority that surpassed their pride.
Murmurs of reverence spread like a wave:
"The Eternal Emperor."
"The Chosen of the Sun."
"Three hundred years."
"The Eternal One."
Members of the Sun Cult openly wept, faces shining with a devotion that went beyond the rational into the territory of pure faith.
Ambassadors from foreign empires showed respect in the ways of their own cultures.
Fists over hearts.
Specific bows.
Gestures that meant things Kael did not understand but which clearly recognized the power before them.
And Kael...
Kael simply watched.
'This.'
'This is what I have been looking for without knowing I was looking for it.'
'Without understanding what it really was until this exact moment.'
'Not the power to manipulate people like pieces on a small board.'
'Not the power to win duels against siblings in safe training yards.'
'Not the power to control one House among six.'
'This.'
'Absolute power.'
'The kind of power that makes hundreds of thousands of people gather just to watch him pass for a few minutes.'
'The kind of power that makes nobles who rule vast lands bow their heads without question.'
'The kind of power that makes ambassadors from distant empires show involuntary respect because denying him would be ridiculous.'
'Three hundred years.'
'Three hundred years of reigning without being seriously challenged.'
'Three hundred years of having the entire known world recognize your name with a weight that few names can carry.'
'Three hundred years of being more than human.'
'Of being immortal in life.'
'Of being a walking deity who breathes and bleeds but who transcends mortality in ways that matter.'
'That is what I want.'
The realization struck like a hammer against an anvil, resonating in his chest with a clarity that cut through all previous confusion.
'I don't want to be rich.'
'Wealth is a tool, a means to an end, not an objective in itself.'
'I don't want to be respected.'
'Respect can be faked, it can be bought with enough resources, it can be counterfeited with enough social skill.'
'I don't want to be powerful in the limited sense I have been pursuing until now.'
'I want to be absolute.'
'I want my sole existence to be an immutable fact of the world.'
'I want them to mention my name with the same weight as they mention his.'
'I want that when I walk anywhere, thousands stop just to see me pass.'
'I want my presence to silence conversations without the need for conscious effort.'
'I want that three hundred years after I ascend to power, people still talk about me as they talk about him now in this moment.'
'I want what he has.'
'Everything.'
'No exceptions.'
'No compromises.'
'No reduced versions or acceptable alternatives.'
'I want everything that being possesses.'
'The absolute power of having hundreds of thousands at your feet without even asking for it.'
'Of being recognized in every corner of the known world without the need for introduction.'
'Of being more than mortal flesh and bone.'
'Of being eternal not only in extended life but in memory that persists centuries later.'
'Of being the standard against which all future power is inevitably measured.'
'It is impossible.'
The truth of that struck with a weight that could not be ignored.
'Completely, absolutely, ridiculously impossible.'
'I am a ten-year-old child.'
'The younger son of a House that is one of six Great Houses, not even the most powerful.'
'Without exceptional Aether to distinguish me from hundreds of other young nobles.'
'Without real connections beyond those I have built with minor manipulation and opportunistic blackmail.'
'Without my own resources except what I can steal or extort from those who are weak enough to yield.'
'The distance between me and him is...'
'Incalculable.'
'It is not a gap that can be crossed with normal effort.'
'It is not an objective that can be reached by following conventional paths.'
'It is not a reasonable ambition for someone in my position according to any logical analysis.'
'It is pure madness.'
'Delusions of grandeur that any sensible person would dismiss as a child's fantasy who does not understand how the real world works where birth and Aether determine destiny with almost absolute rigidity.'
'And yet...'
'I don't care.'
The determination settled in his chest like molten iron solidifying, a weight that was strangely comforting in its absolute certainty.
'I don't care if it is impossible by conventional definition.'
'I don't care how long it takes to reach it.'
'Ten years. Fifty years. One hundred years if it proves necessary.'
'I have time because I will make time.'
'I don't care what I have to do to achieve it.'
'Manipulate. Lie. Betray. Kill. Destroy. Build.'
'Anything that proves necessary.'
'I don't care what I have to sacrifice along the way.'
'Family. Friends. Morality. Humanity. Whatever is necessary without exception.'
'I don't care who I have to destroy to reach it.'
'Siblings. Father. Entire Houses. The Empire itself if it stands between me and this goal.'
'This is what I want.'
'With a clarity I have never had about anything before.'
'And I will get it.'
'Or I will die trying.'
'And honestly...'
'I prefer to die pursuing this than to live a whole life without having even tried.'
'Because a life without trying to achieve this would not be worth living anyway.'
The Emperor continued his march along the Elevated Way, the procession advancing with a measured pace that did not hurry because time itself seemed to bend to his will.
The crowd remained in silent reverence, hundreds of thousands of eyes following the golden figure as he moved toward the Temple of the Sun that rose in the distance as the final destination of this ceremonial procession.
And Kael remained motionless on Aldric's shoulders, staring without blinking, etching every detail into memory with a precision that bordered on the obsessive.
'This moment.'
'This exact moment.'
'This.'
'I will remember this.'
'Every time I doubt if I can continue.'
'Every time the goal seems too impossible to justify the effort.'
'Every time I consider giving up or settling for less than the absolute.'
'I will remember this moment.'
'I will remember how it felt to see absolute power manifested in human form.'
'I will remember what I decided when I saw it with my own eyes.'
'I will remember exactly why it matters more than anything else.'
A final thought floated to the surface of his mind, simple and without context to explain it appropriately.
'Yes, mother.'
'This is what I want.'
The Emperor gradually moved away, distance increasing meter by meter until the golden figure became blurred by combined perspective and distance.
But the aura remained visible even when the man himself was no longer clear.
Gold shining in the distance like a star that had briefly touched down before continuing its journey toward an unknown destination.
The crowd began to move slowly, energy shifting from reverent anticipation to satisfaction at having witnessed something they considered significant.
Conversations gradually resumed, thousands of voices mixing into a murmur that grew toward the normal noise of massive, concentrated humanity.
But Kael did not move.
He remained completely still on Aldric's shoulders, staring toward where the Emperor had disappeared among the distant buildings.
Processing.
Absorbing.
Consolidating.
Everything had changed.
Nothing had changed.
The world was exactly the same as it had been ten minutes before.
The same physical laws applied.
The same social structures existed.
The same Empire governed this continent.
But he...
He was completely different.
Fundamentally transformed in ways that could not be reversed.
Because now he knew.
He knew what he wanted with absolute clarity that cut through all confusion.
He knew what he would pursue for every remaining day of his life no matter how long it lasted.
He knew what he would sacrifice absolutely everything to obtain without hesitation.
And that...
That changed everything.
The crowd continued to disperse.
Thousands moving in different directions, returning to their normal lives.
For them, it had been a special but temporary moment.
Seeing the Emperor was an honor, it was a significant experience, but it was part of their lives that continued in predetermined directions.
For Kael, it had been a revelation.
The moment where everything crystallized.
Where the path became clear even if it was impossible.
Where the goal was set even if it was unattainable.
There was no turning back from this.
There was no way to un-know what he now knew.
There was no way to want less after having seen what was possible.
Aldric finally spoke, his voice cautious.
"Young Kael... we should return to the mansion. It is getting late."
Kael did not respond immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on the distant point where the Emperor had disappeared.
Finally, he nodded.
"Yes."
His voice sounded different even to himself.
Calmer.
Colder.
More certain.
He climbed down from Aldric's shoulders with a controlled movement.
The crowd flowed around them as they began the walk back.
Kael walked in silence, aware of every step.
The day had begun as a curious exploration of the capital.
It ended as a fundamental transformation.
And as he walked through the streets of Vaeloria that now looked different under the evening light, Kael felt something settling in his chest.
It was not doubt.
It was not fear.
It was certainty.
Cold, hard, immutable certainty.
This was what he would do with his life.
There was no alternative worth considering.
There was no other goal that justified the effort.
Only this.
Only the absolute power he had seen manifested.
And he would do whatever was necessary to achieve it.
Absolutely whatever.