The air in the grand, austere reception hall of Augustus's castle was thick with a tension far greater than any impending cosmic war. On one side stood Eleonoré, holding Aurené, whose bright, curious eyes seemed to take in every void-etched detail. Eleonoré wore a polite, if slightly wary, smile. On the other side, resplendent in their ancient, yet surprisingly well-maintained, void-silk robes, stood the former King Maximus and former Queen Materna of Umbralis. Their human-like were a mask of formal stoicism, but their eyes held a mixture of deep curiosity and profound, long-suffering weariness. Standing beside them, a quartet of figures, also human-looking, simmered with palpable annoyance: Augustus's siblings, recently, and painfully, put in their place.
Augustus stood between them, a silent, imposing bridge. He regarded the two groups with the objective air of a general observing troops.
"Eleonoré," Augustus said, his voice completely normal, yet lacking any discernible warmth or introduction. "These are my biological guardians, King Maximus and Queen Materna. And these," he gestured vaguely to his siblings, "are my… genetic relations. My brothers and sisters."
A collective scowl deepened on the faces of his siblings, though tinged now with a grudging respect and a fresh memory of blunt force trauma. One of his brothers, a hulking Umbralis warrior with a scarred brow (and a noticeable lump forming on his forehead), cleared his throat. "So, this is it, August?" he grumbled, his voice thick with a mixture of indignation and residual soreness. "After all this time, you finally decide to grace us with your presence, and it's to announce… this? A wife? A child?" he added, glancing at Eleonoré, the surprise of her identity still palpable despite their recent confrontation. His sisters nodded vehemently in agreement, arms crossed, though their expressions were now less furious and more bewildered.
Eleonoré blinked. "Oh! Your Majesties," she managed, dipping into a quick, slightly awkward curtsy, jiggling Aurené. Her gaze then flickered to the furious siblings, her smile faltering. "Hello, everyone. It's… nice to meet you."
The hall fell silent, save for Aurené's soft gurgling. The unexpected revelation of Eleonoré's identity as the Radiant Blade had already rippled through the family during the earlier chaos, but seeing her here, formally presented, still carried a potent shock.
The former Queen Materna's expression softened imperceptibly as she looked at Aurené. "So this is… Aurené," she said, her voice carrying the echo of countless royal pronouncements, now softened by genuine curiosity and surprise. "She is… a void-light hybrid, as we understand it?"
"Yes," Augustus confirmed. " And yes, this is Eleonoré. The Radiant Blade. Her combat skills are rather...exceptional."
Eleonoré's smile twitched, a blush rising to her cheeks at the unexpected praise. "She's… very lively," she offered, stepping slightly forward. "She has quite the set of lungs, and she's already… discovered some interesting ways to use her powers." Aurené let out a delighted squeal, accidentally summoning a tiny, spherical void that promptly swallowed a speck of dust from the floor before winking out of existence.
The former King Maximus watched the void-sparkle with a detached fascination. His gaze then settled on Aurené, and a glint of amusement, perhaps even mischief, sparked in his eye. He leaned forward, adopting a surprisingly monstrous facial expression, and let out a soft, playful growl, a sound traditionally used to "scare" young Umbralis royalty.
Aurené, blankly staring at his face...
cried....
The former Queen Materna, however, unamused, and irritated. Her hand shot out with the speed of an assassin, seizing a handful of the former King's magnificent, impeccably groomed moustache. She gave a sharp, decisive tug.
"Maximus!" Materna hissed, her voice a low, regal growl that promised unspeakable void-tortures. "Do not scare the child! She's hardly more than an infant! And look what she's done with your hair, August. You need a trim."
Maximus yelped, rubbing his now slightly disheveled moustache, looking utterly chastised. Augustus, meanwhile, remained perfectly still, observing the exchange. He had never once said "Papa" or "Mama" in his life.
His siblings, witnessing the legendary Radiant Blade's gentle demeanor and the surprisingly domestic squabble between their formidable parents, seemed to collectively deflate. The initial anger evaporated, replaced by bewildered acceptance. This was… unexpected. But Eleonoré was clearly strong, and Augustus had chosen her. And the child… the child was quite charming, in her own rather...sparkling way. She was immediately accepted into the family.
"Well," the eldest sister said, a tentative smile forming, "at least she's… not a beast from the Outer Planes."
"Indeed," Augustus replied, nodding. "We're rather compatible per say, Void-beasts are less… conducive to long-term cohabitation."
The former King Maximus then cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "Indeed. Dedication. We are… well acquainted with August's particular brand of dedication." His eyes met his former Queen's. "Reminds me of the incident with the rebar, does it not, my Queen?"
The former Queen Materna pressed a hand to her forehead. "Oh, please, not now, my King. We've only just met them properly."
Augustus, however, seemed to take this as a cue. "The rebar incident provided valuable data on theoretical object manipulation at range," he stated, utterly deadpan. "Though the ethical implications regarding...."someone"...was not what I....expected."
Eleonoré's face went blank for a moment. The rebar incident? What in the void was that? She processed the casual, normal delivery of such a profoundly bizarre statement, looking at Augustus, then back at his former King Maximus and Queen Materna, who merely nodded with weary resignation, as if this was a perfectly normal Tuesday. A slow, dawning realization began to bloom in Eleonoré's mind: Augustus wasn't just quirky. He was a universe of precisely.....pure.....chaos. And his parents had apparently lived through all of it. The formal meeting had barely begun, and already, Eleonoré sensed a wealth of bewildering anecdotes lurking just beneath the surface of royal decorum.