Viggo stopped beside the other empty armchair. He leaned slightly towards Aurelion, his face was calm.
"May I sit, young man?"
Aurelion was surprised for a moment. It was strange for someone who looked so powerful to ask for permission. He had understood who the man opposite him was and how important he was from Brynja's reaction. Without a word, just scrutinizing the man with curiosity, he nodded his head slightly in affirmation.
Viggo, settled into the armchair slowly. His imposing frame completely filled the chair. After sitting, he paused for a moment, resting his arms comfortably on the sides of the armchair, and turned to the small Elf who was still watching him intently.
"I am Viggo Silverfang, leader of the Silverfang clan," His eyes were on Aurelion. "Who are you, son?"
"I am Aurelion," he said, his voice clear and, despite its childish tone, distant.
Just then, with light clattering sounds from the kitchen, Sigrid and Brynja entered the living room. Brynja, holding a small tray, walked towards Viggo, while Sigrid approached the child with a mug, apparently prepared for Aurelion.
"May we offer you something to drink, Clan Leader?" Brynja asked respectfully.
"Just some water will suffice, thank you."
Sigrid, meanwhile, had come to Aurelion's side, offering him the mug. "I brought you some honeyed milk, Aurelion. It will warm you up."
Aurelion wait for a moment, then took the small mug. Sigrid smiled and stepped back.
Brynja, after serving Viggo his water, also headed back to the kitchen with Sigrid, clearly not wanting to disturb their guest.
Viggo waited until the servants had left. Then he took a calm sip from his goblet and turned his gaze back to Aurelion.
"Do you know what clans are and their importance, son?" he asked.
Aurelion took a small sip from the milk. "Yes," he said.
"But I'm a little surprised. I thought War Chieftain Varkas was the leader of the Silverfang clan?"
Viggo chuckled softly, this time with obvious amusement in his voice. "Ah, yes. Technically, he is still our Chieftain, but my nephew now carries the burden of the entire Ulfgard on his shoulders. City administration, relations with other clans, external threats... He has more important matters. Therefore, I take care of the daily affairs of our clan and the traditions of the Silverfangs. Let's say, while he wields the sword, I keep the hearth warm."
Aurelion's eyebrows rose slightly. "Nephew?" he asked, his surprise more genuine this time.
"Yes," Viggo said, his gaze momentarily lost in the flames of the fireplace "To witness someone you've watched grow up and become strong eventually surpass you is a strange but good feeling, son. It's a source of pride."
Aurelion listened intently to Viggo. The love and pride this old man felt for Varkas was palpable. But Aurelion's main curiosity lay elsewhere.
"Is this how one becomes strong?" he asked again, his gaze was fixed on the marks on the man's hand.
Viggo, though slightly startled by the child's insistence and the sudden change in focus, didn't show it. That slight, smile was back on his face. "Yes, son," he said calmly.
This short answer wasn't enough for Aurelion. He placed his mug on the small table beside him. He slowly rose from his chair. With a few small steps, he came right next to the armchair where the Clan Leader sat.
He leaned slightly over Viggo's hand. His golden eyes closely examined those blue, vibrating cracks. Then, he extended his small finger and lightly touched one of those strangely glowing marks.
Though the touch was merely one of childish curiosity, the act itself, considering the imposing figure opposite him, was an incredible display of dare.
"What is this?" he had whispered, his golden eyes locked on Viggo's face in anticipation.
Viggo's faintly glowing blue pupils focused first on the child's touching finger, then back on those questioning golden eyes.
There was a moment of absolute silence. Then, something rare happened on Viggo's usually serious face. His lips slowly curled upwards, and a low, rumbling chuckle, originating from deep within his chest.
"Heh..." Viggo said, his voice still carrying traces of his chuckle. He shook his head slightly. "This dare of yours... reminds me of my granddaughter. "She's just like that, when something catches her eye or she sees something she's curious about, no matter how dangerous, she can't rest until she touches it, pokes at it. A complete little troublemaker."
Aurelion slowly withdrew his finger, but his eyes were still on Viggo. The man's reaction... was unexpected. Instead of anger or a warning, there was a comparison and even a hint of affection.
Viggo, seeing Aurelion's still expectant gaze, looked back at the blue lines on his own hand.
"This? Let's just say this is a mark of feeling the mountains' power a little too closely... and learning to hold a part of that power within, son. Sometimes, power itself leaves such permanent signatures on the one who bears it."
Aurelion listened intently to Viggo's words. These weren't concrete answers, but they were important clues about what called Evolution.
Viggo was implying that this power wasn't natural, that it was acquired later, and that it came with a price. And most importantly, he didn't seem as reluctant to talk about it as Roric.
This old man could perhaps be the key to the answers he sought.
Viggo noticed the change in the child's face. He leaned back comfortably in his armchair. "Anyway. There's nothing that interesting about this old man. Tell me a bit about yourself, son."
The man wanted to make him talk, but why? He calmly returned to his armchair, picking up the milk from the side table. He took a small sip, buying time.
Viggo waited patiently, then continued gently. "I assume you've understood some things by now. You must have realized you're living in this big city without anyone else of your kind. The other children around you… they are different from you. So, do you know how you ended up in this city?"
"As far as I know, Captain Roric and his men found me during the Great War, near these borders. There was another Elf woman with me, dying. She gave me to them." He paused. "Later, they brought me here, to Ulfgard. As i heard first, they reported the situation to the War Chieftain, then they left me at the orphanage. That's all."
Viggo listened intently, nodding slightly. "Yes. The story is true." He paused, then added. "When they brought you to the War Chieftain, that day... I was there too, son."
Viggo... was there? That first day? This information had shifted the pieces. "Did you... did you remember me?"
"Those were very dark days, The war was raging with all its might. Every day we received news of new losses, new threats. The War Chieftain and we were constantly making defense plans, developing strategies. In the midst of all that chaos, the sudden appearance of a High Elf baby in Captain Roric's arms... Yes, son, that was a very unexpected and unforgettable moment. Of course, I remember."
His gaze deepened. "You were an exceedingly quiet baby. Despite the chaos and strangeness around you... those golden eyes were just carefully scrutinizing everything. You weren't even crying." He paused. "In fact... you had even specifically caught the attention of Sage Ulfar."
"Sage Ulfar?" he asked immediately.
"Yes," Viggo confirmed. "All Northerners hold Sages in deep respect, son. Their words are a guide for us. Ulfar is one of the most respected among them. For someone like him to have taken an interest in you at that age... That was a rare occurrence. That's why, when I heard years later that Captain Roric had decided to take you under his wing... I wasn't surprised."
Aurelion was connecting Viggo's words in his mind. Ulfar's interest... Roric taking him in... Was there a connection between them? Was Roric's motivation just compassion or responsibility, or was it something Ulfar or perhaps the War Chieftain had noticed? Just as he was about to direct these new questions to Viggo...
The silence of the living room was broken first by the solid sound of the outer door. Then by the familiar steps echoing on the stone floor.
Viggo and Aurelion simultaneously turned their heads towards the arched passage leading to the living room.
A few heartbeats later, Roric's armored silhouette appeared. His dark eyes first saw Viggo sitting calmly in the armchair, waiting for him, a slight surprise on his face.
Then his gaze immediately shifted to Aurelion, who was sitting in the chair next to him, watching him with the same surprised curiosity.
Roric's brows furrowed noticeably. Seeing these two together here, so... comfortably, had set off an alarm bell within him.
Viggo, upon seeing Roric arrive, rose from his seat. There was a respectful but also natural expression of authority on his face.
"Captain Roric, forgive me for coming unannounced. I stopped by the garrison but couldn't find you, so I thought I'd check here."
Roric took a few steps towards Viggo, his posture stern but respectful. "Clan Leader Viggo, It's no matter. Was there a problem?"
"Not very important," Viggo said with a shrug. "I just wanted to discuss the new routes for the Silver Guard patrols and some equipment needs. Maybe a more suitable place..."
Roric understood immediately. "Of course, we can go to my study." He gestured with his hand towards the stairs leading upstairs.
As the two imposing figures began to walk towards the corridor, Viggo paused and turned back to look at Aurelion.
"Actually, Captain, if it's alright with you, young Aurelion could join us. He had some rather... curious questions while we were talking. Perhaps hearing a few things about city defense might interest him."
It was clear Roric inwardly cursed, but his facial expression didn't change. His eyes shifted suspiciously from Viggo to Aurelion. He looked at Aurelion's face. The child had put on his usual innocent, curious expression, but Roric knew the calculating intelligence behind those golden eyes.
Directly opposing the Clan Leader wouldn't be wise. Perhaps it would be interesting to see how the child would react to such a conversation.
"Do you want to come, brat?"
A momentary, faint smile appeared on Aurelion's face. The opportunity to listen to a strategic conversation between two powerful figures... This was not to be missed.
"Alright," Roric grumbled. "But you'll keep quiet."
The three of them went upstairs to Roric's study. Roric went to his large, armchair behind his desk. He gestured with his hand towards the two chairs opposite. As Viggo settled into one, Aurelion silently sat in the other.
Viggo got straight to the point. He pointed to a section of the Ulfgard map in front of them.
"Captain, I was thinking about the current patrol routes of the Silver Guards... Especially after the recent increase in strange incidents around Storm Pass and Shadow Canyon, perhaps we need to make the current system a bit more dynamic. By drawing more flexible routes, we can reduce the risk of being caught unprepared against potential threats. Also, we should discuss the priority distribution of Moonsteel armor to certain units..."
Aurelion listened intently to this strategic conversation between the two giants. This room, this conversation, was a more valuable lesson for him than all the books in the orphanage. And he was determined to absorb every moment of it.
As Roric nodded in agreement with Viggo's words, he pointed to Shadow Canyon on the map. "The equipment of the patrols in Shadow Canyon is insufficient, Leader Viggo. Changing routes without allocating additional resources to that area could be risky..."
Viggo leaned forward, his claw like finger touching a point just beyond where Roric indicated "The equipment shortage is true, Captain. But the real problem isn't just the darkness. It's what's seeping out of that rift. The tracks found at the camp of the last lost Wildling patrol... this isn't the work of known mountain predators or snow wolves."
His tone grew serious. "It looks more like... those cursed insect type nightmares come from the Dark Continent caves. They're not around during the day, but when night falls, they emerge from that rift to hunt, and they seem to be moving in increasingly organized ways."
Aurelion was all ears. He was hearing these terms for the first time. So, beneath the world, there were far different and more dangerous life forms than he knew, and this canyon was a gateway to that dark world.
Roric thoughtfully stroked his beard. "That's why, Leader Viggo, I was thinking of adding experienced Wild Guards to the standard Silver Guard patrol, trackers who can better read that area and those strange tracks, perhaps figure out the weak points or behavioral patterns of these insects. Normally, they patrol outside the city, but in this special case... The Silver Guards' Moonsteel armor and brute strength are important, but they might be blind alone against such ambush prone, venomous creatures."
Viggo weighed this proposal. "Wild Guards support... Yes, it could be a good first step. At least we'll better understand what we're up against, how much their numbers have increased."
Then his finger moved to another point on the map, to the steep passes in the north. "However, my main concern is Storm Pass, Captain. That shortcut is critical for both merchants and emergency shipments, but the frequency and especially the severity of the storms in recent months... This is far beyond a normal winter cycle."
Roric nodded with a frown. "You're right Clan Leader. The storms are now almost continuous, and they're not just stronger, they also seem to carry a more... strange energy. The monsters within, as if feeding off this chaos, are behaving more boldly. Some rare snow monsters that normally stay at that altitude have even started threatening the hunting grounds to the south."
Viggo looked at Roric with a serious expression. "It's this strange energy and abnormality that concerns me, Captain. The direction of the wind, the structure of the snow... Even experienced scouts suspect this isn't just a natural climate event. Is there another factor triggering, perhaps intentionally feeding, the storms? We can't ignore the possibility of some kind of energy manipulation."
Aurelion was all ears. Energy manipulation? So energy wasn't just an internal power, but also something that could be controlled from the outside, even used as a weapon. This added a whole new dimension to the concept of power.
Roric nodded thoughtfully. "This possibility disturbs me too, Leader Viggo. However, neither our standard Silver Guard patrols nor the Rune Masters in the area have been able to detect a clear energy source or abnormality within that chaos. The storm's own energy masks everything."
"Precisely why," Viggo said with determination, "I believe we need to send a small but expert team from the Deep Guards there."
Aurelion was hearing this name for the first time too. Deep Guards?
Viggo continued, as if explaining to Aurelion at the same time "They are rare but selected from the best proven Wild Guards or City Guards who chose a different path instead of becoming Silver Guards... They have a high energy sensitivity, either innate or developed later. Their task is precisely this. To detect energy fluctuations, manipulation attempts and to find their source. Their sensitivity could help us understand the source of these storms. If someone or something is intentionally fueling those storms, we have to know."
Energy sensitivity… Their task is to solve energy manipulations… So there were such special units.
Roric was weighing Viggo's proposal. "The Deep Guards are few in number and each one is very valuable to Ulfgard, Clan Leader Viggo. Sending them into that hell of Storm Pass is a great risk. But if there is energy manipulation, not finding out could be a greater risk. You're right. How many people are you thinking for the team? And which specializations should be prioritized?"
As the conversation shifted to more technical details, Aurelion sat motionless, committing every word he heard to memory.
The world was much more complex than he thought, the dangers much more varied, and the power balances much more delicate.
As the two leaders continued to discuss the possible structure and risks of the Deep Guard team, Viggo's eyes momentarily shifted to Aurelion,
The child seemed to be absorbing every word spoken, his golden eyes darting between the map and the two adults, a seriousness and focus unexpected for his age on his face.
"Young man," Viggo said suddenly.
Viggo's eyes were focused directly on Aurelion. "You've sat here silently, listening intently to every word. These complex matters, dangerous regions, special units... You must have something on your mind too?"
Aurelion golden eyes shifted first to Viggo then to Roric.
Behind the Captain's face, a faint spark of curiosity could be discerned. Viggo's intervention had clearly overridden Roric's order for silence.
Aurelion, paused for a moment, quickly weighing the risks and rewards of remaining silent or, if he spoke, what he would say. This was a test, an opportunity, and perhaps a trap.