Streets of Ravetham

Trap Icy grinned, holding her phone steady as she recorded Kaelen working out at the End Grind Gym. The gym was packed, but her focus was all on him—her camera catching every rep, every lift, every bead of sweat. The chat was going crazy as her followers watched. "Y'all, look at this! Kaelen out here pushing himself to the limit," she said with a gleam in her eye, hyping up her stream.

Then, just as she was zooming in on Kaelen's determined face, a voice echoed through the gym, chilling her to the core.

“Good. I made the cut. Thought you might’ve cancelled me.”

Trap Icy swung her phone around, heart skipping a beat. Delphinus had appeared in the middle of the gym, floating, and even through the screen, his presence felt off. Like something out of a twisted dream. He had this manic grin as he hovered closer, eyeing Kaelen with unsettling delight.

“Oh, Kaelen. My sweet, sweet delicious Kaelen,” Delphinus purred, as though savoring each word. “How long has it been? Honestly, I can’t even remember at this point. But all I’ve got to say is... I’m hungry.” He licked his lips, and Trap Icy swallowed hard, her audience going wild in the chat.

Before anyone could react, Delphinus reached for a strange necklace around his neck. It glowed as he activated it, and in the blink of an eye, an exoskeleton encased his body. He looked like something out of a nightmare—mechanical and predatory, but still disturbingly dolphin-like.

Trap Icy panned back to Kaelen, who was standing his ground, but then—just like that—he vanished. Completely. Like he had been wiped from reality.

“I can see you, Kaelen!” Delphinus growled, his frustration obvious. He swung his armored head around, attacking thin air, missing entirely as he bit down on a set of dumbbells, chewing them like they were candy. He spat out the mangled metal, confusion creeping onto his face. “FUCK! Planewalker!”

Delphinus growled again, his voice seething. “You can’t stay in that state forever! Where do you think you're going, Kaelen? Moving outside won’t save you!”

Trap Icy, ever the dedicated streamer, followed Delphinus as he floated toward the gym doors, his strange dolphin-swimming motion eerie in the air. Her audience was spamming the chat, both horrified and intrigued, and she whispered, “Oh shit... guys, this is happening. It’s going down.”

Once outside, Kaelen made his move. He reappeared in his dragon form, his white scales gleaming in the sunlight. With a roar, he unleashed a devastating beam of energy from his mouth, screaming, “HYPER BEAM!”

The white-hot blast slammed into Delphinus, the impact so intense it shook the ground. Trap Icy’s phone nearly slipped from her hands as she recorded every moment, catching the moment when Delphinus’s armor—though protecting him—was obliterated in a flash of light. The force of the attack sent him crashing into the ground, forming a crater. Delphinus lay there, unconscious, his body limp.

Before anyone could celebrate, Cygnus appeared, swooping down from the sky like a guardian angel. Her wings were radiant as she landed between Kaelen and the fallen Delphinus. “A promise is a promise,” she said softly, her voice carrying a tone of peace. “I doubt Delphinus will bother you again after this. He knows you didn’t finish him off. He’ll either see you as too much of a threat... or too weak to care. I’ll try to make sure he understands reason.”

Without another word, Cygnus picked up Delphinus’s unconscious body with her talons and flew off, leaving the chaos behind.

Trap Icy quickly refocused her camera on Kaelen, who had reverted to his human form, breathing heavily but standing strong. Vex ran up to him, laughing in disbelief. “Bro! You just hyper-beamed your first fakemon! Damn, what level are you, anyway?”

Before Kaelen could answer, the nanite in his brain chimed in, its robotic voice clear: Host: Potential High 6-A.

It then projected a 3D image, showing Kaelen in his dragon form, using his blood magic. Trap Icy zoomed in on the projection as it showed Kaelen drawing power from his own blood, then absorbing light magic to supercharge a mana discharge. The final simulation showed him leveling most of the Atlantic Ocean, along with parts of Europe and Africa. The energy blast was massive—enough to destroy the world in minutes.

Trap Icy, still in awe, turned back to her Twitchr stream, addressing her audience directly. “Y’all saw that, right? Kaelen ain't to be fucked with—on GAWD. This whole continent better back the fuck off! We thought Zagoth was bad? Nah, meet Lost Stray, aka Kaelen motherfucking Valrath—the Prince of the Underdark. He just laid out Delphinus, ending those crazy-ass schizoid episodes the government warned us about.”

Her chat exploded with comments and reactions, but all Trap Icy could think about was the dangerous power Kaelen wielded.

Zelyndra stood by the window, her violet eyes casting a distant gaze over the sprawling city of Ravetham. She had watched her grandson, Kaelen, grow into something far greater than she had ever anticipated. He had unlocked his full potential, powers beyond her control. Even for someone as formidable as Matron Zelyndra Nyxaris, Kaelen had become out of reach—an untethered force that no one, not even she, could manipulate anymore.

As she sighed, a soft knock interrupted her thoughts. Aelira, her beautiful and once betrothed to Kaelen, entered the room. The sadness in her eyes was unmistakable, yet there was a determination simmering beneath.

Zelyndra turned to her, her voice firm but tinged with something almost like regret. "Aelira, it is time I return to the Underdark. Your duties to my grandson have come to an end. He has surpassed everything I could have ever prepared him for... and you are free from your marriage obligations."

Aelira paused, but instead of looking heartbroken, she let out a small, almost mocking laugh. Zelyndra raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Aelira held up her phone, showing Zelyndra the screen. "Free? Maybe not. Look at this."

The text message displayed a picture and video sent by Surge, one of the Breakers’ team members. Both were undeniably explicit—of Kaelen and Surge, together. Aelira’s gaze darkened with a mix of jealousy and... hunger.

The message read: "Hey Aelira, slept with Kaelen. Thought you’d wanna see. 😘 If you help me with more encounters like this, maybe you can join next time."

Aelira’s lips curled into a wicked smile. "She’s offering me a deal. If I help her set up more encounters with Kaelen... I get a part of him too. And I think... that's exactly what I want."

Zelyndra, though taken aback, couldn’t deny the brilliance of the scheme. Sharing Kaelen with Surge wasn’t ideal, but if Aelira could win Kaelen's affections back—albeit in a shared arrangement—perhaps all wasn’t lost.

"Interesting... and what is Surge’s price?" Zelyndra asked, her calculating mind immediately shifting gears, wondering how this could work to Aelira's advantage.

Aelira hesitated, then continued. "Surge wants me to be bait. She wants me to lure Kaelen into situations where he might lower his guard—preferably places where we can manipulate things to set up these... 'encounters.' It doesn’t matter to me how or where. As long as I can be with him, even if it’s with others involved, it’s worth it."

Zelyndra smiled now, nodding. "You’ve always been resourceful. This plan is as ambitious as it is cunning. And the political advantages are immense. I will support you fully. You’ll stay behind here in Ravetham, replacing the previous diplomat stationed in the city. You’ll handle politics by day and juggle Kaelen’s interests by night. You’ve worked all your life to secure power, and now, you have two opportunities within your grasp—Kaelen’s affection and control over the politics in this region."

Aelira’s grin widened. This was it—her moment. Her plan. She could have it all. "I won’t fail, Matron. Even if I have to share him... I’ll make sure Kaelen sees me, wants me. And politics... well, that will be my battlefield."

Zelyndra gave her a final nod of approval. "Good. Remember, I’ll cover your expenses while you are here. You’ll need resources, and I’ll make sure you have them. But do not falter—Kaelen is more volatile than we anticipated. Your success depends on whether you can keep him close while still playing the political game."

As Zelyndra turned to leave, a rare look of pride glimmered in her eyes. "You are anything but a failure, Aelira. Prove it."

Aelira stood taller, a new fire burning in her. As Zelyndra left, she clutched her phone, staring at the explicit message from Surge. This would be her way in. She had waited too long, suffered too much for Kaelen to simply slip away. She didn’t care if she had to share him—because in the end, she would have him.

And if that meant manipulating both love and politics, so be it.

Aelira was ready.