10 a.D.
Kael sat with Errine, Erlef, and Luna at his favorite spot, high above the harbor city, watching the merchants and the restless movement of people below. "It's been ten years since the Doom. Essos is in chaos—war, looting, power struggles everywhere. Anyone with even the slightest trace of Valyrian blood is trying to rise to power." He paused briefly. "There are still two families with dragons—"
Luna glanced at him. "Seriously…?" They all chuckled. Kael smirked slightly.
"Yeah… where was I? Right. Those two families and their oversized lizards are trying to rule everything now. Which makes this the perfect time for us."
Errine studied him carefully. "You mean we should reveal ourselves? Show that we have more power… and could rule better?"
Kael stared at her—then burst out laughing. "Ahahaha—by the gods, no. My dear, even if we could take cities or entire kingdoms… why would we bother with that kind of stress?" He leaned back slightly. "We elves stay among ourselves. I'm not a conqueror. Too much trouble." A faint grin. "We can leave that to our children—or their children—once we decide to retire and relax." His tone shifted, becoming more serious.
"Besides… the gods of this world are still playing their games. Prophecies and all that nonsense. Why shouldn't we let them weaken each other… while we grow stronger?" A short pause.
"No… I had something else in mind." His gaze sharpened. "We use this time to strengthen our people. Expand our forces. From Naath, we create three mercenary groups to operate across Essos—gain experience, earn gold, build connections…" A brief pause.
"…and rescue children from slavery."
---
The air turned cold instantly.
All three women stared at him.
And Kael immediately realized—if he didn't explain this properly, he'd be sleeping outside for a long time.
Erlef spoke first, her tone dangerous. "Kael…"
He raised both hands quickly.
"Wait—just listen!" He continued quickly.
"The children are bought and brought to Naath—where they are freed!" He looked at them, almost pleading. Slowly, the tension eased. Kael exhaled. "Alright… we bring them to Naath, free them there, so no rumors spread that we're openly freeing slaves. Otherwise, we'd make all of Essos our enemy." His voice steadied. "We need them. We can't keep sending elves into war endlessly—not even as mercenaries." A short pause. "And to be honest… my people are the elves. The dragons. The phoenixes. The eagles." He looked toward the sea.
"Not humans—except those on Naath. I grew up there. They live in harmony with nature… they don't seek war." His voice hardened slightly. "That's why I will never abandon Naath."
Erlef smiled softly. "Yes… the people of Naath are like children of the forest. Peaceful, kind… a little helpless." She giggled quietly.
Errine had a faint smile on her face.
In her thoughts, Naath was something more—
a place bound to nature, something that had to be protected. A place of rest. A place where all of them—high elves, wood elves, dragons, phoenixes, and eagles—would give everything to defend it. And there was another reason.
It was the place where their goddess had once lived. The place from which she had called them. In a way… it had become sacred. And so had the Naathi who lived there.
---
Luna, however…
was thinking about something entirely different.
She wanted to return to Dragonstone. To Daenys. But Daenys now had a family of her own.
Children.
Kael looked at them again. "Back to the point… the children will be trained. In whatever path they choose. But those with talent—for war, espionage, or even magic—will be guided accordingly." He glanced down at the harbor again. Once more, he saw the Faith trying to establish influence. Merchants attempting to buy power.
Kael let out a quiet, disdainful laugh. "As if I would allow that…"
"So… the plan:"
1. We establish two armies as hidden mercenary groups across Essos.
2. Only one operates at a time, while the other remains in Naath.
3. Faces and bodies must never be identifiable—for obvious reasons. I have no intention of letting elves be hunted because of how they look.
4. We take only defensive contracts—or those targeting pirates, slavers, or Dothraki.
5. Elves rotate to gain experience.
6. Freed children are trained—and if loyal, become part of our realm.
"Questions?"
Luna shrugged. "Why should I care? The fights of humans don't interest me… unless they threaten you or our home."
She hesitated.
Then quietly:
"…something else…"
Even quieter:
"…children… can we start…?"
Kael smiled softly. "My little Sky Queen… our foundation is complete. Now we grow stronger." He stepped closer. "Children are a beautiful idea… but the stronger the parents are, the harder it becomes to have them." A small pause. "But we will try. For you."
Luna turned bright red, like a flushed ember, and nodded shyly.
Errine smiled softly.
Erlef let out a relieved laugh.
Erlef leaned forward eagerly. "Then we can join the armies too, right? I want to see the world… hunt… discover new things… and most of all—have fun."
Kael and Errine exchanged a glance. Then Kael nodded. "Yes. But never alone. At least two of us go together. Always." Erlef relaxed immediately. Errine gave a small nod. "That's a solid foundation. We'll refine the details later. If there's one thing we have… it's time."
---
A few days later, Kael stood with Errine and Erlef at the observation point overlooking what had once been Valyria. Errine narrowed her eyes slightly.
"It looks like the Maelstrom of Ulthuan… but not quite."
Erlef spoke calmly. "The Maelstrom in Ulthuan is essential for the world. It has two primary functions."
She raised one finger.
"First: the vacuum effect. The world is constantly flooded with raw, chaotic magical energy—the Winds of Magic. Without the Maelstrom, that energy would drive the world into madness and allow demons to manifest physically."
A second finger.
"Second: stabilization. The Maelstrom absorbs that excess magic and redirects it back into the Realm of Chaos. That keeps magical energy at a level mortals can survive."
She looked back toward Valyria.
"Here… it's different. The vacuum effect exists, but it absorbs almost all magic—around ninety-eight percent—only to release it again before pulling it back in." A brief pause. "The remaining two percent… disappears. Possibly into space… or somewhere else entirely."
Kael crossed his arms. "Fortunately for us, Naath and the Amber Isle are not affected by the drain."
His gaze sharpened. "But it seems the magic beyond the great wall of ice isn't affected either. That means… magic is accumulating there."
He looked at both of them. "There are theories that the missing magic gathers somewhere in the void…" A short pause. "…but not all of it." His voice lowered slightly. "Some believe the gods of this world are using it… to grow stronger."
Silence lingered. Then Kael spoke again. "We'll find out." A breath. "But sooner or later… we need to find a way to destroy this Maelstrom." His eyes hardened. "It would be safer for us."