LOCATION : VAEVERON STAR SYSTEM ALPHA, PLANET MERVAL

After several months, Juruno was finally home to planet Merval, home planet of the Vaeverons. He had just come through the warp gate on the other side which was the one stationed on Merval's capital city,. On either side of that warp gate was one guard each, both of which were Vaeveron voyagers like all of the working voyagers you'd find on a Vaeveron star system.

"Welcome back." one of them said, to which Juruno simply nodded. He walked down the platform where the warp gate stood onto smooth road. It was day time on this side of Merval and the sun shone brightly. The sky on Merval was a very deep shade of blue and two of its three moons were visible even in the day time. The road that led from the warp gate was wide and perfectly straight, cutting through the entire city for several tens of kilometers. As Juruno walked down the road he was greeted by the familiar sights of the capital city. On either side of the road were buildings that ranged from medium sized houses to several storey tall structures arranged in identically sized city blocks of various shapes. Every building in the capital was crafted with a dark brown luxurious wood that was very beautiful to look at. They also all had window cut outs shaped like hexagons and similarly styled roof tops.

It was fairly quiet in the city, exuding only a low hum from people quietly going about their daily activities, a property of the capital Juruno had always liked. But he wouldn't get to relish its calming effect for long because of the summon. He walked briskly down the long road towards the massive structure that stood just after the city. The distance was far too long to cover in reasonable time while walking so he decided to sprint the rest of the way, instantly morphing into a blur. A few seconds later he was at the end of lengthy road and stood at the entry way of the building beyond the city. A building so large and looming it could be seen from any point in the city and even beyond. Its height was several times that of the largest structures the city contained and very many times as wide. The design choice for the structure could barely only be described by the word bizzare. It was shaped like a crashing wave and was completely crafted from a dark grey metal on the outside. There were no gates or walls surrounding it and the area around the building rather hard three gardens arranged in concentric circles. This was a very intentional choice, to send a message to all who may see, "We have no need to shield ourselves, attack if you dare." This was the castle of the Vaeverons, very few people could even think of it.

Voyager clans. A large group of voyagers sharing the same blood that could be traced to a single voyager ancestor which had grown in number over time till they were large enough to be considered a formidable force. Clan members didn't really bear similarities but most people born into clans had the potential to become voyagers and in most clans, members had similar affinities for techniques. The power, reach and capabilities of clans were enough to rule over entire star systems, sometimes even multiple ones. Collectively, the might and influence of voyager clans is the second highest in the current world, just behind Centros. And among the fifteen prominent clans, the Vaeverons are considered to be among the top five.

Juruno made his way through the gardens and headed for the north-east end of the area. He didn't bother going into the building or asking where he could find the clan head. He could already sense where he was. At the northeast end of the compound were two people discussing in audible tones. The person to the left was tall man who had faded black hair and sky blue eyes. His skin was tanned and his face had a generally relaxed look to it. His appearance was very similar to Juruno's except Juruno was younger and had a more serious looking face. He was holding a small brown dog and stroking its head while speaking to the other person on the right. A shorter, older looking man, wearing a forced smile that aimed to please but was easy to see through. The man on the left was the clan head, also known to Juruno as father.

Bearing the title of clan head meant you were a power house only able to be matched by very few besides other clan heads and your influence was equally unparalleled. The title itself was menacing and domineering and you might've expected the head to give the same feel but the Vaeveron clan head was actually quite relaxed and easy-going, and spoke freely with the other man on a seemingly serious issue. The dog in his arms would periodically bark at the other man and each time, the head would pause midway giving it a serious stare whilst coercing it into calming down before looking up again to hear what the man had to say. Maybe even too relaxed is what Juruno saw.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"So from what you say, the tides are rising and flooding keeps getting worse." said the head.

"Yes, that's what's happening sir. We're temporarily trying limiting it but more permanent measures will be needed." replied the man.

"I see, not much of a problem there, just block it off with a wall and the whole thing will be fine."

"Heh, I think that's a great idea, sir but eh- if we did that it would obstruct the natural course of things, endangering life and not to mention the funding...." replied the man nervously.

"Don't worry, it'll work itself out. Tell the engineers to think up something, that's their job and yours too. You'll get the funding." assured the head, slowly losing interest in the conversation.

"Thank you, sir."

"And oh, Mr. minister, how is the relief coming up?" questioned the head.

The minister put on a confident smile and replied "Rest assured everyone is attended to."

"Really? That's a bit different from what I heard"

"Must be the usual complaints of people, always wanting more than they're accorded" said the minister shaking his head. He looked ready to leave now.

"Sometimes I move around, checking up on things because everything here is under my care." said the clan head in a tone similar to what he'd spoken with previously. But this time there was a little bit of ice in his voice, so that slight you could nearly miss it but the minister caught on quickly and that confident smile of his began to fade. The head paused for a short moment before speaking again "I was under the impression that you were happy to be alive Mr. minister, maybe I was wrong?"

"No- No, sir." replied the minister with a shaky voice. His face had gone pale from the head's subtle threat.

"Then do the right thing. You can leave now."

Without a second thought, the minister turns around to leave and headed straight for the gate passing by Juruno who had been standing there for few minutes now. The clan head was easygoing but not lax enough to condone disrespect. In fact, he was so accepting and self aware of his position that you were constantly reminded of exactly who he was.

Like that, the clan head had waved away all the problems thrown at him with "simple solutions".

Once the minister left Juruno spoke up "You asked for me." and the clan head turned to face him. He hadn't aged much despite outliving the lifespan of a normal human already.

"Yes, I did. have some things to tell you. Come over this way." He drops the dog and walks towards the northern most end of the compound, Juruno right behind him.

"Your mission went smoothly, right?" asked Vaeveron once they had stopped.

"Yeah."

"Just like I said, you'd be perfectly able to handle it." said the head confidently which made Juruno roll his eyes. When the request from the SSA had come in several months ago, the head had been the top advocate for Juruno to be the one to go.

He's perfectly capable of carrying this out. Didn't he survive a tier three danger zone alone? That was how he was picked for the mission.

"Not surprising of you, considering one day you'll be taking over from your father here as clan head."

This was about the millionth time his father had told him this. "That's up to the elders to decide." Juruno reminded him.

"Yeah, and I know them a lot better than you do. I was very sure I would become the head long before I did and I'm even more certain that you will be. Now, for why I called you here. Quilofer asked me to send him the most capable person besides myself and that would be you."

"Quilofer?!" asked Juruno shocked.

"Yes, Centros' Quilofer would like to see you. In person." replied Vaeveron casually.

Juruno's mind was racing now. Quilofer... Quilofer... What would Quilofer need me for?

While Juruno was having a hard time with the information he was just given, Vaeveron sat down on the short garden wall, put his right foot on his left knee and began picking some flowers.

"Do you know why?" asked Juruno.

"I know a bit about it but I can't give you the details, that's for Quilofer to do."

Why? What is it? Another mission to an unknown planet? Or something bigger? Juruno was lost in thought trying to process the news he'd just gotten. His thought process was suddenly interrupted by Vaeveron's voice and he snapped back into focus.

"What I will tell you is this. You can see this as a way of preparing you for the future as clan head." said Vaeveron "You're to get to Cor Centros in about a day. Goodluck!"

Juruno didn't waste any time and left the compound immediately, muttering inaudibly as he went.

Several minutes after Juruno had left, Vaeveron came down from the garden wall and headed for the castle. We should start preparing here too, things might get rough soon.

"All right, everyone get busy!" he shouted to no one in particular.