We were standing in silence on top of the gatehouse, contemplating the smoldering ruins beneath us. It would be an understatement of the galactic size if I simply said I was impressed.

"The highest-tier spells worked far better than I expected," Amber admitted and rested heavily on her staff. "But to cast it... Ufff... I'm drained."

"I don't believe I could use Armageddon a second time, either." Irene grinned, but she was faring only a little better than Amber.

"Moonlight Judgement was draining as well. I can’t believe I had just enough mana to cast something like that." Luna waved her hand in front of her face to cool herself down. "I think we really overdid it this time..."

I just slowly clapped my hands, still speechless after what I saw. No matter if they couldn't cast something like that more than once... it was still enough to unlive anything, Void Borns included, but I would not dare to say that aloud.

"We should leave the battle with the Voidlings to them, Theon." Zeus scratched the back of his head and approached me, but I just looked at him sourly.

We both leaned over the wall, but the heat still radiating from the impact crater was too much, even for our inhuman physique. However, with that, the siege of Avalon was concluded, and it was not looking great for our enemies. Before I decided we should teleport away, I gave orders to rebuild and accepted all the costs involved. In the distance, four siege golems were still bravely approaching Avalon, but right now, their presence looked more like a sad joke than a real threat. A loud stomach growl made us look at poor Hestia, who tried to hide behind Amber, covering her once again deeply red face.

"I think before we throw a whole series of parties to commemorate all that happened today, I will insist on a less official dinner..." I nodded towards Zeus and Hera.

"We will join you with pleasure. Just allow me to fetch Zephyr..." Zeus replied with a poker face almost as good as mine.

•••

Even before we started the promised dinner, Hestia had to eat something. The regeneration and healing of her body took a great toll on her, and, as expected during any period of convalescence, her body just demanded more food. Amber, Irene and Luna wouldn't hear anything about leaving Hestia now, so I decided to just let them be. My Queens suspiciously giggled all this time, making me certain that at some point they had plotted for something like this to happen. The four of them disappeared into the bathroom, leaving me behind with my own thoughts. I decided to stare blankly at the wall, contemplating and, more importantly, questioning my life so far. All my decisions were right; at least I couldn't blame myself there. Surely, I could do better, avoid some things, or be more cautious, but that sort of thinking led to uncertainty and fear of making any decisions at all.

"If you want to make a God laugh, tell him about your plans." I exhaled heavily and decided to use one of the smaller bathrooms in the palace. However, before I managed to teleport away, Hestia showed up in front of me. Mercifully for me and my mind, which still was catching up with the recent events, she was at least wearing a bathrobe.

"Theon, I wanted to thank you." She sat near the tea table. "You saved my life. But..."

"But?" I looked into the whirling vortex of the golden glitter in her eyes.

"But you lied to me, and I'm embarrassed that I believed you." Hestia said with a sad voice and looked at me with her sad eyes. "I was so afraid back then, but even knowing better, I still wanted to believe you." She then frowned at me, but instead of feeling guilty, I was just thinking how cute she looked right now. "I know that dungeons can't rebuild their mana storages once their build protection is lifted."

"You would be right," I admitted and beamed an honest smile. "But Eriar tinkered with some of my skills, and this one was altered as well. I can buy one mana storage capacity for four mana. I admit, that twenty million mana and that much storage capacity destroyed sounds like a lot, but..." I put on my face a serious and honest expression. "...but in reality, it's a really low price to save a person like you."

She blushed upon hearing this, but this time her face was adorned by an incredible shade of pink, which made her even more attractive. "You are a strange man, Theon Avalon." She smiled with a sigh and leaned back in her chair. "Let me tell you a story, Theon. It's not very long or complicated, but nonetheless, it's a story about me. As far as I can tell, there always were people who tried to win my heart. People who tried, oh, so many things to impress me, but who always deeply craved only for my power. No matter how they lied, even to themselves, they always wanted power, immortality, or sometimes the empty admiration of other Mortals. I faced them for millennia, thinking that all people were just the same. Then I met you, Theon Avalon. You never wanted my power, you had your own immortality, and never once looked at me lustfully. You saw in me, first and foremost, a person, then when we knew each other a bit longer- a friend. You never saw me as an all-mighty Goddess, just a person whose decisions you respected and never questioned. Then a little while ago, I noticed that my heart was beating faster when I was near you. The less I tried to think about you, the effect was the opposite."

"Hestia..." She raised her hand to stop me.

"The World Words gave me the same options that it gave to Amber or Irene. I would be saved no matter what I decide. But how could I repay you for your kindness? How could I repay you for your sacrifice of such immense power to save me? That was when I decided to be one of your Queens." Her bathrobe changed into a glorious golden and blue Royal Mantle of Avalon. She turned serious, but her face was soft and full of warm feelings. "From now on and forever, I am Hestia va'Theon, the Goddess of Avalon." Her voice was crystal clear, and she spoke her new name and title with genuine pleasure. "No one is going to dare to question your rights as the King now with me by your side. I will use all my authority and all of my powers to aid you forever."

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I was left speechless, and I just nodded my head. I felt the comforting and soft hand on my shoulder and, with it, a presence that was with me for so long. I was so focused on Hestia that I had not noticed that Amber, Irene and Luna were standing behind me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It took me a while to find any words.

"Thank you, Hestia." I stood up and bowed to her. "I will never tarnish your name."

"Oh, stop with formalities! I never again plan to be formal with any of you while in private. Theon, if you still have not comprehended, you saved my life. I'm going to entrust it to you like Amber, Irene and Luna did so long ago. In case you need any further reminder, I am your wife now, so I really hope our relations are going to change for even the better." All four women laughed, making me rub my eyelids. "Also, don't mind Eriar, we sorted out that thing already."

"I can't be more surprised, you know? For sure, there must be some limits on how much one person is allowed to be surprised during their lifetime." I stood up and went towards the bathroom. "And now excuse me, I need to take a shower and reflect upon the universe as a whole. Especially that part which decided that it's funny to make me look like someone who can't even propose properly to a woman."

•••

The large dining room was far too big for the few people we invited. Zeus and Hera were sitting near Zephyr, who took with him Princess Aoi. My Queens, now totaling four, and I were sitting on the opposite side of the table as I gave Zephyr 'The Look,' silently asking why he had decided to seat Aoi directly in front of me. The poor girl was close to panic every time I looked at her. We finished the first course in silence, disturbed only by Zeus, Zephyr, and myself when we briefed everyone about our fight with Korkas and later with the Necromancer. The second course passed with the tale of Hestia, who told us the full truth about how bad she had fared. We often stopped eating to give her a look of compassion or just shake our heads in disbelief. Then, she fluently switched to how happy she was to not only be alive, but finding her true happiness. I couldn't help but feel the judging gaze of Zephyr and the teasing grins of Zeus, which admittedly I probably deserved, somehow… But at this point, I don't know anymore. However, it was not as bad as I expected it to be; it was almost like we were all accepted into their ancient family.

After the meal, the time came for the desserts, and I noticed that Amber had been closely observing Aoi this whole time, who was naturally very nervous about it. We moved to the comfortable chairs and sofas in the far corner of the hall, near a huge window and one of the few fireplaces in the room.

"Princess Aoi, I heard that your people arrived safely in Avalon." I changed the subject, and for a brief moment, I startled the poor girl again.

"Yes, Your Highness. We are forever grateful for your hospitality and mercy." She bowed down officially.

"Please, this is an informal meeting, Princess Aoi. Theon is enough." I tried to ease up the atmosphere, but she just sadly dropped her head.

"There is no need for Your Majesty to act so mercifully with such a disgrace to the House of Ignis as myself." Everyone in the room held their breaths and only Zephyr sighed.

"Aoi..." He started, but she looked at him with anger.

"No, Grandfather. King Theon must know the truth. No more secrets, no more lies. Wasn't this the very reason we almost died last time?" She looked at Zephyr, who raised his hand, looked at his index finger, but decided to say nothing.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused, which made Aoi and Zephyr look at me in confusion as well.

"Your spell back then, the one that was crackling with power. The one you pointed at us back when we first met." She looked at me, terrified.

"Ohhhh... That." I nodded as if recalled something then I, along with Amber, Irene and Luna, started laughing.

It took us a longer moment to calm down, causing even more confused looks from others, but finally, I cleared my throat and manifested the same magic circle as before. Before anyone could react, I directed it straight at Aoi.

"Princess Aoi, you WILL tell me who you are!" I commanded with a voice that knew no objections.

Aoi looked at me with a hazed gaze, and then she started speaking. "My name is Princess Aoi Sora Skadi Ivrill of the Fogg Valley, the daughter of the Sky. The last of the House of Ignis and although I am considered a disgrace by my own race, I am the leader of Dragonkins, who took their lineage from the God Zephyr himself. We are not considered the People of the World, but are hybrids by the World's Words, and our privileges are limited."

After she finished, the dead silence was interrupted by the giggles of Amber, Irene and Luna that quickly turned into laughter. Even Zephyr was laughing while Aoi was sitting there stupefied, trying to comprehend what just happened.

"Ok, you got us. What was that?" Zephyr asked between his chuckles.

"Intimidation Aura combined with Royal Authority. It allows me to make anyone, no matter how tough they are, tell me something. I have other skills to determine how truthful they were." I grinned.

"An incredibly useful skill for a ruler…" Aoi looked at me with fear and admiration.

"You really thought that I would just kill you back then?" I asked amused, smiling at her, which made her blush. Oh, God... "I have to admit, I was a bit offended by Viccar's arrogance, but to kill you all? Ok, fine, maybe Viccar. But for the others, I would have simply thrown you to house arrest or prison, depending if you had resisted or not. Well... I am not saying that was not an option, but for sure, it would not have been my first choice."

"You were so intimidating back then, that even I believed you would just kill them all on the spot," Zephyr admitted, still trying to stop laughing.

"Zephyr... We were right before the first serious battle for the very fate of the world. I couldn't afford to endanger my mission. Put yourself in my shoes- some fairly powerful people arrive at Avalon. They are powerful enough to block any basic appraisals. They insist they are not my enemies and want me to just trust them, while they don't trust me enough to tell me what Princess Aoi told us just now. While maybe not necessary, killing them right there was one of the options."

"I can't say I disagree with you, my Lord..." Aoi finally smiled and Zephyr looked as if he wanted to say something, but he refrained.

"Zephyr!" I inquired and looked him straight in the eyes. I decided to change the topic for a while. That would give Aoi some time to recover because there were so many questions I wanted her to answer. "Can you tell us the story of how you met Grandine?"