The Belnavir air was scorching. On previous visits there’d been hot days, but today was different. Usually, it was closer to Elusria than Limclea, but today was unlike any other time previously.

Any effort or attempt at explanation had gotten him a set of wide-eyed stares at his wings, a tentative sense of his spirit and bowed heads. The absolute most he’d gotten was some unintelligent murmurs that his translation stone couldn’t manage.

It had gone so far, Ranvir had almost returned to the school to ask some students. They hadn’t ventured off the outer sphere of the plane, so Ranvir didn’t know what life was like elsewhere, or was even sure how he’d get there.

Almost a month into his school opening and it was going well, though it was a lot of work. He was trying to keep up with Amalia and her work, all the other teachers, his own classes, as well as Vasso and Laila’s training.

Estrid had made some noise about the lack of combat training, but most people got it. Fighters wouldn’t be educated under him. If that was what they wanted, they’d need to look elsewhere. Hopefully far away from him.

He’d needed a bit of break, some time to get away from it all, and Frija wanted to show Shiri the Belnavir menagerie. The Zoological Garden was big enough that it took hours to visit and see all the animals, if all somebody wanted was a quick look at each creature.

Frija was far from happy with a simple look around. They’d only gotten to the very first cage, when she’d stopped to speculate on the animal, some kind of small colorful bird. She’d guessed at its full grown size, it baby-size, what kind of food it ate, how much food it ate, the intention behind the cage, why it had to be so big, why it wasn’t bigger, and a dozen other questions.

Ranvir had exchanged an amused look with Shiri, figuring this intense curiosity wouldn’t hold. Last time he took her she hadn’t been nearly so determined in her questioning, and it hadn’t been near as hot. Then she’d stopped at the next cage, with a slightly different colorful bird and she’d gone through all those questions once more, than added a few more. Why wasn’t it sharing a space with the other bird? Could they not eat the same food? Would they fight? Would they breed uncontrolled?

Too bad Frija was showing the zoo to Shiri, because Ranvir would’ve been more than happy to help her answer each and everyone of those questions. There was nothing he wanted more than to endure an endless barrage from a hip-height inquisitor. Even Menace retreated, pulling back to walk next to Ranvir. The cat even nudged him until he spread his wings for shade.

People stopped and looked at Ranvir regularly. Most of the commoners had strange mutations, ranging from a single limb to a changed body, but it was rare to find someone with additional limbs. The most he ever saw was the occasional horn, and even more rarely a tail. Interesting.

“Daddy,” Frija asked, running over. She stuck one hand into the fur on Menace’s back and then grabbed his pant leg with the other. Dimples of sweat covered her forehead and stuck stray hairs to her skin, but otherwise she looked almost untouched.

Ranvir shook his head in wry amusement. Children’s constitutions are strange things.

“Can we stop at the shop?” She pointed towards a small wooden hut.

The store, some kind of tourist middle-ground of a restaurant and a curiosities shop, had a pavilion outside providing shade and protection from the heat. He sensed the cold mana at work inside, providing chilled refreshments. One glance at Shiri confirmed the necessity.

Shiri had her hair, so similar to Frija’s, tied into a knot, revealed cheeks red with heat, sweat stains around her neck, armpits, and underneath her chest. If he wasn’t mistaken, her skin was even taking on some damage.

“Of course, Firehearth,” Ranvir said, waving for her to go on.

Shiri rolled her eyes to the back of her head, drawing the three-tined form of the Triplet Goddess over her chest and muttering a small prayer. Ranvir grinned and hurried her inside. He saw the moment of startled realization come over the clerk’s face when Frija’s words went from absolute insanity to understandable.

“I’m gonna…” Shiri said, trailing off and blushing slightly more than normal. “I’ll be right back.”

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Ranvir watched as she headed towards the public lavatories and shrugged. “Remember to get something for Menace and Shiri,” he told Frija. She glanced at him and held out her hand, gesturing for money. Ranvir chuckled and gave her a handful. Should be more than enough, he thought before leaving the place and walking around the back.

A sweep passed over the place once more, this one slightly slower and slightly more intense. This time, Ranvir didn’t hide, and he felt it when the tether-sense settled on him. Tracing it back, he followed the stream of light and wind mana as it approached.

Soon, he could make out the person approaching. He was short, similar height to Esmund. A compact, but not overtly muscular, build. Long dark maroon hair, a crown glittering gold on his brow, three spikes at the center. Two antennae extended from his forehead, as well as a magnificent set of butterfly wings from his back.

The same dark maroon as his hair filled the majority of his wings, a deep majestic color that drew the eyes like gravity pulled the body. The edges of his wings were rimmed in a vivid yellow-gold that seemed to shimmer in the light almost like the metal would, each beat of his wings leaving a bit of that glimmer in the air behind him. A black stripe separated the maroon and gold, a void deep black regularly marked with vivid pure blue eyes that broke apart that interminable darkness.

It took effort from Ranvir to not draw himself up as the man landed in front of him. A secondary tether-sense rippled over him. This was as vastly different from the first pulse as the regular tether-sense was a quick sniff. Ranvir felt it ping and pickup on information on a level he didn’t think was possible.

His eyes flicked to the two dark protrusions on the forehead of the ‘God-Emperor.’

“It is you who has been coming to my home. Who struck into the heart of my lands and killed the Sky God?”

Ranvir furrowed his brow. “I’ve also taken a few apprentices while we’re at it.”

The man scowled, not impressed. “That was you as well. I thought as much when those strangers started making a fuss.”

“You found out about it faster than I expected,” Ranvir admitted.

“I am not so incapable as to never change my approach. Once I discovered you’d been within my country for weeks, I set up contingencies.”

“So what happens now?” Ranvir asked. “If that scan of yours was half as effective as I think it was, I don’t believe you want anything to do with me.”

“Perhaps not,” the man admitted, looking around. The back of the spot was dark and deserted, naught but the noise of amusement reaching them. It was a wonder no one had seen him come down, though perhaps people were just too afraid of confronting him. The man put out a hand. “But it was good to put a face to rumors. I am Emperor Ungor Stratos, the Star Wing. Morning’s Light and the First Breeze.”

Ranvir took his hand, surprised by the callouses he found on him. “Ranvir.”

The man hesitated before nodding and let go. “What do you plan to do with the people you’ve taken?”

“Educate them in spirit and mana.”

“And then?”

Ranvir shrugged. “Throw them out.”

The Holy Star Emperor narrowed his angelic super eyes, his feelers wiggling on his forehead. “You want me to believe that you want nothing more from them?”

Ranvir shrugged. “I’m not actually going to throw them out, but if they want to stay, they have to bring something to the school.”

“Something?”

“To help keep it running. So long as their goal is to further understanding of mana and they aren’t a burden on the school, then they are free to stay.”

Ungor’s face settled into a pensive frown, though there was a feeling of performance to the move. The way his brow furrowed and the set of his lips, it seemed almost theatrical.

“Do you have any family?”

The Glowing Super King gazed at him, brows drawing together in a genuine frown. “My sons and daughters.”

Ranvir nodded and frowning to himself. “You seemed familiar, that’s all.”

“There are a few statues of my father and grandfather throughout the city.”

Ranvir nodded. “Anything else?”

“I will consult with my advisors for what they think best. You may leave for now.”

“One more thing,” Ranvir said, raising a hand to stop Ungor. “What’s up with the heat?”

“It’s the Season of the Phoenix.” The King said, leaping into the air, wind gusting around him, leaving shimmering stars in his wake. This time, he traveled not in haste but as a King. His passage left a dimmed sky, speckled with little white lights that winked at the overawed witnesses.

“Look, Daddy!” Frija said as he walked up to their group. She pointed at Ungor’s passage. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

Ranvir nodded and smiled. “Sure is, Firehearth.” He ruffled her hair, earning an evil side-eye from her.

“Where did you go?” Shiri asked, looking much improved now that she was out of the direct sun and heat.

“Had a talk with a King.”

“Aw fuck! I wanted to talk with a King!” Frija yelled at the top of her lungs as Shiri gave him a disbelieving look.

Ranvir shrugged and smiled at her. “Ready to see some more animals?”

Frija jumped with glee, though Shiri and Menace got up with significantly less enthusiasm. Ranvir smiled at them as they moved back under the scorching burn of the sun. He glanced over his shoulder at the store they’d just left.

A wooden statue of a man knelt on the roof, lightly covered in moss and cracked from many days in the sun. He was a tall figure, short hair capped by a three-spiked crown, butterfly wings spread wide. Powerfully built, Ranvir could see the outline of shoulders straining his tunic, and lines of muscle stretching from forearm to the sword buried in the roof. His face was made of stark, over-exaggerated lines, insinuating a stern and determined mien rather than showing it.