The residence resembled a medieval fortress, even though the buildings and structures incorporated architectural designs inspired by non-terrestrial calculations and forms.

Especially the central tower, which was surrounded by four smaller floating towers, each stationary in mid-air, connected only by a stone bridge with a wooden roof and supporting pillars.

Above the main tower, the Natural Law accumulated in dark clouds, swirling in a spiral. Occasionally, a silent lightning bolt would strike the top of the tower, where lines of energy, like roots, glowed through the structures, fueling its Rune Configuration.

Unlike the entrance at the forest’s edge, the number of people passing through here was reduced, but still in the dozens. A common characteristic among them was that there were fewer humans, which wasn’t unusual considering the Telffira family originated from another dimension.

Most individuals walked alone, and those gathered in groups never exceeded five. Even so, the atmosphere was nearly silent, with conversations held in hushed tones.

Although this wasn’t Kemiro’s first visit, he always attracted attention, not only for being the only Ma'Ji present but also because he was always accompanied by Kirianna.

“I never tire of appreciating how unique the structure is here,” Kemiro thought, filled with emotion as he once again observed the intricate cultural details reflected in the sculptures on the pillars and walls throughout the building, as if everything had been assembled from pieces of a giant puzzle.

Walking through the structures, Kemiro grew confused and asked, "Where exactly are we going?"

"The Matriarch is waiting for you in her office in the central tower," Kirianna replied, gesturing toward the large tower with her hand.

“I can’t believe I’m going to enter the tower. I’ve always wanted to see what it’s like inside!” Kemiro reflects excited.

He had to control his pace to avoid overtaking Kirianna.

As they approached the central tower, Kemiro noticed for the first time that the tower was surrounded by a high rock wall, seemingly solid, with a bluish tone, matching the tower itself. Along the length of the wall, Rune Seals glowed continuously with an opaque lilac hue.

Kemiro reflects, “The concentration of Natural Law here is absurdly high. It’s so dense it feels like I’m sinking into an ocean.”

Walking through a beautiful garden filled with exotic plants, Kemiro felt the movement of his body oppressed by the natural energy around him. He moved his arms, opening and closing his hands.

Kemiro silently analyzes, “But this pressure isn’t physical. It feels like I’m being rejected by the environment itself. Strange.”

Noticing Kemiro’s expression and movements as he managed to keep pace with her, Kirianna smiled slightly, analyzing him discreetly.

Soon, they reached a circular part of the garden, with only low grass and a stone path leading to a unique desk with an elevated opening in the center, holding a black sphere about the size of an adult human head. Behind the desk sat an elderly-looking man with black hair and a long beard, well-dressed, eyes closed, resting motionless with arms crossed. He could easily be mistaken for an elder human if not for his bluish skin tone.

"Guardian, I need access to the central tower," Kirianna stated firmly, showing a circular emblem with intricate details carved into a blood-red stone that she pulled from one of her sleeves. Kemiro was intrigued, as it was his first time seeing such a badge, but he remained silent.

After a moment, without opening his eyes, the man asked in a deep tone, "Who is this stranger?"

"My companion," Kirianna curtly responded.

The old man calmly uncrossed his arms, extending his thin hand and long fingers with equally long nails toward Kemiro.

"That won’t be necessary. He’s a guest of the Matriarch."

"Rules are rules," the elder replied dryly.

"No rule is above the Matriarch will. Old Guardian, don’t provoke me, or I’ll shave your beard!" Kirianna retorted.

Ignoring Kirianna’s comment, the old man opened his eyes, surprising Kemiro, as his eyes were completely white, except for black vertical lines in both.

“He has Akrava!” Kemiro thought.

"When did you awaken?" The elder asked. Kemiro understood what he was referring to and answered, "At 19."

"Too old."

Kemiro nearly blurted out, “You’re the one who’s old!”

Without further comment, the man moved his hand above the sphere, his fingers moving like a puppeteer manipulating strings.

In the wall ahead, glowing perpendicular lines appeared, duplicating to form rectangular shapes that moved. Like bricks, one by one, they floated, creating holes that merged into a passage through the wall.

Once the passage was formed, Kirianna began walking toward it without saying a word, followed closely by Kemiro.

As they passed through, the blocks returned to their original positions, and the wall once again appeared as a single solid object.

The old man, leaning back in his chair, gazed at the sky, stroking his long beard contemplatively. He whispered, "Nineteen years old... How absurd."

◆◇

Upon reaching the other side, Kemiro observed that the area around the tower was also covered in lush green grass.

Kemiro reflects, “What’s with that old man? Is this wall some kind of barrier? There are so many things I’d like to know. But I better hold back. Some questions are better left unasked.” He sighs discreetly.

However, feeling sorry for him, Kirianna remarks, "Don’t pay attention to the Guardian words. He’s lived in seclusion for too long. Sometimes, he just doesn’t know how to interact with others."

Taking advantage of her comment, Kemiro asks, "Is he part of the Telffira family? Amira never mentioned him."

Shaking her head, Kirianna replied, "No. His job is solely to be the Guardian, so he rarely interacts with Miss Amira, who seldom visits the central tower."

Kemiro decided not to ask more questions and focused his attention on the tower ahead. The tower had a wide enough diameter that it would take over a hundred people to encircle it.

At the base, the entrance was a vertical, rectangular opening aligned with the gate in the wall. Though it seemed narrow compared to the tower, the entrance was nearly twenty meters tall, allowing five people to walk through side by side without touching.

Unlike the exterior, the color of the interior walls had a reddish hue. The floor was made of smooth white stone, inscribed with a Rune Seal that covered its entire surface, glowing faintly with a red tint.

The entire floor was devoid of furniture, except for a low pillar in the center where all the lines of the Rune Seal converged. At the pillars' top, a solid red cube floated, changing direction from time to time.

Analyzing the seal, Kemiro reflects, “This Rune Seal is so complex! I’d love to learn how to use Rune Configurations, but I barely have time to cultivate my Heritage. It’s frustrating, but I’ll have to be content with just understanding Rune Language.”

As they walked toward the center, Kemiro tried to shake off his frustration by reading the seal’s configuration. After analyzing it, he shared his thoughts once he understood part of the setup, “Spatial movement.”

Kirianna started, stopping and turning to Kemiro as she asked, "What did you say?"

"This seal. Its configuration—is it for spatial movement?" Kemiro responded without hesitation, noticing Kirianna's growing look of astonishment.

Kirianna studied Kemiro, her eyes trembling in shock as she asked, "You have knowledge of Spatial Laws?"

"I recognize a few runes here. I studied some Rune Language. Since this floor doesn’t have visible stairs, I just inferred from the seal’s complexity that it must be something related. Did I guess right?"

Kemiro answered humbly, his response making Kirianna reflect, “Even after all these years of helping Miss Amira, Kemiro still has so many surprises in store. How is it that he understands Rune Language? Even though he’s trying to downplay it, from what he just said, he has no idea how incredible it is to infer the functionality of this particular Rune Seal.

I wonder what expression he’d make if he knew there’s another Rune Seal with the purpose of camouflaging and protecting the primary seal’s function. This confirms that his Akrava is of a high level. I’ll need to report this to the Matriarch as soon as possible.”

“Yes. Each floor is isolated from the others. The only access points are terminals like this one in the center of each floor.”

Kemiro grew excited upon learning the seal’s function, devoting his attention to deciphering its complexity out of curiosity. Noticing his immersion, the corner of Kirianna’s mouth twitched, fearing he might unravel the seal’s full configuration. She quickly added, "You’ll feel a slight discomfort due to the movement of the Hein’Ra’s threads, but don’t resist it."

Without waiting for Kemiro’s response, Kirianna placed both hands beside the cube and, manipulating the Natural Law, configured the coordinates for the floor where the Matriarch was located.

The cube, which had been rotating in different directions, locked one of its faces toward Kirianna. Two lines divided the cube into four parts, revealing a red energy sphere at its core. The four parts are then split into ten smaller cubes. The small cubes rearranged themselves to form a sphere.

Manipulating the sphere, Kirianna selected one of the cubes and directed it into the red energy sphere at the center.

Immediately, the Rune Seal on the floor began glowing brighter, as if the entire floor were being filled with a reddish energy. The intense light caused Kemiro to close his eyes, soon feeling a slight nausea followed by a sensation of imbalance.

"You’ve finally arrived."

Kemiro quickly recovered upon hearing the melodic voice, turning to see the owner.

◆◇

In a luxurious chair, reviewing piles of documents organized into various stacks on an excessively large desk, sat the Matriarch.

Daliah has black hair as night, styled in a wavy bob, with the inner part being white. Her skin was pale, her ears pointed, and her slim body had long legs.

Her visage makes Kemiro reflect, “She’s powerful. More powerful than anyone I’ve ever encountered! She’s definitely at a higher Existential Tier.”

Thanks to his Akrava, Kemiro could see and feel a red aura flowing like a river around the Matriarch.

Her eyes, golden like molten gold, had a unique glow as she quickly analyzed the documents. As if dancing, her delicate hands signed papers, setting them aside. She adjusted herself in her chair, focusing on Kemiro, saying, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kemiro. My name is Daliah Telffira. For a long time, I’ve sought an opportunity to introduce myself. But Amira has always been against our meeting.”

Daliah comment makes Kemiro reflect, “What do you mean, Amira is against it? The Matriarch has no reason to lie. Now it makes sense why she never introduced herself.”

As she filled her glass with a wine-red drink, thick like honey, the Matriarch says, “Come closer. This office wasn’t made for meetings, so I apologize for the lack of a chair for you. I didn’t want to miss this rare opportunity, especially since Amira is busy.”

Walking forward, Kemiro observed the office, which filled the entire tower's floor. All the furniture was arranged around the Matriarch, with various shelves holding books and folders full of documents. There were also several sculptures, depicting both nude men and women, as well as exotic animals Kemiro had never seen before, arranged in a half-moon shape, with the Matriarch’s desk at the center.

Stopping five steps from the desk, Kemiro greeted the matriarch formally, bringing his feet and legs together, placing his right hand over his heart, and bowing with closed eyes. “It is an honor to be graced with your presence, Matriarch Daliah. My name is Kemiro Boronéa. I thank Hein'Ra for the opportunity to appreciate your beauty and aura.”

Both Kirianna and Daliah reacted slightly to Kemiro’s words, their expressions subtly shifting.

“You’re eloquent; I like that. It’s no wonder my daughter is so interested in you. But the fact that you haven’t mentioned your lineage is curious. It seems it’s true that you and your family have some disputes,” Daliah commented, observing Kemiro’s reaction.

Straightening up, Kemiro replied with his enigmatic smile, “Honestly, it’s nothing worthy of the Matriarch’s time or concern.”

“Kemiro, choose your words more carefully,” Kirianna warned, frowning.

“It’s all right, Anna. Everyone has a topic or two they’re reluctant to discuss,” Daliah said, raising her right hand to stop Kirianna.

Kemiro reflects, “This is our first meeting, and I already dislike her. It would’ve been better if she’d never introduced herself. I think I understand now why Amira was against our meeting.”

Bringing her glass to her lips, painted with red lipstick, Daliah analyzed Kemiro. Smiling, Kemiro noticed her two long canines. She spoke with a playful tone, “It seems I’ve hit a nerve. You don’t need to harbor such hostility toward me. There was no malicious intent behind my comment.”

Kemiro, uninterested in her words, asks, “Matriarch Daliah, what is the reason you summoned me?”

“Boys are full of fiery emotions,“ Daliah mused, her expression turning into a seductive smile.

Noticing Kemiro’s declining mood, she became more direct. “It seems your relationship with the Hauveron’s Priestess is progressing nicely. But this has left me somewhat confused, as you and Amira have known each other for nearly five years, even before this entire arrangement with the Royal family. You’ve even become indispensable in helping her manage her condition. So, that leads me to the question. What is Amira to you?”