“Go, Ripha.” Salaark said. “We’ll take care of the Featherlings.”

Menadion nodded and returned to the Infirmary.

“Sorry for the wait.” The First Ruler of the Flames saw guilt and shame on the faces of her guests, but felt no need to console them. “You wanted the truth, Quylla Ernas, here it is.”

A wave of her hand conjured a life-sized hologram of the First King in his apex form.

Valeron was over two meters (7′) tall, and he wore the Saefel Set, leaving only his face and hands exposed. What looked like six feathered wings, each comprised of pure elemental energy, burst out of his back like jets of fire.

He had five extra eyes, arranged in the same pattern as his wings, and all seven of them burned with the power of a different element. The skin of the First King was a light emerald green that extended to his hair, gradually deepening to a slightly darker hue.

Every centimeter of his body was infused with so much Spirit Magic that he shone with inner light, and what reached the surface was just what he failed to contain.