After Sera left, Vicky became really sad. Her words caused the strange reaction, and so she blamed herself for distressing her mother.


    Luckily, Bran was there to calm and comfort her. He told her it wasn''t her fault, and that her words brought back Sera''s trauma. He spoke kindly and with as much warmth as he could muster. It took nearly an hour to convince Vicky that she wasn''t the one to blame.


    Henry stayed near Vicky all this time, listening to their words silently. He continued holding Vicky''s hand, which Bran didn''t like, but since it made Vicky feel better, he didn''t feel right about stopping it.


    Following sunset, they headed back to the castle. Vicky stared at the glowing buildings stretching far into the sky around her. She had never seen anything like this.


    New Athens was a magnificent city, but it has ancient beauty, while London was more modern, and flashy. Both were amazing in their own way; however, she favored New Athens'' tranquility. Yet, she acknowledged London''s artistic value.


    The buildings were less unique, but they were more gigantic. The people seemed less happy, however, with their numbers, contentment was a good enough compromise.


    Upon seeing the castle, Vicky stopped breathing for a few seconds. She opened her mouth, yet no words came out. A stunning, picturesque sight stretched in front of them.


    As reflectors lit the castle from below, it made everything more enormous. Its foreboding presence loomed down on everyone who looked up, and from above dozens of different colored towers stared down at humans, like they were ants.


    She stayed staring at the building for a few minutes, and only after Henry''s small but persistent pulling did she begin moving. Bran followed them close behind. Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    They entered the castle with no problem. The guards knew who all of them were and had no reason to stop them. They moved towards the elevators, but before reaching them, Bran stopped the two children.


    "Could I speak with the Prince for a moment? Just between the two of us."


    Vicky stared at them with a raised eyebrow, then shrugged and moved away to the elevators. Henry watched her leave with a small smile and only after she was out of sight did he turn towards Bran. He said nothing, but her eyes were full of curiosity, prompting him to speak.


    "We haven''t really talked about it, but Vicky probably still wants to go on the sleepover, if you don''t mind... She is a sensitive kid you know, so don''t hurt her feelings..."


    Henry stared at him with a raised eyebrow, full of confusion. "Why would I hurt her? I never hurt my friends, and they never hurt other either!"


    Bran just laughed at the child''s naivety and jumped onto the real topic he wanted to discuss.


    As the elevator stopped, her anxiety spiked. They had to walk to a separate elevator, which went up to Henry''s tower. On the way, neither said anything. They just both awaited the inevitable meeting.


    The elevator crawled upward ever so slowly. Vicky''s heart beat fast, but she kept her cool on the outside, or at least she tried to. But only when Henry grabbed her hand did the stress decrease.


    She didn''t even notice when the elevator opened. Vicky stared at Henry, when something soft, bur firm hit her head.


    A snickering laughter echoed in the room, but it quickly died down as Vicky looked inside. Four kids stood there, three boys and one girl. They looked at Vicky with shocked expressions.


    With confusion, Vicky looked to her feet where the object, which hit her head, landed. It was a white ornamental pillow, the kind people used to decorate their sofas and beds.


    She bent down and picked it up. For a few seconds she looked at it, then tossed to the four kids. They didn''t react as it landed at their feet. Each of their eyes kept jumping between Vicky and Henry. The connection of their hands likely contributed to their bewilderment.


    They stayed standing in the elevator for a few seconds, staring at each other. Vicky began feeling awkward, so she turned to Henry and whispered, "Why are they staring at me?"


    In that moment, it was like a thunderbolt hit Henry. Whatever trance he had fallen into came to an end, and with an embarrassed expression he stepped forward, hiding his and Vicky''s hand behind him.


    "Uh... Hey guys! I made a new friend today, and I invited her to the sleepover too!... I hope you don''t mind... Uh..."


    Henry was unsure of how to proceed, so Vicky took things into her own hands. This wasn''t the first time she had to introduce herself, albeit she never done it with people her age.


    "Hello everyone! My name is Victoria. Nice to meet you!" She said with a cheery voice, while waving towards the four kids.


    Their postures visibly changed as the invisible tension dispersed into the air. They each gave Vicky a few interested looks, judging her appearance and nature.


    None of them were stupid. Each of them saw how remarkable Vicky looked. Even as a child two years younger than them, she was much more beautiful than any teen they had seen before.


    Her hair and iris were also unnaturally white. Her milky white skin had a glimmer to it, making her even prettier. They quickly put everything together and figured out she must''ve been an Evolved. What they couldn''t figure out was whose child she was.


    Luckily for them, Vicky took the elongated silence as an invitation to say more. "Uh... You might''ve heard about my mother... Her name is Seraphine... Oh! By the way, I''m an Ascended!"


    Now this freaked all of them out!