Aiden, with his enhanced hearing, had been listening to every conversation in the halls the entire time, even while he focused on his notification screens earlier.

He filtered the overlapping voices easily and pieced them together into a coherent understanding of what each group discussed.

Aside from Cedric, Daylor, and a few other mages, there were no others from Xathia present in the halls who had been rescued.

There were a total of five people from Skallgard, two of whom were Lord Ivar's sons.

Both of them stood off to the side near one of the stone pillars with regretful expressions weighing heavily on their faces.

They spoke quietly between themselves and Aiden's hearing caught every word.

"Do you think Skallgard will ever accept us back?" one of them asked in a low voice.

The other shook his head slowly. "We killed our own father," he replied bitterly. "It doesn't matter that we were possessed. That's what they'll remember."

The first brother clenched his fists in frustration.

Aiden's expression remained neutral as he listened then shifted his attention elsewhere.

Unfortunately, other kingdoms were not as fortunate as Dragonhold, which had Aiden who could resurrect the dead using the Life Restoration Potion.

The casualties they suffered were permanent.

There were different groups scattered throughout the hall representing various kingdoms.

The smallest contingent was at least three people, though some groups were larger and included rulers themselves.

Seraph of Orathia stood near the western side of the hall speaking quietly with two of her council members.

Lord Juvna of Jogunmount was present as well, looking exhausted but relieved as he spoke with one of his generals.

However, the ones with the least to say were the elves from Elandria. Aside from Dragonhold itself, they had the most people rescued.

There were seven out of ten of Arnarra's elven children standing together in a tight group near the far end of the hall.

Six of her council generals were also there and they too said nothing much themselves.

Seven other notable elves stood off to the side, bringing their total to twenty rescued individuals.

Aiden's attention was drawn to one elf in particular.

Taenyra.

She stood slightly apart from the others with her white hair falling past her shoulders and her skin looking closer to human than any other elf present.

Aiden stared at her for a few seconds longer than he intended before muttering under his breath, "Hmm."

Then he shifted his gaze away.

On the other hand Dragonhold itself, had about thirty persons affected by the possession.

The most affected mages among them had come from the Fractured Stars Guild.

And worst of all, not a single member of that guild had woken up yet since being freed from the parasites.

They had all been moved out of the halls at almost the same time Helena had been ushered away earlier, taken to the Kingdom's infirmary.

When Aiden listened to the experiences people described while under the control of the leeches, they all said roughly the same thing.

They described it as losing themselves entirely, as if they had been watching their own bodies move and act without any control over what happened.

Some spoke of it like being trapped inside their own minds.

Others said it felt like drowning, unable to surface no matter how hard they fought.

—-

On the opposite side of the hall stood Oberon, who had been deep in thought for quite some time now.

He saw opportunity in the current situation.

It may not have been by his own doing, but it had been done by mages affiliated with the kingdom under his rule.

And now the other kingdoms would owe him a debt of gratitude.

He walked forward slowly until he stood at a place where everyone could see him clearly, and naturally their attention shifted toward him as it became obvious he was about to address them.

Oberon cleared his throat once before speaking loudly enough for his voice to carry across the entire hall.

"I have already sent word to the rulers of your respective kingdoms," he began. "They will soon become aware of what has transpired here and may come to retrieve you if they wish."

He paused briefly and gestured toward the gathered crowd. "In the meantime, quarters will be made available for all of you within the palace. You will be provided with food, clothing, and whatever else you require until arrangements are made for your departure."

His gaze shifted toward the rulers who were present among the rescued.

"For those of you who lead your own lands," Oberon continued, "you are welcome to leave now if you prefer, or you may stay through the day to recuperate properly before returning home."

He paused again and clasped his hands behind his back. "A meeting amongst all leaders will be called within a week's time so we may discuss this demon situation fully and determine how best to proceed moving forward."

Then after a brief silence, he added with deliberate emphasis, "But I trust that all of you will remember that it was members of Dragonhold who saved your lives today."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he spoke those final words.

He then turned toward Thamoryn and called out clearly, "Grand Magus, see that they are all given proper quarters."

Thamoryn nodded once without speaking and immediately began organizing groups to assist.

Oberon turned back toward the entrance and walked away with that same smile still on his face.

This way he had dealt with the possibility of other kings wanting to go against him.

Even Elandria would find it difficult to oppose him openly now after this act of goodwill, whether genuine or calculated.

Movements began throughout the hall as people started proceeding outside under Thamoryn's direction.

However, before they left entirely, the affected rulers approached Aiden one by one.

Cedric moved first.

He stepped forward with his daughter Arianna still standing close beside him and extended his hand toward Aiden with genuine gratitude written across his face.

"Thank you," Cedric said simply. "You have my deepest gratitude for what you've done today."

Aiden nodded and shook his hand firmly. "You're welcome."

Cedric continued on his way with Arianna walking beside him. She glanced back at Aiden for a moment longer, and Aiden gave her a small wink with a faint smile.

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