Everyone—clan mbers, the guests, even the prince—stood in silence, watching the drama unfold. They weren't to talk or raise their voice in the presence of the Caelum.
The hall was completely silent except for them.
Jolthar stood in the shadows, watching it all unfold. His mind churned with thoughts, his eyes taking in every detail. He was looking at the patriarch and wondered why he made such a sudden decision.
Lorryll turned to his mother, Elowen, a flicker of desperation flashing across his features. "Mother, you know . You know my heart. I've always sought what is best for this family. Give the chance to prove that I can lead us to greatness."
Elowen's expression was cold, her jaw tightening as she spoke. "You had your chance, Lorryll, and you squandered it. You've brought sha to our na with your reckless ambitions. How can you ask us to trust you now?
You shouldn't have left the clan."
Lorryll sighed as he asked, "So, you are not going to change your mind?"
Elowen knit her brows, and she said, "Lorryll, even if you are our child, I can't overlook the way you are speaking to the patriarch and the things you have done in the na of establishing the clan. So, no. The patriarch had spoken, and it is final."
Lorryll's face darkened, his pleas giving way to a dangerous resolve. He straightened, his expression hardening as he glanced over his shoulder.
A subtle signal passed between him and Liliana, who stood a few steps behind him, her composure like that of a queen plotting a coup.
Liliana nodded imperceptibly, then raised her hand. "Co," she said, her voice clear and commanding.
The double doors of the hall creaked open, and a group of n clad in flowing red robes entered. Their faces were obscured by hoods, but their movents were confident, their presence exuding an eerie authority. Red mages who were waiting outside ca in; they had been stopped before, but no one stopped them now as they released their aura blatantly.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Before going inside, one of the red-robed n stopped outside and raised his hand.
A swirling energy gathered at his palm, forming a fiery orb that crackled with intensity. With a sharp gesture, he flung it upward. The orb shot into the air, its path marked by a brilliant red streak before it exploded above the hall in a blinding burst of crimson light.
The explosion lit up the night sky, casting an ominous glow over the Kaezhlar estate.
Outside, knights patrolling the grounds saw the signal and imdiately went on alert, their hands gripping the hilts of their swords.
They recognised it for what it was: a call to arms.
Inside the hall, the tension was palpable. Murmurs of fear and confusion spread like wildfire. Red mages, those n who entered the hall, were the elite of Naemarys clan, and now they stood behind Liliana. All of them were above tier 7 and emitted a strong magical force. The mana in the room was starting to turn thicker and oppressive too.
But with a flick of his hand, Caelum dissipated the mana wave which was covering the room.
Elowen, her voice trembling with a mix of shock and anger, turned to Lorryll. "What are you doing, Lorryll? What is the aning of this?"
Lorryll's grin was cold and calculating. "It is exactly what you see, Mother. You have abandoned , cast aside like I'm nothing. So now I will take what is mine. The Kaezhlar clan will kneel to . Stay tuned to empire
All of you will."
Caelum, who was calm until now, smirked; it was faint but chilling. His voice, calm and deliberate, cut through the chaos.
"Tell ," he said, his eyes shifting to Liliana, "is your father part of this?"
Liliana stiffened under his gaze, her confidence montarily shaken. She quickly composed herself, her chin lifting defiantly.
"This is all my husband's wish," she replied. "I rely support him in his rightful pursuit."
Caelum's smirk deepened.
His aura, a quiet yet overwhelming presence, seed to expand, filling the room with an almost tangible pressure. It was a reminder of the power he held—a man who had reached the pinnacle of the tiers, standing just a step away from transcendence.
Elowen's fury erupted, her voice laced with venom as she pointed an accusatory finger at Liliana. "You! You are the reason for all of this! You poisoned my son, and twisted him with your sches and your ambition. And now you stand here, daring to tell that he wishes to destroy his own ho?" She turned to her husband and said, "That's why I was so opposed to marrying my son into that family. See now what she had done to my son."
Liliana's lips curled into a small, mocking smile, but before she could respond, Caelum raised a hand, his gesture silencing Elowen mid-sentence.
"Enough," Caelum said, his tone calm but commanding.
Elowen's shoulders slumped, her fiery outburst quelled by her husband's authority. She turned to Lorryll, her eyes searching his face. What she saw made her heart sink.
The boy she had once known, the son she had cradled and nurtured, was gone.
In his place stood a man consud by ambition, willing to destroy everything in his path—even his own family—to achieve power.
"Lorryll," she said softly, her voice trembling with sorrow, "what have you beco?"
Lorryll didn't respond. His expression was a mask of cold determination, his eyes fixed on Caelum as if waiting for the final confrontation.
The hall remained heavy with silence, the crimson light from the explosion still casting its eerie glow through the windows.
-
Outside the estate, the night sky, still aglow with the remnants of the crimson signal, now bore witness to another developnt.
From the distance, a shadowy figure erged over the horizon—a massive wooden vessel, its sails regal, emblazoned with intricate patterns of the Naemarys clan's sigil. The ship glided over the clouds like a phantom, its sheer size and grandeur commanding the attention of all who beheld it. It was flying towards the Kaezhlar estate, carrying more of those red mages.
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