SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant-Chapter 466: A New Seat Among the Eight [VIII]

The elven woman gave a small nod once the final vote was spoken. "Then it is decided."

Her voice did not rise, yet it settled over the chamber with the same weight as a seal pressed into hot wax. "For the houses that voted against this proposal, let it be stated clearly that this new power will not interfere in your internal affairs. Its existence will not alter the privileges of the Eight, nor will it be allowed to trespass into matters that belong to your families."

She paused briefly before continuing. "If there had been any true danger to the balance of the Eight, the Elders would not have allowed this possibility to reach the floor of the Council at all."

That much was true. No matter how much power sat around that obsidian table, everyone there understood that the Elders did not place certain ideas before the Eight unless they had already measured the consequences from every angle worth fearing.

Then, unexpectedly, Lysaria spoke. "Then I would like to change my vote."

That drew eyes toward her at once. The vampire matriarch remained elegant as ever, one pale hand resting near the arm of her seat, moonlit hair spilling over her shoulder. Her faint smile returned, but this time there was less mockery in it. "Thinking about it more carefully, I believe this may be a positive development for the rest of the world." Her red gaze drifted for a moment, distant but not unfocused. "Carac was affected during this war. If a force like this had already existed, places like that might have been protected sooner."

No one interrupted her.

"So yes. House Nocthar changes its vote to in favor."

The elven woman inclined her head once. "Understood. The result stands at six in favor and two against."

The decision, already heavy, settled even deeper into the room after that. Valttair remained as still as before, but his mind moved quietly behind that cold expression. ’Hm. Father is still among the Elders. He would have had some influence over this reaching the Council at all.’ That alone made the result useful to House Morgain since they could also influence that new force from the inside. Darian had done well to follow their direction with his vote.

But even beyond that, even stripped of family interest, the outcome held value. A force built to answer future Rift outbreaks and Void Creature incidents was not a foolish thing. If another catastrophe like the last one appeared, the world would no longer be forced to wait for one of the Great Families to decide whether it was worth moving.

Valttair would always place his house first. That would never change. Even so, he could still recognize a good decision when it stood in front of him.

"There is one final issue I would like to address before we conclude."

That was enough to pull every gaze back toward her. "During the battle, the Elders detected an anomaly." She paused for only a breath. "There was Primordial energy present on the battlefield. One of the observers carried it."

That changed the room more completely than any raised voice could have. No one needed the meaning explained. Everyone seated there belonged to bloodlines that stood above the rest of the world, but even among those, the Primordial bloodline was something else entirely. A name that had never fully left history no matter how many centuries passed.

Valttair was the first to respond. "Do we know anything beyond that? Or was it only detected?"

"Only the presence. It was faint, and it disappeared soon after. We could not trace it further." Her eyes moved once across the table. "Even so, after so much time, the appearance of Primordial energy is not a minor matter. This information will remain inside this chamber."

Malakar’s dark crimson eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you believe it threatens the stability of the world?"

"We are not certain. At this point, all we can confirm is that there was a presence. Nothing more." She folded her hands in front of her. "Power alone is not immortality. For now, we will not draw conclusions we cannot support."

No one looked satisfied, but everyone understood why.

The elven woman took one final look around the obsidian table. "If any of you come across information related to this presence, you will report it. Likewise, we will keep you informed as the process regarding the new force moves forward." She straightened slightly. "With that, the One Hundred Forty-Fourth Council is concluded."

The Elders did not linger after that. One by one the robed figures turned and began to leave, silver runes along their dark robes catching the low light as they moved toward the great doors. The young-looking elven woman was the last among them to go.

And once they were gone, the room felt different.

The Council had ended, but the final thing they had left behind sat in the chamber like a blade no one wanted to touch too quickly.

For a while after the Elders left, no one spoke. The chamber remained still, but not at ease. The final piece of information they had dropped lingered too heavily for that. A Primordial presence. Faint, brief, and gone. It was the kind of thing that made even people like them pause.

Roderic was the one who finally broke the mood. "I didn’t expect an SSS talent to appear so soon after one disappeared," he said, turning his glass slowly between his fingers as his gaze shifted toward Valttair. "Anything to say?"

Every eye moved in the same direction.

"What exactly do you want me to say, Roderic?" Valttair’s voice came out flat. "I have a genius in the family."

Roderic’s mouth curved faintly. "Without question. Congratulations, then." The amusement in his tone was too polished to be sincere. "I feel a little better knowing my son lost two Councils ago to a genius. Though you kept him hidden well, rat."

By then there was no point pretending otherwise. Everyone at the table already knew.

Valttair did not bother rising to the bait. "Now that the Council is over, I think it is time to enjoy the rest of the evening. After what the world has gone through, a little celebration is not misplaced."

Malakar gave a low sound that was almost a laugh as he rose from his seat. "It is strange hearing you speak of celebration, considering who you are. But I won’t deny the point."

One by one the others began to stand as well. Before Valttair could leave, Nyssara approached him from the side, smooth as water slipping between stone. Her voice lowered enough that the others would not hear. "I met your son some time ago in the ruins. He seemed like a good boy. I imagine you’re already thinking of making him the future head of House Morgain."

"That is not your concern, Nyssara."

"Of course not." Her smile remained cool and soft. "Still, take care of him. One of my children seems to get along with him decently enough. It would be wise for ties like that to strengthen. The future stands more firmly when the young build it together."

Valttair looked at her for a brief moment. "I won’t deny that. But that future is still far away, Nyssara."