In the highest tower of Veylan's Spire, behind walls shielded by layers of ancient wards, the Arcane Council gathered.
They spoke my name like it was a curse.
"Aric Ravencross."
"The boy's a menace."
"An anomaly."
"An existential threat."
I listened from afar—well, not with my ears. A simple specter I had woven earlier drifted invisibly through the tower's shadows, carrying their words back to me in whispers. A trick no one suspected. Yet another gift from the tome.
The Council's chamber was a grand place, with floors of marble and a ceiling made of starlight glass. Twelve seats encircled a floating orb of seething magic—a symbol of their authority.
Each member of the Council was a master in their domain: flame, storm, mind, and stone. Titans of magic. Architects of order.
And yet... they feared a single boy.
Me.
High Chancellor Aldric, a stern man with a beard of white and eyes like cold iron, slammed his staff against the floor. The room quieted instantly.
"This is no mere rogue mage," he growled. "He commands death itself. Entire legions. Ancient beasts. If we let him grow unchecked, he could raze cities. Topple thrones."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the council.
Lady Vaelin, Mistress of Enchantments, leaned forward. "We could offer him a position. A controlled apprenticeship. Better to leash the wolf than hunt it."
"You cannot leash death," Aldric spat. "It does not bow. It consumes."
The others shifted uncomfortably.
There it was.
They knew the truth.
They weren't facing a rebel or a misguided student.
They were facing the rebirth of something far older and far more dangerous than their polished order could withstand.
Master Solen, an ancient seer, finally spoke. His voice was brittle as dry leaves. "The prophecy spoke of one who would rise. One the Council could not bind."
"The Deathmarked," someone whispered.
I smiled to myself in the ruins of Grimhaven, feeling their fear brush against me across the miles.
Good.
Let them fear.
I didn't want their invitations. I didn't need their approval. And if they came for me...
I would show them exactly why necromancy was the magic they tried so hard to erase.
Across the distance, I felt the Council's decision harden.
They would move against me.
They would send hunters. Spies. Assassins.
I welcomed them.
Because the world was already changing.
And no council, no ancient oath, no thousand-year law could stop what was coming.
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