The Genius Mage Was Reincarnated Into A Swordsman Family-Chapter 246: Prelude

Midday light streamed through the seven great windows of the Imperial Chamber, each ray illuminating its corresponding throne in perfect symmetry. The Seven Monarchs' thrones remained in their perfect circle, now empty of the transformed presence that had dominated the previous day's proceedings. Outside, dark clouds gathered on the horizon, their distant shapes mirroring the tension that permeated the ancient chamber.

"He refused to attend?" The Lightning Queen's static crown crackled with agitation as she took her position. "Or was he not invited?"

"I extended an invitation," Roman replied, frost patterns spreading subtly around his ice throne. "Klaus made it clear he considers further proceedings... irrelevant to his concerns."

"Irrelevant?" The Flame King's crown flared with renewed indignation, though noticeably dimmer than his previous display. "After yesterday's performance, he dismisses us as irrelevant?"

"A calculated insult," the Wind Monarch observed, his wispy form shifting restlessly. "Or perhaps merely an accurate assessment of his perspective."

The other monarchs took their positions with unusual tension, the previous day's demonstration having shattered centuries of carefully maintained protocol. Where diplomatic concerns had once dominated their interactions, a more primal calculation now took precedence—the collective acknowledgment that something beyond their understanding had entered the balance of power.

"Let us address the obvious," the Metal Empress stated, her ageless voice breaking the uncomfortable silence. "What we witnessed yesterday represents a fundamental disruption to continental equilibrium."

The Stone Monarch's weathered face darkened with barely contained fury. "I have ruled the mountain domains for three centuries. Never in that time has any being—mortal or otherwise—dismissed my power with such casual indifference."

"Our combined auras should have flattened half the estate," the Flame King added, flames dancing erratically around his crown. "He dispelled them with a gesture. A gesture!"

"Your wounded pride is noted but irrelevant to our purpose," the Ocean Queen interjected, her voice carrying the rhythm of deep currents. "We must determine what Klaus Lionhart has become and what threat he poses to continental stability."

"The boy is clearly more than a boy now," the Wind Monarch said, his form rippling with anxiety. "His transformation exceeds anything in recorded history. We must consider the possibility that he has become the vessel for something... ancient."

A heavy silence fell over the chamber as the implication settled among them. It was the Metal Empress who finally spoke, her ageless voice carrying the weight of centuries.

"Each of our ancestral records speaks of beings who would one day walk among us," she said carefully. "Beings of immense power who would bring either salvation or destruction."

The Beast Emperor's golden eyes gleamed in the sunlight, ritual markings shifting beneath his skin. "My grandson poses no threat to those who maintain appropriate perspective. His evolution serves continental interests by providing protection against forces that exceed our conventional defenses."

"Protection?" The Flame King scoffed, his crown flaring with indignation. "The boy refused to even explain what happened at Northwatch. He speaks in riddles while dismissing our authority. How does this protect anything but his own secrets?"

Roman's frost patterns expanded across his throne's armrests. "Perhaps the explanation exceeds your capacity to comprehend. As Klaus observed, some knowledge is best left undisturbed."

"Convenient justification," The Flame King growled. "The Ice Monarch and Beast Emperor united in defending their shared bloodline while withholding information critical to continental security."

Tension thickened the air as frost spread further from Roman's throne, meeting the subtle heat radiating from the Flame King's position. The Lightning Queen raised her hand, static electricity intensifying around her crown.

"This divisiveness serves no purpose," she stated firmly. "Regardless of our individual interpretations, we must acknowledge unprecedented circumstances require unprecedented consideration."

The Metal Empress nodded in agreement. "We must consult what our ancestors left for precisely such circumstances."

A weighted silence fell over the chamber. Each Monarch possessed fragments of knowledge passed down through generations—cryptic prophecies their founding ancestors had recorded concerning events beyond conventional understanding. These ancient records were rarely referenced, their disturbing implications typically relegated to ceremonial acknowledgment rather than practical application.

"The time has come to seek wisdom beyond our own," the Lightning Queen declared, her voice carrying rare solemnity.

After a moment's consideration, Roman reached for the silver amulet hanging from his neck. With a precise gesture, the amulet expanded into a swirling portal of frost energy. From this dimensional pocket, he withdrew a crystalline tablet that radiated cold so intense the air around it froze into delicate patterns.

"The Founder's Warning," he announced, his voice grave.

The other monarchs followed suit, each accessing their own ancestral storage devices. The Lightning Queen's electrified ring expanded into a crackling vortex from which she retrieved a scroll of parchment-like material that seemed to shimmer with captured lightning. The Stone Monarch reluctantly pressed his palm against a rough-hewn stone bracelet, transforming it into a momentary fissure that revealed stone tablets bound together with metal that hadn't tarnished despite millennia of existence.

The Beast Emperor's tribal necklace expanded into a swirling vortex of golden energy, from which he extracted what appeared to be fragments of bone inscribed with shifting symbols that crawled across the surface like living things. The Flame King's obsidian signet ring flared with heat, opening a fiery portal that produced pages that glowed with internal heat, their edges perpetually burning yet never consumed.

The Ocean Queen's pearl pendant rippled outward like water, revealing within its depths a scroll inscribed on preserved scales from some ancient aquatic being. The Wind Monarch's silvery earring spiraled into misty energy, solidifying into pages that seemed to flutter despite the chamber's still air. The Metal Empress touched her intricate diadem, which transformed into spiraling metallic energy, producing a thin sheet of unknown metal covered in engravings that caught the light in impossible ways.

"These fragments have remained separated for generations," the Metal Empress observed. "Perhaps together, they may provide insight where individually they have remained cryptic."

The Lightning Queen unrolled her shimmering scroll first. "Our founder spoke of a being of immense pride who would one day 'walk among mortals clothed in flesh, yet carrying power that preceded the foundation of the world itself.'"

"The Ocean Manuscript mentions a creature of endless hunger," the Ocean Queen added, studying the preserved scales with growing concern. "It speaks of 'consumption beyond natural limitation, an emptiness that devours not merely matter but existence itself.'"

Her eyes rose to meet the others. "Northwatch and the Eternal Rift were consumed completely. The parallels are... disturbing."

The Wind Monarch squinted at his fluttering pages. "This passage has defied translation for centuries, but it describes a being of covetousness who 'desires not merely physical possessions but the very essence of what makes others unique.'"

"The Stone Codex references an entity of jealousy," the Stone Monarch admitted reluctantly. "One who 'gazes upon others' attributes with such intensity that reality itself bends to transfer those qualities to its possession.'"

The Flame King's burning pages cast flickering shadows across his face. "The Eternal Flame Prophecy speaks of a being of uncontrollable wrath, whose 'rage ignites not merely physical conflagration but the burning away of the boundaries between worlds.'"

"The Metal Scrolls describe one of perpetual indolence," the Metal Empress added, her finger tracing the impossible engravings. "Yet whose 'stillness conceals movement beyond conventional perception, existing between moments rather than within them.'"

The Beast Emperor's bone fragments shifted in his massive hands. "And the Beast Prophecy tells of one who embodies excessive desire for pleasure, whose 'appetites transcend physical sensation to consume experiences across multiple planes of existence.'"

Roman's frost patterns spread further as he studied his crystalline tablet. "The Ice Warning speaks of seven beings whose emergence heralds a critical juncture in existence. 'When all seven walk as flesh, the veil between worlds grows thin, and what was separated at creation's dawn may once again converge.'"

The chamber fell silent as each monarch contemplated these cryptic fragments. For generations, they had dismissed these texts as allegorical rather than prophetic. Now, faced with Klaus's inexplicable transformation and the events at Northwatch, these ancient warnings carried chilling new significance.

"Seven beings," the Lightning Queen finally said, static intensifying around her crown. "Each embodying what might be considered a fundamental aspect of mortal nature, yet possessing power beyond mortal limitation."

"And Klaus Lionhart may be one of these vessels," the Wind Monarch observed, his form blurring slightly at the edges. "The being of endless hunger, perhaps—given what occurred at Northwatch."

"The emptiness that devours existence," the Ocean Queen agreed, her eyes distant with growing horror. "Northwatch and the Eternal Rift were consumed completely. A perfect match to our founder's description."

The Flame King's crown flared with renewed agitation. "If these prophecies hold truth rather than mere allegory, then we face not merely one such being, but potentially six others who may emerge or have already manifested."

"Our ancestors provided no unified guidance on whether these beings bring salvation or destruction," the Metal Empress noted, studying her strange engravings. "Each fragment offers contradictory interpretations."

"The Ice Warning suggests both possibilities exist simultaneously," Roman added, frost now covering the floor around his throne. "'The Seven bring either restoration of primordial balance or dissolution of all boundaries, depending on choices made at the crucial junction.'"

"Choices made by whom?" the Stone Monarch demanded. "The vessels themselves? Or those who encounter them?"

"And what of the Icarus cult?" the Wind Monarch interjected, his form rippling with anxiety. "They clearly recognized something in Klaus worth kidnapping and performing their ritual upon. Did they intend to create this transformation, or did they simply accelerate what was already happening?"

"The cult believed they were preparing a vessel for their divine entity," Roman replied carefully. "Whether they understood the true nature of what they served remains unclear."

"What is clear," the Stone Monarch countered, "is that Klaus Lionhart has become something beyond human—something that casually dismissed our combined power and speaks of realities beyond our comprehension. If he is indeed a vessel for one of these ancient beings, the threat cannot be overstated."

The Beast Emperor's golden eyes narrowed slightly. "You mistake evolution for threat. Perhaps my grandson's transformation serves a higher purpose than our limited perception can grasp."

"A convenient position," the Flame King noted acidly, "given your bloodline connection to the vessel."

"If Klaus Lionhart is indeed one of these seven prophesied beings," the Beast Emperor continued, ignoring the provocation, "then our approach to him requires careful reconsideration. Conventional authority and power hierarchies may be meaningless in this new context." freēnovelkiss.com

"Or perhaps more essential than ever," the Flame King countered, flames dancing erratically around his crown. "If these beings possess power that could threaten reality itself, then establishing boundaries becomes paramount."

"Did you not witness yesterday's demonstration?" the Ocean Queen asked, her voice tinged with rare sarcasm. "Your attempt to establish boundaries resulted in humiliation. The boy neutralized your combined power without apparent effort."

"Which only confirms the danger," the Stone Monarch insisted. "If he is indeed a vessel for one of these ancient entities, then we face a being with power beyond our comprehension and purposes we cannot fathom."

The clouds outside grew darker, casting dramatic shadows through the chamber's high windows. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a fitting accompaniment to the growing unease that permeated the ancient chamber.

"We require more information," the Metal Empress concluded, her ageless features betraying uncharacteristic concern. "If these prophecies speak truth, if Klaus Lionhart represents one of seven beings with power beyond our comprehension, then identifying the remaining vessels becomes essential."

"As does determining their intentions," the Wind Monarch added. "Do they share a common purpose? Or are they as divided in their objectives as the prophecies suggest they might be?"

Roman's frost patterns expanded further across the floor. "My grandson spoke of protecting boundaries between worlds. If he is indeed one of these seven, his purpose may align with preservation rather than dissolution."

"Self-reported purpose is not evidence of actual intention," the Stone Monarch countered. "Especially from a being who may not fully comprehend the power he wields or its ultimate consequences."

The Beast Emperor smiled thinly, ritual markings shifting beneath his skin. "And perhaps our limited understanding prevents us from recognizing wisdom that transcends our conventional frameworks."

The Metal Empress raised her hand before the exchange could escalate. "These personal conflicts distract from our purpose. The critical question remains: What do these seven beings—including potentially Klaus Lionhart—herald for our continent and perhaps existence itself?"

"And if Klaus is merely the first," the Lightning Queen added, her voice grave, "how do we prepare for the emergence of the others? Or have they already walked among us, unrecognized until now?"

Silence fell over the chamber as these questions hung in the air, weighted with implications beyond their individual territories or authorities. Outside, the first drops of rain struck the high windows, the approaching storm echoing the uncertainty that had replaced their carefully maintained equilibrium.

No answer came as the storm broke over the Lionhart Estate, casting the imperial chamber into deepening shadow—a fitting metaphor for the darkness that had entered their understanding of the world and their place within it.

Somewhere within the estate, a being who might hold answers stood beyond their authority to compel, beyond their power to contain, and perhaps beyond their capacity to understand.