Rebirth: Necromancer's Ascenscion-Chapter 157: The Cost

"Then our greatest enemy will burn. And through his ashes, we will walk again."

A silence fell once more between them, but it was not empty. The Reach listened.

Above, the world turned. Unaware. Unprepared.

Below, two Archdemons watched the ember of war flicker into life. Not with rage. Not with hope.

But with certainty. This was how world’s ended. Without drums. Just whispers.

---

It was late in thevafternoon.

The sun glinted off the brass fixtures in the inner courtyard of House Elarin, turning the stone flagstones golden.

In a private pavilion draped with ivory silks, Velrosa Lionarde sat at a low table strewn with ledgers and parchment scrolls.

Across from her leaned Blackrat, fingers steepled, eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

"I knew they’d fold quickly," Velrosa began, voice steady, "but not this quickly."

Blackrat’s grin was a slash of shadow. "You persuaded well, they collapsed faster than I even dared predict. Berreth owed the Hollow Coin Consortium four million gold—and because we invoked clause thirteen, we claimed their eastern mine outright. Their liquid assets? Seized. Their fleets? Reassigned to our merchants."

He spread a new ledger before her, columns of figures dancing in silver ink under the torchlight.

"In total, we put twelve million into the play: seven invested in their debts payments, three more funneled through front companies to buy out minor creditors, and two held in reserve for operational costs—bribery, intimidation, legal retainers. They lost it all."

Velrosa drummed a finger on the table. "And our gains?"

"Their southern trade routes, the Blackstone mine in Eastvale, two merchant frigates, and—most importantly—their network of underbank contacts. Once we clear registration, those same banks will owe us their allegiance, rather than theirs." Blackrat tapped another column.

"Projected yield in the first quarter: fifteen million. After overhead, a net gain of—approximately eight."

She arched an eyebrow. "Eight million profit, in return for a twelve-million outlay?"

Blackrat shrugged. "Net present value. Plus, we didn’t torch their businesses. My boys stayed their hands when they heard we wanted the operations intact. If Berreth had resisted, they’d have watched the export yards burn. But they did well conceding swiftly. Left their empire intact for us to step into."

Velrosa allowed herself a thin smile. "I like an empire served on a platter."

He leaned closer, voice dropping. "And the best part? No one will suspect it’s House Elarin. We hid our tracks through the Consortium, through proxy accounts. By the time anyone realizes what’s happened, our names won’t be on the deed—they’ll be asking which obscure banking guild was behind it. We control the flow, not the headlines."

She studied him, weighing each word. "Then Berreth’s old creditors—those minor houses—will come crawling."

"Exactly. They’ll offer tribute to keep the mine lease. We’ll sell them option contracts at double the price. Or seize them too, if they resist." His grin widened, faintly predatory. "Either way, House Elarin gains."

Velrosa rose, smoothing her gown. "Good work. Prepare the formal transfer documents. I want the banners changed next week. Subtlety is key—we don’t need to advertise new masters yet."

Blackrat bowed slightly, already retrieving a velvet pouch of quills and seals. "As you command."

---

Elsewhere, in the Council chambers atop the Aurelian Spire, nine chairs sat in a curved arc of judgment.

Velvet and ivory, obsidian and gold—the thrones of Esgard’s power.

Third Chair, Prince Liam Xavier, was dressed in diplomatic blue, adorned with the sigils of both the Arderian Crown and the Esgardian elite. His voice cut through the murmurs like knife.

"So it’s true," Liam said, "Berreth lost almost everything short of their name."

Lady Caldrein Morravel of the First Chair leaned forward, her fingers laced. "They were weakened. Their wealth staked on a single fight in the Crucible. Their debts outpaced their grain profits. The fall was inevitable."

"And House Elarin was there to catch them," came the cold, soft voice of Lady Velmira Saan, Sixth Chair. "Velrosa plays this game well. Perhaps too well."

"She’s accumulating wealth and political footholds faster than most would dare," muttered Lord Durnhal of the Second Chair, eyes gleaming behind his spectacles. "If she gets access to Berreth’s southern holdings, she controls half the port traffic."

"Good for trade," Liam replied, "Bad for balance."

From the Seventh Chair, Grand Priest Eltharion Vale merely watched, lips pursed in silence.

Then Lord Tharros Yvain, Fifth Chair and Commander of City Defenses, spoke, his tone dry and blunt. "She has a weapon no one else has. That champion of hers. The Demon Blade. If he fights again at the next Arena games, the lesser houses will flock to her."

"They already are," said Mistress Thalia Virex of the Ninth Chair, the woman of whispers. "You should hear what’s circulating in the lower courts. They call her the Corpse Queen, and him her dark sword."

"They’re both dangerous," said Archmage Serel Vaunt of the Fourth Chair, his fingers still crackling faintly with arcane residue. "But useful, for now. If she destabilizes the Council’s outer rings, we can simply... prune her when the time is right."

Liam was quiet. Then he smiled faintly.

"The banquet will tell us much. Noble blood will be everywhere. And Velrosa will need to act very carefully."

Lady Morravel nodded once. "That’s better for us. Let her show her colors. The only thing nobility hates more than weakness... is ambition."

The chamber fell silent as a servant entered and placed the sealed invitations to the upcoming banquet at the center of the table.

Nine invitations. Nine signatures.

Nine knives in velvet.

---

Back in House Elarin, Velrosa poured herself a glass of wine and glanced over the finalized Berreth documents one more time.

Her fingers traced the House seal. Then she let it fall into the fire.

"Phase one is off to a wonderful start," she murmured. "I hope the Council is ad worried as i expect."

She turned to Ian with a grin.

"Prepare for the banquet. Just like last time I want to make sure we give them something to remember."