Rebirth: Necromancer's Ascenscion-Chapter 170: Study of Shadows

Fire crackled in the hearth, but the warmth in House Elarin’s study was all for show.

The tension in the room didn’t allow comfort.

It was cold.

Heavy curtains drowned the light, and the long table in the center looked more like a warboard than a place of discussion.

Maps. Ledgers.

A few aged bottles of wine unopened. Dust had started to gather on the edges.

Velrosa stood at the head of it, her silver hair pinned back, a long midnight coat spilling down her form like a second shadow. The others were already seated—Eli, cross-armed and silent in the corner; Elise, cold-eyed and focused; Ian, relaxed but alert; and Rat, hands steepled in front of him, as if calculating the weight of everyone’s silence.

The princess didn’t waste time.

"Phase One," she began, voice smooth but edged with steel. "Arena ascendancy is making great progress."

She looked toward Ian, a small nod given.

"You’ll fight your final Blood League match in two days. Win it—and we rise into the League of Champions. That alone will shift how the houses speak our names behind closed doors. They’ll call you ’Demon Blade’ now with a bit more respect, even more fear."

Ian gave a slow nod. His gray eyes held no arrogance. Just intent.

"It’ll be done."

"Good." Velrosa moved around the table, slow steps like a pendulum keeping time. "Caelen and Lyra will follow shortly into the Crucible ranks. And with every match they win, with every coin we earn through Rat’s system... our power consolidates. The crowd backs us. The betting houses lean our way. The nobles eye us as more than a House with a halfblood mistress."

She stopped near the window, hand resting lightly on the sill.

"And now, they’ve elected me to a Council Chair."

Eli let out a soft snort.

Velrosa smiled without mirth. "They think it’s a leash. That I’m a name to balance their optics—halfblood made puppet, a concession to the bleeding old codes. But they’re in for a surprise."

The room hummed quiet approval.

Velrosa turned. "Rat. Where do we stand with the votes?"

Blackrat laced his fingers together and leaned forward. The low candlelight shimmered against his well-kept coat, and for once, he didn’t smile.

"Eighty-two nobles carry voting rights on the matter," he began, voice calm, precise. "Of them, we’ve already locked down thirty-four. Mostly minor houses—those choking on coin and fear forced down their throats, or those invested in the Ian’s victory. They’ll vote in your favor because if you fall, so do they."

He tapped a parchment with names and markings inked in red and black.

"Another nineteen are on the edge. I’ve arranged certain... disclosures to reach them. Scandals, love affairs, tax evasion, bastard children—whatever makes them pliable. They don’t know they’re voting for you yet. They just know that not doing so comes with a price."

Eli raised an eyebrow. "And the rest?"

Rat allowed himself a thin smile. "The rest wait for Ian’s next performance. If he wins, and more importantly, if he wins with style—brutality and spectacle—it will tip the scales."

Velrosa’s eyes flicked to Ian. "You heard him. Don’t just win."

Ian leaned back in his chair, tone casual. "They’ll get a show."

Velrosa gave a small nod of approval, then turned toward Ian fully.

"And the Four Pillars?"

He sat forward now. "They approached me two nights ago. Solmere, Ardeval. And the one tied to Kyreth."

Elise stiffened at the name. Rat tilted his head slightly.

Ian continued. "They’re watching the tide. Deciding if it’s better to stand against us or not. Solmere said they’d hold off imperial pressure. Quietly. Until we’re ready to face it ourselves."

Velrosa’s expression didn’t change, but a spark of calculation flared in her gaze.

"They’ve shifted, then. From executioners to... witnesses."

"Something like that," Ian said. "They won’t help directly. But they won’t stop us either. Not for now."

Eli finally spoke, voice low. "Never trust watchers. They don’t warn you when they change their mind." ƒгeewebnovёl.com

Velrosa looked at him, then to Ian. "We keep eyes on them. If they move, I want to know. Elise—task our quietest agents."

"Already done," she said simply.

Velrosa returned to the head of the table.

"Then it’s time."

She reached beneath her cloak, unrolled a scroll, and pinned it down on the table. Etched on the parchment was a new sigil—a mark not of nobility, but conquest.

"Phase Two begins now," she said.

The words hung in the air like knife unsheathed.

PHASE II: POLITICAL SUBVERSION

Target: Council Control

Goal: Take over Esgard from within.

"We have a seat now. That’s the doorway. But to rule Esgard, to shape it in our image—we need more than presence. We need to remove the ones who hold the real levers."

She pointed at names inked in red: Saan. Kaelthorn.

"Saan is the spider. She sees secrets. But her reach has grown careless. When the moment’s right, we end her."

Ian gave a slow nod.

Velrosa’s finger moved to Kaelthorn. "Kaelthorn oversees the Crucible and is who we are to replace. He’s greedy. Addicted to rare beasts and bloodsport. He’d have been the next best target, but he’s already out of the game—Rat find me someone else."

Rat smirked. "Already preparing the bait."

"Once compromised, we remove them—either through scandal or silence. Then... we replace them."

Eli shifted in his seat. "With who?"

"Puppets," Velrosa said. "Loyalists we control through gold or fear. Nobles who owe their lives to us. No one too bold, no one too stupid. Just hungry enough to obey."

Eli’s eyes met hers. "And after that?"

"After that, we rule Esgard. Not from darkness. From the throne."

No one spoke. The fire cracked louder now. A draft shifted the edges of the parchment, as if the air knew the world was tilting.

Velrosa looked to each of them. "We do not falter now. We strike clean. And we do not warn our enemies—we let them rot from the inside."