The doors to the Council Chamber opened with a low, echoing hum — not from the movement of hinges, but from the shift of energy itself. Layers of divine seals shimmered as they parted, and a wave of immense pressure poured out like a living storm.
Even from a few steps back, Loryn Ironvale felt his skin prickle. His heart pounded, his breath slowed unconsciously. This was not just a room — it was a convergence point of power.
The Council of Eternity.
Rowlan stood at his side, expression calm and composed as always. "Stay close, young master," he murmured softly. "Do not speak unless His Majesty addresses you."
Loryn nodded, his eyes drifting toward the towering gates ahead. The last shimmer of energy dissolved, and Rowlan took a step forward.
"Announcing the arrival of the young prince, Loryn Ironvale," Rowlan declared.
A heavy silence followed. Then the doors parted fully.
---
The hall beyond was vast beyond comprehension — its ceiling stretched higher than clouds, supported by luminous pillars that seemed carved from starlight itself. The air shimmered faintly with golden motes that pulsed like heartbeats. Every breath felt heavier, thicker, as though reality itself bowed beneath the weight of those gathered within.
At the far end, upon a raised dais of white marble, sat the Omni King — Loryn's father.
He sat upon no throne of gold or jewels, but upon a simple seat forged from condensed light — yet it radiated majesty that made even divine beings lower their gaze. His calm eyes glowed faintly, blue like the heart of a sapphire, serene yet commanding, observing the assembly before him.
Surrounding the great circular table were the rulers of countless worlds: gods, dukes, counts, and barons. Each exuded a power so vast that entire civilizations might crumble under their presence alone. And yet, within that power was something else — fear.
Fear of the very topic that had brought them here.
---
The council chamber was divided by voices — sharp, angry, desperate. The debate had already been raging for hours.
"The Monarchs are abominations!" shouted a god with crimson eyes, his voice rolling like thunder. "Their existence violates the Omniversal Law. We have seen it before! Worlds collapse, time shatters, and entire realities burn when they awaken!"
A murmur followed, echoing through the ranks of nobles and deities alike.
Another god — robed in shimmering azure — countered sharply, "And yet, without them, chaos consumes faster! Monarchs do not defy the Omniverse — they restore it. Every rise of a Monarch marks the fall of corruption!"
"Restore?" the crimson god spat, slamming his hand against the table. Sparks of divine fire erupted and scorched the air. "You call destruction restoration?"
Before the tension could erupt into violence, the Omni King's voice cut through the noise like a divine blade.
"Silence."
The sound was calm, but it carried the authority to crush galaxies.
Every god, duke, and count froze instantly. Even the crackling fire of divine wrath faded into nothing.
---
Rowlan stepped forward, his noble white attire glimmering under the celestial light. He bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, the young prince has arrived."
The Omni King turned slightly, his sapphire-blue eyes resting upon Loryn.
For a moment, no one spoke. The weight of that gaze was immeasurable.
It was not the gaze of a father — it was that of a ruler who carried the entire Omniverse upon his shoulders.
"Let him enter," the king said softly.
Rowlan inclined his head and gestured for Loryn to follow. As they stepped into the hall, countless divine eyes turned toward the boy — curious, calculating, some even cold.
Loryn felt their gazes pierce into him like blades. These were beings who could unmake existence with a thought. And yet, beneath their pride, he sensed something else — unease.
Why are they afraid? he wondered silently. Who could make even gods look this tense?
He soon found his answer in their words.
---
A baron with silver skin spoke first. "Your Majesty, the council's stance remains divided. The gods of the upper realms insist that Monarchs pose an existential threat. They believe we should destroy any sign of awakening before it spreads."
A murmur followed — whispers of agreement and dissent alike.
Another voice — deeper, colder — answered from across the table. "And risk the wrath of the Omniversal Law? Have you all forgotten what happened the last time the Divine Coalition tried to erase a Monarch's lineage? Three of their planes vanished overnight."
The crimson god clenched his fist. "Then what are we to do? Wait for one of them to rise again and destroy us all?"
The Omni King rose slowly from his seat. The very air trembled.
"You speak of Monarchs as though they are monsters," he said, his voice calm, his blue eyes gleaming with quiet dominance. "But you forget — Monarchs are born from the Omniverse itself. They are its will, not its enemy."
No one dared interrupt.
His gaze swept across the assembly, sapphire light reflecting off every face. "When balance is broken, when gods turn greedy and mortals forget humility — the Omniverse births Monarchs to restore what was lost. They are not the destroyers of balance. They are balance."
The weight of his words silenced the hall. Even the proudest deities bowed their heads.
Yet, beneath that calm, a subtle ripple of anger remained among them — the kind that comes from fear unspoken.
---
Loryn watched from behind Rowlan, every muscle in his body tense. This was the first time he had seen his father truly act as the Omni King.
It wasn't like seeing strength.
It was like witnessing inevitability.
Even the gods seemed small before him.
Rowlan leaned slightly toward him and murmured quietly, "This is the heart of the Omniverse, young master — where power and fear coexist. Remember this sight."
Loryn's voice barely escaped a whisper. "They're… afraid of Monarchs."
"Not afraid," Rowlan corrected softly. "Terrified. Because they know the truth — a Monarch does not serve the laws. He becomes one."
---
The council resumed cautiously, but the tension did not fade. A duke in gold armor spoke next, his voice diplomatic but sharp. "Your Majesty, with all respect, even if what you say is true, can the Omniverse survive another awakening? The balance is fragile. The last Monarch's birth nearly erased three divine domains."
The Omni King looked down at him, his expression unreadable. "And whose greed caused that collapse, Duke Ardan?"
The duke froze, lowering his gaze immediately.
"The Monarch did not destroy those worlds," the king continued. "The gods who feared him did."
A quiet gasp rippled across the chamber. Even Vrethar, the crimson god, looked away.
---
At the far end of the table, a count dared to whisper, "If another Monarch rises now… who would dare stop him?"
The Omni King's lips curved faintly — not into a smile, but into something far colder.
"Stop him?" he repeated. "You misunderstand."
He turned, and for a brief instant, his blue eyes met Loryn's from across the hall. The boy froze.
"If a Monarch were to rise again," the king said, voice low and absolute, "then he would rise under my gaze — and he would kneel before none."
The air shuddered. Reality seemed to hold its breath.
---
No one spoke for a long time. Even the gods, usually defiant and proud, kept silent. The tension was so heavy it felt like the room itself might break.
And in that silence, Loryn's thoughts raced.
Why did he say that… like he already knows one will appear?
His father's words echoed inside his mind, each one cutting deeper than the last.
Rowlan's expression didn't change, but his eyes flickered with something — a knowing shadow, perhaps even pride. He glanced at Loryn and whispered so quietly only he could hear:
"There are truths, young master, that even the gods are forbidden to know."
Loryn looked up at him, confused. "Truths about what?"
Rowlan didn't answer. He only gave a faint smile. "About destiny."
---
The council continued, the arguments quieter now — but the fear hadn't left the room. It lingered like a storm waiting beyond the horizon. The gods spoke of containment, the nobles of watchful vigilance, but none dared speak openly against the Omni King's decree.
When the session finally ended, one by one the deities and nobles bowed and vanished through shimmering portals, leaving only the faint hum of fading energy behind.
Loryn stood silently near the doorway, still trying to process everything he'd seen. The power, the fear, the unspoken tension between gods and Monarchs — it all felt like the prelude to something vast, something inevitable.
Rowlan placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "You did well to stay silent," he said gently. "This place is where words can start wars."
Loryn glanced back at his father, who still stood at the center of the now-empty hall. The Omni King's blue gaze lingered on the fading motes of divine light, unreadable and calm.
For just a heartbeat, Loryn thought he saw something in that gaze — not authority, not pride… but expectation.
As if the king already knew how this story would end.