CHAPTER 169: A WARNING OR GUIDANCE

Every single person in the chamber paled.

Even Wendelina, with three centuries of experience and with power enough to level cities, felt ice water pour through her veins.

Because she recognized what stood before them.

Not who—that knowledge was beyond her.

But what? The nature of the being that had manifested in their most protected space was as easy as walking through an open door.

This was Ascended.

One of the divine beings who existed beyond mortal comprehension, who governed fundamental laws of reality itself.

Wendelina’s hand released her focus crystal. Fighting would be pointless. Worse than pointless—suicidal and absurd. This being could unmake her with a thought, could erase the entire tower from existence without effort.

Instead, she stood carefully.

Then, after only a moment’s hesitation, she stepped down from her chair.

And knelt.

The action shocked everyone present.

The Mother Supreme of the Covens, the most powerful origin user in the known world, kneeling before anyone.

But they understood.

And one by one, following her example, every other Coven head in the chamber knelt as well.

The being in white observed this with an expression that might have been approval. Her silver eyes swept across the assembled witches, and each one felt that gaze like a physical weight.

Then she moved, gliding rather than walking, until she stood directly before Wendelina.

The Mother Supreme kept her head bowed, not daring to meet those silver eyes directly. Her heart hammered in her chest, but she maintained her composure. Three hundred years of discipline helped, but barely.

The being leaned down, bringing her face close to Wendelina’s ear.

When she spoke, her voice was like crystal bells, beautiful and terrible, carrying harmonics that human vocal cords couldn’t produce.

"Mother Supreme of the Covens. You have been chosen to receive instruction."

Wendelina’s breath caught.

Instruction? From an Ascended being?

That was unprecedented. Unheard of. The divine didn’t interfere directly in mortal affairs. They guided, they influenced, but they didn’t give direct orders.

Unless something was very, very wrong.

The being continued, her voice so quiet that only Wendelina could hear.

"The irregularity you’ve encountered—the boy with merged power—is part of larger patterns you cannot perceive. Forces are moving."

Wendelina’s expression flickered—confusion, then understanding, then fear.

"You are to cease attempts on the boy’s life."

Shock rippled through Wendelina, visible in the slight widening of her eyes.

"Instead, you will prepare. Consolidate your forces. Shore up the defenses of your realm. What is coming will test every power in this world, Coven and kingdom alike."

The being’s tone shifted slightly, becoming, if possible, even more serious.

"The Seven Lords are awake. But they are symptoms, not the disease. Something greater stirs in the depths. Something that remembers the time before the Separation and wishes to see it return. Not for unity, but for chaos."

Wendelina’s face had gone pale. The implications were staggering.

"You possess resources now—the sword from Ki’thara. Study it. Learn from it. The knowledge it contains may prove vital. And the girl—" she glanced briefly at Inga, "—develop her abilities. She will be needed."

"But the boy—" Wendelina breathed.

She leaned towards Wendelina and spoke in a low voice that most of them couldn’t hear.

Wendelina’s expression went through a complex mix of emotions, but she didn’t move, not even her.

That being straightened, she stood to her full impressive height after she was done.

Then, in a voice that carried clearly to everyone in the chamber, she spoke.

"You will do as the Mother Supreme instructs. You will follow her leadership without question or refutation. What comes will require unity. Division will mean extinction."

The silver eyes swept across the assembled Coven heads once more.

"Do you understand?"

As one, they responded.

"Yes, Divine One."

The being nodded once.

Then she turned her gaze back to Wendelina.

"Prepare well, Mother Supreme. The storms approach, and they will not be gentle."

And then she was gone.

Not departing through a door or portal. Simply ceasing to exist in that space, edited out of reality as easily as she’d been written in.

For several long seconds, no one moved.

The shock of what had just occurred held them all frozen.

Then, slowly, they began to stand.

Wendelina remained kneeling for a moment longer, her mind racing, processing everything she’d been told.

Finally, she rose, returning to her chair on unsteady legs.

The chamber was silent. Every eye was on her, waiting. Some showed fear—both of what they’d witnessed and of the Mother Supreme, who’d been personally addressed by an Ascended being. Others showed confusion, wanting to understand what had been said and what it meant.

Wendelina took a deep breath, steadying herself.

When she spoke, her voice was calm and authoritative, showing none of the turmoil she felt inside.

"What you just witnessed remains confidential. Nothing discussed here, nothing seen here, leaves this chamber without my direct authorization. Is that understood?"

Nods and murmured agreements circled the table.

"Good." Wendelina’s hands pressed flat against the ancient wood.

"Our priorities have changed. The boy—Jaenor Arkwright—is no longer our primary target. We cease all assassination attempts and hostile actions against him."

Shock rippled through the assembly. Emerald Willow spoke first.

"Mother Supreme, with respect, you just spent the last hour explaining how dangerous he is. How he represents a fundamental threat to everything we’ve built. And now—"

"And now I’m telling you there are greater threats," Wendelina interrupted, her tone brooking no argument.

"Threats that an Ascended being felt necessary to warn us about personally. When the divine manifests in our realm to deliver instructions, we listen."

Synnove leaned forward, her sharp mind already working through implications.

"The Seven Lords. She mentioned them specifically. They’re symptoms, not the disease. What did she mean?"

Wendelina chose her words carefully. She couldn’t reveal everything—some things were too dangerous even for this assembly—but they needed enough information to understand the gravity of their situation.

"Something greater than demon lords is stirring. Something ancient and powerful that sees opportunity in the current chaos. The divided attention of the Covens, the kingdoms squabbling among themselves, the emergence of unpredictable elements like the Arkwright boy—all of it creates conditions for something catastrophic to emerge."

"And we’re to prepare," Illumarithi said slowly.

"Consolidate forces. Unity over division."

"Exactly." Wendelina’s gaze swept across the table.

"Starting now, I’m issuing new priorities. First, all regional Covens are to coordinate their efforts. No more territorial disputes or resource competition. We operate as a unified force."

Heads nodded.

The Divine command left no room for the usual political maneuvering.

"Second, we accelerate Inga’s training. Push her harder. She needs to reach her full potential as quickly as possible."

The young woman straightened, her violet eyes showing determination rather than fear.

"I’m ready, Mother Supreme."

"Third, we assign our best researchers to the sword. Whatever knowledge it contains, I want it extracted and distributed to our most powerful witches. If the Ascended One says it will be vital, we don’t question that assessment."

"And the boy?" Morvenna asked.

"If we’re not hunting him, what’s our position?"

Wendelina considered that carefully.

"Neutral observation. We track his movements and monitor his development, but we don’t interfere. If he proves himself an ally, we’ll work with him. If he becomes a genuine threat, we’ll reassess. But for now, he’s not our priority."

"The Blaedred Skull won’t observe such restraint," Celestyne pointed out.

"Draelusa has the crown. He’ll likely move against the boy to claim him as a resource."

"Then Draelusa becomes our problem if he succeeds," Wendelina said.

"But the Ascended One was clear—the boy will play his role. That suggests he has protections or capabilities we’re not fully aware of. We focus on our responsibilities and trust that others will handle theirs."

She stood again, and this time her voice carried absolute authority.

"From this moment, the Covens prepare for war. Not against the Arkwright boy. Not against individual demon lords. But against something greater. Something that may threaten the existence of our entire realm."

The weight of those words settled over the assembly like a shroud.

"Spread the word to your regional forces. Increase training intensity. Shore up defenses. Form alliances with neighboring kingdoms where possible. And most importantly—watch the North Trenches. If demons are organizing there, that’s likely where the first major assault will come."

"And if the other factions don’t cooperate?" Synthara asked.

"If kingdoms refuse alliances? If they see our mobilization as aggression?"

"Then we prepare alone," Wendelina said grimly.

"And we hope we’re strong enough to survive what’s coming."

She looked around the table one final time, meeting each person’s gaze.

"I won’t lie to you. What we face may be beyond our ability to stop. But we’re the Covens. We’ve survived for centuries by being adaptable, by being strong, by refusing to break no matter what challenges we face. That doesn’t change now."

Her jaw set with determination.

"We will prepare. We will unite. And when the storms come, we will meet them with everything we have."

Silence, then slowly, starting with Synnove and spreading around the table, the assembled Coven heads stood.

Not in fear. In resolution. In acceptance of what must be done.

The meeting continued for several more hours, working through logistics and strategies and assigning responsibilities and resources.

But the tone had fundamentally changed.

And in the back of everyone’s mind, one thought persisted:

If the Ascended were intervening personally, if beings beyond mortal comprehension felt the need to deliver warnings...

Just how bad was this going to get?