CHAPTER 265: MOTHER AND SON DUO’S TALK

Let’s rewind time back to last night, after the group separated. Lux went to see his mother in her quarters. As the mistress of the house, her rooms were located in the heart of the estate and were the most luxurious.

Lux navigated the familiar, quiet halls of the estate’s private wing, the sounds of the evening giving way to a profound silence. He arrived at a set of double doors crafted from polished mahogany, inlaid with mother-of-pearl depicting the Leclair family crest—a stylized silver hawk in flight. Pushing them open, he stepped into his mother’s sanctuary.

The room was vast, a testament to both luxury and refined taste. The color palette was one of deep emerald, silver, and cream, creating an atmosphere of serene opulence. Plush, silver carpets so thick they silenced his footsteps covered the floor. One wall was dominated by a magnificent fireplace carved from white marble, where a low fire crackled, casting dancing shadows. The opposite wall was not a wall at all, but a curved panorama of arched windows offering a breathtaking, moonlit view of the estate’s gardens and the city lights of Angel’s City twinkling in the distance. Sheer silver curtains drifted gently in the night breeze.

But the room’s undeniable centerpiece was the bed.

It was a masterpiece of the carpenter’s art, a colossal four-poster bed made of dark, gleaming ebony. The posters were intricately carved with climbing vines and more of the silver hawk motifs, soaring upwards to meet a canopy from which cascaded layers of translucent emerald silk, creating a sense of a private, dreamlike pavilion. The mattress was immense, draped in the finest cream-colored linens and piled with a small mountain of pillows in various shades of green and silver silk. It was less a piece of furniture and more a throne for repose, a command center of comfort that dominated the space with its sheer presence and promise of deep, untroubled sleep.

Sitting in regal repose upon the edge of the immense bed was a woman of breathtaking beauty, her posture as elegant as the carved ebony surrounding her. This was his mother, Seraphine Leclair. A soft, welcoming smile touched Lux’s lips as he gazed upon her, a haven of calm in the sprawling estate.

"Good evening, Mother," he began, his voice measured yet carrying a weight that instantly shifted the room’s atmosphere. "I’ve come with information of... monumental importance." He crossed the plush carpet and settled on the bed beside her. She opened her arms, and he leaned into her embrace, feeling her affectionate pat on his silver hair, a gesture as familiar as his own heartbeat.

"What is it you have to tell me, my little Lux?" she asked, her voice a melodic murmur.

He pulled back slightly, his silver eyes alight with a serious, electric intensity. "It concerns my friend, Nero. The former scion of the Raizen family. I know you are aware of his past, of his existence before he awakened the Law of Fire."

Seraphine’s serene expression did not flicker, a silent confirmation of her deep knowledge. She merely nodded, her gaze urging him to continue.

Lux leaned closer, his voice dropping to a hushed, almost reverent tone, as if speaking a sacred truth.

"Mother... Nero has awakened a second Law." He paused, letting the impossibility of the statement hang in the air for a heartbeat.

"The Law of Lightning."

The words landed not as a statement, but as a detonation.

The composure that defined Seraphine Leclair shattered. Her eyes, a mirror of her son’s, flew wide with utter, uncomprehending shock. A sharp, involuntary gasp escaped her lips as she jolted to her feet, the emerald silks of the bed whispering in protest. The movement was so sudden, so alien to her usual grace, that it screamed of the earth-shattering nature of the news. This was not surprise; it was the visceral shock of witnessing a fundamental law of the universe being broken.

"You are not joking with me, are you, my son?" she breathed, her voice barely a whisper, her gaze searching his face for any hint of deception. The world she knew, the very foundations of power she had navigated her entire life, seemed to tilt on its axis.

"I swear it to you, Mother. It is real. Adam, Blake, the princesses... we all witnessed it. The lightning answered his call as if it were his birthright." Lux’s confirmation was absolute, solid, and final.

For a long moment, Seraphine simply stood there, the firelight catching the stunned disbelief in her eyes. Then, slowly, as if her legs could barely support her, she sank back onto the edge of the bed, the softness of the mattress doing little to cushion the blow of this new reality.

The initial shockwave had passed, leaving in its wake a heavy, calculating silence. Seraphine Leclair, Mistress of one of the world’s most powerful families, was no longer just a mother listening to her son’s stories. She was a strategist, and the board had just been upended.

"Tell me everything, Lux," she commanded, her voice low and focused. "Leave nothing out."

And so, Lux did. He became a torrent of words, painting a vivid picture for his mother. He described the impossible speed, the crackling golden energy that was fundamentally different from Nero’s crimson fire. He detailed the sparring matches, the sheer, unprecedented power that allowed Nero to battle Adam to a standstill and outmaneuver Eltreth’s blazing fury. He spoke of the awe, the disbelief, and the dawning realization that had settled over all of them.

"He’s not just strong, Mother," Lux emphasized, his silver eyes intense. "He’s a historical event. A paradigm shift."

"And what does this ’paradigm shift’ want?" Seraphine asked, her gaze sharp. "What are his ambitions?"

"That’s just it," Lux said, leaning forward. "He isn’t a schemer. He values his freedom and his loyalty above all else. He cut ties with the Raizens for a reason. They saw him as a cursed child, a liability. He forged his own path, took his mother’s name. He will never go back to them."

A slow, understanding nod from Seraphine. "Azariah Raizen is a proud and ruthless man. He allowed his son to leave when he saw no value in him. But now... now that son possesses the Raizen family’s own hereditary Law, in addition to another. He will see it not as Nero’s power, but as stolen property. A treasure that belongs to his house."

"Exactly!" Lux’s fist clenched on the silken duvet. "They will try to force him. They’ll use threats, manipulation, anything to drag him back. And when he refuses, as he absolutely will, they will turn on him. They will see him as a threat that must be controlled or... eliminated."

He looked his mother directly in the eyes, his expression deadly serious. "That is where we must stand. Not just as his friends, but as the Leclair family. We must offer him our unconditional support."

"Unconditional?" Seraphine raised a delicate eyebrow. "That is a dangerous word, my son. It means siding with him against one of the Seven Families. It could mean war."

"I know the risks," Lux insisted, his voice steady. "But consider the alternative. If we hesitate, if we try to play both sides, we will lose him. Others will see his value too. Can you imagine if the Samael Imperial Clan or the other families swoop in and secure his loyalty? We would be left with nothing but a powerful enemy and the regret of our inaction. But if we stand with him now, without question, his loyalty will be unshakable. He is the kind of man who remembers who stood by him when the world was against him."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "This isn’t just about sentiment, Mother. This is the most sound strategic investment we could ever make. His value is astronomical. He is the first dual-wielder. Who is to say what his children might inherit? An alliance with him isn’t just an alliance with a powerful knight; it’s an alliance with a new lineage of power. We could be securing our family’s preeminence for centuries to come."

Seraphine listened, her face an unreadable mask. She watched the passion in her son’s eyes, the shrewdness of his analysis. He was no longer just her little boy; he was a future leader, and he was presenting a case with a clarity that was both impressive and chilling.

She rose and walked to the great window, looking out at the sleeping city her family governed. The stakes were immense. Aligning with Nero was a gamble that could bring the wrath of the Raizen family down upon them. But her son was right. The potential reward was a legacy of unparalleled power and influence.

After a long, contemplative silence, she turned back to him, her decision made.

"You have presented your case with the conviction of a true leader, Lux," she said, her voice firm. "Your father is a cautious man, but he is not a fool. He will see the same logic, the same opportunity, that you have laid before me."

A wave of relief washed over Lux’s features.

"I will speak with him tonight," Seraphine declared. "I will convince him that the future of the Leclair name does not lie in placating old powers, but in championing the new one that has, by fate or fortune, come into our circle. We will support Nero Adams. Unconditionally."

A genuine, relieved smile finally broke through Lux’s serious demeanor. "Thank you, Mother."

The game was set. In the opulent quiet of the master bedroom, a pact had been forged, not with signatures, but with a mother’s belief in her son’s vision and a strategist’s recognition of a world-changing opportunity. The Leclair family was now officially in the game for Nero’s future, and they were playing to win.

To hell, Azariah Raizen, the second strongest man alive, the Leclair family wouldn’t mind slapping that arrogant man across the face, they desired this in long time and this was the perfect opportunity.