Kai had not revealed the prophecy to many people before this. The reason was simple. Even if he spoke about it, there was very little he could actually do to stop it at the time. Knowing about an inevitable threat did not mean one had the power to fight it.

But things have changed now.

He was a king, even if the coronation had not yet taken place.

More than that, too many people had already seen things that could no longer be explained away. They had seen him fight Selenia in the skies above the capital. They had known about the blood drinkers’ involvement in the fief war. Rumours were already spreading. Hiding it any longer would only create fear without direction.

So Kai decided there was no reason to stay silent.

Duke Blackwood and Princess Amara had agreed with him when he finally told them everything—the prophecy the elves had revealed, and the truth about the organisation Regina had belonged to. For them, it had not been difficult to accept. They had already seen enough to suspect that something far larger was at play.

The nobles gathered here, however, had not.

The moment Kai began speaking, confusion spread across their faces. Some frowned. Others glanced at each other, clearly wondering if they had misheard him. A few even looked ready to interrupt and ask if he was joking.

Kai did not give them the chance.

“I know many of you are confused,” he said as calmly as possible. “Especially after what I just said. So let me be clear from the beginning.”

He paused, letting the murmurs die down.

“Our world is governed by a prophecy,” he continued. “The one around the cycle of life and death. And at the end of that cycle stands a dragon called Malefic. Its purpose is not conquest, nor rule. Its existence is purely to destroy the world using dead mana.”

The silence that followed was heavy.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” he said in a steady tone. “That is why I am not asking you to accept it blindly.”

He clicked his fingers. At his signal, several men stepped forward, each carrying stacks of books and documents.

“I have prepared materials for all of you,” Kai continued. “Records, testimonies, research, and accounts gathered from multiple sources. You will read them. You will study them. And then, we will talk again.”

He looked over the nobles, his gaze unwavering. He had prepared records about both the prophecy and Maleficia long before the civil war even began, mostly from the elves, but also from sources he had come across. He had known that one day he would need to explain all of this to others. Copying and organising those records over the past few days had not been difficult, especially with the help he now had.

One by one, the nobles gathered at the table received a copy.

“You will find all the details inside those records,” Kai said evenly. “But there is one thing I want to make clear right now.”

He let his words settle before continuing.

“Regina was part of an organisation called Maleficia. They serve the dragon Malefic. And the creature you all saw me fighting in the sky during the siege of Hermil—she was also a part of that same organisation.”

A ripple passed through the gathering.

A few nobles started reading faster, their expressions tightening as they skimmed through the records. Others looked at Kai with open disbelief.

Even Viscountess—now Duchess Vaessa frowned slightly as she spoke. “There are countless prophecies in this world, your majesty. You cannot expect us to trust every one of them.”

Kai nodded once. “I agree. And I am not asking you to.”

He gestured toward the books on the table. “Those records also contain information provided directly by the elves. They will corroborate everything I am saying.”

That caused another stir.

“Elves?” Baron Lionel spoke up, a frown on his face. “They are reclusive. They do not involve themselves in human affairs.”

“They are,” Kai replied. “But I have formed a working relationship with the Elven Elder Council that governs them.”

More than a few eyebrows rose at that.

“I would have preferred for them to be here themselves,” Kai added, “but due to unknown circumstances, they are unable to attend.”

Silence followed as the nobles took in his words.

Kai knew some of them still doubted him. That was expected. But doubt would not last forever.

After all, alliances with the Lombards and Ashari tribals had already reshaped the civil war. Compared to that, a connection with the elves was not unthinkable. Sylvastra wasn’t far. It was practically on the outskirts of the kingdom.

Duchess Marren flipped through the records and paused, looking up at Kai. “But what do you want us to do about this, Your Majesty? Organisations like this always exist. Caelond has a few rebel groups like this as well, even with their Mage council in place. Do you want us to hunt them down and crush them?”

Kai shook his head slowly. “That is not the point. You are not realising how grave this situation is. This is not a normal organisation,” he said. “What I am talking about will not just affect this kingdom. It will affect the entire world.”

Duke Blackwood nodded at once. “He has never spoken so seriously about something unless it truly mattered. I believe we should hear him out.”

Kai gave a short nod of thanks and continued. “Every major religion speaks of the end of the world. Even the Church of Goddess Lumaris has records of it. This is not a new idea. What is new is that we are now seeing clear signs of it approaching.”

He looked around at the nobles. “I understand that this is hard to believe. I am not asking you to accept it blindly. Read the notes. Verify the sources. Do your own research.”

He paused, then added, “I am also not asking you to raise armies or prepare for war right now.”

Baron Vellmore leaned forward slightly. “Then what do you want us to do, Your Majesty?”

Kai answered at once, locking eyes with the baron. “I want you to prepare.”

He let the word sink in before speaking again.

“If a calamity is coming, then the kingdom cannot afford internal fractures. We cannot fight among ourselves while something far worse looms ahead. We must work together to stop it.”

His tone hardened slightly. “More than that, I want every one of you to teach the people in your territories about dead mana. From children to elders. Everyone must understand what it is and why it is dangerous.”

“I will work with the Church to ensure they spread the same knowledge,” Kai continued.

Duchess Vaessa frowned. “But that could cause panic.”

Kai nodded. He had already thought this through long before.

For him, panic now was far better than the panic that would follow if Maleficia succeeded in whatever they were planning. An unknown calamity was far more dangerous than a known one. If people understood what was coming, they could prepare for it—mentally, emotionally, and practically. Even fear could be shaped into caution.

He was not naïve enough to think everyone would believe him immediately. Even the Church might hesitate to take his words seriously. But Kai already had ways to deal with that when the time came.

He looked back at Duchess Vaessa and said calmly, “The citizens are already used to things that make them panic. Wars, famine, beasts. This will not break them. It will prepare them.”

Vaessa did not reply. She simply nodded, accepting his reasoning.

Her question was only the start. As more nobles read the records, more murmurs and discussions happened. No one directly opposed him, but several nobles raised concerns.

Count Chase stood up and spoke carefully. “While I understand where you come from, Your Majesty, the kingdom has only just come out of a civil war. I believe our resources should be focused on rebuilding and stabilising the land.”

“Yes.” Kai met his eyes without irritation. “We will be focusing our resources wherever they are necessary,” he replied. “Teaching nobles and commoners about dead mana will not take much. I am already planning a nationwide education program. This will simply be added to it.”

Another noble, Viscount Boling, spoke next. “And what if all of this only causes fear and leads to nothing in the end?”

Kai answered without missing a beat. “Then I will apologise publicly. To every noble. To every citizen.”

That answer silenced the audience.

After that, very few people stepped forward to complain. Whatever doubts they held, they accepted his words for now. They could investigate on their own, read the full records, and reach their own conclusions.

Kai hoped they did.

Once that was settled, the discussion moved quickly to the other matters Kai had mentioned earlier. The one that drew the most interest was the council.

Kai explained it as simply and clearly as he could.

The council would serve two purposes. First, they would be his advisors. Second, they would act as a check on his authority. Any major decision that affected the kingdom as a whole would need the approval of at least half of the council members before it could be enforced.

For now, Kai planned to keep the council small—only eight members. In the future, once the kingdom stabilized, he intended to increase that number. In ten years, he wanted dozens of members forming something closer to a parliament. He did not mention that part out loud. For now, it was better to present the council as a strengthened advisory body rather than a long-term structural change.

Even so, several nobles looked surprised. Some of them exchanged glances when they realized Kai was willingly limiting his own power. A king placing restrictions on himself was not something they were used to seeing.

But Kai was not interested in absolute control. He wanted a system that could function even without him. He had no intention of abolishing the monarchy, but he also did not want a kingdom that depended entirely on a single ruler. Power needed to be shared with people who were capable, responsible, and accountable. Duke Blackwood had agreed with him on that point long before this meeting.

The real resistance came when Kai mentioned that at least two members of the council would be commoners.

Several nobles immediately objected. Their argument was simple: most commoners were not educated enough to sit on a council beside nobles and a king.

Kai shut that down without hesitation.

The council needed different perspectives, not just noble ones. Commoners were the backbone of the kingdom, and their voices mattered. He made it clear that he would not be choosing random people from the streets. Anyone selected would be able to read, write, and understand governance. Competence mattered more than bloodline.

He did not back down, and eventually, the objections faded. Whether they liked it or not, the nobles understood one thing clearly.

Kai wasn’t here to take suggestions.

Despite that, a few nobles still looked unhappy. Kai noticed it, but in the end, he did not care.

He spoke plainly that If they could not accept even two commoners on a council of eight, then it was clear they did not value the voices of commoners in their own territories either. And if that was the case, Kai said, then he would step in personally and deal with it himself.

That ended the discussion immediately.

Fortunately, the mood shifted when Kai moved on to the next topic. His proposal to test every person in the kingdom for Enforcer and Mage potential was met with far less resistance. Only a handful of nobles looked uneasy, likely realizing that such a program would weaken their personal control over power in their lands. Kai did not concern himself with their discomfort.

In truth, it was surprising that the kingdom had never done this before. Most of the former dukes—excluding Duke Blackwood—had avoided large-scale testing on purpose. Their houses had not produced strong Mages, and they preferred to keep power scarce rather than risk commoners rising above them. King Sullivan had never been in a position strong enough to oppose all of them at once.

Kai was.

He had the authority, the resources, and the urgency to make it happen.

He ordered the project to be rolled out immediately across the kingdom, calling it the Awakening Program. Mages from the Sorcerers’ Tower would be sent to every territory, carrying specialized devices to test for mana organs and latent potential. Their task would be to create a complete index of every person who showed promise.

To ease resistance, Kai offered an incentive. Nobles would be allowed to take awakened individuals as retainers—if those individuals agreed—but only after they received proper training and oversight.

Further, he intended to divide the Sorcerer’s Tower into multiple branches and, alongside it, establish a proper academy for the Enforcers. Until now, the Enforcers had functioned little differently from his regular troops—trained, disciplined, but ultimately informal in structure. That would no longer be enough. Not when their numbers would soon swell into the thousands, scattered across the kingdom. They needed doctrine, hierarchy, and institutions that could endure long after individual commanders were gone.

Once that was settled, Kai let the discussion shift to the final matter—one that weighed heavier than the rest, and one that could not be delayed.

Prince Vhailor’s body was still in their possession.

Preservation magic kept it untouched by decay, sealed away in silence, but no funeral had been held. As soon as Kai spoke of it, the atmosphere around the table changed. Several nobles exchanged glances. Others lowered their eyes.

He understood their unease. No matter the circumstances, the death of a foreign prince was a dangerous thing. Royal blood had a way of demanding vengeance, and kingdoms rarely cared for explanations once pride was wounded.

Duchess Vaessa was the first to break the silence. Her fingers rested against the table as she spoke. “From what I know of the Alparca Kingdom, they will not let this go,” she said. “They would certainly seek revenge. I believe they already suspect what happened to Prince Vhailor.”

Kai inclined his head slightly. “Yes,” he said. “That is precisely why I do not want to ignore this. If we do nothing, they may strike without warning.”

Duke Blackwood exhaled slowly. “We cannot afford another war,” he said bluntly.

Kai met his gaze and nodded. “I agree. Which is why we must attempt to resolve this diplomatically.”

The words settled uneasily over the gathering. Then Baron Drel leaned forward, his brows drawn together. “And if diplomacy fails, Your Majesty?” he asked.

Kai did not answer immediately.

The response was already there, clear as day in his mind, but he weighed it for a heartbeat longer. There were no alternatives he trusted. No half-measures that would truly solve the problem if talks collapsed.

“Then,” Kai said finally, “I will take care of it myself.”

***

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