The Regressed Heir of Ravencrest

Chapter 49: Harbingers of Calamity

A Few Days Before the Sword Saint’s Arrival

The Imperial Capital — Solaris.

The heart of the Solaris Empire.

A city that had stood for more than a thousand years, its towering white walls stretching beyond the horizon. Noble estates, merchant districts, grand academies, and military headquarters surrounded the magnificent palace at its center like the sun around which the Empire revolved.

Deep within the Imperial Palace, the Grand Audience Hall stood silent.

Hundreds of imperial officials occupied both sides of the chamber. Knights clad in golden armor. Court Magicians in flowing blue robes. Royal advisors. Ministers. Every one of them stood with their heads lowered.

No one dared whisper. Noone dared shift their footing.

At the far end of the hall stood a throne carved from solid gold, its armrests shaped like resting lions and its back rising into a radiant sunburst. Inlaid with rubies and the Imperial seal worn smooth by centuries, it was less a seat than a symbol of absolute authority. Upon it sat a man who appeared to be in his early fifties.

Golden hair rested neatly upon broad shoulders. Ruby-red eyes calmly overlooked the entire hall. There was no expression on his face, neither hostility nor warmth.

Yet the atmosphere inside the chamber remained unbearably heavy. His aura settled over the hall like an invisible mountain, pressing upon everyone present.

Emperor Cassius Solaris.

One by one, the ministers presented their reports.

"The eastern grain reserves have increased by six percent this season, Your Majesty."

Cassius nodded once. "Approved."

Another official stepped forward. "The reconstruction of Fort Blackstone has been completed."

"Good."

The audience continued. Every decision delivered in only a few words.

Then the massive doors at the end of the hall opened.

The sound echoed throughout the chamber. Every official instinctively turned toward the entrance.

A lone figure dressed in simple white robes walked inside.

Step...

Step...

His footsteps echoed clearly throughout the silent hall. Long silver hair rested behind his shoulders, ocean-blue eyes calm as always. He neither hurried nor slowed his pace despite the countless eyes fixed upon him.

Several ministers unconsciously lowered their heads. A few younger officials looked at him with unconcealed admiration. Even the Imperial Guards beside the entrance straightened instinctively.

There was no need for an announcement.

Everyone knew who he was.

The Sword Saint Reiner.

He stopped several meters before the imperial throne and gave a respectful bow.

"Your Majesty."

Cassius looked at him quietly for a moment.

"You’ve finally returned."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Emperor slowly rose from the throne. His gaze swept across the hall.

"The audience is dismissed."

His voice wasn’t loud. Yet it carried effortlessly throughout the enormous chamber.

No one questioned the order. The ministers bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Within moments, everyone began leaving the hall. Even the Imperial Guards stationed inside quietly withdrew. The enormous doors closed behind the last official.

Only two people remained inside the vast audience hall.

For several moments neither man spoke. The oppressive atmosphere that had dominated the chamber gradually eased.

Cassius descended from the throne and stopped before Reiner. A smile finally appeared on the Emperor’s face.

"It’s been a while."

"It has."

Their eyes locked with each other before both of them burst into laughter, not the kind heard in taverns or noble banquets, but the familiarity of two men who had known each other for decades.

Cassius gestured toward a pair of chairs beside a nearby table. "Sit."

Reiner took the seat, a natural silence settled between them.

The Sword Saint was the first to break it.

"You have finally hit the wall, Your Majesty." A small smile appeared on his face.

The Emperor smiled, but the sadness in his eyes couldn’t be concealed — or perhaps he showed it deliberately, to one of the few people he trusted enough to see it.

"How is Her Majesty?"

The smile on Cassius’ face gradually disappeared. "...Her condition has worsened."

Reiner lowered his gaze. "I see."

A brief silence followed. "Did the Mage Saint make any progress?"

Cassius slowly shook his head. "No. She hasn’t left her research lab in nearly five years." A pause. "I hope she would at least come out for her granddaughter’s Awakening Ceremony." He said helplessly, a tinge of sadness creeping into his voice.

"Knowing her obsession... she won’t leave until she finds an answer." Reiner said.

Cassius let out a sigh. "I know."

The chamber settled into quiet again.

This time it was the Emperor who broke it.

"The Grand General of the North sent a report." The Emperor tapped a finger lightly against the table.

Reiner looked up.

Cassius reached beneath the table and carefully placed a sealed report upon its surface. Reiner took it and read through its contents in silence, taking several moments before responding.

"If my assumption is correct... the Grand General of the North didn’t make a mistake. His description matches what we know....it’s the same corrupted energy we’ve been searching for."

Cassius eyes rested upon the sealed report. "I reached the same conclusion." He spoke quietly. "Everything concerning them has vanished. Even the records left behind by the Founding Emperor contain little more than fragments. The previous Emperors after him searched for answers but found nothing — not a single clue. It was as though they had never existed."

Neither man spoke. Some truths carried too much weight to be answered immediately.

Then Cassius looked directly into Reiner’s eyes. "But now... they’ve returned and started making their moves."

"The only thing passed down through the Imperial Family was a single warning." Cassius’ voice grew noticeably quieter.

"They are the harbingers of calamity."

The weight of those words lingered throughout the chamber.

"I want you to personally investigate Ice Valley. Confirm everything with your own eyes. If they are back, we need to prepare accordingly."

A brief pause followed.

"And while you’re there...see whether Adrian can manage to break through the wall within a few years. If possible, use your Divine Ability. I think we will need him soon. The Four Great Evils’ activities are increasing."

"I was planning to visit him regardless." Reiner rose from his seat. "I’ll leave immediately."

Cassius nodded once.

Without another word, Reiner turned and walked toward the massive audience doors.

Step.

As the doors slowly closed behind him, Cassius remained seated, eyes closed, a strange unease surfacing within his chest.

"Let’s hope... history isn’t repeating itself."

-----

The massive doors of the audience chamber closed behind Reiner.

He walked through the quiet palace corridors without stopping. Every guard, servant, and official who passed immediately bowed. None dared disturb him.

Within minutes he stepped onto one of the palace balconies overlooking the vast Imperial Capital.

The city stretched endlessly beneath him — bustling streets, towering academies, countless noble estates.

For a brief moment his gaze lingered on the horizon.

"So... they’ve returned."

His calm voice disappeared into the wind.

Without another word he took a single step. The space beneath his feet distorted almost imperceptibly.

The next instant, his figure vanished.

-----

Several days later, atop a lonely mountain peak overlooking the endless northern wilderness. Standing upon it was a lone man in simple white robes. Silver hair danced quietly in the wind. Blue eyes calmly overlooked the fortress below.

Sword Saint Reiner.

His gaze lingered on Ravenhold for several moments. "It hasn’t changed." A faint smile crossed his face. He still remembered the first time he had visited the Northern Frontier decades ago. Back then, Adrian had only recently inherited House Ravencrest.

Time truly passed quickly.

He took one final step and his figure disappeared.

A gentle breeze swept across Ravenhold.

Soldiers continued their morning drills. Servants hurried through the estate. Everything appeared perfectly ordinary.

Then a presence descended.

It wasn’t oppressive. Nor did it radiate killing intent. Most people never even realized it had appeared. Yet those who had stepped into the higher realms instinctively looked toward the sky.

Floating several hundred meters above Ravenhold, a lone man stood calmly in the air. He simply stood there, as though the heavens themselves supported his weight.

Adrian immediately looked upward.

Without hesitation he stepped into the air. One step. Then another. Moments later he stopped several meters before Reiner.

The two men looked at each other before Adrian bowed respectfully.

"Sir Reiner. It’s been a long time."

A faint smile appeared on the Sword Saint’s face. "It has."

His gaze drifted toward the estate below before returning to Adrian.

"Did you bring it?"

Adrian nodded. He reached into his spatial ring and carefully retrieved the crystal vial. The strange black mist continued drifting quietly within the transparent glass.

Reiner accepted it.

The moment his eyes settled upon the mist, his expression froze. Blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Adrian waited without interrupting.

Reiner’s thumb tightened almost imperceptibly around the crystal vial. The black mist drifted lazily within the glass, but his gaze remained fixed on it, as though seeing something far beyond its surface. Adrian had known him for decades, yet he couldn’t remember the last time the Sword Saint had looked genuinely unsettled.

Several moments passed before Reiner finally spoke.

"...It’s the same."

Adrian’s expression sharpened. Whatever Reiner had just recognized, it was not something he had expected to find again.

Adrian frowned. "You recognize it?"

Reiner slowly sealed the vial once more. "I’ll know for certain after seeing Ice Valley." He looked toward the distant northern mountains. "Let’s go. I’d like to confirm it with my own eyes."

Without another word he stepped forward. His figure instantly appeared tens of thousands of meters away.

Adrian quickly followed.

After several breaths, Reiner glanced back over his shoulder.

"Can you match my pace?"

The two figures disappeared into the northern sky, heading toward the frozen wilderness where a forgotten history had slept beneath the ice for untold ages.