Primordial Heir: Nine Stars-Chapter 384: Old Friends

After Nero left his office, the headmaster sat in silence for a long moment. His fingers still tapped a slow rhythm on the desk, his eyes fixed on the door through which the boy had departed.

A new era. A storm. A boy who seems at the heart of it all.

He rose from his chair, moving to the window. Below, the academy grounds stretched in perfect order—students training, walking, living their lives unaware of the currents moving beneath the surface. He watched them for a moment, then turned away.

There was someone he needed to see.

He didn’t take a car or a tram. He simply stepped outside the academy gates and, with a slight exertion of his will, moved. The world blurred around him, distance meaning nothing to a man of his power. In moments, he stood before a private mansion on the outskirts of the imperial capital—a place of quiet luxury, hidden from public view.

The guards at the gate saw him and immediately bowed. No appointment was needed. When you were one of the Zodiacs, one of the most powerful beings in the world, doors opened without knocking.

He walked through the mansion’s elegant halls, past servants who averted their eyes, until he reached a simple wooden door at the end of a corridor. He opened it without ceremony and stepped inside.

The room beyond was a study, warm and comfortable. Books lined the walls. A fire crackled in a stone hearth. And in a high-backed chair by the fire, a man sat waiting.

The Emperor of the Rainfelt Empire. Elreth’s father. The head of the Samael clan, the strongest man in the world.

He looked up as the headmaster entered, a faint smile touching his lips.

"Old friend," he said warmly. "It’s been too long."

The headmaster settled into the chair across from him, accepting the glass of wine that was already poured and waiting.

"It has," he agreed. "But these are busy times."

They sat in silence for a moment, sipping wine, watching the fire. Old friends who had known each other for a long time, who had trained together in the very academy, who had watched each other rise to positions of unimaginable power.

"How is your youngest daughter?" the headmaster asked finally. "She performed well on her mission, from what I’ve heard."

The Emperor’s smile widened slightly. "She did. She’s growing strong. Headstrong, like her mother, but strong." He paused. "Your boy acquitted himself well too, I understand. Nero."

The headmaster’s eyes glinted with amusement. "He’s not ’my boy.’ But yes. He did well. Better than well."

A long pause. The fire crackled. The wine swirled gently in crystal glasses.

"The organization," the Emperor said quietly. The warmth in his voice cooled slightly.

"They’re becoming bolder."

The headmaster nodded slowly. "They attacked my cadets. On a mission. Sent demonized agents after them." His voice hardened. "They’ve crossed a line they shouldn’t have this time."

"We both know why," the Emperor replied.

"They’re working for him. The King of Monsters. They’ve been his tools for a while now we know, gathering power, performing their experiments, preparing the way."

The headmaster’s expression grew grim.

"And now they’re moving more openly. The attack on Nero wasn’t random. They want him. They want to understand him, to use him, to offer him to their master."

"They’re not the only ones." The Emperor’s voice was carefully neutral. "Every clan on the continent is watching that boy. The Raizen want him back. The Undine have already pledged support. The Leclair have thrown their weight behind him. Even my own daughter..." He trailed off, shrugging slightly.

The headmaster chuckled. "You ordered her to win him over, didn’t you? Don’t bother denying it. I know you too well."

The Emperor didn’t deny it. He simply smiled, a small, knowing expression. "Can you blame me? The Raizen cannot be allowed to have him back. If they reclaim him, if they add his power to theirs, they could threaten the imperial family. They could challenge the Samael’s standing as the strongest clan." He paused, his eyes growing distant. "Azariah has never stopped wanting what I have. He plays the loyal vassal, guarding the north, but we both know his ambition. He wants to surpass us. And that boy... Nero could be the key."

The headmaster was quiet for a long moment, staring into the fire. When he spoke, his voice was thoughtful.

"The eight of us," he said softly. "You, me, Azariah, the others. We were all friends once. Students at the academy, just like the cadets we now watch over. We trained together, fought together, dreamed together." He shook his head slowly. "Now look at us. Rivals. Enemies, some of us. The Samael and Raizen have been at odds for generations, but your generation... yours and Azariah’s... that rivalry became personal."

The Emperor nodded, his expression unreadable. "He was my friend. My rival. My equal in so many ways. And now he stands guard over the northern continent, watching for the day the monsters break through, and I sit here, watching him, wondering when he’ll make his move."

"He won’t wait forever," the headmaster said quietly. "And when he does, the boy will be at the center of it. Everyone wants him. Everyone has plans for him. The Raizen, the organization, the monster king himself."

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed. "You think the organization’s interest in him goes beyond their usual experiments?"

The headmaster met his gaze steadily. "I think ’he’ (Monster’s King) has his own reasons for wanting Nero. And I think if we let them grow any stronger, if we let them continue their work unchecked, we won’t have to worry about clan rivalries. We’ll be fighting for survival. Last time we were lucky and luck won’t always be on our side, you know how dangerous that thing is."

A heavy silence fell between them. The fire crackled, casting dancing shadows on the walls.

"We need to act," the Emperor said finally.

"Not openly—not yet. But we need to start cutting the organization down. Disrupt their operations. Eliminate their cells. Make them feel the pressure."

"The other clans will need to be brought in," the headmaster agreed. "A coalition, quietly formed, ready to move when the time comes."

The Emperor nodded slowly. "It will take time. Months, maybe longer. But we can start laying the groundwork."

They sat in silence again, two old friends sharing the weight of knowledge that few others possessed. Outside, the night deepened. Inside, plans began to form.

"There’s something else," the headmaster said after a while. "Something I felt when I spoke with the boy today."

The Emperor raised an eyebrow.

"He’s changed. Grown stronger. Faster than anyone has a right to." The headmaster’s eyes were distant, thoughtful. "He’s hiding things—secrets, powers he hasn’t revealed. But that’s not what concerns me." He paused. "There’s something about him now. Something... old. Something that feels like it’s been waiting a long time."

The Emperor studied his old friend’s face.

"You think he’s connected to all of this? To the organization, to the monster king, to whatever’s coming?"

The headmaster shook his head slowly. "I don’t know. But I think he’s going to be at the center of it. Whether he wants to be or not." He looked at the Emperor, his expression grave. "The wind is changing, old friend. A storm is coming. And that boy... that boy is going to be the eye of it."

The Emperor was quiet for a long moment. Then he raised his glass.

"Then we’d better make sure he’s ready."

The headmaster raised his own glass, and they drank together in silence, two of the most powerful men in the world, preparing for a storm they could feel coming but couldn’t yet see.

The fire crackled. The night deepened. The silence went on as each deep in thought, scheming who knows what.