His crimson eyes swept the entire circle.

"I know that you invited me here not out of friendship but out of fear. You're afraid of what an unsanctioned young Sol'vur boy might do, operating outside your control. You saw what my father accomplished, and now you've seen what I can do, and you're terrified that if you don't bind me to your Council's structure, I'll become a threat you can't manage."

Madayanti's face had gone very still, her earlier diplomatic warmth completely absent. She was listening with the focus of someone hearing uncomfortable truths stated plainly.

"But here's what you should actually be afraid of," Jorghan continued, and his aura pulsed like a heartbeat, making the very air throb with contained power.

"You should be afraid of what happens if you treat me like my father. If you smile to my face while plotting behind my back. If you use my willingness to work within your system as a weakness to exploit."

He stepped back toward his throne, and the pressure in the room eased fractionally—not gone, but pulled back, leashed.

"My father gave you a chance to make things right. He came back after his vengeance, seeking reconciliation, and you cast him out. You made him an enemy when he was trying to be a friend. And that—" Jorghan's voice became cold, "—that was the mistake that ensured the Sol'vur would always be a threat to you."

He sat back down, his movements controlled and deliberate, and his aura began to retract, not disappearing but condensing, concentrating around him like an invisible shield.

"I will work within your Council," Jorghan said with absolute finality.

"I will accept your collective decisions even when I disagree with them, as long as those decisions don't threaten the people I've sworn to protect. I will be the clan head you need me to be—cooperative, diplomatic, and willing to compromise."

His eyes fixed on Tadrukein with laser focus.

"But if any of you—any single one of you—tries what those three clans tried with my father? If you betray me, if you conspire against me, if you think you can eliminate the Sol'vur threat through treachery rather than dealing with me honestly?"

The temperature in the room dropped noticeably. Frost began forming on the transparent crystal walls—not from cold magic, but from the sheer intensity of the bloodline responding to Jorghan's controlled fury.

"Then I won't kill three clans," Jorghan said softly.

"I'll kill everyone involved and everyone who could have stopped them but chose not to. I'll be precise, invasive, and absolutely thorough. Because unlike my father, I won't let grief cloud my judgment or mercy limit my effectiveness."

He leaned back in his throne, and his expression shifted to something calmer, almost pleasant. "But that won't happen, will it? Because you're all intelligent enough to recognize that having me inside your structure, bound by mutual benefit and shared purpose, is infinitely preferable to making me your enemy. Aren't you?"

The question hung in the air like a blade.

Tadrukein stared at Jorghan with his vertical pupils dilated, his scaled face unreadable. Then, slowly, something that might have been a smile crossed his inhuman features.

"You're smarter than your father," the serpent patriarch said, and there was genuine respect in his voice despite the earlier challenge.

"Ser'gu would have responded to my question with threats and bluster. You responded with a cold analysis of exactly why my concern was both valid and irrelevant. That's... refreshing."

He settled back in his throne, his posture relaxing fractionally.

He wasn't the least bothered with what he, Jorghan, said. But it couldn't be said about others; they had troubled expressions on their faces.

Even Sigora was on the verge of breaking her posture.

He just outright declared that he was stronger than anyone here.

The sheer arrogance made them appalled, but the three elf women stared at the boy, who was like an infant to them, with a genuine interest. They seem to like him.

But there was something in their demeanor that it was not like good interest.

"I withdraw my objection. If he's willing to work within our structure while being honest about his capabilities and limitations, that's more than we had any right to expect."

Citrangada's furry face split in a grin that showed surprisingly human teeth. "I like him. He reminds me why I agreed to join this Council in the first place; occasionally someone says true things instead of comfortable lies."

Indriyani's pale eyes studied Jorghan with new assessment.

"Power without delusion is rare. Most who possess his capabilities convince themselves they're justified in anything. He at least recognizes what he is."

Other clan heads began to murmur, some approving, some still uncertain, but the tension that had gripped the chamber was easing. Jorghan's display had accomplished what diplomatic niceties couldn't—it had established clear boundaries and made explicit the unspoken calculations everyone was already making.

Madayanti watched the shift in atmosphere with visible relief, though her amber eyes on Jorghan carried new wariness. She'd wanted to control this narrative, and he'd taken that control from her with brutal honesty.

"Very well," she said, her voice carrying authority that reasserted her position despite losing narrative control.

"Unless there are further objections—" she paused, giving anyone who wanted to speak the opportunity, "—the Sol'vur clan is officially recognized as the thirteenth member of this Council. Jorghan Sol'vur, your voice carries equal weight to any here, your clan's interests are now part of our collective concerns, and your presence is welcomed."

She stood, and the rest of the Council stood with her; this time, even Tadrukein and Citrangada rose, acknowledging the significance of the moment.

"Let the records show," Madayanti proclaimed, "that on this day, the Council of Thirteen Clans is complete for the first time in decades. May we prove worthy of the unity this represents."

The ceremony was done.

The Sol'vur clan was restored.

And every elf in that chamber understood that the balance of power had just shifted in ways they'd need years to fully comprehend.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.