A new voice spoke from the Crimson Aegis. "If he is the only man to awaken ether, then this is not an isolated event. There is a cause, and we must find it. For all we know, he is only the beginning."

Brandon tensed slightly at that.

"Are you implying there may be more?"

The Crimson Aegis representative did not hesitate "It is a possibility we must consider. If ether has awakened in a man now, it could happen again. We must understand the cause before we decide the consequences."

The conversation spiraled from there.

Some spoke of experiments, of research, of ways to uncover what made him different.

Others continued their campaign to have him locked away, studied like a specimen behind glass.

And then there were those who still, despite the logic presented, believed the only solution was his immediate elimination.

But there are also people who stood with Brandon defending him.

"You compare this anomaly to those we have carefully regulated over the centuries, yet there is no precedent for what he is. No man has ever wielded ether. Not once in recorded history."

"And now, you ask us to treat him as if he were merely another deviation, another rare ability to be cataloged and studied?"

At this time, another cool voice came from the side "And what do you propose then? That we kill him out of fear? That we remove a living being simply because we cannot explain his existence? That is just inhuman..."

"We should protect people from the Abberants, why should we kill the potential awakeners?"

Hm? Brandon glimpsed at the name and his gaze narrowed 'Bleaufort family? Eira's?'

"If ether has chosen to manifest in a man once, it may happen again. And if we allow this one to live unchecked, what precedent does that set for the future?"

"What happens when men begin appearing with ether abilities in greater numbers? Will we still have control over the balance?"

Ravène's patience thinned "Listen to yourselves. You speak of 'control' as if ether is something you own."

"It is a force of nature, and it does not answer to your fears or your rules. If ether has allowed this, then your approval is irrelevant."

The Asphodel woman scoffed "That is a naïve way of thinking."

"And your way is narrow-minded," Ravène shot back.

Another woman spoke "The problem remains. What if his power expands beyond his control?"

"What if the limit of his ability... this supposed 'wearing off' of his mimicked ether, proves to be a temporary restraint? What then?"

Ravène exhaled, "Then we deal with that possibility if it happens. Do not mistake caution for cowardice."

"Every new ether wielder is unpredictable when they first awaken. Did we execute every single one simply because they could become a threat?"

"No. We studied them. We trained them. We brought them into the fold."

Elize nodded, her voice carrying a finality that silenced even the loudest objections "Fear is not an excuse for murder."

The woman from Bleaufort spoke "You're all so quick to label him a danger, yet you ignore the fact that ether itself is unstable for everyone in its earliest stages."

"We have records of women who manifested abilities that shook the foundations of our laws, and yet they were trained, not slaughtered. What makes Brandon Kael different?"

The answer was unspoken but clear.

Because he was a man.

The Grand Arbiter had remained largely silent and observed the growing chaos finally spoke "Enough. We will not descend into bickering."

With an exhale she continued "Regardless of what we believe, Brandon Kael exists. That is the reality we must contend with."

"The question is not whether he should exist, but how we move forward with this knowledge."

The Lionhearts' representative spoke again "Then what are the options before us?"

The Grand Arbiter did not answer immediately. It was the Asphodel Order who responded first...

"There is only one logical course of action. Elimination."

The word was spoken without hesitation, and it sent a ripple of tension through the room.

Brandon felt a chill run down his spine, but before he could even process the weight of that word...

A sharp, deafening crack split the air.

The chamber shook and the holographic screens flickered.

Then a cold voice echoed through the meeting...

"If anyone wants to kill him… then you will have to step over my corpse first."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as all eyes turned to the source.

Brandon's eyes narrowed as his gaze turned to the largest holographic screen, where a live video feed had suddenly appeared.

The grainy distortion of the flickering hologram soon sharpened, revealing the figure of a woman seated upon an ornate, high-backed chair.

A woman with long blonde hair and piercing green eyes stared directly at the screen.

'Char.. lotte?'

Brandon was surprised.

"I will kill everyone who so much as thinks of harming Kael."

Dead silence.

The Asphodel Order's representative stiffened "Are you threatening the Sovereign Circle?"

A cold glint passed through Charlotte's eyes "You think so?"

"Then try me. Raise a hand against him, and I will personally make sure you never lift it again."

Leaning back slightly in her chair, she crossed one leg over the other, resting an arm against the armrest.

Elize, who had been watching quietly, smirked slightly but said nothing.

Ravène let out a sigh in relief 'Finally.. she spoke.'

The Lionhearts' representative narrowed her eyes "You would risk war over this?"

Charlotte nodded her head without hesitation "Yeah.. I don't mind. If anyone wants to harm Kael.. I will kill them. Even if it's the Sovereign Circle..."

As she spoke, her gaze flickered to the holographic name of the 'Grand Arbiter of the Sovereign Circle.'

Hearing this. everyone in the meeting tensed.

Charlotte Fleurdys... one of the Nine Empyreans in the world.

She is at the absolute pinnacle of power, an SSS rank awakener.

And even among those Empyreans, Charlotte is very formidable.

Her ether signature alone was classified as an SSS-rank anomaly.

She is a walking calamity, a force of nature that the entire etheric world had learned to fear.