LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 13: The Whispered Omen
His eyes flip-flopped across the chamber, studying senators' faces as he spoke. The air was tight, suffocating, like the moment before a storm breaks. He knew that the words he chose would not only reveal his purpose but set the stage for what was to come. The room was charged with tension, and he needed to ensure that those who knew did understand his warning without tipping the scales too far.
"I didn't come here to prophesy, nor to proclaim I understand the fate of this city," Leo said, speaking softly yet commanding, interweaving through the chamber as is the first thread of a loom. "But I do know this: Rome's future hangs on a thread, and that thread is tied to a man who walks the line between legend and tyranny."
A few senators sat forward, the air thickening with their intense listening. Cassius's eyes narrowed, his fingers tapping out the rhythm on the arm of his chair. He gazed over to Brutus, who returned the look with a seemingly blank face, a flash of recognition flickering across his eyes.
Leo glanced up at Caesar, who now stared back at him with an intensity that made the hairs on his arms stand on end. But Leo quickly looked away, his eyes shifting to Cassius, then to Brutus, careful not to hold a gaze for too long.
"Power is a flame that can either illuminate or consume," Leo continued, his tone shifting, almost conspiratorial. "Those who stand too close may find their hands burned. It is not for me to say who should hold the flame, but I will say this: the shadows that move against the light are often those who bear the sharpest daggers."
A murmur ran through the senators. The innuendo hung in the air, tantalizing and dangerous. To Leo's relief, he saw Brutus's eyes widen slightly, his lips compressing as he digested the warning. For one heartbeat, Leo swore he saw a flicker of understanding pass between Brutus and Cassius.
Caesar's face set, and the fleeting humor was replaced by a calculating glint. He shifted on his throne, fingers tracing the laurel on his brow as if reassuring himself of his own power. The others were beginning to see that Leo's words were not just rhetoric but a coded warning.
"You speak in riddles, Leo Carter," Caesar said, the weight of his voice pressing down on Leo. "Are you a friend, or are you a herald of misfortune?"
Leo raised his chin, meeting Caesar's stare. "I am neither, Caesar. I am a witness. And I know that those who wield power must be prepared for the price it demands."
Leo's gaze flicked towards Cassius, who saw the slight movement and countered it with a barely perceptible nod. That was enough-a mere flicker of acknowledgment that he had understood Leo's words. They spoke of a secret plan, of a future betrayal only the conspirators would recognize.
"Enough of this farce," Decimus Brutus cut him off, his voice rasping. "If you have come to warn us of doom, speak it plain, or begone. We have greater things to concern ourselves with."
The challenge hung in the air, but Leo wasn't finished. He had sown the seed; now he had to make certain it would germinate.
"If Rome is to succeed, it needs to elect leaders who are more than merely strong, but wise," Leo declared, sitting forward, eyes fixed on Brutus and Cassius. "The future is what is not yet spoken, but the ones who establish it will be enshrined by their bravery-or their lack of it."
The room became silent, senators gazing at each other now with a new level of wariness, a spark of ambition re-ignited in others' hearts. Caesar's face twisted into a scowl and, for an instant, Leo caught a glimpse of danger behind his expression: he knew the man had been warned.
The system hummed at the back of Leo's head and his new ability began to go off: now his words had the strength of echoing louder within people's heads. Leo stirred the pot; he prepared the setting of all the ripples to be.
System Notice:
Mind Echo New Ability Effect-You are leaving lasting impressions: words that really strike within others' thinking heads.
He knew his time in the Senate was far from over. He had chosen his path and sparked the first whispers of doubt. Now, he could only hope that the conspirators would follow the trail he'd left.
As the chamber burst into debate once more, Leo could not help but feel a sense of anticipation. The game had begun, and the first move was his. The question now was whether he would be a player or a pawn when the time came.