# Expanded Chapter
"The pillar was a declaration," Long Chen said to his assembled clan elders with absolute certainty. His voice rumbled like distant thunder rolling across mountains.
The sound filled the entire ancestral hall.
"Someone with imperial authority has made their presence known to the entire realm. They're announcing their return to the world in a way that cannot be ignored or dismissed."
A younger clan member spoke up from his position near the back. He was Long Chen's third son, eager and ambitious. "Father, could it be one of the ancient clans from the higher realms? Perhaps they've descended to claim territory in our world?"
Long Chen shook his head slowly from side to side. His long beard swayed with the movement. "No. The aura was wrong. I felt it clearly despite the distance. This wasn't the power of the higher realms at all. This was something native to our world. Something old and deeply familiar."
