Night had just begun its slow descent upon the island, but the heat of the day still clung to the streets. The breeze sweeping from the ocean was warm and the stones beneath their feet still radiated the memory of the sun's touch. As the town lights flickered on, the second group made their way through the market paths of Nyramith, casual, yet causing more commotion than any festival ever could.
Narisva, Adelasta, Elyonari, Peroncerea and Farrynelle walked side by side. They were a perfect, almost intimidating harmony of grace and beauty that made heads turn before they even passed by.
They were all dressed comfortably for the island's heat. Narisva wore a cropped lilac T-shirt that somehow still held a royal flair and black shorts with tiny silver chains hanging from the side, walking in sandals. Elyonari, in contrast, wore an oversized moss-green T-shirt tied at the waist, paired with white shorts and boots. Peroncerea went with a black, off-shoulder crop top that showed off her toned stomach, her wine-colored shorts hugging her form. Her usual wings were hidden. No one needed to know a Royal Succubus was casually out shopping.
Farrynelle wore sky-blue shorts and a pastel tank top with lightning bolt patterns stitched at the hem. Adelasta, however, was the center of the conversation. She wore a dark crimson crop top with matching high-waisted shorts. Her long hair was tied up in a high ponytail and she carried herself with that same icy elegance she always had, even with her casual attire.
"Alright," Peroncerea began, tilting her head as she eyed Adelasta up and down, "I need to ask. What is with you and the minimal clothing? I'm not judging, it is amazing on vacation vibes but seriously."
Adelasta didn't even look at her as she calmly replied, "Because it's hot."
"Like weather hot or you hot?" Elyonari chimed in, smirking.
"Both," Adelasta said as the group burst into laughter.
Farrynelle leaned back with a dramatic sigh.
"Honestly though… is it just me or does it really feel hotter here than normal?"
"You're not imagining it," Narisva muttered. "The heat index here is off the charts. Even as Divines, I can feel the warmth crawling into my core. That shouldn't be possible."
"It's because of the atmospheric layering," Elyonari said as she analyzed the sky above. "Solar radiation here is naturally magnified. And since our divine bodies adapt… it's like our senses are matching the heat levels."
"So if we feel it like this, what would it do to an Ascender?"
"They'd collapse within a few hours, Peron," Narisva answered immediately. "Maybe less. Their constitutions wouldn't handle the divine density in the air alone, let alone this thermal pressure."
"Everyone on the island is Divine," Farrynelle whispered. "Even the shopkeepers and the kids. I saw a toddler lift a stone bench just to retrieve a marble."
"Must be nice," Peroncerea said with a wistful smirk.
As they walked further into the coastal market square, people began to slow their steps. Conversations halted. Hydroborn civilians looked at them. Some were subtle while others blatantly obvious, their eyes wide with curiosity, surprise… and admiration. The Hydroborn were already the most beautiful immortal race in the world. Their skin shimmered with hues ranging from scales on their cheeks, necks, and forearms. And yet, even among them, the five women stood out. They were shopping but every merchant froze for just a second longer when they passed by.
"Okay," Adelasta said, staring at the stalls ahead. "We need to buy enough ingredients to last at least a year."
"A year?" Farrynelle asked.
"I'm not going shopping again unless we're broke," she replied flatly.
"I support this motion," Narisva muttered.
The five women didn't separate. Instead, they walked together as a radiant unit through the grand pathways of the open-air market. The market was bustling despite the late hour, the scent of fruits and spices curling through the warm breeze, mingling with the distant, melodic hum of ocean waves. Their steps echoed softly against the marbled tiles of the vendor avenue, and every merchant they passed turned, slowed, or stopped altogether.
They didn't act like royalty, though. At least not all of them.
"Those vegetables will rot within a few months unless we get the long-lasting varieties," Elyonari murmured as she eyed a stall stacked high with red cabbages and glimmering blue carrots.
"Those are enchanted root crops," Narisva commented, casually pointing at sacks filled with faintly glowing produce. "They can be infused with runes and last a year if kept sealed."
Adelasta moved ahead to the vendor.
"We need everything in bulk and enough to feed ten Divine-ranked gluttons for a year. Do you deliver?"
The Hydroborn merchant, a man with deep sea-green scales running up his neck and golden gills just under his jaw, blinked.
"We… We can. It will take time and strong carriers."
Adelasta pulled a heavy pouch from her inventory, the weight clinking musically with the sound of dozens of golden coins. She let it fall into his hand without a second glance.
"Get it to the cliffside mansion by noon tomorrow. If it's even five minutes late, we're burning this whole stall down."
He nodded so fast it looked like his head might fall off. "Understood."
The group moved on as Farrynelle, chuckling, patted Adelasta's shoulder.
"You know you scare people when you do that, right?"
"I am scary."
Peroncerea and Elyonari meanwhile, approached a stand with bright red spices and glistening fruits. Peroncerea leaned on the counter, giving a cheeky grin to the merchant, who was an older Hydroborn woman with blue scales spiraling across her forehead.
"We'll take sacks of those," she pointed at the fruits, "and at least three boxes. We're stocking for an army."
Farrynelle, meanwhile, was already bartering with a young girl over five crates of dried grains. The merchant protested weakly at first, but as soon as Farrynelle flashed her lightning rune sigil across her palm, the girl quickly agreed and began tagging the crates for delivery. Fortunately, they weren't short on storage. They placed the full items in their inventories through portals.
"Thanks to me," Narisva quipped casually, arms crossed as she stared at their growing list of acquisitions. "All of your inventories can hold at least ten thousand items each."
"Honestly, bless you," Peroncerea sighed as she stashed yet another sack of fruits into her inventory. "If I had to carry this the normal way, I'd just throw myself into the sea."
"Oh don't worry," Narisva said with a tiny smirk, "the sea wouldn't want you either."
That earned a playful glare and a light shove from Peroncerea as the others giggled. As they turned the corner of the market, a wide platform of floating ice blocks displayed every fish imaginable. Elyonari leaned forward, eyeing them curiously.
"Can we buy these in bulk too?" She asked aloud, already reaching into her inventory for money.
And that's when the crowd murmured shifted.
"They are the ones chosen by the First Hydrangea…"
"Look at them… Divines, no doubt."
"Are they foreign royals? Or nobles? Who's the one with silver hair? She's too gorgeous to exist…"
The market buzzed around them, conversations sparked by their beauty and presence. Yet they all carried on, unaffected by their presence.
"Yes, you can buy fish in bulk," Narisva replied, flicking her gaze to the crates of chilled marine beasts. "But don't get too excited. Vastarael won't touch a single one."
That turned several heads.
"What?" Farrynelle blinked, visibly confused. "You're telling me Vastarael doesn't eat seafood?"
"Nope," Narisva replied, popping the 'p' at the end. "To him, it tastes like water."
Adelasta actually stopped mid-step, turning to look at her.
"You're joking."
"I'm not."
"That is the most bizarre thing I've ever heard and I'm married to him."
Narisva gave her a side glance and a mischievous grin.
"Oh, now you're surprised? Not when he reconstructed his arm, or fought a Divine in the ORS? This is your limit?"
"I never said it made sense," Adelasta replied defensively.
Farrynelle laughed and clapped her hands. "Okay, this is amazing. I'm going to use this against him forever. This is divine blackmail material."
"Please do," Narisva added with a smirk. "He deserves it."
Elyonari finally returned from her inspection and shook her head.
"I'll ignore the fish. I'd rather just cultivate my own herbs anyway. That was is cheaper. And I can harvest from the rainforest."
"You're going into the rainforest alone?" Peroncerea asked.
"I'm a daughter of nature," Elyonari said with a scoff. "I am the forest."
They chuckled again.
As they moved through the golden-lit paths, the townspeople stared with admiration and curiosity. The five women kept walking buying stuff.