The lights had long gone out but the bedroom wasn't shrouded in total darkness. They lay sprawled across the bed now, their limbs comfortably tangled in one another like vines that had long since stopped caring where one ended and the other began. Vastarael was nestled in the center, his head resting back into a pillow. Narisva's fingers lazily traced patterns on his chest, Elyonari's head rested on his shoulder and Adelasta had one leg possessively draped over his as she laid beside him, cheek against the side of his ribcage.
It had started with playful teasing, gentle murmurs about who got more blanket space, but slowly the conversation had taken a turn. Elyonari whispered into the silence.
"So... are we not going to talk about the fact that we're all actually getting along?"
"Mhm," Narisva said with a lazy grin, her fingers still doodling nonsense on Vastarael's chest. "Feels like something's off."
Adelasta cracked an eye open. "You mean the fact that three women who should be wildly incompatible by personality, race, bloodline and temperament somehow coexist in one bed without setting it on fire?"
"Exactly," Narisva muttered.
Vastarael gave a tired groan. "Okay, what the hell? This is the pillow talk we're doing now?"
Elyonari leaned closer and kissed his collarbone gently. "You're the one who seduced a Celestial descendant, an Aeterium and an Elf all without trying."
Narisva smirked. "Don't forget you have a Krepsuna Phantasm."
"And the Omniscient," Adelasta added pointedly. "Don't pretend like Phaenora isn't eyeing this whole thing like it's a divine experiment she wants to join."
Vastarael rolled his eyes and placed a hand over his face. "You're all absolutely insufferable."
"And you love it," Narisva teased.
"I don't even know how this happened. Seriously, you three should be killing each other. Not... spooning and discussing my love life like it's a political summit."
"Well, it's not like we planned this. But... something about you just works."
"Maybe it's your hair," Elyonari mused.
"Or your eyes," Narisva added.
"Or the way you fight like you have a death wish but somehow always survive," Adelasta finished.
Vastarael groaned louder this time. "Stop. Please. Let me die in peace."
"Aw," Elyonari whispered. "You're blushing."
"Shut up."
They giggled softly. The quiet settled again and Vastarael's eyes drifted toward the ceiling. He wasn't smiling but his expression was peaceful. And yet... something twinged behind his ribcage. Another wave of dizziness crept in. It didn't slam into him like before but it was there, lingering like a whisper from within. He swallowed it down. He didn't want to ruin this moment.
They didn't notice, thankfully. Narisva was humming now, a faint tune, her hand no longer tracing his chest but simply resting there.
Vastarael took a deep breath. His voice was a murmur this time.
"I really got a good life, huh..."
They all turned to him but he didn't elaborate.
He didn't tell them about Earth. About the screams, the blood, the ruined sky and about how he watched people he loved die one by one in his old world. He didn't tell them about the experiments or the sixty years of silence or the fear that one day he'd wake up and all of this would vanish like smoke in the dark. He just smiled faintly and whispered again.
"I'm glad I was born in Spheraphase."
And then, before anyone could say another word, Vastarael closed his eyes.
His breathing slowed. His fingers relaxed.
Vastarael's expression had softened completely in sleep. His features now relaxed into a serenity that looked almost too fragile to touch. They had seen him like this before but never when they had truly noticed what he meant to them. Adelasta sat up first, her back against the headboard, one leg tucked beneath her.
"He doesn't even realize it, does he?"
"Realize what?" Elyonari asked, shifting to sit up as well.
"What he does to us."
Narisva hummed, still lying beside him, her cheek half-pressed against Vastarael's shoulder. "I don't think he sees himself the way we see him."
Elyonari chuckled softly, running a gentle hand through his hair. "He's so damn handsome that it's actually ridiculous."
Narisva grinned. "Gentle too, with all of us. Even when he's at his worst, he always tries not to let it spill on us. Wait. Do you feel that?"
Adelasta paused, then nodded. "Yeah..."
They all felt an odd, tingling warmth blooming in their chests and radiating out through their skin, like being kissed from the inside out. Goosebumps crawled up their arms, across their shoulders and down their backs. Omniphage had begun absorbing their Soul Energy. It wasn't painful. It felt... natural. They leaned back against the pillows, letting it happen.
"He doesn't even have a heart," Elyonari said quietly, her voice trembling slightly with awe and worry. "His cores sits in place of it. And he's still... alive."
Adelasta reached over and placed her hand lightly over his chest, where a normal heart would've beat. She didn't feel a pulse but she felt warmth. And that warmth was enough.
"And yet... he fights harder than any of us. Not because he wants to win but because he wants to protect."
Elyonari looked down, her voice trembling. "What if he dies again?"
The question shattered the silence. All three froze.
Narisva sat up slowly. Her starry eyes shifted. The constellations within them shimmered once and then collapsed into darkness.
"Narisva—"
Narisva didn't move. Her body was stiff as her gaze locked on Vastarael's peaceful face.
"Narisva," Elyonari said more gently this time, reaching across and placing a hand on her thigh. "You're doing it again."
Her lips parted and she blinked, quickly turning her head away. "Shit..."
Adelasta's tone was colder than usual.
"Don't ever let him see you like that again. Not unless you want to push him away."
"I know," Narisva said quickly, guilt blooming on her face as her stars returned. "I—I didn't mean to. It just... the thought of losing him—"
"Don't think about it," Elyonari interrupted. "You can't change the past. And you can't protect him by terrifying him."
Adelasta didn't soften. "He already feels guilty for seeing you that way once. Don't make it worse."
Narisva swallowed and nodded.
"I'm sorry... really. I need to control my desires better. When my emotions twist like that, my soul literally reacts."
Elyonari tilted her head. "You do realize your eyes turning from stars into nothingness is creepy as fuck, right?"
Even Adelasta, stern as she was, gave a reluctant snort. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"I said I'm sorry!" Narisva groaned, covering her face.
Elyonari softened then, her hand moving to Narisva's back in a soothing rub. "Just don't do it in front of Veneri. That's all."
Narisva nodded again. "I promise."
They slowly lowered themselves back onto the bed, Vastarael still unmoving between them. Elyonari kissed his cheek, whispered.
"Goodnight."
Adelasta wrapped her arm around his waist, curling into him. "Don't make me fall in love with you all over again. I'm already in too deep."
Narisva snorted under her breath. "Too late."
The three of them giggled then sighed. And at last, they all said it.
"Goodnight."
And with Vastarael between them, peaceful and unknowing of the emotions swirling around him, the three women he held closest fell asleep.