The lounge was quiet. None of them had the appetite for food or celebration. There was no clapping, no talking, just the long, collective sound of disbelief.
Farrynelle sat cross-legged on a sunken couch, her arms folded and eyes locked on the ceiling as if the answer to the universe had tattooed itself into the stone. Xander leaned against the wall. Elyonari looked like she hadn't blinked in minutes, her vines half-draped across her lap. Denisia and Natalis were curled up together on a round cushion near the center, neither of them saying a word, just staring into the reflections of the red light that had once turned the entire world into grayscale. The silence finally broke when Eldrigan muttered.
"I don't even know what to say anymore."
"That's because there isn't anything to say," Farrynelle muttered with an edge. "What the hell was that? The world froze. Literally."
"I've never felt anything like that in my life," Denisia whispered. "It was like... all warmth, light, color, everything just... vanished."
"It didn't feel like magic," Elyonari added softly. "It felt older than magic."
And then there was Narisva, relaxing on a couch. She looked around at them, exhaled deeply, then sat upright.
"You guys really don't get it yet, do you?"
"Get what, exactly?"
Narisva leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
"The Primordials aren't just Supreme Entities. They are the Origin. They didn't become Supreme Entities. They were born that way. They are the raw concepts of reality that allowed the rest of us to even exist in the first place. There were three of them. The first is the Primordial of Time. The second is the Primordial of Space and the third and the oldest and first of all, the Primordial of Existence itself. She... or he, has no name, face or proper form. They're everything and nothing."
Natalis swallowed. "You mean the one who chose Adelasta...?"
"Yeah. That's the one. The oldest and first Supreme Entity to ever breathe thought into the void. They didn't just build the foundation of existence. They are the foundation. Their will determines what can and can't exist."
The silence that followed was deep and reverent.
"Vastarael was chosen by the Primordial of Time. I was chosen by the Primordial of Space. And Adelasta... she's the only known Split of the Primordial of Existence."
Denisia frowned. "You keep saying Split. What even is that?"
"Right. Most of you probably don't even know the concept outside the surface-level myths."
She crossed one leg over the other, lazily twirling her finger on a floating miniature sun she created as she explained.
"Splits are not avatars. They're not incarnations. They're not blessed beings. They're not even descendants. A Split is a soul given a direct fragment of a Supreme Entity's nature and allowed to live a separate existence, often without even knowing it."
"You mean... Vastarael is Time?" Elyonari asked cautiously.
"No. He's not the whole of Time. He's a Split of it. A slice of the Primordial's power was given to him. Same as me, same as Adelasta. The Primordials chose to do this to create a successor or to act in the physical plane without corrupting it. Splits are rare because most Supreme Entities don't want to split themselves. The Primordials? They're beyond that. Their goals are bigger. They don't think like we do. They create Splits when they see potential to create a future Supreme Entity worthy of becoming like them or... replacing them."
Everyone just stared.
Denisia concluded. "So Adelasta... she's a fragment of the concept of existence itself."
Narisva chuckled under her breath, but there was no cruelty in it this time.
"Yup. Which means, if she completes all seven trials, she will become the Goddess of Existence."
Natalis clutched Denisia's hand tighter, her voice trembling. "But... she collapsed. Vastarael said she didn't feel good."
"She probably felt the truth," Xander muttered. "If she really is a Split... then when the Primordial acknowledged her, she wasn't just activated. She was remembered, like something buried inside her was brought back."
Eldrigan finally spoke, rubbing his temple.
"And here I thought becoming a Gecisia Level was the peak."
Narisva gave him a sideways grin. "It was the peak for most of history until today."
The room went quiet again. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts now, the pieces of the divine puzzle clicking slowly in their minds. The world had changed.
-------
Adelasta lay on the bed, one hand resting over her stomach, the other on the silken sheets. Vastarael sat beside her, one leg crossed over the other, his fingers laced together on his knee, his eyes watching her carefully. She didn't need to look to know he was staring.
"I'm fine."
But Vastarael immediately tilted his head, a quiet scoff escaping him.
"No the fuck you're not."
Her amber eyes flickered open slightly and she shifted her head just enough to glance at him.
"I know because you're doing exactly what I do when I'm not fine. You say you're okay because the world expects you to be. Because if you admit that you're overwhelmed, it might break the image even you hold of yourself. But I know you."
She stared at him for a moment, blinking once. She didn't reply. She wasn't used to being called out like that.
"How do you feel?"
Adelasta looked back up at the ceiling.
"I didn't even know I was a Split. I thought I was just a hybrid between Viaca and Vazakiel. I didn't have the Omniscient abilities… and I certainly didn't feel like I was chosen by anyone."
She paused, her fingers curling slightly against the bedsheet.
"But if I'm going to be a Split of anything. I'm glad it's Existence."
Vastarael smiled faintly at that. He reached forward and gently brushed his fingers along her wrist.
"Then open your test. You need to know what it is. The Hydrangea said it begins the moment we received our designation."
Adelasta exhaled, nodded and sat up slowly. She extended her hand slightly and said the word aloud, her voice ringing with eerie finality.
"Nyramith."
At once, the space in front of them shimmered like a ripple through time and space. A projection of divine text appeared golden at first but quickly bleeding into deep scarlet. It manifested midair, hovering inches above the ground. Vastarael sat slowly beside her as the words etched themselves into view one by one:
-----
[The First Sacred Trial Nyramith of Adelasta Richinaria, Split of Existence.]
[Objective: Bathe in the magma of the active volcano on Nyramith Island for a continuous duration of six hours.]
[Location: The volcano on Nyramith Island.]
[Parameters: Divine Flux Levels permitted. Interference forbidden. No artificial enhancement or shielding allowed.]
[Warning: All elements of Inexpelcae respond to Divine nature. The magma is not mere molten rock. It is saturated with the Primordial Will.]
[Time Limit: One Spherian year from the moment of Gecisia Designation.]
[Failure Condition: Inability to complete will results in immediate Penalty Cycle and partial soul disintegration.]
-----
Adelasta stared at the hovering text. She blinked slowly, reading it again.
"That doesn't sound so bad."
She said after a moment, folding her arms. Her voice was back to its usual cool indifference. Vastarael let out a laugh but it wasn't amused. It was the kind of laugh that sounded more like disbelief.
"Darling, that's Inexpelcae. That's not regular lava. That's Divine Magma. Living magna. It's stuff that can devour Enlightened in seconds. It's not just hot
It has will. It hates weakness. It tests your soul while it burns your body."
Adelasta paused.
"Oh."
"Yeah. You'll need to prepare and I mean seriously prepare. Because this isn't just about withstanding heat. It's about holding your existence together while everything around you wants to unmake it."
She didn't say anything for a moment, then gave a short exhale.
"I guess being Existence's Split isn't as pretty as it sounds."
"No. But if anyone can endure this, it's you. You're already terrifying."
She smirked a little at that. "You keep saying that."
"Because it keeps being true."
Then he reached forward and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering there for a moment longer than necessary.
"This test will push you to the edge. But I'll be there. Even if I can't interfere, I'll be waiting right inside it watching."
Adelasta looked up at him. Her cold gaze warmed just slightly.
"I know. What about yours?"