Vastarael's consciousness was standing perfectly still water after meeting his mother.
It stretched out as infinite horizon of glass-smooth ocean that didn't ripple. The sky above him reflected the same. A belvedere was right in front of him and seated there, like she had been waiting centuries just for him to wake up, was Thyrexxa.
Right now, she was sipping from a porcelain cup with cookies on the table. Across from her sat someone Vastarael had never seen. She had golden hair and golden eyes.
"About time you woke up," Thyrexxa said casually, gesturing with her teacup. "Come sit."
Vastarael, still grounded enough to accept weirdness gracefully, crossed the water—his feet didn't even sink—and slid into the empty chair.
"Alright. Who is she?"
The golden woman smiled warmly, but her eyes were heavy, like she saw ten thousand futures and none of them were right.
"Sunshine, Primordial of Destiny. It's a pleasure finally meeting you."
"Destiny?"
Thyrexxa popped a cookie into her mouth.
"Don't act surprised. You saw me at your judgement so why are you shocked?"
Vastarael folded his hands, leaning back.
"Then I'm assuming this is about Spheraphase's situation. And yes, I already know. The memories came in my mind when I came here."
Sunshine arched a brow at Thyrexxa. She smirked and shrugged.
"I sent information in his mind. Don't complain."
Vastarael exhaled through his nose.
"So, explain it fully please."
Sunshine nodded. "Stephos' son. Seholel."
Vastarael's jaw tensed the second the name came up.
"He made a deal with two forces that should never cooperate. It was Spheraphase itself, and Axia, the Omniscient who governs the world. He killed the Nexus of Mopheria. The only Nexus."
Vastarael stiffened. Sunshine continued with an excited tone.
"That act allowed him to ascend to a Nexus and hijack the world's laws. He rewrote Divinity. He rewrote your entire foundational system. He rewrote Spheraphase's rules and forced Axia to implement them through a deal."
Thyrexxa clicked her tongue. "Brainless brat scorched both sides. Didn't even do it smartly."
Sunshine nodded painfully. "The cost was everything. After the rewrite, he was no longer a Nexus. His Divinity collapsed into a Minor Deity level but the damage was already done."
"So the loss of Divinity, the collapse of Enlightenment and every Dynasty's weakened state—"
"—came from him," Sunshine finished. "From a single catastrophic rewrite."
Thyrexxa set her cup down. "But here's where it gets fun."
She pointed at him.
"You? Sentina Erideae? Richinaria Dynasty? You're not bound to the World System like everyone else."
Vastarael processed it quietly. "Because of Phaenora."
"Exactly. Axia governs the world but your Omniscient is Phaenora. She became your anchor. You're aligned to her, not Spheraphase. So whatever Seholel changed only partially hit you. Enlightenment, Gecisia Levels? Gone. But your Divinity has been barely touched."
Vastarael rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"So the reason we aren't crawling on the floor like half the world is because—"
"Phaenora shielded you by existing," Thyrexxa said bluntly. "I gave her to you for a reason."
Vastarael's gaze snapped to her.
"Right. That's what I wanted to ask. The real reason you handed her off to me when we met for the first time was because of this?"
"Yes, because Seholel has done this before to the previous transmigrators. He always had the potential to shatter both Spheraphase and Mopheria. I knew he would pull something catastrophic in this new loop. I also knew you'd need insulation."
"So you gave me an Omniscient," Vastarael said slowly. "One that wasn't under the world's authority."
"Exactly. I gave you someone who manages her own System and not bound to Spheraphase's rules. She's someone who could protect you when the world turned against its own children."
Sunshine folded her hands. "And now look at the consequences. The other Divines under the Dynasties lost their Divinity entirely. Monarchs and Monarchesses and the strongest? They kept some but only about fifty percent. Enlightenment Powers? Gone. Gecisia Levels? Erased."
Vastarael felt a slow, anger coil in his chest. Why did Stephos haunt him even now?
"Mopheria wasn't spared either. They also lost around fifty percent of their Divinity. Seholel destroyed balance on both sides."
Vastarael sighed, leaning back in his chair, staring at the still ocean stretching forever.
"So now what? We're intact. They're broken. Destiny and Fate itself is bending out of shape."
Sunshine's golden eyes glimmered.
"Exactly. Destiny is changing. More chaos will swallow Spheraphase because of this. The future is… unstable. But I brought you here because I hope you can fix it."
Vastarael let the silence hang for a second. Thyrexxa daintily finished her tea, shook out her sleeves, and set the cup aside.
"Alright, so let's get this straight. Gecisia Levels are gone, Enlightenment Powers are gone, Sacred Trials are gone—"
"Yes," Thyrexxa cut in. "The Sacred Trials only existed because of Gecisia Levels. No Levels means the Trials removed themselves out of reality."
"Cool. Great."
"But you can still progress to the next Enlightenment Stages the old-fashioned way."
He frowned. "Enlightenment Stages? Without the Trials?"
"You'll rise through the Enlightenment Stages manually. It's slower and much harder yes, but you're not stuck. Not even close."
Sunshine agreed.
"Especially because there is a method to accelerate it."
"And that is?"
Thyrexxa snapped her fingers and the still ocean rippled outward in five symmetrical directions like someone had carved the horizon into slices.
"Time Fragments. Five of them are scattered across Spheraphase and hidden in places no one has ever found and no one but you can find. As my Split, you can advance through the Enlightenment stages yourself."
"Wait. I already got a Time Fragment in the Sacred Trial—"
"No, you didn't. That was a catalyst to make you adjust to it. Real Time Fragments are different."
Sunshine chuckled behind her hand.
"Honestly, the fact you thought that killing a Mutated Siren and get one of the Fragments is kind of cute."
Vastarael glared at her. Sunshine smiled.
"You'll need all five to rebuild your enlightenment path, bypass the deleted systems, and reach… well, let's say higher than anything that existed before."
"So why not just give them to me now? You're Time. You could snap and—"
Sunshine's golden aura pulsed, interrupting him.
"No."
"No?"
"No," Sunshine repeated sweetly. "I cannot allow it."
Thyrexxa huffed. "I wanted to, believe me, I hate waiting."
Sunshine rolled her eyes. "Destiny doesn't work that way and you know that, Thyrexxa. Fate doesn't work that way either. And news flash, neither does your story. You have [Suffering Before Reward] as your Destiny, right?"
Thyrexxa gestured dramatically at Sunshine.
"This woman. This infuriating, golden-haired bitch of causality. She blocked me."
Sunshine only smiled. "Time can bend rules. Destiny writes them."
Vastarael ran a hand through his hair.
"So the Fragments are locked behind Destiny's conditions."
"Yes," Sunshine said, crossing her legs with effortless poise. "And the conditions are fun."
"Define 'fun.'"
"You must retrieve each Time Fragment with one of your beloveds."
"Why?"
Sunshine shrugged. "Because that's the route I wrote. It's the one with the lowest casualty count, the highest growth rate, and the highest probability of you not going into oblivion."
Thyrexxa added, "Also it makes sense narratively."
Sunshine ignored her. "And… it's entertaining."
Vastarael pinched the bridge of his nose.
"So let me summarize. You're helping me because—"
"I'm bored," Sunshine said brightly. "And your life is interesting. You're interesting. Destiny gets dull without chaos catalysts."
Vastarael muttered something under his breath that definitely wasn't holy but he was used to this. He stood from the chair.
"Alright. Fine. Then tell me the first clue."
Thyrexxa snapped again. The horizon folded inward like pages of a book turning themselves.
"You need to find the Hidden Citadel. Once you do, you'll find the first real Time Fragment inside."
"And the others?"
"You'll figure it out with the Nine Events," she said cryptically.
Sunshine leaned back. "Oh, and don't stress about your beloveds or Sentina Erideae."
Thyrexxa waved her hand dismissively.
"They'll grow stronger. Destiny's already arranged it. Sunshine even gave them personal growth threads. Each mission you take one of them on, they'll evolve alongside you. Take Asenane to the Hidden Citadel for starters."
He rolled his eyes. "You two are going to be the death of me."
Thyrexxa smirked. "Impossible. You belong to Time."
Sunshine added, "And Destiny. The fun combination actually favors you. You should be glad."
Vastarael let out a long breath, stepped back, and felt the world beginning to unravel around him as he woke.
"Thanks," he said over his shoulder before fading. "I guess."
Both Primordials watched him vanish into dissolving ripples of ocean light. Then Thyrexxa snorted.
"He's going to hate what's waiting for him."
Sunshine's smile turned sly and bright.
"I know. Isn't it wonderful?"
"Is this really entertainment for you?"
Sunshine clasped her hands, staring at the empty point where Vastarael disappeared.
"Oh, absolutely. The threads of Destiny just rearranged themselves. This is going to be chaotic. And I do love chaos."