The doors slid open with a soft vibration. The room's attention shifted as Vastarael stepped in with Elyonari right beside him. She looked composed, serene even, but her cheeks were still a shade warmer than her usual for reasons the others didn't need to know.
Phaenora smirked immediately. Narisva looked relieved. Asenane offered a polite incline of her head. Adelasta simply met his eyes like she already knew exactly what had transpired. Vastarael glanced around at the heavy atmosphere.
"Alright, what did I just walk into? You all look like you're plotting a coup."
Narisva put a hand on her hip. "We kinda are. Not against you, obviously, but the world is collapsing. Divinity is gone, people are panicking, Krepsunas are wilding out and Rise is about to explode so pick a disaster. We were breaking them down."
"I was gone for ten nights."
"Yeah," Narisva said, "and the entire political ecosystem went full apocalypse mode. Congrats."
He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Alright… fine. Richinaria will keep its power a secret, obviously. But that makes everything ten times messier."
Elyonari settled behind him with a soft exhale, trying to seem normal. Adelasta noticed immediately and her eyes narrowed with amusement.
Asenane leaned forward. "Did you find information about the Hidden Citadel?"
"Yes, and not just its location. I found detailed paths and the enemies and what to expect. Elyonari translated everything."
Elyonari tried not to glow with pride but failed miserably. Phaenora clapped slowly.
"Of course you did. Because the world isn't chaotic enough."
Vastarael ignored her and turned to Adelasta. "How have things been while I was researching?"
"Several issues arose. I will summarize."
The others braced themselves. When Adelasta said "summarize," it usually meant a ten-minute political storm condensed into ten seconds of lethal clarity.
"Rise received refugees from the South. The Rise citizens are worried their military hierarchy will collapse. The Kingdom Rulers are panicking from rising Krepsuna invasions."
"How did you handle them?"
"I diverted them to Lower Rise, provided food, shelter and neutral escorts. I issued temporary pass papers under Richinaria's name."
Narisva blinked. "You can do that?!"
Vastarael nodded. "Of course."
Elyonari whispered, "Of course…"
Adelasta continued, "The merchants in Rise feared that Divinity disappearance would devalue their items. I convened their guilds and ensured them that Richinaria's economic structure would remain stable due to our needs."
"You did what?" Vastarael said.
"You heard me."
Phaenora leaned forward. "You negotiated with merchants for six hours straight, didn't you?"
Adelasta's eye twitched. "Unfortunately. Believe me, they were demanding. Even though we are higher beings, it's hard dealing with Immortal Humans who have gotten used to Richinaria's trade. Also, the Rise Borough reported that their Divinity-powered conduits will fail within the next ten cycles. The mage engineers requested energy support."
"What did you do?" Vastarael asked.
"I let them believe we would send technicians."
"And the truth?"
"We have no technicians for that system."
"So you lied."
"I reassured."
"Same thing."
She sighed. "Fine. Yes, I lied. Right now we are sending out subordinates to deal with rising Krepsuna threats. And lastly, the Richinaria Houses requested an audience with you. They believe our Dynasty will face backlash when the world notices our lack of Divinity loss. I dealt with them so no need to worry about that."
"The other Dynasties won't notice. Not if we play this right. You really are better at being a Monarch than me. One more thing. How are the Krepsunas behaving?"
That question alone made Adelasta's expression pinch in frustration. She let out a slow exhale.
"Honestly? Worse than expected. With Divinity gone across Spheraphase, Divine Energy has practically become… useless. It's just raw spiritual currency with no authority behind it."
Narisva blinked. "I'm sorry, what do you mean useless? Divine Energy runs half the known world."
"And Divinity runs on Divine Energy," Adelasta said sharply. "Without Divinity, Divine Energy loses its framework. It's like having a mountain of gold but no system and no one who acknowledges it."
Phaenora clicked her tongue. "Wow. The universe is stupid."
Elyonari raised a finger. "Actually, gold—"
"No," Narisva interrupted. "Do not defend economics right now."
Vastarael's lips twitched.
Adelasta continued, "The only reason Amaniya isn't collapsing is because the Divine Energy harvested from the people hasn't disappeared. In fact, it's increasing rapidly. Their faith, fear and reliance on their Dynasties skyrocketed the moment Divinity was lost. Which means—"
"Dynasties have ten times more Divine Energy than usual," Vastarael finished. "But they can't use it."
"Exactly. It's overflowing, especially for Richinaria's subordinates. Every subordinate under us still has their Divinity intact so our Dynasty is producing excess energy. Mountains of it. And we need a place to store it before the other Dynasties figure out why Richinaria hasn't collapsed."
Phaenora put her hands on her hips. "So we're basically too good and it's causing problems."
"Correct," Adelasta muttered. "If the energy has nowhere to flow, the Krepsunas are probably reacting."
"They are," Asenane said. "They multiplied. It's like Divinity's disappearance snapped a boundary that used to hold them back."
Vastarael hummed. "Which means something else was broken besides the Divine authority."
Narisva groaned dramatically. "So the world is literally breaking apart from the metaphysical to the physical. No pressure."
Vastarael exhaled and looked at them.
"Then we'll reinforce the barriers over every City and Borough in Amaniya. All of them. If the Krepsunas have grown stronger or more abundant, we need fortified zones immediately."
Adelasta blinked. "All of Amaniya? Darling, that's—"
"Yeah, yeah, terrifying and overly ambitious. However, it's the only move that ensures the entire continent doesn't implode while we're inside the Hidden Citadel."
Narisva muttered under her breath, "I forgot he's a Causality Divine. This is normal to him."
Elyonari sighed softly, "This is the exact 'I planned for ten disasters in advance' tone he uses… I should have known."
Vastarael glanced at them all. "I didn't spend ten days researching for adventure. I made contingencies in case I wouldn't return for a while."
The room stilled. There it was, the underlying fear of his absence and the usual self-sacrificial insanity.
"Just come back alive. That's all I ask. Do not throw yourself into the Hidden Citadel and die."
He tilted his head. "Adelasta—"
"No. Promise me."
His gaze softened in that rare, vulnerable way he only ever offered her.
"I'm not going alone. I'll have Asenane. And my daughters too."
Elyonari sighed, still worried, but calmed down slightly. Vastarael clapped once, catching everyone's attention.
"Before we deal with the Hidden Citadel, I'm spending time with all of you. I don't know how long we'll be gone."
Every woman froze. Narisva choked on her own saliva. Asenane forgot how breathing worked. Elyonari's ears flushed bright green. Phaenora looked smug as hell. Adelasta's expression didn't change but she was also happy. Vastarael continued with casual tone.
"So, who wants to come with me to Rise Borough and the Human Kingdom first?"
Phaenora raised her hand instantly.
"Me, duh. Obviously."
The rest groaned in unison.
"Seriously?!" Narisva threw her head back.
Asenane pouted like a betrayed saint. "I wanted time…"
Elyonari whispered, "I didn't even get a full morning…"
Adelasta crossed her arms elegantly. "Huh? You spent a night with him and yet you're whining?"
Elyonari shrugged. "Cry harder."
Vastarael sighed, trying not to laugh.
"Relax. You'll all get your turn. I'm not vanishing tomorrow."
Phaenora then turned to him, hands on hips.
"Okay but when we go, turn into a woman."
Every head in the room snapped toward him. Elyonari's eyes narrowed like she was seconds from smiting someone. Asenane looked like she might cry. Narisva's jaw dropped. Vastarael didn't even flinch.
"Fine. I will."
"YOU WHAT?!"
All three shouted in synchronized outrage.
Phaenora tossed her hair triumphantly. Vastarael held his hands up, exasperated.
"Guys, I've been gender-shifting since I became Divine. Calm down."
Narisva pointed at him accusingly. "No. Because when you're a woman, she gets feral. It's unfair."
Phaenora winked. "He's prettier than all of you when he transforms. Not my fault."
Adelasta's eye twitched. "Phaenora. Be quiet."
Vastarael rubbed his temples. "Can we not start a civil war over my alternate form?"
"No," Asenane said softly but firmly.
Elyonari nodded. "Definitely not."
Adelasta sighed. "Absolutely not."
"Alright. Enough. I'm taking Phaenora to Rise. Then one by one, all of you before we leave for the Hidden Citadel, though I doubt that will be possible. Now then, shall we go?"