The Ecliptic Citadel floated silently in the void, towers of fractal crystal glinting faintly in the endless darkness. Lucien returned through the dimensional threshold, cloak flowing like a shadow across the void. His presence alone rippled through the Citadel, yet something was… off.
The grand halls were eerily still. The hum of energy that usually resonated through the Citadel was subdued, muted almost to silence.
"Malthior… Seraphyx… Thariel… Veyrath?" Lucien called, voice calm yet carrying a subtle edge.
The only response was silence.
He walked through the corridors, observing the soldiers, the generals, even minor subordinates. All of them—without exception—lay still, breathing faintly but unmoving, as if caught in some deep, unbroken sleep.
Lucien arched an eyebrow. "Well… this is unusual."
He paused, pale eyes glowing as he activated the system, strands of holographic energy spreading through the Citadel.
SYSTEM: Analyzing…
Status: All personnel in stasis.
Observation: Life functions active, consciousness suppressed.
Anomaly Detected: Evolutionary acceleration in progress.
Lucien's lips curved into a faint smirk. "Evolutionary acceleration… Interesting. So you're not dead. Not even close. You're… changing."
He extended a hand, strands of system energy weaving through the Citadel. Each sleeping soldier, each chained Outer God, was analyzed. Patterns emerged—metabolic, magical, dimensional. Every being was adapting, growing, and evolving into a greater form.
"Fascinating," Lucien murmured, stepping back. "All of you… evolving into something more. Faster, stronger, better… exactly as I hoped."
The system hummed softly, cascading information faster than even Lucien could fully articulate in thought. It suggested subtle adjustments, enhancements to environmental variables, and guidance for the accelerated evolution process.
"Perfect," he said, voice calm, almost amused. "If you're going to change, let it be under my supervision. Let it be… elegant."
With a subtle motion, Lucien's aura expanded, reconstructing the void around the Citadel. Shadows of fractured space folded and refolded under his control. He reinforced the Citadel's defenses, layered void barriers that could contain energies even Outer Gods dared not touch, and expanded the arena-like areas to accommodate beings evolving far beyond their previous limitations.
"Void reconstruction… complete," Lucien murmured. "I will wait. I will watch. And when you emerge, you will be as I envisioned—perfected, efficient, unstoppable. And the universe… will bend to your presence."
For the first time in eons, the Citadel was quiet—not because of absence, but because the future of his army was being forged in a slumber of evolution, under the watchful, inevitable eyes of the Sole Exception.
Lucien reclined, pale eyes scanning the strands of energy flowing through his Citadel. "Good. Sleep… grow… and awaken. The cosmos has much to learn about inevitability."
And somewhere in the infinite void, the ripple of his actions spread outward. The Outer Gods, watching, felt it faintly: their potential rivals were evolving under the hand of inevitability incarnate, preparing for a war none of them had yet imagined.