In the veil of time, Ezmelral and the past Raiking traversed the inner layers of Caeruleus's world—one of the many vessel planets riding the galaxy's vast, spiraling oceanic current. Ezmelral's geographical studies came to mind: this aquatic galaxy had a capital world at its heart, with smaller worlds radiating outward. They were now deep within the water phoenix's domain.
One question plagued Ezmelral: Why had Raiking come here? Their last meeting, at the tournament, lingered in her mind—when Caeruleus had boldly asked for his blood. Could this visit be related?
---
Below, the past Raiking's voice cut through the silence. "I am no longer the God-King."
Caeruleus frowned. "How can that be?"
"I've forsaken that path,"he said, his tone resolute. "The title no longer binds me."
"And my palace?Is it part of this new journey?"
"No.I came to see you before I depart."
"For what?"she pressed.
He raised a finger. A root emerged from his empty sheath, tracing a fine line across his cheek. A single drop of blood welled up and floated between them, glinting like a ruby in the aqueous light.
"I need your help."
Caeruleus's eyes fixed on the suspended droplet, her pulse quickening. "What would you ask of me?"
"My nephew,Shona, will become the new ruler of the Entities. The title is his by birthright, but he lacks experience."
"You want me to guide him?To stand with him if he stumbles?"
Raiking's gaze was unwavering."If he ever has need, I would ask you to convince your oceanic kin to support him."
"And your offer," she said, her voice deceptively calm, "is the blood I seek."
"Yes."
Caeruleus remained outwardly impassive, but her mind raced. She understood his choice perfectly. He offered neither artifact nor power, but a bond—his very essence. Accepting it would tie her fate to the Entities, compelling her involvement unless she proved utterly heartless. A risky gambit, and one that revealed the decisive strength that had first drawn her to him.
Yet, she needed to be certain.
"Where is your disciple?"she asked.
"She is dead."
Impossible.
Caeruleus, who had witnessed the disciple's brilliance firsthand during the Grand Tournament, could scarcely believe what she heard. That girl—whose wisdom outshone her elders, whose strength had silenced even the arrogant—was gone? Even Caeruleus herself, sovereign of the oceans, would have hesitated to challenge her.
Who—or what—could have possibly slain a disciple of the God-King?
Another thought surfaced, echoing through her mind like a wave breaking on distant shores.
"The roots that veiled the stars…" she murmured. "Was that your doing?"
Raiking nodded.
"I see."
His disciple was gone. The path was clear. Yet, to receive this prize so easily felt… hollow. She wanted to earn it through strength and cunning, not merely as a piece moved on his board.
"I will accept it," she said, her tone steady, her pride undimmed. "But know this— I will not wield it until you believe I have earned it. Not as your pawn… but as your equal."
For a heartbeat, Raiking's expression softened. A faint smile ghosted across his lips.
A droplet of his blood drifted between them, glowing crimson against the blue depths.
Caeruleus extended her hand. From the folds of her garment, she drew an empty crystal—clear as newborn ice—and caught the droplet within. It pulsed faintly, the God-King's essence imprisoned in its heart.
As Raiking's form began to dissolve into light, his final words echoed through the temple—calm, resolute, eternal:
"No one is born equal."
Caeruleus watched his silhouette fade into the rippling blue. Then she spoke, voice soft yet unyielding, carried by the tides themselves:
"Then remember this. I am no mortal—I am a Celestial Phoenix. Unless time itself collapses, whether I rise to stand beside you—or above you—will be for fate to decide."
Her vow spread through the water like a pulse of light, reaching every current and creature that dwelled beneath her dominion.
A promise that would outlast empires.
And with that, the era of the God-King came to an end.
What remained was Raiking—the Cosmic Wanderer.
A man no longer bound by divinity, but by the burden of understanding.
His journey would span worlds, taking him from one disciple to the next—each a reflection of his past, and a test of what humanity, divinity, and purpose truly meant.
---
A few thousand years later…
The veil of time unraveled.
On Planet Exar, beneath the emerald canopy of a quiet forest, Raiking's eyes fluttered open. The cool wind rustled through the leaves above as the faint scent of salt and smoke drifted through the air.
Ezmelral stirred beside him, blinking away the afterglow of visions too vast for mortal memory.
What had been eons within the veil was but a heartbeat in the real world.
The fire still crackled softly. The sea creature they'd caught before their temporal journey still sizzled on its makeshift skewer—untouched, as if time itself had held its breath in deference to their return.