Book 6, chapter 41

Zee strode down a dark corridor, the tunnels lit by an array covered lantern. She didn't really need the lighting to see with her spatial ripple skill, but her sensory skill couldn't 'see' everything. Namely, it was not so great when it came to the carved stairwell, and its many statues.

Just like the last time she descended the hidden staircase, Jenalovia al Farsaic walked beside her. Unlike last time, his expression was a picture of excitement, the smile never leaving his face.

"You seem excited," Zee said, after nearly twenty minutes of walking down the narrow staircase.

Farsaic laughed softly, a rarity for the former emperor. "Of course I am excited. Once you form a contract, and bind yourself to the nexus, I will be free. I have been trapped as emperor for thousands of years. You have no idea how long I have waited for this moment. And, how can i not be excited when I just ranked up to the B grade, connecting my inner world, and forming a bridge to eternity. I was running out of life span before, but now, my momentum has been rekindled," Farsaic said.

Zee was already in too deep to back out now, so she kept her sour comments to herself. Instead she decided to use his good mood to ask some questions she was just dying to know.

"What did you find inside the eternal throne? Was it a treasure, or something else?" Zee asked curiously.

Farsaic let out an amused huff. "I would tell you, but I can't. When I try to speak of what I found inside, the words just die on my lips," Farsaic replied.

"That sounds like a flaky excuse if I have ever heard one," Zee said.

He grinned. "Believe what you will... I could tell you some made-up hogwash if you want?" Farsaic said. 

"I think I will pass. If you won't tell me what you found, then at least tell me what you offered Grandpa Julian, and Sendredie to get them to help you instead of fighting for the prize?" Zee asked.

Farsaic grimaced. 

"Let's just say I paid a sufficient cost to secure their help," Farsaic replied vaguely. 

"So a combination of blackmail and bribes?" Zee replied dryly. 

"Hah, exactly! You are learning well. Though even after five months of training under me, you are not as ruthless as you need to be. You are too gentle with your subjects. In your position, being too merciful will make others think you are weak," Farsaic said.

"I know, I know. You have said that like a thousand times," Zee replied, exasperated.

Farsaic gave her a sharp stare as they walked. "I will keep saying it until it gets through your thick skull. You are too lenient on your subjects. Once I pass on the bloodline link to the nexus, you will be on your own. I am leaving the empire, to ride this wave of fate and push to new heights. Once I am gone, the wolves will circle, both allies and enemies alike, testing for weakness. If you show them any, they will strike, and you could lose it all. They might not even go after you directly. First they will target your friends, maybe your family, or your lover… How much are you willing to lose?" Farsaic asked darkly.

The sound of footfalls on stone was deafening in the following silence. Before long, they reached the base of the stairwell, and with a mental tug, she used the mantle to open the gate. Carved into the cave walls were incredibly intricate ritual diagrams, a dozen or so overlapping each other in a way that shouldn't be possible. 

Her ability to create, and understand rituals had come a long way from when she was first being tutored by Tarnival. But still, she was unable to unravel the madness that was the gate to Oknarogs lair. With a surge of spatial energy, the gate opened, and an intense wave of cold washed over her.

Despite being middle D grade and having formed a core, it was still bitter cold. Even having dressed for the occasion with a thick array covered cloak and heavy boots didn't lessen the chill much. The moment she stepped out onto the blisteringly cold landscape she was reminded yet again of the Tundra, a plane of reality that was a frozen hellscape.

Her thoughts were quickly pushed aside as a nearby hill shifted, snow falling from its spike covered back. It wasn't a hill at all, but the landlord of this hellish domain. As large as a castle, Oknarog loomed above them, its overwhelming presence enough to make her swallow hard. 

Even after meeting several times, once to collect the promised reward for collecting storm warden hearts and the heart of a spatial anomaly, she couldn't quite shed the feeling of inferiority. 

Thankfully, Oknarog seemed more interested in her companion than herself.

"Soo, you succeeded. For a wind bag like you, I didn't think you had the guts to take that next step," Oknarog said.

Farsaics smile practically lit up the tundra. "I thought it was about time I left an old fossil like you behind. If you want to test my new strength, I can humor you," Farsaic said darkly. 

Oknarog huffed, "Who has the time. You came down here for a reason, surely it wasn't just to gloat?" Oknarog asked.

"Well, that is certainly icing on the cake. But no, I didn't come down here to get my revenge. I have come to pass on the mantle," Farsaic said. 

Gouts of frigid air cracked shot from the giant lizard's nose as it snorted. 

"As expected, you are running away at the first opportunity. Can't even uphold your oath. Your father would be disappointed, I always told him you were not the right choice," Oknarog said.

Farsaic laughed darkly. "You were probably right, but that old man didn't have much of a choice now did he?" Farsaic said.

"That's because you killed or discredited the others. You forced him to choose you as the successor," Oknarog said dryly.

"Whatever the case, I am ready to leave now. Enough reminiscing, take us to the nexus," Farsaic said.

 "Fine.. Come with me," Oknarog said, heavy snow beginning to fall as it moved, unfurling its enormous wings as it took off with one huge flap of its wings, shooting into the sky.

Wrapped in darkness, Zee was carried into the sky after the mighty lizards, dragged in an orb of Farsaics power. She shot through the air in the wake of the flying lizard, the desolate frozen tundra blurring below as they flew. Their speed made her own fly feel incredibly sluggish in comparison, moving at a shocking pace.

Despite the pace, it took about a half hour before they reached the entrance to an ominous cave carved into the rock face. By that time, Zee could barely feel her toes. This place really was just like the Tundra, its seeping cold uncaring of the fact she was middle D grade, and had already started tempering her body.

Even the former emperor Farsaic had some red to his cheeks, though he looked much more comfortable than she felt.

Graceful as a bird, Oknarog landed, and without looking back, walked into its cave. They followed the gigantic lizard into the cavernous opening, its massive body dwarfed by the cave's size. The tunnel wasn't long, ending after only one turn, widening as it came to a dead end. 

The cave was just plain ordinary rock, at least it appeared so. 

It looked like just another boring cave on the surface. At Least until Farsaic stepped forward standing shoulder to shoulder with Oknarog. He was only as large as one of its claws, but at that moment felt just as large as power radiated from his body. 

A deep resonating humm echoed through the air, not a sound, but something else. That sound resonated with The Mantle, the heritage of the past emperors. Out of the three of her bloodline talents, The Mantle was the most mysterious. 

It didn't seem to do anything by itself, but instead allowed her to control the avatar of dominion and the heart of fire. She thought the mantle was useful, but not by itself.

At least she thought so until she felt dozens of tendrils shoot out from Farsaics body, entering the stone around them.

They were bands of pure mental energy, forming an intricate pattern inside the rock. 

She could feel Oknarog doing the same, though its energy didn't have the same flavor to its resonance.

The oversized lizard's bands of energy formed a counter pattern that linked with Farsaics in an incredible display of energy control. After a few seconds of forming, the two patterns connected.

The wall shook, as a hundred meter marble archway appeared from nowhere, carved beautifully into the rock. It was the largest double sided door she had ever seen with primal markings etched into its marble facade.

An eevee hung over the door, supported by two marble pillars, each pillar carved covered in a dense archaic script. 

Seven large steps led to the doorway itself, each step covered in scars as if numerous battles had been fought here. The door reeked of immense, and ancient power, a relic from a bygone era.

Farsaic took a half step forwards. "This a doorway to the Nexus. Fly up the stairs, and place your hand on the door. Anyone who does not possess all three bloodline talents of our heritage will be turned to ash," Farsaic said.

She nodded, having suspected something like that, otherwise why would only someone with all three talents be able to inherit the imperial throne.

"What will happen once I place my hand on the door? Will I get to see what's inside?" Zee asked, a spark of curiosity in her voice.

Farsaic and Oknarog huffed in unison. "No, we do not open the nexus, nor can we, even if we wanted to. For the doors to be opened, all the guardians including us, must die," Oknarog said.

"But then, does that mean there are multiple doors to the nexus, or just this one?" Zee asked. 

Farsaic gave Oknarog a sidelong glance, and something was passed between them.

After a wordless conversation, it was Farsaic who responded. 

"The Nexus is a higher plane of existence, similar to the nine dimension. You could theoretically go there, like you can the other nine, but it would be suicide. Even the abyssal plane is tame in comparison. After all, all the nine planes of existence draw power from the Nexus. Some refer to the Nexus as the tenth plane, but that's not true. The nexus is not another dimension, but a series of ley lines of power that stretch across the cosmos. Imagine it like roots that have spread across the universe, roots that twist and change location with every cosmic cycle. That is an important detail to keep in mind. Ley lines of the nexus are the underlying lifeblood of any empire or faction. After all, where two lines meet is where empires form as the ambient energy is much higher," Farsaic explained. 

Zee listened intently, burning his words into her memory. 

"Well, that is quite interesting, I learn something new every day. So what you are hinting at is that there are a bunch of these hidden doorways scattered across the cosmos?" Zee asked. 

The giant flying lizard nodded slowly. 

"Yes, though we can only make guesses as to how many are left," Oknarog replied. 

"Do you know what is inside? Or who built it?" Zee asked. 

"What is inside is not a big secret. It is an ancient weapon of terrible destruction. Powerful enough to wipe out a galaxy," Farsaic said.

Zee nodded, glad to hear it confirmed. She already guessed as much after hearing that crazy old lady Halico talk about hiding a powerful weapon inside the nexus.

Not having any more questions, she strode forward, taking her first step up the giant staircase. Seven steps were all it took, seven enormous steps, each over ten meters tall. A mortal would have had to climb them, but she didn't bother. After all, she could fly, making the steps superfluous. 

In only a few seconds she lit softly in front of the colossal door, the thing towering above her. The door was quite intimidating, covered in its archaic markings. Even so, Zee was not too worried.

After all, she could see a small indent halfway up the door, like a key slot. Instead of touching the door, she flew straight up, her hair rustling around her face as she ascended, the markings blurring in front of her.

It took a few more seconds of rapid flight to reach the small indent. 

The odd indent looked like a book placed on its side where the double doors met. Zee's earlier creeping suspicion was only getting stronger. 

Could it really be that simple? Could Halico have made this book the key?

But then why? Halico had seemed genuinely shocked when Zee revealed her daughter was living inside said book. Perhaps the book was the key first, then Tarnival used it to save Raina from her sickness? 

Zee shook her head. It was all just conjecture. Where was that old geezer when she needed him? Zee had a lot of questions for that old man, but sadly he wasn't around to ask. Halico would have been good as well, but that crazy old lady hadn't appeared again after she faced heaven's wrath.

Come to think of it, why didn't that crazy old lady step in back then?

Was she really content to let Raina die? Afterall that's what would likely happen if Zee bit the big one. Zee let out a sigh. 

So many questions, and no one around to answer them. Well, might as well test out her conjecture and see if anything happened.

She reached down to the leather bound book hanging at her side. "Raina, would you mind? I think your book is the key. Careful, I'm not sure what this will do," Zee said. 

"Oo a big door! I wonder what's behind it?" Raina said, a tinge of excitement in her childish voice. 

Holding the small book, Zee reached up, and it slid into place. It was a perfect fit.

The moment the book slid into place, the entire door and all of its markings glowed softly, before the door slid inward. Despite the door not being opened for the heavens know how long, there was barely a creek as it swung fully open.

Still hovering in midair, Zee glanced back at the onlookers with a grin. The two, on an old human, and the other a colossal winged lizard might be miles apart in terms of looks and expression but at that moment they looked the same. Both stared at the open door with slack jawed surprise. 

It was an amusing sight. With the door open, Zee flew forward, not sure what to expect inside. 

She was hoping it was a vault filled to the brim with rare and powerful artifacts. 

What she got was not that. 

There was a massive vault, but it was almost completely empty, not a single treasure to be seen. The only thing remaining in the cavernous was a fluttering piece of paper yellowed by age slowly falling after being disturbed by the door opening. 

Before she could even move, there was a blur of darkness and Farsaic appeared, catching the parchment in his hands. He had a look of excitement on his face as he read it's contents. That look quickly changed, from excitement to fury, and then despair. 

"What does it say?" Zee asked, wondering if that parchment had the schematic for how to build an ancient weapon. 

Farsaic scowled. "There is nothing here…. Someone already took the weapon," Farsaic seethed. "This is a note left by the thief."

"What does it say?" Oknarog demanded.

Farsaic gave the oversized lizard a scowl that could kill. "I'm getting to that.. It says, Dear Halico, if you're finding this letter it means I already have taken my weapon back. All of the guardians you set in place to send me on a wild lizard chase was amusing but ineffectual. I found a back door into the nexus and took the weapon back, making all of your guardians useless. They have just been guarding an empty vault and a piece of paper since the first epoch. I was going to tell them, but the thought of the last remaining dragons guarding nothing but a sheet of paper and an empty room is incredibly amusing to me. Until next time, love Tarnival."

Farsaic looked about ready to burst a blood vessel in his forehead as he clutched the seemingly indestructible piece of paper in a white knuckled grip.

Oknarog looked just as furious, a deep growl echoing from its throat.

"Hand it over! I want to read it with my own eyes!" Oknarog growled.

As if fluttering on an unseen wind, the piece of paper flew over and hung in the air in front of the oversized lizard. There was a long drawn out silence, as Oknarog read, its body language becoming more agitated by the second. 

All the while the temperature dropped, the air in the vault rapidly forming ice across every surface. 

"My whole life has been a lie..." Oknarog said, in a rumbling growl. "I have wasted my life guarding nothing more than an empty chamber and piece of paper!" Oknarog roared, the roar throwing her away, making Zee smash into the vault wall with a painful jolt. 

Groaning from the pain of being slammed into the wall, she quickly pushed herself back to her feet. Perhaps it was time to go? Forming a contract with the nexus didn't seem necessary anymore. More importantly, the two monsters in the room looked ready to unleash violence on their surroundings. 

Appearing next to her in a haze of darkness, Farsaic gestured toward the door.

"Let's go, there is nothing down here anymore," Farsaic said with barely contained fury. 

"What about the bloodline ritual? I thought you wanted to leave?" Zee asked. 

"The ritual to bind you to the nexus is not necessary anymore. When you opened that door, I felt the ritual binding me to this place shatter. I'm free, we both are," Farsaic said, his aura wavering unsteadily. He looked more disturbed than happy at his proclamation.

The former emperor's unstable aura unintentionally bombarded her with his emotions, showing just how distraught he truly was. Just like Oknarog, Farsaic was not too happy to have wasted most of his life guarding an empty chamber. 

The combined aura's of the two powerhouses were so dense Zee felt like she was flying through syrup as they flew toward the door, passing Oknarog who was growling obscenities to itself. 

Given the atmosphere, Zee didn't speak, hoping the so-called dragon didn't decide to turn her into an icicle in its fury. She waited until they had left the vault and were halfway through the frozen domain before she spoke She needed to give Farsaic time to get control of himself, and his aura. 

"What will you do now?" Zee asked hesitantly, the waves of bloodlust having mostly dissipated from Farsaic.

Farsaic frowned deeply, accentuating the wrinkles on his face. "I suppose this doesn't change much. With the connection severed, I am no longer bound to this place. And even more important, if you die without an heir, I don't have to come back," Farsaic said, his mood rapidly improving. 

"So, finding an heir with all three bloodline talents was a waste of time? I can abdicate the throne to someone else?" Zee asked hopefully. 

Farsaic let out a soft laugh. "I suppose you could, but I would recommend against it. After All, if you abdicate, you will need to hand over this to your successor," Farsaic said, tossing her a thin, silver crown.

He threw it like it was just a common piece of jewelry, and compared to all the other stuff in the imperial vaults, that's what it looked like.

It glinted silver as it tumbled through the air, only one large gem at its center.

It looked plain, unadorned, just a silver headband. And yet, when she caught it, Zee staggered, almost falling face first into the snow. 

There was an immediate pull on her surroundings, a stream of dense, and pure energy that was greedily absorbed by her inner world. 

"What's this? It's amazing, so much energy flooding my body! And it's so pure! " Zee exclaimed. 

Farsaic gave the circlet an introspective glance. "That right there is a relic class artifact passed down from one emperor to another. It's incredibly powerful, a treasure that constantly draws in power, like you are cultivating. It only has two downsides. One is that it will only work until peak Celestial grade. After that you will hit an unsurpassable bottle neck without outside aid. The second downside is that it's useless outside the imperial palace. It needs a direct connection to the ley lines below to draw in power," Farsaic said.

Zee stared at the unassuming circlet with wonder.

"This is going to make cultivating so much quicker," Zee said, her heart racing at the possibilities.

Farsaic grunted. "It will, but I would recommend you keep its power a secret..That's the only relic I am leaving you. The rest I'm taking with me," Farsaic said. 

"You are robbing my vault?" Zee asked, alarmed.

"Of course I am, it's all my stuff anyways. You should be happy that I'm leaving you anything. If you want treasure, and powerful relics go get them. You have an entire empire with hundreds of planets under your rule. If you want something, you have the resources to take it," Farsaic said. 

Farsaics words echoed loudly in her head, long after they reached the top of the staircase.

Before they went their respective ways, she turned to him.

The old man was still upset over the whole empty nexus situation, but had calmed noticeably. One major dragon shaped concern was still on her mind.

"Do you think Oknarog will cause me trouble now that it is no longer bound to the nexus?" Zee asked.

Farsaic grunted thoughtfully. "That's doubtful. That old lizard is quite sentimental. After all he helped found the empire and built it through multiple generations of emperors," Farsaic said.

"Do you think he will stick around?" Zee asked, wondering if she was about to be killed and replaced by a dragon emperor.

"That's extremely doubtful. In the past, Oknarog has spoken at length of reconnecting with the last of its kind. Now that he has no reason to stay here, I bet he will leave to find the last of his species," Farsaic replied.

"Makes sense, they probably want to repopulate or something," Zee said, the thought of a hoard of giant flying lizards making her shudder.

Farsaic huffed.

"That is not a sight I wish to envision. Anyways, I will be going now. I doubt we will meet again, but who knows. Good luck descendant, I hope you find a way to keep your head in the coming years," Farsaic said, disappearing into thin air.

Zee stared at the empty spot where Farsaic had just been, thinking over the last couple hours. There was much to consider. Today hadn't gone according to plan at all.

Sure there were some perks to the outcome, but the downsides were arguably just as bad. Zee strongly considered just abdicating the throne to one of the six high noble houses, but immediately dismissed that. 

The ramifications would be long lasting and unfortunate for her and any relative. Zee was no expert on history, but it was common practice for the new ascending family to hunt down and kill off all the old. 

It was a ruthless tactic, but also effective. Making sure your competition was all dead was a great way to keep them from rising back to prominence.

It all sounded much too messy for her liking. Plus, then she would lose the circlet Farsaic just gave her. Even now, a steady stream of pure energy flooded into her body, nurturing her inner world.

It was an absolutely marvelous item, a true relic class treasure. These were not something that just grew on trees. Wars between empires were fought for such a good thing. 

With the new situation, Zee weighed the pros and cons, and decided that it would be wiser to remain empress for the time being. There were many benefits to be had, and not too many downsides.

Sure the politics and unreasonable work hours were a pain in her ass, but sacrifices were meant to be made.. 

As she stood there, in the tunnels below the imperial palace, a small book fluttered out in front of her.

"Raina, where are you going?" Zee asked. 

The book paused, and a ghostly apparition appeared from thin air. It was Raina, looking about nine or ten in human years, with auburn hair, and stunning green eyes.

"Come on aunty, follow me," Raina said.

"To where?" Zee asked.

"No idea, but let's go this way," Raina said, shrugging her slim shoulders, her face a mask of puzzlement.

Zee let out a sigh. This kid was always up to some sort of mischief. Raina was more of a troublemaker than herself at that age. Despite knowing the kids penitent for mischief, she decided to humor the child. The corridors under the palace were extensive, but Raina seemed to know exactly where she was going.

Not the strangest thing considering Raina liked to explore while Zee was in meetings or doing her other duties as empress. 

"I can call Urza, or Dern if you want to explore some more," Zee offered, after a few minutes of walking through the corridors. 

Raina glanced back over her shoulder, a cheeky smile on her face. 

"It won't take much longer, this way," Raina said, breaking out into an excited run.

Zee broke out into a casual jog that would appear as a blur to mortals. She couldn't help but smile at the kids' enthusiasm. 

Before long, after taking multiple turns, the corridors turned to a narrow stairwell that rose several flights before ending at a dead end. 

Raina reached up, and pressed on an inconspicuous rock. With the grind of stone, a door swung open and light funneled in.

She stepped from the secret passage, appearing in the imperial gardens. The place was just as vibrant as usual, the tree at the centre swaying gently. From her position she could see someone sitting on the bench of the garden, seeming content in the private quartyard. The nearby guards didn't seem to notice the intruder, nor her arrival either. 

It was as if a haze blocked their sight. 

Her book flying behind her, Raina ran down one of the winding paths, seeming excited. The figure stood, and turned to greet her, his visage coming into view. 

Tarnivals face lit up as Raina crashed into him, wrapping her thin arms around his waist. 

"Papa, you're here!" Raina exclaimed.

"Raina! You have gotten so big," Tarnival said, wrapping her in his own embrace.

"What took you so long to get here?" Raina pouted.

"Sorry dear, I had a lot to do," Tarnival said.

Zee stopped short, looking the old geezer up and down. 

He looked much better than the last time she saw him, decked in imperial robes similar to her own. His grey hair was cut short, his wizened face a mask of amusement. 

"I was wondering when you would show up," Zee said, pausing just under the tree.

Tarnival ruffled Raina's auburn hairs, giving Zee a sly smile. 

"I have been quite busy. Running an empire takes up alot of my time these days. But you should know that you have been doing the same," Tarnival replied.

"So, you returned home? After leaving your daughter with me for a decade," Zee chastised. 

Tarnival glanced down at Raina with a guilty expression. 

"Sorry about that, but things worked out didn't they?" Tarnival said.

Zee's stern expression faded, replaced by a smile. "You're right, Raina is nice to have around. I can't believe two such grouchy people like you and that old hag could create such a loveable child," Zee said.

Tarnival cocked his head curiously.

"You met her mother?" Tarnival asked.

"Yes, you could say Halico is the reason I was able to form my core, though I was almost killed me in the process," Zee said. 

"My former wife has that effect on people. A walking calamity that one," Tarnival said. 

Zee folded her arms, eying the old man sternly.

"You two have a lot to answer for. Why do I keep running into problems because of you? I have been looking after your child, the least you two monsters could do is make my life a little easier," Zee said.

"I gave you a treasure that helped you form your core, how is that not helping?" came an old wisened voice.

Tarnival's face scrunched up in displeasure, as an old woman stepped from a swirling vortex. The palace's arrays should have blocked the gate, but they clearly were not strong enough to keep out someone of her immense power. 

"What are you doing here?" Tarnival asked, unhappily. 

"The same thing you are, I suspect. I sensed the nexus being opened and came to investigate. You came to gloat didn't you?? That was a dirty move, taking the weapon and leaving that letter," Halico said, brushing aside her long grey hair, her green eyes thinned with suspicion. 

Tarnival grinned, clearly amused. 

"So what if I did?," Tarnival admitted.

"Give the weapon back. That thing is too dangerous to be in your hands," Halico demanded. 

Tarnival rested a hand gently on a surprised Raina's shoulder, shaking his head.

"Not a chance. I rightfully stole it back," Tarnival replied. 

"How did you sneak inside the Nexus without my knowledge?" Halico asked.

Tarnival smile. "Why would I tell you that? You will just use it against me in the future," Tarnival said.

Halico gestured at Raina. "How did you subjugate the ancient existence inside the tomb, and trap our daughter's soul inside the elders grimoire? It wouldn't have gone down without a fight," Halico fight. 

"Well, I used the ancient weapon to kill it," Tarnival said, cracking a proud smile. 

Halico inhaled sharply. "Of course you did… Then I suppose you transplanted our daughter's soul inside? How did you succeed to supplant the remnant soul of elders grimoire? Even ripped apart, its immortal soul would devour our daughters," Halico said, staring at Tarnival through slitted eyes. 

Tarnival huffed.

"When i fused her soul with the elders grimoire, i channeled her curse into the remnants of its latent will. You should know as well as i that it cannot be killed. Instead, I used its immortal soul to bear the burden of her curse," Tarnival said.

"You… You what? How are you still alive? Heaven's wrath would have annihilated you for breaking the four laws," Halico said, seeming stunned by the revelation. 

Zee too, was shocked by the proclamation. She didn't understand everything they were talking about, but it seemed that Tarnival had done the unthinkable to save his daughter's life.

Breaking the four laws was like committing the ultimate taboo. Zee knew very little of what this entailed, but what she did know was that doing so would call down heavenly wrath of such ferocity that whole sectors would be wiped from existence. 

The universe itself would seek retribution, wiping the sinner from the face of reality. Surely not even a being at the A grade like Tarnival could survive such a thing?

Halico's eyes narrowed further. "Was that you who drew the calamity that wiped out the Perstava galaxy in the second epoch?" Halico asked.

"I may have had a hand in it. I figured, why not use the calamity to get rid of a few enemies while dealing with the fallout," Tarnival admitted, clearly unashamed of his actions.

Halico let out a tired sigh.

"You are such a pain in the ass... I have been wondering who did that for three epoch's now. You could have told me it was you," Halico said. 

Tarnival huffed. "You were still part of the zealots back then, and it took me a long time to recover from heaven's wrath. You would have tried to kill me for sure. We were not exactly on speaking terms back then," Tarnival said.

Halico scowled. "Fair enough. Maybe I should reconnect with some of the apostles of Aclisties? They would reward me greatly for revealing how far you have delved into taboo," Halico muttered. 

Tarnival raised a wispy eyebrow, "Go right ahead. The guardian deity of Alclisties would strike you down the moment you entered the holy lands of the apostle. You have fallen almost as far as I have in their eyes. Aside from me, you are probably their most hated enemy after your betrayal," Tarnival said.

Halico looked away, folding her arms across her chest.. Zee felt a headache coming on as the two ancient beings bickered about things far beyond her. These two really were like an old married couple. Zee glanced between two ancient beings, then their daughter, who looked more nervous than Zee had ever seen her. 

What a mess… This is just what she needed. More problems.