98 Nine Words

{NYX POV}

Closing her eyes, Nyx tapped into the power of her very Aspect as she reached out to the one god that was supposed to give directions for their Champions' challenge. Astra had always been the laziest of them all, but she at least expected some form of communication in terms of what they had to do now that they were in his main Depth.

"Big Brother Astra? Are you there?"

Through the godly thread of their shared heritage, Nyx metaphorically knocked on her brother's mental doors, hoping that she'd get some answers for her companions.

"Big Brother? We're in your planetarium right now."

Her brows furrowed as the lack of response began grating on her as she metaphorically floated in front of her brother's door. Seriously, did Astra really want her to just pop up in front of him and ask him in person?

'I really don't want to just up and leave right now,' she inwardly grumbled to herself, her brows twitching on her real body with annoyance. 'I'm already too comfortable with my position.'

Letting herself float in the middle of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxy, Nyx was in her usual lounging area while she did her best to come up with something for Riku and Shizu. In the back of her head, she could tell that the two were just walking around in circles even if they though that they were moving on a straight path. That was just one of the many quirks the planetarium had. Navigating the place was both fun and tricky, and despite protests from a few of her siblings to at least make an expressway straight to his office proper, Astra refused, stating that it was more fun to do things the way they were now.

Obviously, said siblings accused him of just being lazy, to which Astra denied any and all allegations with a knowing glint in his eye.

"Big Brother Astra?"

"Ah, little Nyx."

The goddess almost shouted out in relief at being addressed by the second eldest of their family. Still, she managed to compose herself even if she was currently in contact with her favorite sibling.

"What brings you to talk to me?" he casually addressed her with a smile. "Do you need something?"

"Oh, it's just that my Champion and I are currently in the planetarium," she began, her own smile threatening to make her cheeks hurt as she mentally spoke to him. "I was wondering if you can tell me what the challenge is so that my Champion can start making some progress."

The God of Space let out a gasp of surprise before he let out a genuine laugh. "Honestly, I... might've forgotten to make a proper one."

Nyx blinked at that... That... shouldn't be... "That can't be right... I can tell that there are three other Champions in the planetarium with me right now other than my companions."

"Oh, them? Wait... Oh dear... They really didn't bother contacting me, huh..."

The Goddess of Chaos narrowed her eyes in disbelief as the realization of what was happening started sinking into her. Did... How did Big Brother Astra not have a challenge ready for the Champions? Even she already had something in mind once a Champion got to her Realm...

Well, not really, but she at least had nine more Realms to think about it before she had to come up with something more concrete.

"Right, let's see here..." Astra hummed without an ounce of urgency in his tone despite his massive mistake. "Aandddd.... Here we go."

With a mental snap of his fingers, what was once a single two-way channel of communication became a massive circle of information as Astra called for the rest of their siblings to join on the conversation. With him at the helm, he dispelled the short wave of confusion that washed over them as he spoke.

"Okay, while I don't know why none of you bothered to contact me to ask about the challenge, I don't really mind," he casually spoke with his usual lazy tune. "What matters now is that we get things sorted out before the rest of the Champions get to my place."

"Wait, you mean to tell me that my Champion has been doing literally zero progress all this time?" Ymir stated.

"I apologize for that, but at least I'm already addressing it," Astra chuckled it off with no shame whatsover. "Honestly, you guys should thank Nyx for asking me about it. I would think that those at the head of the Game would bother confirming to me what the challenge was."

At that, Ymir, Luna, and Shiva collectively flinched as they all turned to look at Nyx. Likewise, the others turned to her with a deep sense of respect in their eyes, something that the Goddess of Chaos couldn't help but revel in even as she did her best to remain silent.

"As such, since there are already others deep into the planetarium, I might as well make the challenge easy enough to understand," Astra continued. "Just find my office. That's it."

 At that, several groans erupted from the crowd. Notably, Shiva almost wanted to throw a fit, as was expected of the one that always got lost in the planetarium itself.

"If I didn't respect you enough, Big Brother, I would've challenged you to a fist fight right now," Shiva grumbled in annoyance.

"It'll be fine," Solis chimed in with a chuckle. "It's much easier than Big Brother Themis's challenge, right?"

"I wouldn't say easier, just simpler," Luna responded to her twin with a blank tone. "Though you'd be the one to think that."

Solis frowned at her twin's words, and Nyx paid no mind as she finally got what she came for. She would've already slipped away from the connection, but she didn't want to leave until Astra was really done talking to them.

"It's gonna be fine," Astra reassured them. "The planetarium isn't even that dangerous. We're not allowed to help our Champions as per usual, but feel free to give away one hint to help them alone. Maybe.... nine words maximum. Yeah, that should do. Now, are there any questions?"

Nyx flashed her brother a grateful smile before she silently removed herself from the call. She already got what she needed, so all she needed to do now was to tell it to Riku. As for the hint... Well, she was sure she'll come up with something within the limits given to her.