The voices all began talking at once, and it was chaos again.
Voice 6: "Ugh, do we have to explain everything? Fine. So, yeah, we're siblings. Surprise, genius!"
Voice 3: "Wait, I thought we weren't supposed to tell him that? Wasn't it, like, a secret?"
Voice 4: "Oh, hush, Voice number 3. He deserves to know after all he's done for our family."
Voice 2: "Ooooh, he looks so confused! Look at his little face—so cute!"
Voice 5: "Tch. He doesn't need to know all the details. Just the basics. Right?"
Voice 7: "No way! He totally needs to know everything. Like, how we're the children of the great Erna and how she's literally—"
Voice 8: "Oh, for the love of... Would you all just shut up and let someone explain this properly?"
Vastarael held up a hand, silencing their bickering for a moment.
"Hold on, hold on. You're telling me you're siblings? Like, actual siblings? And... who the hell is Erna?"
The voices fell eerily silent for a moment. Then, Voice 1, ever the condescending leader, took charge of the explanation.
"Erna is our foster mother. The Phantasm Rank Entity whose body forms the Erna Isles. Surely you've noticed how... unique those islands are, haven't you?"
Vastarael's jaw dropped. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me the entire Erna Isles—like, all of them—are your mother's body?! Sure, I knew that they were a Phantasm Rank Krepsuna but she adopted eight kids?
Voice 3: "Well, yeah. Duh. What, did you think they were just regular islands? Pfft, as if!"
Voice 5: "Tch. Mortal... Immortal minds. So limited. Of course, they wouldn't realize the Isles were alive."
Voice 2: "Oh, but they're soooo pretty, aren't they? Our mom's body is gorgeous! I mean, she's got volcanoes and forests and—"
Voice 7: "And a whole lot of nightmares, don't forget that! She's terrifying. But, like, in a hot way. You know?"
Vastarael shook his head, trying to process this. "Okay, so your mom is literally the Erna Isles. And you're her kids. But... aren't there nine islands? Shouldn't there be nine of you?"
The voices went quiet again, and Vastarael could almost feel the shift in their mood. When Voice 4 spoke, her tone was softer, more bittersweet.
Voice 4: "There are nine of us. But the youngest... she's different. She's... fragile."
Vastarael felt a chill run down his spine. "The youngest... Wait. Are you talking about Shimmer?"
The voices erupted again, but this time, it wasn't chaotic. It was emotional.
Voice 2: "Yes! Yes, our little Shimmer! She's the baby of the family!"
Voice 6: "She's so annoying sometimes, but, yeah, she's our sister."
Voice 8: "And she's the reason we even bother talking to you, Vastarael. We owe you for taking care of her."
He floated there, utterly stunned.
"Wait, back up. You're saying Shimmer is your sister? Like, the same Shimmer who's my daughter? The one who accidentally blew up a city when I found her?"
Voice 7: "Yup! That's her! Isn't she adorable?!"
Voice 5: "Tch. She's a menace. But she's our menace."
Voice 3: "We couldn't keep her with us, though. She was too weak to survive in this prison. We had to send her away."
Voice 4: "And when she woke up, well... things didn't exactly go as planned, did they?"
Vastarael thought back to the day he found Shimmer. She'd been in the middle of destroying a city with uncontrollable power, lost and afraid. He'd stepped in, managed to calm her down, and ultimately decided to adopt her. She was fragile, sure, but she had potential and now, she was his daughter.
He frowned, "Wait, so you sent her away because she was too weak? That's kind of harsh, don't you think?"
Voice 1: "It was for her own good. She wouldn't have survived here with us."
Voice 6: "And, hey, it's not like we abandoned her. We woke her up, didn't we?"
Voice 8: "Though we might've... underestimated how destructive she'd be once she woke up."
Voice 2: "But that's where you came in, Vastarael! You saved her! You helped her find herself!"
Vastarael ran a hand through his hair, still trying to wrap his head around this.
"So... let me get this straight. Shimmer is your foster sister, born from Erna herself. You couldn't keep her with you, so you sent her to one of your mother's islands. She blew up a city, I saved her, and now she's my daughter. And that's why you've been so nice to me? Because I'm taking care of your sister?"
Voice 7: "Bingo!"
Voice 4: "We may be ancient cosmic gods, but we do care about our family, you know."
Voice 5: "Tch. Don't get the wrong idea, kid. We don't like you. We just... appreciate what you've done for Shimmer."
Voice 3: "Yeah! You're like... uh... her cool babysitter! Or maybe her uncle? Wait, no, her dad! Right?"
Voice 2: "Aww, he's her daddy! That's so cute!"
Vastarael groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, okay, I get it. You're grateful. But what about this whole 'frozen by Winter Labor' thing? She's stuck in stasis right now. And in danger."
Voice 1: "We know. That's why we're helping you, idiot."
Voice 8: "Do you really think the Obsidian Spire is giving you all those pseudo-cores? Please. That's us. We're giving them to you."
Voice 6: "Yeah! Every time you pass a test, we make sure you get a little something extra. You're welcome, by the way."
Vastarael stared at the swirling mass of cosmic energy around him.
"You're telling me the spire isn't rewarding me? You guys are?"
Voice 5: "Tch. Obviously. Do you think the spire actually cares about you?"
Voice 7: "Nope! It's all us! Because we're awesome!"
Voice 4: "And because we want you to be strong enough to help Shimmer when the time comes."
For a moment, Vastarael was silent, floating in the abyss with them. Then, he let out a long sigh.
"You know what? Fine. I don't even care anymore. Just tell me what I have to do next."
The voices laughed that echoed through the void.
Voice 1: "Oh, don't worry, Shiny Prince. What we can tell you is this. Our mother Erna was injured by our father and then killed by the Supreme Entities of Spheraphase and Shimmer saw her death. They sealed her body and placed it in a dimension. That's why no one can find it."
Vastarael was silent as Voice 1 continued.
"And since we are her children who came to avenge her, the Supreme Entity Megatyrean, the Creator Entity, decided to make this spire as our prison so that we wouldn't cause havoc onto Spheraphase. Of course we wouldn't do that. We just wanted to kill our mother's murder."
Voice 7: We have no interest in this world. But... since our youngest enjoys living with mortals, I suppose we decided to give it a try too.
Vastarael remained silent, his mind racing as he processed what they were saying. These ancient, terrifying entities, these cosmic horrors trapped in the spire, were showing a side of themselves he hadn't expected. A side that felt… almost human.
Voice 4 broke the silence.
Voice 4: "Shiny Prince, we've watched you closely. You've taken care of Shimmer in a way we never could. You gave her a home, a family. You helped her find her strength. For that, you have our gratitude."
Voice 2: "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best dad ever! She's so happy with you, and it makes me so happy!"
Voice 6: "Tch. Don't get all mushy about it. But, yeah, you're alright, Shiny Prince. You've done good by her. Better than we ever could've imagined."
Vastarael felt a strange warmth growing in his chest. These were beings who could rend worlds apart, who had every reason to despise mortals, yet here they were, expressing genuine affection and gratitude. He couldn't help but smile.
"I… I don't know what to say. I've just been doing what I thought was right. Shimmer… she's not just your sister. She's my daughter. And I'll keep protecting her, no matter what."
The voices hummed in unison, a sound that felt like a cosmic embrace.
Voice 8: "We know you will. That's why we've been helping you. Every pseudo-core, every little nudge you've received in this spire, it's been from us. To make sure you're strong enough to face what's coming. For her. For yourself."
The atmosphere grew heavier, signaling that their time together was coming to an end.
Voice 1: "Time's up, Shiny Prince. The spire doesn't wait and neither should you. The next test awaits."
Voice 5: "Don't screw it up, alright? We're watching you."
Voice 3: "And, hey, come visit us again sometime, okay? It gets boring in here without you!"
Voice 2: "Yes, please! You're so much fun to talk to!"
Voice 7: "You'd better come back. We still have stories to share. And you still owe us details about how you keep your hair that perfect."
Vastarael chuckled, shaking his head. "You're all insane. But… thanks. For everything. I'll see you again. Count on it."
As the abyss began to fade, pulling him back into the spire's labyrinth, he realized something surprising.
For the first time since stepping foot in this cursed place, he actually wanted to return. The spire was still a nightmare, sure, but these cosmic horrors? These chaotic, dysfunctional, ridiculously powerful beings?
They were family now. And in their own strange, twisted way, they had made him feel like he belonged with them.
Well, he didn't talk to anyone for over sixty days and the only ones available were the Amorphous Souls so...