He was staring at the simmering pot. Then, he broke the silence.
"I'll tell you soon. But... not now."
Narisva glanced sideways at him, reading his expression with those irises. He wasn't hiding. He just… wasn't ready. And that, to her, was enough.
Vastarael returned to slicing vegetables, his motions smooth again. But inside, his thoughts were nowhere near the kitchen.
He had forgotten about Earth. For a long time, he didn't even realize it. But now that the memory clawed its way back, he found himself wondering why it mattered anymore.
He had transmigrated twenty-five years ago. His original plan had always been to return and go back after gaining enough strength and save the one person who risked everything to save him, Greshina Emberforge. She was the woman who somehow loved him but took 60 years to save him form an experimental lab.
But now...
What if Earth didn't exist anymore? What if the moment he was sent here, time unraveled there? What if this Spheraphase was never meant to be his next chapter, but his only chapter?
And if Earth still existed… why go back?
Why return to a place that tore him apart? Why would he go to the orphanage he clung to like a lifeline that had crushed under the heel of a demonic invasion? Why go back to where was hunted and experimented on, his body chained in labs, tortured for his regenerative youth for decades?
He has been nothing but a test subject until Greshina Emberforge saved him. He never even knew why. But he remembered that she sealed his memories before he died. Even now, fragments remained locked like trying to remember a dream he knew mattered but never could quite grasp.
So he asked himself again. Why would he go back?
Here, in Spheraphase, he had a throne. He had a name. He had power, freedom and identity. He had love. He had beloveds. He had two daughters. He had purpose.
Earth had only ever given him pain. But Spheraphase… gave him life. Even though it was hard, he still has a better life here.
He looked over at Narisva, the shine of the Heat Rune on the crystal plate glinting against her long lashes. Her starry hair floated slightly with her mood, even when she wasn't aware of it. She was humming something quietly to herself, lost in the rhythm of cooking.
She was beautiful.
"I love you," he said quietly.
Narisva's hand froze. She almost dropped the wooden spoon.
Her entire body stiffened, like someone had paused her mid-motion. She turned slowly, her face blank.
"What?"
Vastarael blinked, amused.
"What's wrong?"
She opened her mouth to respond but she closed it and looked away. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes slightly wide.
"I... it's nothing," she said too quickly.
Her voice cracked slightly at the end, which made it even worse. Vastarael raised an eyebrow, half-grinning as he continued stirring.
"If you say so..."
Narisva kept cooking but she didn't stop smiling, even when she pretended to focus. Her entire face was a mess of pink. Her heart was screaming loud enough to shatter stars. She didn't say anything else.
°°°°°°
Two hours later, the kitchen looked like a war zone that had just barely survived its battle. Vastarael wiped sweat from his forehead with a napkin, while Narisva exhaled loudly, slumping against one of the counters.
The massive dining table was finally set, arranged for ten, each with unique crystalware from a land that no longer existed. Steam wafted off a spread so vibrant and varied it looked like a celebration more than a dinner. It was spiced root meats, fruit salads, fish and three different forms of bread because Narisva insisted variety was sacred.
Vastarael took a long breath, his sapphire-golden eyes narrowing toward the table.
"Combat is easier than this."
Narisva let out a small groan of agreement. "No blood, no trauma, just endless cutting. I am never making this much food again unless it's for a royal summit. And we don't need food to survive anymore since we're Divine."
He chuckled softly. "This is practically a summit."
"True…"
They both sat on opposite ends of the long dining bench, catching their breath, just as the wind changed. A breeze swirled down the hallway. Footsteps echoed. Voices approached. The rest had arrived.
Vastarael turned his head slightly, a soft grin tugging the corner of his lips. Narisva raised an eyebrow.
"What's so funny?"
He leaned against the edge of the table and murmured.
"Just thinking... I should probably brace for impact. Elyonari's going to break something."
"Oh, she's gonna lose it. Eldrigan already saw you, didn't he?"
"Yeah but he didn't tell the others."
She clicked her tongue. "Coward. But smart. If he had, Elyonari would've stormed the kitchen and murdered you twice."
He gave a non-committal shrug, then gestured toward the wide archway of the mansion's main hallway.
"Time to face them."
And then it happened. The doors opened.
Boots clacked against marble. Shoes slipped off. Coats tossed over rails. The familiar sounds of old friends returning to something that felt like home made it welcoming.
Elyonari walked in first. Then Farrynelle and Xander, side by side, her arm looped through his like always. Then Natalis and Denisia, casually chatting, radiant as ever and Peroncerea and Eldrigan… trailing behind, hands in his pockets,.
They were laughing until they looked forward and froze and if someone had taken the entire group and paused their world mid-step.
Because sitting calmly at the edge of the dining table, arms crossed, hair shimmering like moonlight and skin glowing bronze in the evening sun, was a man they had buried.
Vastarael looked up.
"Hey. It's been a while. You look like adults now."
Farrynelle dropped her bag. Denisia's breath hitched. Natalis looked like she was trying to blink her way into another timeline. Xander's brows lifted so high they nearly vanished.
"Vastarael?"
Narisva leaned against a chair, crossing her legs and grinning with full Starisnova arrogance.
"Well, turns out our dearly departed wasn't so dearly or departed. Congratulations, he's not dead. You can all breathe now."
Elyonari took a step forward. Her lips parted. She stared at him like she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Vastarael?"