The morning arrived over Asmaphaeri. The wind was light. It smelled of salt.
Elyonari stirred awake.
Even if Divines no longer needed rest, she still clung to it not out of necessity but out of ritual. Sleep grounded her. It reminded her of when life was simple, when the only thing she had to worry about was whether or not the World Tree would react. Besides, there was something about waking up early that made her feel connected to everything.
She padded barefoot down the hallway in a white silk nightgown, her silver hair loose and flowing down her back.
A thrum ran through the mansion walls that made her steps slower and her heart heavier. It was Divine and mathematically perfect. It lured her toward the balcony overlooking the coastal city.
There, she saw Vastarael sitting ina lotus position on the polished stone floor, completely still and silent, except for the chaos above him.
His Control Circle floated overhead but this was not ordinary. This was something that even she, a Ninth Star Circlemancer like her had never encountered.
It was the Seventh Star Control Circle.
At first glance, it resembled a star-map. But as she looked closer, it was constellations made of runes. Xinoraci glyphs twisted through geometrical sequences too vast and layered to be absorbed in one viewing. The structure shimmered and tilted between dimensions. The layers rotated independently, one within another like a mechanism that governed logic itself.
And he was still just breathing.
But that was a lie. She felt it. His Divine Energy coursed through his entire being, folding in and out of itself like threads of light being sewn into his soul. She could also sense his Soul Energy, which was far more unruly, inside his nine pseudo-cores. And in the center of them all, glowing faintly, beat his Divine Core.
Vastarael opened his eyes slowly. His sapphire-and-gold gaze landed on her gently.
"You're up early."
She blinked and smiled, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Elven instinct. We're... kind of addicted to dawn."
He chuckled softly. The Seventh Star Control Circle above him slowly lowered, then faded into a thin outline that hovered like a halo. He exhaled slowly and rolled his shoulders as the ambient pressure around him vanished. She walked over and quietly sat beside him, her nightgown pooling around her feet. For a while, they just sat like that side by side, watching the skyline breathe. The silence wasn't peaceful. There was awkwardness there and it wasn't because of him. No. It was because... he was back.
He had returned from death and the Primordials and yet Elyonari, one of the people who had cared the most, didn't know what to do now that he was back. She wanted to lean into him, tell him everything she never got to say and cry again just to see if he would wipe her tears but instead, her voice came out lighter, almost too casual.
"So... what was that?"
She gestured vaguely upward to where the Circle had floated. Vastarael glanced at the air, then back at her.
"That was my Control Circle. I've been modifying its layering sequence to resonate with my pseudo-cores more efficiently."
"Wait, wait. You're syncing a Control Circle with nine pseudo-cores and a Divine Core? That's impossible. Mystic Circles can only be linked to energy, not your cores."
"I'm careful. But it's the only way to push my growth in line with my Divine Enlightenment. Circlecrafters improve slower so I need to make my progress efficient."
Elyonari nodded slowly, stunned.
"You've changed," she murmured.
"No. I've just had time to... see myself clearly."
Elyonari turned her head slightly, resting her cheek on her shoulder before speaking.
"I missed you," she said quietly.
The words hit harder than she meant them to. Her voice trembled slightly.
Vastarael opened his mouth. "Ellie—"
But she was already shaking her head, lifting one finger to his lips.
"No. Don't. Don't say sorry."
And before he could process what was happening, she leaned forward and sat directly onto his lap, straddling him without hesitation. Her legs rested on either side of his thighs. Her chest was against his, her white nightgown slightly wrinkled now, pressing against his black undershirt. Her hands cradled his cheeks tenderly, her fingers slightly trembling from how long she had waited to touch him again.
"You didn't have a choice," she whispered with a smile. "And you didn't disappear forever. That's what matters."
Her breath was soft against his face, her lips just close enough to touch but not quite. She leaned forward, nuzzling into the curve of his neck.
"You're not allowed to apologize anymore or feel guilty for staying away and for not saying anything. You did what you had to do and honestly, if you had told me goodbye, I would've chased after you, even if it meant dying."
Vastarael exhaled softly, his arms gently settling around her waist.
"I saw Narisva when I came back. Her eyes were like voids. She looked like she was clinging to life on a thread."
Elyonari lifted her head again and met his gaze.
"And now? She's back to her usual cocky, chaotic self. Which is so much better than someone who used to think of dying every single day. You coming back didn't just make her smile again. It brought her soul back."
"I love her."
Elyonari tilted her head. "Do you love me?"
There was no hesitation. "Yes."
And just like that, her lips found his. She kissed him like a Divine who knew what she wanted, not someone hoping to be wanted.
When she pulled back, she smiled.
"Kissing as a Divine feels... really good."
His cheeks flushed instantly. Elyonari gasped like she'd discovered a hidden treasure.
"No way. No way. You're blushing—!"
Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she shouted so loudly they it echoed.
"I made the Dynasty Monarch of Richinaria, the calm, intimidating, elegant, ethereal, long-haired model of masculinity blush like a little girl in love—!"
Vastarael narrowed his eyes and covered her mouth with his hand.
"Elyonari—"
But she didn't pull away. Instead, she licked his fingers slowly as teasingly, running her tongue along his knuckles before gently sucking on two of them like it was the most natural thing in the world. Then she let go, laughing softly with a sultry edge in her voice.
"Mmh... yeah. You're definitely back. And if you try dying again, I'm going to lock you up somewhere no one will ever find you."
Her words should have sounded possessive but they were but in the way Divines could afford to be, because what was eternity without obsession? Her emerald green eyes, usually pupil-less and glowing like stained glass, were now dimmed slightly. And Vastarael, who had faced cosmic horrors, shattered a moon and defied death itself, found it hot.
"I've missed this," he whispered honestly, brushing his thumb across her cheek.
"You're welcome. Now, are we going to sit here forever or do something about all that training talk?"
"You want to spar? Now?"
She leaned in and kissed his jaw.
"If we're going to the Islands of Inexpelcae soon, I want to see just how strong you've become. And honestly," she rolled her hips forward, slowly, just enough to make him feel the movement, "I need to burn off this energy somehow."
His eyes narrowed as he smiled. "You know I won't hold back."
"You better not," she whispered, already rising to her feet and taking his hand. "Let's see if the Divine who faced the Primordials can keep up with the Divine who bloomed from the World Tree."
He stood beside her, their silhouettes framed by the rising sun behind them. Today, the heavens would feel their tremor.