The instability began quietly.
That was what frightened Vahn the most.
There was no sudden backlash, no violent rejection from the Void, no catastrophic tremor through his cultivation base. The Immortal Realm did not punish him for daring to look beyond Emperor-tier authority.
Instead, it allowed him to continue.
And in that allowance, something subtle began to unravel.
The imperial flagship departed Elyndor's territory under immaculate protocol, guided once more by the same luminous construct that neither threatened nor bowed. The journey outward felt smoother than the arrival, as if Elyndor itself no longer felt the need to filter him.
That, too, carried meaning.
Vahn stood alone on the bridge as the last traces of Elyndor's influence faded from the starfield. Officers remained present but silent, acutely aware that their Emperor was elsewhere in mind if not in body.
Only when the ship entered Astralis-controlled space did Vahn speak.
