Bronya's steps echoed softly through the quiet corridors of Qlipoth Fort, the sound measured and controlled in a way that reflected her own discipline. The political heart of Belobog had long since settled into a rhythm under her leadership, yet the weight of that responsibility never truly lessened. Even now, as the day drew to a close and the last of her duties had been handled, her mind refused to follow her body into rest.
She stifled a yawn behind the back of her gloved hand, her composure slipping for only a fraction of a second before it reasserted itself. Fatigue was a constant companion, one she had grown accustomed to, but that did not make it any less present. As she walked, her thoughts drifted, unbidden and unwelcome, toward a room in the lower levels of Qlipoth Fort she had avoided for far too long.
Cocolia.
The name alone carried a complicated weight, one that pressed against her chest in a way that felt both familiar and suffocating. It had been over a year and a half since the Stellaron crisis, and yet the consequences of that event still lingered in ways that Belobog could not simply rebuild around. Her adopted mother, the previous Supreme Guardian, remained trapped in a state that defied simple explanation.
Comatose.
That was the word used officially, the one recorded in reports and spoken in controlled tones. It did not fully capture the reality of the situation.
Cocolia's body had not remained unchanged. The Stellaron's influence, though it was no longer within her, had not vanished entirely. It lingered, seeping into her flesh in slow, insidious ways. What had once been a human form was gradually becoming something else, something colder, something that no longer belonged to the natural world. The transformation was not rapid, but it was persistent, and that persistence made it all the more terrifying.
Bronya had not visited her in some time.
The thought settled heavily, accompanied by a faint sense of guilt that she did not bother to deny. There were always reasons to delay, always duties that demanded her attention, but none of them truly justified the avoidance. Perhaps it was easier to focus on the present, on what she could control, rather than confront what she could not.
Her steps slowed slightly as another thought surfaced, one that carried a different kind of weight.
Seele had returned.
Not only returned, but Ascended. The implications of that were significant, both personally and politically, and Bronya found herself circling back to the same conclusion she had reached earlier. With Seele to watch over Belobog, challenging the Second Nightmare with Gepard and Pela didn't seem ridiculous.
It was not certainty.
But it was hope.
Bronya exhaled quietly, her pace resuming as she approached the doors to her personal chambers. The guards stationed nearby straightened at her presence, offering respectful nods that she acknowledged with a small inclination of her head. There was no need for words; the formality was ingrained.
Reaching the door, she pushed it open.
And immediately froze.
A startled sound escaped her before she could stop it, sharp and uncharacteristically loud as her body reacted before her mind could process what she was seeing. Instinct took over in the next instant, her hand already moving to summon her rifle—
Then she stopped.
There, laid casually across her bed as though it belonged to him, was a man she recognized all too well.
Dark hair spilled across the fabric beneath him, framing a face that looked almost unreal in its refinement. His skin carried a smooth, porcelain-like quality, pale and flawless in a way that bordered on unnatural, while his eyes — those abyssal, unnervingly deep eyes — lifted lazily to meet hers.
Bronya's breath caught.
Not because she did not recognize him.
But because of how different he looked.
As an Awakened, Sunny had already been… striking. Even with the youthful features forced upon him by his circumstances, there had been an undeniable sharpness to his appearance. Now, however, that immaturity had vanished, replaced by the fully realized form of an Ascended.
He looked like something sculpted.
Not born.
Her Flaw activated automatically, her perception shifting as she searched for the familiar indicators that had guided her judgment for so long.
And found nothing.
Bronya's expression stilled as recognition settled in.
"…Sunny?"
His lips curved into a grin, the expression easy and entirely unbothered.
"That's me. You have a really nice bed, you know that? Not as great as mine, though."
Bronya blinked, the tension draining from her posture as quickly as it had formed. In its place, something far more human surfaced.
Envy.
It was subtle, fleeting, but undeniably present as her gaze lingered on him. The contrast between them felt more pronounced than ever, and she found herself acutely aware of every perceived imperfection in her own appearance.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
A soft giggle escaped him, the sound carrying a teasing edge that only deepened her irritation.
"Envy isn't a good look, you know. Well, it isn't your fault I'm such a majestic creature."
He paused, his gaze flickering briefly to the shadows around him, as though considering something unspoken. Bronya followed the motion instinctively, though she saw nothing beyond the faint distortions that always accompanied his presence.
Her lips pressed together in a thin line.
"And barging into someone else's room isn't one either. Still… it has been a while, hasn't it?"
Sunny nodded, the motion casual as he rolled off her bed without any apparent concern for dignity. He landed on the floor with a soft thud before rising to his feet in one fluid motion, as though the entire display had been intentional.
Bronya watched him for a moment, a faint sense of fondness surfacing despite his... eccentric nature.
"You didn't let any of the guards see you, right?"
"I teleported right in here. Does it really matter if they see me? I'm technically their savior."
Bronya let out a small, awkward laugh.
"Rumors, Sunny. Nothing particularly harmful, but it would be embarrassing all the same."
Sunny blinked, then shrugged, clearly uninterested in the implications. His lack of concern was as consistent as ever, and Bronya found herself both exasperated and oddly reassured by it.
The moment passed, and his expression shifted, becoming more focused.
"Alright. So… basically, we have the biggest government in the Waking World hovering above your planet. Got any idea what that's about?"
Bronya's brows furrowed.
"What?"
What followed was a detailed explanation, one that Sunny delivered with surprising clarity despite his usual tendencies. By the time he finished, Bronya's expression had shifted into something far more serious, her mind already working through the implications.
The IPC.
The scale alone was enough to make her uneasy.
She exhaled slowly, her gaze lowering as she considered the possibilities.
"No, I am unsure of what they could want. Our world isn't very impressive when it comes to resources or land. At best, it could be they want the city of Belobog itself."
Sunny's eyes widened slightly at that, the realization settling quickly.
Belobog was not just a city.
It was a fortress.
A structure that, in many ways, mirrored the Citadels of the Dream Realm, even if it lacked certain functions. Though the location was bad, the possibility of it being moved through Aspects and Memories...
It was not impossible. Not for the IPC, at least.
Still, something did not add up.
If that had been their goal, why wait? The Eternal Freeze had lasted for centuries. There had been countless opportunities to act, both before and after its resolution. The timing suggested something else, something that had yet to reveal itself.
Sunny exhaled quietly.
"Just… be careful. Call me if anything happens."
Bronya nodded, her expression resolute.
"I will."
The conversation ended there, not because there was nothing left to say, but because both of them understood that further speculation would not yield answers.
Without another word, Sunny stepped back.
And vanished.
***
March yelped.
The sound echoed slightly in the quiet expanse of the Underworld as she stumbled backward, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. Her bow appeared in her hands almost instantly, drawn and aimed at the source of the disturbance before her mind caught up with her instincts.
Sunny stood there.
Watching her.
Silently.
March blinked, her heart still racing as she lowered the weapon slightly.
"Sunny! What is wrong with you?! You can't just appear like that out of nowhere!"
He said nothing at first, his gaze lingering on her for an uncomfortably long moment before he spoke.
"Eh. Who knows? We're going back to the Express."
March frowned, confusion replacing her earlier frustration.
"What? Already? I was just heading to Clara's base because you disappeared again— not that I was stalking you, or..."
She didn't get to finish.
Sunny reached out, grabbed her hand, and started walking.
Or rather, dragging.
"Hey! Wait, slow down! You could at least explain what's going on!"
He didn't.
March sighed, already resigning herself to the situation.
***
Elsewhere, Dan Heng found himself in a situation he had not anticipated.
A child stood in front of him.
And would not leave.
He remained perfectly still, his expression as composed as ever, though there was a faint tension in his posture that betrayed his discomfort. The young girl stared up at him with wide, curious eyes, entirely undeterred by his silence.
"Are you a Vidyadhara?"
Dan Heng blinked.
The question was direct, lacking any hesitation or fear, and it caught him off guard in a way that few things did.
"…No."
She tilted her head.
"You look like one."
He did not respond.
The child continued to stare.
Dan Heng considered his options.
None of them seemed particularly effective.
And so, for perhaps the first time in a long while, he found himself at a loss.