Being as close to and as tightly connected to the Sybillan Republic as they were, some observation stations of the Illyrian Union were the earliest ones to pick up on something strange. Even between the most tight-knit of allies, a certain degree of caution and surveillance was necessary, at least on the level of nations, or more so civilizations.
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. When it came to the politics between these kinds of forces, it was hard to say whether one was truly an ally or a foe. Therefore, preparations to prevent oneself from being backstabbed always needed to be in place.
Due to this, when a scarcely perceptible ripple passed through not only all of Pytho, but moreover extremely vast stretches of the Lesser True Void beyond, how could they possibly not notice the abnormality? After all, it had also reached the territory of the Illyrian Union.
Still, it was hard for them to decipher what had actually happened. What they had caught on to was little more than a momentary flicker that ran through the Energy Veins, yet they were unfamiliar with what it meant. In an effort to exercise the required caution, they soon sent out some Voidfaring Vessels of their own, only to discover nothing amiss.
Yes, absolutely naught at all. This just caused them to become more suspicious, however, so they sent out a diplomatic delegation to the Sybillan Republic. Besides keeping their strong bond intact, this group would also be responsible for scouting out any potential information about the weird phenomenon which they had observed.
But despite being this close to each other, the Republic and the Union were still separated by a considerable expanse, meaning that it would take them a day or two to bridge that gap, if they went at their fastest speed.
The ripple that the initial activation of parts of Theodore's newest Array had caused was also picked up on by the other five civilizations relatively nearby to Pytho.
As the ones next closest to the origin of the disturbance, the Iulian Empire rapidly transformed into a stirred up hornet's nest. Being generally rather warlike, whenever one of their neighbours made a big move like this, their first choice was to engage in some resonant sabre-rattling.
There were many grievances between them and anyone close by. If it wasn't for the fact that they couldn't beat them, then they would have long since sent their troops campaigning towards their territories. To quench their thirst for battle, they had begun to strive for control of groups of worlds much further away than what had been covered by Vigdis' initial investigation. By now, they had built up at least one such branch Empire in this manner.
If push really came to shove, then they could request backup from those remote locations, but at least for now, they judged their main Empire's strength to be sufficient to weather this storm.
Fleets of Voidfaring Vessels spread out like a flood, on the way to surround a part of whatever it was that had caused the unusual undulation. Naturally, they would attempt to research it as well, but the main intent was to show their teeth and scare whoever was so rudely flexing their muscles into a cessation of hostilities.
Being a bit of an enigma to everyone around them, Krysmidonia didn't make a peep. Yet, their mystics had clearly picked up on what was happening. While they couldn't tell all of the details, it was evident that some sort of unfathomably powerful Array Formation had just been activated.
Habitually staying out of trouble, yet ready to face any turbulences that might come their way, the Krysmidonites further reinforced their borders and increased their patrols. Although they might not excel at conquest, they had invested a lot in their various fortifications. Turtling up to ensure one's survival was usually a good strategy. Attack might be claimed to be the best form of defence, yet that saying was only ever accurate under very select conditions.
As for the Pontifical State of Tzyion, their Pope claimed to have received a divine decree. A huge change had occurred within the Sybillan Republic, therefore it was vital for them to extend an olive branch and welcome them into their fold. Because they were the sole enlightened ones in all of existence, they needed to spread the good word, as well as their faith.
Like usual, this religious figurehead was merely making an educated assumption–he hadn't truly been contacted by some vastly superior being. As the one at the head of the snake, as well as the state, he was one of the few who were fully aware of the true circumstances of their civilization, and decided where they would be going from here on out. Religion was their tool of control, as well as what bestowed upon them the required legitimacy to rule.
With the Sybillan Republic having shown some sort of unprecedented development, it was clear that everything wasn't going well for them. Their own spies hadn't even had the opportunity to report back!
All of this made it likely for a Heaven's Chosen to have wreaked havoc and disturbed their peace. If some of them survived, then they would surely desire to find hope and a place to belong in these trying times. Whenever people were at their weakest, most emotionally unstable and utterly desperate, it was the best opportunity for the poison that was a false faith to creep into their hearts. Well, in comparison, indoctrinating them from birth was still preferable.
In the case of a Faith Receptacle spreading their wings and recruiting devotees, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing–after all, what those beings would believe in was actually someone real. However, in most cases where there was no basis for their faith, the majority of the common folk would suffer.
Filled with the righteous, just desire to help the Sybillans join their flock, missionaries began to depart from many of Tzyion's worlds. Naturally, it would be best if they could return successfully. Should they fail but make it back alive, all was still well.
But even if they all died out there, the Pope wouldn't care. To him, they were simply an investment. From the very moment that he had sent them on their way, he was ready and prepared to never hear back from any of them ever again.
Far further away, in the Sarasvain Federation, a meeting of the highest order had been called. All of the various states' representatives were in attendance, yet the central, most important seat of them all was empty–as usual.
Normally, they wouldn't pay any attention to this fact at all, but due to how highly developed they were in the field of Array Formations, they could tell that whatever their instruments had just allowed them to bear witness to was extremely dangerous. An entity which could threaten all of their worlds seemed to have appeared, therefore their Undying President couldn't be allowed to mope around and wallow in his misery any longer.
"There have only been a handful of incidents since the founding of the Federation which necessitated Lord Sarasvain's involvement–and this is clearly one of them. I propose that we seek him out post-haste, and inform him of the severity of the situation."
This recommendation by one of the more capable heads of state was soon agreed upon. Although there were some who wanted to benefit from fishing in troubled waters, they were not foolish enough to be unaware of their grim reality. This moment was definitely was not an opportune time to strike. Now, they were all just left with one single problem to solve.
"... does anybody know where Lord Sarasvain has disappeared to?"
These words silenced the venue, the heads of state almost panicking soon after. Their Undying President was a very slippery fellow, but not even because he tried to escape their watchful eyes. Rather, nobody was qualified to spy on him to begin with.
One morning, he might be strolling along an unremarkable river, but by noon, he would somehow have made it to the other side of the Federation's territory and be mindlessly staring out into the nothingness beyond, his eyes devoid of a will to live. He had never been interested in eking out a continued existence, but had somehow ended up having all of these burdens attached to him. Truly, such a miserable life!
That was what could be picked up from his depressed ramblings, at least. There was no standardized way of contacting him, as everything was up to his whims of the day. In other words: The Federation that bore his name might be screwed if he didn't show up in time.
"Quick! Have all intelligence agencies search for him! Send out all of your personal troops and comb the worlds under your control. Heck, even the Lesser True Void absolutely cannot be overlooked! Go! Go! Go!"
One of those quicker on the uptake hastily pulled himself together and rattled off a series of commands. Usually, actions like his would be met with vicious retorts, derisive sneers as well as a whole load of fabricated scandals that would spread throughout the world of the one who had acted out of line. However, under their current circumstances, everybody chose to comply and rush away, roaring orders into their personal communicators, or towards their soon-to-be overworked assistants.
Floating not far away from one of the Federation's worlds, a middle-aged man whose hair had already begun to turn grey starting from his temples was drifting back and forth. He was without a goal that he strove after, without an ambition or hope for the future–and a pitiful victim of circumstance.
Sensing the last remnants of a certain ripple washing over him, he remained impassive, not even turning to look into the direction that it had come from. Hours later, a sigh escaped his lips.
'How annoying. Why can't everyone just let me be in peace? Is that really too much to ask for?'
Despite having recognized the issue, he made no effort to proactively approach the search parties. If they couldn't find him before disaster struck–which he very much hoped would happen–then that was just their fate.
'Everything is pointless, so why struggle?'
Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Meanwhile, the four Masters of the Tetrachroma Palace had also convened a meeting. Exactly like the Sarasvain Federation, they had a good idea of what kind of danger that they might have to face, yet their reactions differed markedly.
"We cannot be sure what kind of Array was activated, but from our readings, we can tell that it's at least a Pillar-level threat. Whilst that would not be impossible for us to deal with, to prevent any potential mishaps, I propose that we contact the Dame. Only she can lead us unto the right path."
"I second this motion."
"Me as well."
"It appears that we're all of one mind on this. Then let us request an audience with her."
There was no fierce debate, and no back and forth. Everyone agreed on the optimal course of action pretty much immediately. Them coming together had merely been a formality, one that would help them smoothly transition into this next required step of their countermeasures.
Regardless of them all being at the Gate Traversal Stage, they proceeded akin to pious, mortal pilgrims as soon as they arrived at the Dame's personal cultivation 'chamber'–or rather, cultivation world. Nobody spoke, and they all bowed respectfully towards that figure at the very centre of it all.
Hours passed, then days. Not one of the Masters had moved a single muscle, remaining practically frozen ever since their obeisance had begun. Eventually, a somewhat vexed, yet not too harsh voice resounded throughout the world.
"What is it now? Make it quick."