Inside the estate's lounge on the evening, ten figures sat or reclined comfortably, gathered once again like they had so many times before.
Elyonari sat curled up on one end of a crescent couch, nibbling on a slice of fruit. She looked freshly awakened but still slightly woozy, her cheeks pink from either the food or the earlier sparring session. Even though Divines didn't need to eat, the comfort of flavor and ritual seemed to soothe her.
"You're finally awake."
Xander gave her a half-smile as he leaned back with Farrynelle seated beside him, her leg casually thrown over his lap like they were royalty in relaxation.
"Yeah. Woke up hungry for some reason."
"It's because Vastarael literally crushed your abdominal organs."
Narisva muttered bluntly from the armchair where she sat upside down, her legs draped over the backrest, arms dangling toward the floor.
"Pretty sure your body thinks it was reborn."
Vastarael was sitting cross-legged on a floor cushion beside the low table at the center of the lounge.
"I healed her! Come on, I used Reconstruction. Twice!"
Adelasta was sitting not far from him, her legs folded under her like a perfectly poised sculpture her proximity to Vastarael was enough proof of unspoken affection. Next to her sat Denisia and Natalis. Peroncerea lounged with a sleek grace across a wide loveseat with Eldrigan next to her, both sipping from crystal cups that shimmered with some violet elixir.
"So, we leave for the Asmaphaeri in five days, right?"
There was a brief silence as everyone exchanged glances upon hearing Elyonari's question. Some were tired, some resolute, some even a little excited. But then Vastarael casually spoke.
"No. We're leaving the day after tomorrow."
Ten heads turned toward him simultaneously.
"What?"
Natalis narrowed her eyes. "You're joking. Why?"
Vastarael stretched a little, then leaned back on the floor.
"Because we don't have five days. Not with the amount of storms that will be gathering around the ocean once we start moving."
"You're saying there's a danger," Eldrigan murmured. "Not just the oceans themselves?"
"My mother is Lysameria, the Nexus of Oceans. Her Divinity courses through every body of saltwater in Spheraphase. And even though I only inherited her Divinity as a Minor one, it's the one I resonate with the most. The ocean listens to me more than it listens to anyone else."
"Wait, so you're saying the Islands of Inexpelcae are in the ocean?"
"Not just in the ocean. They're hidden by the ocean. They are shrouded by tides, and when too many Divines approach, the waters retaliate. They form hurricanes infused with elemental energy, storms that bend space and waves that can obliterate a mountain range."
Narisva scoffed softly. "Sounds like home. You're telling us that the more of us go, the more likely we all die?"
"Exactly. If a single Divine went, the ocean would acknowledge them. It might challenge them yes, but it wouldn't unleash everything it has. But with hundreds of Divines going, the Asmaphaeri Pantheon will think they're under attack. The seas will rise. The clouds will split. Even air will weigh you down."
"But," Peroncerea spoke, "you said we weren't going alone?"
"No, you're not. Every Divine you came with from your respective realms is going with us. Most arrived via carriages yesterday. You think we are leaving them here?"
Denisia groaned. "Oh no. You mean—"
"Thirty? Forty? More?" Natalis asked, already rubbing her temples.
"Try eighty. And that's not counting the Dynasty Monarchs going as well."
"Why didn't anyone stop us from making us prove our Dynasty might?!" Elyonari asked.
"I would have, if I weren't busy trying to avoid all of you for my fate to change."
Elyonari turned pink.
"The point is, we need to leave soon before the seas become aware of our full force. The longer we wait, the stronger the oceans will respond."
Natalis raised a hand. "So… how are we going to survive the trip?"
Vastarael turned to face them all fully now.
"With a Blessing."
They all looked confused.
"I inherited the Water Divinity and I can bless every one of you, including the Divines that came with you. The Blessing won't protect you from everything but it will make you recognized by the sea. It will treat you as part of it, not enemies crossing its back."
He stepped forward, his tone serious now.
"Because if I don't, you won't even make it past the harbor's edge."
Vastarael stepped forward, the air around him distorting subtly as if the very fabric of moisture bent toward his presence. He raised his hands and clapped once. A sharp, hollow echo pierced the room. Then, with a breath so ancient it could have come from the bottom of the sea itself, Vastarael whispered the incantation.
"Codex Enchantment. Sovereign of the Waters."
From beneath the surface of the floor, divine script erupted in every direction. The Codex Sigil—a boat riding atop a vast ocean—glowed in the center of the air above his palm, and then fractured into ten smaller seals, flying toward each of them. The moment the symbols touched their left palms, a strange warmth spread across their bodies. It was icy, then hot and calming. As soon as the mark finished burning itself onto their skin, it shimmered and vanished.
"You've all been blessed. The Sovereign of the Waters is a Codex Enchantment from the Prince of Anqerise. It's always had three components. Water Flood, Invisible Veil, and Sovereign of the Waters. I never used it because I never needed it."
His gaze swept across them slowly.
"Until now."
He stepped back, swaying slightly, but kept speaking.
"The blessing grants you partial divinity over water. The stronger your affinity with your core element, the better it will adapt. Elyonari has the highest Water Affinity apart form me. Her blessing is near-perfect."
Elyonari blinked, dumbstruck, glancing at her palm where the glow had vanished.
"Farrynelle, your lightning may seem far from water, but it needs moisture for full conductivity. Your resonance isn't bad. Adelasta too."
His voice quieted as he breathed out.
"This bllessing will allow you to fly above ocean waters without sinking into its weight. It will stop the mystic pressure from crushing your bones. But if you fall into the sea, if your body ever touches the ocean itself—"
He wavered. His knees buckled.
He didn't fall but only because two shadows moved so fast the room cracked with sonic displacement. Adelasta and Narisva caught him simultaneously, their hands gripping him on either side before he hit the floor.
"Vastarael, what the hell is wrong with you?!"
"You're pale. Your energy is unstable!"
Elyonari rushed over, sliding onto her knees beside him, her emerald eyes wide with horror as she took his hand and felt the sheer absence of energy within him.
"Your pseudo-cores... they're dry! And your Divine Core is barely pulsing!"
He gave a strained smile.
"I… used too much Divine Energy. Giving a blessing strong enough to keep ten powerful Divines afloat through the Asmaphaeri… it drained me. I'm not unconscious, see?"
"You might as well be!" Elyonari sighed.
"I have to bless the rest of the Divines accompanying us. They're not as strong, so I'll use less energy, and—"
"No," Narisva finished with a murderous expression. "You're not lifting a finger until those cores stabilize."
"But—"
"No buts!" All three snapped in unison.