"Anyway. So, unlike all of you clowns, I was actually reviewing the Enlightenment Powers. And let me tell you, you have barely scratched the first layer of your actual potential."
Xander raised a brow. "You mean those powers we're supposed to get at every Enlightenment?"
Phaenora nodded and summoned a holographic interface showing spinning golden wheels, glowing icons and twelve symbols of the 12 Gecisia.
"Yes. Each Divine Attribution, at every Enlightenment from First to Twelfth, unlocks a unique ability every Enlightenment. That's seventy-two total. Most of you have maybe… one? Two unlocked?"
"Wait wait wait, seventy-two?!" Natalis blinked. "You're telling me we've got seventy more buttons to press and nobody gave us the manual?"
"Oh, there was a manual. But it was stored in the Axia World System. You know, the one you all collectively abandoned five years ago when you met me in Erna Isles."
"Because we chose you as our system," Denisia said, folding her arms. "And we weren't allowed back in after that."
"Exactly," Phaenora said with a wink. "You beautiful little rebels. But that means you lost access to all the standard Enlightenment updates. I had to build this system interface from scratch for us."
"You're seriously letting us use your personal Omniscient System?" Elyonari asked, lifting her head. "Isn't that… a big deal?"
"I mean, you did all vote for me to do it when Vastarael was in the Fallen Bridge, remember? We had that whole dramatic discussion about trust, secrets, hierarchy—"
"Wait," Farrynelle said, sitting upright now. "If we're not using Axia anymore, and the Academy System we used in Minafallen is gone too, then what happened to the rest of it? Weren't there supposed to be backups to the Academy System?"
Everyone fell silent at that. Natalis tilted her head.
"Yeah. The Academy System. That was still active when we left, right?"
Vastarael sighed. Adelasta turned toward her—him? her, for now—narrowing her eyes.
"You've been quiet, darling."
"I do have a clue," Vastarael said after a pause. "But it's… not public knowledge."
Denisia's eyes narrowed. "You know what happened to the Academy System? Because after we came back to the present, we were removed from Axia and the Academy System disappeared."
"I do."
"Then say it."
"I can't. It's a Dynasty secret. A Richinaria-level state secret."
Natalis blinked. "Even Adelasta doesn't know?"
Adelasta frowned. "Excuse me?"
Vastarael turned his head toward her.
"Sorry. You might be the Grand Duchess, but this one is sealed under my power as Dynasty. I'm under oath. Only Phaenora and I know about it. Not even my siblings know about it."
That got a reaction. Adelasta stared, utterly stunned.
"You've never had a secret from me."
"And I didn't choose to have this one," Vastarael replied quietly.
Even Narisva sat up straighter now, her smirk slowly disappearing.
"Did it have something to do with the Principal's death? Because we never got closure. He just vanished."
Vastarael's silence answered that question better than words.
"Okay," Xander said, cracking his knuckles. "This just went from divine systems to political assassination real fast."
"I told you all back then," Eldrigan muttered, half to himself. "There was something wrong when we came back."
"The important thing," Phaenora interjected, her tone more serious now, "is that we don't need the Axia World System anymore. I've rebuilt our access through my interface. It's designed for you. You'll each be able to view your Enlightenment, your unlocked abilities and the ones coming up."
"And what about syncing with our Boons and Banes?" Elyonari asked.
"Already done," Phaenora said. "And cross-referenced with Fables too. The system will log your achievements in real-time."
Narisva leaned forward, smirking again. "So basically, we've got a custom-made cheat sheet from an Omniscient with questionable fashion sense."
"Thank you," Phaenora replied, bowing slightly. "I do try."
They laughed. Even Adelasta did, if only just a little. And then Narisva turned to Vastarael again.
"Still not going to tell us what really happened to the Principal of Minafallen?"
Vastarael looked down. "Not yet."
Phaenora waved her hand and the blue interface scattered into motes.
"Well then," she said, plopping down beside Vastarael and summoning holograms. "let's start with what we can do—"
"Wait."
Farrynelle squinted at the still-hovering holograms around Phaenora.
"So you're telling us that you control all of this? Like you can just… toggle our Tethers and Divinities?"
"Oh stars no."
Everyone turned to look at her. Even Narisva paused mid-smirk.
"You don't?"
"I wish," Phaenora muttered, waving a hand and dismissing the lingering interface like it offended her. "The only one within the system that I can use their Tethers and Divinities is Veneri here. I can't use yours, even though I have access to your information."
"So you're not like… a god of the system?" Elyonari asked cautiously.
Phaenora raised her hands. "Alright, okay, let me clear this up before everyone starts thinking I'm the System Overlord and planning a revolution."
She stood up and summoned a glowing amber-colored sphere etched with a lot of runes. It was not familiar to anyone except Vastarael.
"This, is a System Relay Core. Think of it like a mystic-network node. Every Omniscient with a System has one. These things tap into the Universal System, which the root framework that governs reality's data, Tether progression, system access, all systems in the universe, Fables, Divinities, everything."
Everyone was confused.
"Haah, seriously... when we left Erna Isles, everyone except Vastarael lost access to Axia because we were in in the past. Axia may be a Supreme Entity but even she can't help someone in the past if travelled through time. We were in the moon and the Axia of 7700 years ago could not include us "
Everyone seemed to understand.
"That's where the Academy System came in. It kept your systems active until the moment you decided to use my system. When you came back to the present, the Academy System disappeared for reasons I can't say. And since you were part of my main system, Axia can't take you back like she did to the other Minafallen students stuck with us in the Epoch Cycle. So, you remained to be part of mine. Omniscients can't take people out of another Omniscient's system, even if they're a Supreme Entity like Axia."
Phaenora then pointed at the sphere.
"Now then, this is what all Omniscients have. This is the link between my system and the Universal System, which is the one controlling all Omniscients' system across all existing worlds. It's like… a private group space tethered to the Universal System."
Denisia frowned. "So it's not you that actually give us updates?"
"Exactly. I'm not the origin of the notifications like you increasing your Enlightenment percentage. I can't grant, revoke or modify your Enlightenment abilities, Base or Pinnacle Tethers, Banes or Boons. I'm just your… what's a good example…"
She looked around, then grinned.
"Okay. Imagine the Universal System is a giant cosmic structure containing thousands of rooms. Each of the Omniscients has their own chamber in it. And in my chamber, I can manage anything inside it. I didn't build the chamber or control what is in it. I just arrange what's there."
Farrynelle blinked. "That sounds… like a weird job."
"It is. I'm like the host. Or the Admin."
"You just used a metaphor that no one outside your Omniscient cult understands," Eldrigan said dryly.
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, here's a better one. There used to be these ancient communication glass orbs that made audio or video in ancient times, right? Now imagine those orbs could create shared conversation spaces like bonded channels. You could form 'group talks,' talk within them, track people's locations if you had the right permissions, and even restrict who could speak at what time."
Natalis tilted her head. "I remember those. Our mother used one to send romantic voice and video messages to our father in hell."
"Exactly!" Phaenora pointed at her. "Now with that example, I'm the administrator of the orb. I can track you, find you across any Realm, send messages directly to your thoughts, alert everyone when someone unlocks something major or when someone gets attacked and so on."
"You can make group chats?" Narisva gasped, scandalized. "You made us divine group chats and didn't tell me?!"
"They exist and I was saving it until I understood my own system better. Anyway," Phaenora continued smoothly, "here's the full breakdown of what I can do as your System Admin."
She summoned a parchment, holographic and rotating in the air in shimmering light.
-----
[Phaenora's Admin Privileges.]
[Realm-Wide Location Tracking]
[She can know real-time location of every member of the Sentina Erideae. Even if someone crosses realms, dimensions, or gets swallowed by an Overwrite, Phaenora can triangulate them.]
[Private and Group Communication Access]
[She can initiate group and individual messages to anyone within her system. She can mute anyone in the system.]
[System Logs & Notifications]
[She can receive logs when members unlock Enlightenment Powers, Fables, Overwrites, or suffer serious Tether damage. She cannot modify these logs. They are generated by the Universal System.]
[Data Review Access]
[She can view your Enlightenment percentage progress, and upcoming ability slots. Anything you have in your System, she can see it but she cannot control it.]
------
"So yes, I can do a lot. But I don't control your powers, I can't manipulate your Tethers, and definitely didn't write the rules of this system. Think of me as one of the millions of overqualified librarian in a really massive library."
Vastarael blinked slowly.
"And here I thought you were just stalking me."
"Oh, I do that too," Phaenora said cheerfully. "It's in the privileges list. You are bonded to me since birth remember?"
Everyone stared at her.
"What? Of course I know what you and Narisva did last night."
Narisva snorted, unapologetic. Adelasta sighed and leaned against the back of the couch, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"We're all doomed."
"I feel watched," Xander muttered.
"You should," Phaenora said. "Now that we've cleared that up, shall we take a look at your Enlightenment Powers?"
Everyone groaned in unison.