When Asenane began to sing, everyone was speechless for a while.
Her song was not in any common tongue. The words flowed in the Krepsuna language that meant to be felt more than understood. Each syllable carried weight, devotion, and an intimacy that made even the freed souls feel like intruders on something sacred. Shimmer's eyes widened halfway through the first verse.
"Oh."
Runner tilted her head. "What?"
"That's a Krepsuna love song."
"Which one?"
Shimmer didn't answer immediately.
"A binding song dedicated to lovers."
"Meaning?"
Shimmer exhaled. "If a woman sings that song... it means she will never love anyone else. Ever. And if the man dies, she kills herself."
Shimmer nodded, satisfied by the answer. "She's smart."
"That's your takeaway?"
"Yes. Now Dad can't be suicidal."
Phaenora hummed thoughtfully. "I approve. Darling risking his life constantly is starting to get old."
Runner sighed. "You're all terrifying."
The song reached its crescendo.
Asenane's voice climbed higher, layered with harmonics that shouldn't have been possible from a single throat. Frost gathered lightly along the grass. Every soul listened. When the final lyric fell from her lips, cheers, applause, whistles, laughter and tears were heard across the reception. Souls rose to their feet, clapping like their hands had never known purpose before. Asenane exhaled shakily and sat back down beside Vastarael.
He was staring at her like the world had just quietly rearranged itself around her existence.
"Did you like it?" She asked, suddenly nervous.
"I did. Since when can you sing?"
"Since before I was a dragon. Before I was a Krepsuna Phantasm, I was a actor and singer. Dimensium loved theatre and music. It was everything there. I was an orphan. I worked at an opera house my entire childhood. Cleaning floors, running errands and other duties. Eventually they let me sing. That's how I got my name. Erna. I had my own choir too. "
Vastarael stared at her, then shook his head in disbelief. "I marry you and find out you're an ancient dragon opera singer."
She nudged him with her elbow. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"You'll be singing lullabies to me from now on."
"Only if you rest your head on my lap."
He pretended to think about it. "I'll consider."
"That settles it," Phaenora announced suddenly, appearing in front of them with a glowing holographic interface. "Photo time."
They took photos everywhere. Asenane laughing, Vastarael flustered, Shimmer throwing peace signs, Runner pretending not to care, Reynolds somehow making ancient poses from their era, souls awkwardly posing like they weren't dead days ago...
They took photos in the meadow, on Luke's back and while dancing too.
The day was full of singing, dancing and eating until even Divines complained. Asenane leaned against Vastarael late into the night, clearly exhausted. She watched the souls laugh, watched her daughters argue and Phaenora making the souls sing with a smile.
She squeezed his hand.
-------
Vastarael and Asenane walked toward the glowing Teleportation Mystic Circle wearing casual clothes rustling. Asenane's purple tunic and lightweight pants allowed her wings and tail to shift gracefully. Vastarael's loose white shirt and trousers looked deceptively simple but the subtle gleam of his Soul Energy radiating from him made it clear that even "casual" Vastarael could be mistaken for a walking divinity.
Reynolds walked beside them.
"The Praesit will lead you to the ninth realm, which is a vacation realm with beaches, oceans, sand, sunsets and other vacation stuff. Don't wreck it, either of you. It's delicate in ways mortals—and even divines—usually can't comprehend."
Vastarael waved a hand nonchalantly.
"Relax, Reynolds. You made a summer paradise for yourself too so don't act like you're not planning on enjoying it just as much as we will. Besides, I plan to relax for once."
Asenane smirked, adjusting the strap of her satchel across her chest.
"Relax? I've heard that before. I'll believe it when I see you actually doing nothing for more than five minutes."
Shimmer tugged on her mother's sleeve to gain her attention. "Mom, are you sure you can handle this vacation without Dad making you fly halfway across the island just for fun?"
Asenane shot her daughter a mock glare.
"I'll survive, Shimmer. And if he tries, I have my claws ready."
Runner smirked from Vastarael's other side.
"Don't worry, Dad. We can handle ourselves in the realms. If we encounter anything dangerous, we'll run. Biolumine will keep an eye on us too."
Vastarael crouched slightly to summon Biolumine, who materialized in a soft glow, meowing as she landed gracefully near Runner's side. Runner reached down and gently stroked the cat's fur.
"See? We're adults now. No more babysitting required."
Vastarael chuckled, shaking his head. "Not exactly. You're adults but the Golden Fawn in your soul isn't something you can just ignore. Biolumine's here to guide you, not babysit, but don't think you can slack off."
Shimmer rolled her eyes but didn't argue. "Got it, Dad. We'll behave."
Asenane turned to her daughter. "Shimmer, you're no longer a child. Do not cause trouble, not even a little."
Shimmer raised her hands in mock surrender. "I'm an adult now, Mother. I can cause trouble responsibly."
"Responsibly? We'll see about that."
Reynolds waved them toward the entrance.
"All aboard! The train moves at the speed of sound. It will deposit you directly into the ninth realm. Enjoy your vacation."
Vastarael grabbed Asenane's hand, squeezing it lightly as they approached it.
"Ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be. You sure you're not going to drag me into some extreme combat training halfway through the island?"
He shrugged with mock innocence. "I promise… mostly. We'll see how long your wings and tail can resist my 'gentle encouragements.'"
"Gentle encouragements? That sounds terrifying."
As they stepped onto the platform, Vastarael gave Reynolds a nod.
"Thank you, Reynolds for everything. Again."
Reynolds' lips twitched, almost as if he was suppressing a smirk.
"Do not wreck the vacation island. That is all I ask."
Vastarael chuckled and whispered to Asenane,
"See? You have nothing to fear. Reynolds' idea of fun is… limited, thankfully."
As the Praesit hummed to life, the ground beneath them seemed to bend and ripple in a surreal blend. The meadow and hidden Sinking Void shrank behind them as the portal widened. The Praesit vanished inside and the Sinking Void was gone. Asenane leaned lightly against Vastarael on their seat.
"So… this is really happening. We're leaving the chaos of the Hidden Citadel… for a while."
Vastarael's fingers brushed hers, squeezing gently.
"It is. But don't worry. I'm still keeping one eye on things. Luke and Miranda have everything under control. You can relax."
"You decided to stay?"
"Yeah. I have a feeling that it's best to stay. Call it intuition? I'm not Xander but I can tell that something is going to happen."
Little did they know that he was absolutely right.