We stepped out of Nari's residence not long after that. Outside, the frost city stretched endlessly. Buildings coated in ice and reinforced with shimmering layers of Spatial Energy made them far more durable than they looked.
As we began walking through the wide streets, I found myself staring at the people moving around us. Veneri had always relied on me for background information when it came to obscure races and forgotten histories, and now was no different.
Xypelians are a human subrace native to Spheraphase, specifically originating from the frozen continent of Xypelia. Unlike ordinary humans, their bodies are naturally resistant to extreme cold, capable of functioning in temperatures that would kill an unprotected mortal within minutes. According to their oldest surviving lore, their existence in this form dates back to the era when a Supreme Entity Rank Celestial descended upon Spheraphase during one of the early cycles.
The story goes that this Celestial encountered a small group of humans struggling to survive in a relentless blizzard. They were starving, freezing, and on the verge of extinction. For reasons no one has ever fully understood, the Celestial chose to bless them instead of ignoring them. He granted them a fragment of his spatial authority, a diluted but permanent blessing that altered their lineage from that moment onward.
Of course, as mortals, they could not fully utilize something meant for a being of Supreme Entity Rank. Their bodies and souls were simply too limited to wield true spatial dominion. But over millennia, their descendants adapted. The blessing integrated into their genetic structure, allowing them to develop weaker but still impressive spatial abilities like basic flight, telekinesis, short-range warping, the ability to create spatial layers for protection or insulation and other minor spatial Tethers.
I pointed out a few of them as we walked.
"They're Xypelians. Their ancestors were blessed by a Celestial. That's why they can survive here without turning into frozen statues. They even fought alongside the First Generation Deities during the Destras Cataclysm."
The Destras Cataclysm is one of the largest conflicts in early Spheraphase history that had reshaped entire continents and nearly wiped out multiple lineages. The Xypelians had sided with the First Generation Deities and fought the mortals siding with the Second Generation. But when the war was lost, they were left exposed to retaliation.
That's when Dynasty Starisnova stepped in. They were led by a descendant of the very Celestial who blessed the Xypelians in the first place. He subdued them, brought them under his control, and that's how the dynasty started expanding its influence. The Nexus was the first Pureblood Celestial in the lineage. Nari is descended from him.
That's what I told Veneri of course.
As we continued through the city, I couldn't help noticing several things about the Xypelians around us.
First, every single one of them was wearing thick winter clothing that looked both practical and elegant. Even with their natural resistance, the cold of Frostdeath is so severe that it can make even Divine beings shiver. It made sense that they still needed protection. I could also see thin, shimmering distortions around parts of their outfits. They had woven Spatial Energy directly into the fabric, creating micro-layers of warped space that trapped heat and deflected the worst of the cold.
Second, their skin was incredibly pale and porcelain-like. Generations spent living in frozen regions with minimal sunlight had stripped most pigmentation from their lineage. Their hair tended to be lighter too with silvers, whites, and pale blondes dominating the crowd.
Third, they looked stronger than ordinary mortals. Their builds were lean but dense. The Celestial blessing had not only given them spatial affinity but also subtly enhanced their physical durability over time.
As we walked, people began to notice Nari more and more. Heads turned, conversations hushed and one by one, the Xypelians lowered their gazes or bowed their heads as she passed. None of them dared to approach her directly. The respect was almost suffocating.
"She's being treated like a literal walking goddess," I muttered to Veneri.
"That's because she basically is one to them."
Nari either ignored the attention or was simply too used to it to react. Her expression stayed calm. After a few minutes, I noticed something else. Veneri had grown unusually quiet. His gaze had unfocused slightly and faint currents of energy were beginning to swirl toward him from the surrounding air.
Divine Energy is generated through faith, worship and recognition from Mortals and Immortals who acknowledge a being as divine. It accumulates in the environment over time, especially in regions where large populations continuously revere specific entities. The more concentrated the faith, the denser the ambient Divine Energy becomes.
"There's a lot of Divine Energy here."
Nari glanced at him sideways.
"Of course there is. They've been worshipping the Dynasty for generations."
"I haven't felt this much ambient Divine Energy since before we came to the Hidden Citadel."
Since entering this realm, Divine Energy had been running thin for most dynasties. Faith does not cross realms easily and beings trapped within the Hidden Citadel are cut off from the populations that once fueled them. Dynasties that rely heavily on Divine Energy, like Richinaria, had been struggling because of that separation.
Nari shrugged lightly, already knowing why he was amazed.
"We don't really use Divine Energy here. Once someone reaches Divine Rank and joins Dynasty Starisnova, we transition to using Spatial Energy instead. It's more stable and doesn't rely on worship or reverence."
That explained why the air here felt thick with unused power. The Xypelians continued to generate Divine Energy through their faith but the Dynasty they worshipped had long since moved on to a different energy system, leaving it to accumulate in the environment.
Veneri lifted one of his hands slightly and I felt the familiar tug of one of his Base Tethers activating.
The Base Tether Limitless removes conventional caps on energy absorption and usage rates, allowing him to draw in external energy sources at a pace that would normally tear a body apart. Under normal circumstances, this kind of reckless intake would be suicidal but his Aeterium constitution and soul structure allow him to stabilize the influx and convert it safely.
Streams of faint golden light began to spiral towards him. It was invisible to ordinary eyes but glaringly obvious to someone like me. The Divine Energy flowed into his body in thick, steady currents, filling the hollow reserves that had been draining ever since we lost Omniphage.
"This… helps, I guess."
I couldn't help smiling. "You look less like you're about to collapse."
He rolled his neck once, testing the restored vitality.
"Divine Energy is still weaker than Soul Energy for me, but this should be enough to keep me going before I have to rely on my soul reserves again."
Nari glanced at him again, clearly sensing the shift in his energy signature.
"Just don't drain the entire city."
"I'll try to leave them at least a little faith to work with."
I watched the golden currents continue to swirl around him for a few more seconds before fading as his absorption slowed down.
By the time we reached our destination, orderly rows of frost-coated buildings gave way to a wide, open plaza that looked like it had once been a gathering place. The ground was cracked in several places and in the center stood the remains of a large broken fountain.
A handful of Xypelians lingered at the edges of the plaza, pretending to go about their business while very obviously watching us. Their eyes kept flicking between Nari and Veneri.
Right in front of the ruined fountain, about twenty Xypelians were already kneeling in a tight cluster. Most of them carried the faint, unstable presence of Ascender Rank beings. Their heads were bowed low.
Their leader, a tall, silver-haired man with sharp features and a coat lined with spatially reinforced fur, lifted his head just enough to notice our approach. The moment his eyes locked onto Nari, he immediately dropped his gaze again and bowed even lower.
"Great Celestial, we beg for your mercy."
I blinked, a little thrown off by how quickly the situation had escalated into what looked like a public execution scene. Nari stopped a few steps in front of them. She crossed her arms loosely and glanced sideways at Veneri.
"Darling, check up on them."
He gave a small nod and stepped forward, activating his Soul Vision as he did.
As he scanned them, I drifted closer to listen. The Xypelians' voices had dropped to barely audible whispers now, but my proximity—and the fact that I technically wasn't bound by normal auditory limitations—made it easy to catch snippets of their conversation.
"Who is he?"
"He's walking beside her and she didn't strike him down."
"Is he… her lover?"
I almost choked on air that I technically didn't need to breathe.
Veneri's shoulders twitched slightly, clearly having heard that too, but he didn't react. He kept his focus on scanning their souls from one kneeling figure to the next. The whispers continued, growing just a bit more speculative now that they thought they were out of our direct attention.
"I've never seen him before."
"Neither have I. But look at the way she let him walk beside her. No one else is allowed that close."
"He must be someone important. She called him Darling."
I floated there, blinking in mild disbelief. These people genuinely had no idea who Veneri was.
It made sense when I thought about it more seriously. The Dynasty Monarch of Richinaria rarely appeared directly before ordinary citizens. Even within his own Dynasty, many of the lower ranks had only ever seen distant projections or heard descriptions. And here, in another realm entirely, surrounded by Xypelians who had only ever known Starisnova's rule, expecting them to recognize him on sight was unrealistic. Still, hearing them casually speculate about whether he was just Nari's lover instead of one of the most powerful beings in existence was oddly funny.
I leaned closer to his ear and whispered.
"Congratulations. You've officially been downgraded from terrifying Monarch to mysterious boyfriend."
He exhaled slowly through his nose. I'm sure he wanted to shove me away but he couldn't.