We didn't stay in the command tent for long. There was only so much war talk I could tolerate before I started mentally checking out and imagining ways to redecorate the entire place just to annoy everyone. So when Veneri stepped out to "assess the situation," which was his usual excuse for silently processing everything at once, I followed him without hesitation.
Outside, the sky had already started shifting into that dull, bruised-orange evening tone that the Graveyard of Bones seemed to favor. Even the sunset here looked wrong.
As we walked along the outer perimeter of the base, I found myself thinking about the Therianthropes again. You couldn't really ignore them.
Therianthropes in Spheraphase were… complicated. People liked to simplify them as "beast-kin" or "hybrids," but that was such a lazy description it almost offended me.
At a fundamental level, they are divided into three major classifications: Mammalian, Reptilian, and Avian Therianthropes. It sounds simple on paper, but the diversity inside each category is insane. Mammalians alone range from wolf-types to feline variants, all the way to things like foxes and more exotic derivatives. Reptilians has scaled beings that leaned closer to ancient beasts than anything modern. And Avians… well, Avians have wings and avian features.
And above all of that, there were the Divine Therianthropes. Only four lineages stand at the absolute peak of their race; The Thunderbird, The Phoenix, The Nine-Tailed Fox and the White Serpent.
Dynasty Skyrover is made by the Thunderbird and the Phoenix, which made sense because. Farrynelle being a Thunderbird was honestly the least surprising thing about her. Dynasty Fedres, on the other hand, is owned by the White Serpent and the Nine-Tailed Fox. That combination was… terrifying in a completely different way. Xander being a White Serpent explained a lot about his combat style, like his mist adaptation.
"Thinking again?" Veneri asked beside me.
"Always. It's one of my best traits. You should try it more often."
"I do."
We didn't say much after that. The closer we got to the refugee zone, the more gloomy it became. The city they had taken from the Krepsunas wasn't really a city anymore. Broken buildings leaned at unnatural angles. Entire streets were cracked open. There were still faint traces of purification arrays etched into the ground and walls, glowing weakly as they continued to suppress any lingering K-Virus contamination.
Therianthropes filled the streets. Some sat in groups, huddled together for warmth or comfort. Others moved slowly, carrying supplies, tending to the injured, or just… existing. You could always tell the difference between soldiers and civilians. Soldiers stood straighter, even when exhausted. Civilians didn't.
I saw a wolf Therianthrope mother clutching two small children, both of them barely conscious. Her eyes were hollow, like she had cried so much that her body had simply run out of tears. Nearby, an Avian Therianthrope with broken wings sat against a wall, staring at the sky as if trying to remember what flying felt like.
Further down, a group of Reptilian Therianthropes were gathered around a makeshift medical station. Their scales were dulled and cracked. One of them let out a low, pained hiss as a healer applied a healing potion a wound that clearly wasn't healing properly.
"Damn…"
These people had been ripped out of their homes and thrown into a realm they didn't understand, filled with monsters that didn't die properly and a virus that could turn them into those same monsters if they weren't careful. The only reason they were still alive was because of two dynasties.
I exhaled slowly, folding my arms as I watched a small group of Therianthrope children being guided by a female elder. She spoke softly to them despite the exhaustion etched into her face.
That was another thing about Therianthropes. Their societies are heavily matriarchal.
And I didn't mean in the casual "women tend to lead" sense. No, this was deep-rooted, almost absolute. Leadership, authority and lineage all revolved around the female line To an extent, it worked. It created strong, unified structures where authority was rarely questioned and roles were clearly defined.
But sometimes, it went too far.
I watched as a younger male Therianthrope tried to step forward, probably to offer input or assistance, only to immediately back down when a female elder gave him a single, sharp look. Veneri followed my gaze. His eyes quietly observed the same interaction.
"Their societal structure prioritizes stability. In crises, that becomes even more pronounced."
"I know, but there's a difference between stability and… whatever that is. Some of them look like they're afraid to breathe without permission."
He didn't respond immediately, which usually meant he agreed but didn't feel the need to say it out loud.
We kept walking deeper into the city, passing more and more refugees. The closer we got to the center, the more organized things became. It was clear that Nelle and Xander haven't just been fighting. Still, no amount of organization could hide the reality of it.
These people were suffering.
They didn't know this realm. They didn't understand why they were here. And every day they stayed, more of them died, either in battle or from things they couldn't control. And yet, they endured.
I glanced at Veneri, watching the way his gaze lingered on the refugees.
"Hey," I said quietly, nudging him lightly with my shoulder. "Don't go into full 'save the world' mode just yet. You already made a canyon today. That's enough heroism for one evening."
He looked at me, just for a moment, and smiled.
"I'm not going to do that. I do feel pity for them but it's not my place to help them."
"Yeah, sure. And I'm not about to start teasing Nelle again the moment she relaxes."
We both knew that was a lie.
I was still watching a group of exhausted Therianthropes argue quietly over a bundle of dried rations when Veneri suddenly spoke beside me.
"Maybe I should help."
I glanced at him sideways. Is he serious?
"Wow. That sounded suspiciously charitable. Who are you and what have you done with my emotionally unavailable husband?"
He ignored that, obviously.
"Hunger is affecting all of the. Their bodies are weakened. If this continues, even without Krepsunas, they'll begin to collapse."
I followed his gaze across the ruined city again, and yeah, he wasn't wrong.
"So you're going to feed them? That's… surprisingly nice."
There was a pause. Then he added, almost as an afterthought,
"I also need Divine Energy. This is an efficient method."
I stared at him for a second.
"There it is. I knew the generosity had conditions."
Before I could say anything else, he stepped forward into the center of one of the larger open areas in the city. People noticed him almost immediately. When he raised his hand, water materialized out of nowhere. It formed a broad, elevated platform that hovered a few meters above the ground.
A few heads turned but Veneri didn't wait.
"Free food for everyone! Come and get your food!"
Hunger is a dangerous thing. It strips people down to that desperate need to just keep going one more day. The moment those words were uttered, the crowd started moving. Therianthropes from all directions began rushing toward the platform. I saw people shove past each other. I even heard the sharp snap of someone snarling when they got pushed too hard. This was turning into a full-blown riot.
Then Veneri moved his fingers slightly. His Divine Presence slammed down over the entire area like an invisible ocean crashing from above. Every single Therianthrope froze before they were to the ground by sheer pressure.
Their bodies were forced down to the ground. It felt as if gravity had suddenly increased tenfold. Even the strongest among them struggled as they tried to resist something they couldn't even see.
I felt it too, of course, but it felt like nothing for me. For them, though, it was suffocating.
Veneri didn't raise his voice.
"There is enough for everyone. You will form a line. Anyone who attempts to rush will receive nothing. And if necessary, I will withdraw my aid entirely."
Above us, water began to gather far more than before, condensing into a massive sphere high above the city. It grew rapidly, pulling in moisture from kilometers around, expanding until it loomed like a second, artificial moon. Except this one wasn't glowing.
The message was clear. If he wanted to, he could drop that. And if he did, the entire city would be erased.
Within seconds, the chaos dissolved. The pushing stopped and the snarling faded. People began pulling themselves into order, forming lines with surprising speed despite the pressure still weighing them down. Leaders—mostly female, of course—started directing their groups, enforcing structure with sharp commands and even sharper glares.
"See? Fear really does wonders for organization."
Veneri didn't respond. He simply eased the pressure slightly, just enough for them to move properly while still reminding them exactly who was in control. Once the lines were established, he lifted his hand again and opened his inventory.
Raw meat began to appear in bulk.
Large cuts materialized in stacks across the water platform. The scent hit the air almost immediately. I could see people physically flinch as their instincts reacted to it. Hunger twisted their expressions, but this time, they didn't move out of line.
If you're wondering how he has all this much meat, it's because he never remember anything from his inventory. He still has meat from when he was seventeen. One time before the First Epoch Cycle began, he went with Elyonari to buy food and he ended up buying a lot. Also, using Fool's Copy in Erna Isles to multiply his rations, he got a lot of meat to literally feed millions. After all, he did have to handle Insignia in the Fallen Bridge.
Distribution started shortly after. Each group received enough to sustain them without allowing anyone to hoard or disrupt the balance. And through it all, I felt the formation of Divine Energy. As more and more Therianthropes received food, as relief replaced desperation, as fear turned to reverence, it began to grow. All of it blended together into a steady stream of energy that flowed to
Veneri.
His Omniphage activated, absorbing it all without any grand display. I tilted my head slightly, watching him with a small smirk.
"Using fear and faith at the same time. That's kind of ruthless, even for you."
He didn't look at me.
"It's efficient."
Below us, the lines continued to move. The city was slowly stabilizing as people were fed. Above us, the massive water sphere remained suspended.
A few soldiers came to help and soon enough in four hours, everyone got more than enough.