The rooftop of Precious Hearts Private School was quiet at night.
Below the building, Los Angeles was full of light. Cars moved endlessly through the streets like glowing rivers while distant music and sirens blended into the city atmosphere. The wind blew softly across the rooftop, carrying the scent of concrete, rain residue and city smoke. Veneri sat near the edge of the rooftop with several empty beer cans around him.
He held another can in his hand and took another sip before immediately making a disgusted face.
"Ugh, his tastes horrible."
Spheraphasian drinks were richer, stronger, and carried actual depth in flavor because their senses were naturally more enhanced due to their physiology and the dense environment of Spheraphase itself. Compared to that, Earth beer was so bad. Honestly, he would rather drink medicinal herbs.
He casually crushed all the cans around him using his energy. The aluminum compressed into tiny metallic balls before disintegrating into dust that scattered into the night wind. Veneri leaned back on his hands and looked up at the stars. His thoughts were messy.
A portal quietly opened beside him.
Narisva stepped out casually before sitting beside him without asking permission. Her starry hair shimmered softly beneath the moonlight while her black-hole pupils reflected the lights of the city below. She immediately wrinkled her nose.
"That smell is awful."
Veneri raised the beer can.
"I was trying alcohol."
"And?"
"It tastes like stale piss water."
Narisva nodded seriously.
"I expected that."
That actually made him laugh a little. She glanced at the destroyed cans before looking at him properly.
"Are you okay?"
Veneri leaned his head back again.
"I found out something."
"Something bad?"
"Not exactly."
"Then why do you look like someone told you the universe is held together with duct tape?"
"Close enough."
Narisva stared at him for a few moments before speaking more softly.
"A Hidden Truth?"
"I can't really talk about it."
She did not complain. Instead, she simply sat beside him quietly while the wind brushed through her hair. After a while, she finally spoke again.
"You're getting detached."
"How?"
Narisva crossed her legs and looked at the city below.
"When you were an Ascender, you felt more… emotional. You were still calm and calculating, yes, but your emotions were easier to see. You got angry more openly. You got embarrassed. You panicked sometimes. You hesitated. Now it feels like you're slowly drifting away from normal emotions."
"That sounds dramatic."
"Is it? When was the last time you felt fear?"
The question immediately shut him up.
"That's what I mean."
Narisva sighed and rested her chin on her knees.
"I don't really care about myself anymore. That part of me disappeared a long time ago after I met you."
"Nari—"
"No, listen. My life changed completely because of you. My goals changed. My future changed. Even my understanding of love changed. Before you, I only cared about revenge, survival, strength, and my own existence. But now… I worry about you more than myself. I hate it when you suddenly become distant like this."
"..."
"You carry secrets that not even I know. You encounter Hidden Truths constantly. Every time you disappear somewhere alone, I start wondering what horrifying thing you learned this time. Honestly, it's terrifying sometimes."
Veneri stayed silent while listening. Narisva slowly leaned against his shoulder.
"I can tell you became stronger again but I can't tell where the surge is coming from. Your energy changed. Your soul changed too."
Of course she noticed. She was a Primordial Celestial now. Almost nothing escaped her perception anymore. That worried her even more because every single time Veneri gained power unexpectedly, it usually meant one thing.
He suffered for it or he risked himself for it.
"Every time you vanish somewhere, I start thinking you're planning another self-sacrificial stunt behind everyone's backs."
"I haven't done that recently."
"Yes. And I'm proud of you for surviving longer than usual."
"That sounds offensive."
"It's true. You scare me sometimes, Veneri. You smile while carrying burdens that should crush people. You joke while standing near death constantly. You throw yourself into danger so naturally that it's become instinctive. And the worst part is that I know if the situation becomes bad enough… you'll sacrifice yourself again without hesitation. I don't want to lose you again."
Veneri leaned back against the cold concrete ledge of the rooftop and stared at the glowing skyline of Los Angeles. The crushed beer cans around them slowly disintegrated into particles under the pressure of his energy before vanishing completely. He changed the subject immediately.
"I already searched for memories. That's the problem."
Narisva turned at him.
"The orphanage I used to live in during my past life is gone. It's like it never existed. Even Greshina Emberforge doesn't exist here. None of my old friends exist either. It's like the Iteration erased them. The only thing that keeps surviving every single loop is this damn school. It's the only thing that still feels familiar to me."
Usually she would tease him or mock his sentimental side, but this time she simply watched him. The moonlight reflected in her pupils while she studied the exhausted expression on his face.
"The Eighth Iteration is almost identical to the Seventh but there's one major difference."
"Religion?"
"Yeah. Religion exists here properly now. There are no actual Deities on Earth anymore, but humanity somehow created belief systems powerful enough to shape Divine Energy itself. Christianity. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, they shouldn't have worked but they did. The collective belief of humanity strengthened the mythical structure of Earth itself. The Divine Energy density on this planet is actually stronger than Spheraphase in some places. Which is insane considering how weak Earth humans are physically."
Narisva rested her chin on her hand.
"So they accidentally manifested a special kind of Divine Energy through belief alone."
"Pretty much."
"That's terrifying."
"It is."
"That means if enough humans believe in something hard enough, it eventually leaves an imprint on reality itself."
"Exactly."
"Humans are horrifying."
"Welcome to Earth."
That finally made her smile a little.
"I found a way home."
Veneri immediately looked at her.
"You did?"
"Yes. But it's annoying."
"That sounds about right."
Narisva rolled her eyes before continuing.
"When Dynasty Starisnova explored other galaxies in ancient times through relics that allowed them to leave Spheraphase, they left behind spatial anchors. I can sense traces of them on Earth."
"How many?"
"A lot. They're scattered across the planet. Once we gather enough fragments, I can reconstruct the spatial coordinates of Spheraphase."
"And then?"
"I'll open a wormhole large enough to take us home."
"So basically we need to go on a world tour."
"Yes."
"That sounds troublesome. You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"A little."
Narisva leaned against him afterward and rested her head on his shoulder.
"To be honest, I don't mind staying here for a while longer. We already solved their apocalypse. The humans worship us like celebrities now. The food is surprisingly addictive. Their internet is entertaining. Their dramas are absurd. Their conspiracy theories are even worse. And this is your home, too. I want to see the world you came from."
He stayed silent for a moment before speaking quietly.
"It's not that special."
"It is to me."
That answer hit harder than he expected.
Narisva opened one eye afterward and smirked.
"Besides, if we leave immediately, I won't get to wear Earth fashion."
"That's your priority?"
"Yes. In carrying some of them back home and alter their structure so that they'll survive back there."
"You create your own dresses made from literal nebulas."
"And yet Earth hoodies are comfortable."
"That is the most terrifying thing you've ever said."
"I also want sunglasses."
"Why?"
"They make me look cool."
"You already manipulate black holes."
"And sunglasses will make me cooler."
Veneri stared at her for a few seconds before laughing helplessly. Narisva smiled quietly after hearing that laugh.
That was the sound she wanted to hear. Not the distant, detached silence he had lately. Him laughing normally beside her under the night sky was enough for her to know that he wasn't detatched to his emotions just yet.