The vaulted throne chamber of Vrasnia hummed with quiet tension. The cold, obsidian floor reflected the soft glow of Nullity energy that pulsed from Kazimir's body. Riah stood at his side, her eyes narrowed, scanning the endless expanse of broken stars visible through the cathedral-sized windows behind Vanessa's throne.
Vanessa's white eyes gleamed with fatal clarity as she descended from the dais, her voice like a blade wrapped in velvet.
Vanessa: "That's the only path forward now… If we want to reach Nebula, we have to go through her Disciples first. All of them."
Riah: (frowning) "Hold on. You made a huge claim back there—how do you know for certain that Solaris is… dead?"
Vanessa's steps slowed as she approached. The silence between them felt like a funeral bell waiting to toll. She stopped in front of Riah and looked her dead in the eyes.
Vanessa: "Think about it. If Solaris were still alive… would you, a Satura, and Kazimir, the Eye of Nullity, truly be wielding his remaining strength? Would you have inherited anything at all?"
Kazimir: (quietly) "Solaris… gave me nothing. Not directly. Only rejection."
Vanessa's tone dropped into something bitter—almost cruel.
Vanessa: "Exactly. The world you fight so hard to protect is a lie. History is an illusion curated by the survivors. What the ancients called order was really just containment. You know of Azoth, don't you?"
Riah: (nodding slowly) "The human legend. He gave his life to seal Abiba… barely injured her in the end."
Vanessa: "Then you should know this truth. He wasn't a hero. He was a sacrifice. A final ember of Solaris's will. And it wasn't even enough. Abiba lives. Barely chained. And Azoth is nothing but myth now."
Riah: (eyes wide) "But… I spoke to him. I met Solaris. I saw his light…"
Vanessa shook her head slowly. Her dark blue hair shimmered under the Nullity light.
Vanessa: "No. You saw a fragment. A vision… conjured by the remnants of the Exo Heart Solaris left behind. When your awakening triggered, the last of his memory spoke to you. And the one who's been guarding his seat ever since?"
She took a breath.
Vanessa: "Her name is Elicia. The High Dragon Angel. She's not a god. She's a placeholder. And even she is slowly fading."
Riah: (voice shaking) "Then the Exo Heart…"
Kazimir: "Is the last of his strength." (He steps forward.) "And it's meant for one thing only: to kill Nebula."
Riah's breath caught. The gravity of that truth sank into her chest like a stone thrown into a deep well.
Vanessa: (softly, but unflinching) "Yes. If either of you uses the Exo Heart… it will elevate you to the realm of the gods. Just long enough to strike her down. But the backlash..."
Kazimir: (grim) "It's suicide. That much is obvious. We're not meant to survive the transformation."
A silence fell. Not out of fear, but understanding. The kind of silence that comes before a final march into war.
Vanessa turned her back and walked slowly toward the throne. Her voice echoed off the obsidian walls like an omen.
Vanessa: "The second war of gods is coming. Not between light and dark. Not between good and evil. But between the Nullites... and the Saturas. Between those who inherited destruction… and those who inherited order."
Riah: (softly) "And the victor…?"
Vanessa: "Will not just decide the fate of the universe…"
She turned around, her white eyes glowing with dreadful resolve.
Vanessa: "…They will become the new god."