"Vaelith Umbryss, where are you going?"
The voice came like a whisper carried on divine winds. Seraphira, the radiant Goddess of Light, descended in her shimmering attire, her eyes narrowing at the First Black Lion.
Vaelith did not look back. Her long black hair drifted like a shadow, golden eyes piercing through the storms that had not yet settled.
"I'm going to follow my descendant," she answered calmly. "That boy… Aizen Arcime. He inherited my powers, though his grasp of them is clumsy. He wields the Beast Fang, yet it hasn't fully manifested. His techniques are raw, his instincts sharp but unrefined. He's strong, yes—stronger than I expected—but still young for a Black Lion."
Her voice softened, almost amused.
"Normal lions live to one or two centuries at most. But the Black Lion? If they reach their final evolution… they stand on the edge of immortality. From three hundred years onward, their strength may never end."
Seraphira tilted her head. "And the boy?"
Vaelith smirked faintly. "That child stumbled into perfect evolution early. At only two hundred and eighty years' potential, he forced his body into it. He's a miracle… or a disaster waiting to happen. I want to train him before the world decides for us which he'll become."
Her eyes flicked upward, toward the void between worlds. "Besides… that hasn't moved. Which means its counterpart hasn't either."
Seraphira's smile faded. "You're right. For now."
---
Elsewhere—
"Theodore, are you okay?" Lucien clutched his hand, her red eyes filled with worry. "That earthquake… even the skies shook."
The boy smiled weakly, brushing dust from his clothes. "I'm fine, Lucy. Just tired. The tremors made me dizzy." He squeezed her hand, steadying himself, and the two leaned on one another as the battlefield quieted.
---
But far above, in the Great Palace of Dimensions, voices thundered.
"You fools!" a Celestial Elder slammed his hand on the council table, his silver robes rippling with divine energy. "You should have left those children out of this! If they had not interfered, the battle between Leviathan and Bakunawa would have been eternal."
Another Celestial rose, robes gleaming with starlight. "Wrong. Leviathiel failed thirteen times before, but with the Bakunawa children present, she succeeded. The mother could finally be restrained—and her rage softened. Without them, the Leviathan would have torn the seas apart and the Bakunawa would have burned the skies. Their war would have swallowed galaxies!"
The chamber shook with divided voices.
One Celestial's cold tone cut through:
"Why do we meddle in such affairs? Should we, the highest of beings, stoop to the struggles of lower creatures? Let them destroy themselves. Let the balance reset."
A woman's voice snapped back, sharp as a blade. "Arrogance suits you poorly. Do you forget what they were once? The Leviathan and the Bakunawa weren't monsters—they were our equals. Members of this very Celestial Council. Lovers once, until betrayal and time tore them apart. This is no petty quarrel—this is the shadow of a broken bond."
The room grew tense.
Olivierr, seated quietly until now, finally spoke. Her golden gaze cut across the chamber.
"Be silent. You talk of arrogance, yet I see my younger self in your daughter. She mirrors you more than you dare admit."
The Celestial bristled. "Don't—"
"Enough!" Olivierr's voice rang, ending the argument. "What matters is that the calamity has passed—for now. If the battle had continued, if those two Celestial beings had unleashed even a fraction more of their power—five percent was enough to shatter realms—then the universe itself would have cracked."
A heavy silence blanketed the council.
"Dismissed," Olivierr commanded.
And so the chamber emptied, but not the tension in their hearts.
---
Back on the mortal plane, Aizen lay unconscious, carried by his soldiers toward safety. Unseen, Vaelith's golden eyes lingered on him.
"Sleep now, descendant," she murmured. "For when you wake… your true training begins."
(End of Chapter 59)
---
Do you want Chapter 60 to open directly with Aizen's dream training under Vaelith (his consciousness trial), or should it focus first on the aftermath with Theodore, Lucien, and the recovering army before we dive back into Aizen's perspective?