Silver and I waited in the central plaza of the capital while the planet slowly settled into its new silence. The violet glow that now wrapped Abor’s atmosphere had dimmed slightly as the world adjusted to the shift in control. Around us, the capital city was still standing, though large portions of it had been cleared after the earlier battle. The teleportation hubs remained active.
Silver circled lazily in the sky above before descending beside me again, folding his wings behind his back. "You know," he said with a casual tone, glancing around the city, "this place feels much nicer now that most of the ugly things living here are gone."
"That was the idea," I replied.
After Knight and Lyrate departed, I hunted down every Phantom that remained within the city. Eliminating them helped push my level further, raising it to 489.
He grinned faintly. "I approve."
Our conversation ended when a portal inside the teleportation hub flared to life. The circular gate brightened suddenly, its runic frame igniting as space within it twisted into a deep violet whirl.
A moment later, figures began stepping through.
Knight emerged first, his black robes shining around him as he walked out of the portal as if returning from a routine stroll rather than a mission across sectors. His tail moved lazily behind him while his sharp gaze immediately swept the plaza.
Behind him came the others.
Steve stepped through next, stretching his shoulders as he looked around the city with open curiosity. North followed quietly, her eyes already scanning the surroundings. Ragnar’s large frame filled the portal entrance for a brief moment before he stepped aside, and Aurora appeared beside him with clear irritation on her face.
Ash exited last, glancing briefly at the portal structure itself before turning his attention forward. The gateway dimmed behind them as the spatial current stabilized again.
They flashed forward and appeared in the central plaza.
Silver crossed his arms as they approached. "That was fast."
Knight glanced at him. "I don’t have wings to slow me down."
Silver nodded. "Yes, very unfortunate for you."
Steve looked between the two of us before focusing on me with a wide grin. "So this is the Hollow Star’s base. Not exactly what I was expecting."
"Yeah. I was surprised too. Who would have thought that they will have a whole planet and civilisation to rule."
Aurora walked forward until she stood directly in front of me, her golden hair shifting softly with her movement. There was mild amusement in her expression as she studied my face.
"You asked me to lead the expedition," Aurora said calmly, studying me with that quiet, knowing look of hers, "and then you summoned me back before we even had time to properly begin."
"I needed you here," I replied.
She tilted her head slightly, golden hair shifting with the movement. "I noticed. But did you truly need us that urgently? You could have given me a little more time."
"Well," I said with a faint shrug, "I lack the personnel to do what I am planning next, so you had to come back."
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me more carefully.
"Is that really the reason," she asked slowly, "or were you simply missing your girl?"
A quiet chuckle escaped me before I glanced toward North. She met my gaze and gave a short, amused smile.
"I am not that fortunate, Aurora," she said with a cheeky smile.
Knight chose that moment to step forward, casually adjusting the sleeves of his black robe. "I have already informed them of the situation during the journey here."
Steve nodded once in agreement. "Seventy-two bases," he said, glancing around the ruined city as if imagining them all at once. "That’s quite a list."
I gave both of them a silent look of gratitude for shifting the conversation.
North folded her arms loosely, clearly understanding exactly what had just happened, though the faint curve of her lips suggested she was enjoying the moment far more than she let on.
Ragnar remained silent but attentive, clearly following the conversation without interruption.
Ash finally looked up after being done with the city exploration. "Portal infrastructure is surprisingly stable," he commented casually. "Whoever built this network knew what they were doing."
Silver leaned closer toward me and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, "He means the traitors were competent."
"They had time to prepare," I replied.
Aurora studied the surrounding structures once more before returning her gaze to me. "So what happens now?"
"We wait for Lyrate. She has gone to bring Primus and some manpower for us." I said.
Silver smirked slightly at that. "If she’s involved, something dramatic is probably happening somewhere else right now."
Knight gave a small nod in agreement.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and glanced toward North.
"Uh... North," I said, rubbing the back of my neck, "can you come here for a second?"
Her eyebrow lifted slightly, but she stepped closer anyway.
Behind us, Silver immediately leaned toward Steve with exaggerated interest. "You know," he said loudly, "this city probably has some excellent food. Civilizations that hide entire planets usually have good kitchens."
Steve’s eyes lit up instantly. "You’re absolutely right. We should investigate that."
Aurora hid a smile behind her hand. Knight nodded solemnly as if the suggestion carried great strategic importance. Ragnar shrugged and followed them, while Ash looked at me unsure what was happening before Ragnar pulled him as well.
Within seconds the entire group began drifting away, very obviously leaving the two of us alone.
I watched them go, feeling the trap close around me.
North folded her arms and looked at me calmly. "So," she said, "what was so urgent that you needed to call me aside like that?"
I coughed once. "Well... you see..."
She waited.
I looked anywhere except her face.
"I just thought," I said carefully, "that after destroying an entire planet’s secret base and planning to attack seventy-two more... maybe we could talk for a minute?"
Her lips curved.
"I am all ears."
For a moment after the others wandered away, the plaza grew quiet. The tension that had filled the air earlier had faded. The sky above Abor held that faint violet sheen left behind by my control over the world core, and for the first time since the fighting began, I realized something simple.
I was calm. There were no alarms. No enemies charging toward me. No sudden threats demanding decisions. No urgent feeling to grow strong.
It was just her.
North stood a few steps away, watching me with the same steady expression she always carried, though there was warmth in her eyes.
I took a slow breath and stepped closer.