A day passed since the alignment adjustments between the worlds and stabilizing the flow of essence, I returned to my room in Cairo on Vaythos.
I sat down cross-legged, focusing on one of the remaining conditions I needed to complete.
After a while, I opened my eyes and pulled up my status window to look at my attributes.
Attributes :
- Strength: Omega + (9990)
- Constitution: Omega + (9990)
- Dexterity: Omega + (9990)
- Psynapse : Omega + (9990)
After coming back, I had been continuously infusing Essence into my attributes, pushing them higher again and again. I still had my doubts about what exactly Amun meant by Pre-Origin, but my current assumption was simple, every attribute needed to reach ten thousand. So I brought each of them as close to that threshold as I could.
I did not want to cross that limit here. If there was going to be a breakthrough, I wanted it to happen on Abor.
I took a deep breath, then stood up and stepped out of my room.
Grandma was sitting in the living room, flipping through a book. She looked up the moment I entered and smiled.
"Oh, are you done?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. Let’s go. Have you packed everything you need?"
She closed the book and stood up.
"Yes, I have everything," she said, lightly tapping the ring on her finger.
I walked over and held her hand, and together we stepped out of the house. The door closed softly behind us.
We both turned around and looked at it. The house we had lived in for so long.
The place where everything had begun.
For a few seconds, neither of us said anything.
Then Grandma spoke.
"Can you build me a similar house on Abor?" she asked. "That shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
I nodded without hesitation.
"Of course," I said. "That won’t be a problem."
"Vivi," I muttered.
In the next instant, space folded. Grandma and I vanished from in front of the house and reappeared inside Vivi’s garden beneath the massive tree. A number of people were already gathered there.
All of my summons stood together. North and Steve were nearby, while Arkas, Edgar, and Emperor Lucien stood a little apart, speaking quietly among themselves. Vivi hovered above the essence pool, her small form glowing faintly.
"Oh, look who finally decided to show up," Steve said the moment we arrived. "You’re late by almost half an hour."
"Yeah, I got busy with something," I replied calmly before looking around at everyone. "So, is everyone ready to go?"
"Yes, we are," Lucien said, stepping forward.
I nodded.
"In my absence, Vaythos will still need to be managed properly," he continued. "The generals have already been briefed. They will oversee the military and maintain stability across the planet."
"That’s good," I said.
Arkas crossed his arms.
"You weren’t planning to leave us behind, were you?" he asked.
Edgar snorted.
"As if we’d let that happen," he added. "You’re going off to another world and expect us to sit here and relax? Not happening."
I allowed a faint smile.
"I figured you’d say that."
Both of them were clearly set on going, and I wasn’t going to argue.
Then my gaze shifted to Vivi.
"And you?" I asked.
She tilted her head.
"I’m coming," she said immediately. "There’s no way I’m missing this."
I nodded, but before I could say anything else, she added,
"But..."
Her body flickered.
A small portion of her essence separated from her main form, condensing in the air beside her. Slowly, it took shape, another tiny phoenix, similar in appearance but dimmer, its violet glow softer and less intense.
The smaller Vivi fluttered its wings uncertainly.
I raised an eyebrow.
"That’s new."
Vivi looked at it and spoke in a firm tone.
"You will stay here and watch over Vaythos."
The smaller version nodded immediately.
"If anything unusual happens, you inform me," Vivi continued.
"Yes," it replied in a softer voice.
"And protect the planet."
"I will."
Satisfied, Vivi turned back toward me.
"This one will manage things while I’m gone."
I nodded.
"That works."
With that, everyone was ready. The garden fell silent for a brief moment. It was time to leave Vaythos.
"Alright, let’s go," I said.
One by one, everyone lifted into the air and descended onto the teleportation circle. As soon as they settled into position, I released my Essence. It surged outward in a controlled wave, flowing into the runes beneath our feet as the entire formation lit up with a deep violet glow.
Space twisted.
The circle activated.
In the next instant, the world around us collapsed into a tunnel of light.
We emerged on Abor.
The familiar isolated island greeted us, the mist-covered surroundings and towering statues standing silently at the edges. The air itself felt heavier, richer with Essence, pressing gently against the senses as if acknowledging our arrival.
For a brief moment after we arrived, no one spoke.
The difference was immediate.
Grandma was the first to react. Her grip on my hand tightened slightly as she looked around, her eyes narrowing as she tried to process what she was feeling.
"This..." she said slowly, taking a small breath. "This air feels heavier."
"It is," I replied.
She lifted her free hand slightly, as if testing the space around her.
"It’s not just the air," she continued. "Something is... pressing back."
Edgar let out a low whistle.
"Well, I’ll be damned," he muttered, turning in place as his gaze swept across the island. "This isn’t just a stronger planet. The Essence here feels... thicker. Like it’s actually resisting me."
He clenched and unclenched his fingers.
"And sharper too," he added. "Like it has structure."
Arkas remained silent for a moment, his expression serious as he focused inward.
Then he spoke.
"The laws here are denser," he said. "I can feel them more clearly... but at the same time, they’re harder to grasp."
He looked at me.
"It’s like the world itself has stricter rules."
Emperor Lucien took a step forward, his presence calm but attentive.
"The space feels... stable," he said after a moment. "Far more stable than Vaythos."
He paused.
"Even the slightest distortion here feels... difficult."
I nodded.
"That’s because it is." They all looked at me.
I let a small smile form.
"You might not fully feel it yet," I said, looking at each of them, "but this planet lies in a sector near the center of the Blue Spiral Galaxy. That means everything here—Essence, laws, even space itself—is of a much higher quality than what you’re used to on Vaythos."
They listened quietly.
"You’ll need time to adjust," I continued. "Meditate here. Let your bodies and minds adapt to the density. If you do it right, this place might push your comprehension further than anything before."
I paused briefly.
"So let’s not waste time."
"Vivi."
In the next instant, space folded again.
The island vanished, and we reappeared within the capital of Abor.
Standing at the entrance of a large central complex was Primus.
The moment we appeared, he stepped forward with a composed expression that quickly shifted into a welcoming smile.
"Welcome," he said, his gaze moving across everyone. "I see you’ve brought quite the group with you."
He turned slightly toward the others.
"This is Abor," he continued. "A special planet I must say. I’ll guide you through everything. There is a lot you’ll need to understand."
With that, the group from Vaythos began following Primus as he led them toward the central dome, explaining things along the way.
"And what about us, boss?" Lyrate said, stepping forward with a slight grin. "Vaythos was fun... but it got a little boring."
I chuckled faintly.
"Well, we—"
I paused mid-sentence and pulled up my Saint quest.
Six days remaining. The timer ticked down steadily beside the objective: Defeat Defender Aurora.
I closed the window.
"We’re not staying idle," I said, looking at them. "We’ll go collect some merit points."
Ragnar’s eyes lit up immediately.
"Now that sounds better."
"Our next target," I continued, "is a Grade 3 rift."
Knight gave a small nod.
"Finally."
Lyrate smiled wider.
"Now that’s the kind of fun I was hoping for."