I remained where I was, suspended in the void, as the three of them moved toward me.
Xeron was the first to speak, his composure breaking the moment he came close enough.
"When... when did you rank up?" he asked, his voice carrying clear urgency. "Why haven’t we heard anything about this?"
A faint smile formed on my face.
Without answering immediately, I drew my presence inward, suppressing the physical pressure that had been radiating from me. The silver glow around my body dimmed gradually until it disappeared completely, leaving nothing outwardly visible behind.
"Who told you I ranked up?" I asked calmly.
Xeron’s eyes widened slightly as he watched the glow fade.
"That..." he began, then paused, clearly trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "That shouldn’t be possible. You’re still at the Transcendent stage, I can feel that clearly... but then what was that just now?"
He didn’t finish the sentence.
The two Nagas standing beside him remained silent, their brows slightly furrowed as they studied me more carefully.
"Anything is possible, Xeron," I said, my tone steady. "Especially when it comes to me. So, are you going to invite me in... or should I assume this visit ends here?"
Xeron exhaled slowly, the tension in his expression easing just a little.
"You really are full of secrets," he said, shaking his head faintly. "Fine. We can talk about that later. For now... come. I’ll show you Kaalseris."
I gave a small nod.
Without another word, all of us turned and moved toward the planet.
As we descended, the true scale of Kaalseris began to reveal itself.
From a distance, it had already felt imposing, but up close, it was something else entirely. The surface was not dominated by sprawling human-like cities or chaotic expansion. Instead, the entire civilization felt...at peace.
Massive stone and metallic structures rose from the ground, their designs curved and flowing rather than rigid, resembling coiled forms and layered spirals. Wide pathways wound through the landscape like currents, and vast open regions were interwoven with dense clusters of architecture that felt both ancient and alive.
Everywhere I looked, I could see Nagas.
Some moved across the ground in their full serpentine forms, others held partial humanoid forms, their upper bodies upright while their lower halves coiled and shifted.
And powerful.
The density of Essence in the atmosphere was far beyond anything I had felt on Vaythos, and even compared to Abor, it carried a different quality.
We continued descending until a massive shape came into view.
The central castle.
It rose from the heart of the capital like a monument to power, its design both grand and intimidating. Towering walls curved upward like the body of a colossal serpent, and around the outer structure, enormous statues stood coiled in place. Each one depicted a giant serpent with its jaws open, fangs exposed, as if eternally guarding the structure behind them.
The detailing was intricate.
Every scale carved with precision. Every eye filled with intensity. We landed just outside the main entrance.
The moment Xeron touched the ground, the soldiers stationed at the entrance reacted instantly. Rows of Naga warriors straightened and saluted in perfect unison.
I followed him inside.
The interior matched the exterior in both scale and presence. The architecture was ancient, built with materials that seemed to absorb and reflect Essence simultaneously.
The walls were lined with murals, vast carvings that depicted battles, evolution, and the rise of the Naga race. Serpents of unimaginable size coiled around stars, devoured enemies, and stood as rulers over entire worlds.
I slowed slightly, letting my gaze move across them. History, power, dominance.
It was all there.
We moved deeper into the castle, ascending through wide corridors. The design did not follow simple straight lines. Everything curved, spiraled, and flowed upward.
After climbing two levels, we entered a large hall. Multiple Nagas were already present inside.
They turned as we arrived.
And their attention settled on me.
A single throne stood at the far end of the hall, elevated and untouched, its presence alone enough to command attention. On either side of the chamber, two long rows of chairs were arranged, twelve on each side, and all of them occupied by Nagas except one.
The moment we entered, all of them rose together.
Xeron stepped forward, his voice steady as it carried across the hall.
"Esteemed elders," he began, "today I present to you the second World Lord to be born in the Blue Spiral Galaxy, Saint Billion Ironhart, leader of the Order of Absolute."
A brief silence followed.
Then, as one, all of them inclined their heads.
From the first seat on the left, an old Naga woman stood. Her long white hair flowed down her back, her face marked with age and experience, and in her hand she carried a simple cane. Despite her appearance, the weight of her presence was unmistakable.
She walked toward me slowly, each step measured, before stopping just in front of me.
"Welcome to Kaalseris, Lord Billion," she said.
"Thank you for the welcome," I replied.
"It is our honor to host you," she continued. "The Matriarch is not present at the moment, so I will take the responsibility of receiving you."
"You?" Xeron stepped forward immediately, clearly displeased. "Why would you be the host, Xena? The Matriarch entrusted that role to me."
Xena didn’t even look at him at first.
"Xeron," she said calmly, "you are an idiot."
A few of the elders shifted slightly.
"If you were not," she continued, finally glancing at him, "you would have recognized Lord Billion’s significance long ago and brought him here properly instead of letting him arrive like this."
Then she turned back to me, her expression softening.
"Please ignore him," she said. "Come. Let us sit and speak while preparations are made. You arrived without notice, so we will need a little time."
She reached out and took my hand without hesitation, guiding me toward her seat.
"Well, Xeron had been inviting me for a while," I said as I followed her. "So I decided to come directly. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important."
She paused slightly, then replied, "Not an interruption... but yes, the timing is not without concern."
That confirmed it. The gathering had not been arranged for me.
Something else was already in motion.
As we reached her seat, another chair materialized beside it, formed seamlessly from the same material as the rest of the hall.
She gestured toward it. I nodded and took my seat. She settled beside me.
Across the hall, Xeron shook his head in mild frustration before moving to the first chair on the opposite side and sitting down.
The rest of the elders followed, taking their seats once again. The atmosphere in the hall shifted.
And whatever had been discussed before my arrival was about to continue.