Both of us fell silent, eyes closed, focused on our own tasks.
Vivi remained still, completing her connection with the galaxy, her presence spreading far beyond what I could directly perceive. At the same time, I was lost in something else entirely. Waves of understanding continued to pour into my mind, each one deeper than the last. The laws I had known were no longer the same. They expanded, sharpened, and connected in ways that felt natural.
Time passed without meaning.
Eventually, the flow slowed.
The surge of information settled, no longer overwhelming. I opened my eyes slowly, the shift in my awareness still lingering, when the system notification appeared before me.
[Laws upgraded]
[Level 5 -> Level 8]
I blinked, surprised by the jump.
Three levels was a big leap.
Before I could process it further, another notification followed.
[Title unlocked -> Monarch of the Blue Spiral]
[Effect: All decisions within Blue Spiral default to you. Council authority reduced to advisory within your galaxy]
A small smile formed on my face.
"Finally... something good."
I exhaled lightly and turned my attention inward once more, looking at the Dawn World.
It was no longer just a world.
The scale had changed completely.
The core alone had expanded to a size that could hold hundreds of Vaythos within it, and it was still stabilizing. Above it, the sky was no longer a simple boundary. A moon now hung in place, steady and silent, while beyond it stretched an expanding void.
Stars flickered into existence across that darkness, scattered but real.
Closer to the core, fragments of matter drifted freely. Asteroids moved along newly formed paths, while clusters of mass slowly gathered, colliding and separating as if attempting to form something greater. Some regions showed early signs of structure, loose formations that hinted at planets or gas bodies that had not yet taken shape.
It was not complete. It looked less like a world... and more like the beginning of a galaxy forming from nothing.
That was when I felt a shift in Vivi.
A subtle stirring passed through her presence, and a moment later, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Vivi, you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah," she replied, her voice steady, though slightly quieter than before. "But I’ll need to go into hibernation again."
I nodded without hesitation. "Alright. Let’s go."
"Wait a minute," she said.
Before I could respond, she moved.
She slipped out of the restrained serpent’s body, and I followed right behind her. The moment we emerged back into the void, her form began to change.
It expanded.
Rapidly.
Her phoenix form returned, but this time it was even larger, more overwhelming than before. Her body stretched across the void, easily dwarfing the massive serpent that was still bound by my chains. The scale difference was clear now. What once felt enormous now seemed smaller in comparison.
She was vast enough to devour something as large as a moon without effort.
I watched in silence as she opened her mouth.
A pull formed instantly.
The essence that made up the serpent began to break apart, losing its structure as it was dragged toward her. Green streams of condensed energy tore free from the bound body, rushing toward her like a collapsing tide. Within seconds, the entire serpent dissolved and was consumed by her.
Everything that remained of it vanished into her.
The void fell quiet again.
"Let’s go now," her voice echoed in my mind.
Before I could take a step, space folded.
In the next instant, I was back on Vaythos, standing in the garden. Vivi hovered beside me once again, returned to her usual small form, as if nothing extraordinary had just taken place.
I let out a small breath. "Wow... that was fast."
"Billion," she said, her tone more tired now, "I’ll be gone for almost a month. Maybe more. But when I return... I’ll have full control over the Blue Spiral."
I listened without interrupting.
"And after that," she continued, "if even one Eternal steps inside our boundary... I’ll know."
There was quiet confidence in her voice.
Absolute certainty.
"You take care," she added.
Before I could say anything else, her body ignited.
A burst of violet flame flashed outward, and in the next moment, she was gone.
I stood there in silence, following her presence as it moved.
She didn’t drift or slow down. She went straight through Vaythos, descending rapidly, deeper and deeper until she reached the very core of the planet. I could feel it clearly through our connection. The burning center, where heat and pressure reached their peak, where even essence behaved differently.
And that was where she stopped. A moment later, her presence settled.
I raised a brow slightly.
"She went straight to the core..." I muttered. "Does she need the temperature?"
The thought lingered for a second before I let it go. There was no point overanalyzing it right now. Whatever she was doing, it was part of her process.
I exhaled lightly and rolled my shoulders.
"So... I have more than a month on my hands," I said, a faint chuckle escaping me. "Time for a small vacation, I guess."
Space folded around me. In the next instant, I disappeared from the garden and reappeared on Abor.
I walked straight into the central command.
The large hall was alive with activity, projections floating mid-air, reports shifting, commanders moving in and out with purpose. At the center stood Primus, exactly where I expected him to be, going through multiple streams of information at once.
He noticed me immediately.
"Billion," he said, straightening slightly before giving a small nod. "You’re back."
"Looks like things didn’t fall apart without me," I replied, glancing around.
"Barely," he said dryly. "We almost lost everything in the last five minutes."
I gave him a look.
He held it for a second... then a faint smile appeared.
"Everything is under control," he added. "Operations are complete."
I stepped closer. "So what’s the status?"
"All remaining rifts have been cleared. Residual abominations and phantom nests have been eliminated. There are offcourse planets still left to be cleared but we have left them to the races." He paused briefly before continuing, "Your summons have also returned. All of them."
"Good," I said. "No issues?"
"Nothing worth your attention," he replied. "A few minor hiccups here and there, but they were dealt with quickly."
I nodded, satisfied.
For a moment, both of us stood there in silence, watching the projections shift.
Then Primus cleared his throat slightly.
"There is... one more thing."
I glanced at him. "That tone already tells me I won’t like it."
"The Naga faction has sent a formal request," he said. "They want to organize a celebration. They’ve specifically asked for you to attend as the chief guest."
I stared at him for a second. Then I scoffed.
"The Nagas... want to host a celebration?"
"Yes," Primus said, completely serious. "Apparently, it’s to commemorate the liberation of the Blue Spiral and to acknowledge your leadership."
I let out a short laugh.
"That’s new. I didn’t know they had it in them to celebrate anything other than their own importance."
"They seemed... very enthusiastic," Primus added.
"That’s even worse."
He remained quiet, clearly waiting for my response.
"Decline it," I said without hesitation.
Primus nodded slightly, but I continued.
"And tell them something else."
He raised a brow.
"The Order of Absolute will arrange a feast instead," I said. "If there’s going to be a celebration, it’ll be on our terms."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I’ll pass the message."
"Make sure it’s clear," I added. "No misunderstandings. I don’t want them thinking this is a joint effort."
"Of course," he said.
I glanced around the hall again before looking back at him.
"So everything’s done, my summons are back, and now I’m being invited to parties I didn’t ask for," I said. "Anything else I should be worried about?"
Primus thought for a second.
"No," he said. "For once, things are... stable."
I narrowed my eyes slightly. "I don’t like how that sounds."
"Neither do I," he admitted.
A brief silence passed between us before I shifted my focus.
"Where’s North?" I asked.
"At home," he said.