The tremor that passed through Vaythos deepened even more. Far beneath the surface, the crystalline cocoon that held Vivi shuddered once, then again, the cracks that had spread across it finally reaching their limit. For a brief moment, everything stilled, as if the world itself held its breath.
Then the shell broke.
The crystal fractured outward, dissolving into fine particles of light that drifted away and vanished into the surrounding heat. From within, something emerged.
It wasn’t the massive phoenix I had seen before. It wasn’t the small flame phoenix.
It was a girl.
She looked to be in her early twenties, her form slender and tall. Her hair flowed down in soft waves, a deep violet that shimmered faintly as if light itself moved through it. Her eyes matched, glowing gently with the same hue, with a mischievous smile in them.
She wore a simple yet elegant dress, also tinted in shades of violet, its fabric moving lightly as if untouched by the harsh environment around her. Tucked neatly into her hair was a single white flower, small, delicate, and striking against the darker tones.
For a moment, she stood there in the core of the planet. Then space folded.
In the next instant, she appeared in the garden, right in front of me.
I looked at her carefully.
At first glance, she seemed completely human. Every detail was perfect, from the way her hair settled against her shoulders to the subtle rise and fall of her breath. But the more I focused, the clearer it became.
She wasn’t flesh like me. She was essence. Every part of her body was constructed, refined, and stabilized to such a degree that it mimicked reality flawlessly.
It was perfection.
She tilted her head slightly, a soft smile forming on her face as her eyes met mine.
"Did you miss me?"
I let out a quiet breath, a faint smile forming in return.
"Yeah," I said simply. "I did."
Her smile widened just a little at that, and without waiting, she turned and took a few light steps away. She reached out, her fingers brushing against the bark of the nearby tree, then trailing lightly over the leaves as if feeling them for the first time.
"It feels different," she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of wonder. "Everything feels... clearer."
I watched her as she moved, noticing how naturally she interacted with her surroundings, how nothing about her seemed out of place.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
She turned slightly, spinning once in place, the ends of her dress shifting gently with the motion before settling again. "Good," she said, almost thoughtfully. "Better than before. Lighter... but also more complete."
"That sounds like an upgrade," I said.
"It is," she nodded, then walked a little further, crouching slightly to run her fingers through the grass. The blades bent under her touch, reacting to her as if she were any other living being.
"My perception has changed a lot," she continued. "Before, I could see and sense everything across the planets I controlled, but now..." she paused, looking upward for a moment, "...it’s more refined. I don’t just see what is happening. I understand it faster. Patterns, movements, changes... it all connects."
I nodded slightly. "Galaxy-level processing."
She looked back at me with a small grin. "Something like that."
"And control?" I asked.
"Much better," she replied, standing up again. "I don’t have to focus as much anymore. It feels natural now. Like breathing."
She walked back toward me slowly, her hands moving lightly through the air, as if testing the space itself.
"And you?" she asked. "What did you do while I was gone?"
"A few upgrades," I said casually.
"Only a few?" she raised a brow.
I chuckled. "Enough to keep up with you."
She stopped right in front of me again, studying my face for a moment before smiling softly.
"Yeah, I can feel that," she said. "Something has definitely changed in you."
There was a lightness in her voice and confidence now.
She stayed in front of me for a moment longer, that quiet smile still resting on her face, and then without any warning, she turned away again as if something had caught her attention beyond the garden.
"What do you think of this place?" she asked casually.
Before I could respond, the ground shifted.
The edge of the cliff where the garden rested began to extend outward, the land reshaping itself. The boundaries of the garden expanded steadily, curving around the capital below, forming a wide, natural enclosure that began to resemble a massive crater surrounding the city.
I watched in silence as the transformation continued.
She glanced back at me briefly, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "It’s easier now. I don’t need to focus on one thing at a time anymore."
As she spoke, new trees began to emerge across the expanding land. Dozens of variety in them.
Each different in shape, color, and structure. Some had deep violet leaves that shimmered faintly, others carried shades of gold and blue, while a few seemed almost translucent, their branches catching light in strange ways. The entire area filled rapidly, yet nothing felt crowded or forced. Every tree found its place naturally.
At the same time, the essence density was also increasing.
It rose sharply.
The capital below responded instantly, the flow of energy becoming richer, heavier, more potent. Even the air itself felt thicker with power.
"And this?" I asked, glancing around.
"Better growth conditions," she replied simply.
Behind her, the giant tree at the center of the garden began to change.
Its trunk thickened, expanding outward until it reached an almost absurd scale. The diameter alone grew close to a hundred meters, its roots digging deeper, anchoring it firmly as its canopy spread wider across the sky.
I exhaled lightly. "You’re not holding back, are you?"
She shook her head slightly. "No reason to."
She moved forward again, her fingers brushing against one of the newly formed trees as she continued speaking.
"I can feel everything now," she said, her tone turning softer, more focused. "The entire galaxy. Every planet, every form of life, every species... it’s all there."
"All at once?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yes. But it’s not overwhelming anymore. It’s... organized. I can focus on anything I want instantly."
"That’s convenient."
"It is," she smiled faintly, though her expression shifted slightly after that. "But not everything is clean."
I looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"There are still traces," she said. "Deathmist... phantoms... abominations. Scattered across different regions. Not as dominant as before, but they’re still there."
"So cleanup isn’t done yet."
"No," she shook her head. "But it will be."
She paused for a moment, her gaze lifting slightly as if looking far beyond the horizon.
"I can also feel the edges," she continued. "The boundaries of the galaxy. And the weak points."
My expression sharpened slightly. "Weak points?"
"Places where the structure is thin," she explained. "Where something from outside can push through. Where rifts can form."
"And?"
She looked back at me, calm and confident. "I can take care of those now."
A small smile formed on my face. "That’s good to hear."
She nodded, but this time, her expression didn’t return to its earlier lightness.
"There’s something else," she said.
I noticed the shift immediately. "What is it?"
She hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering.
"I can feel... a restriction."
"A restriction?" I repeated.
"Yes," she said slowly. "Like something is missing. Not incomplete... but taken away. Something that should be part of this, part of me.....isn’t here anymore."
I frowned slightly. "And you know where it is?"
Her eyes narrowed just a little as she focused.
"The Crimson Zone," she said.
That made me pause.
"You’re sure?"
"I can feel it," she nodded. "Whatever that missing piece is... it’s there."
Then she added, almost as an afterthought, "I can also feel the system."
I looked at her again. "What about it?"
"It’s present," she said. "Everywhere. Interwoven into everything in the galaxy."
"That’s not new."
"No," she agreed. "But what is new... is how it feels."
"And?"
She looked directly at me this time.
"It doesn’t belong here."