Chapter 331: Ripple Effects

Orrax stood in the middle of the Apex Spire’s receiving hall, giving his report with all due brevity. The rest of the Personal Elites kept silent at his back. His skin still paled slightly were the dark red light trickled from the cracks, the remnants of the effort it took to shove the outer corridor and then withdraw from Nyx.

"Local First Progenitor intercepted us at the border," the warrior intoned. "Claimed the sealed universe as her exclusive zone of destruction for now, gave us this to pass on to you, and refused to let us pass. Couldn’t engage her, sir. Had to withdraw."

Veyra’s angular features twitched as she added her own summary. "The density of authorities inside the region is tremendously high while she’s in the system. We couldn’t contribute meaningfully to the tally. Calculations suggest that she’s the apex of the sealed universe prior to our arrival. Doesn’t behave under the same hierarchies while in her zone of influence."

Kael’s solar fire flared higher than usual, his aggression still simmering in his chest. Ryn maintained his frosty vigil. Seris’s manacles coiled restlessly. Hollow simply stood in wait, his shape shifting.

"Understood," said Vaelor from his high seat, his thoughts heavy with the implications. The floating projection of the sealed universe hovered at his right, still marked with the scars of the recent Reaver battle, the shallow incursions of the Personal Elites. "...Nyx. First Progenitor of Aeloria’s first successful seed. We thought her sealed."

"Aeloria’s?" murmured Lirian, who stood on the edge of the dais in his silver-light form. "If her return was total, subsequent interventions would require either her permission or an investment of force beyond our means for now."

"I’m aware," said Vaelor quietly.

He got to his feet from the chair. Surveyed the projection with a pensive look. "Korrath is dead. Selene has his core. Aeloria keeps her secret still about what grows in her depths, but now the original Progenitor of that universe has risen from her slumber and declared this sphere her exclusive territory for the time being. This is no longer about mere corrections to the past."

Lirian frowned. "Options?"

"Monitoring continues," said Vaelor. "Selene is aware as well. No further interventions until I can reconsider my options against Nyx personally." He turned to stare at the six Elites. "You’re all recalled from direct involvement in the sealed universe for now. Take up posts observing its fringes until either Nyx leaves said area or Aeloria reveals herself. Keep me posted."

Orrax gave a sharp nod. The Personal Elites filed out of the chamber in silence. Vaelor stood alone in the hall, watching the projection. Measuring the shape of his next order, which was far more difficult than he cared to admit.

Aeloria’s head snapped up in the starfire realm.

The oppressive weight she’d sealed away long ago was no longer restrained. Nyx had broken free, and not a moment too soon - the Loom had already tried to breach the region in her absence and been forced back. Aeloria’s icy mask stayed in place, but the air temperature dropped by several degrees. She, too, had known that the seals would not hold forever, but seeing their integrity fail while the Loom’s forces were at their peak and her own primary seed was in the throes of explosive growth at the center was not a convenient revelation.

Her gaze flicked to the platform at the far end of the room, where Lucifer continued his high-intensity refining process of the core she’d tasked him with. He was doing well with True Divine. Still, he knew little of the war that had just happened in the Vampire Realm, much less the death of one of the Reavers and the potential return of the First Progenitor seed. Aeloria thought it best that it remain that way for the time being. Knowledge was another form of power, after all.

Nyx’s liberty was a different matter entirely. Aeloria turned her attention back to the edge of her perception, skimming over the distant reaches of her sphere, following the path of that familiar, suffocating darkness to its source. The First Progenitor had not only breached the confines of the seals - she was invading deeper into the sealed universe, seeking the heart of the matter.

Selene could feel the change as well. The ebbing wave of her own power, the lingering aftershocks of Korrath’s core still rippling through her veins, had slowed to a trickle as the newcomer’s presence pressed in on her. Her pulse quickened as the foreign energy washed over her - thick, heavy, and utterly native to this plane. It was far older than the Progenitor of the sealed universe, older even than her own, the other Firsts, and the realms she had wandered through.

Selene hovered at the far edge of the Loom’s reach, her white-fire ribbons marking the contours of her starlight-woven body, her mind whirring. Pursuing the hybrid signature was one matter entirely, but with Aeloria’s seals and decoys to contend with, it had proven to be a slow and methodical endeavor. Now, with the appearance of a First Progenitor who had just rebuffed Vaelor’s Personal Elites, the balance of the hunt had shifted.

Direct engagement with Nyx was not an option - not before understanding the full nature of her presence and capabilities, and perhaps not at all, if her interference with the Loom was any indication. However, avoiding her entirely was equally out of the question if the hunt for the hybrid was to continue. Selene’s mind turned to other possibilities, calculating risk and reward.

Korrath was dead, but his core had fueled her own power. She would not squander its potential on a reckless fight with a Progenitor who had just denied six warriors of the Personal Elites. Taking a different approach to the hunt, one that would allow her to observe Nyx without direct confrontation while continuing to filter through the Loom’s endless supply of false leads, was a far wiser investment of her time.

She adjusted her trajectory, following a longer flight path that would minimize her exposure to the First Progenitor, her starlight limbs folding tighter as she prepared to make her move.

The repercussions of Nyx’s actions echoed through the region. Vaelor no longer had the open approval of destruction to operate with, and Aeloria faced the return of the first and most dangerous seed she’d ever fought to bind. Selene treaded more carefully with her pursuit of the hybrid, and Nyx herself, newly emancipated, made her way toward the heart of the conflict that had drawn her back into this sphere. Three significant powers found themselves in the same sealed arena, with varied intentions about what should be done with what grew at its center.

The silence that had settled over the receiving hall after the Elites’ departure was only a pause before the next round of maneuvering, with the next round of challenges yet to come.