Chapter 80: Jet Fuel
5th Day of the 1st Fire Cycle[1], 2000 g.c.
The air on Floor 33 had stopped moving.
What once was a dead and silent prison chamber, lined with cages of drained Wolven corpses, now pulsed like a living wound. Every breath tasted like heat, iron, and sweet magiton residue. The air was heavy—too thick to swallow without feeling it scrape down the throat. The pale blue glow from the ceiling's mana crystals flickered under the strain of clashing energies, shimmering the light further as each spark of mana clusters collided in the open. Dust trembled off the stone walls. The world felt small and suffocating.
Azumi Midori's fury was practically visible. Her magick cracked in the air like static lightning, green and bright blue streaks flashing through her body. Every step she took left smoldering prints on the floor. The Harlequin Witch looked like a nuke ready to bust.
Nicole stood near the far end of the chamber, staring between Azumi and Omnia. Her heartbeat was too loud. It pulsed in her ears, rapid and uneven. Sweat slid down her temple as her hands trembled by her side. She wanted to breathe, but every inhale came with a shudder.
Omnia, however, was unmoved. The Twilight Goddess did not blink, did not twitch, did not even seem alive except for the slow rise of her chest. Her twin panther tails brushed the floor with slow, rhythmic sways. Cyan eyes—slitted like a cat's—watched Azumi with the calm of something that had already measured the odds and found them irrelevant. She adjusted her glasses with a single finger, the reflection of mana light flashing across the lens like a distant lightning strike.
Unseen to either woman, a telepathic request passed through the aether, intercepted by [Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi] before it ever reached me.
"Tsukuyomi, I'm requesting [Master's Gift] in full access."
"Since our master has not restricted his Skill Library for you," [Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi] replied, "I grant you full access to use any of his skills freely."
A faint chime echoed into her soul.
A small smile curved Omnia's lips. "Now I get to experience the power of the Abraxas firsthand… my beloved's power in its truest form. The dead girl inside me could dance for joy."
Her focus snapped back as Azumi's voice erupted from across the chamber, loud enough to rattle the cells.
"Angel Mana Arts: Judgment Day!"
The words themselves vibrated through the bones of the chamber. Omnia's pupils constricted as she sensed the eruption before it even manifested. A surge of kinetic and ether-based energy exploded from Azumi's hands, the raw heat slicing across the room like the breath of a miniature sun.
Omnia moved.
The blast passed through where she stood, erasing everything in its trajectory. Walls, ceiling, cells—gone in a storm of light. The ground cracked under the pressure. Prison bars melted, and the air screamed.
Nicole tried to cover her eyes as the shockwave hit, knocking her backward. Dust and heat filled her lungs. She would have been consumed by the blast if not for Omnia's sudden appearance beside her—her hand gripping Nicole's shoulder as she yanked her away from the oncoming destruction.
A blink later, Omnia vanished again, reappearing right in front of Azumi. The Harlequin Witch reacted on instinct. Her palms hit the floor as she shouted, "Earth Mana Arts: Jungle Shibari!"
The ground split open. Mana-infused vines tore through the cracks, whipping around the Twilight Goddess like serpents, reaching for her arms, neck, legs—anything they could bind. But Omnia flowed through them like wind through grass. She twirled, ducked, and sidestepped, letting each vine strike only air or wrap around its brothers.
Azumi clicked her tongue, frustrated. Her body was trembling from the power surge.
"You're pretty fast, bitch."
Omnia's eyes glowed faintly brighter. "So this is what it feels like to wield his [Auto Evade]. Without my master's bottomless mana, this skill would easily drain me dry in minutes. Borrowing from his infinity makes this child's play."
She adjusted her glasses again, smiling faintly. "Do you understand now why I had to separate myself from you? We are chaos incarnate. Together, we are too wild to be predicted. Difficult to control."
Azumi's face twisted in anger. "You made me this way! I'm only your reflection—your true nature!"
"That's only partially true," Omnia replied calmly. "You were never my true nature. You were my urges, my excess, my unfinished song."
"Don't talk down to me like you're better just 'cause you're walking around in some new, fake body."
Omnia nodded once, predator-calm. "Now that I have bonded completely with Master Xiro, I am better. You're a shadow echo—an outdated refrain reborn as an Anima."
"Bitch."
The word dripped with venom as Azumi's rage spiked. Her palms ignited in swirling orange and red as Fire Mana thickened the air. The temperature rose sharply, turning the chamber into a furnace. Ash and ozone filled the air as the Harlequin Witch laughed, flames swirling into a single, enormous sphere of compressed fire.
Nicole's breath hitched as the heat licked her face. A memory hit her—Vivian Village's last hour, burning. The smell of homes turning to charcoal, the silent screams of blood-drained women and children swallowed by the flames. The same witch laughing in the glow of destruction.
"That spell," Nicole gasped, voice shaking. "She's going to destroy the entire floor! We'll all die!"
Omnia's only response was a small, amused chuckle as she summoned blue motes to her palm. They swirled and condensed, forming into the sleek shape of a pistol, the Blue Queen.
Azumi thrust her hands forward, voice echoing through the chamber.
"Time to die! Fire Mana Arts: Phoenix Bomb!"
The floor scorched as a gigantic firebird erupted from her palms, wings spanning nearly the width of the room. It screeched as it charged forward, heatwaves melting the steel bars nearby.
Omnia aimed. The gun sang with pressure.
With a sound like glass snapping, a bullet of condensed Water Mana tore through the air, glowing indigo-blue as it collided head-on with the phoenix.
The world drowned in light.
The collision birthed an explosion of steam that rocked the chamber. The ground rippled. The walls imploded. A sound like thunder cracked outward, followed by a wind strong enough to lift Nicole off her feet.
"Arrgghhh, Blaugg!"
She screamed, her body crashing into the far wall. Pain exploded in her stomach. She blinked through the haze, disoriented, until she realized something cold and wet was pressing into her gut.
Two steel pipes.
They were sticking through her abdomen. Blood poured down her waist, soaking into her legs, pooling beneath her feet. Her breath came out in short gasps. When she tried to scream, the taste of iron filled her throat. Her mind tried to form my name, but failed halfway.
She couldn't see Omnia. Couldn't see Azumi. Just fog—dense, boiling fog.
Then a fading darkness.
Azumi coughed violently, stumbling forward. "You—damn you—"
The Harlequin Witch turned in circles, unable to sense where her opponent was. Her voice was shaky, angry, but laced with fear. "Where are you?"
Omnia's voice came from everywhere and nowhere all at once, smooth as honey over steel. "It's almost too easy, Azumi. This is the power of the Abraxas. His power. And by his side, I've found my peace and joy."
"I don't care who your boyfriend is!" Azumi screamed into the mist. "I'll beat his ass myself just to prove I'm better than your stupid obsession!"
Omnia's voice chuckled, low and cold. "You still don't understand. I wouldn't want to compete with the man I love."
"That's cause you're a loser ass bitch who doesn't understand how amazing we are." Azumi spun in place, waving her arms, desperate. "Always second to a man—it's disgusting!"
Something shifted behind her. A subtle shift in pressure. The faintest whisper of movement.
Before she could turn, Omnia appeared behind her like a ghost. One sharp, precise strike landed against the base of Azumi's neck. The Harlequin Witch's eyes rolled back as her body went limp, crumpling forward onto the cracked stone.
Omnia looked down at her fallen former shadow. "You never understood how amazing he truly is. Or how amazing he makes me feel."
The fog finally began to clear. The destroyed chamber came back into view—bars twisted, corpses half-buried in rubble, the pale Dhampir still pinned against the wall, breathing shallowly.
Silence settled like ash over the ruin. Then...
Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.
Omnia's tails lifted slightly, her eyes narrowing. A moment later, the door was kicked open. Lynnette Judas stumbled through the lingering steam, fanning her face and coughing. The Ascended Human's teal eyes widened at the sight—the bleeding Dhampir, the unconscious witch, and Omnia standing untouched in the center of it all.
"What the hell happened here?" Lynnette's voice trembled between awe and suspicion. "What happened to the Harlequin Witch?"
Omnia's eyes glowed faintly indigo. "I pacified her before she could become a problem for my master. Are you a friend of hers?"
"Acquaintances," Lynnette said carefully, stepping closer. "You don't seem like a Panty Raider. Guess not everyone's enjoying the party." Her expression sharpened. "I can't sense her mana. It's almost bottomless, shrouded by something dark."
Omnia smiled faintly. "Let's just say I'm here because someone decided to let the Devil in."
"The Devil?" Lynnette's curiosity sharpened into hunger. "The Oni they were talking about… could she mean him? Things are about to get active, Lyn-Lyn."
Her body tensed. Her black dress shifted as she slid into a combat stance, muscles coiling with anticipation. The air around her hummed faintly with magitons.
Omnia tilted her head, watching her like a cat watching prey. Her tails flicked once, slow and deliberate. "So you've chosen conflict over conversation. Very well."
Lynnette smirked. "You're not leaving without telling me where he is."
"Oh, I wasn't planning to leave."
The two locked eyes, Bio Mana already beginning to rise between them. The prison chamber groaned under the pressure of what was coming.
For Lynnette, this was her chance—to meet the Devil everyone whispered about.
For Omnia, it was just another opportunity to test the strength of those who thought they could fuck with me on any level.
Oh, things were indeed about to get very active.
Meanwhile, the air on Floor 31 was the complete opposite of the chaos above.
Silence, but not the peaceful kind. The quiet there felt heavy enough to press on the skin.
The diced-up corpses of Watchers lay sprawled across the corridor behind us, their bodies carved open by something that moved too fast for them to comprehend. Their blue ichor painted the walls and floors in splatters and streaks that looked less like gore and more like abstract art. I found myself pausing, just a moment, to take it in—the way it curved and streaked against the stone like a Jean-Michel Basquiat piece. There was violence in it, but also intention. Brutality and beauty mingled into something that stirred the artist and M-Cee in me.
The Star Lion of Braye, my nigga Luda, had done that. He stood next to me, slinging additional blood across the floor to clear off the ichor stuck to his coat. Even when quiet, my boy aura farmed with his presence. Every step he took was like a thunder roll behind his calm.
We walked down a narrow corridor of bark-textured walls that looked recently unearthed from inside the great Sycamore Tree. Nothing special about the setting—no markings, no sound, no real reason for my attention to linger. My mind drifted instead, rewinding memories of Alex's duel with Danica and that incredible surge of energy she unleashed.
Her Ascended Mana.
It wasn't like Omnia's Omnis Mana, which layered reality through multidimensional density, or Roxy's Divinity Mana, which fused with raw Ether to force divine order onto chaos. Danica's was something else—more intricate in its composition but strangely straightforward in its execution. Chaotic. Efficient.
The kind of mana that whispered secrets about the universe's smallest rules.
And that was exactly my shit.
I didn't notice it at first, but while I was lost in thought, mana started gathering at my fingertips—little sparks and crackles of light that popped like oil on a hot pan. The particles twirled between my fingers like dancing fireflies, faintly humming with energy. Luda's gaze finally broke the silence.
"I've never seen that kind of mana affinity before," he said, side-eyeing me as the sparks reflected off his golden irises. "What kind of magickal energy are you playing with over there?"
"Not really playing with it," I said, rolling a spark between my fingers like a coin, "more like trying to recreate something Danica used. It's called Quantum Mana."
He raised a brow. "Quantum? That sounds like a juice."
I chuckled. "Nah. Back in my old world, a quantum was the smallest amount of energy anything could have—the tiniest packet that could still interact with reality. When you operate on that scale, the rules of nature go all weird. Up becomes down, particles phase through walls, cats can be alive and dead. Kno' what I'm talmbout?"
He squinted. "So it's shrink magick?"
"Not exactly." I let a small orb of glowing light float from my palm, twisting it in midair. "Unlike Omnis Mana, which uses a mashup of bosons and fermions, and Divinity Mana, which fuses gluons with magitons and Ether to create controlled divine energy, Quantum Mana is a nanofusion of gravitons, ether, spiritons, and photons."
Luda's eyes went blank for a second. "…Xi, what the hell did you just say to me?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "Try to keep up, nigga. Basically, this mana bends gravity and light at the same time. It creates what's basically 'heavy light,' something that can warp space just by existing."
"…Xi, what the hell is heavy light?"
"Don't worry, you'll see."
He rubbed his temples. "So this is that Earth science stuff again. Gotta admit, your old-world study of magick has a weird way of unlocking secrets about mana that nobody here ever considered."
"Only if you're into science," I said, flicking the orb into a ripple that distorted the air around us. "Most people here worship for their power. Faith and belief seem to move mana more easily than equations for most. Even the Prime Realm System rewards devotion quicker over logic. No wonder science never really took off here."
"Was it easy back where you're from?"
"Hell no. Even back on Earth, we barely understood half of it. Quantum physics was one of those things where every answer opened ten new questions."
He tilted his head. "So what all can this 'Quantum Mana' do?"
I grinned, watching the flicker twist. "Apparently, it moves photons and gravitons through an aether stream. When those particles collide, they fuse with gravitons and create unique quasi-photons. The result? A kind of light that's heavy enough to curve space around itself while channeling spiritual and life energy."
"Photons…" Luda frowned, trying to remember. "Those are the light particles, right? Like in Solar Mana. But I've seen you create solid light before with your Lunar Mana. What makes this different?"
"These little clusters abuse quantum rules," I said. "They can tunnel through space—literally bypass solid matter by existing in two places at once. That's how Danica was teleporting during her fight. She wasn't moving fast or no shit. She was just cheating distance."
Luda blinked twice. "…You lost me again. But you look happy about it, so I'll let you have it."
I couldn't hide my grin. "It's like solving a puzzle, man. Each new piece gives me more control over how magick behaves on a molecular level. Every understanding unlocks something new. Quarks, particles, forces—it's all music to me, and I'm learning the rhythms."
"Can't say I get that," he said, "but I know what it's like when understanding hits. When I merged with Roxy, Divinity Mana finally made sense. She showed me what pure Ether felt like, so I could mix it with other affinities more easily."
"Yeah, I've noticed that. Same with Omnia and her Omnis Mana." I smiled faintly. "My Soul Manipulation improved, too. But to me, that's like learning to play a song by ear. What I'm doing now? I'm learning to write the sheet music."
"Does it matter if the song still gets played?"
"Not in the endgame," I said, shrugging, "but one of those methods can be taught to someone else. That's the difference between mastery and legacy."
He laughed. "I forgot you like teaching people."
"Guardian Armaments give us absolute knowledge of the power we wield, but that doesn't mean we can share it. It's instinct, not intellect. I doubt Alex could explain how Quantum Mana feels to use—but I don't need him to. My [Sage Wisdom] fills in the blanks for [Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi]."
"Just make sure you show me later," he said, smirking. "You never know what'll come in handy."
I closed my hand, snuffing out the glowing sparks. "Say less."
We continued until the corridor widened into a stone arch. The moment we stepped through, the world changed.
The room beyond wasn't just big—it was alive. A wide field stretched before us, filled with low grass and bursts of wildflowers, easily the size of a football field. The walls shimmered, running with slow rivers of luminous mana that poured down like waterfalls into a clear moat encircling the field. The air was rich with the scent of blooming petals and something electric—sweetened ozone, crisp and light. Each breath felt like tasting the atmosphere after a thunderstorm.
Above us, a massive mana crystal hung from the ceiling, glowing with Solar Mana so bright it bathed the entire space in the warmth of afternoon light. For a moment, I forgot it was still Nighthalf outside.
"Well," I said, taking it in, "this is definitely different from all the sex and violence."
Luda inhaled deeply. "The air smells clean here. Calming."
As we talked, the hum in the air deepened, like something listening to us through the leaves.
"Wait…" I stopped mid-step, my eyes narrowing. "I feel another presence."
Before we could react, a voice echoed through the chamber. Feminine. Silvery. Almost teasing.
"So this is what you look like now? How handsome." The tone dripped like honey, soft and inviting. "I was hoping it'd be just you, but your friend was too heavy to move when I separated you from the others. You both carry too much magickal essence. More than most. More than I expected."
Luda raised a brow. "Is she talking about me? Nigga, am I the heavy friend?"
"Probably," I said with a smirk. "You do look a little chunky around the neck, now."
He turned his head slowly, glaring at me. "Xiro, we can fight right now if that's what you're asking for."
I laughed. "Relax, my nigga. I'm just fuckin' with you."
The humor faded the moment I felt it—a surge of energy pulsing from the field's center. My gaze shot toward the Elysian plant, the same one we'd been following. Its glow intensified until the petals began to unfold, twisting and expanding upward into a humanoid shape.
A bad bitch. A Dryad.
No—something more evolved.
She emerged from the cocoon of leaves, skin the color of deep, fertile soil, decorated with streaks of luminous green that pulsed like veins of chlorophyll. Her hips curved wide, her legs thick with strength, her bare feet rooted lightly into the grass. Leaves and vines shaped into a front-open skirt wrapped around her waist, and a sash of petals crossed her chest. Two antlers curled from the sides of her head, holding back a cascade of black hair tied into a ponytail. A slender tail trailed behind her, ending in a stinger that blossomed like a flower bud.
Luda's feet shifted apart, grounding himself, ready for whatever came next. I didn't move. There was no killing intent. Only warmth, curiosity… and a strange reverence.
"So," I said, eyeing her, "you're a Hamadryad. Makes sense that the Sycamore Tree would be connected to the Nymph races. But I've never seen one with skin like that—brown and green mixed."
She smiled faintly. "I am Elysia, spirit of the Sycamore Tree and former Fairy Queen of Arcadia."
"A Fairy Queen, huh?" I let my grin spread. "That ass definitely fits the title of royalty."
A small blush colored her cheeks, and she turned her gaze aside for just a second. Even Hamadryads weren't immune to flattery.
Luda folded his arms. "So what's a former Queen of the Fey doing working with the Panty Raiders?"
Her tone dimmed, carrying a trace of sadness. "I'm not working with them. I'm bound to them. The Primal Witch holds my Soul Core in an orb artifact. A command spell forces me to obey. I'm a prisoner in my own body."
I frowned. "So you're not loyal to them."
"No, not loyal," she said quietly. "But not free either. I don't wish them harm, yet I wish to part from their chaos."
Luda's voice hardened. "Why haven't the Fey come to reclaim their Queen? I've never known them to leave one of their own."
"Because I've already been replaced," she said, a hint of bitterness in her smile. "A new Fairy Queen sits on Arcadia's throne. I learned this from Ailis when she answered my cry for help."
The name caught my attention. "Ailis… oh, that Meliae Dryad I met when I found my Bible. She did say the Fairy Queen wanted to meet me. Guess that was you."
Her expression softened. Relief crossed her face like a spring breeze. "So she reached you after all. That's good to hear." She wrapped her tail loosely around her waist.
I thought for a moment. "She didn't mention where I could find you, though… but I guess fate played its card anyway. Feels like more of Destini doing shit in the background."
"There's been this weird influx of new women in my life, lately," I murmured out loud, genuinely confused by the thought.
Luda sighed. "I'm guessing you want Xi to free you from this command spell?"
"That's part of it," she said. "The other part is moving my Soul Core out of this tree and relocating me in the Janell Forest."
I blinked. "You want me to move this big-ass tree to my country? Why?"
"I'm familiar with your ancestor, Synga, as I am with you," she said. "If you help me, I'll repay my debt by nurturing the lands of the man who once saved my life."
My brows rose. "You knew my grandpa? And you already know me, too?"
Her lips curled into a playful smile. "Of course. I learned of you the moment you plucked my messenger plant and…" she paused, tilting her head, "smoked it."
Luda shot me a look. "Wait. She's talking about that Elysian plant we found as kids? The one that got me intoxicated."
"High," I corrected. "You were high, nigga. We were smoking jet fuel."
He shrugged. "Same difference."
"Using my own colloquial against me? Touché," I said with a grin. "Alright, Elysia. What's in it for me, exactly? You said you'd help my lands—how?"
Her expression grew solemn again. "Velonica still suffers from the overgrowth of mana beasts and flora, yes? The soil itself is oversaturated with raw mana, mutating the ecosystem. I can correct that imbalance. Restore harmony to your lands and forests."
"For someone trapped in Endora," I said, crossing my arms, "you sure know a lot about my country."
"A tree's roots run deep and far," she said simply, her voice almost musical.
Her gaze lingered on me—steady, warm, unblinking. There was something in those eyes beyond gratitude. Something almost… tender. Desire, maybe. Or admiration that had been waiting centuries to breathe.
And for the first time in a long while, I couldn't tell which one it was.
The air in that grassy chamber was already calm, but the mood changed fast.
As Luda and I kept talking with the beautiful Fey woman, something new began to fill the room—a smell I hadn't caught in ages. Earthy. Pungent. So thick and heavy it clung to the back of my throat. I knew it immediately. Weed. Mothafuckin' gas at that.
The scent rolled through the field like a soft breeze, and all around us, small hemp bushes began to sprout from the ground. First, just stems poking through the grass, then a full bloom of leaves and sticky, sparkling buds. Motes of magitons floated down on them like glowing pollen, sinking into the plants and making the leaves shimmer with emerald light.
It was a sight worth stopping for. Beautiful, in a way that pulled me back to another lifetime. The air filled with that musky, earthy perfume—damp soil and smoke mixed with faint sweetness. The nostalgia hit deep. Weed had always been my old-world therapy. A crutch. Something to mellow out the pain and turn bad days into days I could at least laugh through.
But here on Gaia, things were different. I didn't need smoke to calm my nerves or fake my peace. I'd learned to command both my highs and lows. I didn't need it anymore... though I couldn't lie—it was tempting as hell. A Demon Lord still deserved his fun.
Luda's glowing jade eyes swept across the newly grown field before landing on Elysia again. He folded his arms and cocked his head slightly.
"So this is why they are named Elysian Trees," he said with quiet awe. "Elysia. The name fits the flora. The plant is named after the author."
A soft laugh slipped from her lips. "Hehehe, yes. They were named after me by the first Demon Lord of Velonica. The one who documented them in the books of men." Her eyes softened. "It has been many centuries since I last spoke with Synga Mikazuki… but I still remember our final conversation as if it happened only yesterday."
That caught my attention.
"Wait. Grandpa named them after you?" I raised a brow. "That's almost too funny to believe."
She smiled knowingly. "No, what's funny is that, just like him, you plucked the cola from my plant and, with no instruction from anyone else, you smoked it." Her tone carried a hint of playful scolding. "Only three people have ever done that. Synga. Luvina. And you."
I grinned. "Well, L was there too."
Luda lifted a finger in defense. "Yet I wouldn't have known what to do with it without your example."
"Eh. Fair." I shrugged. "You got me there."
Elysia nodded. "Then allow me to correct myself. Only you and Luvina have ever burned the Elysian Trees without instruction. Synga learned the act from someone else—a close family member. One who left him under the protection of the first Fairy Queen, Chomei of the Blue."
Her words froze me mid-breath. The dots connected instantly. It was me.
I was the one who'd taught my granddad how to smoke. That meant… I really did figure out time traveling—or would at some point. The logic tangled itself in my head, looping through paradoxes I didn't have the patience to untie.
"So there's definitely a loop somewhere," I thought. "Which means each Stellar Kingdom Cycle might be a single continuous timeline, not just overlapping ones. But then… how the hell do time-grains fit into that?"
The headache of thinking about it made me drag a hand down my face. "Man… now I'm getting Marty McFly vibes."
Luda blinked. "Marty Mac-what?"
"Forget it," I muttered, waving him off. "Anyway—Elysia, you said Luvina was really the first to smoke your plants on her own, right?"
She nodded. "Yes. The Primal Witch is a Xenohuman, born beyond the stars. So it made sense that she would discover the side effects of inhaling the smoke. Few beings in Arcadia were brave enough to experiment with nature's chaos, but she was fearless. She introduced the experience to others, becoming the first to spread the joy of being… baked, I suppose."
I smirked. "So weed is actually known here?"
Luda glanced over. "Weed? You mean Elysian Trees?"
"Yeah, fool. Same difference."
He rolled his eyes while I turned mine back to Elysia.
"Indeed," she said. "Though I met Synga first, it was Luvina who pioneered its use. She shared it among nobles and clans, and from there it became a luxury indulgence of the upper class. They still enjoy it to this day."
"I wonder if she's another reincarnation from Earth…" The thought crept in and wouldn't leave. "But Omnia said she came from a previous Stellar Kingdom Cycle. So does that mean Earth existed in a different timeline altogether?"
I must've gone silent too long, lost in thought, because Luda's hand tapped my shoulder.
"You straight, bro?"
I blinked back to the present. "Huh? Oh yeah. Just thinking."
Elysia spoke again, her tone turning low and serious. "The Primal Witch is the one who holds the artifact that originally binded me. Unlike you, she has never met this form of me. My true self. She believes I am nothing more than a tree."
"So if I free you," I said, crossing my arms, "what's really in it for me? I can do everything you can and more. What's the real benefit of helping you?"
Elysia tilted her head, her emerald eyes glinting. "You seem interested in the Dominion Angel named Orion. I can tell you everything I know about him and his dealings with the Panty Raiders. My roots and consciousness reach every floor of this tree. I hear everything. I know their secrets."
I groaned softly, rolling my eyes. "I'm getting real tired of people dangling information as bait for cooperation."
Luda huffed. "I'm tired of hearing that name in every damn conversation. Who is this guy, and why's his hand in everything from Arcadia's history to its current mess?"
Elysia's expression darkened. "Orion is the Overseer of the Zodiac Keys. He commands the Angels' operation to create a supplement powered by divine magick and male life force. A pill that grants extraordinary strength and mana efficiency."
"The Cultivation Pill," I said, remembering. "I've seen it in action. Never been into magical steroids, though. I'm already jacked for a slim nigga."
"I think one was used during our fight with those Sword Singers," Luda added.
"Then you're lucky," Elysia replied. "Because the pill carries a hidden curse. Orion did not tell the Panty Raiders that anyone who consumes it becomes branded with a control seal. It allows the Angels to enslave them whenever they wish."
Luda's jaw tightened. "Trading temporary power for eternal submission. I didn't think the heavens were that desperate—but I can't say I'm shocked."
"Well," I said, my tone dipping into something cold and absolute, "they're shit out of luck. Gaia's mine now. Time they learned that."
Luda chuckled softly. "So what's next, future High King? You gonna help her or not?"
I turned back to Elysia. My silver eyes caught her off guard, and I saw her flinch slightly under their glow.
"I'll take the information," I said quietly. "But if you want me to guarantee your rescue… you're going to have to give me your soul."
The words left me in a drawl that rolled somewhere between threat and temptation. My devilish grin followed—slow, deliberate, sharp. Shadows crept across my face, swallowing everything but the silver of my eyes. The chamber dimmed. The air thickened until even breathing felt weighted.
Elysia's lips parted as her breath quickened. Her whole body trembled. My mana seeped into the room, brushing against her like invisible hands. The pressure caressed her skin, slid across her chest, down her thighs, until her knees threatened to buckle. Her cheeks flushed red, and a soft whimper escaped before she could stop it. Even her heartbeat was audible in the heavy quiet.
The warmth in the air snapped cold, like the room itself exhaled.
Luda turned his head, covering his mouth to hide a laugh. He didn't question me—never did. That trust spoke louder than any word.
My demand wasn't cruel, not really. It was practical. Fey were volatile, unpredictable creatures. They were beings of the Spirit Realm—wild, emotional, bipolar, untamed. To keep a spirit like that from turning on you, you had to hold something that anchored them. Like their Soul Core.
And I wasn't blind to the hypocrisy. The Trappers enslaved souls through manipulation and fear; I was doing it for control and protection. Two sides of the same coin. But I never claimed to be a hero. I wasn't saving the world. I was remaking it. A benevolent dictator, maybe, but still the Devil in my own story.
Gaia was going to be my paradise—my empire—and if that meant reshaping it piece by piece, then so be it. Having another Fairy Queen under my command was just another step toward that future.
But before she could answer, the whole field began to tremble. The ground rippled beneath us as the Sycamore Tree itself started to quake, shaking like it was being torn apart from within. The wildflowers bent and flattened, mana streams flashing red for an instant.
Something whispered through the mana streams—a vibration that didn't belong.
Luda and I held our footing easily, but my gut tightened. Then it hit—an unbearable psychic sting, sharp and violent, like a hundred blades carving through my skull. My Soul Core erupted with a searing, molten pulse that made no sense. I grit my teeth, instinctively activating [Spiritual Pain Resist], but it did nothing.
"Xi!" Luda cried out.
The agony came in waves. I fell to one knee, clutching my head, my breathing ragged. Luda's voice blurred in the background as Elysia stepped forward in concern, but before either could reach me, the pain stopped—just like that. Gone, replaced by a hollow quiet.
Then came a voice, faint and trembling, through the telepathic link.
"Mas…ter… Help. I'm… sorry."
Omnia's voice.
My stomach dropped.
"Omnia?" I said out loud, the word barely a whisper.
A chill raced through my veins as my pulse spiked. My fingers curled tight. My breaths shortened. Fear—real, raw fear—crawled up my spine. For a second, I froze in place.
Then [Dominus Superbiae] kicked in.
Cold confidence washed through me, smothering the panic and turning the fear into fury. My silver eyes burned brighter, and my lips curled into something between a snarl and a grin.
I wasn't scared anymore.
I was pissed.
If someone had hurt her—my woman—then I was going to burn a hole through the heavens themselves to make them regret it.
[End of Chapter]
[1] April on Earth.