For a solid five seconds after Denisia and Natalis dropped that perfectly synchronized, completely unfiltered reaction, the entire chamber was silent.
Xander leaned back in his chair, ran a hand down his face, and let out a long tired scoff
"Yeah, no. I'm sorry. That was a summary?"
Farrynelle immediately followed up as she pointed at Veneri like she was accusing him of a crime.
"You just dropped an entire civilization's history, multiple betrayals, two wars, divine politics and casually said 'that's everything.' What do you mean that's everything?"
Eldrigan rubbed his temple slowly.
"I lost track halfway through the Omniscient betrayal, picked it back up at the Krepsunas, and then somehow ended up more confused than when we started."
Peroncerea tilted her head, completely serious.
"I'm still trying to understand why there are no elephants."
That made Phaenora choke on nothing. "Oh by the Primordials, we are not doing this right now."
Denisia raised her hand like she was in class.
"No, no, wait. I have questions. A lot of them. What do you mean Krepsunas are natives? That's not something you just casually drop at the end like a fact."
Natalis nodded aggressively, "Yeah, that felt illegal to hear."
Xander leaned forward, pointing at Veneri.
"Also, your grandfather. Why is he responsible for literally everything wrong with reality right now?"
Eldrigan added, "And why did you say that like it's just a normal family issue?"
Farrynelle crossed her arms, "And what do you mean 'he faked his death'? That's not a small detail. That's the kind of thing you lead with."
Peroncerea raised her finger. "Also, what is a Phonoroxan again? I remember the word, but now it feels like it comes with consequences."
The questions started overlapping.
"And the First Generation Deities—"
"Wait, wait, wait, back up, what do you mean Timeskipping erases us—"
"Why is the World hiding an entire continent—"
"Did you just say—"
"Why are we the ones dealing with this—"
"Why does your life sound like a disaster chain reaction—"
Veneri didn't interrupt. He just sat there, watching them spiral for a moment, He raised his hand after it got unbearable.
"Alright!"
The noise died down almost instantly, though the tension didn't disappear. They were all staring at him like they were expecting answers immediately. Veneri exhaled once, then leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the table.
"Okay, I get it. That was a lot. But it is a summary."
Phaenora, Elyonari, Narisva, Asenane, and Adelasta, however, looked completely unbothered. Phaenora stretched slightly in her chair.
"Honestly? That was elaborate."
Elyonari nodded, "He covered everything important."
Narisva agreed as well, "Yeah, I don't see the problem. You guys just can't keep up."
Asenane folded her arms, "It made sense to me. I don't know why you guys don't get it."
Adelasta, of course, didn't even bother defending it. She simply said;
"It was sufficient."
The rest of the table stared at them like they had just betrayed common sense itself. Denisia pointed at them.
"You five are not normal."
Veneri ignored the commentary and continued.
"Let's break it down one question at a time."
He looked at Denisia first.
"First off, Krepsunas being natives. They're not aliens. They're Spheraphasians. They originate from a fifth continent called Dimensium. The World itself is suppressing them and preventing them from expanding to the other continents. The Passageways are short cuts. They can't just walk out of Dimensium, so they use dimensional breaches to invade other realms."
He shifted his gaze to Farrynelle. "About my grandfather. He's not malicious. He's… complicated. He made decisions based on foresight. Natas the Omniscient showed him future outcomes. Everything he did was to ensure certain events would happen, including the Destras Cataclysm."
"Yes."
Xander let out a quiet laugh. "So he basically orchestrated a disaster to prevent something worse."
"Exactly."
Peroncerea raised her hand slightly.
"Phonoroxans next."
"They're world protectors created by the Creation and Life Primordial. They manage large-scale events like Epoch Cycles to stabilize civilizations against external threats."
Denisia leaned back on her chair and groaned loudly.
"And she's basically forcing us through these cycles to prepare us for something bigger."
"Yes."
Elyonari cut in calmly. "Timeskipping. I'm more concerned about this."
"That's more dangerous. The entrance test we all took to get into Minafallen Academy wasn't just a test. It was a controlled event. Natas manipulated it. You remember it because those memories were intentionally suppressed. If you return to the exact location where that event occurred, the Universal Laws will erase you completely both body and soul."
Denisia slowly turned to Natalis. "So… we almost died before we even started."
Xander rubbed his face again. "I need a break already."
Veneri didn't stop. He looked around the table, making sure they were following.
"The main point is this. The Second Krepsuna War is coming. Virathus is coming. The Hidden Citadel is at risk.and we have three objectives. Reach Cassandra, decide whether we ally with or eliminate the Reniatsus and kill Virathus. And if we fail…"
He didn't need to finish. They would all die anyway if they failed.
Farrynelle nodded reluctantly. "Still a terrible summary, by the way."
Peroncerea looked thoughtful but a bit confused. "I understand more now. Still no elephants though."
"Please let that go, Peron. That was just an expression."
Veneri glanced at them all, then asked;
"Any more questions?"
There was a brief pause before Denisia raised her hand again.
"Yeah, one more. How are we supposed to fight the Krepsunas though?"
That was the real question.
Veneri left the question aside because he knew they weren't ready for it yet. And more importantly, because there was something else in the room that needed to be addressed before strategy even became a thing.
"Alright, before we go deeper into war plans and existential dread, we're addressing the elephants in the room."
Peroncerea immediately raised her hand again, completely serious.
"I would like clarification on that term please."
Phaenora groaned and covered her face.
"Oh by the— I regret saying that."
Elyonari glanced at her. "You started it."
"I didn't think she'd take it literally!"
Peroncerea tilted her head. "So there are no elephants present. Whatever those are."
Phaenora sighed, sat up properly, and waved her hand.
"It's a metaphor. It means there's something really obvious and important that everyone is ignoring."
"I see. Since we're addressing it, yeah. There are things we didn't tell you. Every Dynasty has secrets. Ours just happens to be more… inconvenient. You all know I'm the child of an Eldritch God. What you don't know is that I wasn't born on Spheraphase."
That got their attention.
"Because I wasn't born here, I wasn't affected by the Ascension Curse like the rest of you. That means I was supposed to be at least Fifth Enlightenment from the start."
"Excuse me? You were walking around as a Fourth Enlightenment while nerfed?"
"Yes, Natalis."
"That's actually insane."
"My mother sealed my strength to trick the World System. Being half human and half Eldritch gave her the flexibility to do that. And when we separated, I contacted her and she broke the seal. I went from Fourth Enlightenment to Seventh."
Farrynelle blinked slowly. "Just like that."
"Not exactly," Eldrigan replied. "Understanding my Overwrite and Divinity still took time, especially after getting my Codex, but Eldritch beings inherit knowledge and experience from previous generations. It wasn't difficult."
Phaenora pointed at him. "And you didn't think to mention this earlier?"
"It wasn't relevant. After that, I disbanded Dynasty Hanabas and merged it with Dynasty Ceres."
All eyes slowly turned to Peroncerea. She smiled faintly, completely unfazed. Peroncerea leaned back slightly, crossing one leg over the other.
"Yes. That part is true. For me, it was simpler. I trained in hell. Wisterix has a different time system compared to Spheraphase. The deeper you go, the more time is distorted. My father gave up the power he inherited from the previous Demon King to push me to the Sixth Enlightenment. With my royal Demonic bloodline and Forced Ascension, I reached the Seventh Enlightenment. After that, I spent approximately three hundred years in seclusion understanding my Overwrite and Divinity afternoon got my Codex."
Denisia stared at her. "Three hundred years?"
Natalis added, "And you're saying that like it was a weekend."
Peroncerea shrugged slightly. "Time works differently there. When you came back, I was already the Empress of Wisterix. Eldrigan became the King and we got married."
That landed harder than everything else.
"You WHAT?"
Peroncerea looked completely smug when everyone shouted in unison.
"Through a secret method of course. It's similar to what Veneri and Adelasta did in the Erna Isles."
Denisia slammed her hand on the table.
"THIS IS TOO MUCH INFORMATION AT ONCE!"
Natalis nodded aggressively. "You two just casually dropped a political merger and a marriage like it's nothing."
"It was efficient."
Phaenora pointed at her. "Stop using that word. You're starting to sound like her."
She jerked her thumb at Adelasta but she ignored that. Narisva leaned back, grinning.
"I can't believe you actually like hell that much."
Peroncerea shrugged. "It's structured."
Eldrigan added, "And full of miasma."
"That's your selling point?"
Eldrigan nodded. "Yes."
Veneri exhaled quietly as he faced them with a tired expression. At this point, things were going too fast.
"Alright. What about your current situation, Eldrigan?"
"We landed in the Meadows of Asphodelia. It's one of the Hidden Citadel realms. And fortunately, we're the only ones there. It's just us. We've been exploring. Nothing hostile so far."
"And in the meantime, you two decided to fuse Dynasties and get married."
Peroncerea nodded at Narisva with a smug look. "Yes. Also, I am the dominant one."
"EXCUSE ME?"
"Unlike Adelasta, Elyonari, Narisva, Phaenora, and Asenane, who enjoy being dominated by Veneri, I dominate in marriage."
Phaenora slowly turned her head toward her with a very dangerous look.
"Say that again."
Elyonari's eyes narrowed dangerously. Narisva smirked like she was about to enjoy the chaos. Asenane just folded her arms. Adelasta didn't react at all which somehow made it worse. Phaenora leaned forward, pointing at Peroncerea.
"If you were one of us and spent one night with him, you would not be talking like this."
Xander leaned back laughing when he heard that.
"Oh, this just got interesting."
Denisia whispered to Natalis, "We are witnessing something we should not be witnessing."
"Absolutely."
Eldrigan immediately intervened before it got to a fight.
"Let's change the subject."
Veneri silently appreciated that.
"There's one more thing. My mother made a marriage proposal. The condition for breaking my seal was that I accept it."
Peroncerea leaned back, clearly annoyed.
"She's following us in the realm. She's Seventh Enlightenment like us. And… she's actually kind."
"Wait, what?"
"Oh don't act shocked Phae. I don't hate her. She's good. I just wish it was only him and me."
Eldrigan sighed quietly, "We're working through it. Now, enough about us. Andelaris twins, your turn."