Chapter 426 Plot Against The Emporium.
"Goddess of Singularities," Ikaris greeted Arla as soon as they returned to their home, giving her a small bow and then holding her hands out in a gesture of welcome.
"Congratulations, Arla."
"Milady," Arla rather than embrace the Ikaris as she had intended to, took a knee before her and held on to her right hand, kissing her fingers gently and pressing her foregend against it. "I now have the ability to truly see you, you and master both," She smiled.
Her vision blurred from the tears she had tried suppressing, and her lips quivered.
"Is she seeing something that we can't?" Usami asked, turning to the hosts around her, but nobody seemed to be able to answet her question until Xie and Yu nodded.
"Indeed," Xie slightly raised his hand while Ikaris pulled Arla to her feet and caressed her cheek with a smile. "Sovereign and Milady are unique, true beyond their titles of King and Queen they are both blessed with the powers predating existence, they are both in possession of the first light, the contrast to Umbra and Giza's pure darkness."
"And us who are within the Transcendent, or as you call it, the Primordial realm are capable of seeing hints of its dwelling within them," Yu continued. "For those who are in the realm of Divine, it would simply be a presence that you feel whenever they exert their authority like a phantol attraction that holds no explanation."
"Is that so?" Dr'ul hummed, remembering the moments since Sol's ascention where seh felt a pull towards him, specifically when he would fight. "I always thought I was being attracted to their fighting spirit."
"Well, you were, but more so; the first light." Alpha answered, looking across the room at all of them; Sol, Ikaris, Dina, Arla, Usami, Renia, Dr'ul, Grexia, Xie, Fuhua and Yu, along with Sara who was away to the side with Talia and Gia entertaining them while listening in.
"It has been a pleasure serving you Master and Milady. Truly, I do not experience most emotions like others do, but I often find myself overcome with gratitude and reverence when I am in your presence, I am grateful that you have kept me." She smiled at them.
"Alpha," Sol approached her confidently and rested his hand on her head. "You are an invaluable part of our lives, half of the things we have accomplished has been because of you; every breakthrough, every victory, everytime something good happens you've been right there with us."
"Every step of the way," Arla smiled. "Without you, I would have never been able to suppress my evolution, heck, I would not have even been able to get here, everything you have done has been for the benefit of us all."
"You are one of a kind," Dr'ul admitted.
"Not even I or Beta can ever compare, mom," Jena chuckled. "But where did this come from?"
"I have always been able to see the light within Master and Milady, it is why I have preferred sticking by them, as a previously synthetic intelligence, I was formless, wandering in blind servitude, but after I met the Godslayer mana he wielded, I suddenly gained self awareness, I wanted to achieve things, I wanted to be present... the light within Master brought me to life.
Alpha smiled when Sol continued stroking her hair. "I never want to leave the embrace of his power."
"None of us do," Ikaris chuckled.
"Right then," Sol cleared his throat. "Let's call it a night already, we have a lot to do starting tomorrow."
"Aye," Dr'ul nodded, turning to her sister with a small wave and then to the rest of the room. "I will see you all in the morrow, after two years of inactivity, and seeing Arla's ascention, I am motivated more than ever before to not fall behind!" The goddess grinned, vanishing in a burst of flames.
"There she goes," Ikaris laughed. "May she never change."
***
"Sol..." Umbra stood on the surface of a miniature planet, staring at the microscopic beings that inhabited it, everything was dwarf, even the star that they orbited.
"Is something the matter, my Lord?" Giza asked, leaning on his back and kissing the side of his neck. "Why are you suddenly speaking the name of your enemy, you have long told me not to utter it," She smiled against his skin, kissing his neck again while his hand locke onto hers encouraging her to hold him more firmly.
"There's this feeling that I get, whenever he's about to do something I can feel it, like an intent, or a premonition."
"Well," She chuckled. "We already know that he plans to do something, he has announced his return and waged war against the rest of the emporium and you, My Lord."
Sliding her hand down his torso, she pressed her cheek on the side of his head and sighed. "There is no need to wonder what he will do next-"
"That's easy to say when you know he doesn't have the power to undo you."
"Yet, My Lord," Giza corrected Umbra. "He does not yet have the power to undo me, some day soon though he will; this is why I need Ikaris to die; why I need him gone, why I need you to become so much stronger than you currently are." She released him and floated off, tethering herself to his mana with her hair.
"It's a work in progress, Giza, I've come to the point where rushing for more power will do more harm to me than good, if I want to makek him suffer I need to be the best I can, I was that best moments before.
But, we were both blindsided by how much he had grown over the last eighteen months.
"Indeed," Giza agreed. Thinking of how close Sol had grown to her realm of power, contrasting the power he wielded before leaving the Grand Collective. "But even if you are teking your time-"
"I know," Umbra hissed, slamming his hand on the small car-sized planet and splitting it in half. "Maybe it's time you started doing more."
"What would you have me do?" She smiled, slowly passing his peripheral and presenting herself seated on the other half of the broken world.
"I think the Emporium would make good pawns," Umbra hummed after a few moments in thought. "How powerful is the Emporer and his court anyway?"
"The Second General, the First and all the courts of the Emporium are Primordials of the highest degree," Giza answered, combing her fingers through her hair with a pout. "Am I not enough to satisfy you my Lord, why would you need more pawns?"
"Don't make this about yourself, I don't have the power to face Sol and Ikaris simultaneously, you said so yourself, what about the Emporer, is he a weakling? Does he even exist?"
"He does indeed exist, My Lord, however he is not someone that you can easily handle, like myself, the Emporium's monarch is a Primordial God, as are his left and right hands, while I have my doubts that Sol Vestic could defeat them, I think in your case the chances of success are much lower."
"What?"
"Indeed," She nodded. "The Emporer might be the second most powerful being after myself, did you think that the Emporium would serve a weakling?" Giza raised her brow.
"You are not yet his opponent."
"All the more reason to seek him out," Umbra began seething. "We all recieved the same threat, they know my name, I'll infiltrate the Emporium and seize the Emporer's power for my self.
"I'll take their power before Sol destroys them, and with that same power, I will end him."
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