Chapter 194: A Plan For Kalpa
As the rulers of the invading pantheons reached an agreement and withdrew from the star system, Akasha remained behind on Dreamer’s Peak.
The balcony of the tree house rested high among the upper limbs of the Golden Apple Tree.
Afternoon light filtered through the dense canopy in slow, shifting patterns, painting the polished floorboards in the radiance of seven colors.
Here, two long couches of soft wood faced each other across a low table.
On one, Akasha lay half-reclined between Luna and Yume, his luminous brown skin faintly shimmering where the light touched it, the long cascade of purple and snow-white hair spilling across Luna’s lap and over the edge of the cushions.
On the opposite couch, Calista sat with one leg crossed over the other, hands folded loosely in her lap, watching the three of them in silence.
A short distance away, the pure white silhouette of Kalpa floated cross-legged in the open air, featureless and still.
For the past few hours, they had all been here, simply relaxing in the quiet—something Akasha desperately needed.
After the sudden appearance—and even more abrupt erasure—of the hundred thousand Cosmic Union warriors beyond the world of Kalpa, and the even greater act of destroying an entire world just to kill Tyron and Loki...
He didn’t feel mentally shaken so much as in need of realignment.
The truth was that both events had happened simply because he delayed addressing the problems as soon as they arose.
’Tsk... if I had just killed Tyron before he even thought about leaving... and that damn man-child too.’
The thought lingered as he rested there, the warm weight of Luna pressed against one side, and the cooler, steadier presence of Yume on the other.
Both offered a simple, grounding comfort that let the edge of his irritation fade.
However, just as he was finally getting over the situation... notifications suddenly bloomed across his vision without warning.
----
[The Child of Consumption’s Favorability: -50/100]
[Tyron Alabaster’s Favorability: -45/100]
[Loki Laufey’s Favorability: 10/100]
[Lane The High Apostle’s Favorability: -25/100]
----
In that moment, Akasha’s eyes, now holding nine swirling stars, opened wide.
For a moment, he just stared at the floating text, the numbers rippling through his mind like a stone dropped in still water.
Arching a brow, he pushed himself upright, one hand still resting lightly on Luna’s thigh for balance, as his long purple-and-white hair slid over his shoulders with a soft rustle.
"What... in the hell?"
The words left him flat and genuinely baffled.
His gaze moved across the four names again... and in this moment he couldn’t understand.
He was completely certain that three of the names on this list should be as good as dead... and the fact that they still could have any feelings at all... that clearly showed they were still alive and kicking.
"Unless... these beings are in some sort of Hell..." He muttered, "This should be impossible, no?"
He questioned as he looked at Luna and Yume for answers... even though he clearly knew they were as lost as he was.
Luna shifted slightly on the couch, strands of pink-and-purple hair slipping over one shoulder as she leaned forward, her purple-and-pink heart-shaped eyes narrowing in thought.
"I don’t get it either," she murmured, her voice softer than usual.
"By all logic, they should all be dead... and maybe that was the Child of Consumption earlier, out there in the void?"
It was the only explanation that seemed even remotely plausible, she offered, her fingers curling lightly against the fabric of the cushion beneath her.
They all knew that, although Akasha had started making plans to get rid of the Child of Consumption, he hadn’t done anything in the past few weeks—or even the past year—that would justify any bad feelings from the being.
Yume’s cooler presence remained steady beside him, blue-streaked purple hair drifting slightly in the breeze. Her expression stayed calm, but her eyes moved between the fading notifications and Akasha’s face.
"For Tyron’s case... maybe Loki did something," she offered. "After all, Master, you never fully scanned her."
During the battle with Tyron and Loki, everything unfolded too quickly and almost too perfectly for Tyron, leaving no chance to scan either of them.
Every moment felt like a potential misstep with Loki present, especially since she was inside the sword before projecting herself outward.
This made scanning her even trickier, and by the time she appeared, Akasha was already focused on finding a counter.
In the end, they had no idea what she was truly capable of.
Akasha gave a slight nod, already extending one hand outward.
He wasn’t sure if these beings were still alive or if something entirely different was going on, so he decided to see for himself.
In an instant, the All-Seeing Orb materialized above his palm with a gentle hum, its surface rippling through shifting layers of light.
Without hesitation and without raising his voice, he spoke into it calmly.
"Show me Tyron Alabaster and Loki Laufey."
The orb began to flicker, images racing across its surface in rapid succession as it searched. Then a status bloomed in front of him.
[Error... selected targets remain concealed.]
Seeing such a thing, Akasha’s brow knit in frustration, and he almost rubbed his forehead before catching himself.
"Truly... nothing in this damn verse is absolute. But at least this confirms... they’re alive," he murmured under his breath, certain of at least that much.
Leaning toward the orb once more, his voice was calm but insistent.
"Show me the High Apostle of the Dark Thorn... Lane."
----
Unlike what occurred with Loki and Tyron... the image that formed was sharp and immediate.
Lane stood on a wide loading dock under a cold light; black hair pulled tightly back from her face.
Hundreds of starships stretched into the distance, their gleaming hulls catching the light as Dark Elves moved in disciplined lines up the boarding ramps.
The low thrum of engines warming filled the air, weaving through the sharp cadence of shouted orders.
And in this moment—truthfully, ever since she had been revived—she was seething with fury.
’How could I... be so careless?’ She thought inwardly as she still couldn’t get over the fact that not only had she died....
But that she failed to secure more Supreme Divinity for her Pantheon by completely hollowing the world of Noxara.
She forced the emotion down and kept her voice level as she issued the next set of commands.
"Priority vessels launch first. I want the vanguard in position outside Kalpa’s barrier within the next six months. We are not here to break the barrier—we are here to push the remaining time forward, exactly as ordered."
A subordinate bowed and moved away at once.
Lane’s black eyes followed the ranks of Dark Elves for another moment, jaw tight, before she turned toward the next cluster of officers waiting for instruction.
----
On the balcony of Akasha’s Treehouse, the image settled into clarity.
Luna’s heart-shaped eyes narrowed as she took in the sheer size of the force and the unmistakable direction of their advance.
"Not only is she back from the dead..." she murmured, her usual playfulness dimming just slightly.
"She’s already making her move on Kalpa."
Yume stood motionless beside Akasha, her gaze narrowing with sudden focus.
"So... have we been mistaken about this entire deadline?" she mused. "Is it perhaps not quite as... deadline-like as we thought?"
Even Kalpa’s pure white form wavered faintly in the air, the featureless head tilting ever so slightly. It was as if the very consciousness of the world regarded the projection with a faint, almost puzzled curiosity.
"Even... I’m surprised at this turnout."
Akasha didn’t respond right away.
His nine-swirling star-filled eyes stayed locked on the vision of Lane and the unending procession of starships.
Beneath that quiet exterior, his thoughts were already in motion—pieces sliding into place, silent calculations taking shape with practiced precision.
After a pause that stretched just long enough to feel deliberate, he spoke into the orb again, his tone steady and unhurried.
"Show me the Child of Consumption."