Chapter 156: The Original Desire?
With a single thought, a portal appeared before Akasha, Yume, and Luna, its edges shimmering with a soft purple glow, carrying the faint scent of dream essence and cool stone.
The three of them stepped through without hesitation.
The transition was near instant, and when their feet touched solid ground again, they found themselves emerging directly from a portal that had formed through the unconscious body of High Apostle Lane herself.
When Akasha unleashed his Absolute Dream Anchor on them, it didn’t just shatter their thoughts into fragmented states....
It also turned their minds and bodies into eerie gateways he could step through at will.
Akasha looked down at the still form of the Dark Elf, then over to Luna, his voice calm and steady in the thick silence.
"Uh... can you read her existence for me?" he asked, knowing it would be far easier if Luna handled it.
"I want to know everything worth knowing about this place."
"Of course, my love... you didn’t have to ask." Luna said as she nodded once.
In that moment, she turned her head and looked at the unconscious High Apostle, pink-and-purple hair shifting across one shoulder as her eyes half-lidded in concentration.
A soft light flickered in her eyes for several long seconds before she finally spoke.
"Hmmm, for starters... Lane is exactly what we already learned from Jovian. She’s the only High Apostle of the Dark Thorn Pantheon," she said in a calm tone, then continued.
"It seems she was placed here by their Supreme Goddess, Valeis... and was tasked to remain until the hollowing of the world is complete."
A faint trace of intrigue crept into her voice as the details fell into place, and a subtle curve formed at the corner of her mouth.
She went on to explain the situation, and in short, the Dark Thorn Pantheon had come solely to strip the world of Noxara of everything it possessed—quite literally.
With all four continents of both the Topside and the Underside completely imprisoned, the Pantheon weren’t acting like rulers at all, but more like wardens guarding their massive power farm.
This had apparently been happening for the past five trillion years, meaning their grip was already buried deep into the world itself—so much so that the world’s consciousness had long since fallen dormant.
"Oh... and it seems like every other world has been claimed in one way or another," Luna added, her gaze lingering on Lane for a moment longer.
"It appears all the Supreme Leaders invading this star system have been holding a meeting... trying to figure out how to deal with the oddity of this place."
The soft light faded from her gaze as she finished.
Then she glanced back toward Akasha with the same easy, affectionate smile, as if reading an entire Pantheon branch’s secrets were nothing more than a small favor between lovers.
"The oddity of this Star System, huh?"
Akasha muttered as he absorbed all the information.
After speaking with Kalpa, it was clear he understood a bit more about the grander situation than the Pantheon leaders, even if only slightly.
"Well, since we already know that Kalpa has some sort of connection with the Star System’s consciousness... this really changes nothing," he said, his focus still set on making Kalpa, his home, a haven for the future.
Living within a Star System steeped in chaos and mystery naturally dragged Akasha into the heart of it all, and he believed it was always better to deal with it before it landed on your doorstep.
"Let’s just hope after all this nonsense, I can finally relax, explore, and grow stronger at my own pace," he added, with his outlook on life remaining unchanged.
He knew that power brought safety, so becoming stronger was something he could never neglect, even as he longed for the peace to live freely.
For the past twenty years, every step he had taken was in the service of making things safe.
After a moment, he let out a quiet sigh, his eyes finally settling fully on Luna.
A faint, almost chiding noise escaped him as he at last initiated the scan he’d been putting off for far too long, the gentle wave of data washing over his senses with the refreshing coolness of water.
"You know... I’m not sure why I keep forgetting to check your powers," he muttered.
Luna let out a soft, pleased giggle as her gaze met his, the lingering warmth of her presence cutting cleanly through the chill of the chamber.
"Maybe you just get too distracted by my beauty and forget entirely."
Yume’s voice, quieter but edged with dry amusement, slipped into the space between them as she glanced back and forth.
"Mistress.... Or maybe Master just knew he was still too weak to see anything worth noting."
----
[Luna
Age: 700 Eras Years Old
Rank: Unbound God (Tier 24) (BP +???) (Total Power Output = Tier ???)
Race: Lust (Bloodline: The Original Desire (???))
Affinity: Ineffable
Divinity: ???
Aura(s) - ???
Battle Arts: ???]
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Both Akasha and Yume turned their full attention on Luna at the same moment.
The status screen still hovered faintly in the air between them, filled with question marks.
By now, it should have been impossible, as Akasha’s eyes had reached a point where things like this couldn’t be hidden from him.
They stood in the frigid metallic chamber; the unconscious bodies of Lane and the other three Apostles sprawled across the black stone floor.
However, neither spoke; they stared at her.
Luna’s laughter was soft, warm, and completely unsurprised. She had known this moment would come the instant he finally scanned her.
"I suppose I should explain properly," she said, still smiling. "Although your mother called me the Spirit of Lust... I am not a spirit at all."
Her voice dropped into something quieter and far more intimate.
"I am Lust itself."
She stepped closer to Akasha until the tips of their noses nearly touched, pink-and-purple hair falling forward like a soft curtain.
The faint scent of blooming flowers that always clung to her cut cleanly through the metallic air of the chamber.
A teasing chuckle left her lips as she held his gaze.
"And I know you’re wondering why everything else is undiscernible."
She winked, the motion slow and deliberate.
"It is because... within the entire Universe—any Universe—"
She paused, then laughed again, the sound rich with quiet amusement.
"Well, at this point, with how much my power has grown, it is probably a bit above that. I can have whatever I want."
HUMMM!!!!!
To prove it, she lifted one hand and gave a casual wave.
A small tree sapling appeared in the open air between them, roots dangling as if it had been pulled from soil that did not exist here.
Its slender trunk glowed with a soft, living light, and the few leaves it carried shimmered with the colors of distant stars.
Akasha’s expression stayed carefully composed.
"You’re just... Lust?" he asked, glancing between her and the sapling.
The way she spoke so easily, the unwavering confidence in her words, and the sudden appearance of a random object should have thrown him off.
Still, after everything his mother had shown him... he was surprisingly taking it in stride.
"What’s the difference between you and a spirit?"