Chapter 202: Even... My Body
As Akasha stood within the world of Noxara—now more accurately the Hub of Knowledge—he spun his Gacha rolls for the first time in a long while.
The familiar status window unfolded before his eyes in a soft bloom of light.
Almost immediately, a rapid cascade of images flashed across its surface.
Weapons of impossible design, fruits that pulsed with latent power, fragments of forgotten affinities, bottles of liquid power, and countless other treasures that appeared and vanished so quickly the eye could scarcely follow.
A moment later, two new items quietly appeared in his inventory.
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[Star Genesis (???) - An enigmatic seed that grants its holder the opportunity to create an entirely new Star at the same rank as his current.]
[Fragment of Dream Authority (Monarch) - A shard containing a pure fragment of the Authority of Dreams. Grants the user an immediate five percent comprehension toward that Authority.]
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"Well," Akasha muttered, a slow smile curving his lips as he studied the rewards before him.
"The Gacha strikes again..."
As usual, he wasn’t going to dwell on how absurd the items he received were.
There had been a time when he might have, but things had moved far too quickly for him to muster much excitement anymore. That didn’t mean the items weren’t interesting or useful—because, truthfully, both were things he could put to use right now.
"Now, I don’t plan on replacing Yume..." he said, certain that creating a new Star wouldn’t completely override Yume.
Still, the idea of having another Star Entity around didn’t appeal to him in the slightest.
That role belonged to Yume alone.
"And then there’s this Dream Authority..."
He had no clue what "Authority" was or what it might do, but that hardly mattered. After all, he stood in the one place that would soon be capable of granting him any knowledge he desired.
"Alright... I will worry about both of these items shortly." He said as he closed the status window with a thought and turned his full attention to the creation of the Hub of Knowledge that would serve his Pantheon.
Everything Akasha had done since becoming a Lesser Unus had been for this very moment.
Even his choice of Calista as his second Disciple was centered around the Hub of Knowledge that he intended to create.
He wanted someone in the library who would truly treat it as their home.
While he could have easily created some construct, that would have defeated the entire purpose of Akasha’s Divine Domain and everything it stood for.
What he desired most—second only to peace—was a genuine, loving family.
So why settle for building an artificial structure when he could create something real and tangible with an actual person?
He had never been the kind of master who forced his disciples to live by his own ways, and that hadn’t changed; he had no intention of keeping Calista bound to this world.
Still, he saw no harm in granting her the authority to oversee this place, allowing her the freedom to use it however she wished.
After all, with her Star attuned to knowledge and its preservation, this role would be perfectly suited to fostering her growth.
[Ineffable Affinity]
HUMMMMM!!!!
In that moment as he activated his affinity, he used Dream essence and began to create.
Wood of deep, ancient grain flowed upward from the central island, forming towering walls and soaring arches that looked as though they had stood for tens of thousands of years.
The outer façade carried the soft sheen of aged timber polished by time itself; carved pillars rose like the trunks of primordial trees, and wide steps of the same dark wood led to a pair of massive doors that opened without sound.
"Not bad..." Akasha muttered as he stepped inside.
Within the materializing structure, the interior revealed itself as something far greater than any ordinary building.
The space stretched outward and upward until it felt less like a library and more like a realm of its own.
With endless rows of empty shelves vanishing into soft purple mist, vaulted ceilings lost in shadow and dream essence, and a profound silence that seemed to wait for knowledge that had not yet arrived.
Standing in the heart of the vast wooden hall, Akasha gazed around with quiet satisfaction.
"I’m not entirely sure if this place will have any disturbances... or if anyone could alter it," he murmured, fully aware that it had been created entirely from his own Affinity.
Though he knew his Affinity could remain active indefinitely, making such interference unlikely, he still preferred to take precautions.
With that thought, he spoke aloud, his voice carrying the weight of a decree.
"By the Authority of Dream Land, I declare that as long as I live, the structure of the Hub of Knowledge shall never fall or be disrupted."
HUMMMMM!!!!!
His words sank into the ancient wood with a deep, resonant hum.
In the next moment, the entire library seemed to solidify—its dream-forged walls and floors becoming undeniably tangible, unwavering, and eternal.
"Well," he murmured, voice carrying the quiet conceit that surfaced whenever everything unfolded exactly as he preferred, "this should be good enough."
In the next moment, he activated an innate power.
[Absolute Dream Anchor (Divine)]
A wide portal of layered purple and white light bloomed into existence in the open air before him, its far side already fixed at the rear slopes of Dreamer’s Peak.
Through the shimmering threshold, the back of the mountain came into clear view: the multicolored ponds, the new dungeon door, and the three figures standing nearby.
Luna and Yume waited with easy composure while Calista was only descending from a fading cocoon of divinity, her steps still unsteady from the successive upgrades that had rewritten her bloodlines and granted her a new star.
"My favorite ladies~" Akasha teased, peering through the portal.
"Uh, can you all come over and give me a few pointers on designing?"
He had plenty of ideas swirling in his mind, but he didn’t want everything to reflect only his own taste.
Luna’s gentle laugh drifted across the connection first as she stepped forward, pink-and-purple hair swaying, heart-shaped eyes sparkling with amusement and a subtle warmth.
"Do you really need to ask, my love?" she teased, her voice low and playfully sultry.
"Next time... just call my name, and I’ll be there~."
Yume trailed just half a step behind, her blue-streaked hair swaying gently as a softer, more mischievous smile played across her lips.
"Master... Mistress is always trying to get more love than me!" she complained with a playful pout.
"Besides... I think we should just let Calista decide on the matter." She spoke with the knowledge that the second disciple would likely spend more time here than anywhere else.
At that moment, all eyes shifted toward the woman in question.
Calista trailed behind them at a much slower pace.
Every recent change still thrummed through her—new bloodlines, the rank leap born from a single apple—and with everything else piling on, her thoughts felt a little scattered.
Yet when she stepped through the portal and onto the polished wooden floor of the library, she did not waste time on hesitant gratitude.
She moved directly to stand before Akasha, lowered herself to one knee, and bowed her head.
"I owe you everything, Master," she said, voice steady despite the lingering disorientation. "You will forever be my Master. I am willing to offer anything you ask of me... even my body. Just say the word."