Syl'thessara floated in the emptiness of space.

Her human remained beautiful in the way that ancient things could be beautiful.

But beauty meant nothing here.

Behind her, arranged in formations of military discipline without any of the respect that should accompany such organization, rows upon rows of Nar'Thyss hung suspended in Outer Space.

Tier 6, Tier 7, Tier 8 entities of the Null Scale of Existence…powerful by all means as they should radiate respect.

Instead, they radiated contempt.

It was visible in every aspect of their bearing…the way their massive butterfly forms oriented themselves with deliberate carelessness, the way their countless eyes tracked Syl'thessara with gazes that carried judgment rather than respect.

They were stationed here because orders from entities more powerful than themselves had demanded it, forced to serve under someone they considered fundamentally lesser despite her equivalent tier of power.

Many didn't even bother hiding their disdain.

The Whore of the Nar'Thyss…they called her behind her back!

She had no allies here. No supporters. No one who would defend her if things escalated beyond whispered contempt into something more direct.

The higher-ups had made their position clear through the title they used…Whore, and everyone below them took that as permission to treat her accordingly.

She was Nar'Thyss by birth and power, but she'd betrayed that heritage through choices that couldn't be forgiven, couldn't be forgotten, couldn't be reconciled with loyalty to her own kind.

Far ahead of the formation, Syl'thessara could hear every words they occasionally uttered with perfect clarity.

The contempt washed over her like waves that had been crashing against the same shore for so long that erosion had become normalized.

She remained calm.

What could she say? That they were wrong about her choices? They weren't. That she deserved respect despite those choices? She probably didn't. That their judgment was unfair? Perhaps, but fairness had never been part of the equation.

So she floated in silence, wearing her human form like armor that protected nothing.

It didn't matter, she told herself.

Their opinion didn't matter. Their respect didn't matter. Nothing mattered except-

HUUM!

Her gaze changed.

The shift was instantaneous- from resignation to something far more dangerous!

Her consciousness expanded outward.

The space around them, a sphere encompassing a full Gigaparsec, simply froze.

Time stopped flowing. Space stopped permitting movement.

The fundamental forces governing how existence operated within that sphere suddenly encountered commands that overrode their normal function.

The entire army of Nar'Thyss behind her became covered by light of darkness- where the Void itself manifested as visible presence rather than simple absence.

Their massive forms locked in place exactly where they stood, wings frozen mid-beat, consciousness still processing the shock of suddenly being unable to move or speak or even think properly.

Terrifying constraints rippled outward.

And..

In the next moment, multicolored light flashed.

The phenomenon appeared near Syl'thessara without warning.

The light intensified until it resolved into distinct figures, three of them materializing.

Two figures stood at the forefront.

The First Adrastia Emperor King, his form radiating purple-and-gold authority that marked him as the legendary founder of a lineage that had defied extinction across millennia.

Beside him, the Second Adrastia Emperor King.

And behind them both, expression cold…

Achilles.

...!

Syl'thessara stumbled backward with something closer to existential horror.

She was seeing…entities that should in no way be alive, that had died millennia ago in her case and centuries ago in others, now standing before her with presence that declared them undeniably real!

The First Adrastia Emperor King's expression shifted with pain.

"My Syl'thessara..."

Two words. Just two simple words spoken with tenderness that should have been impossible given everything that had passed between them…the betrayal, the consequences, the millennia of separation!

Syl'thessara's body shuddered as if those words had struck her physically.

Tears began falling from her eyes… the helpless weeping of someone whose carefully maintained control had just disintegrated entirely!

She shook her head frantically, denial written across every aspect of her bearing.

This wasn't real. Couldn't be real. He was dead!

But before she could complete that thought, before denial could fully solidify into rejection of what her eyes were showing her...

The Second spoke.

"Mother."

...!

One word.

Her son. The child she'd fought to protect from the Nar'Thyss who would have eliminated him!

She looked between them with tears.

The one she had given her heart to and then betrayed in service of forces that demanded such betrayal.

And her own son, whom she'd done everything to save from clutches of the Nar'Thyss even when that salvation required becoming exactly what they called her.

Both of them. Here!

The First Adrastia Emperor King floated forward.

His eyes showed immense pain when he spoke again.

"I promised you all of existence. I told you I would give you everything…every star, every wonder, every possibility we could imagine together. I meant those words with every particle of my being."

He paused.

"Why did you not trust me to deliver? Why did you not confide in me?"

...!

Syl'thessara opened her mouth.

But no sound emerged!

What could she say? That she'd been afraid his promises were beautiful lies? That she'd thought protecting their son required betraying the father? That forces larger than both of them had demanded she choose, and she'd chosen wrong?

All of it was true. None of it was adequate!

Her mouth moved wordlessly as tears continued streaming down her face.

Achilles watched this reunion unfold with expression that remained deliberately neutral.

It wasn't like he didn't understand the connections being displayed before him…the love between partners, the bond between mother and child that had survived betrayal and separation.

He had his own loves, his own family, his own relationships that he'd move existence itself to protect.

He understood.

But understanding didn't translate to approval, and certainly didn't require forgiveness.

Man, did he fucking detest Syl'thessara and the choices she'd made.

Her pain now was consequence of her choices then. Sympathy was fine. Forgiveness was optional.

He confirmed with quick scan that everything in this space remained frozen…that the thousands of Nar'Thyss warriors would not be alerting more powerful entities.

Satisfied that security was maintained, Achilles looked at the First and Second floating toward Syl'thessara with obvious intent to continue their emotionally devastating conversation.

This ridiculous soap opera.

He shook his head.

This was their closure to pursue if they wanted it.

Their choice whether to forgive or simply understand without absolving.

None of it required his presence or participation.

He had other priorities…preparing the full relocation from this Star Sea into depths of the Void where even the Nar'Thyss couldn't find them.

Achilles disappeared.

There was work to be done, and Syl'thessara had long since lost any sense of sympathy from him!

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