Phaenora's lashes fluttered and the first thing that registered in her vision wasn't pain, or fear, or the hollow dread she had been drowning in before she blacked out.
It was the sky.
She stared upward and for a moment she genuinely forgot where she was. Above her stretched a vast night sky scattered with stars. There was no unending sunset that stained everything the same tired color.
"It's night?"
The thought hit her harder than the pain ever could. Since the moment they arrived in this twisted, upside-down, giant-forged nightmare, the sky had never changed. It was always dusk.
"You're awake."
Phaenora turned her head with relief washing through her so fast it almost hurt more than her wounds.
"Yeah. I think so."
She tried to push herself up and immediately regretted it. A sharp, vicious pain tore through her abdomen, stealing the air from her lungs as agony flared beneath her ribs. She gasped and collapsed back onto the broken stone with a choked sound, one hand instinctively flying to her stomach. Asenane was already leaning over her with one hand steadying her shoulder.
"Tch—don't. You're not allowed to move around yet."
Phaenora blinked through the haze and noticed the bandages wrapped tightly around her midsection.
"You treated it."
"Obviously. I used a really good healing potion straight from Darling's 'what if I'm not there' emergency stash. I swear, his over-preparation borders on prophecy sometimes."
A weak smile tugged at Phaenora's lips.
"Figures. Thank you."
Asenane shrugged, helping her shift just enough to lean her back against a massive, shattered pillar. It was one of the many that littered the ruined structure around the.
"You're welcome. Don't thank me too hard. You still look like you got hit by a god with a temper."
"You are not far from the truth. Do you know what happened?"
Asenane shook her head. She glanced around at the cracked stone and the scorched marks.
"Not exactly but I can guess. Something big attacked us."
"We got separated by something… worse than anything I've ever felt."
Asenane reached for a small bowl resting nearby.
"Open."
"What?"
"Open your mouth, unless you want me to pour this on your face instead."
With a sigh, Phaenora complied. Asenane fed her carefully. It was a simple stew but it was actually delicious.
She swallowed and muttered, "You know Divines don't really need food to survive. Especially me. I'm an Omniscient."
"Mhm," Asenane replied, feeding her another spoonful anyway. "And dragons don't need naps, but you were drooling earlier."
Phaenora scowled weakly.
"You don't need food to exist, you dumb Omniscient. You do need it to recover. Divines love pretending they're above basic maintenance until they collapse dramatically. Eat."
Phaenora huffed, but didn't argue.
"We need to find him. I can't sense Darling at all through my system."
Asenane paused for just a second—so brief it would've been easy to miss—before shrugging again.
"This is Darling we're talking about. He survives things that don't make sense. He killed a weakened Fifth Enlightenment Divine when he was barely a First Phase Ascender. That alone breaks several laws of reality. So yeah, he's alive."
Phaenora exhaled shakily. "He lost his arm permanently back then. I saw it shatter this time too."
Asenane sighed. "I created it using my Phantasm creation. Can't do that anymore. Not being a walking miracle factory anymore is… inconvenient."
"That's putting it lightly."
She was about to say more when another spoonful appeared in front of her face. She groaned.
"You're not letting this go, are you?"
"Nope." Asenane smiled sweetly. "Eat."
Phaenora obeyed, grumbling under her breath as the stew disappeared.
"Healing potions barely work on Divines."
"They still help and so does food. And rest. You're not allowed to pass out again without permission."
"Are you okay? After the dragon fever I mean."
"Better than okay. Annoyingly fine, actually. Didn't expect to see nightfall here. Thought this place was stuck in eternal sunset."
"That's what worries me. If it has a proper day-night cycle, then time is moving extremely slowly here. Which means whatever trapped Shimmer and Runner has all the time in the world. We need a plan."
Phaenora nodded without hesitation. "We save the girls first. As much as I want to find Darling, that's what he would do."
After a while, Phaenora finished the last spoonful of stew and leaned back against the broken pillar with a long, satisfied sigh.
"Okay, that was actually really good."
Asenane perked up instantly. "Actually good? That's not just out of politeness ?"
"That was 'I would eat this again even without a near-death experience' good. Which raises a very important question. How do you know how to cook?"
Asenane laughed softly, rubbing the back of her neck.
"I wasn't exactly… useful, when we first woke up."
Phaenora snorted. "That's an understatement."
"Hey! Okay, fine. Ever since we came back from Erna after sleeping for seven millennia, I realized something very important."
"And that is?"
"I had absolutely no idea how the world worked anymore. Politics changed. Culture shifted. Technology exploded. Even basic daily stuff felt alien. So, I decided I didn't want to be dead weight. When you took Shimmer and Runner to explore Spheraphase for five years to help them understand the world and grow into it, I stayed behind."
"You stayed with Darling. I remember that."
"For a year. Adelasta helped sometimes, but she and Darling were already drowning in responsibility, taking over the Richinaria Dynasty and all that came with it. Back then, I was… useless. I couldn't cook. Couldn't organize. I couldn't even pretend to be normal."
"So you learned," Phaenora said gently.
"I tried to. Darling taught me. I started with cooking because it felt… safe. It was something I could do with my hands instead of thinking about how out of place I was. Since I was a Creation Phantasm, making food seemed like an good start."
"And instead of just teaching you how to cook, he helped you with everything."
"Of course he did. That's how he is. One question turns into five hours of patient explanations, encouragement and him somehow making you feel capable without realizing it. That's when my feelings really grew."
"True."
"As much as Adelasta helped, she and Darling had too much on their plates. So after a year, I joined you and the girls for exploration. I tried to learn more about Spheraphase itself."
"You had to leave anyway."
Asenane looked at her. "Because of his Fate, I know..."
"Anyone too closely tied to him—apart from Adelasta of course—puts him in danger. The world reacts to that. So distance was… necessary."
"Still sucks."
"It does. And I get why you thought the Hidden Citadel would be different."
"Narisva and Elyonari have been… everywhere. I understand why though. They thought he was dead for five years. Of course they're clinging to him. But, it still hurts not being close like before."
"So why didn't you just… ask?"
"Ask?"
"Yes," Phaenora said, matter-of-fact. "Ask him to spend time with you."
Asenane stared at her. "Phae."
"What?"
"That sounds illegal."
"It's not. It's communication."
"But there are five of us and he cares about all of us."
"Exactly. Which means he's not a mind reader. If you stay quiet, the louder ones take the time by default."
Asenane frowned. "You're saying I need to assert dominance."
"I am. We live in a matriarchal society. This is not new. If you want time with him, you claim it."
Asenane looked horrified. "I can't just—"
"You can and if you have to force him a little? He won't refuse."
"He's terrifyingly strong."
"And submissive as hell when it comes to us. Trust me. I've tested it."
Asenane choked. "You WHAT?"
Phaenora grinned unapologetically. "For research purposes of course. I'm an Omniscient."
Asenane buried her face in her hands. "I hate how believable that is."
"All you need to do," Phaenora continued cheerfully, "is walk up to him, tell him you want time, and don't give him an out."
"That feels wrong."
"He likes it. He just pretends he doesn't."
"You're serious."
"Dead serious. Despite how strong and composed he looks, he folds instantly when we're decisive. He always has. I am saying this is a confidence problem and one you can fix."
Asenane sighed, then laughed softly. "You're terrifying."
"Thank you."
"When we find him, I'll try."
"Good. Because if you don't, Narisva definitely will."
Asenane groaned. "That woman is a menace."
"Exactly. We eat well, heal up, assert dominance, save the girls and reunite with Darling. That's the plan in that order."
"I hate how organized you made that sound."