On the forty–fourth Day of the Second Epoch Cycle arrived, Veneri and Ely left the Elves.
From the cliff overlooking the forest, the devastation was painfully obvious. Entire districts had collapsed. Long columns of Elves moved through the forest. At the very front of the migration walked Monarch Veylonar. Flanking him were the Nine Elders, guiding the migration and coordinating defensive formations in case of Krepsuna attacks.
The plan was simple: constant movement would make it harder for Krepsunas to perform repeated attacks on a fixed population center. Their city is an easy target but a migrating civilization was not.
High above the valley, two figures stood quietly on the cliff that overlooked everything. Veneri stood with his arms folded as he watched the endless stream of Elves moving through the forest below. Beside him stood Elyonari, who had her arms resting on the stone railing of the cliff edge as she watched her people leave the ruins of the city. Neither of them spoke for a while.
There was something solemn about watching an entire civilization migrate.
Eventually Elyonari broke the silence.
"Do you like her?"
"You know, that question requires clarification."
"Greshina Emberforge."
He immediately grimaced.
"Ah."
That reaction alone answered half the question. He looked back toward the ruined city and sighed.
"After what she did, I can't say I particularly like or hate her."
Elyonari nodded once.
"Good. Because I am going to kill her."
Veneri turned his head slowly and stared at her.
"That will be difficult."
"Why?"
"Because she is immortal."
"I can burn her."
"She will return."
"I can decapitate her."
"She will return."
"I can destroy her soul."
"She will still return."
That earned him a very annoyed glare. Veneri continued calmly as if he were explaining the weather.
"She uses soul compensation anchors. When her primary soul is destroyed, she activates a marked secondary soul that she prepared beforehand. The replacement soul takes the loss as compensation and reconstructs her existence."
Elyonari stared at him.
"That's ridiculous. How many souls does she have marked?"
"I don't know. You could destroy her a thousand times and she would still reappear."
Elyonari let out a long breath through her nose.
"I'm still going to try to kill her."
"I didn't expect anything less. Honestly, if you didn't do it I would be scared."
For a few seconds they simply watched the migrating Elves again. The columns of people were already disappearing into the deeper forest routes. Elyonari leaned her elbows against the stone railing again.
"You seem very calm about Celadille being kidnapped."
Veneri tilted his head slightly.
"Panicking does not produce results—"
"That is not what I meant."
"I'm aware. Elves have a gestation period of approximately three to five months."
"Why are we discussing pregnancy?"
"Because Krepsunas operate on extremely specific biological parameters. Celadille must remain in pristine condition if Edarea intends to use her for her pet's evolution ritual. Her pet Krepsuna cannot break into Overlord Rank without a suitable catalyst. Celadille is that ideal candidate."
Elyonari's fingers tightened against the stone.
"So she will not harm her."
"Correct."
"I still hate this."
"That is understandable."
"Why did she take Celadille instead of me or Veylonar?"
Veneri smiled. That small smile immediately made Elyonari suspicious.
"You figured something out, didn't you Darling?"
"Yes."
"What?"
He tapped the side of his temple thoughtfully.
"She wants us to come."
"Us?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To kill us."
She stared at him.
"You said that so casually."
"That is the most logical conclusion. She's still the same after all. If she simply wanted Celadille, she could have taken anyone else but she specifically chose someone whose capture would force both of us to pursue her."
Elyonari's eyes slowly widened.
"So you're saying she's baiting us."
"Precisely."
"And she expects us to walk directly into a trap."
"Yes."
Elyonari leaned back against the stone railing and groaned.
"Great. Still, you're disturbingly relaxed about this."
Veneri stretched slightly, rolling his shoulders.
"Well, if someone designs a trap specifically to kill me, I feel obligated to at least attend."
"That is the dumbest logic I have ever heard."
"Why? It's perfectly reasonable."
She shook her head.
"You are unbelievable."
"Thank you."
For a moment neither of them spoke again.
The last of the migrating Elves disappeared into the deeper forest routes. The ruins of the city were silent now. Elyonari stretched her arms above her head.
"Edarea is stronger than she looks."
"I know."
"You're not worried?"
"I'm always worried."
"You do not look worried."
"That's because worrying loudly is inefficient."
Elyonari stared at him.
"I'm traveling with a lunatic."
"That has been true for a long time. Besides, you should know that if you're willing to travel with me, you're going to have to do some crazy stuff."
She laughed quietly and stepped away from the cliff edge. She brushed dust from her cloak and turned toward the forest path behind them.
"Fine. For now, it's time for an adventure. Let us go rescue a Monarchess."
°°°°°°°
If there is one thing I have learned after observing Veneri for as long as I have, it is that any plan involving him inevitably turns into something far more complicated than it first appears. What began as a simple rescue mission for Celadille had already become an improvised expedition across half a realm and I had the faint suspicion that by the time the two of them actually reached Ledatic Siliportem's capital, they would have uncovered three lost civilizations, dismantled an ancient weapon system and probably humiliated a few Deities along the way simply because Veneri could not resist investigating every anomaly that crossed his path.
Naturally, Ely had already noticed the same pattern.
The two of them had not walked very far from the cliffs of the Elven city before Ely stopped and folded her arms. The path they followed was little more than a winding animal trail cutting through ancient trees whose trunks were wide enough to swallow entire houses. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in long golden beams that illuminated drifting motes of pollen and dust.
Ely looked around once, then turned to him.
"So where exactly are we supposed to start looking?"
Veneri did not even hesitate. He simply raised his hand slightly and spoke into the empty air.
"Phaenora."
I sighed. Honestly, sometimes I feel less like an Omniscient and more like an overworked assistant, especially since I came here. Just yesterday I was dealing with the online Dynasty Meeting.
Still, I answered.
My voice manifested around them through a thin projection field and a moment later dozens of faint sapphire lights ignited in the air above the forest canopy as my scanning network extended across the surrounding region.
"Give me a moment."
From Veneri's perspective, the air around them suddenly filled with enormous holographic grids. Massive translucent maps formed above the forest. Ely blinked slowly as she watched the projection network expand until it covered nearly the entire horizon.
"You do this often?"
"Actually, no. Since Phae became a Divine, her system was updated so she can do this. If only we had this back in the First Epoch Cycle."
"Okay that is mildly terrifying."
Meanwhile I continued scanning the realm. In a matter of seconds the entire surrounding region of Ledatic Siliportem appeared as a massive floating map above the trees. After a short pause, I spoke again.
"Well, first piece of information."
One of the holograms zoomed outward, revealing the enormous territorial boundaries of the Ledatic Siliportem dominion.
"The capital city is extremely far from your current location."
"How far?"
"Far enough that even Veneri will complain if he has to walk."
Veneri looked mildly offended.
"I do not complain."
"You absolutely do."
He chose not to argue. Ely smirked faintly, then glanced back at the hologram.
"So that means we can't just march into the capital immediately."
"Correct, However..."
Both of them looked up at the holographic display as several of the scanning grids began to converge on a specific location within a flat land. A new projection materialized in front of them. At first Ely thought it was simply a strange ruin.
The hologram displayed an enormous spaceship.
It was lying partially embedded in a wide meadow surrounded by tall grass and scattered trees. The hull was colossal and easily large enough to rival a mountain fortress. The entire structure was covered in vines, moss and centuries of natural growth that had slowly reclaimed the metal surface.
Massive curved plating extended along its sides. Sections of the hull had partially collapsed into the earth, leaving openings where interior chambers were exposed to the sky.
"What in the name of the World Tree is that?"
I smiled faintly and materialized beside them. This time I appeared in physical form, stepping out of a faint ripple of light as the holographic projection stabilized in front of us.
"That, is extremely interesting."
Veneri crossed his arms and studied the projection carefully. He recognized it immediately. Ely looked between us.
"You both sound suspiciously calm about this."
"Judging by its dimensions and structural design," I explained, "that is definitely a Class S Continental Spaceship."
"A what?"
Veneri answered her before I could.
"Transportation technology across the universe is categorized by operational scale. Most civilizations classify spacecraft from Class D to Class S depending on travel capacity and structural size. It's information that Richinaria knows. Now that I think about it, I kind of understand how we know a lot about spaceships."
He pointed at the hologram.
"Anyway, Class D ships are small interregional transport vessels. Class C and B are typically intercontinental military ships. Class A vessels can travel between planets and can be cargo, passenger or military."
"And Class S?"
"Class S ships are the largest known cargo or passenger structures. They are divided into two subcategories."
I continued the explanation.
"Continental Class S ships are designed to carry entire populations across vast planetary distances. They are essentially mobile cities capable of sustaining thousands, sometimes millions, of passengers."
Ely's eyes widened.
"And the other type?"
"Planetary Class S ships," Veneri said calmly. "Those are designed to evacuate or transport entire civilizations between worlds."
Ely stared at the hologram again.
"That thing is enormous."
"Yes. And this particular one is extremely old."
Veneri's gaze remained fixed on the projection.
"I've seen it before."
"You have?"
"In a vision of my grandfather."
Now Ely looked completely lost.
"Your... grandfather?"
I folded my arms and sighed lightly.
"Yes, this is the part where the story becomes very confusing if you don't already know the history."
"I'm already confused—"
"My grandfather was an Aeterium explorer. He used this ship to arrive in Spheraphase."
"Wait. You mean that thing came from outside this world?"
"Yes."
"With people inside it?"
"Yes."
Her mind was clearly struggling to process that information.
"Why?"
"He was exiled from the Aeterium world."
"His name was Vasreveilder," I added. "He was one of the earliest beings to explore this world. He eventually constructed the Hidden Citadel."
That at least was a name Ely recognized.
"He built that?"
"Yes."
"And then?"
"He sacrificed himself to protect the Transmigrators."
"What is a Transmigrator?"
I answered that one.
"Beings from Earth who were reincarnated into this world."
"I have several questions so let me get this straight. Your grandfather came from another world in that gigantic spaceship, built a secret fortress somewhere on this planet, filled it with reincarnated people from another world, and then sacrificed himself to protect them?"
Veneri nodded.
"That is an accurate summary."
"Which brings us back to the important question."
Ely sighed as she faced me.
"Why are we looking at this spaceship?"
"Because you two are going there."
"Why?"
"There are two reasons. First, Celadille will remain safe for approximately three months which means you have time. And this ship is historically significant. It is quite literally the first spaceship to ever arrive in Spheraphase."
"So you want us to explore it."
"Yes."
"And the second reason?"
"You need a plan."
Both of them looked at me.
"Entering the capital of Ledatic Siliportem will not be easy. Edarea is not an idiot. She knows you're coming. If she managed to destroy the city and the barrier protecting it, she must be ready for you. So instead of rushing into her trap, you are going to spend some time exploring an ancient alien spaceship."
Ely turned toward the forest path leading in the direction of the ancient vessel.
"If we are going to investigate the first spaceship that ever came to this world, we might as well do it properly."