After the scream - 900 million universes remaining

'What a nuisance,'

Buttoning a shirt had never seemed so long.

The Monarch of Vision had warned him that the fabric was extremely fragile and that he would make no more dresses for his daughter if he saw the slightest tear on the day of the auction.

Gaël continued to delicately match each button with its hole. The task was long, but if there was one thing in which he excelled, it was patience.

His muscles contracted under the effort. The materials used by the Monarch of Vision would not withstand if he failed to perfectly control his strength.

The struggle lasted about ten minutes before Gaël managed to fully put on his shirt. He then grabbed a jet-black tie and gently tied it around his neck. This operation proved to be of an entirely different level. However, armed with the strategic experience gained from the shirt, he needed only a minute to finish. The tie, perfectly straight like the point of a sword, left him with just one final step. He picked up a jacket, adjusting the collar to fit his imposing frame. The last piece of the ensemble was a pair of impeccable leather shoes. The Monarch of Vision had praised the quality of the leather used to craft these wonders, so he was extra cautious when putting them on.

After long minutes of preparation, he was ready. Aurore must have thought he had taken too long to get ready, judging by the pout on her face. But once the outfit was fully on, a dazzling smile appeared on her lips.

"Perfect!" she exclaimed.

She wore a multicolored dress. The Monarch of Vision had custom-made it but had omitted to add any color. Gaël had requested this because he knew well that his daughter would want to add her personal touch. Each color was a paint spot she had applied with her brush. The result was an explosion of color that accentuated her cheerfulness and zest for life.

"Let's go, we're going to be late," she continued, pulling on his sleeve.

He simply smiled before teleporting them both to a planet a few light-years away.

They now found themselves in the middle of a city.

The marketplace stretched out behind them, full of noise and color. The stands were filled with objects and products from all corners of the empire. The smell of meat filled their nostrils, and only the sound of a blacksmith's hammer striking metal surpassed the general hubbub.

Gaël had avoided teleporting into the middle of the market to avoid startling the inhabitants and also to prevent the pigment from the spices from staining his outfit.

The last reason, and probably the main one, was that they were now closest to their destination.

In front of them, at the center of a fork in the road, stood a building. It seemed to blend perfectly with the surrounding urban landscape. It rose several stories high, its large beige walls dotted with symmetrically placed windows all along the facade.

To enter, a flight of steps led to a large black double door above which was engraved in immaculate marble "Promise."

Gaël had teleported them to the bottom of the steps. A doorman opened the door for them, and they went inside.

The building's soundproofing was the first thing that struck them, even before the interior decor.

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If it weren't for the instrument an employee of the hotel was playing in the lounge and the conversations of its clients, the hotel would be in complete silence despite the market's clamor outside its walls.

From the ceiling, mixing black and white wood carvings, hung imposing crystal chandeliers. Below them, men and women in suits and dresses were comfortably seated in armchairs, talking to each other in low voices. Under their feet was immaculate white marble inviting clients to walk on it to reach the reception and its receptionist.

The latter, like most of the people seated on armchairs or at the bar a few steps away, wore a round badge on his suit: a black salamander encircling a single jet-black star on a white background.

He then asked them:

"May I help you, Miss and Sir?

"Certainly," Gaël replied.

"We're here to participate in the auction," added Aurore, a touch of excitement in her voice.

"No problem, Miss, but I need to see your badges to assign you a place worthy of your rank."

The receptionist's instinct must have sensed that these two clients were beyond his own rank, but not to the point of imagining the badge Gaël pulled out of his suit pocket.

When he placed it on the counter, it seemed to pulse, sending slight waves through the hotel's foundations.

It also represented a salamander but with some notable differences from those of the other people present in the hotel. The star had disappeared, and the background behind the salamander had taken on a golden color that extended even to the creature's pupils.

The receptionist froze. His authorization only allowed him to handle clients with one or two stars. Quite frankly, he didn't even know what ranks existed beyond two stars.

But before his brain could process the steps he needed to follow, a figure materialized at his side.

He didn't know it, but she was an eternal. She wore on her dress the same badge as Gaël's. It was normally only given to Monarchs, but a handful of immortals had received it to serve as receptionists for the Monarchs residing in the hotel.

She bowed to Gaël and Aurore before starting to speak:

"Please excuse my delay, but we are sorely lacking in receptionists able to receive you. Now, if you would please follow me, I will take you to the reception suited to your stature."

They headed to the hotel's elevator, and the receptionist pressed the number ten. The ascent lasted only a few seconds. The doors opened onto an opulent lounge extending over several tens of thousands of square meters.

Gaël didn't know how the Director had done it, but the elevator had allowed them to change universes. They had now arrived at a much more significant branch of the hotel.

The receptionist bowed once more before leaving them, returning to welcome the Monarchs flocking in for the auction.

In the lounge, Gaël could count several thousand Monarchs in humanoid form seated in armchairs, and a few Singularities in miniaturized forms installed on small tables and chatting with the other Monarchs.

Aurore had already rushed between the armchairs to look for Zhang Shi in the crowd of Monarchs present.

Overseeing all these people was a man with black eyes and brown hair, in a black suit appearing extremely classic compared to some Monarchs' eccentric clothing.

This man was Jason and even though he had, since the creation of Promise all those years ago, been one of the only Unleashed not to have carried out any missions, no Monarch here would dare break the hotel's rules in his presence.

Besides, when he started to speak, all the Monarchs fell silent.

"The director should be here in about ten minutes."

He then added in an even tone:

"The auction will begin upon his arrival."