Banquet

"You may leave, Gorzh," the breathtaking figure in the dull, gray robes as she gestured with the back of her hand. Heian Ciemnosc heard a grunt from the old pal that brought him as pale violet dust flew into the air again, and the elder left. There wasn’t much noise, and Heian Ciemnosc couldn't sense it entirely, but it was from a grand array formation. As Heian Ciemnosc's darkest eyes drafted from the old Elf to the unknown woman, the latter slowly turned around as Heian Ciemnosc was still as shocked as a second ago.

Heian Ciemnosc’s darkest eyes’ pupils and irises shrank a little as the silver-haired godly woman revealed her facial features. She was a Demon, with pale golden skin, but looked more Human than any other Race. Heian Ciemnosc was flabbergasted still when she spoke, calming his senses, “Heian Ciemnosc, you’re finally here. I thought you would’ve not been sent. I’m glad to finally meet you.”

“My… pleasure, Celestial,” Heian Ciemnosc said. The Celestial’s voice was gentle, and she looked at him similarly. This was definitely not what Heian Ciemnosc imagined her to be after having known the Interchanging Dust Dynasty back at that fateful event. However, he didn’t mind, of course.

“Celestial or Senior will be fine. You can add my name afterwards if you please,” the Celestial said before turning around and walking forwards. Heian Ciemnosc woke up from his stupor and followed after her at a safe distance. He didn’t know the Celestial’s intentions, but he could at least feel assured that if they were ill intentions, Milyy would’ve appeared already and brought him away. Or at least that’s what he liked to believe.

“Then, Senior Isayid.” Heian Ciemnosc walked 4 steps behind her. The Celestial turned her head to the right and gave Heian Ciemnosc her right profile, “Yes?”

“Why have you invited me?” Heian Ciemnosc asked. The Celestial looked at him for a couple seconds before speaking, turning her head as her lips moved, “Everyone invited here is a guest. Only you, Heian Ciemnosc, are considered a VIP guest. Instead of letting you know the goals of my Dynasty for this operation in a few hours, I wish to do it personally. Although I’m also hoping this could improve our communications with your Academy and Faction?”

“But Senior Isayid, I am just a member of the Academy, and the Crimsonbreaking Faction is still new to me. I’m but an Auxiliary Soldier and my fellow crew members in the same force barely see me like any other person. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can be help-” Heian Ciemnosc spoke calmly, showing respect and acting politely. But the Celestial interrupted him and gently uttered, “But you’re well connected to both, Heian Ciemnosc. Even the Blauw Empire, whose growth speed is astonishing in the Second Step, is proof of your footsteps.”

“I wasn’t planning on asking a lot from you, Heian Ciemnosc.” The Celestial stopped and turned again, looking at Heian Ciemnosc with her hands held at her pelvis. Her eyes were unshakable but gentle still. “Before you hear the specifics, if you can compromise yourself with this childish petition of mine, the Dynasty will gift you enormously, Heian Ciemnosc. Anything you want, more spores, materials… I’ve heard you were interested in Herbal-Wonder Tear products’ ingredients? Anything you want. Without crossing your known limits.”

“...” Despite the Celestial’s gentleness, Heian Ciemnosc felt the heaviness of her words, attitude, imposing, innate aura, and mightiness exuding from every fiber of her being. Heian Ciemnosc fell silent, but he recomposed fast and asked, “What would Senior Isayid like this black monster do?”

“... I want my children to return safely. More than 1,000,000 will be sent there, and with your help, I will be very grateful if at least 500,000 return to the Dynasty. This is at your discretion, but this is all I’m asking. I’ve seen and heard of you, and nobody can employ this task with better probabilities than you. And you’re rather unique, evaluating relationships before the Change’s start of the new global Era even began.” The Celestial’s eyes became shiny as she faced Heian Ciemnosc, who politely stood away.

“This is rare in the younger generation. I would only see old folks like me, or older, start making their moves and collecting chips everywhere. Just careful enough to not get slapped on their wrists or burn their fingers off.” The Celestial said, making Heian Ciemnosc feel praised. He lowered his eyes and became pensive before looking up to hear the Celestial’s subsequent words.

“If this isn’t rare and promising, what could be? You’re betting for the future, Heian Ciemnosc. And many have seen what you can do. Your future is only magnificent if you survive, and I want my Dynasty to be the wind to flutter your cape or robes if you’d prefer. At least one of them,” the Celestial gestured with her hands before clasping them again.

“Cough- cough, cough!” Heian Ciemnosc felt a little overwhelmed and tried pulling on his fancy, Earth grade uniform’s collar as if he could feel heat or sweat like an ordinary person. The Celestial seemed to become aware of this notion but said nothing. Then, Heian Ciemnosc looked up and elaborated with as much modesty as possible. “Senior Isayid, I know I’m not an ordinary cultivator, and I might be more strange and mysterious than other such cultivators. But I don’t think I can make a big organization like yours bet on me like that. What if I mess it up in the future and attract lethal danger?”

“Mess it up? Enough to scare us?” The Celestial gently tilted her head to the left, looking at Heian Ciemnosc. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously but softly at Heian Ciemnosc, then asked. “Who exactly? You must remember, in the entire world, how many organizations can defeat the Wrath Nihility Academy or Crimsonbreaking Faction? And don’t try mentioning a trick that would somehow be in accordance with the Glorious Nexus Entente. If major forces like your Academy and Faction could be taken down like that, there would be no Second Step organization— in the world.”

“In fact. The Crimsonbreaking Faction wouldn’t last more than a couple months in a war against the Wrath Nihility Academy. You could only see the difference between a peak Crimsonbreaking Faction’s Second Step forces and the whole Wrath Nihility Academy’s main force with the simple manner of a rock trying to stop a descending meteor.” The Celestial closed her lips and looked at Heian Ciemnosc challengingly.

Step. Heian Ciemnosc took a step forward and respectfully looked into the silver eyes of the Celestial. “What if it was the Heraxle Clan?”

“...” The Celestial went silent, and her eyes didn’t ripple or shrink its contents. “Well, that involved many other factors. It would be… busy.” The Celestial said after a couple seconds, not afraid of Heian Ciemnosc saying these words so lightly, at least not for her. As for Heian Ciemnosc’s words. They did carry a lot of meaning, and many things would change. It wouldn’t be the same as an organization of a lower Step fighting the same Step of an organization from a higher level.

“Returning to the topic from before… Are you willing?” The Celestial changed the subject not even 2 seconds after answering Heian Ciemnosc’s question. The latter widened his eyes momentarily before nodding, “Mn! I will work with my team leader to see how that works. But my Faction is first. Oh, I assume my Academy wasn’t invited?”

“Of course not,” the Celestial modestly smiled after hearing the positive answer she was looking for and responded before pausing and resuming. “They’re too busy taking a step they never dared before. Even if we invited them, it would’ve been too far for them to arrive in due time. Especially after they bought several Cruisers and reserved many Third Step spaceships.”

“Oh, I see…” Heian Ciemnosc politely nodded. He looked at the floor and discerned they were in a room with an attic-ish design, where only its comfiness and loneliness reminded him of such a thing. “Senior Isayid, you know… I don’t even remember if my natal home had an attic like this… It reminded me of that past a little.”

“Hmm,” the Celestial looked deeply into Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes when he said those words. She tilted her head and stared at Heian Ciemnosc as a patient, caring, with motherly instincts therapist would. The Celestial gestured with her hands and muttered, “It does remind one of a home if they ever had one.”

“Heian Ciemnosc, the other reason I brought you here was to tell you what my Dynasty direly needs.” The Celestial changed the subject again. But it felt smooth with the conversation yet carrying an imposing feeling to it. Heian Ciemnosc paid full attention as Senior Isayid continued. “For several generations, with many Celestials coming and going, my Dynasty has failed to transition into the Fourth Step. The main reason is we don’t have a Supreme Kingdom to gain the laws to ascend. I and a few others in my Dynasty might be Godly powerhouses. But our force remains a Non-Mortal still.”

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“...” Heian Ciemnosc frowned and continued to listen. The Celestial went, “My Interchanging Dust Dynasty might be fairly young compared to the other Overlords, but our opportunities to transition to Godhood as an organization have been as numerous. However, it’s our dear home, the reason that shackles us to the Non-Mortal Step. Have you heard of the Motherblood Expiritus?”

“Yes, it is an exquisitely rare thin. Rarer than Herbal-Wonder Fruits and trillions of times more costly.” Heian Ciemnosc nodded and answered. The Celestial looked at him and added as her left hand supported her right elbow. “Correct, but only to the needed. It is only vital to Third Step organizations or lower. It is used to aid those stagnant, incapable Kingdoms that are not innately favorable for transitioning to higher levels. In our case, The Upper classification is all we’ll get before this Kingdom fades into dust and turns into another Kingdom’s Seed in the far future I might not even be remembered in.”

“With it, my Mistaken Fissures Upper Kingdom will evolve into the Supreme Kingdom my few predecessors dreamed of. It will be the Existence’s fate to have another raising Fourth Step organization, Heian Ciemnosc. It will strengthen it, and the Change demands power and lost blood. This operation will be only the first of many, and this Change is faster-coming than most others. It’s a chance my Dynasty will take and a risk we’ve expected.”

The Celestial spoke with an unshakable will, nearly embezzling exciting emotions in Heian Ciemnosc’s unshakable heart. She walked and stood 2 meters before Heian Ciemnosc and added, “Our only obstacle, unfortunately, is the rivals we’ve been eyeing since some time ago. They’re a powerful Third Step organization, the Tortoise Glabella Pavilion. They’re older and grumpier than us, and this opportunity means nothing to them, as they only lack resources and enough time, but they cannot allow our Upper Kingdom to surpass them.”

“We’ve invited our allies, as they have. They have gained access to our people and managed to fabricate another small entrance, but we still control the main gate to the Dimension. We can send all of the people gathered here, while they can only enter little by little.” The Celestial spoke to Heian Ciemnosc as if discussing military plans, but this was just a briefing for him.

“... Senior Isayid, I’m not planning on lying to you,” after a few minutes, Heian Ciemnosc exited his pensive state and said. He stepped twice and gradually bowed as he elaborated, “Although it seems a bit out of my class and capabilities, currently, to do as you asked. I will try. I’ll bring as many of your people as I can. My fellow Auxiliary Soldiers and Soldiers are first in my heart, and I understand what I saw years ago is not the true face of the interchanging Dust Dynasty. The Crimsons always fight well in any odds and adversities.”

“...” The Celestial looked at Heian Ciemnosc and sighed softly. Her eyes blinked, and Heian Ciemnosc suddenly felt ten times calmer for no reason. Then, she said, “I will expect news of your return in comfort. Good luck and, ah, one more thing, Mr. Heian Ciemnosc…”

“Oh? Yes?” Heian Ciemnosc was just calming his heart, brainstorming what he would do and beg his team leader with— when the Celestial interrupted his thoughts. The Celestial lifted her left hand and stopped it when it reached her waist level, and as Heian Ciemnosc looked at her directly in the face, she gently asked. “How is Sister Alyona doing? She used to rarely smile.”

“...” Heian Ciemnosc’s darkest eyes fully widened, and its contents shrank like never before to a needle shape. The Celestial looked at the dumbfounded Heian Ciemnosc and added, feminine and playfully, “What? You don’t believe girls can keep another girl’s secrets?”

Heian Ciemnosc: (⊙＿⊙)...

Twing~, twingg~- FUURRRWWPPP~!!...

Heian Ciemnosc had no idea what to say, but before he had to worry any longer, the Celestial lifted her left arm to her shoulder level, bent her wrist, and all Heian Ciemnosc could see was pale violet dust fly before his face. The familiar sensation of being enveloped by a foreign force struck him, and in under 1.2 seconds, he felt as if his body traveled first, then his dark Soul, and his eyes were overly assaulted by bouts of light.

“Heian Ciemnosc?!” - “Black monster!” - “He returned!” - “Ah, wao, he’s still alive!” - “Back from the dead!” - “But he was never dead?” - “Back. From. The. Dead!” - “Welcome! You’re a little early, but… aah, dang it!”

Heian Ciemnosc felt a familiar hand land on his left shoulder, and right away, he knew it was Beto. Beto tried grabbing Heian Ciemnosc’s attention, but it was stolen by many Crimsons and heavenly members as Heian Ciemnosc’s naked eyesight cleared his surroundings. He was in a large hall where array formations separated them into different sections, similar to spatial manipulation, but not quite.

“Oh, hi, yes… I’m… back,” Heian Ciemnosc took some time to recompose himself. He was trying to gain as much knowledge from the experience of teleporting in a different way by a grand array formation. The violet in transportation meant it was dedicated to items, but with special materials and a grand array, formation was different and new to Heian Ciemnosc, the knowledge prostitute.

“What happened to you? You look a little pale-... bwahaha!” Clanton suddenly said, palming Heian Ciemnosc’s right shoulder. Heian Ciemnosc’s teammates and team leader grinned and held their chuckles… except for Moy and Ruo Wei. Even when Heian Ciemnosc gave them a glare, they continued to look at him without a heart, uproariously laughing and breaking his delicate heart.

“Come, I know where our seats are.” Beto slapped Heian Ciemnosc’s left shoulder before dragging him away. Cara smiled cutely and shook her head as the others followed. Then, when Heian Ciemnosc passed by a Heavenly Child in the Third Step, he grabbed the person and questioned him, “Hey, excuse me, senior apprentice-brother. Is Heavenly Protector Diego available?”

“Sen- Ah! It’s you. Haha! Yes, I’m your senior apprentice brother. Nice to meet you,” the Heavenly Child looked at Heian Ciemnosc weirdly and was about to respond with a grunt but recognized Heian Ciemnosc and the faces of his new Team after a few minutes in the Universal Conveyance. Heian Ciemnosc looked a little helpless, but the Heavenly Child was thankfully quick-witted and answered, “Uhh - no. He is guarding the Dimension. He will be part of the military units in charge of ensuring the retreat.”

“Oh… there are many units ensuring a safe retreat. Why is that? It is as if everyone was sure conflict would break out no matter the outcome within the Dimension.” Heian Ciemnosc said, paused momentarily in contemplation, and finally asked. The Heavenly Child cocked his head sideways and grinned like a mature, older brother. “Hohoho! You don’t say. History taught every Second-Third Step organization that wars in space are easier to erupt than in Kingdoms. The only safe places are the Godly Space Stations. Only those make sense as a heaven, although our Dynasty still hasn’t relied on theirs.”

“I see… Oh, thanks for the info.” Heian Ciemnosc said, nodded, and walked away from the Heavenly Child. The latter nodded and went on his way to supervise everyone arriving at the banquet.

Beto looked at Heian Ciemnosc silently, feeling as if something heavy was about to fall on his shoulders. More specifically, though, it was gonna be their shoulders that were about to become fat and slow. Without knowing what the future awaited for them, the Team sat on their reserved seats and silently started ogling everywhere, impressed with what one could do regarding decorations within a Kingdom.

“Wow! There’s so much space. Will they feed us dozens of dishes?” Clanton asked, with Moy salivating as Ruo Wei’s eyes dilated at the mention of Clanton’s words. Beto smiled and said, proud to have insider info. “You bet. This is a Third Step organization that could transition into the Fourth Step. If they can’t feed a hundred million soldier units like it’s breakfast, they would have never reached this far!”

“What a way to classify Non-Mortals, team leader…” Cara said with a bored face. But Ruo Wei licked her lips and nodded, not reading the ambiance well. “Indeed! That’s how powerful organizations should be!”

“Ahem, but our Crimsons don’t do it because we aren’t guests that are about to risk their lives for some benefit and extra money. Don’t forget,” Sandra said, remaining everyone and helping Moy sober up by caressing his left arm. Moy struggled to keep his brain in one thing. Meanwhile, Heian Ciemnosc sat on Beto’s right while Ruo Wei was on Beto’s left. He leaned towards Beto and whispered in a way only they and the Team could hear.

“Team leader, may I inquire if you’re willing to hear me out?” Heian Ciemnosc’s words caught Beto’s intrigue. He looked at Heian Ciemnosc and said, “What’s with that wording? Are you asking me to marry or something? Hahaha. Sorry, black monster, tech monster here is too busy occupying that role.”

“Hahaha!” - “Dramaaa~!” - “Where’s the food?” The Team chortled, but it didn’t last long as the boys and tomboy returned to salivate over nonexistent dishes. Heian Ciemnosc rolled his eyes and continued to whisper in the same manner. “The Celestial tasked me with securing the Interchanging Dust Dynasty’s people. Not over the expenses of our Crimsonbreaking Faction, but the pay… it comes from a Godly being. And she guaranteed any reward possible.”

“... … … …” The Team fell silent and dropped their antics to look at Heian Ciemnosc with expressionless, curious faces. Ruo Wei even dropped the fork and spoon she grabbed like a brute, whose hands’ reverse pressed hard against the table. Heian Ciemnosc looked at them with a ‘what?’ face and looked at Beto, waiting for his answer.

“... Okay, repeat it again. Let’s… think about this. What you just asked me isn’t to protect an important asset or secure an objective, Heian Ciemnosc… You’re asking us something over our heads!” Beto responded, blinking several times in a row, but was not saying no… Heian Ciemnosc caught up on this, and his image of the Crimsonbreaking Faction expanded a little. Just a little more from the already vast impression he had of it.

…