Today, the city was in mourning. The retired king, Minsol, had died seven days earlier, and his wife had died four days earlier. A slow procession was making its way through the city. At the front were the seven royal siblings, led by the current Queen, Stella. Two stone coffins were floating behind the seven royal siblings, each beautifully carved and inlaid with bronze. The carvings depicted stories of the lives of the two, as well as legends about God. The people at the side of the streets remained silent while bowing their heads with solemn expressions. A long trail stretching through the entire city followed the siblings, accompanying their king on his last journey.

The procession came to the temple, where usually only Minsol would enter. The seven siblings ascended the stairs, the two coffins floating behind them. The people following behind them stayed at the bottom of the stairs, not daring to sully the steps leading to the holy temple. Many were openly weeping while others were staring blankly into the air. Many still didn't fully believe that Minsol had died. Minsol had been so deified, that it wouldn't be wrong to say that people treated him like they did God. In the hearts of many, Minsol was as revered as God was and prayed to him as much as they prayed to God. Already some claimed that Minsol hadn't died, but had merely chosen to join God. The royal siblings entered the main hall and brought the coffins to the great stone statue in the middle. The coffins were laid next to each other in front of the feet of the statue, meant to represent God. Everyone bowed before the statue of God, even Mundus, his two brothers, and Inpar bowed with respect. Some did so due to their respect for the late king, while others didn't dare disrespect God within his own hall.

They remained kneeling for a while, waiting for something to happen. Queen Stella let out a sigh and was the first to break the silence. "It seems like He will not show Himself to claim their bodies. Let's head down." She stood and turned, leading the group down the steps. Mundus and Inpar shared a silent look, which didn't escape Stella's notice. Natusoror gave a comforting pat on Feidi's shoulder, who had balled her hands into fists and who had bit down on her lower lip. They left the great hall, making their way down. As soon as the last person left the stone steps of the pyramid, the earth started to shake. The assembled people looked around, trying to find the origin of the shaking, but were unable to locate it. The royal siblings, however, were able to feel something else. They could vaguely feel the presence of a great star removed from this world, projecting itself into it and the terrible pressure that came with it. The temple erected at the center of the capital shook, and slowly began lifting itself in the air. After decades of being covered by the temple, the hardened earth finally saw light again. Feidi had her hands clasped together, the triangular pendant between her fingers. She had a relieved smile on her face, with tears streaming down her cheeks. Queen Stella's eyes were moist as well, but she remained composed and bore a regal appearance.

Everyone present knew, that there were no mortals in this world, who could lift the entire temple. The only one who could, lay now in a coffin in that very same temple. Inpar let out a soft exhale and mumbled something under his breath. "If God took even the temple that Father built Him, then does that mean He finally decided to...?" Inpar didn't finish his sentence, as Natusoror who stood next to him shot him an intense glare. Inpar furrowed his brows but remained quiet. Mundus observed the interaction between the two but said nothing. The temple lifted higher and higher until it started moving towards the west of the city. It traveled at great speeds and soon disappeared beyond the horizon. All the while, the murmurs of prayers resounded throughout the city. "Before there was something, anything, there was nothing. And before there was nothing, there was God. Then one day, God decided that there should be something. He started by creating the sun and the sky. He followed by creating the world and stars..."

Once the temple vanished over the horizon, Stella floated up, hovering over the patch of open dirt, where the temple used to stand. She projected her voice, carrying the sound waves across the entire capital. "God has reclaimed the body and temple of the late king Minsol. He has shown His grace to us today, to welcome Minsol into the afterlife. This is proof of His excellence and a divine miracle. Rejoice, for God is here and He loves humanity, just as He loves His firstborn!" A thunderous cheer resounded throughout the capital, turning the uncertainty of the moment into a zealous frenzy. Many who had grown to become doubtful of God's glory rekindled their faith with twice the vigor.

Queen Stella hovered in the air, looking down upon the entire capital. Down on the ground, Mundus gazed up at her, holding her eye contact. Stella wore a cold and regal expression, while Mundus's face was one marked by a grim determination. He squinted his eyes and slowly shook his head. Stella harumphed and turned away, casting her gaze away. It was at this moment, entirely by coincidence, that Apernora caught her gaze. She was hidden in an alleyway far from the main hubbub near the temple. The only reason she saw her, was because she was floating in the air and cast her gaze in that direction. Apernora was together with Inpar's assistant, who went by the name of Dolo. It seemed like they had some dealing together, as Apernora had a stone tablet in her hands, while Dolo had a small clay jar in his. When Stella looked over, the two were already parting ways, Apernora heading to the entrance of the city, while Dolo headed towards the workshops. Stella squinted her eyes while furrowing her brows. From below, Inpar gazed up at Stella, an indecipherable expression masking his thoughts.

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Later that day, Mundus and his companions left the city. They had left a messenger with a stone tablet behind. A few hours after Mundus's party left, the messenger brought the tablet to Queen Stell, prompting her to assemble an emergency meeting. That evening, Inpar entered the meeting hall holding a waterskin under his armpit. Assembled around a stone table, were Feidi and Queen Stella with five chairs being left vacant. Inpar sat in his usual chair and sent a questioning gaze toward Feidi. She in response shook her head while shrugging her shoulders. Inpar returned his gaze towards Stella, a pearl of sweat trickling down his spine. Inpar let out a soft cough and questioned Stella. "Why have we been assembled here today? I've brought some mead that Dolo made. I thought it would be a nice way to honor Father's funeral." Inpar's voice was unstable and had a slightly shaky tone to it. Stella turned to him while answering his question. "Let's wait for Natusoror to come, afterward I will explain everything."

Just when she said that Natusoror came in with a bang while panting slightly. "Sorry, I came as fast as I could." Saying so, Natusoror moved quickly and took a seat at the seven-seat table. Three were decidedly empty. Queen Stella let out a little cough and began talking. "Just now, a messenger arrived, carrying the words of Mundus. I will summarize his words. In essence, the message states that the southern city is now an independent entity that does not answer to me, Queen Stella. Moreover, the southern city will welcome any and all nonbelievers and stop prosecuting them. Mundus ended the tablet by writing how he was supposed to be the leader and ruler of humanity, and how Father unfairly robbed him of that position." A stunned silence broke out in the meeting hall.

The silence was suddenly broken when Inpar chuckled awkwardly. "In that case, it is doubly as good that I brought some mead. Here, Stella, take a sip. Sounds like this will be a long night." Inpar floated the filled waterskin across the table and placed it before the Queen. Stella watched Inpar's antics, before letting out a light sigh. "Before we get to that, we must first decide on what our response should be. Any thoughts?" Stella looked into the round, observing the faces of each member. Feidi was quick to chime in. "We can not accept this. The legitimacy of the crown will not be questioned." Naturoror nodded her head in approval while giving out an agreeing hum. Inpar nodded his head quickly like a chicken as well. Stella nodded her head solemnly. "We are in agreement then. Very well. The question is, how should we go about this? Any ideas?"

This time it was Natusoror who chimed in first. "What of the lizard riders squad that we sent out to the southern city? Did we hear anything from them?" Stella shook her head. "We must assume that they are lost. As of now, we have about three dozen lizard riders and can mobilize another four hundred fighters if necessary." Inpar nodded his head, while his eyes remained fixated on the waterskin lying in front of Stella. "I heard that they have about three hundred fighters, but that their hunters are much more adept with the bow than ours." Inpar's gaze flitted between the waterskin and Stella. He let out a nervous laugh. "This mead was made in honor of fathers passing. I wished for you, the new Queen to try it. I think we all could use something to lift our spirits after today's events. Wouldn't you agree, Stella?" Inpar flashed an honest smile, one that Stella had seen very rarely since they had grown up.

Stella's eyebrows, which she had unconsciously been furrowing relaxed. She let out a small chuckle and nodded her head. "Yeah, perhaps it would be nice to have something to better the mood." Feidi and Natusoror shared a concerned glance when Stella reached out to grab the waterskin. Stella raised the waterskin to her lips. Inpar stared fixedly at the waterskin as if it would devour him whole. Just when Stella was about to put the waterskin to her lips, she stopped, lowering it. Inpar startled as if broken out of a trance. A brief flash of confusion appeared before he smiled politely and questioned Stella. "Is something wrong, Stella? Don't you wish to try the mead?" Stella smiled while squinting her eyes. She placed the waterskin on the table before turning to Inpar. "You seem to be really insistent on me trying the mead. Is there any particular reason for that?" Stella wore a smile, yet it didn't reach her eyes. Inpar let out a nervous chuckle while a sweat drop rolled down the side of his head. "None at all really. It's just mead after all. I just wish for everyone to feel a bit better."

Feidi and Natusoror exchanged questioning glances. Feidi then let out a suspicious face and made a small nod toward Inpar. Natusoror nodded slightly in understanding while gathering her powers. Inpar didn't notice, as he was fully focused on Stella, who nodded her head knowingly. "I see. That's of course a very admirable wish. But I feel like you shouldn't exclude yourself either. Here take a sip as well." Stella floated the Waterskin over to Inpar. He in turn smiled awkwardly while putting his hands in front of him. "Oh, there's no need for that. I already had some and brought it specifically for you. Plus it would be rude of me to drink before the Queen does." Suddenly Stella's demeanor changed. Her smile dropped and an intense expression surfaced. "I wasn't suggesting. Drink the mead." Inpar looked around himself and found that the others were also glaring at him with unfriendly expressions. He let out another awkward chuckle, before his expression drastically changed, turning deadly serious. Just when Feidi and Natusoror were about to react, the wall next to them exploded, showering the inhabitants of the room in dust and debris. Stella coughed and used her powers to disperse the smoke. When the smoke cleared, Inpar was no longer in the room.