Amile Fifthtouched sat in the living room of High Senator Saurabh, a cup of steaming tea in her hands. In the room with her were the three Saurabhs, each lounging in a chair. The mood was sober, unlike most days, but that was only to be expected given the situation.

“Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Saurabh,” she said. Just as she did every day since her release.

The High Senator narrowed her eyes and repeated the same reply she had given every time.

“You do not need to thank me, Amile. My house and tea are open to you whenever you wish. It's the least we could do after what happened.”

As always, no one was willing to actually talk about her imprisonment directly, worried as they were for her mental state. Not that she could blame them. Her time in the cell and the first few days after that had been hell. Thankfully, the state sponsored therapist that she was sent to had been very effective.

Now she could think about her imprisonment without much worry. She could even see the bright side, like some reforms in the Executors and criminal system that the whole issue had caused. The way people from around the country had come together to call for her release was also something that she truly appreciated.

She would be lying if she said her opinion of her country had not soured a bit but realising that Lasvania was not perfect was something that she now knew was necessary. Of course, all that was merely relegated to the back of everyone’s minds.

“Any news, mum?” Bornie asked for the third time that morning.

“None yet, unfortunately,” the High Senator said with a slight shake of her head.

The look on Bornie’s face was enough to show how serious the situation was. In the short time they had known each other, Amile had never seen the usually bright woman so dejected. Not that it was surprising.

Even though she had been a fangirl of Lisa for years, she had only actually known her very recently. Likewise, her interactions with Xiao Lee were very few. Bornie on the other hand, had been a close friend of Lisa’s for years. Though Lee had only ascended recently, the impression she got from her conversations with Bornie implied they’d quickly grown close.

And now they were gone.

It was still hard to believe, and from the little news and social media she had seen, a lot of the country was still shocked. Perhaps hoping it was all a prank. That two of the most talented youths in the country, both high profile figures, were not actually abducted right under everyone’s watch. After all, even she knew the implications of that were worrying.

“Don’t worry too much, Bornie,” Mr Saurabh tried to comfort his daughter. “The Lone Powers are working with Omni. It’ll take a bit of time, sure, but we’ll find them. That much is certain.”

Bornie gave her father a nod, yet Amile could see on the woman’s face what she felt in her heart.

Doubt.

* * *

President Liam sighed as he got ready for his next meeting. It was not one he looked forward to, doubly so given the current circumstances.

The past few months had not been particularly pleasant to him. After being content to mostly stay out of policy making for years, the High Senate had suddenly decided to be more proactive. Running the most powerful country in this part of the galaxy was challenging enough without ancient High Cultivators making his job harder.

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The Tremann issue, though annoying, had not been particularly bad. Sure, he had to deal with the fallout from such a big change, but he was always against their autonomy in the first place. The whole issue with the Fifth, however, was a completely different matter.

Despite the difference in cultivation levels, the president was not powerless against the High Senate. There were limits to how much they could override him outside of a full-blown war with another galactic power. Unfortunately for him, the Fifth Community had been important supporters of his campaign, which greatly limited his ability to oppose the Executors and the High Senate. He had already given up on a second term, resigning himself to merely enduring the aftermath of the whole mess and finishing his last years of presidency in relative quiet.

Then someone had gone and kidnapped the daughter of the Lone Walker.

Liam had to admit he was slightly out of his depth. He was a good civilian ruler, content to deal with making sure his country continued to function properly. In matters such as this, were they had to deal with an unknown power that could possibly be a violent peer, he preferred to delegate the issue to someone with more expertise.

So, in theory, he should have been glad for his next meeting. Delegating the responsibility was the primary reason they were holding it, after all. Yet he knew from experience that the person he was going to meet was not going to make it easy for him. None of the Lone Powers generally did, but this one was only marginally better than Joha or The Madam.

He finished his preparations and steeled his heart for what was to come. He would likely have been worried about a headache if he was below the Master realm.

His guest was waiting for him in the fairly simple room he used to hold his most important meetings. The man was the same as he always was. Tall, and striking, with a military uniform that held 5 stars that he did not need. He was not a mere general, after all.

“Welcome, Generalissimo.”

* * *

Deep in space, in a place very few could survive, sat one of the most powerful black holes in the galaxy. Nothing could exist without being dragged in for light years around. Even the very qi of the universe was not spared.

Directly above this black hole was a simple house, completely unremarkable, except for the fact it was unaffected by the immense gravity that tried and failed to drag it down.

In that unremarkable house, two women sat facing each other, sipping cups of tea. Now no one would dare call either the women or the tea unremarkable, of course. For the tea they drank so casually would be considered a supreme treasure anywhere else in the galaxy.

As for the women...

“Your tea making skills keep improving, Mother,” Joha Feltham complemented.

Her words were more than mere flattery, as the tea was truly divine, capable of enriching the physical, spiritual, and conceptual aspects of one’s being.

The woman, who some might call The Great Mother, merely smiled.

“There isn’t much for this old woman to do nowadays and with all this free time, I might as well train my tea brewing skills. Especially since you always loved it as a child.”

“Speaking of children, Mother...,”

The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, they both knew what the matter was. It was the in fact, the reason they were meeting.

“No,” The Great Mother replied simply.

“What do you mean ‘no’, Mother?”

“Exactly what you think it means, my dear daughter. If you cannot find Lisa yourself, then do not expect me to help you.”

“So, you would leave your granddaughter stranded in an unknown plane.

“The Depths are not an unknown plane, Joha, you know this. And I think [REDACTED] is decent, as far as nigh omnipotent eldritch beings go.”

As if to prove her point, The Great Mother turned and waved at the eldritch being attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation from his home plane. The Lord of the Depths waved back, much to the annoyance of Joha.

“Even so, Lisa is still at risk, especially with burnt meridians.”

The Great Mother winced at that. Her power was supposed to heal Lisa completely after it ran out. Unfortunately, the interference from the Lord of the Depths prevented that from happening. She would certainly be having a conversation with them later.

Sensing an unpleasant encounter in his fate, the eldritch being on the other side tried rubbing its tentacles together in the universal plea sign. The Great Mother merely removed the Depths from her vision, though she maintained a small part of her attention on her granddaughter and the Ascendant.

“A thousand years ago, Joha, you made me promise to never interfere with the way you raise your children. I was desperate for your forgiveness then, and so I accepted. Till today it remains one of the decisions I regret most in my life. I cannot go against that oath, but I believe time away from you is certainly what Lisa needs. And she can only get that in the Depths. Plus, it should break some annoying connections.”

“Is that your final answer then, Mother?” Joha asked with a frown.

“I wish it did not have to come to this, but what you have done to that child is unacceptable. This is merely the first step on her journey to break free.”

“I see. And if she dies?”

The Great Mother, the one some called Love, smiled once more.

“My granddaughter is capable; of that I am certain. She will come back alive and free.”