Chapter 1811 - 1811: Brand New Day

The subdued brilliance of the great sun finally flourished, dyeing the Monosphere with its beauty, bringing some measure of hope, and announcing the new day (at least for those who cared for the distinction of day and night).

Here in the Breaking Chasm, the dim was not so desirable, especially because it signalled the scheduled extermination of the Vacuum Fiends. While the powerful within the realm viewed that as a guaranteed victory they got to enjoy regularly, others – those weaker and helpless – would argue that it was a sign of nature's unrelenting, unwavering persistence. (And indeed, the weak existed in Breaking Chasm #59.)

If Skullius were to have been asked which side he would take in this, he would have said he agreed with both. Problems born from the omnipotence of the |Greater Cosmic Law| were both harrowing and thrilling; but perhaps the former moreso.

"Urgh. You look like you've been wrung out by a Retucent. What happened?" said Elita as the Hybrid appeared in the Lucid Parlor from a burst of Ju`wtte. At once, all the furniture in the lounge inflated to match his size, and the Void User had to endure the sensation of her couch becoming much too large and uncomfortable. The same was true for Uyuniya.

"Suffice it to say, I'm working on keeping us alive," said Skullius, and he plopped on one of the couches. The bags under his eyes and the way his hair was flying every which way, as though each strand had been fighting each other, said plenty.

Pinching his eyes and taking a breath, he groaned. "I didn't think Fortus would want to start so early."

"I think there's more to his want of an audience," said Uyuniya. She sized Skullius up. "And frankly, I think you could do with something other than… whatever you were doing."

"…You're probably right?"

At Skullius' own request, Elita and Uyuniya had temporarily taken Araeyn and Weaver's place in the Lucid Parlor in order for the Apostles to acquire their Traits. A Strawler the Hybrid had granted the key to Bosom had facilitated the switch. Shortly after the two Void Users had settled in the Parlor, however, the door had begun rippling, a reaction that meant that someone was requesting access: the Sanguine Suite steward. Fortus had requested to see Skullius so as to teach him the Soul's Cadence before his audience with the Sovereign General.

"Do you want to see him now or…?" Elita asked Skullius, jumping to sit at the edge of her giant couch. "Have to give him credit as a steward. He insisted on waiting outside until he could speak to you personally."

"Let him wait. I need a moment," said the Hybrid.

So much was still spiralling inside his head – frustrations, mostly.

His first decent attempt at learning about the weave on his Doom Factor hadn't yielded as much as he'd hoped, but even worse than that was that he was no closer to figuring out whether the Primeval Deities intended to use him as a spy or why they freely handed him a band-aid to his Undeathly ailment.

The latter was more daunting than frustrating, however. Yet, Skullius flushed those emotions down.

He'd made some decent headway in everything else in his immediate plans: All the Apostles had Traits and Classes or Mutations now.

Indeed, including Apexis.

That much countered every negative Skullius felt, leaving him with the ample room for stringent thought that he could muster right now.

"An auction. That's what the Stellars were invited here for," said Skullius, suddenly.

"An auction?" Uyuniya reeled. "What makes you so sure?"

"They are building a new structure for that very event here in the Monosphere. I saw it myself and heard conversations surrounding it."

He said this languidly, despite having some misgivings about privacy inside the Lucid Parlor because he didn't believe it would be valuable to the enemy, not in the way they would think if they were listening to every word he said, at least.

"I see. I'd question how exactly you pulled that off, but well…" said Elita, shrugging. "More importantly, do you have any idea what they are trying to auction off? It doesn't really make sense to me why that would be a priority for the Aspire to Divine. It couldn't be for… pleasure, right?"

"I have no clue, but that's not as important to me as figuring out how to use it to my advantage."

"Right? For helping us leave?" said Uyuniya.

"More than that," said Skullius, and he used his Ju`wtte to clean himself up, combing back his honey-coloured hair, fixing his coin-grey skin, and nourishing his mind with [Just Light] so that the bags under his eyes vanished. "Gylliard wasn't particularly interested in probing about my reasons for coming here. He most definitely outsourced that task to Subossais, which makes my goal even easier."

"What else do you hope to gain?"

"Simple," said Skullius, and he rose to his feet. "I want to keep them guessing, steer them all clear of my intentions. Information warfare is my primary means of maintaining a strong stance here."

He was at the door a moment later, and the Lucid Parlor opened it, revealing a patiently waiting Fortus.

"A pleasant rest I trust you had, my lord," he said, giving a light bow.

"Certainly. Thank you."

Soon, the two were seated on opposite couches (after Fortus had asked to take a seat, of course).

"Shall we begin?" said Skullius.

Bowing again, Fortus replied, "Not quite yet, my lord. There are two matters I must inform you of before that."

Skullius gave Uyuniya a glance that she didn't sense. It appeared she was right.

"What is it?"

"First, you should know that all the Stellars have already had the pleasure of a private audience with the Sovereign General, and it is now your turn." As he said it, Fortus produced a graceful plaque with a brand akin to the Runes Skullius had seen inside a Tors Lampion. At the slightest movement, it reflected many colors.

Fortus stood to present it to Skullius, who cocked his head to the side as he received and appraised it.

'That was fast. I'm the only one who hasn't met with Thyrrga? And I'm last too?' thought the Hybrid.

"This is the pass you will need to show as proof that you have permission to travel to the Sovereign General's domain. I implore you, keep it safe. Warlord Subossais will be your personal escort to the Sovereign, but he will not take you there without the pass."

"I see," said Skullius, his eyes on the pass still. "And the other matter?"

"This is more of an optional invitation. It has already been extended to all the other Stellars as well as all combatants within the Monosphere," said Fortus. "The Sword Gods, 'Smoke Eyes' Dragon and 'Protean' Shidao, will be engaging each other in a final duel today before the dim of the sun. I do say, you might not want to miss this."