The echoes of their unified declaration, "Let's get started!", still hung in the luminescent water of the underwater castle!

The air, if it could be called that, thrummed with a new, dangerous energy.

Three generations of Adrastia Emperor Kings and a Primordial Genome Empress, united not just by blood but by a shared, audacious purpose.

Thalsian was already pacing, his massive form radiating an impatience that made the water around him gently boil. Adras stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the very picture of an Emperor already running through strategic calculations.

Rose, her water form shimmering, had a dangerous, brilliant light in her emerald eyes as she smiled.

But as they stood on the precipice of their grand campaign, Achilles went still. His head tilted slightly, his platinum-flecked eyes losing focus as his vast, multi-dimensional consciousness detected a ripple in the grand narrative, a story beat he had been monitoring reaching an unexpected juncture.

"Wait," he said, his voice a quiet command that instantly silenced the rising energy in the room.

He waved a hand. The water before them shimmered, coalescing into a massive, illusory platinum-colored screen.

The image that bloomed upon it was one of cosmic grandeur and terrible suspense. It showed… Syl'thessara.

"I have continued to keep an eye on her,"

Achilles explained, his voice a low murmur.

"Her Fable is a nexus of information. It seems something critical is happening now."

On the screen, Syl'thessara floated in the void, a solitary figure of tragic beauty. But she was not alone for long.

From tears in the fabric of space, legions of Nar'Thyss began to emerge.

They were a terrifying sight…thousands upon thousands of Tier 8, 7, and 6 entities, their butterfly-like wings beating a silent, synchronous rhythm that radiated pure malice.

They arranged themselves around her, a celestial army awaiting its commander. Her role was clear, a dark mirror to the fate of Mor'dantius. She was to be the new Harvest Queen, a general designated to bring the Scourge to Achilles's own Star Sea!

Adras's had a cold expression. "They mean for her to lead the charge against us."

"This Ancestor of ours continues to disappoint!" Thalsian growled, his voice a low rumble of disgust.

Just as the tension on the screen reached its peak, the space above Syl'thessara warped violently.

A presence descended that made even the assembled legions seem insignificant. Another Tier 9 Nar'Thyss appeared, this one radiating an aura of cruel, almost playful arrogance.

Its wings were a sickly sweet purple, and its many eyes glittered with a condescending light.

This was Xy'lar, the Plot Twister.

He drifted down until he was level with Syl'thessara, his posture one of utter disdain.

When he spoke, his voice was a narrative decree that dripped with contempt.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Weeping Whore," Xy'lar sneered, the insult echoing through the void.

"Still enjoying the prison of your own making? I trust you're ready to finally make yourself useful."

Syl'thessara's form remained impassive, a perfect mask of sorrowful duty. "I am prepared for anything, you stupid fucker."

"Haha, excellent," Xy'lar said with a dismissive flutter of his wings. "Except the orders have changed. Hold off on the Scourge for now."

The legions of Nar'Thyss stirred, a ripple of confusion passing through their ranks.

Xy'lar laughed, a sound like tearing silk.

"It seems we have a more pressing matter. One of our own, one of our Tier 9 Constellations, has been deemed for death. Mor'dantius himself is gone! The Nexus Deviation Point may have been discovered and is now being tracked down. We will need every Farm of Fables, every little Star Sea, fully operational to generate the authority required for the hunt. We can't afford to have you farm animals running and hiding from the Scourge when we need you producing your delicious little tragedies."

Syl'thessara's impassive facade finally cracked, but only for an instant, an imperceptible flicker in her constellation eyes. Internally, a storm of confusion raged.

Deemed for death? Wasn't the progeny of my lineage the Nexus Point? Who else could it be?

But outwardly, she simply inclined her head in calm affirmation.

"Yeah, whatever."

Xy'lar seemed to enjoy her submission. He drifted closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial, venomous whisper.

"Don't look so relieved, whore. Your Fable of suffering is far from over. This is merely a postponement, not a pardon."

He turned, his purple wings beating with arrogant finality, and vanished as quickly as he had appeared, leaving a stunned legion and a silent commander in his wake.

The platinum screen faded, returning the underwater castle to its serene luminescence.

The four figures stood in a heavy, charged silence.

Thalsian was the first to break it, his voice a roar of savage triumph. "That bastard! Did you see his face? That arrogant fool has no idea he's dancing to your tune, my boy! They think they're hunting someone else!"

Adras's reaction was more measured, his eyes alight with strategic fire. "We've bought time," he said, the words heavy with meaning.

"More than time. We've sown chaos and misdirection. For them to halt a protocol as significant as the Scourge… the death of Mor'dantius has shaken them far more than we anticipated."

He paused, his gaze turning somber as he looked at Achilles. "But it's time bought at a terrible price."

Rose's watery form rippled, her emerald eyes burning with a cold, analytical light. "They are variables in an equation for our survival, Uncle Adras."

Achilles listened to them all, his expression unreadable. He had orchestrated this.

He had made a choice, and now he had to live with its consequences.

"Existence…is a series of choices. Existence...is a series of choices!"

He repeated the words as if he had to convince himself!

He looked at each of them, his platinum-flecked eyes holding a fire that was ancient and new all at once.

"Let us get started. There is much to be done...as a consequence for all these choices!"

BOOM!

Some beings had to carry a heavy weight for their choices.

And some weights…were truly, truly heavy!

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