In the wake of the hollow's demise, the system breathed and everything settled into peace once more. Merak's command swept into the system like a tsunami, erasing damage inflicted onto the system on a fundamental level.

  Oblivion was not an element meant for healing or restoration, but with knowledge and where to apply it, Kairen knew that it could be twisted into a vague resemblance of restoration.

  The entity, Merak, descended over the two planets, and the mass of azure flames consuming space above them dissolved into motes of blue white lights that fell into him.

  Kairen watched with awe and shock as he erased the remnants of the null essence alongside all other essences that had shattered space a few seconds ago.

  As a result of his command, a chain reaction began and every damage that had been inflicted was reversed, removed like they had never been inflicted.

  The underlying essences flowing through the system was fixed, its damaged path transforming into a whole. The fractured laws of time and space were fixed, and the obliterated concepts was repaired like they had never been damaged.

  His command brought back the destroyed sentinel, repaired the shattered environment, and healed every physical damage that Kairen and the others had incurred. But there were some things it didn't do.

  As injuries were cured and destroyed sentinels were brought back, Kairen noted that the Ascendant of water that had been killed earlier on in the battle was nowhere to be found. And the dragons that had escaped, as a consequence of the Hollow's powers, were also not returned.

  The Abyssal dragon, she knew, could not be denied. There were ways to circumvent death, but once a soul had landed in the domain of the Celestial, then that was it. There was no way of bringing them back. And fighting against it would only be incurring the wrath of the Reapers, as well as the Adjudicators.

  Nobody wanted that.

  The dragons, on the other hand, were powerful entities on their own, with wills capable of resisting even those of a Primarch of Merak's caliber. Kairen knew that if the ascendant tried, he could return them back, but that was assuming he cared enough to even make the attempt.

  She was even surprised he was helping repair the damages.

  The physical representation of the Mistress of Madness was returned to reality, and the woman burst forward in a show of gratitude that drew no reply from the Harbinger. Instead the Supreme Primarch gazed down on the planets.

  "I See You."

  Kairen's eyes widened when from below, from the huge towering filmy walls of purple and black, a vast will surged forth, erupting forward in a wave until it materialized into the silhouette of a grotesque creature standing before the Harbinger.

  The projection was crafted out of mind essence, with a touch of shadow outlining its full shape, which was made of millions of drifting tentacles lined with a disorienting amount of eyes.

  "This one greets the Supreme Of Oblivion," they intoned softly, and their voice came out like a harmonious chorus of thousands... a mix that sent a chill feeling down her body.

  "Hmm," Supreme Merak nodded gently. "I do not have time for chit chat. I want you to take your forces and leave."

  The eyes lining the body of the creature all snapped open and Kairen felt herself take a step back. Behind her, the sounds of groans and sharp breath could be heard, signifying she alone hadn't been affected.

  "But Supreme," they intoned again, and this time their voices weren't so harmonious any longer, instead they came out in a chaotic mix, like thousands of people shouting at a one second interval from each other. "The gate was opened from this side. We were invited. The rules of invasion states th—"

  "I do not care what the rules of invasion states," the harbinger of Oblivion cut the creature off coldly. "I have stated my will. You will see it obeyed."

  Behind it all, Kairen stood and watched as the rules she had sworn to follow were disregarded right in front of her. And for the first time in her office as Adjudicator, she did nothing. The battle below had seen a cost in the millions in these short few hours. She would see it go no further.

  She stayed quiet as the many eyes of the creature turned to look at her, with the expectation of a reaction. They got nothing.

  "Do not look at the Herald, Demon," Merak's voice whipped into their ears, and although it was gentle, they all found themselves staggering backwards. "Do As I Say."

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  "But Harbinge—"

  "I will not repeat myself. You take your forces or i will take them away for you."

  There was silence for a brief second as the demon stared at the harbinger, its many eyes unblinking in a gesture that would have seen other Ascendants tense and ready for battle, but instead elicited no expression from the harbinger other than a raised eyebrow.

  Finally, the creature bowed. "As you will, Supreme. Although I will warn that my superiors will be made aware of this."

  Merak said nothing, and remained silent even as the creature dissolved back into a mass of will, flowing back through the portal alongside thousands of its forces that began trailing back after it.

  A cheer went up as the retreat of the demons began, the forces of House Verrille celebrating their victory. Only few knew that this had been a stay from certain death. Without the interference of the Supreme, this battle would've gone a whole lot harsher than it was.

  Millions were already dead and more soon to come. But for now, she was grateful that this butchering had come to a stop. If, after her departure, they continued killing themselves, then they were free too, as long as they did so under the set down rules of cosmic battle.

  A surge of essence and a flare of crimson that blanketed an entire section of space signalled the presence of their late arriving reinforcement.

  Kairen noted the presence of many notable figures, including those from the Millennial Wardens and the Great Houses of Lese. And leading them was the main representation of the Desolate Duchess.

  They all bowed as they caught sight of the harbinger, who did not deign to turn.

  "We greet the Supreme Primarch."

  Merak gestured an acknowledgement just as his workings on the system finally settled back in place, time and space streamlining perfectly with such harmony that it seemed the system had never taken any form of damage at all.

  "What sort of enemy would require the assistance of a Supreme of the cult to help?" someone whispered.

  "A Hollow." Hanere, the Herald of Life said, her voice grim. "It consumed Cararc."

  That answer alone drew a sharp gasp all around, and then space took on a deeper hue as somebody growled out.

  "The Aveanii. They did this. I'm sure of it. It can't be a coincidence that the Divine King Nalara captured, who was sent alongside others to recapture my grandson, decides to kill itself and take us with it." The woman's eyes glowed and thunder rumbled in the distance. "They are trying to hide something, and were willing to set a creature of the unreal loose on the bounds of reality to keep that secret."

  "Do you have evidence, Attrevia?" A gruffy bearded man from the Wardens said, gripping his steel hammer tightly. "If you do, then the Wardens will stand with you. A diabolical act like this should not be allowed to stand. And I am certain the cult of Order shares this sentiment." He turned to face Kairen.

  "Will we see the hammer of justice brought down on those foul birds, Herald?"

  Kairen was quiet for a while, and then she sighed. "There is no evidence of a greater Aveanii partaking in this, or that Ty'ranth gave the order." She raised her hands to forestall the protests that came forth. "And even if he did, he would have made sure not to leave such an open trail leading back to him. Yes, an Aveanii did this, but it could just as well be an act of patriotism committed as a last resort to protect the secrets of the Dominion.

  "The cult of Order will not move until sufficient evidence has been gathered. And knowing Ty'ranth, I doubt we will ever find one. Rest assured, should evidence be found, I will lead a host of warriors myself into their heart and bring their leader to justice. But for now, I'm afraid you are all on your own."

  There was silence as she finished speaking, and she imagined a few of them had words—uncouth words that they wished to say to her, but they stayed their mouths. Kairen had already made a dereliction of her duty today, she would not do it again.

  The cult of Order was a neutral force that would not be used as a tool, not by anybody.

  ***

  Merak half listened to what the ascendants were saying as a part of his consciousness, cloaked in his will and a half a dozen shrouding techniques—so much so that the Ascendants around him caught no whiff of it—descended onto one of the planet.

  It slid through the World barrier, phasing through it like it was never there, leaving the World Spirit unaware of any intruder.

  Only for a few minutes, though. This was a territory and his presence wasn't going to stay quiet for long.

  With calm grace, he landed in front of where a young man with blond headed, blue eyed features stood waiting for him, with a tiny figure made entirely out of an unknown gray metal hovering over his shoulders.

  Merak scanned their bodies, ignoring the looks on their faces. He noted with surprise that the boy, Keilan, seemed to have healed a significant part of his soul injury in the span of a few hours.

  It would have been worrying had he not known that the boy carried a fragment within him, a power of unknown levels and equally unknown effects.

  Gray was difficult to see through but he also did note that something was missing from him; a portion of himself had been lost to the protection of both worlds, it seemed.

  "What happened?" Merak finally asked. He looked around. "Where is Damien?"

  The boy, Keilan, gripped his spear tight just as drops of tears dripped down from his ocean blue eyes. "He's gone."

  Merak paused, and slowly and mechanically he turned his body towards the two. "Explain."

  "Damien and Vanis were on the front lines fighting against the demons when he was ganged up against by a group of five demons and taken into a mindscape. Vanis and I arrived late and by the time the battle was done and the call of retreat had already been sounded, all of them—both Damien and the Demons— were no longer moving."

  The boy took a deep breath, wiping the tears from his eyes, and was about to continue when Merak forestalled him.

  "Are you saying that he is dead?"

  [No,] Gray said, and for once his voice wasn't so cheerful. Instead, the creature sent to protect the boy spoke. [His body was here with us as of a few minutes ago when the demons began their retreat, but it disappeared suddenly without knowledge from any of us.]

  "Are you implying that the demons took him?" Merak said, fighting against the urge to let his wrath loose. If the boy was discovered to be dead, then this star system and beyond would cease to exist.

  He would visit his wrath on all those found guilty, no matter how little.

  [No,] Gray shook his head. [I don't—]

  Gray paused and Merak did the same, turning up to the sky.

  He glanced at Gray. "Make yourself scarce and take the boy with you."

  And then the consciousness dissolved, rising into the skies to join the whole.

  He'd barely gathered himself when golden flames swallowed the entire Galaxy and a voice thundered forth.

  MERAK.