Aquamarine was silent. Towers of crystalline blue stone stood half-eroded. Streets were covered in coral. Light refracted strangely through the ruined spires, bending into ghostly rainbows that never quite touched the ground.
Lysameria walked alone. Her steps made no sound. They never did here. The last time she had walked these streets, the oceans had screamed, the sky had split and the First Generation Deities had painted the city red. Her parents died here as well.
She had her revenge but she never returned.
Her fingers brushed lightly against a fractured pillar as she passed. The stone responded instinctively, humming under her touch, Aquamarine always remembered her. She was meant to be the Nexus of Oceans after all Instead, she had handed the role to her sister, turned her back on the title, and settled with her husband.
"Mother?"
Lysameria stopped.
She turned slowly. Standing a few paces behind her, was Anamorsia. Lysameria smiled immediately.
"Well, I was wondering how long it would take you found me."
"You're… weirdly calm about this."
"I'm a mother. We develop a sixth sense for being hunted by our children. But why are you here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
Lysameria chuckled under her breath. "Fair."
"Nexuses were chased away. The world doesn't want you here."
Lysameria studied her daughter's face for a long moment before answering.
"Do you want me to leave? I just want to know."
That answer seemed to loosen something inside Lysameria.
"I'm part of the oceans, not a guest. The world can't exactly chase me out without consequences. Without me, the oceans destabilize. The world knows that."
"So it just… lets you walk around?"
"Reluctantly. It's like a house owner who hates you but still needs you to fix the house when it it needs fixing."
She resumed walking. Anamorsia followed until they reached a towering, half-collapsed building near the city's center. Lysameria sat down on the edge effortlessly with her legs dangling over the drop, looking down at the frozen streets below. After a moment's hesitation, Anamorsia sat beside her.
"Is father okay?"
"He is. And so are Opera and Caresse. All three of them are alive, healthy, and profoundly lazy."
"Lazy?"
"Oh yes. Turns out when you're no longer responsible for an entire world, naps become a lifestyle."
Anamorsia laughed softly. "Where are they?"
Lysameria's gaze drifted upward, toward the sky.
"Spheraphase revolves around a star. You know that. But there are four other planets in the system. They're on one of them. It's seven times larger than Spheraphase. Oh, and it's surrounded by rings. There's no sentient life which means they can stay in full Nexus form without worrying about flattening civilizations. They live there with the other Nexuses."
Anamorsia's eyes widened slightly. "All of them?"
"Mhm. Turns out when you put a group of bored entities together, they start doing very stupid things."
"Like?"
"They discovered aliens exist. So now they explore other planets."
"They're just… traveling?"
"Yes."
"Having fun?"
"Yes."
"Instead of ruling reality?"
"Yes."
Anamorsia snorted. "I can't believe you're all like this."
Lysameria laughed. "Oh, we absolutely are."
A silence settled between them.Then Anamorsia asked another question.
"Why did Spheraphase kick you out?"
Lysameria didn't answer immediately. Finally, she replied.
"We got too powerful. When beings reach a certain threshold, the world starts to reject them out of survival. Balance demands it. And one day, it will happen to you too."
"But Divinity is gone."
"Which is why I doubt it'll happen now. The system changed. The rules broke."
Anamorsia was quiet for a long time.
"Are you... disappointed in me?"
Lysameria turned fully toward her. Anamorsia stared at her hands.
"I'm Sixth Enlightenment, but I'm not strong enough. If my sisters-in-law reach Sixth, they'll surpass me easily."
Lysameria burst out laughing.
"Oh thank the Primordials. I thought this was going somewhere tragic."
Anamorsia looked up, startled.
"What?"
"My dear your five sisters-in-law are anomalies. Absolute monsters. Walking violations of common sense to be blunt. Comparing yourself to them is like comparing a star to a black hole and asking why you don't swallow galaxies."
"So I'm not weak?"
Lysameria tapped her forehead gently.
"You're Sixth Enlightenment. You're stronger than you think you are. The reason why your father and I gave you the buff to Sixth Enlightenment wasn't because Vastarael wasn't there. After all, I could have waited until he came back and give it to him. We gave it to you because you are the only one who can protect Richinaria before your siblings get stronger. Vastarael would have but with the number of beloveds he has, he would be sloppy with it. Also, he would refuse it. Just like me, he would rather train hard for his power than advance further without help. And frankly, if I had a coin for every time someone felt inadequate next to Vastarael's orbit of chaos, I could buy a planet."
Lysameria leaned back on her palms. Then, casually, she said:
"I'm glad my son ended up with women like them."
"That came out of nowhere."
"It's been on my mind. They care for him deeply but none of them depend on him."
That part mattered. She tapped her finger against the stone for emphasis.
"They don't orbit him like weak moons like most polyamory relationships. They're stars in their own right. Every one of them wants to grow stronger for themselves, not because they're attached to him. I like Narisva the best."
"You WHAT?"
Lysameria laughed. "Relax, my dear. I said like, not plotting to adopt. For someone like her to fall in love? That's shocking."
"Because she's… Narisva?"
"Because someone like her should, by all logic, devote her entire existence to power and training. She would have no room for affection or patience for emotional entanglement. But she loves Vastarael anyway in a possessive way. She's the glue of that relationship."
Anamorsia tilted her head. "I thought that was Adelasta."
"Common misconception. Adelasta is the leader. She's one who makes decisions. However, Narisva is the one who makes sure no one drifts apart."
"Huh."
"Most polyamorous relationships have a dominant partner. They have someone everyone else naturally revolves around. And ironically, Vastarael's doesn't. He's strong but he doesn't rule them. And before you ask, yes. His father absolutely gave him lessons."
Anamorsia snorted. "I knew it."
"Oh, I was there, watching a man with three partners sit a child down and say, 'Now listen carefully. Never assume you're right.'"
They both laughed.
Lysameria went on, ticking points off on her fingers.
"They communicate. They don't isolate conflict. Jealousy gets addressed instead of buried. Power imbalances are acknowledged instead of ignored. Also, none of them are trapped. Every single one of them chooses to stay."
Anamorsia nodded slowly. "That's rare."
"Exactly. That's why I approve. Of course, as a mother-in-law, I still have to assert dominance. If Narisva is the glue, then she needs to be strong enough to hold them together. And I intend to make sure of that."
Anamorsia hesitated, then asked, "What if I want more than two men as partners?"
"Oh, I knew that was coming."
"Mother—"
"Like brother, like sister. You two are frighteningly predictable. Just remember: communication, consent, and don't date anyone who can't survive your temper. Sooner or later, I'm sure you'll have your own relationship soon. Just give me a lot of grandchildren, okay?"
"MOTHER!"