The bioluminescent garden was a sea of tranquil emerald and soft indigo. Ayaka had just settled her head deeper into the crook of Luna's shoulder, her eyes fluttering shut as the stress of the "Old Boss" and the VVVVIP flight finally ebbed away.
The silence was broken not by a footstep, but by the soft, rhythmic clack-clack of star-tipped tails hitting the glass floor.
"Konpeito?"
Ayaka jumped, her gold-rimmed glasses sliding lopsidedly down her nose. Standing at the edge of their mossy lounge was the Package. The star-eyed girl tilted her head, her celestial freckles glowing brighter in the dim light of the garden. Her large, star-shaped eyes darted between Ayaka's face and Luna's gold-engraved tentacles.
"What are you doing?" the girl asked, her voice sounding like a soft chime echoing in a hollow hall. "Is this a maintenance cycle?"
Luna sat up slowly, one of her tentacles twitching in surprise.
"No, kid. It's called 'relaxing.' You know, taking a break from the world trying to blow us up."
The Package drifted closer, her prehensile tendrils swaying with hypnotic curiosity. She stopped inches away, peering intensely at where Ayaka was holding Luna's hand.
"The Surgeon smells like ink, and the Old Lady smells like dust," the girl stated matter-of-factly.
"But you two... you smell like heat. And pink. Why are your heart rates synchronized? Is one of you a sub-processor for the other?"
Ayaka flushed a deep crimson, fumbling with the silk of her robe. "No! No sub-processors. We're just... we love each other. It's a human thing. Well, a sentient being thing."
"Love," the Package repeated, the word sounding strange in her alien cadence. She poked a finger at one of Luna's gold engravings. "Is love why you have these gold marks? To show ownership? Or is it a docking port for Essence transfer?"
"It's definitely not a docking port," Luna muttered, though she didn't pull her tentacle away. "They're just... part of me. And she likes them. That's all."
The star-eyed girl knelt on the moss, her star-tipped tendrils coiling around her like a seat. "I do not have love.
I have a 'Function.' My function is to be an anchor so the Old World stayers don't break the glass. That's what the tall woman said. If I 'love' the Surgeon or the Billionaire, does my gravity change?"
Ayaka looked at the girl, her expression softening. Even as a Rank 5 Soul capable of defying the Gods' rules, the girl was clearly a blank slate in this reality.
"Gravity doesn't change," Ayaka said gently, reaching out to pat the girl's glowing, pale-green shoulder. "But the world feels a little less heavy. You'll figure it out, bean. Just... maybe don't ask Nick about it. He's currently dealing with enough 'love' to last a lifetime."
The Package blinked, her stars flickering. "Understood. I will observe. May I stay here? The pink smell is better than the Government Agents. They smell like cold metal and paperwork."
Luna sighed, leaning back and pulling Ayaka with her. "Fine. Just keep your tendrils off the orchids. They cost more than my first tech-bench."
With the "Package" safely anchored in the garden and the immediate threat of the Ascended neutralized by the Exodus Program's presence, the atmosphere in the VVVVIP suite finally shifted from a tactical command center to a genuine retreat. Chase stood on the balcony of the Celestial Wing, looking out over the sprawling lights of Guangzhou, when Rixsa joined him. For the first time since his rebirth, the weight of their old world seemed like a distant echo.
"It feels strange, doesn't it?" Rixsa asked, her white hair shimmering in the neon glow. "To have a horizon that isn't burning."
Chase nodded, leaning against the railing. "Nick was right. Between his government connections and the fact that he essentially owns the local infrastructure, this hotel is a fortress. The Awakened Society wouldn't dream of hitting a place guarded by both high-tech mercenaries and the Exodus anomalies."
"So," Chase said, turning back toward the interior of the suite. "Since we have four months and no wars to fight, what does a demon do for fun?"
Rixsa's eyes lit up with a rare, playful spark. "I've been reading the hotel's directory. I want to experience this 'Luxury Massage' they mention. They use oils infused with rare herbs that supposedly mimic the soothing properties of the Silver Flame."
"I was looking at the spa," Chase admitted. "And the private infinity pool on the roof. I spent centuries elbow-deep in the 'Void' of people's souls and mud covered trenches. A few hours in temperature-controlled water without a scalpel in my hand sounds like heaven."
"And if we get bored of the suite?" Rixsa asked.
"Nick said we have access to everything," Chase explained. "If going into the city center is too much of a security risk, the regular part of this hotel is basically its own city. There's a shopping center downstairs that spans six floors. Designer clothes, tech, artifacts—anything Nick's credit line can handle."
"I think Ayaka and Luna have already started a list for the shopping district," Rixsa laughed. "But for us, I'd like to see the botanical gardens on the lower levels. I want to see how this world grows beauty without Essence."
Chase smiled, a genuine, relaxed expression that reached his eyes. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow is the spa and the pool. The day after, we explore the shopping center. We have four months of Nick's money to spend, and for once, the only thing I'm going to cut is a steak."
As they spoke, they could hear the faint sound of the star-eyed girl laughing in the garden, and the distant, muffled grumbling of Nick trying to explain his business expenses to his wife. For a group of ancient souls and multidimensional ghosts, it was the perfect, invincible sanctuary.