Varian sat on the rim of the ghostship, staring into the empty space with a pensive gaze.

It was dark all around. The two suns were like two little torches in the far distance, spreading light but unable to quell the ever-present darkness.

The nearby planetoids glowed as they took on a celebratory look. The space cities an hour away were more vibrant, like some disco lights at a crazy party.

Everyone was looking forward to the coronation day. All the planets, planetoids, and space cities were preparing for the event that would kick off the next era. 𝚍ｏ𝚟𝚕.ｏｒｇ

There was still grief. But it was suppressed by the cheers. When it came down to the numbers, the majority were still safe. Even with the losses of Neptune, most families were intact and secure.

And even the ones that lost their loved ones tried to deal with the grief with the hope of a new future. They subdued their own sadness and tried to hold onto the promise of tomorrow.

In these few days, Varian had seen, met, and talked to a lot of people in disguise. He had seen people from all backgrounds and all emotional states.

The sheer scale of the human race was wonderful. But it also made him wonder about the fragility of his people despite their numbers.

What fifty billion humans couldn’t do, a single Julius did.

Then, what’s the use of numbers without strength?

‘They have to grow stronger.’

Varian loosened his clenched fists and stared at his palms. He imagined the powers of slivers coming from deep inside and he willed them to come out from his palms.

He put his heart and soul into it and willed the power out.

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours.

Nothing happened.

Like all the other tries in the last few days, this too had failed.

‘Should I just give up and go for the few paths? I’d still have multiple celestial paths.’ Varian had that thought but his fists were clenched unconsciously.

He didn’t like giving up. It wasn’t in his nature. He’d have it all. He must.

‘System says I can try using the powers once I hit the Celestial rank. But to reach the rank properly, I need the powers. This is nuts.’

Varian tried a couple more times and before he knew it, he spent an entire day sitting outside the ghost ship.

There were only two days left before the coronation.

“Aren’t you worried?” Evander sat beside Varian and stared at the two suns.

“The moment I or Sia or Sarah become a celestial ranker, Julius will be dead. Why worry?” Varian shook his head and turned to his father-in-law.

Evander only recovered recently. The situation between them wasn’t tense as Evander feared.

It was just…awkward.

It was long back when the two had a proper talk. And even longer when they met in person. Varian had changed so much that Evander felt like he was meeting another person.

Thankfully, the relationship was still very warm.

“Your injuries took so long to heal. Is this the price for gaining sovereign strength?” Varian noticed that Evander’s strength was still at peak of level 9 despite fighting a sovereign that day.

“Yes. A price I’m willing to pay.” Evander said and glanced behind him cautiously for a moment. Then, he whispered. “And if the need arises, I can fight Julius for a short moment, though I’m not sure of killing him.”

Varian arched an eyebrow.

Evander shrugged. “I had a breakthrough. I can use the celestial strength for a while.”

“At the cost of dying, yeah?” Varian pursed his lips.

“A fair price for that kind of power.” Evander nodded. “I’m just relieved that I can help you three escape even if Julius finds us.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Varian smiled and looked down at his own heart. The sealed power inside his heart—the death strand—was very much active.

It only needed a single push and Varian would unleash a power enough to destroy all life on a planet.

“I hope Julius doesn’t find us for his own sake.” Varian took a deep breath and gestured with his hand.

Boo appeared in front of him, a few screens floating on its palms.

All the screens displayed abyssal spaceships that were still not destroyed. Of them, there were a couple that interested him.

“Six spaceships flew beyond Pluto.” Varian’s expression grew grim. “All of this happened before Julius even ascended. That confirms the unfortunate guess.”

“There are how many? Three or four altars left. Would the Abyss Emperor even respond?” Evander asked. “Suppose he did, could he still come given that so many altars are destroyed?”

“I don’t know.” Varian shook his head and stared into the space blankly. “I just…feel anxious. It’s a gut feeling. It’s suffocating.”

Evander stared at Varian strongly and patted his shoulder. “If you do die, then know that I’ve already gone before you.”

Varian laughed and shook his head. “I think I’m just being paranoid. Too many life-and-death experiences can do that, I think. It’s pure madness to even believe that Abyss Emperor will come here while his own homeland is in fires of war. Why would he abandon his home, family, and people to come here?”

“True.” Evander stood up and nodded with a somewhat relieved smile. “From what you said about him, he’s a very affectionate and kind ruler. Such a person wouldn’t sacrifice his family and come after us.”

Varian nodded in agreement.

“I just hope you don’t become like him,” Evander said and walked into the ship. “He’s a good father, not a good monarch.”

Varian disagreed as he followed into the ghostship. “He’s a good one, alright. The fault is on me, the variable that thwarted all his plans.”

“Your name makes so much sense like that. Varian Konstant, hahah.” Sia chuckled from her meditation room.

Varian rolled his eyes and was about to bicker when Boo sent him another mental message.

‘Master, the treasures hiding the solar system from other civilizations are slowly self-destructing. They’ll be gone soon.’