Her personal dimension was silent.
Endless darkness stretched infinitely around her, interrupted only by the faint shimmer of Spatial Energy drifting like cosmic dust through the void. At the center of it all stood Narisva herself with a black hole floating above her palm. It was small right now, compressed into a stable form by her control. But even in that reduced state, its presence warped the surrounding space, bending the dimension around it with quiet authority.
Unlike the black holes she normally created through her own power, this one felt ancient and different from ordinary Celestial constructs. Veneri would have probably called it beautiful in a terrifying sort of way, but right now he wasn't here. The only one standing beside her was Elest with his hands tucked behind his back as he observed the spirit of Spheraphase.
"If you absorb that spirit, there will be no more restrictions. The moment you return to Spheraphase, you will immediately ascend to the Seventh Enlightenment and reclaim the authority of a Primordial Deity. You keep speaking as though those two hundred years still matter, but you are forgetting something important, Narisva, because from the perspective of your personal dimension, those years have already passed for you long ago."
Narisva stared at the black hole quietly for a few moments before exhaling softly.
"I know that, but it still feels strange hearing it said out loud. It feels like everything changed too quickly. Back then, when we made our deal, I was desperate enough to accept anything if it meant I could destroy the people who ruined my life. And then you trapped me in this dimension for three centuries teaching me how to survive, how to fight and how to control space itself until I could barely recognize who I used to be anymore. And now you're telling me that I've technically already surpassed the limits of Divinity and just can't use it because the world itself is restricting me?"
"That is exactly what I am saying. Inside this dimension, you already stand at the level of a Primordial Deity. The only thing preventing that authority from manifesting outside is the Ascension Curse imposed upon you by Spheraphase itself. The same principle applied to Peroncerea before her ascension, though in your case the restrictions are significantly harsher because of the vow you made. The world found justification to suppress your true capabilities through it."
"Right."
"You promised never to involve yourself in politics and power struggles and Spheraphase interpreted that vow literally, binding your growth and authority to it because your bloodline and potential were already considered dangerous even among Celestials."
Narisva clicked her tongue lightly, clearly annoyed by the memory as she crossed one arm beneath the hand holding the spirit.
"Honestly, I was emotional and dramatic when I made that vow and now the world decided to punish me for it for centuries, which feels incredibly unfair even by Celestial standards. Still, once I absorb this spirit, the vow gets broken automatically because I'm literally taking the spirit of Spheraphase itself and making it mine, right?"
Elest gave a small nod.
"Correct. At that point, the authority of Spheraphase over you collapses entirely and the Ascension Curse loses all legitimacy, meaning the restrictions preventing your Deityhood will shatter immediately. Your Overwrite will fully awaken, your Primordial authority will stabilize and your true understanding of Spatial Law will no longer be suppressed by the world around you. To put it simply, the strongest Divine of the Third Generation will stop pretending to be a Divine."
Narisva went quiet after hearing that. Countless thoughts passed through her mind at once and for the first time in a long while, uncertainty crept into her expression. Elest noticed immediately, because after centuries of knowing her, he could read her emotions easier than almost anyone else alive.
"You are worried that Veneri will look at you differently once this happens, aren't you? Your power will no longer be something hidden behind limitations."
Narisva closed her eyes briefly before answering honestly.
"Yes, because right now he still sees me as someone close to him but once I become a Primordial Deity, things change whether we want them to or not. I know he loves me, but there's always this fear in the back of my mind that one day he'll start seeing me less as Narisva and more as some unreachable existence standing too far above him."
Elest stared at her quietly for a few moments before sighing softly, and for once, the ancient Celestial sounded almost genuinely reflective rather than detached.
"You know, after living for eons and watching countless Celestial dynasties rise and collapse, I can confidently say that most relationships among our kind are hollow from the start. They are built around status, bloodline purity and political convenience rather than genuine affection. Celestials rarely love selflessly because most only seek power, stronger descendants, or greater authority over space itself through unions with one another."
His gaze softened afterward as he looked directly at her.
"But you are different, Narisva. Despite everything you are capable of, despite your bloodline and status, you fell in love with someone expecting absolutely nothing in return."
Narisva blinked once, slightly caught off guard by how serious he sounded.
"That man has nothing material to offer you that you could not create yourself, and yet you remain devoted to him because your feelings are genuine rather than transactional. And frankly, that alone already makes your relationship rarer than most Celestial bonds I have seen across entire eras. He is patient with you, he understands your flaws without trying to control you, and he treats you like a person instead of a symbol of power. So if anything, you are fortunate to have found someone like him before your ascension."
Narisva stared at him for a moment before looking down and smiling.
"You really got soft over the years, Elest, huh? I still remember when we used to fight every other day and you constantly tried to kill me during training. Back then, I honestly thought you hated me."
Elest immediately looked away with a small scoff.
"I did not hate you. You were simply unbearably stubborn and impossible to teach properly without violence, so naturally I had to adapt my methods. And besides, I am different from most Celestials to begin with. I was exiled precisely because I refused to think like them."
Narisva laughed harder this time as she looked back at the spirit floating above her hand.
"Still, thank you, Elest. Seriously. Without you I would have died centuries ago before ever getting revenge or finding people who actually cared about me. You made me strong enough to survive and taught me what space truly is, so even if you act annoying half the time, I'm grateful."
Elest huffed immediately, turning his head away with obvious embarrassment despite trying to hide it.
"Do not suddenly become sentimental now, because I merely fulfilled my side of the contract and happened to tolerate your existence for a few centuries longer than expected. Still… you did reasonably well for someone who used to explode miniature singularities by accident every few weeks. Now absorb the spirit and advance to Primordial Deity before you make me cry."
Narisva burst out laughing at that.