Vastarael lifted his gaze slowly and it landed directly on the woman, Teyali Sarphie.
"You are... no, were the High Priestess of the Therianthrope Goddess, Selerene. Am I wrong?"
Teyali gasped. Her lips parted but no words came out. Her legs gave the smallest quiver as though the question itself clawed at the last of her pride. How could he know? How could he see what no other did?
Vastarael could see spiritual bonds like threads like strings woven into the very soul thanks to his Soul Vision, now doused in his Water Divinity. He gave her a faint smile but there was no warmth in it.
"I see it clearly. The bond was once there. But now? It's severed. Selerene abandoned you."
His words felt like the clang of a death bell. Everyone in the throne room turned toward Teyali in shock and others in pity.
"For what? For loving an Immortal Human? For giving up your goddess for a man who could never even become a renowned Divine?"
Teyali lowered her head.
"I gave it up willingly," she whispered. "Because he never asked me to... and that made me want to even more."
Vastarael closed his eyes then turned his attention to Hipel Sarphie. The once-defiant man flinched as his monarch's gaze bore into him.
"You're lucky. If you hadn't married a High Priestess, I would have annihilated your House to the very last child."
A shiver passed through Hipel's spine. Teyali didn't dare lift her eyes.
"But I won't. However, House Sarphie will not escape punishment. You will be allowed back into the Dynasty under two conditions."
He raised two fingers.
"One, you will no longer be involved in any decision-making within Dynasty Richinaria. Your House will exist in name only. It will be a placeholder of your past loyalty and nothing more."
The Sarphies froze in place.
"Two," his eyes flicked to Sylveira Levenees, the Matriarch of the mage House. "House Sarphie will now be placed under the mercy of House Levenees."
There were gasps. Even Sylveira lifted her chin in faint surprise, though she said nothing.
"You may do with them as you wish. Use them. Punish them within reason. But more than that, train them. They're too weak to be of use to this Dynasty."
Sylveira's lip curled slightly amused, but not disrespectful grin.
"As you wish, your Esteemed Highness."
"And Halveron," Vastarael called, turning to the stern-faced Patriarch of House Maximilian. The man, all armor and order, nodded in acknowledgment.
"Their healers will now report to you. When your soldiers need to recover, you'll use the Sarphies. And during your brutal training sessions, you'll do the same. The Levenees will not be your crutch."
Halveron grunted. "Understood, Your Esteemed Highness. I'll make them sweat for every second they've wasted."
And finally, Vastarael's gaze settled on the youngest, the woman with her hands curled tight on her lap.
"Alexis Sarphie."
She jolted upright.
"You will take the seat of House Sarphie from now on."
Her eyes widened.
"Your father is no longer trusted nor respected. This is not a reward. It's a burden you'll carry until you prove yourself better than him. Do you understand?"
"Yes... Yes, Your Esteemed Highness."
------
The throne room was silent, filled with only the Richinarias. Anamorsia took the time to explain to them what she did back in Xypelia and what actually happened.
"I made a choice. Northern Xypelia was a trap from the start but I went anyway. I knew what they were planning. It was never about diplomacy. The Mopherian Pantheon didn't send their emissaries to talk. They sent zealots to bait a war. They want all of it, big brother. The lands, the names, the memory, they want Spheraphase reshaped in their image. They want all dynasties razed to ashes."
Vastarael said nothing. Leon looked over to Leones, who stood straight. Neither interrupted.
"I bought time. Using Eclipse's End, I made the Last Phalanx swear in Spheraphase's name not to attack until seven years are over or they will die. So, I delayed the purge."
Leones finally spoke. "The purge?"
"The purge of every Dynasty. They want to reformat Spheraphase under one faith and one hierarchy. If I hadn't played them, they would have begun their plans by now, starting with the military base."
A long, almost suffocating silence followed.
"There are about five hundred thousand active Divines in the world. It sounds like a lot, until you compare it to the nineteen billion who live in Spheraphase alone. Naranq and Wisterix make that number even more laughably small."
Her gold eyes glittered faintly.
"Of those five hundred thousand, only a sliver belong to the Mopherian Pantheon. The rest? They exist because of the Dynasties, specifically because of the belief systems that rose around those lineages for millennia Divine Energy requires belief. And unfortunately, no other Dynasty has been relied upon more for spiritual lineage than ours. The Richinaria name is embedded in over 100,000 active Divines across all races and continents. Even in lands our family never ruled, our name is recognized. It's foundational."
Vastarael's fingers slowly curled around the armrest as he spoke.
"If the pantheon wins, every Divine tied to a Dynasty will lose their standing. That's a hundred thousand beings unraveling at once. And that's just our line. Add in Starisnova, Mintheris, Vazakiel, Cerea…"
"A world in collapse," Leones finished for him.
Vastarael sighed.
"The Mopherians are preparing a spiritual genocide under the guise of righteousness. I'm not unaware of what you endured, Anamorsia. Buying us time… even two days would have been invaluable. You bought us years to prepare an invisible counterforce. Thanks."
Anamorsia crossed her arms and exhaled lightly.
"You should return to the Inexpelcae Islands. You've already handled the Sarphie problem. You need to train. And honestly, we don't want you here."
Leones nodded as she passed her brother's shoulders. "She's right. We've got this."
Leon tilted his head. "We'll clean up the mess. Brother, need to finish what you started. You're getting stronger, aren't you?"
Vastarael gave a short smile. "I trust you three. Handle the situation and make sure the Levenees don't go too far with their punishments."
Anamorsia snorted. "They won't. We'll remind them who's still the law here."
The Dynasty Monarch nodded, then took one step back and closed his eyes. His fingers moved gently in the air. His voice uttered a single word:
"Nyramith."
In an instant, Vastarael vanished. The room fell still again, the ghost of his presence lingering like an afterimage in their minds. Anamorsia stared at the spot for a moment before sitting back down, one leg crossed over the other.
"He's already at Second Enlightenment. By the Primordials, he's accelerating faster than I expected."
Leones gave a small smirk. "That's Vastarael for you. Always skipping steps like the world's in a rush to catch up."
Leon folded his arms, a faint gleam of pride crossing his features.
"And the world is going to have to catch up. Because once he finishes whatever he's doing on Inexpelcae, nothing will be able to stop him."