Asenane hesitated for a moment, then shifted closer to him on the slope, folding one leg beneath her.
"There's something Lady Lysameria told me."
Vastarael glanced sideways. "That already sounds dangerous."
She gave a faint smile. "She said all of us are secretive toward you."
"That's not true."
"Do you know the full backstory of every woman you love except Narisva?"
Vastarael opened his mouth, ready to protest and stopped.
About Adelasta, all he truly knew was the end point. He knew that she became a Divine and slaughtered her own bloodline. He never asked why or what came before the flames. Elyonari's past was a sealed forest. She was serene and gentle, eternal but pain did not leave marks like that without reason. He never asked.
Phaenora was born alongside him yes, but that didn't mean she didn't carry things he'd never seen. She always knew more than she said. About Asenane, he knew she had been a Krepsuna Phantasm. He knew what she was now. But the years in between? The fear? The loss? The identity fracture?
"I don't," he admitted.
"That's what she meant. Lady Lysameria told me that if we truly want to stay and stand by you, then we can't keep carrying our burdens alone."
Vastarael looked down. "So this is about Greshina."
"Not exactly. It's about fear."
She turned to face him fully.
"It doesn't matter what happens with her, If you fall for her again, if you hate her or you uncover the truth or leave it buried, none of that changes what we chose."
"That's not how people work."
She chuckled softly. "That's how Spheraphase works."
She leaned back, looking at the stars.
"On Earth, the idea of one man loved by many women is treated like fantasy and harem nonsense. Here? It's… reversed."
"Reversed?"
"Spheraphase is matriarchal at its core unlike the patriarchy in your home world. A single woman with multiple partners is normal. Respected, even. You're the anomaly."
"That's… uncomfortable."
She laughed quietly. "To us too. From the outside, it looks like you're the one collecting us. But from our side, it feels strange to love the same man. That's not how we were raised either."
Vastarael scoffed. "I never thought of it like that."
"Exactly. And that's why we don't talk."
He looked at her sharply. "Because you don't trust me?"
"No," Asenane said immediately. "Because we're afraid you'll pull away."
"..."
"We've all done horrible things that would make you hesitate if you knew them too early. Or too late."
She didn't sugarcoat it.
"Narisva slaughtered her entire Dynasty
She left only a handful of loyalists. That wasn't an accident or a tragedy. It was a choice. Adelasta killed her siblings and most of her family. She spared her parents but the blood is still on her hands."
He stayed silent.
"Elyonari suffered in ways she doesn't hide well but she hasn't told you yet because she wants you to see her now, not then. And me? You know what I am."
"Do… do you all know each other's pasts?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Memory implantation with Phaenora's help."
"You did what?"
"How else do you think we built trust around each other? If we're going to love the same man, it's only fair we understand each other fully with no lies."
"I didn't know any of this."
"How do you think we get along so well? As for Greshina," she said, glancing sideways at him, "that's your choice."
Vastarael turned his head toward her.
"I'm not in a position to tell you what to do. I won't pretend I have that right. You choose what you want. All you need to know is this. Whatever you decide, we'll support you with no conditions or resentment. That said, if she does end up becoming one of your beloveds in the far future according to your future vision, we are absolutely beating her to a pulp for what she did to you."
"What?"
Asenane nodded seriously. "Thoroughly."
"And if I interfere?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
She smiled sweetly. "We'll tie you up."
"I figured."
"And we will make you watch as we beat her up."
Vastarael let out an actual, unrestrained laugh. It felt strange, laughing after everything.
"I really am lucky."
Asenane scoffed immediately. She tapped his chest lightly with one finger.
"No. We are. You don't see it yet but you will, very soon."
Before he could respond, she leaned in and kissed him. When she pulled back, she didn't give him time to recover. She pushed him backward onto the grass.
The slope was soft. The earth still faintly warm from Luke's terraformation. Vastarael landed with a small huff as Asenane climbed over him, bracing her hands on either side of his shoulders.
She looked down at him.
"You're unfairly handsome."
He smirked faintly. "You noticed that just now?"
She clicked her tongue, then deliberately looked away.
"You're making yourself a little too vulnerable."
"I'm tired, exhausted, and emotionally compromised. That ship sailed hours ago. Just wait until after the wedding."
Asenane froze.
"Ah. That's... tomorrow, isn't it?"
"Yes?"
She stared at him, then groaned softly and let her forehead fall against his chest.
"I completely forgot."
"I noticed."
She stayed there for a moment, then shifted so they were lying side by side instead, her head resting against his shoulder. Vastarael pulled her closer without thinking. One arm wrapped around her as naturally as breathing. Above them, the fake moon hung full and bright, surrounded by stars that didn't belong to any real sky but felt real enough.
Neither of them spoke.