AKHASHA floated there, in the darkness, overlooking the gargantuan mass at the very center of Reality. Its size was comparable to that of the Absolute Sun, though, it didn't have nearly as much grace or presence. As a matter of fact, its significance was less than that of the Absolute Sun, which was probably why Void had never bothered to hide it. But of course, there was another reason as to why Void never deigned to touch it.

The great mass, so dense and depressing, like a spherical vortex of all that was bright and cheerful, had a supernatural, Reality-wide, gravitational pull. This gravitational pull was reserved only for organic masses that committed to the universal flow of time – to Realms that scaled directly to the main flow of Consternals.

Breaking Chasms were only one type of the kind of masses that were pulled into an orbit around the dark, spherical vortex. After the daughters of the Wanderer broke Reality by rejecting death and escaping it in unique ways, the Primeval Deities had risen and populated this Reality with many worlds all on their own. Most of these worlds they created were similar to Breaking Chasms, not in size, but in consistency with the main flow of Consternals. They were Prime worlds – a perfect expression of the height of Deityhood.

AKHASHA could feel his share of these worlds revolving around this vortex, along with hundreds of Breaking Chasms. The sensation was often calming for him, but now…

<I feel it too.> said GREY VONSE. <The expansion of Reality that burst of Litte caused slowed the orbit of Prime worlds and Breaking Chasms by a concerning margin. This will set us back, won't it?>

AKHASHA didn't reply immediately. His eyes were dyed black, perhaps feeding on the darkness reflected from the vortex. His eyes were like no other. They saw things no creature in this Reality could see, not even the Existential Parallels.

<<My concern is that this doesn't impede our competition. Emmae remains ahead of us all.>>

GREY VONSE frowned. <Are you saying Meredrien is that sturdy? Or can Emmae simply alter its orbit around Reality as she pleases?>

AKHASHA's silence was a confirmation. It was as GREY VONSE had guessed

She clicked her tongue in frustration.

<<Since TITEMIUS refuses to spill what he knows about Emmae's intentions, I am left no choice but to imagine that she is ahead of us when it comes to the DAWN as well. Even Void failed to pull the brakes on her sister.>>

GREY VONSE's face turned uglier.

So that's how it was… 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

At first, she'd been worried that AKHASHA was taking the Acceleration from earlier lightly – too lightly, in fact – disregarding its implications. Many fresh Divines had been able to use that burst of Litte to slip past the CONTRACT AKHASHA imposed, and many Deities, especially those allied with the Aspire to Divine, used the Acceleration to power themselves in unusual ways that were sure to bite the Primevals in the ass sooner rather than later.

…But AKHASHA had disregarded that. Heck, he even disregarded the brewing betrayal by COLMUUN and the Null Life Bearer. He hardly flinched when he heard that JOISEN ANTERRAS had been attacked and almost killed by them both.

<I see now…>

GREY VONSE understood.

AKHASHA was playing a different game – observing a goal light years ahead of what his secondary enemies were aiming for.

<<There's good news, though.>> said AKHASHA. <<Void's desperation, Emmae's headway… They give me comfort. Those two still don't know the secret of the DAWN. That's why they are so frantically trying to reach outside this Reality.>>

Void was doing so by trying to create a disturbance great enough to draw the Wanderer back to this Reality, and Emmae was making a great effort to burrow through the-space-between-Realities with her Supreme Liches once again.

<<There was a time when I thought that marking – that scribble – at the edge of Reality was something the sisters understood. I thought they had a grace far greater than us because of it, but alas, there are forces even they cannot fathom. Those with the greatest understanding of the tools provided to them win – simple as that. Isn't that just the perfect order?>>

GREY VONSE gave a sheepish smile.

<You still say that when more than a few million Divine beings without the limit of your CONTRACT have just been created?>

To this, AKHASHA had an instant answer.

<<Reality has always had anomalies, hasn't it? What's a few million more?>>

***

TITEMIUS could not stop thinking of AKHASHA's visit. Slowly, he began to wonder if he was making the right decision. Was remaining as this nebulous figure with no real ties to either the Primevals or the Existential Parallels the most optimal choice?

Right now, his greatest limiter was a lack of information. The only real power he could exert outside his prison was his connection to individuals he'd entered into Contracts with. As it happened, the only significant individual among these… was Skullius.

<And he hasn't made any effort to exploit our UNLIMITED CONTRACT. Do I have to nudge him?> thought the Primeval Deity, only to discard the thought immediately. <No. Who knows how Wyrrim will react to me doing that.>

He sighed.

So much was happening out there. Tensions were at an all-time high, and AKHASHA was being pressured for the first time in eons. TITEMIUS wanted to be there to see it, to participate, even.

But how to do that? How could he get in on the action?

It ground TITEMIUS' gears, knowing that even if he somehow escaped this prison, AKHASHA would know and act accordingly. The bastard was rumoured to be able to predict events that occurred within Consternals. His understanding of the Conste was supreme.

<Patience.> TITEMIUS told himself, steeling his resolve for the umpteenth time since his imprisonment. He could wait. Sooner or later, the tension would reach a crescendo, and all forces that had been kept in stasis or reserve would have to be employed. He was one such resource.

Soon.

Soon.

What was eons more of waiting in meditation?