"Why are we resorting to murder?!"
Aventurine did not respond to Topaz imdiately, allowing her words to linger in the cold air as though they were just another part of the environnt rather than an accusation directed at the two n.
His attention remained fixed on Mordret, whose presence — whether fully material or rely projected — carried an unsettling weight that refused to be ignored. The idea of murder had not disturbed Aventurine in the sa way it had clearly unsettled Topaz. Instead, he treated it as one more option among many, sothing to be evaluated and discarded if inefficient rather than morally questioned.
"Even if we did have the opportunity to kill him, we would only be painting a target on our backs."
He spoke as though he were explaining a simple financial misstep rather than addressing the elimination of a potentially catastrophic individual. His gaze shifted slightly, not quite toward Topaz, but enough to acknowledge her presence without fully engaging with her concern.
"If he truly has ties to Genius Society Number Eighty-Three, then she’ll know. I’ve heard enough about her to know she has access to divinations."
There was no exaggeration in his voice, only a quiet acknowledgnt of risk.
"Besides, he might be dangerous, but he is still only one person. An individual is an individual, and I doubt he’d change that."
He paused briefly, then allowed a faint smile to return as his attention refocused on Mordret.
"You called him the most likely inheritor of Shadow God’s Divine Lineage. Yet you sound uncertain. Why?"
Mordret let out a soft chuckle, the sound smooth and controlled in a way that felt deliberate rather than natural. His expression shifted slightly, becoming more thoughtful as he considered how much to reveal.
"I can perceive Attributes, but Divine Lineages exist outside that frawork."
He spoke as though describing a flaw in a system he otherwise understood perfectly.
"My Reflections cannot replicate a God’s blood. I discovered that limitation quite early."
For a mont, his gaze unfocused slightly, as though recalling sothing distant.
"I attempted to reflect my sister when we were young. Yet none of my Reflections ever carried War God’s boon."
There was sothing faintly distant in his expression as he said it, but it vanished quickly, replaced once more by that polished, almost theatrical composure.
"So, whether Sunless truly carries Shadow God’s lineage remains uncertain. But really, where else would it be?"
He fell silent then, but the silence did not feel empty. It stretched, deliberate and weighted, as though he were deciding whether to reveal sothing further or leave it buried.
When he spoke again, his voice had shifted slightly, carrying a quieter intensity.
"More importantly, you are incorrect in assuming that he stands alone."
Aventurine raised a brow, his interest sharpening.
"Explain."
Mordret’s smile returned, though there was sothing sharper behind it now, sothing that hinted at private amusent.
"Sunless is almost certainly the heir to a Legacy Clan. One governed by a Sovereign, at the barest of minimums."
The implication settled heavily, though Mordret continued without pause.
"Shadows do not announce themselves. They remain hidden, unnoticed until it is too late to matter. It would make sense for such a Clan to operate in secrecy."
There was a flicker of sothing like appreciation in his gaze.
"He lies as easily as he breathes, so it is no surprise that he has managed to conceal that fact."
He paused once more, and this ti the hesitation was more pronounced. It was clear that he had considered saying sothing further, sothing more specific, but after a mont, he chose restraint instead.
Aventurine noticed the hesitation imdiately. He watched Mordret in silence, his mind already turning over the implications.
A hidden Shadow Clan.
The idea fit more neatly than Aventurine would have liked. It explained too many things at once, from Sunny’s negotiation tactics to his ability to navigate situations that should have overwheld soone of his supposed standing. It explained certain feats of his as well, though they were still ridiculous.
And yet, there was a faint inconsistency, sothing that did not align perfectly.
Aventurine chose not to dwell on it.
Incomplete information was a resource, not a problem, and he had no intention of forcing a conclusion prematurely.
"It doesn’t particularly matter. If we assu he belongs to such a Clan, then that only strengthens the argunt against eliminating him."
His smile widened slightly.
"I would prefer not to find myself entangled in a Domain War over sothing so avoidable."
Mordret’s expression sharpened, though not with hostility. If anything, he seed entertained.
"That’s unfortunate. Farewell, then."
His disappearance was abrupt and understated. There was no dramatic distortion of space, no visible transition. One mont he occupied the space beside them, and the next he was simply gone, leaving behind nothing but the faint impression of sothing that had never quite belonged there to begin with.
Aventurine did not react outwardly. Instead, he let the silence settle, his gaze briefly sweeping across the surrounding surfaces — tal, polished edges — anywhere a reflection might linger.
He considered the encounter carefully.
Mordret was hiding sothing.
The conclusion ca easily, not as intuition but as simple reasoning. Mordret had been cautious in a way that did not align with his otherwise confident deanor. He had chosen when to reveal himself, when to speak, and when to withdraw, and that level of control suggested awareness of a threat.
Or perhaps a limitation.
Either way, it was sothing worth rembering.
Topaz’s voice broke through his thoughts.
"Since when did Divine Aspects beco a thing?"
Her tone carried genuine confusion, along with a faint edge of unease.
Aventurine allowed himself a small smile.
"It isn’t particularly unbelievable. Anyone capable of obtaining such a thing would have every reason to keep it hidden."
He glanced toward the ship as it continued its descent, its massive structure now dominating the sky above them.
"Large organizations prefer to keep their most valuable assets concealed. Legacy Clans are no different, especially the more powerful ones."
If Mordret was correct, then Sunny’s existence implied far more than a single anomaly.
It implied an entire super force, lingering in wait. For what? He did not know.
And yet, Aventurine did not fully accept the conclusion.
Because he understood sothing Mordret seed to overlook.
Sotis, power wasn’t born from Legacies.
Sotis, they were forged from necessity.
Without another word, Aventurine turned and began walking toward the ship. Topaz followed, though her expression remained thoughtful, her earlier frustration replaced by a quieter uncertainty.
As they stepped aboard, Aventurine did not look back.
He had so things to look into.
***
Sunny was watching as Clara’s machines carefully maneuvered the enormous corpse of Scar of the Hollow onto a reinforced platform designed to bear industrial loads. The black dragon’s size was humungous, making everything else seem smaller, more fragile by comparison.
Sunny’s expression, however, was anything but reverent.
A thin line of drool had ford at the corner of his mouth as he stared at the corpse, his gaze filled with unrestrained calculation. He was not seeing a fallen Great Devil.
He was seeing profit.
Beside him, Clara watched with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
"Are you certain I should keep it? It still belongs to you."
Sunny shook his head, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I can’t take sothing that large with . The Soul Shards are already more than enough."
He gestured vaguely toward the corpse.
"You will probably need to sell parts of it to repair the city anyway."
He hesitated briefly before continuing, his expression turning slightly awkward.
"So... who is going to be the next Supre Guardian?"
Clara blinked, clearly caught off guard.
"Why would we need a new one?"
Sunny scratched the back of his head.
"Because, uh... Bronya isn’t exactly alive anymore?"
The bluntness of the statent left no room for misunderstanding.
Clara stared at him, her expression frozen for several long seconds.
"What do you an?"
Sunny exhaled quietly.
"She’s dead. You don’t need to offer condolences or anything. We weren’t close enough for that to matter for very long."
Clara shook her head slowly, still processing.
"I understand. That is... probably for the best."
Sunny nodded, accepting the response without question.
Clara sighed softly.
"I had a feeling it was sothing like that. But if things continue like this, will your entire life not just pass you by?"
Sunny blinked in confusion.
"I don’t think I’m dying any faster?"
Clara shook her head.
"That isn’t what I ant. From my perspective, you’re soone who struggles to care, yet cares very deeply when you do."
Her gaze lingered on him, suddenly changing the topic:
"Do you want to beco a God, Sunny?"
He paused, considering the question.
"I guess."
Clara nodded.
"The Path of Ascension strips away humanity. I rember people who changed, who beca sothing else over ti. They did not die as humans, but as sothing that had lost all connection to what they once were."
Her voice softened.
"They forgot themselves as they pursued Divinity."
Sunny listened carefully.
Then he asked, with complete seriousness:
"Do Gods eat pancakes?"
Clara blinked in surprise.
"I don’t think so?"
Sunny snorted.
"Then what’s the point? I’ll just be an ungodly God!"
Clara smiled faintly.
"I’m sure pancakes are a strong enough attachnt for your humanity, but go ahead."
Sunny shrugged.
"Well, there’s money, too. Or the sunset, for whatever reason?"
Clara tilted her head.
"A woman?"
Sunny imdiately grimaced.
"Why does everyone assu that?!"
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