While everything happened inside the newborn Universe, its Goddess was laying naked on an enormous bed, lost in the deepest, most peaceful sleep she had… ever known.
The chamber around her was quiet, the swirling galaxies on the walls moving slowly, casting soft violet and silver light on her. Floating motes of starlight drifted lazily, settling and rising again like gentle fireflies.
The bed itself was vast—wide enough for dozens. It was draped in layers of black silk that looked like… liquid shadow.
The air slled faintly of the cool and sweet midnight flowers. Quite different from what it should have slled like, especially considering everything that had happened inside this room.
Not that anyone familiar with the chambers Nux had created for his won would be surprised; these rooms were no different than living entities made to suit the won's taste. Everything in here was personalized just for them, and the rooms had self-cleaning features.
So while Shadow slept peacefully, her room erased the remains of all the 'activities' that were done here on its own.
By now, everything inside felt… still.
As if the entire universe had paused to let her rest.
As Shadow slept, the shadow-like bed sheets twisted around her body during the long night, but most of her perfect, absolutely stunning body remained… bare.
It was almost as if she was trying to tempt everything around her, even when she was asleep.
That was simply how… perfectly stunning the woman was.
Her long black hair spilled across the pillows and sheets like spilled ink, the ends fading into soft purple that caught the starlight and shimred.
Strands of that hair frad her face, a few stuck lightly to her cheek from dried sweat. Her skin was flawless, smooth and glowing faintly, as if it was lit from within.
Her full breasts rose and fell slowly with each breath, nipples still slightly rosy from the… activities before. Her waist curved in perfectly, hips flared just right, her long, toned legs stretched out carelessly, one knee bent.
Every line of her body looked sculpted by a god who had taken… infinite care.
Shadow, even while asleep, even when all her guards were down, seed like an untouched, absolute beauty.
Her face was the most peaceful part. Her lips were slightly parted, a tiny, content smile curved at the corners. She looked like she was dreaming sothing good—or maybe it wasn't a dream; maybe her mind was replaying everything that had happened before.
But whatever it was—
One thing was clear.
Shadow was in a deep, peaceful, quiet sleep, and considering the state her body was in, this quiet should have lasted much longer but—
BOOOM
The doors of the chamber burst open and a rush of voices and footsteps filled the room.
"Sister Shadow!"
A cheerful voice was heard.
"Wake up already!"
"You've been in here forever."
Another voice, calr, almost annoyed.
"How long are you planning to sleep?"
This one sounded like it was in a hurry.
And as these voices overlapped and mixed with each other before piercing Shadow's ears—
"Mmhffffff!!"
Shadow's eyes opened wide as her entire body, which had been sleeping peacefully just monts ago, jerked from the sudden disturbance.
For a mont, the First Goddess of the Universe was confused. Her mind was completely blank; her sleep was so deep that for a while, she did not even rember where she was or… who she was.
Her groggy eyes then fell on the people who had rudely barged into her chamber. Then, she narrowed her eyes, almost as if she couldn't recognize them and was thinking hard.
"What? Have you not returned to your senses yet?"
And while Shadow was still trying to gather her thoughts and return to reality, another voice entered her ear, a voice she recognized quite well.
A voice that… jogged her mory quite a bit.
"…Amaya?"
She murmured in a low voice.
It was a na she did not fully recognize even now. Her mind was still jogging; it had only produced the na, not the relevant information that ca with it.
And the woman in question—
"…has she completely lost her mind?"
She frowned when she saw Shadow mutter her na with that foolish look on her face.
"She just woke up, give her so ti."
Riona muttered in a calm tone, holding her daughter's hand.
"That is the least we can do. After all, it was us who woke her up."
"She has been sleeping for more than a month now, that's not normal."
Amaya answered in the sa annoyed tone, and Riona just smiled wryly. She knew Amaya was worried. She had noticed Shadow's disappearance two weeks ago.
While it was normal for won to sleep for a long ti after spending 'ti' with Nux—especially when it was their first ti—most of the ti, the won weren't actually asleep. They were rely… too lazy to get out of bed.
After all, even the weakest of these won was a Transcendent. There was no way they would need months to recover just from exhaustion.
So while these won might stay in bed for months, most of the ti—no, in this case, all the ti—they actively talked to others through their connection within a week or two.
But Shadow did not…
A month had passed, and never once had Shadow contacted any of them. Even when they tried to talk to her, she did not reply.
The won who were worried checked: through their connection, they could sense Shadow's body had recovered from exhaustion, that she was perfectly fine and was just sleeping…
But after two weeks passed and Shadow—especially Shadow, who almost actively participated in all conversations because of how much she loved blabbering her mouth all the ti—did not talk even once—
The won began to worry.
And Amaya was no different; in fact, she was one of those who worried the most until she could no longer hold herself back and found an excuse to co here and wake her up on her own.
"Don't live in your own fantasies. The only reason I am 'worried' is because Nux's mood will be affected if sothing happened to her. I have nothing to do with her whatsoever."
Amaya, who could tell what her mother was thinking, answered in a snap, making everything clear.
Riona just smiled at her words, not saying anything, and that reaction alone made Amaya raise her eyebrows, making her explain even further.
"As for coming here, there is no excuse. I ca here because I need her to do sothing for . The rest of you just tagged along with ."
She snorted.
Riona laughed even more. As for others—
"I didn't tag along with you. I want answers too."
Aeliana answered in a snap—the last thing she wanted was for the Devourer to think she was following her.
" too."
Felberta nodded as well, her expression looking much more solemn than normal.
The rest of the won nodded as well. Skyla showed her usual excitent, while Lyriana remained silent.
But the elf too was the sa; she needed an answer as well and was looking at Shadow like a predator, almost as if she was prepared to use force if she had to.
And while the won talked inside Shadow's room like they owned the place, the woman in question—
Her mind finally cleared up a little, her hazy, blank mories returning to her as her eyes finally fell on everyone around her.
"What the hell are all of you doing here?"
She asked directly, in a hoarse, sleepy voice.
"How long were you planning to sleep?"
Amaya questioned back.
"What…?"
Shadow did not understand.
"It's been a month."
Lane inford, and the mont she realized that, Shadow froze.
After all, she too understood how strange it was.
"How…?"
She muttered out loud, the confusion on her face couldn't be clearer.
"Are you alright?"
Evane asked out of concern as she gently held Shadow's hand.
"I…"
Shadow did not know how to answer that.
"I feel strange."
She muttered slowly, and those words made every woman present frown in worry. Everyone—even Amaya—took a step forward, looking at Shadow in concern, but just then—
"I feel… much better than before…?"
Shadow opened her mouth, and Aisha's mouth twitched in annoyance.
"Are you… rubbing it on us?"
The mont those words were said, all the concerned looks on the won disappeared into thin air, replaced by clear annoyance and even anger. Evane too tightened her grip, almost as if she wanted to crush the woman's hand.
And Shadow—
"No! No! I am not trying to rub it in—"
Shadow tried to explain herself, but just then—
"Whatever. It is not like this is the first ti she has done that."
Felberta waved her hand.
Then, she looked at Shadow with a solemn look on her face and—
"Leave that aside. We are here because we wish to know sothing, and only you can help us."
"What do you an?"
Shadow frowned; even though she wanted to explain herself, Felberta's words attracted her attention.
And Felberta—
"Allura."
She took a na.
"Can you look into her mind and see if she is hiding sothing from us?"
"Huh…?"
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