While Destiny and Victorious had decided to move forward with their investigation, the Pri Expanse had already been plagued for two centuries by the very ones responsible for the problem.
However, there were four among them who had deliberately taken their ti before arriving here.
Currently, Celeste floated high above Threshold Seven, her long golden hair drifting gently in the fractured winds.
She had just arrived in the Pri Expanse a few months ago, as she had been busy extending her Fate constructs throughout the remaining layers of Pantheos.
With her usual elegant golden blindfolds rested over her eyes, yet she moved with calm certainty as she sifted through the vast knowledge of the Pri Expanse flowing around her.
"Wardens... Sentinels... Bastion Lord... Domain Lord... Threshold Sovereign... Primordial Warden... The Exalted..." she muttered quietly to herself.
Seraphiel hovered nearby, her long red and black hair flowing behind her like living flas. Her red-blackish eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced over.
Much like her eldest Daughter, Aurelia, she had begun to show more of her phoenix traits.
"What are you mumbling about?" she asked, her voice carrying a soft tone.
Aeloris, with her graceful elven features, pointed ears, and flowing green hair, twirled lazily in the air before pausing to glance at Celeste.
"Well, I’m sure she’s been delving into the knowledge of this place," she said. "Are you going to enlighten us?"
Tiamat floated a little higher than the others, her powerful dragon-like presence unmistakable.
She had dark scales along her arms and shoulders, four curved horns rising from her head, and a long, scaled tail swaying behind her.
Her sharp eyes studied Celeste with open curiosity.
"I must say, those titles sound important," Tiamat remarked. "Are they so kind of rank?"
The three won had also been in Pantheos, though not for any creative work.
Ever since the forr Dragon Progenitor, Tiamat, had been freed from Lucy’s grasp, they had been making up for lost ti.
As ntioned before, they had been each other’s very first friends.
Celeste finally turned her head toward them, the golden blindfolds catching the fractured light of the Pri Expanse.
Even though they could all instantly absorb the knowledge she was gaining, the Ineffable had a tendency to be rather lazy at tis.
So, she decided to explain it to them anyway.
"They’re stations," she said. "Positions of authority within the Pri Expanse. From what I can tell, the hierarchy here is pretty strict."
She lifted a hand and went through the list again, speaking more clearly this ti.
"Wardens are at the bottom, serving as frontline guardians and soldiers. Above them co the Sentinels, followed by Bastion Lords, Domain Lords, Threshold Sovereigns, and Primordial Wardens. At the very top sit The Exalted."
She went on to explain in more detail.
While these titles didn’t necessarily represent ranks, they might as well have.
Each station corresponded to a specific Dinsional Level—starting with Wardens at the 22nd-23rd level, Sentinels at the 24th-25th, Bastion Lords at the 26th-27th, Domain Lords at the 28th-29th, Sovereigns at the 30th-31st, and Primordial Wardens at the 32nd-33rd.
And finally, though not truly last, ca the Exalted—beings just below the Mother and Father, the true rulers of all their Thresholds—existing at the 34th-35th Dinsional Level.
Seraphiel crossed her arms, her red-blackish eyes glinting.
"So, it’s like a chain of command... and we would be equal to Primordial Wardens, huh?"
"Sothing like that," Celeste nodded. "These positions seem to co with real authority over specific ideas or essences. The higher you rise, the more power and responsibility you carry."
The reason these titles didn’t determine rank was because, at this stage, beings no longer needed to cultivate in the usual way to grow stronger.
Their daily lives weren’t consud by war.
Whether they were resting, exploring new ways to refine their ideas, or preparing for battle, their progress relied solely on rit.
With enough rit, a higher ranked being could directly elevate the level of a lower being’s Idea.
For instance, Destiny—if she accumulated sufficient rit—a Sentinel could transform her Lower Idea into a Greater one, which would, in turn, advance her existence level.
If the rit wasn’t enough for such a transformation, it might still grant a minor boost to her existence level itself.
Aeloris tilted her head, her green hair shifting.
"No wonder every place we’ve seen so far is so tense.... like death is coming tomorrow."
Tiamat let out a low chuckle, her tail flicking lazily behind her.
"So, where do we stand in all of this?" she asked. "Did the big guy leave any kind of agenda?"
She was still getting used to being a Goddess, after all. It wasn’t often she saw Ash in person, let alone spoke with him.
So, she only ever addressed him as... ’The Big Guy.’
Celeste was quiet for a mont before answering.
"Well, he did not," she said calmly. "Which normally ans... just do whatever we want."
Tiamat let out another low chuckle, her scaled tail flicking behind her as she floated in place.
"Figures. So we’re just wandering around?"
Celeste nodded, her golden blindfolds catching the fractured light of the Pri Expanse.
"That’s why we’re here, in the Exalted Threshold of Will," she explained.
"Or as so call it, the Threshold of Destiny. I wanted to see how this place actually operates.... and who exactly is the Essence of Supre Will."
Aeloris, who had been quietly observing the distant cracks spreading across the horizon, finally spoke up.
Her green hair drifted around her shoulders as she tilted her head.
"Hmm, how long do you think it’ll be before trouble kicks off in the other thresholds?" she asked, her voice soft but carrying a note of genuine curiosity.
"The others have been here for quite so ti... but nothing out of the normal has happened."
Tiamat grinned, showing a hint of sharp teeth.
"I may have not been around for long.... but knowing how these things usually go... probably not long at all."
Celeste remained quiet for a few seconds, as if listening to sothing only she could hear.
"...You’re probably right," she finally said. "But until then, we might as well see what this Threshold has to offer."
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