Chapter 150: One Year Later
For an entire year, the world of Kalpa stayed frozen, with no one aging or even able to function properly—not even the world’s own consciousness. ’
Yet, after all that time, even upon unlocking his true race and growing more lustful, Akasha remained himself, and he wasn’t finished preparing for phase three.
On the highest plateau of Lucid Winter’s Peak, the three of them sat cross-legged in the soft, glowing snow.
Gentle auroras glided over the ridges, while the air held a crisp, faint sweetness.
Luna leaned against Akasha’s side with open, lazy satisfaction, pink-and-purple hair spilling over one shoulder.
Yume sat on his other side, blue-streaked purple hair neatly arranged, though a faint, permanent flush seemed to linger on her cheeks after the long year they had spent together.
Luna’s voice carried a warm, teasing lilt as she glanced at Yume.
"You know, it’s almost unfair." She said, "Who would have thought we could become more beautiful?"
After a year of intimacy with Akasha in his true form, it was clear at a glance that their beauty had grown beyond anything it had been before.
And... it was all because of his seed.
Yume’s expression cracked just enough to show quiet embarrassment and reluctant agreement.
She glanced down at her own hands, at the clearer glow of her skin, the subtle refinement in her features that had deepened over the months.
"It is... noticeable," she admitted, voice soft but steady.
"Hmm... Master’s essence is not ordinary. It’s like it settles into us and... improves what is already there. The change is a bit absurd, but I cannot deny it feels pleasant."
Akasha let out a low, amused breath, his purple-and-white eyes half-lidded as he glanced between them.
"You’re both sitting here talking about my seed like it’s some cultivation resource. I mean, really now..."
Luna laughed, the sound rich and unrestrained, reaching over to poke Yume’s cheek.
"Fufufu~ But we’re not wrong, love. Just look at us..." she said with a teasing smile.
"Especially you, Little Yume..."
Yume’s blush deepened, though she didn’t look away, a small, almost defiant smile curling her lips.
Akasha shook his head, a genuine smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Their banter carried on—Luna’s playful teasing, Yume’s quieter yet increasingly bold replies, and Akasha’s dry interjections—until the atmosphere slowly shifted into something more focused.
Luna stretched her arms above her head and sighed.
"As much as I would enjoy another year of this... we should probably start moving again. Phase Three is not going to complete itself."
Yume gave a single nod, her voice regaining its cool edge as she stayed lightly pressed against Akasha’s side.
"Agreed... Master, you’ve had more than enough of a break—a whole decade’s worth."
Akasha’s expression grew more serious. He looked out across the frozen expanse of Kalpa far below the peak, the purple-and-white barrier of his Domain still covering every inch of the planet.
Because of the deep connection he had formed with the world itself, and because that barrier now blanketed the entire surface and Underside, control came as naturally as breathing.
Snap!
In that moment, he lifted one hand, snapped his fingers, and instantly, time resumed.
Across the Topside and the Underside, every being continued from the exact moment they had been frozen.
Conversations resumed mid-sentence, weapons finished their swings, and waves that had been frozen in place finally crashed against the shore.
The most absurd part was that no one realized a whole year had slipped by.
For them, it was as if nothing had ever paused.
The world of Kalpa breathed again as if the long stillness had never existed, while on Lucid Winter’s Peak the three of them rose to their feet, the soft snow shifting under their steps, ready at last to begin the next stage.
----
With the world back in motion, Akasha redirected his focus before departing the Underside.
Before indulging in moments of pleasure with Luna and Yume, he had received far more notifications than just those detailing his growth.
Now, raising one hand, he summoned the status screen into view.
In this moment, ten years of silent accumulation lay before him, and he first started with the changes in the favorability of those around him.
---
[Child of Consumption’s Favorability: -15/100]
[Nara Lewyn’s Favorability: 55/100]
[Amaterasu Helion’s Favorability: 35/100]
[Amber Salvatore’s (Loria) Favorability: 70/100]
[Liliana Salvatore’s Favorability: 96/100]
[Tyron Alabaster’s Favorability: -20/100]
[Sunya Ultos’s Favorability: 60/100]
[Jovian Savant’s Favorability: 30/100]
[Melvin Blackwood’s Favorability: 85/100]
[Luna’s Favorability: 100/100]
[Yume’s Favorability: 100/100]
----
The moment he saw the list, he skipped over the high numbers without a second thought—they were expected.
It was the negatives that grabbed his attention.
Tyron Alabaster sat at minus twenty, and topping the hostile list was someone he had never even met before— the Child of Consumption, resting at a frosty minus fifteen.
A slight furrow appeared between his brows.
Luna caught the shift in his mood instantly.
She moved a little closer through the soft snow, her pink-and-purple hair brushing against his shoulder, and let out a low, knowing murmur.
"Well, I know what that look means," she said. "Since you’re wondering already... that Tyron boy, he’s long gone from Kalpa."
Akasha tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean... he’s gone?"
He knew all too well that no one could survive in the void until reaching the Star Union, and he was certain Tyron hadn’t made it that far when he left.
On top of that, the world of Kalpa was surrounded by a barrier, only allowing entry or exit at specific intervals.
Yume answered this time, her voice calm and precise as she gazed out across the reawakened world far below the peak.
"Master, we saw it in Harlan’s memories while you were away... Apparently, he sent Tyron into a ruin that was rumored to lead into another realm. After that there was... nothing. No residual signature left inside this world."
Akasha was silent for a long moment.
The wind moved across the plateau, stirring the glowing snow around their crossed legs.
Internally, however, his thoughts were far more irritable.
’Tsk... I should have taken him out the moment I sensed something was off,’ he muttered to himself.
’And now he’s gone into some ruin that supposedly leads to another world? That sounds like a golden finger waiting to be claimed.’
Akasha knew all too well how random, ridiculous events tended to unfold in fantasy stories, which was exactly why he was so determined to eliminate potential threats the moment they appeared.
Still, with so many pressing matters demanding his attention, it was easy for him to get distracted.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm and unwavering.
"Well.... He will not see another full year."
With that being set... his attention drifted back to the unfamiliar name still glowing in hostile red.
The Child of Consumption.
All he knew about this being was that it had countless vessels scattered across worlds and hailed from the Pantheon of Endless Hunger.
Beyond that, he was completely in the dark.
With a brief mental command, he sent a quiet inquiry to his True Self, still dwelling within Dream Land.
A soft notification answered almost at once.
[You have created a Personal Record (Divine)]
A small black book appeared in his open palm, its cover smooth and utterly without marking.