"What now?"
At Atticus's abrupt question, the clearing fell silent. That single question lingered heavily in the air, occupying every mind present.
The thrill of battling a superior race and winning began to dissipate as the gravity of their situation started to settle.
"The monster kid is right. Aren't we all toast now?" Luminous suddenly broke the silence.
"Stop calling him a monster," Seraphina remarked sharply, turning toward Atticus. "Are you sure you're okay, sweetie?"
Atticus stared at her for a moment. The pause was brief, but for beings of their power level, it was significant. After the incident in the Starhaven sector, Atticus hadn't spoken to Seraphina. He still didn't know how to navigate the entire Spirit King situation.
Still, Seraphina had been nothing but kind to him. Atticus gave her a reassuring smile and nodded. "I'm fine."
"Then what the hell am I supposed to call him?" Luminous protested loudly. "He's more than eight times younger than us, and he's already this powerful!"
His outburst earned him a furious glare from Octavius Resonara.
"Stop screaming," Octavius growled.
"Come on, bunny ears. You can't be that sensitive after the battle we just fought! I didn't see you telling the elders to try and kill us more quietly!" Luminous shot back, his tone sharp as their auras began to rise, locking gazes like two clashing storms.
The other paragons sighed in unison. Even after fighting together against an external threat, the Resonara and Stellaris bloodlines just couldn't get along.
As the tension thickened, a calm voice interrupted the scene.
"We can save this for later. We have more pressing matters to attend to," Oberon stated firmly.
The group turned to him, noting the serious expression etched on his face.
"Let's assess the damage caused and discuss the precautions we need to take against the Vampyros. Their queen may have retreated for now, but for all we know, she's preparing her forces to retaliate," Oberon continued.
The atmosphere grew solemn. The euphoria of their victory evaporated, replaced by the harsh realization of the world they lived in. Jezeneth wouldn't let this humiliation go unanswered. And beyond that, the Vampyros might not be their only concern moving forward.
One by one, they nodded in agreement with Oberon. Without another word, the paragons turned toward the human domain, vanishing as streaks of light on the horizon.
"What's wrong?" Magnus asked, noticing Atticus had suddenly paused, his gaze fixed in the distance.
For a moment, Atticus didn't reply, staring silently. Finally, he shook his head. "It's nothing."
Magnus scrutinized him briefly but said nothing further. Together, they vanished into streaks of light, heading toward the human domain.
Far from the cataclysmic battlefield, high in the sky, a seemingly empty space rippled, and two figures materialized.
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