Away from the Kingdom of Neon, which was in the midst of merging with multiple Colony Cities...
In a quiet, battered stretch of the Cenotaph Wild Lands, the dry, towering trees loomed like sentinels.
Surrounding a devastated Colony City, vines and ancient timber formed a natural barrier, their shapes twisted and stretched by time.
And within that living wall, war thundered.
Not in name. But in reality.
Above the ruined city, Nyxaria Moonveil Lunaris hovered- her feet wreathed in ethereal blue wings, ancient oceanic tattoos glowing faintly along her skin. Her long dark hair shimmered with streaks of blue that was caught by the winds.
She watched from above, eyes scanning the city where countless buildings had already been reduced to rubble. The destruction here was worse than anything she had seen, even surpassing what the Colony City of Green had endured.
The cause? Venomous Snakemen.
Ancient Ones who had stirred one of their Holy Lands from dormancy. Now, they poured into the city like a tide, devouring, destroying, desecrating. The humans here had survived something far worse than battle.
And even Nyxaria, who had endured much, found herself shaken by the horrors on display.
She wasn't strong enough to face the Ancient One thay had been leading the charge.
A thunderous roar broke the air.
A massive Snakeman, pulsing with golden-green energy at the Luminblood Stage of Astral Core Ascension, writhed in agony.
Four Constructs surrounded him- two Lunar and two Solar, radiating beams of moonlight and sunlight that wove together, smothering the monstrosity until it could no longer move.
These Constructs were no ordinary summons. They were the reinforcements granted by King Primal himself.
While they faced down the strongest threats, others below fought to preserve what lives they could.
As Nyxaria observed the fierce clash, wings fluttered beside her as Luna appeared silently.
"This region is cleared," Luna said, her voice calm but weary. "The others are pushing further in. Can you keep going?"
Her eyes were tired, not from physical strain, but from the grief of seeing too many fallen.
Nyxaria nodded. The wings at her feet stirred as she drifted forward, gaze distant.
Her thoughts lingered on the man responsible for all this- the one who had changed the fate of Colony Cities in mere hours, deploying elite forces across the map as if orchestrating a grand game.
The same man she'd once begged to help her kill her father.
That mission now seemed so small in comparison. And yet, it still burned within her.
Her father, a monster who had committed atrocities under the Lunaris Dynasty. Her hatred for him hadn't faded. If anything, it had been refined- sharpened by everything she had witnessed.
Astral Core Ascension no longer felt unreachable.
Not after watching one such being crushed by four of King Primal's Constructs.
And one day, she vowed, she would borrow those very four or others granted to her...to encircle her father and break him the way he once broke her.
These were her thoughts as she and the others pushed toward another shattered city, another front in a war too large for words.
Nyxaria. Luna. Major David. Eloise. They led one of three strike teams.
Elsewhere, Dr. Shaw guided another. And farther east, Seraphelle and the Phoenix Legion carved a path forward.
Three divisions. Three forces each empowered by the might Achilles had granted and capable of resisting even Astral Core Ascension-class threats.
And still, these were just the beginning.
Because while they fought to save what could still be saved in the Dynasty of Thornveil...
Achilles' Primordial Avatar, finally free, was about to begin moving toward the Capital of Thornveil Dynasty!
In the Kingdom of Neon.
Above its heart, an ocean hovered, suspended in the sky and pulsing with bioluminescent blues.
This was no illusion.
It was Thalassara. The Sea of Freedom!
Here, Thalassarians swam- humans who had once lacked the potential to become Advanced Humans, now reborn with wings at their feet. They soared through the sky, flew through glowing waters and did things that were once deemed impossible.
Hundreds of thousands filled the radiant ocean, their bodies marked with glowing oceanic tattoos. The skies shimmered with their movement.
And at the sea's edge, near its lowest current, a woman stood on the water.
She leaned on a cane she didn't need, but her presence was undeniable. Regal. Calm. Eyes filled with wisdom.
She had sung the hymns of Achilles. Had been the first human to dive into the Sacred Pools of Thalassara. The first of her kind.
Now, she stood motionless, eyes fixed on the tower of vines below- the Primal Neon Tower, crowned in falling starlight.
A calling from that place. From the heart of the tower.
And though she couldn't explain it, she knew.
Her new lineage, the one that had changed her life, had begun here.
Others avoided the tower. They feared the being who resided within as miles around it were clear and empty.
But Granny Lila had never been one to follow fear.
She lifted herself from the water and crossed the skies, a gentle blue hurricane forming around her. It spiraled at her side not to shield her, but simply because she willed it.
And she flew down for a bit over a minute.
She landed softly at the base of the tower, near a lush, blooming forest of green-gold vines and trees.
She marveled at its wonders and vibrant power, not to mention the purple gold fruits hanging from distant trees emenating a powerful air.
She walked towards that area where she could see star light falling into smoothly.
It did not take long for her to move past radiant trees and see them.
And there, looking in her direction were two figures.
A young man and a woman. Seated. Calm. Powerful.
They looked up as she approached.
Most would have frozen beneath their aura.
But Granny Lila? She focused on their eyes.
The girl's eyes brimmed with wonder, sadness, joy, and something more.
The man's eyes held weight. A heavy, terrible gravity.
One that Granny Lila recognized and knew all too well.
Tapping her cane against the earth, she bowed her head.
"I'm sorry for intruding. I just had to come. To meet the one who made all of this possible. I am—"
"Granny Lila, right?" Rose's voice rang out as she blurred forward in a flash of green flame. She appeared beside the older woman, extending a hand like a granddaughter helping her elder cross the street.
"I recognized your cane. Please, come this way."
Granny Lila smiled warmly and patted Rose's hand.
"What a good child you are…"
Rose smiled softly at Granny Lila's words as the two of them walked toward Achilles who stood bathed in starlight!