Some time later, a soft hum filled the air. The glass dome shimmered faintly, catching the light of the twin moons above as if the sky itself had been pulled down and shaped into a shelter. The floor beneath was smooth stone, polished to a mirror sheen, reflecting the faint glow of the runes etched into its surface. Rows of stone-and-glass chairs curved around the center of the chamber, arranged like a quiet council awaiting its purpose.
The Sages sat scattered among them—seven figures, each wrapped in newly granted divine attire. Dravien tugged at the edge of his black cloak, his ears flicking as the fabric settled over his shoulders. The robe beneath it shimmered, threads of silver woven through the black like constellations trapped in silk.
"This feels kind of heavy on me," he muttered, adjusting the collar for the fifth time.
Seraphaine smoothed her own cloak, making sure it rested properly. The golden trim glowed softly, responding to her light-based magic. "Yeah… me too," she said quietly. "It's like wearing a whole storm."
Iris sat beside her, legs crossed, tapping her fingers against the armrest. "It's divine fabric," she said, her voice calm but curious. "It's supposed to feel heavy. It means the gods actually acknowledged us."
Vaelus leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his cloak draped over him like a living shadow. "Acknowledged or burdened," he said, "I'm not sure which."
Morvath stood near the edge of the dome, staring upward through the glass ceiling. His cloak hung from his shoulders like a curtain of darkness, the faintest hint of abyssal energy curling at its edges. "He's taking too long," Morvath said, his voice low. "Eiden should've been here by now."
Selyndra rested her staff across her lap, eyes half-closed as she felt the divine energy woven into her new attire. "He's with the gods," she said softly. "Time doesn't move the same up there."
Dravien's tail flicked anxiously. "Still… I don't like waiting. Not when everything feels like it's about to change."
Seraphaine nodded. "It already has."
The dome fell quiet. A faint breeze drifted through the chamber, though no doors were open. The runes on the floor pulsed once. Then again. Then a third time. The Sages straightened.
And then it hit.
A static shock rippled through the dome, sharp enough to make every Sage jolt upright. Before any of them could react, a single beam of light—thin, precise, and impossibly fast—struck the center of the chamber and split into six smaller rays. Each ray hit a Sage directly in the chest.
It wasn't pain. It was transformation. In an instant, they felt their bodies shift, their magic twist, and their souls expand. Their senses sharpened and their auras deepened as the world itself acknowledged their ascent.
Dravien gasped, gripping his armrests as power flooded through him. Seraphaine's breath caught as her magic spiraled into a form she had never imagined. Vaelus's shadow flared behind him like a living creature, and Morvath's aura cracked the stone beneath his feet.
"What is this feeling—" Dravien started, before the sound of a sliding door cut him off.
Entering the room was Eiden.
Dravien didn't walk; he sprinted. In a blur, he reached Eiden and scanned him up and down, checking for wounds or burns. Only when he found none did he finally exhale, his shoulders dropping. "I thought they were really going to kill you or something."
Eiden placed a hand on Dravien's head, his fingers brushing lightly between the elf's ears. "Nah," he said with a small smile. "I wouldn't have let them."
Eiden stepped past him, looking around the dome at the others. "It looks good on you all."
Seraphaine brightened. "Really? I wasn't sure if the cloak suited me."
"It does," Eiden said.
Iris leaned back, sighing. "I still think mine is too heavy."
"That's because you're dramatic," Vaelus muttered.
"Say that again," Iris glared.
"Dramatic," Vaelus repeated without looking up.
Morvath snorted. "Both of you are dramatic."
Selyndra smiled softly at Eiden, her eyes lingering on him. "You look different," she said. "Calmer. Brighter."
"Do I?" Eiden asked.
"You do," she replied.
They all settled into the glass seats—Eiden in the center, the others forming a loose circle around him. The dome's faint hum returned, steady and warm, as if welcoming a newborn god.
"So… what did they do to you?" Dravien asked, nudging Eiden's arm.
Eiden settled into his seat. "After they told you all to leave so they could speak with me, they informed me of a few things." He folded his hands. "One, we'll be getting an estate to live in here on these lands. A real one. Large. Protected. Ours."
Seraphaine gasped, and Morvath's expression cracked into a rare smile.
"And two," Eiden continued, "the Council will inform every kingdom across Gosadee that we are now the new seven of the Council."
Dravien's tail shot straight up. "Wait—we're—we're actually—?"
"Council members," Iris finished, stunned.
Selyndra's breath caught. "That means… we're recognized as divine authority."
Eiden nodded, but then he lifted a hand. "That's not all. Because of my strength, they're giving us our own planet. Just like every other god of the Council has."
The dome erupted. Dravien nearly fell out of his chair. "A planet?! A whole actual planet?!"
Iris stood up, pacing in disbelief. "No way. Do we get to name it? Do we get to build on it?"
"This is… absurd. And incredible," Vaelus exhaled.
Their excitement filled the dome like a rising tide. Then, Eiden's expression softened. "There's one more thing."
The Sages quieted instantly. Eiden looked at each of them—not as a god, but as someone who had walked beside them through lifetimes. "Now that we are close to finally having peace… I want you all to know that I want us to build a future. A real one. A home. A life. A legacy. And when the time is right… I want to raise a family with you—all of you—and stay by your sides for as long as eternity allows."
Silence followed his words. Then, the door opened.
Selphira stepped inside, her silver hair glowing like moonlight. "Good," she said softly. "You're all ready." She gestured toward the exit. "Come. It's time to see your estate."
The Sages rose—changed, shaken, and full of hope. Together, they followed Eiden, their thoughts racing toward a future they had never dared to dream of.