The void dragon girl looks between me and the others — Frostine lowering her guard slow, Solnix warm and glowing even after a fight, Demitress already back to her usual unbothered calm — and something in her expression shifts, surprised.
"They’re... free," she says quietly. "With you. Really free."
"Yeah," I say. "Nobody’s chained here. Nobody’s a pet." I glance at my harem, all of them watching her with something gentle, understanding — they’ve all stood where she’s standing now. "Everyone chose this. That’s the only way it works."
Viperess steps up beside her, voice softer than usual. "It’s not what you think it is. Not with him."
Frostine nods once, arms crossed but not unkind. "Better than most places you’ll find up here."
The dragon girl’s eyes flick between them, something loosening in her shoulders, like she’s finally letting herself believe it.
The system chimes soft.
[Name Required]
I look at her. "What do you want to be called? Your choice. Nothing’s picked for you here."
She thinks a moment, void-dark eyes drifting up toward the scattered stars overhead, and something like a real smile touches her face for the first time.
"Nebula," she says.
"Nebula," I repeat, and the system locks it in soft, no binding attached, no chain hidden in the notification this time.
[Designation Confirmed: Nebula] [Bond Status: Free — No Obligation]
I step back, giving her the space she asked for. "Go be free, then. Fly wherever you want."
She hesitates a second, glancing at me one more time, something unreadable behind those star-scattered eyes.
"Maybe I’ll see you again," she says quietly.
"Hope so," I say, meaning it.
Wings unfurl wide behind her, catching the dim light, and she lifts off slow, rising above the wreckage and the smoke until she’s just a shape against the dark, then gone entirely — free, finally, however far she decides to go.
The system chimes as Nebula disappears into the dark, notifications stacking fast.
[Void Affinity Acquired] [Skill Unlocked: Black Hole — Rank S] [Realm Progression Update]
I pull the last one up, frowning slightly.
[Realm 12: Exit Condition — Artifact Assembly Required] [Components Needed: Void Affinity ✓ | Remaining Affinities: Unknown] [Current Status: STRANDED — Complete Artifact to Proceed]
"Stranded," I mutter. "Great."
Seraphina drifts closer, reading over my shoulder, arms crossed tight. "So we’re not just passing through anymore. We’re stuck until this thing’s built."
"Looks like it," I say, already pulling up another prompt.
[Query: Next Required Affinity — Location?]
The system processes a second, then responds.
[Affinity Detected: Compatible Entity — "Ellux"] [Classification: Monster, Bound] [Location: Realm 12 Academy — Restricted Sector] [Compatibility: High]
I read it twice, staff still humming faint in my grip.
"An academy," I say slowly. "There’s a monster there — something called Ellux. System’s saying her affinity’s compatible with whatever this artifact needs next."
Viperess raises a brow. "Another chained one?"
"Probably," I say, thinking back to Nebula, to Solnix, to every maiden bound up until I got there. "Guess we’re finding out."
I glance around at the wreckage still smoking behind us — Orion’s fleet in ruins, the altar empty now, void expanse waiting quiet above.
"Academy it is," I say, turning toward the ship. "Let’s go get her out."
Frostine sweeps her hand out once, ice spreading fast across the last of the burning wreckage, quenching every flame in sight until the whole crater goes quiet and cold, smoke fading into the dark.
She walks back over, arms crossed, glancing toward what’s left of our ride.
"Before you get too excited about the academy," she says, "your ship’s wrecked. Engine’s fried, hull’s half melted from the fight."
I turn and look — she’s right. The ship’s slumped to one side, scorched black along the hull, one whole engine housing crushed in from the crash landing. Not flying anywhere like this.
I pull up the system fast, checking the balance.
[Void Credits: 12,000]
I stare at the number, exhaling slow. Barely anything left after the buyout and the fight, and definitely not enough to just buy my way out of this one clean like before.
"Twelve thousand," I say out loud, mostly to myself. "That’s not gonna cover a repair and get us to the academy."
Seraphina peers over, unimpressed. "So we’re broke again."
"Not broke," I say, already turning the problem over. "Just... low. We’ll figure it out."
I pull up the multiplier again, feeding what’s left of my exp into it, watching the numbers start climbing in real time.
[Multiplier Active — Threshold: 500,000]
12,000 → 24,000 → 51,000 → 118,000 → 203,000 → 267,000 → 289,000
Then it slows, ticking up in smaller jumps, exp clearly running thin.
294,000 → 297,500 → 299,100
Then it stops dead.
[EXP Depleted] [Growth Halted] [Current Balance: 299,100 Void Credits]
I stare at it, a little disappointed I didn’t hit the full threshold, but honestly — compared to twelve thousand a minute ago, this is more than enough to work with.
"Not bad," I say, letting out a breath.
Seraphina glances at the number, arms still crossed, but there’s the faintest flicker of approval there. "That’ll cover repairs. Maybe supplies too, if you’re not careless with it."
"I’m never careless," I say, and she just gives me a look that says otherwise.
I turn to the pilot, who’s still hovering near the wrecked ship like he’s afraid to leave it and afraid to stay near us more. "Hey. You know this realm — is there a market somewhere? Somewhere we can get the ship fixed and stock up before we head to the academy?"
He nods slow, still a little shell-shocked from everything he’s just watched happen. "Yeah. Yeah, there’s a trade hub not far from here. Biggest market in this sector."
"Lead the way, then," I say.
He hesitates half a second, then nods again, turning to guide us out of the wreckage and toward whatever this realm’s version of a marketplace looks like.