Chapter 28 Higher Realm's Strife II

The thunderous voice only served to leave this world even more standstill.

Aside from Toki and Nova, in this universe... only a handful of individuals could still move, and those that weren't here could only release a sigh before heading to the epicentre of this strife.

*WHOOSH!*

A gargantuan space gate opened in front of them, covering endless stars... a creature so big that all of them looked like infants, came out.

It was a Dragon... two long white wings unfolded and covered the entire realm, its skin as white as a sheet of paper, imposing demeanour and equally devastating galactic-like eyes.

"Paradox Under the Shade, Dragon God Galantis..." Toki groaned between respect, fear and contemplation.

Before the Dragon God was able to express himself, however... several other gates opened by his side, all over the realm, dozens of them... each of them an individual whose existence was equivalent to the others in this area.

Higher Gods.

Each one uses its own law, its own method of transportation...

"The two of you are at it again... let me get my appetizers," One of them with a long golden trench coat said, he seemed to regard everything in amusement.

"I came here for holidays, but might leave if the two of you keep up with this nonsense." Another one groaned, and this particular individual had both Nova and Toki glare at him with hatred.

"Don't be too hard on the couple..." The Dragon God finally spoke, contrary to his imposing body, his voice was rather easy-going and more than wanting to apply pressure on the higher gods,

"Galantis, is it still affecting the borders of your universe?" The second individual spoke with a mocking grin, the dragon merely lifted his eyebrows before answering.

"Let alone my borders, I can feel Nova's wrath from my very cave... what are you doing here, Centrino?"

"Merely sightseeing, and expecting someone... or some women to be exact~" Centrino's gaze roamed all over the Time Realm as if looking for someone.

*RUMBLE!*

before Nova and Toki could scream in outrage, a wave was released from Galantis, it covered the entire universe... and then, aside from the three of them, this time even the other higher gods, Spatial Keres and Time Valkyries were frozen.

"You should all leave, Galantis... this matter has nothing to do with you" Toki began while Nova remained there floating in her purple fog, she rotated her powers and Aurelianne who had been frozen in time and space, regained her consciousness too.

"Don't say that when you have already stopped this entire universe with a mere argument... what is it this time?" Galantis spoke with annoyance, expecting an explanation.

"Since when are you our marriage counsellor, Galantis? get back to your cave!" Toki was too wrathful to realise who he was raising his voice against.

"Is that a challenge, Toki?" The Dragon's voice no longer sounded friendly.

"..."

"Your strife is reaching my universe like the last time... and you should be well aware... that I don't like intrusions in my territory."

"We're sorry, Galantis... but this still doesn't give you the right to come here and act like a judge..." Contrary to Toki, Nova addressed the Dragon with respect, but also gallantry, if there was to be a fight here, the winner would be inconclusive, and although the same outcome could be expected in a fight between Galantis and Toki, the latter was a pacifist, something she was not.

"Nova, are you not going to speak?" Galantis didn't take offence, rather, he pressed... all he wanted was this to end.

For several seconds of silence, nobody spoke until Nova released a sigh and the purple fog contorted into the form of a gargantuan hand that pointed a finger in Toki's direction.

"We made an agreement forty years ago... it hasn't even been a century and he has already broken it!" She began only for Toki to groan.

*Sigh!* The Dragon released an elderly sigh, its wings moved slowly as it landed onto the nothingness and gave the Time God a bored gaze.

"And what do you say in your defence... Toki?"

"I have not broken any agreement, I have sent our son-in-law in a test... he is on his trial to become a god and needs to get rid of his karma, everything is going according to what we accorded..." At no point did he look at the Dragon, his gaze fixed on his wife as if expecting to be believed.

But his lies wouldn't be believed, not anymore.

"I merely... ordered one of my valkyries to follow just so I could make sure that he wasn't planning anything heinous for our daughters... tell me, Galantis, how am I guilty!?"

Best

"..." The Dragon frowned, if one thing he knew was that aside from their 'marriage' issues, those two really loved their daughters, and if this was really the case, he didn't understand why Nova would be against it.

Something is not adding up.

Nova and Aurelianne could only grit their teeth, indeed, Toki's argument made Nova look like an overdramatic vixen and there was little she could say to defend herself.

"If that is the case, and the Valkyrie is not planning to harm this 'son-in-law'... why are you worked up, Nova?" The question she expected came.

"... That was not a part of the agreement, he was supposed to do the trial on his own, yet this Valkyrie is playing games, she took him away from her private realm when they were... in the middle of something important."

"Oh...? and that was?" The Dragon asked with curiosity while Toki's gaze was growing more and more poisonous.

"Eh..." Nova's purple fog fluttered...

"Bonding! We were in the middle of bonding when he was taken away, now I won't be able to see him again until he has gained his footing in Sandoria, everything due to this valkyrie who wasn't supposed to involve herself!"

Aurelianne spoke this time with wrath, still recalling the marvellous nightmare, never in her life had she felt so unfulfilled and empty...

"... Sandoria?" The Dragon mumbled before throwing that information to the back of his mind.

"The way I see it, the two of you are exaggerating, how long will it take you to see him again, little goddess? a century? two centuries, for you... that will be like a breath."

"But not for him!" The tree of life wanted to make her case known and considered, at this stage, Nova remained silent and allowed her to express herself.

"And could I know what kind of bonding this was, Goddess of Life..." Toki added as if they were in some sort of court.

"That's none of your business Toki... get rid of that Valkyrie this instant and we can drop this matter!" Nova, aware that Aurelianne's words lacked strength in front of Toki, would always face him herself, she made her request to end this 'war' known.

"I won't comply... it is our daughter's security that is at stake!"

"YOU'RE WELL AWARE THAT YOU ARE NOT DOING THIS FOR OUR DAUGHTERS!"

"AND YOU ARE!?"

...

"Aish..." Galantis felt the wrinkles forming by merely listening to this argument, there is something happening in between, but that's beyond his interest, all he wants is for these two to stop influencing her neighbour universe, Space and Time are powerful and unrestrained forces.

As a being of Space and Time himself, he knows that much.

*RUMBLE!!!*

"ENOUGH!"

"..."

"..."

"Nova, you will go back to the Space Realm and continue your slumber... Toki, you shall remain in your Time Realm as for me... I'll look at this boy for a bit and see if this Valkyrie will truly threaten your 'deal'... you should be content with that... right, Nova?"

"T-That..."

"You should be content with that, right, my wife?" Toki insisted on a smile that portrayed that he just had his way!

"UGH!" A groan of disgust was released by the purple fog, her voice contained endless poison as if she wanted to slaughter Toki right now.

"Aurelianne, we're leaving..." That's all she could say in front of the Paradox Dragon.

*FIIUSSH!!*

With a single thought, the Space Goddess together with her Keres and Aurelianne departed the Time Realm.

"I hope I don't have to come again in at least ten million years, Toki..." Galatis glared at the rejoicing god.

"It is not my fault that you're extremely sensitive to space and time..." Toki grinned, not planning to apologise to his counterpart.

"Whatever, the show is over... go back to your places..." Galantis released the other high gods or better said... made them once again be influenced by the forces of space and time, regaining their normalcy.

Booing expressions were heard from the gods that wanted to gossip about the couple's situation, most of them mocked Toki... Nova was a well craved Goddess in the community, seeing them have their 'marital' issues was nothing short of a show for them.

Sadly, Nova couldn't be courted.

Aside from an entity with the divinity of Time, no one was qualified to join with Nova, and the same could be said for Toki whose partner had to possess the divinity of Space.

Within the next moments, aside from a god who was regarding everything with a smirk, everybody departed the Time Realm.

"What do you want, Centrino... I don't recall having allowed you to enter my Time Realm, to begin with." Toki's words were more of cordiality, he raised his hand and a temporal vortex appeared, he was more than ready to face the higher god in front of him.

"Hohoho~ I just hoped that I'd be able to see your beautiful daughters, that's all~ looks like they're not here." In contrast, an aura of destruction was released by this individual, clearly not afraid of Toki, more curious about the ladies' locations.

"Get lost before I lose my patience, mind you... I'm already at the breach of exploding."

"Is that so? then I'm out... don't be too stressed, father-in-law!~"

"I'm not your father-in-law! disgusting bastard!"

*RUMBLE!!*

Sadly, by the time the vortex was able to swallow Centrino, the latter was already gone, having destroyed a section of space, he fled and left a torrential crack that took some while to fix itself.

...

"My lord... you should sleep." Lemenia together with the other Valkyries approached and saw Toki's expression that looked as if he aged several million years even as an immortal being.

"I should... but I am afraid I will be woken up before even a century has passed... how I hoped we could sleep together just like old times, Nova... Lemenia, please, take care of the realm in my stead." He ordered his loyal Valkyrie before disappearing into a vortex.

"Yes, my lord..."

Before going to his slumber, however, there was somewhere else he desired to go.

**

**

In the outskirts of the Time Realm, there was a certain prison in there... one which only the Monarch of Time and the Time Valkyries had access to, or even knew its location... the laws of time concealed its existence, it was no part of past, present or future... it simply, existed...

Within a particular cell, stood an entity... shackled, a gargantuan array stopped her powers from even coming out of her body, her silver bluish hair was haggard yet her expression remained neutral.

A single horn contorted in odd shapes above her head as she looked at the person in front of her with disgust.

"Why are you here? I already told you that your rein of time sucks... do you enjoy being insulted so much, Monarch?"

"As aggressive as always... I came for no reason whatsoever, only desiring to look at you, my daughter."

"Shut up, I'm not your daughter... even as a being of time, you and I have no connection!"

"All of the Valkyries should and WILL always be my daughters and remain loyal to me; following my orders, only you were always troublesome to deal with, Zebellia..."

"..." Her two sky blue eyes remained locked on him, as if everything he said was nonsense that she didn't want to hear, it was ingrained in her existence, if he said an order, she had to heed.

"If I tell you to go and kill yourself, you shall heed my orders, right?~"

"I will heed the orders of the Monarch of Time, but as an individual, you... Higher God of Time, Toki... I don't respect you!"

"Your elder sister is still not in this universe..."

"..."

"It would be sad if she were to meet unforeseen consequences due to your obstinance, don't you think?"

"My sister is big enough to protect herself, contrary to my current pitiful self, now... if there are no orders, leave... your face disgusts me, your behaviour is not that of a god, Toki... you're corrupted... you're a human, not a god..." She spat to the side of the cell, her divinity wouldn't allow her to spit on his face.

"Hmph! No need for me to give you orders... it seems you're already following my will very well~" He said those words and started his departure, his smile never so bright.

"...?"