After leaving the organized chaos of Skydres, Veneri moved to the southern side of Cassandra Island. The military tension faded the farther he got from the refugee settlements.
A lagoon sat hidden between natural stone formations. The water here always looked unnaturally clear. It made sense this was where they were.
Eldrigan Hanaceres, Qalis, and Peroncerea Hanaceres were currently floating around in the lagoon like tomorrow did not involve fighting something capable of flattening civilizations. Them swimming was somehow felt absurd considering they were arguably the strongest beings currently on Cassandra Island.
Unlike Dynasty Richinaria, Dynasty Mintheris or Skydres, they had no refugee populations to manage. Hanaceres existed in a strange position where responsibility looked different. Their burden tomorrow was not defending people. They had to something monstrously powerful and survive long enough.
They were to fight Virathus, The Overlord Rank Krepsuna, the strongest immediate problem.
The only people on Cassandra realistically capable of keeping him occupied were the three currently floating around in water. Honestly, Veneri respected it. The second they noticed him, all three turned.
Peroncerea waved lazily from the water.
"Oh. It's Veneri."
Qalis followed her gaze while Eldrigan looked over.
"Thought you'd still be brooding somewhere dramatic."
"The throne room wasn't dramatic enough."
"That sounds like a you problem."
A second later they all came out of the water. Peroncerea casually wrung water out of her hair while Qalis stretched like she had just finished a nap instead of preparing to fight an Overlord Rank monster.
Eldrigan crossed his arms.
"So, what brings the monarch of self-inflicted suffering here?"
Veneri ignored the title completely.
"I came to check if you're ready. You're the main reason this plan works. You'll have to handle an Overlord Rank Krepsuna by yourselves."
Peroncerea was surprisingly calm about the whole thing.
"We're just waiting. That's all we can do for now."
Qalis nodded.
"You're the one initiating everything. We're just buying time."
Buying time.
That was such a harmless phrase for something that realistically meant risking their lives against a being capable of erasing them. Virathus was not something people fought to win against, at least not at their level. The trip had to hold the monster still long enough for Veneri to do what needed to be done.
That role terrified him more than he liked admitting.
He looked at the three of them for a second before speaking again.
"We might lose this round."
Eldrigan looked at him for about two seconds before shaking his head.
"We won't. When you're here, you always find a way to make sure we survive."
Qalis smiled faintly at that. Peroncerea nodded once.
"We fought Forgotten Rank Krepsunas while we were Ascenders," Peroncerea said, sounding almost insulted that Veneri doubted things. "This is nothing."
Still, Veneri knew better than anyone that confidence and survival were not the same thing. Tomorrow would be painful. And even if they succeeded, things would not be the same, especially for him.
"I'm planning a small party."
That got their attention immediately.
"You?"
"Yes, Qalis."
Peroncerea narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Are you sick?"
"No."
"You voluntarily want social interaction?"
"First if all, rude. It's just for Sentina Erideae and the Dynasty Monarchs and Monarchesses in Cassandra..We might die tomorrow. Besides, none of us are sleeping tonight anyway."
That part got a tired laugh because it was true. Nobody important was sleeping. Peroncerea folded her arms and smirked lightly.
"Well, if we're potentially dying tomorrow, I expect good food."
"You always expect good food," Eldrigan muttered. "Sure. We'll come."
Qalis nodded too.
"Sounds nice, actually."
Peroncerea smiled faintly.
"We can have one last peaceful night before the world becomes annoying again."
°°°°°°°
The beach house on Cassandra Island looked completely different at night.
The sound of waves rolled in from the dark shoreline. Music drifted through the open doors and windows. Somewhere outside, someone had started a fire pit near the beach and the orange light flickered over the sand.
Xander was drinking like he had been born doing it. Farrynelle was already making fun of him for it. Kazrion and Varmina were arguing over something that sounded like tactics but probably was not anymore, because both of them were smiling too much for it to be serious.
Qalis had found a seat near the edge of the crowd and was watching everyone. Eldrigan had one arm thrown over the back of a chair and looked like he had decided tonight was the one night he was allowed to be reckless without consequences. Peroncerea was laughing at something somebody said and then immediately stealing food from the nearest tray like she had no shame whatsoever.
The Nine Elven Elders were there too, which instantly made the whole gathering feel stranger and more important at the same time. They were not exactly the type to come to casual beach parties, but tonight nobody was pretending this was a normal evening. They sat in different corners of the house and the terrace, talking in low voices, observing, drinking and occasionally joining in when someone dragged them into a conversation.
The Starisnova rulers had also arrived and they brought their usual celestial elegance with them. Meriz was already in the middle of a conversation that had somehow become a debate, while Quasa looked far more entertained than anybody else in the room.
Asenane and Veneri stood off to the side for a while, near one of the open doors that led out towards the beach. They were not right in the middle of the noise but they were close enough to see everything clearly.
Veneri had a drink in one hand that he had not touched much, mostly because he was too busy watching everyone else. Asenane stood beside him with her arms folded loosely.
They watched Xander and Farrynelle bicker over who had the better war instincts, with Xander insisting that brute force still solved more problems than planning did, and Farrynelle immediately calling him stupid for saying it out loud. Kazrion laughed so hard at one point that Varmina had to elbow him to shut him up, and he only laughed harder after that. Qalis ended up stealing someone's drink, getting caught, and then smiling like she had done the world a favor. Eldrigan raised his glass toward Veneri from across the room like a quiet salute, and Veneri returned it with a small nod.
Near the food table, Ervadelle and Valeria were sitting together, eating like the rest of the world did not exist. Valeria was clearly having the time of her life because she kept saying things with complete confidence that made Ervadelle pause. Ervadelle was trying very hard to look like the responsible one, but the truth was she kept getting pulled into Valeria's pace whether she wanted to or not. One minute Valeria was talking with her mouth full about something ridiculous, and the next minute Ervadelle was smiling so hard she had to cover her face for a second.
"Master, your daughter is annoying me."
Valeria had immediately gasped.
"I am not annoying. You're just too dumb to understand me."
That had caused the entire table nearby to laugh.
Now, from where he stood with Asenane, Veneri could still see the two of them near the snacks and drinks, completely absorbed in their own small world. That alone made the whole night worth it. Vastarael clearly decided that tonight needed a proper speech.
He stood near the center of the main room with a glass raised in one hand. A few people immediately groaned because they knew him too well. Others leaned in because they knew anything he said was either going to be memorable or disastrous.
He cleared his throat dramatically.
"Oh, absolutely not," Farrynelle muttered from her seat.
Vastarael ignored her.
He looked around the room, taking in Xander, Farrynelle, Kazrion, Varmina, Qalis, Eldrigan, Peroncerea, the Nine Elders, Meriz, Quasa, Ervadelle, Valeria, Asenane and everyone else who had managed to make their way into the beach house tonight.
"Well, I was going to make this a proper speech, but then I remembered all of you are involved and that means it's probably going to become a disaster no matter how carefully I phrase it."
A few laughs broke out immediately.
"That's the spirit," Peroncerea said.
Vastarael pointed at her. "Exactly. See? This is why I'm not doing the serious version."
Xander snorted into his drink. Vastarael looked around again, letting the silence settle just enough for the room to listen.
"We all know what tomorrow is. Nobody here is pretending otherwise. Tomorrow is going to be ugly. And if the universe is feeling disrespectful, it will somehow make it worse just because we're all gathered together having a good time tonight."
That got more laughter, but quieter this time. Everyone knew he was right.
"So, I'm not going to waste this night talking like some tragic old man who's already written his own ending. I'm going to say something much more important. This is your official warning that tonight is for eating too much, drinking too much, talking too much, laughing too loudly and pretending we are not all one bad day away from being somebody else's war story."
That earned a bigger laugh, especially from the Nine Elders, which probably meant he had said it perfectly.
"Also, I'm introducing a test."
The entire room immediately reacted.
"What?" Xander asked.
Farrynelle sat up. "Absolutely not."
Kazrion narrowed his eyes. "What kind of test?"
Varmina crossed her arms. "This already sounds stupid."
"It is. That's why it's good."
Vastarael paced a few steps like he was actually delivering a proper address, then stopped and looked over the whole crowd with a very deliberate seriousness that made everyone suspicious immediately.
"The test is simple. You must survive the rest of tonight without talking about tomorrow every five minutes, without overthinking every five seconds, and without turning this entire gathering into a strategy meeting."
That got a round of groans and laughter at the same time.
Eldrigan pointed at him. "That is impossible!"
"Exactly. That's why it's a test."
Xander lifted his glass with a dry grin. "And what do we win?"
Vastarael thought about it for half a second.
"Temporary peace of mind and access to more drinks."
That got immediate approval from half the room.
Meriz laughed. Quasa actually applauded once, like they respected the stupidity of the idea. The Nine Elders exchanged looks that said this was beneath them but also probably needed to happen. Asenane, standing beside Veneri near the door, let out a soft breath that was almost a laugh. Veneri glanced at her and saw it clearly now, that tiny curve at the edge of her mouth.
He smiled back. Asenane noticed it and he worries subsided for a while. Vastarael raised his glass higher and gave the room the final push.
"So let us be clear, tonight is not for despair. Tonight is for being alive enough to annoy one another properly. Now, I believe the correct response is obvious."
A few voices started at once.
"To surviving!"
"To being a nuisance!"
Then, with perfect timing, he lifted his glass the rest of the way.
"Cheers, everyone."
The whole beach house echoed it back.
"Cheers!"
And just like that, they started moving again. Drinks were refilled. Laughter grew louder. Someone near the back started a ridiculous argument over who would last the longest against Virathus if they were all dropped into the same arena blindfolded, which immediately became the stupidest and most entertaining debate of the night.
Veneri stood there with Asenane beside him, both of them watching the room like they were trying to memorize the shape of peace before it broke.
The music picked up again from somewhere near the terrace. The fire outside crackled softly against the dark beach. Ervadelle and Valeria were still eating together, now laughing over something Valeria had insisted was "very important" and Ervadelle was clearly trying not to question. Xander had gotten dragged into another argument with Farrynelle. Qalis and Peroncerea were already planning trouble. Eldrigan was talking with the Nine Elders like he belonged to their circle. Meriz and Quasa were both smiling more than they had all day.
For a few hours, nobody was a burden. Nobody was a prophecy. Nobody was a sacrifice in progress. They were just people, gathered in a beach house on Cassandra Island, trying to laugh before the storm.
And Veneri, standing beside Asenane with the sea just beyond the windows and the future waiting outside like a blade, let himself hold on to that calm for as long as it lasted.
Because after tomorrow, it would be the last day he would ever see them again like this.