Once Jared left the Constellation Realm, all twelve guardians of the Aether Tree looked at each other with unblinking faces.
No one moved or uttered a word for about a few seconds—not like that mattered in a place like this—but it happened anyway.
"Looks like things are back to being boring! Boo hoo!" Gemini was the first to speak, pouting as they folded their arms.
"I miss Jared already…" Virgo muttered.
Sadly enough, the other Constellations had to agree that they felt the same.
Even though they would never explicitly admit it to the young man, these boundless entities had somewhat grown attached to him.
He had the audacity to challenge them to duels, he treated them as his peers—though he still accorded them with some modicum of respect. He had a certain charm and intelligence that was difficult to find in anyone else.
No, it was impossible.
"Sure, Neron was fun too, but…" Aries murmured to himself.
Yes, they all had to admit it—the difference between their dear Singularity and this Reincarnated Scholar.
"Neron was too sly. This Jared… he feels pure. I wonder why Aether didn't simply choose him as her representative."
"You forget that he wouldn't have existed if not for Neron."
"Ah, yes…"
"Besides, it isn't the pure of heart that wins wars. It is the crooked… those willing to do whatever it takes to achieve victory."
"I think Jared is the same as Neron in that regard, though."
"I suppose. It's just… Neron is different."
The Constellations once again reached a consensus about the man that they all knew well, yet understood almost nothing about.
"Jared made his true intentions and grievances known to us, but not that Neron. He… is still a mystery in a sense."
Jared wanted to walk his own path.
He admitted to his current state of weakness and explicitly stated his desires. Even though the Constellations did not know what he was up to at the moment, they could all swear that they understood his end motives.
But what about their Singularity?
"What does that man desire… I wonder?"
"Do you now understand why I refused him as my Host, or even as a Friend?" Aquarius' voice suddenly cut them all short.
Every Constellation turned in her direction, and she smugly folded her arms while speaking in the most collected manner ever.
"No sentient entity is pure. Whether it is Neron or Jared, and it makes me reluctant to grant them power. For power is an amplifier of that which a person is within. As a result, it stands to reason that…"
At this point, most of the Constellations had already zoned out of the conversation.
Why?
Because this wasn't the first time Aquarius would be saying all of this as an excuse for her lack of any Host under her belt since she had begun to exist.
It was getting old for them.
"Let's change the topic, shall we? Let's talk about which of Jared's allies we prefer!" Gemini finally spoke up, putting an end to the boorish atmosphere that Aquarius was generating.
Every Constellation in the room—except the oldest of course—agreed to this new proposition, thus shifting the focus from Neron, Jared, or Aquarius' same reasons for being a 'Virgin'.
"Well, I have already chosen Kuzon. That's pretty much settled too… and he won't be gaining any new Constellation since that was established in our agreement." Leo smirked, his eyes glimmering in pride.
"My Host has made so much progress in Magic, and soon… he will be able to properly use Primeval Magic!"
Every Constellation in the room could see how excited Leo was due to his optimistic demeanor and the pride etched in his tone.
"Well, Maria is also incredibly talented, you know? Kuzon has had some time to get accustomed to you, but she hasn't had much time… and yet she's slowly getting attuned to my power."
It seemed the Constellations had reached a threshold of bragging that couldn't be controlled any further.
"I think it's specifically due to her strong emotions that she's made such progress with me as her Constellation. That means there's no one better suited, so no one should even think of laying eyes on her… understood?"
Virgo was known to be very territorial, so the rest knew very well not to cross her.
But, they didn't even need to.
Every Constellation was different, and their criteria also varied. Just because Virgo liked Maria, it wasn't guaranteed that the rest would.
No, it was most likely the case that they wouldn't.
"Haa… you guys have it easy." Aries suddenly added with a sigh. "My Host is being held back mostly due to the absence of the Will to get more powerful."
Unlike the Martial Blade God who desired strength above all else, it seemed Edward was distracted by his other desires.
It got in the way of his acclimation with Aries.
"At this rate, Edward will soon reach the limit of his power due to the lack of will he possesses." The Constellation added, recollecting his past conversations with his young man.
Aries had asked him what he truly desired, and the response greatly differed from his past Host.
"Edward simply wants to live happy and content with those he cares about and doesn't have much desire for power. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but…"
He had to admit that it was holding him back greatly.
"He's so different from the Martial Blade God, but still… those two share the same kind of stubbornness." Aries didn't realize when he began to smile.
Was it due to nostalgia, or something else? Perhaps he was just reminded of the reason why he chose these kinds of Hosts in the first place.
"They just never listen to me… even though I'm a Constellation… such stubborn kids."
Even though he said it like that, Aries' smile did not diminish.
Instead, it grew even more.
"I suppose this is why I find them so intriguing."
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[A/N]
Thank you all for reading!
A wholesome chapter. How long will this last, though?
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