Page 148 of Stars in Aura

Before them, another set of colossal doors shimmered away, and Ki’Remi’s breath stalled.

The Divine Immortal’s dining hall was a place of paradox, a construct of excess and primal chaos.

He sent an invisible cloud of noids to help him make sense of it all, and in seconds, data tracked into his node.

Columns of raw nebulae twisted toward an endless ceiling, their gaseous forms fluctuating with colors that had no names.

A massive sky table stretched long and wide, its surface carved from what appeared to be solidified cosmic dust. Itshimmered under the weight of celestial delicacies that defied logic.

Food hovered above in platters like floating ethereal displays of culinary alchemy.

With each air movement, the dishes pulsed, glistening as a reminder that this was no ordinary meal; this was divinity transformed into pure gratis.

Everywhere, beings of immeasurable beauty and power lounged, sprawled, laughed with abandon.

Some sat cross-legged on levitating cushions, others reclined upon gilded thrones, draped in silks spun from the breath of black holes.

The atmosphere was thick with the scent of ambrosial wines, spices harvested from far-flung dimensions, and a primal force, raw and unfiltered.

The moment Ki’Remi and Issa stepped in, the atmosphere shifted.

The female deities turned, eyes gleaming, smiles curling, predatory, and intrigued.

The male gods stiffened, their expressions flickering between irritation and thinly veiled disdain.

As they approached, the goddesses swarmed.

A voluptuous celestial with hair resembling cascading waterfalls leaned forward, golden fingers trailing along Ki’Remi’s arm.

‘What is this, Issandra?’ she purred, vocalization rich as molten honey. ‘Did you bring us a gift?’

Another, with obsidian-dark skin and piercing emerald eyes, traced a delicate nail down the collar of his tunic, appraising him.

‘Strong,’ she mused, edged with sultry amusement. ‘And beautiful. Your mortal is well-made, Issandra.’

The Sableman’s jaw tightened.

His silver meta tattoos flared, reacting to his annoyance, shifting in a silent warning.

The male gods sneered.

One of them, tall, angular-featured, clad in celestial blue robes, folded his arms across his chest.

‘A flesh-being among us. How quaint.’

Another, with a crown of star-metal woven into his braids, sipped from a hovering chalice. ‘What’s next? Shall we let the beasts of the lower realms live with us as well?’

Chuckles rippled through the hall, some lighthearted, some cruel.

Issa’s spine stiffened.

‘Careful, Yzhael,’ she murmured. ‘Your jealousy is showing.’

The male deity snarled.

‘Jealous? Of a mortal?’ His eyes flashed. ‘I’ve forgotten insects with more relevance.’

Ki’Remi smirked, tilting his head.

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