The room descended into an eerie silence.

The silence stretched.

The air in the room was thick and heavy, vibrating with the echo of Saquin's final words.

Am. A. Divine.

The four holograms stared, their expressions frozen in a mixture of outrage, shock, and that deep, ingrained fear he'd come to recognize.

No one moved.

No one seemed to breathe.

It was a perfect scenario of mortal authority confronting something it could not comprehend, and was terrified to discipline.

In the heart of that silence, a familiar, whimsical voice bloomed in Saquin's mind.

[ Gaslighting. ]

[ That was grade-A, premium, artisanal gaslighting. I'm taking notes. ]

[ Even for I, the World Will, that has seen the world for thousands of years now, the sight of gaslighting this good and effective is incredibly rare. ]

A flicker of amusement passed through Saquin's eyes. He instantly suppressed it, his natural flair for acting was not failing now. He didn't move a muscle, keeping his regal, disdainful pose aimed at the holograms.

You really pop out anytime you wish, huh? He thought back as he gave the mental equivalent of a shrug. Did you enjoy the show?

[ Immensely :). ]

Saquin almost lost his composure at the reappearance of the mental emojis.

[ I could even give you some highlights. ]

"Oh, indulge me while they take their time to process."

[ Gladly. ]

Then, the World Will started listing off.

[ Let's start with the part where you pretended to be offended she'd compare her intelligence to yours? Chef's kiss. The theatrical choke of disappointment? Divine, pun intended. ]

The World Will's tone was one of pure, giddy appreciation.

[ Then, the run circles around them with the athletes quitting out of shame jab. That was just icing on the crazy cake. But you did not stop there and went on to deliver my favorite moment of yours for the time being. Fishing in the desert without equipment, while it is dark and to top it all, on a dead planet.... ]

Saquin somehow felt that she shook her head in sarcastic disappointment.

[ You did not even consider that she was over ten times your age... Sigh, this is what the lack of proper parental guidance would get you. ]

Saquin almost let out a chuckle at her last words.

Then her tone shifted, turning curious, almost clinical. [ But let's cut the performance review. Why, Saquin? This whole intricate dance... you started it by admitting to killing the prince. You painted a target on your own back. You could have just denied it. Played dumb. With your citizenship level, they'd have grumbled but hit a wall. Why invite the storm? ]

Saquin's mental sigh was weary, but laced with the cold patience of a chess master mid-game.

Though that was just an act, his true emotions were more similar to a cat who was playing with its food.

You have a short memory. Weren't you the one who casually mentioned, not so long ago, that the Universe Will itself would soon be placing a rather extravagant bounty on my head? For my "Abomination" status?

The World Will went momentarily quiet.

[ Ah. That. ]

Yes. That, Saquin almost rolled his eyes. This isn't about clearing their doubts. I'm not naïve enough to think a few lies would erase a label from cosmic fate. This is about contaminating the narrative before it's even written.

He watched Nathasa finally blink, her composure beginning to crack under the weight of his silent, staring defiance.

Think, he pressed internally. When this bounty drops, which I presume it will soon, a hunt for an "Abomination" would commence. What's the first thing every power in the galaxy will do?

[ Investigate every anomaly, every strange event, every powerful newcomer in the relevant timeframe... ] the World Will murmured, catching on.

Starting with the most statistically improbable event: a Super Divine Trial that left five of the month's top talents dead. Saquin's logic was ice-cold. They will dig. They will find traces. They will find me. The strange hybrid on the slave ship, now free, now powerful. The coincidences will pile up. It won't be proof, but it will be a scent. And in a hunt backed by the Universe's own will, and the ever powerful human greed, a scent is all you need to get a planet glassed.

His gaze remained locked on Nathasa, a physical anchor for his internal calculus.

So, I give them a story first. A compelling, tragic, divine story. I give them a villain, a mysterious, powerful "Abomination" out there in the void. I give them a hero, or at least a survivor, sitting right in front of them, wrapped in arrogance so thick it could make an enlightened one puke. I muddy the waters so profoundly that when the real bounty hits, the signal is lost in the noise. Is Saquin the Abomination? Or is he the Divine who fought one? It is not much but it would certainly be crucial. I've turned their investigation into a circular debate before it even begins.

[ A precaution... ] the World Will mused, admiration cutting through her earlier curiosity.

[ You're not hiding from the label. You're building a cage of contradictory narratives around it. ]

Exactly, Saquin thought. And there's a second layer to it all. My "backing."

He finally allowed a microscopic shift in his posture, a slow blink that broke the staring contest, conveying not defeat, but profound boredom. He sank into his seat like there was nothing left to do in the meeting.

Everyone suspects I have powerful patrons. You and Miss Margaret have given me enough to fuel their assumptions. But at the end of the day, it is all suspicion and suspicion is vague. I need them to believe it, down to their bones. What better way than to witness a Senar Initiate, a Mid-Level Initiate, though they think I'm Pinnacle... not just survive this interrogation, but dismantle it? To see me fearlessly, recklessly, admit to regicide and then gaslight a Grand Master about it? Only someone with absolute, unshakeable security acts this way. This meeting isn't a trial; it's a demonstration. I'm not pleading my case. I'm showing them the immovable object their authority will shatter against.

He let the plan hang in his mind, elegant and brutal.

Generally, I do not know much, but even at that, I know that the Federation is a leaky, sprawling bureaucracy. The rumor of this meeting, the wild claims, the defiance, the stalemate, will seep into every empire, every noble house, every shadowy organization and main power of this part of the galaxy. By the time the Universe's bounty is announced, the idea of "Saquin, the dangerously connected Divine" will already be a seed planted in the richest soil imaginable. Some will fear it. Some will covet it. All will factor it into their calculations.

[ So the admission about Greader... ] the World Will prompted.

Was the first, loudest note in the symphony, Saquin concluded, a mental smirk in his tone. It is the pillar that would support the house that I am about to build...

[ I see that you are liking the Empowered World more and more. ]

It is growing into me. Saquin let a smirk play on his lips. He framed it to make it seem like he was truly already lost in his own world and had no more care for those in front of him.

Meanwhile, Nathasa finally found her voice, though it had lost its smooth, commanding edge. Anger was slowly bubbling in it. Though her patience still remained, it was getting thinner. "Your... divinity does not place you above consequence, Eminence."

Saquin slowly looked back at her, his eyes devoid of the fury from moments before, now filled with something worse: pure, unadulterated pity.

The silence in the room was no longer just heavy; it was theirs to break.

He had said all he needed to say.

"We shall shelve this matter for now and move on to more official matters."

Following his silence, Nathasa decided to drop the matter for now and move on to the main reason that they had made contact.

She took a deep breath to steady herself as she brought up the topic.

"The Access. It was a Tier 3 Access, which means it connects to the Underworld third level. Can you provide us with information concerning the specific area it connects to and if you can give us the summary of lore around it, it would be highly welcomed."

The meeting finally progressed into its main topic.

And unfortunately, it seemed this was where Saquin would have to dip.

"Oh, you see, I would really like to cooperate with you guys concerning this, but the matter here is I have no idea as to where it connects with and for the lore I am even more stumped." Saquin replied. "I never actually looked at those things before I called quits on the Access."

"Wait, you actually closed it?"

The four holograms stood up from their seats in shock.

"Why??!"

"Cause I fucking can?"

Saquin gestured a duh with his hands.

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