Never in her life would Chiara expected to be sitting with a divinity. As an angel, she could have been in the same room, received direct orders, interacted with them in some way. Yet here she was, just sitting.

In the least insulting way, she wondered why she had ever thought so much of them. Was it just a matter of power? Even now, with decades separating her from her former thoughts, she really didn't understand.

But maybe she didn't have to. There was pain and resentment from the past. Ignoring it wouldn't do any good, but she didn't have to hold onto it either.

They didn't have to say anything, but Oriana did spark conversation every once in a while. "We really thought we were perfect. At least I did," she shook her head. "I thought I was right. That if every system would just fall under us, that everything would be better."

Chiara thought about that for a while. "Things wouldn't have been the worst," she said finally. "But you were just fooling yourselves. We were," she corrected herself. Just because she hadn't been at the top didn't mean that she wasn't responsible in any way. "But we weren't really any better than these sects from the upper realms."

Unlike most of the lower realms, the Holy Stars hadn't been strongly impacted by the repeated invasions of the great powers. They were simply too far, the Tides of the World didn't reach them- at least not meaningfully. Instead, they had been afforded plentiful time to grow. According to Chiara's understanding, they had spread into the surrounding areas, liberating and elevating helpless systems. She happened to no longer believe that was true.

"It's a good thing this Lower Realms Alliance is better, though," Oriana responded. "They could have subsumed us… maybe they even should have." She looked in the direction of Devon, far off on the other side of the planet. The distance wasn't actually significant, but it would at least make it more obvious if he was listening. "It would have been easier for us if they did."

"Absolutely," Chiara agreed. "Well, not us. We would have died. And all of our generation. But those who came after, most likely."

Normally, a cultivator would die from violence. Barring that, they all had an end to their lifespans- even if at higher cultivations that number became far more generous. The ravages of mundane disease could not affect them, so that was it.

At least, in normal circumstances. But cultivators were greater in many ways than humans who had not reached for the same heights. Greater… and more susceptible to themselves. Their thoughts and emotions could be more grand and at the same time more restrictive. Even a normal human was capable of dying to grief, and cultivators even more so. Combined with a recession in cultivation and many members of the Holy Stars were at risk as their foundations crumbled.

But at the moment, they were at peace. Internally, not externally. It had nothing to do with an absence of war. Instead, they had signs of hope. Oriana had been fulfilling her part of reassuring the people, and Chiara had been helping to found their new world. First Sprout was developing nicely… and it was proving that a new way could be achieved.

On the surface, it would look very similar. A great and glorious people, growing strong and mighty. There might even be cultivators of great power at the top, but they would be more part of the people. Oriana already felt the needs of the people every once in a while… though she suspected that even with her lower cultivation Chiara was more in tune. It wasn't just the extra years spent among the Alliance, either.

-----

Everything had been going wrong. But now, it was all fine. No, that wasn't true. Chiara came across new problems every day- but they solved them. She and the people she had grown up among. First Sprout wasn't anything amazing yet, but it was on that trajectory. Already, it had shown promise. People were returning to the rest of the Holy Stars and implementing some of the simple and fundamental methods.

From what had once been considered the lowliest positions, everything was built up. Common crafts weren't suddenly revered throughout the Holy Stars, but at least within one system everyone was beginning to see how things could work. If everyone did the best at whatever they chose to do- and people could chose, being provided opportunities to learn- then amazing things would happen.

Everyone cultivated, and rather than running out of natural energy they were getting more and more by the day. It wasn't quite as impressive as the best planets the Holy Stars had. It might not be that way for centuries. The important thing was that people could see the difference.

People needed growth. The Holy Stars had lashed out at the Alliance because that was the only way they knew. Even those with the best intentions, which was admittedly not all of them, had thought it only natural.

That could have been the end of their story, but it wasn't. The greater Alliance between upper and lower realms gave them a chance. They were almost the perfection that the Holy Stars wanted to achieve- that every cultivator was aiming for.

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Almost. Or perhaps they were infinitely far, and they were just the best anyone had ever done. The point was, however, that they didn't think they were perfect. They were aware of how much they could mess things up, which was why Chiara had been given so much leeway among her own people.

That way she could mess everything up. She smiled to herself at that. It wasn't their intention, of course, and she had been provided with every opportunity to succeed. It still astounded her to see trees grow tall and strong from nothing. Many trees had grown during her lifetime- doubtless many more impressive than anything on First Sprout. However, never before had she experienced it. She had paid attention only to herself, to her cultivation, to the cult of the Holy Stars.

Never once had she experienced the world. And it would have been a shame had things stayed that way.

First Sprout was doing fine. She could handle any crisis that arose. Except one thing.

People wanted more. Another system. More people wanted to make the move, to be part of establishing something. That filled her with dread… but at least they had some people with experience. And they had plenty of wisdom they were working from that they had already begun to put to use.

Even so, she wanted to hold off on a second system as long as possible. Yet she also knew she would cave sooner rather than later.

-----

Time, as always, continued to flow. Where once Anton had counted seasons, he now counted decades. One after another they passed until they built up into another few centuries. Peace held throughout the realms, at least at the grander scale of things. As always, there were minor conflicts whether they be between individuals, cities, or even different systems or sects. Not all were violent, but certainly some.

Yet even so, it was the greatest peace that had been seen. It lasted for a monumental event- until the end of the cycle. It was the first time that not a single invasion was launched from either the Trigold Cluster or Exalted Quadrant. At least for the moment one small slice of the galaxy had maintained a true peace.

Pretending there would never again be greater conflicts would just be fooling themselves, but Anton was able to witness something great during the change in the Tides of the World. There were no invasions… but there were a great many ships going between the realms. It was an opportunity for trade- at a greater scale than people could bring while ascending or on the more limited inter-realm ships.

The Tides allowed vessels made to function in any sort of energy viable for the duration, a relatively short time in the grand scheme of things. The actual value in trade was less relevant than the mere possibility of open passage, at least for a time.

Anton, of course, remained where he was. But he didn't have to go see things in the upper realms when everything that mattered could come to him.

Friends and family- all who survived- were able to visit. Some might have anyway, but having it be part of official duties certainly helped busy individuals like Catarina find time.

Anton and Prospero Vandale took time to look out at the stars. There weren't just a few hundred or a few thousand. They were nearly countless, filling not just their own galaxy but many galaxies. A nearly endless world, but Anton was happy to have his own piece of it. He'd always been a country boy after all.

"I think we did it," Anton said. "This is… everything that anyone could expect to accomplish in a lifetime. And more."

"That sounds like quitter talk to me," Prospero grinned. "I plan to do far more. We have a few more friendly neighbors now, but we're certainly not done."

"I'll be around if anyone needs me," Anton agreed. "I just hope they don't. Nobody should need an archer like me. But if they need a farmer… they'll also probably have to ask someone else. I'm thinking of retiring. Maybe take a vacation. I haven't seen every star in our territory up close, you know? It's embarrassing."

"That's a whole lot of stars," Prospero commented.

"It sure is. Wish I could also add the upper realms. But that's probably too many anyway. I'm almost ten thousand years old, after all. I shouldn't be straining my back."

Prospero raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I have it on good authority from some of your relatives that you're only a hundred."

"Bah, what would you know? You're only… a very confusing number of years in age," Anton said to the man who had undergone a reincarnation.

Anton's true age was some decades short of two thousand years now. He wasn't the oldest member of the Alliance, though he was the oldest from the lower realms. At least if they didn't count Prospero, who had lost some time in the middle but had been a couple centuries ahead before that.

Two men, old in spirit even if nothing else, knew well the importance of time. Time could stretch on for the length of a star's lifespan or even beyond… or it could be cut short, disappearing in the flash of a meteor crashing to the ground. Even the vast wonders of cultivation could only change that so much.

"You don't have to wait for the cycles, you know?" Anton said. "Maybe remind Catarina of that."

Prospero grinned. "Of course. But you could also stand to send some videos to say hello to us as well."

Author's note: Well, this is it I guess. At least for official numbered chapters. If anyone has any unresolved questions, I plan to write some epilogue chapters. They won't necessarily come out in the same quantity, but I hope to provide satisfying ends that everyone who can enjoy.

Well, except for those who don't like endings at all. Occasionally, I myself have been in that group- but there's nothing to be done about it. We might once more find ourselves in the world of Elder Cultivator in the future, but only if I think I have something meaningful to add. Aside from the epilogues, of course.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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