Chapter 4

Lily:
Hey—did we ever get the Fragment of Luminosity yet?

Alto, mid-sip of water, nods.

Alto:
Yeah, we did.
(pause, thoughtful)
It was in the Starsea Sanctum.
Hoshi was really kind about it—just handed it over, honestly.
That’s the Primordial of Light for you…
(murmuring with a small smile)
…the one who created the angels.

Lily:
(genuinely impressed)
Huh. And she just gave it to you?

Alto:
She said I “glowed like someone worthy of it.”
He’s probably biased.
(shoots a look at Shizuku)

Shizuku:
(smugly stirring his rice)
She’s not wrong.

He looks up, more serious now.

Shizuku:
The Sigil Fragment of Luminosity is now gonna be one of our main stabilizers, next to the Sigil Fragment of Earth and the Sigil Fragment of the Universal Architect.

Lily:
That’s... three out of seven?

Shizuku:
(nodding)
Yup.
Now we’ve got to deal with Wachstum and Putrefacci.

Lily:
(grimacing)
Yikes. The Primordials of Growth and Stagnation, right?

Shizuku:
(stabbing a bite of curry)
Unfortunately.

Alto:
(muttering)
They don’t exactly get along either. One’s obsessed with progress, the other literally hates it.

Lily:
Then what’s the plan?

Shizuku:
(grinning slightly)
Not our problem.

Lily:
…Excuse me?

Shizuku:
That’s an Astera problem.

Lily:
You're just gonna pawn it off on the floral child?

Shizuku:
He’s the Captain of the Floral Ignis Guard.
Let him bloom.

Alto:
(giggling)
He did just graduate, give him a trial by primordial.

Lily:
...You’re both menaces.

Shizuku:
And yet, beloved.