Re:Awakening with Ultimate Power as a Cosmic God-Chapter 74: Ch : The Curse - Part 2

Nova was shown to his room in the royal palace by a servant who refused to speak beyond the bare minimum.

The moment the door closed behind him, Nova swept the space with a lazy glance, already aware of the magic hidden within the walls.

He could feel the trace amounts of aether—subtle, but present—clinging to corners and the surface of the mirror, even layered beneath the wooden frame of the bed.

He let out a small sigh and raised his hand. Aether whispered at his fingertips and surged forward in invisible waves, unraveling the enchantments one by one.

Surveillance nodes were disabled silently. One of them—planted behind the ornamental vase—shattered without a sound.

Another, woven into the curtains, fizzled and melted into dust.

A rustle came from the corner.

Without even turning around, Nova was already moving.

Aether snapped forward, binding the neck of the hidden figure hiding in the shadows. They dropped to the ground with a soft grunt.

"You should’ve held your breath. Your aether signature was faint, but not faint enough."

Nova murmured, stepping over the fallen spy.

With a flick of his fingers, the unconscious body was dragged out of the room and left outside in the hallway.

He didn’t care if the queen found out. If she wanted to keep an eye on him, she’d have to do better.

Now that the room was clean, Nova finally allowed himself to stretch.

The faint glow of his aether pulsed once more before dimming completely, making sure no one could track it.

And then, he left the room.

He walked casually through the palace, pretending to be another curious guest. No one stopped him. His steps were silent, calculated.

He had already memorized the layout thanks to the system’s earlier scan. There were two areas marked as ’restricted.’ One of them pulsed faintly with energy that felt... familiar.

Nova followed the trail.

It led him underground, past rows of guard checkpoints that were too confident in their blind spots. Down into the prison wards—cold, stale, and hidden from public knowledge.

As he descended the last flight of stairs, a chill slid over his spine. There. That familiar pulse again. Aether that wasn’t quite foreign, but tainted with something deeper.

A twisted version of something sacred.

He stopped in front of one of the cells.

Darkness veiled the bars, but Nova raised a finger and summoned a quiet flicker of light. It danced into the cell like a whisper and revealed the figure inside.

A woman.

She was curled against the far wall, her hair a tangled mess, her skin bruised and pale. But even under the filth, Nova recognized the face.

The queen.

No—not the queen.

The woman lifted her head slowly, and her lips cracked into a grin that was too wide for her face.

"Well, well. You’re not a guard...Nor my sister, Eleysa."

She rasped, voice dry like paper.

Her eyes gleamed with something feverish and clear.

"Did she finally send someone to finish me off? Or... are you the messenger?"

Nova narrowed his gaze.

"Messenger?"

She laughed. The sound bounced off the stone walls.

"The one the gods promised me. The one who would ’purify Callex.’ That’s what they told me. In dreams. In fire. In blood. That the world had become twisted beyond saving... and a messenger would come."

"I’m not your messenger."

Nova said.

"Oh? Then why do I feel so calm around you? Why did my sister recoil when she touched your aether? It burned her, didn’t it?"

Her grin didn’t fade.

He didn’t answer.

"Of course it did. You carry something ancient. You may not be from the gods, but they have touched you."

The woman stood with effort, leaning against the bars.

Nova stepped closer, watching her carefully.

"I saw it. In one of my dreams. The sky cracked open and you walked out of it. You burned away the shadows. I thought it was madness. But now you’re here."

She whispered.

"What’s your name?"

Nova asked.

She blinked slowly.

"Gorgon. I assume she still pretends I’m dead?"

Nova didn’t respond.

"She has to. That throne was meant for both of us. But I saw what she was becoming... what Callex was becoming. So she locked me away."

Gorgon said.

Nova considered the words, the strange pulse of prophecy echoing in them.

"I’m not here to fulfil any god’s vision."

He said.

"Maybe not, but you’re part of it, whether you want to be or not."

Gorgon replied.

Nova turned without another word and left the cell in silence. Gorgon’s final whisper followed him like smoke in the air:

"Callex is rotting, stranger. Either you burn it down... or it burns you with it."

It did not take him long to return to his room after that conversation.

Nova closed the door behind him, the click of the latch barely audible before another sound followed—a sudden push.

The door swung open, and Queen Eleysa stood there, framed by the dim corridor light, dressed far too casually for a queen at this hour.

"I hope I’m not disturbing your rest."

She said, stepping inside without invitation.

Nova raised a brow, unfazed.

"I wasn’t asleep yet. If you’ve come to talk, then talk. Sit, if you’d like."

He gestured to the bed.

But Eleysa didn’t move toward the bed. Instead, she stepped closer to him.

"I had other plans."

She murmured.

Nova tilted his head, half-curious, half-amused.

"Is that so?"

Eleysa’s heels clicked softly against the floor as she closed the distance between them. She moved slowly, deliberately, each step calculated.

Nova didn’t back away. When her hand reached out and touched his shoulder, he let her, though his expression didn’t change. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

She didn’t hide her intentions. She was trying to back him against the bed—trying to see if he would yield.

He didn’t.

But he didn’t resist either.

"You should know. I don’t enjoy being cornered. Not even by a queen."

He said calmly.

Eleysa smiled at that.

"I’ve found you interesting since the moment I saw you. And interesting men are hard to come by."

She said.

Nova’s gaze sharpened.

"So this is your way of testing me?"

"It’s my way of giving you a chance. To be more than just a weapon. To be mine."

She replied, voice silk-smooth.

Nova laughed under his breath.

"And if I say no?"

Eleysa’s eyes glinted.

"Then do your worst."

She leaned forward—just enough for her presence to fill the space between them, for her breath to warm his skin.

Nova didn’t move. He didn’t kiss her. He didn’t push her away. He simply looked down at her, unreadable.

"You should be careful, Your Majesty. You might not like what happens when you play games you can’t control."

He said.

Eleysa’s smile didn’t fade, but the air between them grew heavier.

That was the thing about power—it never came without risk.

And they were both used to winning.

Eleysa didn’t flinch.

"Control is overrated. I’m far more interested in results."

Her fingers brushed lightly against Nova’s chest, testing, teasing, trying to pull a reaction from him.

But Nova’s face remained unreadable—cold eyes watching every movement like a predator indulging a weaker creature.

"You think you can provoke something in me, but all you’ll find is disappointment."

He said, voice quiet.

"Or something better."

She countered.

Nova leaned in just slightly, lowering his voice.

"You’re not the first to try and use affection as a leash. You won’t be the first to fail."

Eleysa held his gaze.

"We’ll see."