Re:Awakening with Ultimate Power as a Cosmic God

Amari's heart pounded as she and Nova stepped into the heavily perfumed inner chambers of the imperial palace.

The air was thick—cloying with too many scents, incense, and the overwhelming presence of unstable aether.

It curled like smoke around her throat, making her want to cough. But the real source of discomfort sat sprawled across a velvet-draped throne.

The Queen.

Barely upright, she was draped in shimmering silks, her crown slanted on her head as her painted lips curled into a dazed smile.

Her eyes were glazed, half-lidded, but sharp enough to track movement.

The guard who led them bowed stiffly and announced.

"Your Grace. The ones you asked for."

The Queen blinked, unbothered. She lifted a lazy hand, waving it as though swatting a fly.

"Mmm. Yes… yes, good. Bring them closer."

Her voice slurred slightly.

Amari clenched her fists. Nova remained stone-still beside her, his expression unreadable.

The Queen's eyes wandered until they landed on Nova. Her gaze lingered.

"Oh…"

She leaned forward slightly, pupils dilating.

"That face. Handsome. Very handsome."

Her tone shifted, suddenly alert, hungry.

"You. Boy. Come closer. Let me see you properly."

Nova didn't move.

The Queen tilted her head.

"I said, come here."

"I heard you. I'm not interested."

Nova said calmly.

Silence followed.

The Queen blinked, as though she hadn't understood. Then, slowly, her features twisted into something cruel.

"Excuse me?"

Amari tugged at Nova's sleeve, whispering.

"Just go. It's not worth it. Please."

He didn't even glance her way.

"No."

The Queen's voice rose, shrill.

"Guards. Bring that man to me. Now."

Two of the guards groaned quietly, clearly exhausted with their duties. But orders were orders. They stepped forward and reached out to seize Nova—

Only for sharp cracks to ring out a moment later.

The two guards yelped and stumbled back, clutching their wrists. Their bones had snapped like twigs. Nova stood unmoved, his hands barely raised.

"Touch me again, and I'll break more than your arms."

He said coolly.

The Queen surged to her feet, the drunken haze burning away from her gaze, replaced by shock and fury.

"You dare lay hands on my men?"

The Queen screeched, lurching forward. The incense smoke stirred violently around her, laced with tainted aether, reacting to her anger like a living thing.

Amari stepped in front of Nova instinctively, her pulse frantic.

"Please, Your Grace, he didn't mean to—"

"Silence. You bring a wild mutt into my halls, and now you think to defend him?"

The Queen spat, her tone venomous.

The ground beneath them pulsed slightly. Amari's boots scuffed the stone as she braced herself.

Nova stayed relaxed, arms folded.

"You're not used to people saying no. That's the problem."

The Queen's eyes narrowed to slits. Aether coiled around her like a snake ready to strike.

"You think your little tricks make you powerful? You think that face gives you protection here?"

Nova tilted his head, expression mild.

"No. But they make me very, very difficult to kill."

A tense silence filled the chamber.

Then the Queen started to laugh.

It wasn't a joyful sound—it was sharp, broken, cracked from the inside. The throne room trembled as her laughter echoed off the marble.

"Well, well. I see now. You're not one of them. You're something else… but you will still pay for defying me sooner or later."

She said finally, her voice dropping low.

She descended from her throne, moving like a serpent cloaked in royalty.

"Perhaps that's exactly what we need."

Amari's brow furrowed.

"What?"

The Queen ignored her. She stopped only a breath away from Nova, her chin tilted high. The scent of her perfume was suffocating this close—rich with power and rot.

"You don't like being commanded. Good. You'll fit in nicely."

She said.

Her eyes flicked to Amari.

"This one will bring the flower tomorrow. And you—"

She turned back to Nova.

"You'll return. Not as a guest."

"I won't return at all."

Nova said flatly.

The Queen's smile was all teeth.

"You will. You're already tangled in our web, whether you see it or not."

She turned sharply and walked back to her throne, waving them away like nothing more than toys that bored her.

"Take them out."

The guards, hesitant now, didn't protest. One of them looked apologetically at Amari.

"This way, please."

Nova brushed his hand against Amari's arm and whispered.

"Stay close."

As they exited the chamber, Amari finally exhaled.

She had no idea what just happened—but something told her this wasn't over.

The heavy palace doors creaked shut behind them, sealing in the stale scent of incense and aether as Amari and Nova stepped back into the main corridor.

The chief guard walked ahead in silence, boots thudding against the polished stone with measured restraint.

But once they reached the outer gates, he stopped and turned toward them.

His gaze, hard and unreadable, lingered on Nova first before settling on Amari with thinly veiled annoyance.

"This is where I leave you. Head home on your own from here."

Amari fumbled a bit, surprised by the sudden dismissal.

"Oh—right. Thank you for escorting us."

She reached into the small pouch strapped to her hip and pulled out a small vial, the silvery extract catching the dying sunlight.

"Also… this. The queen summoned me to deliver this."

The guard accepted the vial without a word, tucking it away into the folds of his uniform. Then, after a pause, he let out a tired sigh.

"You know, you've been coming here for a while now. The guards—most of us—we know you. You're quiet. Honest. Not like the usual leeches hanging around the court."

Amari blinked, caught off guard by the sudden softness in his tone.

"That's why I'll tell you this. You may think today was just a difficult audience. But no."

The guard went on, voice low.

His eyes narrowed as they flicked back toward the palace.

"You just made an enemy far worse than a scorned noble. You rejected her in public. She won't forget that."

A chill swept through Amari. Her fingers curled instinctively into the fabric of her cloak.

"I… I didn't mean to insult her. I was only trying to keep things from getting worse."

The guard studied her for a long beat.

"Intentions don't matter much here. Reputation does."

Amari took a shaky breath.

"What's done is done."

The guard gave a short nod.

"Just be careful."

With that, he turned and disappeared back through the gate, leaving the two of them standing in the fading light.

Amari stood frozen for a moment, watching the guard's figure vanish behind the palace walls. The air outside felt different—cleaner, freer—but far from safe.

Nova stepped beside her, hands tucked in his pockets.

"You alright?"

She nodded slowly, but the tension in her shoulders betrayed her.

"I didn't think it would turn into this," she murmured. "I just wanted to drop off the extract and leave…"

Nova glanced back at the gate, his expression unreadable.

"That woman's a mess. You can't expect reason from someone drowning in her own power."

Amari gave a small, bitter laugh.

"And now I'm marked because you wouldn't show her your face."

"You're not marked because of me. You're marked because she's unstable. I just didn't let her win."

Nova said quietly.

Amari looked at him, startled by the calmness in his voice. Then she lowered her eyes.

"Let's go. I don't want to be near this place anymore."