Re:Awakening with Ultimate Power as a Cosmic God

Nova walked with calm purpose, his senses stretched thin across the path Rin had described.

The outer ring of the imperial palace was quiet—too quiet for a city known to house nearly ten thousand attendants and enforcers.

But he didn't let the unease slow him down. He walked like someone who belonged.

Still, despite everything, something tugged at his attention. A rhythm in the air. A presence.

She was following him.

He slowed slightly, letting his footsteps fall softer against the stone path.

The ornate walls of the palace blurred at the edges of his vision as his focus shifted behind him. No sound. No movement. And yet…

He could feel her.

Rin.

Nova pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and continued onward, weaving through a cluster of trimmed hedges and ducking through a decorative gate.

The moment he crossed the threshold, he let his aether wash behind him like a net—and there she was.

Her presence was unmistakable now. She was trailing him, her steps light, her breath shallow, and her aura a complete mess.

He could see it clearly: soft tendrils of blueish aether leaking from her hands and hair, even the soles of her feet. She didn't even realize she was doing it.

Her control was nonexistent. And yet… she kept up.

Nova narrowed his eyes. It wasn't just luck. There was something else under the surface. A raw, untamed instinct that let her match his pace even while hiding.

It piqued his curiosity more than it should have.

He slowed his pace even further.

Still she followed.

He made it to the outer gate—slipping past two tired guards too busy arguing to notice his altered face—and stepped into the open city.

Lights flickered above the street, embedded into floating crystal spires, and the air carried the scent of perfumed steam and baked roots.

Nova turned into a quiet alleyway and leaned against a moss-covered wall.

Ten seconds passed. Fifteen.

Then, softly, the footsteps caught up. He didn't move.

"Rin."

He called, voice low.

A tiny gasp came from the wall nearby.

There was a beat of silence before the girl stepped out into view, clutching her robe like a guilty child.

"I—I wasn't following you."

Nova tilted his head slightly, one eyebrow raising.

"Of course not."

"I was just… going this way. I have a delivery. Important stuff. For the kitchens. Or the laundry. I mean—"

She added quickly.

"You want to show me around?"

Nova interrupted, voice flat but not unkind.

Rin blinked, confused.

"What?"

"I'm heading into the city. You've already come this far. So show me around. Unless you'd rather go back to pretending you aren't trailing me."

She opened her mouth to protest, then stopped.

For a second, her hands twitched again, the tips glowing faintly with unused aether. She glanced at them, startled, then quickly hid them behind her back.

"I guess… I could show you a little. Just for a while."

Nova didn't smile, but his voice softened by a fraction.

"Good. Lead the way then."

Rin glanced over her shoulder toward the palace, hesitated… and then turned toward the bustling street ahead.

The city of Rikaidou opened up in front of them—a strange mix of old-world elegance and impossible technology.

Floating rails above ground carried translucent carriages, and armored guards in shimmering silk stood watch over street vendors selling glowing fruit and folding weapons.

Rin pointed things out as they walked.

"That's the archive dome. Only nobles are allowed in there. And that's a rain-forging stall. They make swords by drawing metal from the air."

Nova nodded, silent as ever, but he watched every gesture, every time she reached forward with curiosity or shrank back from attention.

Rin led Nova down the winding streets of Rikaidou with a surprising sense of purpose, her feet moving quicker now that they were out of the palace and among commoners.

She glanced back at him every few steps, as if making sure he hadn't disappeared.

After what felt like fifteen minutes of darting through narrow alleys and market paths, she stopped in front of a small, vine-covered building tucked into the side of a larger stone structure.

There were no windows on the outside—only a wooden door with strange carvings and the faint scent of mint and something burning wafting from the cracks.

Rin turned to him with a proud little smile and pointed at the door.

"This is the shop of Amari. She's an imperial herbalist. Only very exclusive people are allowed to meet her. Even the palace has to request appointments sometimes."

Nova glanced at the building with mild interest.

"And yet, you asked me to come alone last time."

Rin's face turned bright red.

"T-that was different! I thought you would scare her off if I brought you in like this. But now you look like a noble. With your—your face and everything. You would've been fine."

She stammered.

Nova raised an eyebrow, but Rin continued talking, desperate to recover.

"Still! There's security in being here with me. I'll show you how useful I am as an imperial servant."

Before Nova could respond, she turned and pushed the herbalist shop's door open. The moment it creaked, something flew toward her face.

A blur of green and white.

Nova's hand shot out. He grabbed Rin by the back of her robes and yanked her backward just in time.

A pulsing plant, wrapped in fine threads of glowing aether, shot through the space where her head had been and splattered against the wall behind them with a soft pop and a hiss of purple gas.

Nova narrowed his eyes at the door.

Rin, wide-eyed and frozen against his chest, let out a squeaky noise.

From inside the dimly lit shop came a sharp, irritated voice.

"Didn't I say I was busy? You little rat, if this is another excuse to ogle the back shelves, I swear I'll feed you to the vines. Go back to wherever you came from!"

Rin recovered quickly and slipped out of Nova's hold with a sheepish laugh.

"That's Amari! She's always like that—just a bit dramatic."

"Dramatic."

Nova repeated.

Rin ignored his tone and leaned into the doorway, cupping her hands.

"Amari! It's me! Rin! And I brought someone with me this time, someone important!"

A long silence followed. Then a faint groan.

"Important? They all say that. Unless you've dragged in a god, I don't care."

The voice muttered.

Nova stepped forward, his expression unreadable, and Rin jumped to stand beside him.

"I'm coming in."

He said coolly.

"You can try."

Came the dry reply.

Undeterred, Nova stepped through the threshold, passing through the fine energy web that protected the door.

It tickled against his skin—a simple recognition field. Basic. Weak. Easily bypassed.

Inside, the shop was cramped and overflowing with strange herbs, dried roots, floating crystal orbs, and thick shelves that reached the ceiling.

The air was thick with medicinal smoke and sharp perfume.

Amari stood at the center, her short hair tucked under a loose cloth and her gloved hands elbow-deep in a glowing pot of fermenting flowers. Her eyes flicked toward him, unimpressed.

"You don't look like a god."

Rin piped up.

"But he's really strong! And maybe part god!"

"Part idiot, more like."

Amari muttered, pulling her hands out of the pot. The flowers sparked, then dissolved.

"Sp, why are you here?"