There was an overabundance of glory and matured wonders spreading across the Early Veiled Shore.
The air itself seemed drunk on possibility, heavy with the scent of herbs that could reshape existence and fruits that contained wisdom of ages. Every surface gleamed with the particular sheen that came from being touched by a Principle’s authority.
At such a time, a voice cut through the sacred atmosphere with decidedly unsacred words!
"Holy shit..."
The Queen of Matter stood surrounded by towers of books...some containing glorious Fables of cosmic significance, others holding utterly useless tales of beings who had lived and died without note.
She could feel it all, every wonder occurring across the Shore resonating through her existence like vibrations through a tuning fork.
Her complexity and purity had exceeded five hundred million, not through any particular effort on her part, but simply from being present when a Historical Record unfolded.
The passive harvest of witnessing something significant had elevated her beyond what years of traditional advancement might have achieved.
As she marveled at the sensation of growth without effort, space beside her warped with the particular distortion that came from Order asserting itself.
A figure materialized...Sigrid, though not quite. This was one of two ordered states she now maintained, one body remaining near Noah while this one appeared directly behind the Queen of Matter.
"Hey," Sigrid said with casual directness.
The Queen of Matter jumped with such force that several of her floating books tumbled, their Fables spilling into the air as glowing text before reassembling.
"You scared the shit out of me!"
Sigrid regarded her calmly, the green-gold light of the ongoing harvest casting her features in ethereal relief.
Her expression carried the particular focus of someone with a specific goal. "Are you the Record Keeper here?"
The Queen of Matter’s demeanor shifted instantly from startled to professional, though her attempt at formality came out somewhat garbled.
She cleared her throat with exaggerated importance. "Yes, Ma’am Most Recent Harem Member Addition...I mean, THE Living Order! I hold all the Fables of everyone in the Infiniverse! I know the Fables of Sir Osmont, those around him, and... hey!"
Her formal introduction cut short as Sigrid reached out and grabbed her by the nape of her neck with the casual efficiency of someone picking up a cat.
The Queen of Matter found herself being carried toward a quieter corner of the Shore, her feet dangling slightly above the golden sands.
"Tell me all the Fables," Sigrid commanded, setting her down but maintaining a grip that suggested flight was not an option. "Starting with his."
The Queen of Matter’s eyes sparkled with the particular gleam of someone given permission to share their obsession. "Yes Ma’am! There is so much to cover! Sir has gone through so many phases, so many transformations. After I joined him, he allowed me to glimpse even more of his Fable...the complete weaving of it!"
She began gesticulating wildly, her enthusiasm making her forget she was essentially being interrogated.
"There’s the Beast World where many things kicked off...oh, the progression from nothing to everything! The Atlanteans! The Demon World with its hierarchies of power, oh, and Baal. I liked him! And the Cultivation World!" Her voice rose with particular excitement. "Oh, the Cultivation World... I wish he had spent more time there, expanded the weavings of Cultivators more! Can you imagine? Foundation Establishment! Core Formation! Nascent Soul! The poetry of advancement through understanding! Ah...!"
...!
As the Queen of Matter’s words tumbled over each other in an increasingly scattered stream of consciousness, Sigrid’s frown deepened. She sighed with the particular exhaustion of someone realizing they had asked for information from someone who loved information too much.
"Focus."
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