The leaders, especially, felt it keenly. They too had expected him to leverage the previous matriarchs sacrifices.

They had braced themselves for it, prepared themselves for the inevitable manipulation.

But he had not. He had not mentioned their mothers, their grandmothers, their ancestors.

He had left them out of it entirely

Realising this, the queen of the mermaids nodded slowly, her tail swishing in the water, her scales catching the light.

"He is different." She murmured to herself. "He is truly different."

The queen of the orcs smirked, a grudging respect in her eyes that she would never admit to aloud.

"Not bad." She cracked her knuckles and nodded. "Not bad at all."

The giants cast approving gazes, almost imperceptible, but unmistakable to those who knew how to read them.

The goblin queen looked expectant, her tiny hands clasped in front of her, her eyes shining with something that looked like hope.

The dryads gave serene smiles, their leaves rustling softly in the breeze.

Even the dragonkin queen—proud, unyielding, never satisfied with anything less than perfection looked away.

But looking away was its own kind of approval. For her, it was practically a standing ovation.

The dark elf matriarch was already grinning, her single visible eye sparkling with delight. She looked like she was about to burst into applause.

The lamia queen nodded her head slowly, her slitted eyes thoughtful.

"Interesting." She said. "Very interesting."

The centaur queen stamped her hoof, once, twice—a gesture of approval in her culture.

And just like that one by one, every single race had given in subtle approval

Seeing this, Luca’s heart soared!

He had done it. He had actually done it!

But there was still one final piece.

He turned to the vampire queen.

She stood apart from the others, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. Her crimson eyes bored into his, cold and assessing, weighing him, measuring him, searching for the lie.

The moment stretched, tense and uncertain and everyone watched, waiting to see what she would do.

The vampire queen had always hated humans.

She had been betrayed by them, nearly enslaved by them. She had every reason to distrust Luca, to reject him, to walk away.

But then she looked away.

"You are still a greedy human at the end of the day and nothing will change that."

She muttered, her voice barely audible.

The crowd tensed.

"But maybe...you are different after all."

Her eyes flicked back to him for just a moment.

"Maybe you’re someone we can trust."

And with those words of approval—

He...had done it.

The last holdout had fallen.

Every race had given their approval.

Every leader had nodded, had spoken, had signaled their assent.

And the moment the elves realised this—they erupted!

"He did it!"

"Oh my god, he actually did it!"

"I can’t believe it! He made peace with everyone!"

"This is such a historic moment!"

"As expected of my husband! I love him so much!"

"I’m going to make proper love to him tonight!"

The elves hugged each other, laughed, cried. Some fell to their knees in gratitude, their hands pressed together in prayer.

Others simply stared at Luca with eyes full of love and wonder, as if seeing him for the first time.

Luna and Lulu held hands, their fingers intertwined, their faces bright with joy.

"He did it." Luna whispered. "He really did it!"

"Of course he did!" Lulu said, puffing out her chest. "He’s my man, after all! If anyone can marry the great Chicken Queen Lulu, he has to be a person with a lot of capabilities!"

Luna rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

Leona watched Luca with soft eyes, her hand resting on her belly. She said nothing, but her silence was its own kind of endorsement.

She was proud of him. So proud.

Even Nyx, who rarely showed genuine emotion, had a gentle smile on her face. She caught Luca’s eye and gave him a small nod.

’Well done,’ that nod said. ’I knew you could do it.’

Even Luca himself felt his heart swell.

He thought of all the ways things could have gone wrong—the missteps, the misunderstandings, the moments when everything could have fallen apart.

But somehow, impossibly, it had all come together.

He had lived a long time. He had seen many things.

But this moment of acceptance, of unity, of hope was something he would never forget.

He felt tears prick at his eyes and quickly blinked them away.

Now was not the time for emotion.

Now was the time for action!

He stepped forward, wanting to shake hands with the various leaders, thanking them for their cooperation, apologizing for his earlier aggression.

But just then—a goblin pointed at the sky with a horrified look on her face.

"Look! Look Over There!"

Her voice was high with panic.

"The heavens!...THE HEAVENS ARE FALLING!"

She pointed at the sky.

And everyone looked to see what nonsense she was spouting right now.

But to their utter horror—

—he heavens really were falling!

A massive beam of golden light was descending upon them, so bright it seemed to burn the air itself.

It was a column of pure radiance, wider than the stage, wider than the valley, and it was coming straight for them!

"THE SKY IS FALLING!"

"RUN!"

"GET AWAY!"

But there was nowhere to run. The light was too fast, too wide, too all-encompassing.

Before anyone could move, before anyone could even scream, it struck.

BOOM!

The explosion was not of fire or destruction.

It was an explosion of ethereal light, so pure and bright that it seemed to cleanse the very air.

The golden radiance spread outward, washing over the forest, over the valley, over the gathered races, painting everything in hues of amber and gold.

And then—silence.

The beam narrowed. Faded. And slowly started to dissolve.

When the light finally cleared, the scene that emerged was strange. Unsettling. Almost peaceful.

The elves—all of them, from Leona to the youngest child were lying on the stage, asleep.

Their faces were serene, untroubled, as if they were dreaming of something pleasant.

They lay in piles, curled against each other, their chests rising and falling in slow, steady rhythm.

Some had their arms wrapped around each other.

Others had their heads resting on their neighbors’ shoulders.

The same was true of the demi-human races.

The dark elves, the vampires, the dragonkin, the beastkin, the ogres, the goblins, the harpies, the fairies, the dryads, the centaurs, the lamias, the mermaids, the slime girls—all of them, every single one, lay scattered across the valley floor, sleeping soundly.

Their bodies were arranged in a chaotic sprawl, limbs tangled, tails wrapped around tails, wings folded over wings.

All except Luca.

He stood alone, the only person still conscious, still standing. His heart was pounding, his mind racing, but he was not afraid.

Because he recognized this presence. This energy.

"Finally." He said, looking up at the sky. "Finally, you’ve decided to arrive."

He smiled.

"I was waiting for you, Goddess of Space."

He had sensed it the moment the light began to fall—the familiar aura, the unmistakable presence.

It was her. The same goddess who had sent him to this world. The one who had given him his mission.

And he knew, immediately, what she was doing.

She was sending a message.

A divine endorsement.

A heavenly seal of approval that would prove to the demi-humans that he was trustworthy, that he was sent by the gods, that he was exactly who he claimed to be.

He chuckled.

"Honestly." He muttered, shaking his head. "After I already won everyone’s trust, it’s pretty damn useless. But..." He shrugged. "It still helps. Things will be much smoother in the future."

He looked out at the sleeping races, at their peaceful faces, and felt a surge of excitement.

The final piece of the puzzle had clicked into place.

Everything was going to be alright.

He was free now. Free to interact with all the races, to learn about their cultures, to explore their lands.

He had been looking forward to this for so long.

The dark elves with their mysterious rituals.

The dragonkin with their ancient pride.

The lamias with their shamanic wisdom.

The slime girls—oh, the slime girls!

He had been keeping an eye on them all day. He wanted to touch them, to see how their gelatinous bodies felt, to hug them and see if they squished.

He was so excited he could barely contain himself.

He wanted to jump. He wanted to dance. He wanted to run around the valley like a child.

But then—the sleeping races began to move.

It started with a twitch. A finger. An ear. A tail.

Then a groan. A shift. A stirring.

Their faces, which had been so peaceful moments ago, twisted into expressions of distress.

Some looked flustered. Some looked embarrassed. Some looked angry. Their brows furrowed. Their lips pressed together. Their cheeks flushed.

Then to his utter shock—they moaned and whimpered, their words slurred, barely audible. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"No...stop..."

"You can’t...please...this is too much..."

"I can’t handle it...ah...you can’t..."

Their bodies moved restlessly, as if they were fighting something in their dreams.

Some clawed at the ground. Others clutched their own arms, their chests, their faces.

Their breathing quickened. Their hearts raced.

And then—the whispers became louder.

"Please, Hero...stop..."

"No...Hero...don’t...you’re too big"

"Oh...not there...I’m still a virgin..."

"...I-It won’t fit...I’m a fairy..."

"...That’s too small...my opening is too big..."

Luca’s blood ran cold.

He recognized those words. He recognized those tones.

They were not the words of people having a nightmare. But not the kind of nightmare that involved monsters or falling or being chased.

They were the words of people having a very different kind of dream that ended with having to clean your underwear in the morning!

Behind him, the elves were also moving.

But unlike the demi-humans, they were not distressed.

Instead they were...enjoying themselves.

"Yes, darling...come to me..."

"Pound me harder...yes, yes...make love to me...I love you so much..."

"You’re the best husband in the world..."

Nyx was grinning in her sleep. "Yes...harder...in my ass...slap me while you do it..."

Leona giggled foolishly. "You want a dozen children? That’s a lot, but I guess I can manage."

Luna simply whispered. "I love you, Luca. I love you so much."

And Lulu—bizarre, wonderful, ridiculous Lulu was murmuring. "Bokak...bokak...bokak..." in a tone of unmistakable pleasure.

The contrast was stark.

On one side, the demi-humans were writhing in embarrassment and shame, as if they were being forced into something they did not want.

On the other side, the elves were basking in ecstasy, as if they were reliving their favorite memories.

Luca felt his stomach drop. He had a horrible feeling about this.

He knew had to stop this. He had to wake them up before it got worse.

So, he took a step toward the nearest group—the beastkin.

But before he could reach them, the spell broke.

The elves sat up, stretching, smiling, giving Luca flirtatious glances. Some licked their lips. Others looked at him with hunger in their eyes.

But the other races...

Luca slowly turned to face them.

And wished he hadn’t.

The same demi-humans who had been looking at him with hope and admiration moments ago—

—were now staring at him with horror!

Weapons were drawn. Bodies were tensed.

The beastkin had their daggers out, double-wielding them with trembling hands.

The ogres gripped their hammers, their knuckles white.

The dragonkin were breathing smoke, their eyes glowing with barely contained fire.

The mermaids had retreated to the far edge of their pond, huddling together.

The fairies and harpies had taken to the air, putting as much distance between themselves and him as possible.

The lamia queen was blushing and her composed facade shattered into a thousand pieces.

Her slitted eyes were wide, her lips parted, her chest heaving. She looked like she had just seen something she could never unsee.

The centaur queen’s hooves were planted wide, as if ready to charge. Her tail swished nervously.

The dark elf matriarch’s single visible eye was wide with something that looked like a mixture of shock and amusement.

And the vampire queen, well...she looked like she wanted to murder him with her bare hands.

Her soul seemed to be on fire. Her body trembled with barely contained rage. She was biting her lip so hard that blood was trickling down her chin, staining her pale skin.

"...Send us back."

She finally said, her voice cold as winter frost.

"Send us back this instant, you deviant!"