The chamber dedicated to the High Regent was quiet save for the gentle sway of the internal currents. Octopus Cookie, having just overseen the rigorous purification of the Outer Eastern District (which demanded a significant draining of their own vitality), sought necessary, if brief, repose.

Specter Fish, ever loyal, swam close, its fins radiating a subdued glow meant to comfort.

“Worry not, my little friend,” Octopus Cookie reassured despite the notable exhaustion that weighed heavily in their eyes. They gently dismissed Specter Fish’s worried nudge with a slow wave of his hand. “The Sacred Tear may rest easy tonight; the contamination is secured, though the cost remains mine alone.”