Nebula sang softly to herself as she painted, her brush moving fluidly across the canvas. Vergil, still in bed, stretched and called out, "Well, you're up early!"

Nebula set her paintbrush aside and turned to face him. "I got inspired and needed to create."

"Well, come here," Vergil said, patting the space beside him on the bed.

"Why?" Nebula asked.

"I want to taste the sweet nectar of your soul," Vergil replied.

"Okay." Nebula walked over to Vergil. He pulled her into bed and kissed her. Nebula quickly pulled back. "You know your mouth smells, right?"

"So, you want me to kiss you somewhere else?" Vergil asked.

"As tempting as that sounds, I need to finish this painting first," Nebula explained.

"Okay, what is it about?" Vergil asked.

"Well, I painted myself painting the painting and the background," Nebula explained.

Vergil looked puzzled. "Okay."

Nebula got up from the bed. "Look, the painting is of me at the start of the painting. It's like a picture taken from behind. You can see me as I start my painting. But when you let your eyes wander, you start to see our penthouse and the rain outside. It's dark, which means if you look closely, you see the reflection of our room. What's captivating about this piece is how the city appears to be both alive and asleep. There's a couple walking home from a date night and a group of men walking home, one of them throwing up. But the city is also asleep because of the darkness of the building opposite our penthouse, except for one window. This window is lit, and a figure in the apartment is painting as well."

Vergil sat up and smiled.

"What?" Nebula asked.

"So, in simple terms, everyone is in their own world except for this one moment where they all become one," Vergil said.

"You know my work so well," Nebula replied.

"My sweet ember, your smile radiates the room when you speak about things that move your soul," Vergil said. Nebula walked over and kissed him.

"I thought you said my mouth smells?" Vergil asked.

"It does, but you can kiss me somewhere else." Nebula replied, leaning in for a kiss.

"MOM! WAKE UP!" Vergil shouted.

"What?" Nebula asked before she opened her eyes and sees her daughter at the end of her bed, "Oh!  Give me five more minutes."

"Hell no, we need to leave." Pandora interjected.

"Is that how you talk to your own mother?" Nebula asked.

"Yeah, if she is the reason I am late." Pandora replied.

"Fine… I'm getting up and taking a shower," Nebula said.

"Thank you." Pandora replied.

Nebula got up and left her room. As she walked down the hall, she ran into Troy. "You're here?"

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Troy asked.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I just woke up, so my mind is a bit foggy, that's all." Nebula explained.

"Can you leave? You need to take a shower. The outfit that you're going to wear is on the bathroom door—it's a suit made of Egyptian cotton, like you wanted." Pandora explained.

"Okay, you seem to be getting good at your job." Nebula compliments her daughter before clearing her throat.

"If you make a speech, be prepared for the consequences." Pandora warned her mother.

Nebula nodded before heading to the bathroom. She took a shower, and as she got dressed, she left the water running. Before she pulled out a tile in the corner of the bathroom and retrieved a box, she opened it to reveal a picture and gazed at it for a while before she started crying. Nebula took a moment to compose herself by taking a deep breath. She put the picture back in the box, closed it, and returned it to its hiding place. She washed away her tears, dried her face, and said to herself, "You are an Angel, so act like one." Nebula then turned off the tap before heading to the kitchen.

"I made you a sandwich to go," Pandora shouted as she handed her mother a plate.

Nebula placed the plate on the table. "You don't need to yell and what about...?" Pandora handed her a glass bottle.

"Vodka?" Nebula joked.

"No, it's juice. Are you okay?" Pandora asked.

"I will be if you give me a hug," Nebula replied, looking up at her daughter, but Pandora's eyes were filled with rage. "Or not; either way is fine with me." Nebula added, taking the bottle.

"You have two minutes to finish your food," Pandora said while staring her mother in her eyes.

"I understand, but can you give me some space, please?" Nebula asked.

"Okay. I have to look at some documents. I can delay for about five more minutes, so hurry up." Pandora replied before heading out.

"OH! Thank God." Nebula muttered as she sat down. "I thought I was going to cry."

Troy sneaked into Nebula's apartment. "Hey, I brought you your favorite dessert." he said while placing the ice cream on the table.

"You know what would make this better?" Nebula asked as she grabbed the ice cream.

"Caramel deluxe." Troy replied, placing the pudding on the table.

"You know me so well. I needed this." Nebula replied while drizzling the pudding over the ice cream.

"Pandora, right?" Troy asked.

"You have no idea. She can easily make me feel like a child, and she scares me. No, that's an understatement. She is a terrifying person." Nebula explained while eating her ice cream.

"She is intense, to say the least." Troy agreed.

"Yeah but she is perfect. You better leave before she gets back. Thanks for the breakfast. Come closer." Nebula said as she leaned in and kissed Troy before he sneaked out, leaving Nebula alone to enjoy her breakfast. Before she knew it, Pandora returned.

"Oh! You're done. We have to leave, and I hear that thing called a man is waiting on the ship." Pandora stated.

"Why do you call him that? It's been nearly a century?" Nebula asked.

"Okay, how about maroon, stupid, idiot, pea brain..." Pandora was cut off mid-sentence by Nebula.

"Really?" asked an exasperated Nebula.

"I got the perfect one: our holy one who blesses us with his presence." Pandora sarcastically replied.

"Forget about it." Nebula replied before heading for the door.

"Okay, I will be nice and call him Will." Pandora conceded.

"Will??? I mean, that is not an insult, so I will take it." Nebula accepted her daughters new nickname for Troy. Nebula walked out the door heading for the ship with Pandora behind her. They both got inside.

Nebula kissed Troy, and Pandora shook her head. "Don't worry about her. I am glad you are here," Nebula said to Troy. All three were transported to the gallery location, and Nebula headed to the room where her painting was. As she walked through the door, she saw a mysterious figure standing and gazing at her painting.

"Hello, my love… my soul," Nebula yelled before embracing the person from behind.

"I am not a child anymore, mother." Eden said.

"Come on, don't be cold like your sister." Nebula.

"You can let go of me. I am not being cold; I am just stating facts." Eden clarified.

Nebula let Eden go and stood beside him. "What price do you think the painting is going to be sold for?"

"It will break your previous record, which means all your paintings will make up the whole 1000 list of the most expensive paintings ever sold in the cosmos…" Eden looked at his mother and saw a bit of red in her eyes. "You had that dream again?" Eden asked.

"Don't worry; I will be fine, and I am with Will now." Nebula explained.

"Who is Will?" asked a confused Eden.

"Troy. Will is the nickname Pandora gave him. I think it is a step in the right direction to mend their relationship." Nebula replied.

Eden burst out laughing.

"What?" asked a confused Nebula.

"She means by that Will and Jada after the whole August thing." Eden explained.

"She gets more cunning by the day." Nebula said.

"I shouldn't be telling you this, but after this painting is sold and breaks your own records, the princess of Rea is going to make an announcement that all your 1000 paintings will be housed on their home world at a museum dedicated to you," Eden explained.

"Wow, so that means all my paintings?" Nebula asked.

"They bought every single one, and this one will finish the set. The king and queen bought them." Eden replied.

"That is an honor, I have to say… damn, I never expected this." Nebula replied with a slight smile.

"Act surprised when it happens." Eden.

"I will, don't worry." Nebula said.

"You deserve it, Mom. The show is about to start, so we should get going." Eden replied, leading his mother to the bidding area. There, her painting had been sold for a price of 567 septendecillion dollars, making it the 348th highest valued painting in the cosmos.

The princess of Rea appeared on stage. "Good evening to you all! As you all know, my world loves art to the point that some may consider it an obsession. We adore works that capture the universe and the essence of life. Nebula's work personifies that statement. With this piece, we complete the set, which will be dubbed 'Nebula's Millennium.' It took a lot of negotiating, but we now own all the pieces, and we are going to do something unprecedented for our world. Nebula will receive a cross of art—the first from another world to receive this honor. We will take all her work and build a museum for the cosmos to experience greatness. Nebula, come up here and say a few words. Let us give her a round of applause!"

Rhea started the applause, and the room joined in. Nebula walked up the stage and embraced Rhea before stepping to the podium. "Well, I have no words to describe how this moment feels. It's an honor for my work to be loved and appreciated in such a manner. It's the stuff of dreams. I knew my gift was special through one person entranced by my art, and now that has turned into a couple billion, I believe…" Nebula was cut off mid-sentence by Rhea.

"It's trillions, and I apologize for interjecting."

"Wow! How many planets is this being broadcast to?" Nebula asked.

"Ninety-seven billion planets, and of course, every planet in your home solar system," Rhea replied.

"Ah! I am blessed to have this much support. I would like to thank my fans, old and new. Without you, this would not be possible. I hope you visit my museum. I'd like to end by saying my work can and should be considered nectar from my soul. Thank you." Nebula embraced Rhea before attempting to sneak away, but she was stopped by her manager, Dia.

"I wasn't feeling up to doing interviews, so I used the back entrance," Nebula explained.

"I know, but you have to do one interview. This moment is too big for you to develop reclusive tendencies. Don't worry; I have it handled. They will only ask questions about your art and nothing else," Dia reassured her.

"Fine." Nebula agreed and following Dia into the media room. They prepped her for a couple of minutes before the interview started.

"Hello, night dwellers! This is your girl Coco, and I am with the GOAT herself, Nebula!" Coco said.

"Thank you for having me, Coco, and good night to your night dwellers." replies a visibly happy Nebula.

"How does it feel to make the entire list of the 1000 most expensive paintings ever sold?" Coco asked.

"It's a privilege," Nebula answered.

"I have two questions. The first: what do you think is your unique style? And the second: what do you believe is your best work? Are your best paintings ones of objects, like constellations, or are they of people you've met? Or are they more personal, like friends, family, and lovers?" Coco asked.

"That's an interesting question… Mmm-hmm… Ah! I am drawing blanks, to be honest... to answer your first question, my style… Ah! Well, to use an Earth saying, it's like catching lightning in a bottle, which means to capture something rare. That is my style—capturing rare moments and making them live for eternity on my canvas." Nebula clarified.

"That's beauty." Coco.

"As for your second question, my best work is when I paint people who are close to me. I believe those moments and emotions make those paintings the centerpiece of my catalog," Nebula explained.

"Respect! Now for the more fickle beings that love bringing up numbers. Even they cannot deny that you are the GOAT!  You have 231 paintings in the top 2000 most expensive items ever sold at auction, and you have 100 paintings in the top 250. Your paintings make up the entire top 50 most expensive items sold at auction, surpassing even planets and stars. When it comes to the value of your top 50, it's worth more than entire galaxies. If that doesn't make you the greatest of all time, then what will?" Coco declared.

"What's competition to the GOAT?" Nebula replied playfully.

"YES! LET THEM KNOOOW…" Coco stated. The atmosphere within the room would soon take a turn as the interview was interrupted when someone barged into the room.

"J here! So, Nebula, a.k.a. the GOAT, why don't you tell your whole fanbase about your stint on Neptune or how you had more holes in you than a moon of Jupiter…" J yelled, but before he could finish security quickly tackled him and dragged him out.

"Are you okay?" Coco asked.

"Yeah, but I'm done with this interview," Nebula explained while removing the microphone on her chest.

"No problem; that was uncalled for. Thank you for your time," Coco said.

Nebula nodded before leaving the room. She started pacing back to her assigned room, passing her family without saying anything, and headed straight to her bedroom. A couple of moments later, Dia walked in and closed the door.

"What happened?" Troy asked.

"Someone broke into the room where the interview was being conducted and asked her about her stint on Neptune and her injuries." Dia explained.

"What?" Eden exclaimed.

"How is that even possible?" Troy asked.

"I thought everyone who knew signed an NDA?" Pandora inquired.

"The was only 1 person who hadn't signed an NDA. To minimize the damage I have already painted him as a failed painter jealousy of Nebula." Dia explained.

Pandora took out a device from her pocket and headed outside and she returned a few moments later with a hunting grin that makes Troy and Eden skin crawl, "It has been handled."

"What, did you kill him?" Dia jokely asked.

"No, there is a new drug in development in sector 376. When consumed by organic lifeforms, it makes them act impulsively, leading to self-destructive tendencies. They lose the ability to distinguish between real and what's not. After a month of consuming this drug, the effects leave them in a vegetative state. Right now, it has been discovered that J has been staying with several known users and has already taken enough of this new drug to leave him in a vegetative state. All that is needed now is for this information to become public knowledge. I can see it now—J slowly losing his sanity to this new drug, and a statement will be released by Mother saying that drug abuse is no joke and If there's anything his family needs, it's on her. So you know what to do. I mean, you already ruined his life by blacklisting him; this just puts him out of his misery." Pandora explained.

"I don't like this." replied a shocked Dia.

"Your concerns are noted, but next time do better so that it doesn't get to a point where I have to act on such threats." Pandora warned Día.

"And you two are just standing there saying nothing! COWARDS, THE BOTH OF YOU!" Dia yelled before storming out.