Towards the end of the trip the Emperor held a little ball, and introduced us to a few of his upper echelons. Three Dukes and Duchesses, a few Counts, and the more prominent Barons all stood before us as the Emperor introduced each to us; then proceeded to introduce a few of his staff members. These ones did not have proper names. They were like Jester. Their names were titles. There was Scholar, General, Treasurer, and so forth…it was honestly impressively well organized.

  Then came the party itself. Even more food was served, gentle, soothing music was played, liquor was provided, and we were set free to roam about the ballroom as we pleased, mingling with the nobles. I, for one, stood off to the side with Yueya and MR-10, sipping on a fine wine and simply watching everything go down. MR-10 was likewise content to observe, while Yueya chattered away with one of the Duchesses, a beautiful woman with silver skin.

  Elvira was in her element, here. One of the Dukes and various other nobles hung on to her every word, nodding along as she explained the fundamentals of her own Heaven, and what riches she could offer. Something here had caught her eye, inspiring her desire to trade with Emperor, and she was now talking about the talismans and other magical items that were made in the Four Realms. More specifically, that which her Heavenly Host created. Even Steward, Reilly’s Shadow, stood nearby, listening intently and occasionally shooting glances my way. If I strained my ears I could probably make out what they were saying, but…

  I had promised myself to keep a hands-off approach here, for all my children. It wouldn’t do to break that promise.

  “Elvira,” Yueya said, and I turned to her. She smirked. “You really love your creations, don’t you? I called your name three times, and you only looked at me when I said her name.”

  “They’re not my creations, they’re my children.” I countered immediately, blushing at my inattention. Yueya giggled at me, shaking her head. “And yes, I do. I am incredibly proud of them.”

  “Do you not create your children? I ask because your emphasis on ‘children’ is interesting. I was never a parent in any of my past existences, and the meaning of the word might be lost on me.” MR-10 droned. I looked up at the floating, inverted pyramid that was its body, and shrugged helplessly.

  “They were birthed out of fragments of my own soul, and gained consciousness and power. They are literally a part of me, but definitively separate. Not just a birth of power, but of a true piece of myself.” I explained, looking back at Elvira. Her wings were flared to just the right degree to make her look regal, without looking imposing. And her expression…though she was serious in her conversation, she was more relaxed than I’d seen her since the sun war. My heart swelled with pride, and I found myself smiling. “I was a parent in many of my previous existences, as you put it. I once…well. I once was forced to put my newborn son into a basket on a river, to spare him from execution. Love inspires crazy decisions, but can lead to miracles. My children are both. Crazy decisions, and miracles.” That had been a hard life. In more ways than one. But it did hold a special place in my heart, knowing how far a parent could go for their child.

  Yueya reached over and linked her arm in mine, and I looked down at her. She wasn’t looking at me. Instead she watched her plus-one, Astraea, as she maneuvered through the hall, speaking with multiple people. Did she feel the same love for her creations? I did not know.

  “Such is an interesting discussion topic. Illogical actions can lead to logical, efficient results, after all.” MR-10 said simply. I laughed.

  “Indeed they can, my friend, indeed they can.” Without a doubt, they could.

  “They say that Emperor’s first creation was his own body, and he used a sword to cleave open the Void to create Heaven and Earth.” Elvira said as we walked back to the portal. I waved back to a few of the denizens of the realm, smiling kindly at the little girl with onyx skin that had placed a flower grown upon my head. She giggled at me and ran off, away from the city to the hill covered in wildflowers.

  “That is literally the opposite of me,” I said, amused and shooting the Emperor a glance. The golden-skinned god was clearly listening, talking loudly enough so Elvira could clearly hear his words, but paying attention to me. I could not express how much I appreciated the kindness he had shown Elvira, by allowing her to listen in on conversations clearly meant for us Origin Deities. It was not a kindness that would be forgotten.

  Yueya, though, was nodding along to his words, enraptured by his description of certain heavenly metals that were produced in his Heaven.

  “Supposedly the sword is still somewhere in the palace, and Emperor breaks it out sometimes to cut open the Void and create more land. Though he hasn’t done that in a while. Do you think you could do something similar? You have the Sword That Does Not Cut, after all.” Elvira asked, head bobbing back and forth as she considered the question.

  “Maybe,” I said with a shrug, more amused at my daughter’s chattiness than anything else. She was rarely the one to come to me with gossip, after all.

  “Oh, and I had a spar with Shin’s follower, Ze. It was a tough fight.” Elvira said.

  “How’d it go?” I asked, having not actually known that little tidbit.

  “I don’t know if I’d be able to always win. I’d say…seven out of ten times, I’d beat her if we were going all out.”

  “That is generous. We would tie.” Ze said from the side, interjecting into our conversation. I smiled and fell to the side a little as Elvira puffed up, feathers ruffling and tails twitching.

  “Hardly!” She protested. “My fists are stronger than your sword, we already tested this!”

  “And we agreed that it doesn’t matter if your fists can block my sword if you cannot hit me.” Ze countered calmly, the dark-haired girl nodding sagely. Elvira huffed, tails thrashing, and I had to hide a laugh lest I incur my daughter’s wrath.

  “They’re getting along rather well, aren’t they?” Reilly asked, coming up beside me. I nodded, pleased that Elvira had made a new friend. Though this outing wasn’t as good for her as it had been for Reika, her aura was far calmer now, and seeing her chatting with Ze, joking around and play-fighting like good friends…it made my heart ache in a good way.

  “They are.” I agreed.

  “What do you think of the souls here?” Reilly asked suddenly, nodding to a two-headed woman as we passed by her villa.

  “I would like to know this as well. Their ability to produce energy is prodigious.” MR-10 said, floating above us and spinning slowly. A bronze-skinned woman with three arms floated beside him, flying through the power of her soul and energy she gave off, as she carved a little statue of MR-10 out of stone.

  “I…am unsure.” I said with a frown. “They are different, yet exceedingly similar to what I have in my own universe. However that only applies to these ascended beings.” The difference was, in fact, the truesoul, as far as I could tell. I held up my hand and focused my power a little, watching as a truesoul came into existence right before my eyes. I could feel Reilly and MR-10’s attention focus on it, though my attention was almost solely on the truesoul and the souls of those around me.

  In Emperor’s realm, the only beings that had truesouls – the immortal soul that prevented true death and contained the core of a person’s being – were those in Heaven. Almost as if ascending to Heaven created the truesoul in the first place.

  “What is that? Nyxteria wants one,” Nyxteria said, poking its great head over my own to peer at the truesoul. One of Elvira’s feathers was already stuck in its beak, held there by some magic. When had he gotten that? Still, I laughed and put the truesoul in a pocket in my robe, to be released into the Four Realms later.

  “That would be a little harsh, don’t you think? It’s a soul. It needs a chance to grow.” I told it gently.

  “Hmm. Nyxteria understands. But can you make one just for Nyxteria?” it asked. I laughed again and shook my head.

  “Maybe later.” I told it, which I believe everyone understood as a firm ‘no.’ Honestly though, the amount of energy produced by the Emperor’s chosen souls was nothing to sneeze at. And it was pure, rich energy too, worthy of the name ‘divine.’ Useful in almost all situations, and capable of producing far better stuff than your average energy; a single drop of divine energy was worth more than non-divine energy by at least twentyfold, if not moreso.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “This could be the way I start raising up my own people,” Reilly mused. “My Seven Heavens produces some powerful souls, but they’re not as beneficial as these folks.”

  “I believe we all have things to consider in that regard.” MR-10 stated. “Though I do not believe it would fit my realm. I fear these energy-producing souls would be turned into power batteries by certain subordinates of mine, instead of being rewarded.” I shuddered at the idea, nodding to MR-10. It would certainly be more efficient to tie up these souls and direct all their energy to where it needed to go, rather then letting them pursue their own crafts and leisure. But it would also be monstrous to do so.

  “Such things would not be fitting for my Chaos Universe,” Sylphina said. I glanced at the chaos butterfly, its form having shrunk to the size of my palm as it fluttered along beside us. Honestly I hadn’t had much chance to talk to her, which was a shame. Perhaps soon I’d be able to get to know her better? But before I could engage her in conversation, we reached the portal.

  “Thank you all for coming to my Realm,” Emperor said as we came to a stop. “It was a pleasure to host you all, and I hope we can continue to have such amicable relations from here on.” With that he bowed his head slightly, cape flaring out behind him, and crown catching the light of Heaven. Instinctively I bowed back, as if I was greeting an equal. Which I was, of course, but it was a bow I had not used in a long, long time.

  Straightening back up, Emperor laughed and set his hands on his hips. “That said, unfortunately we will be parting ways with Jester here. Instead, General will accompany me back to the meeting hall.” He gestured to the man standing beside him, a four-armed, two-headed, ruby-skinned man dressed in a neat military uniform. He bowed only slightly, but did not say anything, watching us with critical brown eyes.

  One by one we all filed back into the meeting room, where the others were all waiting. Elvira stuck by my side, honestly surprising me with how remained there throughout our travels, despite me letting her go do her own thing. The others all crowded around the table as well, each of us pondering over what we had learned and seen so far.

  “So how, did it, go?” the Progenitor asked, its great beast snoring behind it.

  “It seems there might be interest in some trade deals once such an opportunity becomes available. Nyxteria, of course, wishes to have some curios and trinkets, which I would be willing to trade for Timeless Crystals. Overgod, when will that time be?” Emperor said.

  Mr. Boxes’ incarnation pulsed once.

  “Not until at least [Stage 5], unless I am given a sufficient reason otherwise. Trade between universes is not frowned upon, but is rarely seen outside of Origin Deities and their immediate underlings.” He explained. Emperor nodded, meeting Nyxteria’s eyes as the bird ruffled its feathers.

  “Nyxteria agrees to this trade. But Nyxteria is annoyed that Nyxteria has to wait. You are clever for this scheme, Emperor.” He cawed, clacking his beak.

  “That sounds, at the least, encouraging.” The Progenitor said. “Though I do, not see myself, engaging in much trade.”

  “Trade away some of my treasures? Unlikely.” The Dragon said with a yawn, shaking her head. “I do not part with what is mine.” I met the Dragon’s eyes and it bared its teeth in a smile, sending a shiver down my spine. “You keep looking at me like you want to fight.” She accused. Her accusation caught me off guard and I did not immediately respond, sorting through my own feelings about her as I was.

  “Father does not pick fights.” Elvira said, stepping in front of me and folding her arms across her chest. “It is you who comes across as aggressive and unapproachable. It is your aura that encourages others to see you as arrogant and dismissive.” While none of that was untrue, it also probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say directly to someone as proud as the Dragon likely was. I resisted the urge to put a hand on Elvira’s shoulder to hold her back, watching the Dragon closely.

  “The little bird wants to protect daddy, hmm?” the Dragon taunted, clearly not caring about Elvira’s insults. She rose to her full height, flaring her wings as dark miasma fell from between her scales, an orange glow radiating from her throat as she growled – but never truly becoming threatening. My jaw clenched, protective instincts flaring as my domain started to surge upwards; but I caught myself. No. I couldn’t lash out at the Dragon for a little intimidation display like this. Even if it was directed at Elvira…I crossed my arms to keep myself from clenching my fists. “What can a little sparrow do against a dragon?” Elvira huffed out a laugh, shaking her head and turning back to me.

  “She is almost comically aggressive,” she drawled. “Nothing like Alexander.”

  “Indeed she is not,” I agreed. “I think we both know who the better dragon is.”

  “Indeed.” Elvira nodded sagely.

  “Ignoring me now?” The Dragon hissed.

  “That is enough, you. Quit antagonizing them.” Yueya pleaded.

  “Its words bore me. I think I wish to return, Father.” Elvira said with a shake of her head. “There is much I must think on. I thank you for this opportunity.”

  “Do not interrupt, wench.” The Dragon snapped. “This is between me and them.”

  “Your reaction is illogical.” MR-10 droned. “Are you seeking a specific reaction?”

  “What does a mere machine know?”

  “Thank you for coming, Elvira. I will call the next soon.” I promised. My daughter nodded, giving me a quick hug before stepping toward the portal. Only once did she look back at me, smiling.

  “I love you, Father,” she said, and vanished into the portal. My throat tightened, bottom lip wobbling at the heartfelt words. And the Dragon had to ruin it with its boasting.

  “The little bird is fleeing? How cute. Hiding behind daddy. Just as well, or I would have eaten her alive.” She taunted, and I turned. Slowly, deliberately, tapping into a power that the Mad Scientist had made me aware of when she first spoke the universal word for [Fire.]

  “[Silence.]” I said, in the language of the Overgod. Absolute silence descended upon the room, every single person falling into quiet under my unexpected spell. Everyone save for myself. “I understand that I have been at odds with you on a fundamental level. That is my fault, and I have been trying to reign that in. But threaten my children again and we will have more than mere words.” My voice was steady, calm, even, as I spoke, the words echoing in the silence I had conjured.

  Then, all at once the spell was broken, and the Dragon did something I did not expect.

  She laughed. It was a roaring, rumbling sound, like volcano ready to explode. Her wings folded at her sides, the fire in her throat dying as she sat back on her haunches, puffing out her chest and craning her neck to look down at me, smiling.

  “Good, good! That is how you should be! You were holding yourself back. I could see it. Do not deny your instincts!” She claimed, baring her fangs in a smile as she glared about the room. “Only one of you bastards has the gall to challenge me. Only one of you bastards has the right to enter my Realm; if only for one reason.” She growled out. I looked at her then. Not just glanced at her, refusing to look to deep as I had been, subconsciously avoiding the Dragon’s very being, but truly looked at her.

  In a savage way she was beautiful. But she made my blood boil, my mind threatening to go blank with anger and rage.

  My fists clenched. There was no reason for me to be acting this way, the Dragon being a Shadow or no. I had not reacted to any of the other Shadows in this way. So what was it about her? I let out a breath.

  “Maybe, but not yet.” I said through gritted teeth, meeting the Dragon’s eyes. “There is someone I would bring to your Realm, if you permit, but not yet.” The Dragon huffed.

  “I will not be next.” She said, with a hint of…disappointment.

  “[Then, I, shall,]” The Progenitor said, speaking in the language of the Overgod. The words ran through me, rattling my very bones and leaving no doubt that its Realm would be next on our visitation list. And its attention turned to me. “[It is pleasing to know, that I am not the only one, capable of learning the True Language. And now that you, all know what it is, my universe shall be next. Statera, has her, [Vision.] Yueya, her, [Beauty.] Shin, his, [Insight.] And I, my, [Understanding.] I welcome you, to my Garden, all save for the Dragon.]”

  Statera Luotian: MC. Baby's first word was "shut the hell up." Experiencing a new kind of parental rage.

  MR-10: Machine God of Order. Does not understand some things. Understands more than lets on.

  Yueya Oshun: Elven Goddess of Arts. Finds certain things cute.

  Astraea: Yueya's plus one. Just happy to be here.

  Elvira: Goddess of Heaven. Enjoying herself.

  The Emperor: God-King. Happy to show off.

  Nyxteria: Birb. God of Space and Time. More importantly; what birb wants, birb gets.

  The Dragon: Dragon. Rawr. Dares you to try something. Enjoys it when you do.

  The Progenitor: Ball of Light. God of Creation. The only one who understands the significance of Statera's word.

  Sylphina: Butterfly Goddess of Chaos. Has had unfortunately little screen time.