"Correct. We are, in fact, in my Universe. Ah!" Eris's black-tipped hand shot up and silenced any questions before the breath could be taken to speak to them. "We shall speak about the Multiverse in a moment as my pet is returning to us now. I believe such a discussion will be far easier to have over cake."

In response, he held up a finger. His pointer.

"Can I at least get a name?" the Professor asked in begrudging acceptance, fidgeting with his hair. Snacks notwithstanding, a conversation about the Multiverse is going to get confusing if we keep using the same term for two different locations. Officially, there isn't an accepted name, but for the moment, we can refer to it as Cosmos. It's used these days as a more or less interchangeable term for Universe."

Morgan struggled to come up with a better word, or at least one that originated from something other than old Greek. While 'cosmos' fit the theming of the day's events, it also acted as a reminder of how deep this unintended influence went. Still, it was the lesser of two evils. If he had to spend the rest of this meeting saying 'My Universe' over and over again, it would leave a bitter taste in his mouth. As if a single entity could claim ownership of something so vast.

"Cos-mos?" She giggled while trying out the name. "I like this word. It tastes sweeter on my tongue than most words in your English."

"I thought you might." The Professor deadpan.

"I will pass the name along to my supervisors." She grinned slyly at him. "This Universe has many names over the countless eons, but all alive today know it as Vajrayana."

"Vajray-ana." It was his turn to savor an alien name, and he found it tasted familiar. Yet nothing specific surfaced from the pool of memory. "Has an interesting kick to it. Does it mean anything?"

"Many have meditated on that same question for their entire lives, only to die before achieving an answer. However, think of the name as a promise to all who walk under the Heavens." Eris answered crypticly with a dark giggle before shamelessly evading the question. "Hello, pet."

*Step*

"Welcome back." Morgan said when Lysander's foot hit the marble floor. He didn't turn to greet the pet but thought screwing with him a bit might be fun. "Did you remember to bring drinks, or will you have to run back to the other side of the planet?"

"How could you possibly know where the sanctuary is?!" Lysander snapped with unexpected ferocity. "Where did you get this information?!"

"There's no need for him to scream. I'm old, not deaf." He sighed to the puzzled divinity before massaging his neck as he mentally prepared to use math again. He addressed the salty sea monster, "It's easy squid-man, if we're 150 li fro-"

*Whoosh* A gust of wind swept over him.

Morgan stopped speaking then. He didn't move a single muscle, even to close his mouth, which was an annoyance since his lips were slightly puckered after starting on the 'O' in 'From'. But during that 'O', some critical observations had just fully registered. First, he had already stopped massaging his neck by that point. Second, he recognized the grip of the hand still on his neck. He had shaken it not long ago in the orchard.

"No more. You will not speak to me this way, Wanderer filth." Lysander whispered into his ear, his sheer hatred of the Mortal fueling some pre-existing paranoia. "Suspected spies are not protected under Xenia. So speak to me with the respect I deserve."

He looked to his Host before answering. Eris only sat on her throne stoically, seemingly waiting for Morgan to respond against this serious accusation. Her act might have been believable without the fires burning behind those mismatched eyes. He knew those particular flames well, the blaze of curiosity. The Kraken might have taken a dive off the deep end, but the near-immortal was perfectly aware of his innocence. But why would she let something like that ruin the fun?

"I have." Said Morgan, the words devoid of any emotion. "From the beginning, in fact."

"Speak plainly, fool!" Lysander growled, and his grip tightened. With the tighter grip, Morgan felt something other than flesh touching him—jewelry perhaps? "What do you-?"

"I have been speaking to you with the respect you deserve," he interrupted, "from the beginning."

The fingers around Morgan's neck twitched.

*["Stop."]* Eris Mandated, the word sounding distorted yet crystal clear all at the same time.

Lysander immediately let go of the Honored Guest at his Mistress's command. Only the Squid was one of many following the order. The wall curtains ceased all movement just as the waves could no longer be heard crashing against the island. Morgan's breathing became labored as even the air was hesitant to disobey. Earlier, the Scientist had been told that his Host and that world were one. Yet only now he was beginning to truly understand what that meant.

Eris, the Bodhisattva of Discord and Strife, held out her hand expectantly. Morgan watched with fascination as her trained pet approached, shamed-faced, to place a green ring on her hand. She inspected the ring and nodded contentedly before slipping it on. Eris didn't even bother to give her servant another glance before dismissing him with an absent wave.

Lysander disappeared right before the Scientist's eyes. At first, he thought it was just another display of mind-boggling speed, but the rush of wind never came. Instead, he heard something much more impressive.

*Pop* The air rushed to fill the Kraken-shaped vacuum left behind.

Divinity and man stared at each other while the world remained in a static state. Time, assuming it hadn't also come to a screeching halt, ticked by. A second became half a minute, then a full minute, then two, followed by three. Morgan refused to let a fourth go by as he started getting bored of this game.

"I could be going senile in my old age." He said, breaking the silence first. "But I don't see any cake."

"Kaka ka!" Eris burst into a fresh fit of cackling laughter that might have sent a shiver down a sane human's spine. Her palm slapped her leg during the uproar, and he could have sworn the throne's legs embedded themselves a few centimeters into the floor. "I am beginning to greatly enjoy your company, Professor! Rarely have I met a Mortal of your caliber."

"Hmm." Mused Morgan once the crashing waves returned and the black cloth bellowed in the wind again. "I probably shouldn't take that as a compliment... Meh, I will." His gaze flickered over to the empty space where Lysander once stood.

"My pet is alive." She gasped breathlessly. "I placed the fool in the deepest chasm in the sea so he could Meditate on his actions. I dare say he will miss the rest of our meeting. As for cake." Eris extended the hand wearing the ring. "As we're alone, you will have to serve yourself."

The empty table between them could no longer be called such. Tea cups, saucers, spoons, forks, a cake knife, serving dishes, a clear pot of coffee, and a large silver platter with a cover materialized onto it all at once. If that wasn't already impressive enough, all the cutlery and delicate dishware had set themselves perfectly on entry, making it hard to believe that the table had ever been bare in the first place.

"Impressive ring." The Scientist admitted while eyeing the steaming pot of coffee that looked suspiciously like it could be from any dinner he'd ever visited. "Can I pick one up from the gift shop on my way out?"

"Gift shop?" She asked, her head tilting to one side at the new words.

"Don't worry about that," he snorted as he reached for the coffee, "I'm just being a pain in the ass." Morgan didn't see any milk or cream, but that was fine as he preferred his coffee black. The caffeine was the vital part of the equation. "So about that Multiverse." He sipped the dark beverage and noted that it tasted of dinner quality.

"You Mortals are always in such a rush." She snickered and snapped her fingers.

*Snap*

Immediately, the inanimate objects on the table began to move independently. The teapot flew over to her cup and poured its amber contents inside. Meanwhile, the platter's cover levitated straight up before stopping a meter above the table.

Two identical cakes coated with vanilla frosting sat side by side on the platter, and the serving knife flew over to hover menacingly over the baked goods. The knife cut into the right cake twice before lifting the slice up. The Professor blinked in surprise as the desert's interior was made of five different colored layers stacked on top of eachother. The colors went red, yellow, blue, green, and purple from top to bottom. Given the current month, he became convinced she had teleported the food from some Earth dinner.

"I feel like I'm in a kids' movie." He snorted as the knife cut a slice of rainbow cake and placed it on his plate. When he looked up, however, he saw that instead of cutting from the same cake, the knife had sliced into the other. The second was also rainbow-layered, but the colors ran in reverse. Morgan raised a brow at the grinning divinity. "I hope you don't expect me to finish mine before we part ways."

"Behold," she announced grandly, ignoring him and sending the knife to orbit the desserts, "the Multiverse made simple."

The Scientist sat up a little straighter as he realized why she wanted to wait till the food had arrived. He shoved a fork full of cake into his starving mouth and studied closely. Using the knife as an improvised pointer, she began to label each part of the delicious analog.

"Let us say that this is Vajrayana." The knife circled the cake her slice came from. "It is made of several alternate realities or Realms." Each layer received a jab. "Separating the Realms are forces known as Lesser Barriers." The white frosting within the cake is poked. "Encasing the whole Universe is a similar force known as the Greater Barrier." The blade runs along the frosting coating. "And finally, we have the Void, a place where nothing can exist." The knife wiggled between the cakes before landing itself between them. "Do you understand, dear, or will I have to explain in more detail?" The knife trembled slightly as if hoping Morgan would say no.

"I got it." He nodded after swallowing another piece. "A Universe is a cluster of Realms that are layered on each other. These Realms are separated by barriers that are a less intense version of the big one that keeps the 'Is' from becoming the 'Isn't'." He ate another piece to stall for time as he continued to work out the remaining implication. "I'm going out on a limb to assume that since you are aware of the other Realms, is it possible to travel between them?"

"Indeed, we have mastered Realm travel eons before we ever discovered the existence of Cosmos." Eris beamed with pride at her people's accomplishments.

"There's one thing I don't understand, though." He frowned and shoved the rest of the cake into his mouth in defeat.

"You wish to know how we crossed the Void?" She guessed with a patronizing smile. "I do not blame you. That issue had plagued the greatest Cultivators of-"

The Scientist held out his hand for her to wait as he struggled to quickly choke down the last piece of cake to wipe that look off her face. He had to wash it down with some coffee before the surgery chunk would go down.

"If you're going to say that a bridge was created from Vajrayana to Cosmos by manipulating the Greater Barrier," It took great effort for Morgan to resist laughing at the sight of Eris's jaw dropping. Thankfully, the fate of Lysander, still fresh in his memory, kept the old man from giving so much as a chuckle. "It's a simple deduction to make when I already know Universe travel is possible, and you've just told me that the Greater Barrier can survive exposure to the Void."

"I suppose you have a valid point…" She sulked and turned to face the sea.

"What I don't understand is how you've guided the bridge over to Cosmos in the first place." Continued Morgan, far too focused on the problem to give Eris's mood much thought. "I understand that information can travel through the Void as Earth has clearly been heavily influenced. I would say that this bridge followed the information leaking from Vajrayana, but if that leak was a surprise… Taking that into account then…"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The penny dropped.

"Of course." The Scientist would have smacked himself for overlooking something so obvious. "I've been so focused on the blatant influence from your people that I never considered that information could travel from either source. The information leaving Cosmos must have been like a lighthouse in the darkness that this barrier bridge followed."

When no response came, he realized why. The near-immortal was still staring out to sea, her expression hard, arms stubbornly crossed as she refused to say a word. Though her silence was answer enough for him, Morgan was content in indulging himself in the euphoria of satisfying his curiosity—at least for a time. So he decided not to press the matter any further until Eris was ready to continue and they could finally speak about this offer.

The Professor also gazed at the beautiful waters concealing an epic battle for survival. Making it only slightly more violent than any natural setting. He knew if word of the Gu Sea ever reached Earth, most of his fellow humans would label the practice as evil. He disagreed. It was no more or less evil than the practice of raising animals for slaughter. Farm animals usually die when they are meant to, at a time dictated by their owners. If anything the Gu Sea felt kinder as countless generations would live and die of natural causes until the day came when there would be one fish to many. Soon after that day, only one fish would be left in the sea.

Hadn't the same fate befallen the countries of humanity? For nearly 65,000 years, countless countries have risen and fallen beside each other, only for there to be just two left standing today. Soon, there would only be one, and humanity would be lucky to have even that much left when the smoke cleared. When did they reach that same tipping point? When was the day when there was one country too many? It wouldn't change anything, even if he could know. Still, tragic as things were back home, it was better for humanity to perish by one's own actions than to fall at … at another's… word.

A voice, one that he thought long dead and buried, escaped its crypt to scold the man for missing the obvious trap. The Professor banished the ghost, not needing or wanting her help from beyond the grave.

"Eris…" Morgan said, and his euphoria quickly faded once the reality of his situation began to dawn. The use of her name must have started her out of the silent tantrum since he felt her gaze pierce the side of his head. "Why do you want to make an offer to someone like me?"

*Slap!* The sharp sound of flesh striking flesh exploded from the other side of the table.

The old man nearly jumped in his seat before turning to find Eris's black-tipped hand still firmly on her forehead.

"The offer, of course!" She chided herself. "Thank you for reminding me Professor, I had completely forgotten as well."

"Wait." He hoped the word came out as more of a request than the order he wanted it to be. "Before that. I need to know why we are even here at all. An offer is only made when one party requires something they can not take from the other with force."

"...Yes?" She looked at him like he had sprouted a third arm. "I am aware."

"What could I, a human from a backwater species still struggling to leave their home planet, have that you, a powerful being from a star-faring civilization, couldn't just take by force?"

"Did that only just dawn on you now?" She sighed sadly before giving him a pout. "Professor, are you not being paranoid? Have I not been an agreeable Host? Did I not protect you from my pet and punish him for the offense? Is it so unthinkable that I simply wish for your willing assistance in the spirit of Camaraderie between our Universes?" A tear rolled down her cheek and landed on the table with a wet plop.

The Professor didn't answer right away. Instead, in the spirit of comradery, he decided to review the evidence before saying anything. So he studied the Bodhisattva of Discord and Strife, then the Gu Sea before looking back at the Bodhisattva of Discord and fucking Strife.

"Are you serious?"

"Damn." She cursed in disappointment; the act completely dropped. "Was it the tear that gave me away?"

"No, but it didn't help."

"I gambled and lost. Everyone these days just gives me whatever I wish when I wish, so I rarely get a valid reason to trick anyone these millennia. Forgive me for the indulgence." She shrugged before flopping back against her throne, her eyes peering at him with renewed interest. "The truth is that my superiors do not wish for your willing assistance; they require it."

"...No, I'm not really buying it." Morgan leaned back as he considered everything. "They have Earth, and they have me. There is nothing that I do to stop you from taking everything—my life, my people, my world. Yet here we are, talking when you could be talking. So what aren't you telling me?"

"My dear Professor," Eris sang with a tone so sweet it gave him a toothache. "I would never hide anything from you. But as your generous Host, I should point out that there are assumptions that are blinding you to the obvious truth."

"You're a Bodhisattva, aren't you?" He deadpanned. "I'm sure you can work a miracle to cure my blindness."

"Your assumption is that this bridge, referred to by all involved with the project as the Bifröst, has already connected to Cosmos." Her pupils flickered wildly with manic glee as she said the unthinkable. "However, the Bifröst has yet to do so."

The Professor didn't react right away. Instead, in the spirit of comradery, he decided to review the evidence before saying anything. So Morgan, a human, stared hard at Eris, a Vajrayana equivalent of a Goddess. Without looking away, the Earthling topped off his cup with the dinner coffee pot and reclined it in his custom Swiss office chair. He sipped at the beverage made from Brazilian coffee beans and savored the bitter flavor.

"Are you serious?"

"Depressingly so." She snickered, enjoying the frustration of her employers. "I do not blame you for doubting my word. However, the truth of the matter is that the Bifröst is very close to completely piercing the Greater Barrier of Cosmos, specifically the Realm where your Earth resides. This allows my people to use direct means to observe the state of Earth with ease. Interacting directly, however, is orders of magnitude more difficult. Through great costs, we are able to teleport inanimate objects and animals through what little barrier remains, as you already know. Under specific circumstances and at an even greater cost, one that could burn through the resources of a small empire, we can teleport Sapient beings safely." She wiggled a finger at him playfully. "As you may have noticed."

"I have." He nodded as everything began to come into focus. "I have also noticed that my value seems tied to Earth, meaning I will likely need to be sent back if I agree. So why can I travel between Universes and some super warrior like Lysander can not?"

"Your Universe lacks… a certain element. Aether." Eris's expression twisted as she struggled to explain. "I will go into detail once I have gained your trust that our plight is real. All you need to understand is that this element saturates every corner of Vajrayana and is crucial for our existence. The agents we have successfully teleported on Earth have all failed to last longer than several seconds without it. This is why the connection needed to be a physical link between our universes. Such a bridge would allow the elements to equalize on both ends. At our present pace, the Bifröst would only take another 50 years at most, a mere blink of an eye."

Her eyes, perhaps.

"Alright, I'll accept that you people can't get early access to Cosmos. Meaning whatever scheme you have planned will require a local to pull off. Now tell me about this need to get ahead of schedule. If the Bifröst has tracked Earth to the point where it's scratching away at our front door, then I know it's only a matter of time."

*Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap*

"Time is the blessed issue!" Eris cackled and clapped with sadistic glee. "Ka-kaka! We all thought time was a foe we mastered long ago. What fools we were! Recently, time has reminded us that even we holy beings are not immune to its cruelty. For 50,000 years, the Bifröst has slowly crawled towards new land to claim and dominate. The resources needed to build and maintain such an ambitious venture damaged the very foundations of a Realm. Thousands upon thousands of deals struck between interested parties within the Factions for how the spoils would be split. Yet all of it, the effort, the sacrifices, and even the prize could be lost in only a few days! The ambitions of an entire Universe, crushed due to a single plant of humans wiping themselves at an inopportune time!"

The Bodhisattva devolved into a pile of uncontrollable laughter at the misfortune that might befall the governments of Vajrayana. On a personal level, Morgan agreed wholeheartedly with the hilarity of irony on such an epic scale.

Laughter would sadly have to wait until he returned home. As Eris had revealed, the last piece of data needed for him to understand his role in this mess.

"I've been using the wrong Terminology this entire time." Admitted the Scientist, a smile attempting to assert itself while he struggled to keep it off. "The information coming from our Universes isn't a leak to be followed; it's a flaming Beacon in the Void. This bridge isn't tracking anything; it's Chasing the information. Taking all that into account means the Bifröst isn't the hunting dog I was imagining. It's a Moth Drawn to the Flame."

Eris stopped laughing. She didn't say anything or indicate that she had heard her statement at all. The Host only watched her Guest with the detached interest of a Lioness watching a cocky male approach. That was fine; the Professor didn't need an interactive audience, just an attentive one. So he continued.

"Flames are an event. Once it's gone, it's gone, and so requires constant fuel to burn brightly. But as your observations of Earth have doubtless already told you, the life that fuels this flame is about to run out prematurely. War is on the way, a total nuclear exchange between the United Peoples of the Americas and the New French Empire. Conflict on that scale has got to be rough on the inhabitants; any survivors probably wouldn't long either with that level of radiation. I'd say the following nuclear winters would mean the end of complex life. Also, I'm confident that roaches and bacteria don't produce a visible amount of information." He paused to see if any mistakes would be pointed out. None were, so he gave voice to the awful conclusion. "No Fuel. No Flame. No Reason for that Moth to do a Damn Thing. And something tells me it's too late to swap out the guiding system this far in this little Venture."

"Hmm." She mused as her eyes radiating carnage of untold proportions flashed brighter than ever before as she judged the impudent Mortal.

"But that's just the theory of an old man." Morgan reached for the serving knife and gave himself a healthy portion of cake. But before tucking into what might be his last meal, he spoke. "You've been quiet for some time now. Any good theory should undergo peer review. So tell me, Eris." He smiled monstrously for the second time that day. "What do you think?"

"I believe," she said, smiling just as monstrously as he did. "We are more alike than I would have ever thought possible."

Then, the world went to Hell.

The ground started to shake far more than the Richter scale could measure, for the power of a Bodhisattva was greater than any shifting fault line. The columns of the pavilion were instantly ripped to pieces, and the collapsing marble roof would have crushed the elderly human if the wind hadn't blown it into the sea below. With the entire structure gone, save for the floor, it became clear how wind could achieve such a feat. Dozens of tornadoes were ranging all around the pair like wolves circling prey. Much of the island around them had fallen into the sea during the quake, stopping only meters before reaching the orchard. The only bit of ground left was the portion keeping the floor from falling into the churning waters. Above, the sky had become black with roiling thunderclouds that threatened to-

*CRACK!*

A purple lightning bolt crashed on the floor, breaking through the marble floor near him. Instead of seeing the ground underneath, there was only empty-

*CRACK*

*CRACK*

*CRACK*

*CRACK*

Over and over again, the bolts fell from on high, systematically destroying the black-and-white floor to reveal the truth that there was no ground beneath them. The floor simply floated in place, perhaps just to spite the law of physics.

The Professor was fine. During the earthquake, if that natural disaster could be called such when not on Earth, he noticed that he and the table weren't shaking at all. When a gust strong enough to send several tons of stone didn't send him to the stratosphere, Morgan figured Eris was keeping him safe. So he ate his cake and enjoyed the show.

Once most of the floor disappeared, the weather cleared up. Before long, the two sat peacefully on a hovering marble slab the size of a small bedroom. The setting sun slowly approached the horizon, and the Gu Sea grew shades darker in the fading light. Their smiles had left, but they didn't mind.

"A bit dramatic, no?" Morgan asked before sipping his now lukewarm coffee.

Eris ignored him and moved swiftly to business. She was on the clock, after all.

"I, Eris of Clan Nyx, as the Representative for the Universe Vajrayana, acknowledge the Earthling Professor Charles Morgan as the Gatekeeper of his Universe Cosmos. As such, I offer the Gatekeeper this Accord in exchange for allowing early access to Cosmos. Once the Bifröst is connected, I will teleport him and any other beings of his choosing off Earth and into my care. Those interested in cultivation will become the direct disciple of a Master best fit to guide their Path. All Earthlings exiting Cosmos this way will be given the option of joining mine or any other Faction that is willing to accept them…" She hesitated slightly before shrugging and added, "I also pledge to marry him should he be agreeable to the match. I swear on my Dao that my word is true."

She looked at him with a cunning smirk and waited for the predictable answer. Incredibly he… He believed the offer was genuine. The Earthling hadn't been convinced or even fully trusted the divinity. His instincts were actually utterly silent on the matter. He simply knew that if he agreed and assisted in this plot… he would gain all the promised rewards. The idea of Eris or her superiors reneging on the deal was as ridiculous as believing the sun wouldn't rise come morning. The Professor knew intellectually that such certainty in itself was suspicious, but there was nothing else to be done. Facts were facts.

So Morgan thought the offer over and decided it wasn't bad. Hell, it was actually pretty generous. It gave him and anyone he thought was worth saving a lifeboat out of the war. It also promised a place for him and others to go afterward so they wouldn't really be refugees. He wasn't sure if he could get into the farming game this late in life, but it was optional.

It's depressing that as Gatekeeper, the Scientist would be directly responsible for what would undoubtedly happen in opening those metaphorical gates. These Vajrayana Factions would hit the rest of humanity with the colonizing stick harder than the British Empire did. But humans were essentially dead in one way or another. Plus, nobody had ever asked for his hand before, so he felt flattered despite his age. All in all, a very generous offer indeed.

After frowning into his coffee for several seconds, the Professor made the only logical choice and told it to his alien suitress.

"I refuse."