Later, we sat together on the balcony, overlooking the lake, side by side, leaning against each other. I felt calmer. The tension between us was lessened, not gone. For me, it was not tension; it was more of a rollercoaster ride of adrenaline, guilt, embarrassment, and lust thrown together, with Sprite being a prudish commentator in the peanut gallery. I was a mess. We drank wine and bitched about 'cheap' Earth wine.

At least we were talking, and her need to embarrass and provoke me seemed to have subsided, if not entirely, at least a bit. I could see the softer, caring side of her teasing. Once I saw it from her point of view, it was nice. She didn't know how to show affection or give attention to someone not below her in both social and power ranks. Well, I was far below her in social rank and not too far below her in power. Her levels and Imperial Skills were a trump that I would never be able to counter, but I knew I would give her trouble if we went all out. She knew that, and I could sense her slight discomfort; she was not used to dealing with equals on any footing.

At first, our conversations were a little forced. Still, the gulf between us, not only in status but her temporal displacement, was evident. Surprisingly, as we talked, we started to mesh, to open up to each other and expose parts of ourselves that both hid well. I even saw a little of the true Raechina, the girl behind the persona, the thoughtful and caring person beneath the rugged, uncompromising, spoilt brat mask she wore. There was a lot of bitterness and regret to unpack as well. Talk about baggage.

I smiled. As Hawk said, women were only as complicated as you let them be. Rach had totally smashed me over the head and dragged me ...

Sprite: Please stop.

It was easy to talk to her, listen to her, and be near each other. We had to order another meal, as the steaks had gone cold and were ruined. I would have been happy with mine, but no—there are expectations as an Empress, and reheating steaks is not one of them.

We ordered another bottle of something more robust to relax us.

It was funny. We both had the issue that our Endurance and Tier were too high for the very best and most expensive Earth alcohol to have any effect on us. Raechina had a skill from her class, and I was immune to most poison, except for that stupid scorpion. Even thinking about it made me feel a bit nauseous.

I was curious about her, so I told her of the rumours, the almost myth that persisted today. Not that I knew much, and I was still in Sprite's bad books, so Sprite was less than helpful and refused to entertain my requests.

She laughed at those and was adamant that the spoilt brat was all a persona, claiming it was an easy act and expected of her. It was a shield, a kind of protection. If people saw the spoiled brat, they didn't bother to look deeper, often underestimating her. Making the mistake that she was just a spoiled brat living under her father's protection was a tool both had exploited, but in the end, it had not been enough. She was still reeling from the betrayal.

Raechina was clever and resourceful. It was clear that she had even fooled her father. Given his prowess, I thought it was more likely he had known and indulged her. She shared most of her status with me as a sign of trust. I was amazed when I saw her class and level. Level 89 Moonblade Assassin, Level 3 Empress. She was bitter that her Moonblade Assassin class was locked at 89. With some training to bump her to level 90, she could have gotten her next milestone skills.

After we got past the shock and audacity of her, I was surprised at her cunning. She was only twenty-two but had spent most of her time in some time compression training since the age of eight. Chronologically, she was at least a decade older than her biological and social age.

When she was thirteen and growing into her beauty, the future marriage offers started. I had heard parts of this story from Sarah, but it felt a bit weird hearing it from the person first-hand. Imagine being able to talk to a famous historical figure, say Cleopatra or Helen of Troy. This was so far outside my Earth norms and social expectations that it felt wrong to hear about it. It was like I was intruding on something special that ordinary people couldn't access.

She rejected all offers outright and had genuinely jumped into her training. She had managed to convince the Imperial Trainer, Tasar — bloody Tasar! — to help her get a class unrelated to the ruling but one that contained all the required skills needed to rule. I laughed and told her of my experiences meeting Tasar. He was so full of crap. He had been put into stasis as a punishment when the Emperor found out he was not killed because he was an asset to the Empire. We both agreed that he was partially mad.

One thing she believed in was her father and his claims that He, Raxemius, would live forever, so she concluded that she would never rule.

Not being interested in being a puppet wife or a token of her father's favour, she looked for options that would give her access to everything she needed, yet independence. Tasar found a class pathway that combined her training in etiquette, leadership, diplomacy, finance, and strategy with combat and social manipulation. Inside the training cores, she also learned dancing, acrobatics, sleight of hand, unarmed combat, knife fighting and archery, amongst other not-so-ladylike skills. On top of that, she spent years perfecting her skills and becoming a master of her class.

When she had her class choice offered to her, she chose Moonblade, an Epic class with several class paths that had synergy with leadership. Tasar kept training and building skills and levels until she reached her next class choice. She decided on the Assassin path, not to be used to kill people for money, but as a silently hidden dealer of death to chaos agents and to help protect her father. A class that everyone would underestimate and not expect. She was scared that when her father found out, he would execute Tasar for treason. Still, once Raxamus found out, Raechina orchestrated his binding, placing him in a suspended stasis within his training core with only an emergency access code that no one should have known about. The System knew it, and we put it down to my high luck and some System fuckery for me being able to activate the core. I also suspected it had something to do with the Ring of Kallax, which was not an entirely pleasant thought. Maybe the Drakes, but that would mean that their reach and foresight were magnitudes higher than expected. Shit. Imagine the implications of that.

I was so conflicted. I started sighing a lot, and she knew immediately what was happening.

"You are worried about Sarah?"

"Yes, she and I were …" I started.

She silenced me with a kiss.

After some time, she said, "Don't worry. Sarah is going to leave for a while. There are some secrets and some things she needs to do. I cannot be sure, but I will bind her to me. I am the Empress.", she laughed a genuine laugh, "I am the Empress, and you must obey me! My father had many concubines and only one consort, many women, including my mother. I will have who and what I need; right now, it is you. For now, this needs to be kept low-key and uncomplicated. Luke, your oath allows me to demand it." She looked at me.

I knew the power she had over me, and it was frightening.

"Your oath to me makes my mere request a demand, but between us, I will only ask you to be there for me. I may only have been awake briefly, but my AI is good, and we have a plan, and you may not like your role."

I nodded, confused. "You do not need to make demands of me. Just ask."

She seemed to fluctuate between being a child and totally in control.

She spoke and let me in on her plan. She told me about the Hunter throne and the Writ of Justice, but the knowledge disappeared as soon as she finished speaking.

It was there, but I could not recall it. It was bound up with secrets that would shake the Empire, the System. Her telling me was a display of faith and trust and also a right bastard act; these were secrets that would see me dead if the wrong people knew what I had just heard.

Her plan was part crazy and totally insane, but I could see how she had pulled all the disparate threads of Karma and fate and was doing her best. At the end of the day, she was doing what she thought was best for the Empire.

I was not a fan of it, but it would work as long as we stood together. I was sworn to her, but with her honesty and vulnerability, I would have committed to the cause anyway. I don't know what it would mean for Sarah and me, but Rach told me she needed us bound to the Empire through her. Amy, my damn sister, was also necessary for her to enact this, but there were things that I needed to get done. First, I needed training and knew I needed to leave Earth. It was a power imbalance. While I was here as a shield for the settlement, others would rely on me. I would also draw attention.

"I do not believe in fate or fortune telling, but I have seen things. I know things. Dark times are coming, but Sarah will be there with me; we need what she is becoming. She is part of my future, your future, and our future. Earth's future and the Empire are in flux, but if we stand together, how can we fail? We are all bound together through more than the System can offer us. We are bound through Karma, something bigger. It scares me."

The silence dragged on as we sat on the balcony watching the night sky.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"At first, I did not want to take this mantle. I wanted my freedom. But I know that I have a role. The Empire needs saving. My father left a pile of crap. My choice is to fade and have his legacy become a footnote for future historians, or I can be what I need to be. Our roles may not be the roles others expect, but I will be Empress. I will have a Champion, and I will have a Consort. They are important. The Empire will become a bastion of growth and security again, and people will be safe. You once swore an oath like this."

She shared her quest with me:

Imperial Quest: The Champion and Consort.

I understood.

Title gained.

Champion of the Empire.

‎ You are the Champion of the Empress of the Empire.

Your honour is her honour.

You must dedicate yourself to protecting her from harm.

The correct form of address is Imperial Campion, Champion of the Empire or Champion.

While acting in the capacity of Champion, you gain the following skills:

Intimidation

‎ Resolve

‎ Bulwark of the Empire

‎ Can't Fool Me (Imperial Edition)

‎ Right Time, Right Place

‎ Sundering

‎ Force to be reckoned with.

‎ Second Wind

‎ Do that again

‎ Karma's a bitch.

‎ Protect the Princess

‎ Dragon Slayer

You gain +1000 health. +1000 Energy + 100 BODY, +100 SPIRIT

Misusing these skills can result in permanent loss of Karma and double loss of Champion stats bonuses.

Crap. Another skill dump. At least this time, I could cope without blacking out. It was just very uncomfortable. I would have to work out the nuances of the skills soon. I didn't think getting lost in my HUD was appropriate when I had a beautiful Empress leaning into me. She would kick my ass and beat me senseless if I stopped paying attention to her.

She shared her memories of the Writ Of Justice and its secrets that I would defend. Even without being near the accursed thing, I could feel its eldritch tendrils creeping into the dark space. Knowing that such a unique entity was bound to the Janar bloodline was horrific and comforting. I shuddered as it somehow tested me to see if I were worthy. I could feel a battle taking place within.

Warning: The influences of the Writ of Justice are incompatible with Kallax Integration. Purge Complete.

Kallax: Sprite, please go offline. This is a courtesy. Remaining Online may result in termination.

Sprite: Understood.

AI Offline

‎ System Nanite Interface V2.10 Offline.

Kallax: Integration: Stage 2 Complete.

All Non-System Stats Set.

‎ Race Evolution Confirmed.

‎ Balance Maintained.

‎ Non-System Tier Upgrade.

‎ Tier 5 to Tier 6.

‎ Access to ??-Space Granted.

I paused. For once, I could recall the messages. I could remember all of the messages. I could feel the ring on my finger. I could see it.

Non-System Skill Acquired: ??-Space Traversal (Mythic)

‎ You can travel the realms of ?? Space.

Kallax Integration: Stage 3: Tribulations Prepare. Grow Stronger. Kallax Integration: Stage 3: Tribulation 1: Seeds of the Void Begins. Grow Stronger.

Title Obtained: Initiate of ?? Space.

‎ You have begun your first steps towards Transcendence.

‎

?? Space Traversal Initiated: Countdown: 182:12:00:00

AI Online.

Sprite: I just reviewed your local logs. Petal was right. We are doing amazing things. Do you know what this all means?

Some. I will know more when I sleep, and it all integrates. I hope for once there isn't any pain!

Sprite: We just became independent of the System. I have non-system stats. Stats that if I improve, then the baseline system stats improve. This is unprecedented. Do you understand?

No. What are Non-System Stats? What the hell is ?? Space and what is a Tribulation? Fuck this just gets better and better. Shit. The party, then I need to sort, damn, I need to sort my System crap and now this. Non-system stats and ??-Space. Kallax, crap, I can say it. He or it spoke to you. It doesn't talk to me, just crappy messages.

Sprite: Are you sulking? You are Mythical Tier. Tier 6 and not bound to or by the System.

I could feel myself bulking out slightly. I could feel my muscles getting denser and leaner, and I felt Rach shove me back.

She looked at me with horror, "What the fuck did you go and do that for? Now we will have to get you refitted for that damn suit."

System: Reboot: Incompatible Tier.

Luke Hammond EARTH HUMAN (Evolved) Tier 6 Level ?? No Class

‎ Body: error (S: NaN A: ?? E: ?? C: ??)

‎ Mind: error (I: NaN W: NaN F: NaN)

‎ Spirit: 344 (C: ?? K: ?? P: NaN)

‎ ????: ??? (?:?? ?:??)

‎ Luck: error HP: NaN MP: NaN EP: error ??: ??

‎ Titles Offline > Insufficient privileges

‎ Skills Offline> error Initialising database.

‎ Adjust Non-System Stats.

‎ See error log: Redacted

I collapse, holding my head.