Belmont sat in the floral print chair in his cell across from Balthazar and eyed him up and down. The man’s flamboyant attire was truly remarkable. A purple velvet cloak tied at his neck by a gold chain, a silk blouse covered by a gold accented vest, all finished by black pantalones with thick dark gray stripes, tucked inside black leather boots with gold accents. If the whole thing didn’t scream Renn Faire to Bel, he would have sworn the man jacked the wardrobe of a late 90s rap video.

Balthazar let out a sigh, “Go ahead, ask me…”

Bel didn’t miss a second. “What’s with the clothes?”

Balthazar closed his eyes, but then smiled, “It’s called fashion, Belmont. Look it up.”

Bel snorted, “The Renn Faire reject just meme’d me. Outstanding.” He looked down at Meph, curled up on his lap.

Bel looked back up and narrowed his eyes. “Seriously. What the fuck is going on?”

Balthazar ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair. “Well, if you are ready to be serious about it, then I can answer your question. We are short on time, though, so I’ll need you to trust me when I tell you that something isn’t immediately important. We have little time now, but that will change after the meeting with the judge. You’ll have all the time in the world to learn about the minutiae. Deal?”

Bel nodded. “Melchior basically said the same thing. Deal. First, though: Meph. Is he going to be OK? He doesn’t have his cage, and I’m worried he’s going to get sick.”

Balthazar nodded and smiled. “That is the good news. Mephisto will be just fine. Allow me to explain a little more about what is happening, and you’ll understand why.”

Bel let out a long breath, and he felt a little of a head rush. Pure relief. He motioned for Balthazar to continue.

“First, as I’m sure Melchior told you, your world is no more. I’m sorry, and you do truly have my condolences for what little they may be worth to you now. Before you let your mind become swarmed with what-ifs, I’ll make it clear to you. Everyone you’ve ever known has perished on the planet. I’m sorry. Your friends, your family, your neighbors and your coworkers. They are no more.”

Bel only nodded. He’d knew as much already, or strongly suspected it. If all of this was really happening, if Melchior had been telling him the truth, then it was exactly what he’d expected, even if he hadn’t confronted it yet.

“It is OK if you need a moment.”

The weight of it pressed down on him, billions of voices gone, trillions of memories erased. But there was nothing he could do now. He stuffed the grief into a box he wasn’t ready to open yet, and shook his head. “No, I’ll deal with it in my time, and the faster we move on, the less of a chance I have to get lost in it. If what you say is true, I’ll have plenty of time to wallow in misery when this is done. Keep going.”

Balthazar pursed his lips. “Very well. Let me move on to the next large hurdle. There is no simple way to explain this, but what you’ve known as magic is real.”

Bel chuckled. “Ok, sure.”

Balthazar held up a ringed hand and flattened his palm, facing upwards. Flames danced and flickered, then extinguished in a wisp of smoke. A formation of a perfect crystal of ice appeared in place of the flames, and fog billowed from the surface. It melted, and a bolt of white light crackled and sparked where it had been, before dissipating into a puff of ozone.

Bel swallowed hard. “So, the men in red with the fire, and the others with the flashes of light?” The battle in the courtyard was still fresh enough in his mind that he could smell the blood.

“Precisely. That was magic. I’ll explain…” Balthazar started pacing back and forth across the concrete floor. “You are from a world that was classified as a Tier 0 world. It was not always that way, but for the last several hundred years, it has been. The classification comes from the ability of the world to produce Aether, or what the scientists of Earth called ‘Dark Energy’ or ‘Dark Matter’. There is a reason that it was so hard for them to prove. It was nearly non-existent in and around your world. In the greater universe, though, it is much more prevalent.

“Aether is what forms the building blocks of our way of life. It is the essence of power and energy and what allows what you see as ‘magic’ to exist. Think of it as a currency, or valuable commodity, and the more a planet produces, the more it is worth, and the higher the tier it is. However, worlds can be strip mined, and often are, if they hold little else of value.”

Belmont stopped him. “And Earth had little else of value?”

Solemnly, Balthazar nodded. “In some eyes, yes, that was true. Earth was once a Tier 3 or even a Tier 4 world millions of years ago, but it had been strip mined of its Aether over time. Aether attracts Aether. A world that produces it is only drawing from the surrounding universe. However, if a balance is not maintained, then the Aether is depleted before more can be attracted. That is a topic far more in depth than we have time to cover today, though.”

Belmont nodded. So far, he felt like he was keeping up, if not fully understanding the ramifications.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Aether is more than power and currency. It’s the essence of life itself. Planets without Aether—like your moon or Mars—are barren, lifeless. Even Earth, as a Tier 0 world, had just enough to sustain life. Now that you’re in a Tier 1 zone, and soon heading to a Tier 3 world, you’ll notice changes. You’ll tire less easily, think more clearly, and even go without food longer than you thought possible. These benefits extend to all creatures, which is why I say that Mephisto is going to be just fine. I dare say he probably feels better now than he ever has.”

Bel looked down at the snake, curled up against him, and ran a finger along his scales. “OK, so, even if I’m not sure exactly what all of this means, I think I am following along pretty well. What I want to understand now, though, is, ‘Why me?’”

Balthazar nodded for a long time before answering. “Yeah. That’s the million dollar question. Well, there isn’t an answer you are going to like. The blunt truth of it is that you were in the right place at the right time. Earth wasn’t supposed to have been destroyed. It had millions of years left on the clock. However, something happened, something that Melchior is currently looking into, that moved up that time table. When he found you, it was by pure luck. Your life had fewer attachments, which made this transition easier.”

Bel scoffed, “Fewer attachments. Right. So, you look for losers?”

Balthazar looked sternly at him. “No. We look for good people, but being a good person doesn’t always come with a fanbase. If we thought you weren’t the right person for this, Melchior would have found someone else, or no one at all. It was pure luck that we found you, and I mean that. We got lucky.”

Bel laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment?”

Balthazar nodded, “You should. Melchior had been looking at you for a few weeks at that point, and he is a powerful judge of character. If he selected you, then I trust his judgement.”

The words Melchior had said during their meeting rang through Bel’s mind. “I believe in you. I trust you will do the right thing.” Bel didn’t enjoy being so out of the loop, but there was a comfort to the words.

Something snapped in Bel’s mind. “Wait. So… hold up. You’re an alien?”

Balthazar smiled. “Yep. Same with Melchior, and everyone else you’ve seen in the last few hours. However, we are classified as humanoid.”

Bel looked over at the label above the cell across from his own: Humanoid, Tier 0.

Balthazar continued. “We are one of the most numerous, but there are many other classifications, and even some that you’ll recognize, like Bestials and Insectoids. Most species on Earth share some genetic overlap with intelligent species across the universe. The reasons are complicated, so you’ll have to look into it—”

“Later.” Bel interrupted. “But, real quick, if you and everyone else have been aliens, how can I understand you? You can’t expect me to believe that the universe is fluent in English.”

“Not at all. It is a benefit of the Aether. While you don’t have control over it yet, everyone else around you uses the Aether to communicate. Think of it as a universal translator. When someone speaks and uses the Aether, it is translated natively for anyone listening. The same for the listener. If the speaker doesn’t use the Aether, it will interpret the meaning and language of the speaker for the listener. When you have more control over it, you will be able to turn it off and on at will, but for now, you are able to understand myself and others because they wish to be understood. It also allows for the illusion of lip-sync, which is why it looks as though I am speaking English, and for subvocal speech, but that is more advanced. For right now, know that it is what enables you to understand and be understood by others, even if you aren’t in control of it, because everyone around you is.”

Bel shook his head in disbelief. “That’s a lot to unpack, but I think I got it. Keep going, I guess.”

Balthazar continued. “There is only one last thing to cover with you before we go to see the judge, and that is the matter of your status as the last of your particular species.”

Bel nodded. “Melchior called me a Laster, I think.”

“Exactly so. You are the last human from earth, the only intelligent species on the planet. Because of that, you have an opportunity to do something incredible. You are a part of the Sovereignty Games. You will be taken to a new Tier 3 world. This one is called Eon, and you will be tasked with becoming its ruler.”

Bel coughed. “I’m sorry, what?”

Balthazar continued unabated. “If you choose to participate, you can attempt to become the ruler of the world. If you succeed, then you are granted a prize. That prize is the rejuvenation of your entire species based on your genetic makeup.”

Bel felt light-headed.

“Yes. This is the sticking point for a lot of Lasters. Many choose not to participate at all. Take a moment.”

Bel wasn’t sure how Balthazar could be so plain about it. Of all the wild things he said, Bel could at least disassociate himself with the reality enough to listen along like one of his friends info-dumping Star Wars lore on him. This was different, though. The immediate pressure on him was unrelenting. He closed his eyes tightly and leaned his head back against the headrest of the chair.

After a few moments, Balthazar spoke up. “It is a lot to take in, I know. And the decision is yours to make. If you do not wish to take part, then you are free to live out your life in the new world as you please.”

Without moving his head, Bel spoke, “But you wouldn’t have chosen me if you thought I was just going to find a plot of land and farm into my golden years.”

“No. We wouldn’t have.”

“Right. So, now I’m a contestant in Magic Survivor, and if I lose, I take all of humanity down with me.” He shook his head, but couldn’t help but laugh. “Can you sneak me an immunity idol or something?”

Balthazar squared his shoulders and looked Bel in the eyes. “The rules are very strict on this part. Neither I nor anyone else may assist you before you arrive on the planet. You may take nothing with you that is not of your home world. Is that clear?” Balthazar’s eyes locked, unblinking.

Bel felt the panic set in, and he knew he fucked up. He quickly covered. “Got it. No outside help. I’m on my own.”

Balthazar’s shoulders eased, “Exactly. Now, do you feel you have a grasp on the situation?”

Bel shook his head. “Not in the least, but you’ve done your best. I’ll just package this all away and deal with it later.”

Balthazar nodded. “That’s the humanoid way.”

“Good. Any parting words of wisdom?”

“Only what I’m sure Melchior has already told you. Do not speak during the hearing. Remain quiet, or you may say something that makes all of this harder on you.”

Bel nodded. “Got it.”

“Good. Do you have all of your belongings? Your phone and your wallet, right? That should be everything.”

Bel nodded and then caught the subtle under text. “Yeah, just my phone and my wallet.” He lifted Mephisto and wrapped the snake around his neck. “And my snake.”

“Then let us move on. I’ve met a lot of judges in my time, and none of them have liked to be kept waiting.”