Whenever one thinks about surprises the general gist is that its either happy or its despised. There usually is no gray area with a surprise. When William had thought on the mysterious surprise he had thought on many things. When he saw the light show that looked like the northern lights he thought ‘oh that’s pretty’ but not worth the hype it maybe there was more then met the eye. Then he blinked. He was back in the now slight darkness of a demi-plane. The plane was now lit by beams, polka dots or even orbs of light all around him. This light illuminated seemingly random stuff as if somebody took a piece of everything they liked and then scattered it across the plane. But what caught William eye was the fact that Lilith was showing more of herself then the blinding light she seemed to emanate passively.
Her form was that of succubus tempered. She seemed to take her job seriously as she looked like a Hollywood style paralegal. Except that image is broken as soon as two things are noticed. One, she had a set of horns that curves through her black hair to give the illusion she is wearing a floating crown. The second is her chalk white skin which also caused the light originating from her form to be enhance. William had mixed feelings about the deity in front of him.
Lillith had given him a new life. A life that now excluded his soulmate, for now. A reunion was forever in the cards with eternity at his side. However until one of three plans came to fruition such a thing wasn’t exactly feasible. Either he could figure how to make a flying fortress that could survive the hardships of a crossing. It could happen but it required a lot of resources and patience of design. He also could try all he wanted but there were only so many people that could navigate such a daring crossing. He wasn’t a navigator. Next he could get someone to teleport him without having to pay favors to a sage. If Kena figured out how to do that out this plan was a freebie. This particular plan was currently the one that looked the best. As such William had been pooling as much time into helping her as possible. This second option took all agency completely out of his hands. But Kena was a quick study. It was the third option that he was pursuing the most not because he was lazy but because he could work towards all three at the same time by moving it forward. He would make a part of the continent a modern state while pacifying the rest. This would then act as a beacon to draw his wife to him. It was not something he wanted to do but in the long term a place to call home was an added benefit. His heart could wait a bit longer, a reunion would happen eventually.
The other feelings held against Lillith were petty in the face of thankfulness for a better fuller life. But William was petty. Getting flicked through the planes was not something he wanted to ever experience again. However she was a goddess so not there wasn’t much in the way of leverage. That was until she started talking and details spewed forth with every word. Plans began to form earnestly.
“You are an entertaining person to watch Mr. Willow. Besides the bet your shenanigans have deeply touched a spot of my being. Lust in all its forms. Your ability to be two faced in brutality or calm of presence can generate forms of the highest pleasures. You have managed to work around your curse and cause destruction to your enemies causing great agony and despair in the hopelessness your weapons cause. Oh how I wished I had kept you here to watch your weapon of chaos disrupt my private sanctum. But I could not keep you here a second more otherwise risk forfeit of the bet. Do you know what I had to pull to get this years ‘Deity Chat’ with you. Most of my siblings scrambled to lobby our mother to speak to you. But in the end mother dearest granted my right to see my ‘hero’ for his first chat on this world. To let you in on the rules of this chat you may ask two questions of us. Then you may ask a minor boon of us to aid in the next year. Then you skip on back to the moment we pulled you from. Now come on I have many more people to see.”
William wasn’t exactly prepared for such a gift of a boon and knowledge but he definitely needed a few things. He wanted information on his wife's exploits first and so asked “I ask to know of my wife’s exploits on this world.” “Hmm I can give you only general statements as a general question permits only such. She has been on this world for more then you think. Her story on this world begins nae fifty five decades in the past. Your wife started on the very same continent you are on now. She became a renowned adventure. Her class is unique as yours as it gives her the strengths of a great warrior with the ability to cast spells to a certain point. At that time this land was fractured into many middling states of various power. Your wife’s exploits brought about the formation of the Imperium in its earliest form. However due to her misunderstanding the wording of the bet or my brother being an ass, she thought she could meet you on the opposite side of the world. She quickly found a teleport sage and took on the task of delving a dangerous dungeon but of course it didn’t do much to stop her. She one way teleported to a land of dust there aren’t many large kingdoms or people but decided to set up and wait for you for over two hundred years. Unbeknownst to her you appeared here. I’ll add this for free. She probably isn’t happy right now as every year she’s asked about you.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
William was shocked but couldn’t do much he had one more question he could ask where the nearest sage was that knew the teleport spell. The price for a two way teleport would be agonizingly expensive. That’s not even talking on if there’s one close by or one that exists at all. Actually he didn’t need such a thing Kena would be able to do so eventually he would make sure of it but he needed a way to guarantee Matilda didn’t do anything drastic in the mean time. He could ask for a the boon to be that. But first his second question.
“Where are the exact locations of the nearest sources of every metal in the world near the village of Runick that are easily accessible?”
“You shall always interest me whatever you are truly ambitious alas I know you shall make some truly splendid things. But I am afraid the nearest sources of every metal is a very long list too long for such a short period in time. You shall receive a message in due time giving a the information this I promise on the ancient laws. What would you ask me for a boon for this year, my ‘hero’?”
“If I can have my wife teleported to me if not I ask you pass on a message to my wife and take a reply instantly.”
“Unfortunately I cannot I have little arcane power however another of my siblings can probably do so as a minor boon my eldest brother he is the god of magic and knowledge. He was one of my siblings who wished to talk to you so at most you must wait only another year possibly. Your other boon is easily done what is the message?”
“Hello my dearest Mati as you may know I am now in this world along with you. I have found that someone capable of learning the teleport spell it will take time for them to learn it. I ask you to wait and don’t do anything drastic. I also can possibly attract the god of magic to reunite us as early as next year. I am currently making a home among your old stomping grounds. And befriended many people that will be of use to us when reunited. Do not despair my love as our trials shall all be over soon enough.”
“Done. The reply is ‘I have been ever so lonely for oh so long but I shall endure. I trust you to make good decisions and cannot wait for our unification.’”
William welled with joy his love had to endure so long. But he would see her again very soon relative to an eternity. Now he could focus on their new home. But first Lilith piped up again.
“Well, good to see the happy couple is still a couple. Now before you leave word of advice to you. Try not to make more of those suitcase things unless you know what you are doing. Look around you and know that after your wonder device went off and its weird energy started filtering out into my private sanctum. After this diffusion one of the largest mana storms I had ever seen spread across my realm and it stayed for weeks never hitting the usual cap the storms have. It took me siphoning every last particle of mana out of this domain for it to eventually die off. That cannot be done on the world without a gods intervention. So please be very careful. Mana storms are the way mana is contained to a set level otherwise the world would become toxic. . So please don’t propagate such curious things. Too little mana and bad things start happening. No pressure.”
William didn’t know how to respond and couldn’t as he was zapped back to reality. He now felt the smallest inkling of the doom he could unleash if his technology fell into the wrong hands. He had read about what the scientists of the Manhattan Project had thought when they watched the first nuclear test. The famous quote from Robert Oppenheimer ran through his head in response to such a feeling. But unlike those scientists who could only watch as their work became a great evil. As it both served as the greatest weapon of mankind but also the biggest guarantee of peace through eventual mutual destruction. Unlike those scientists he was the sole purveyor of the technology on this world. He would be damned if he didn’t guard against its creation without his knowledge.
As William was planning he looked up and could see the aurora wasn’t just the usual prominent green streaks that writhed not unlike tentacles back on Earth. Instead the sky looked like a kaleidoscope of a rainbow of colors, shapes and patterns. It was a sight to behold after securing not a vague sense of progress but an absolute fact that he would finally see his wife in a comparatively short time.