A pair of sun gold metalins opened the massive door leading to the imperial gardens. The entire arch was adorned with finely crafted sculptures depicting a hunting scene. From what one could tell, the emperor—recognizable by his tall frame and massive crown—was hunting boars while riding a dragon. Any attempt at morality was long gone, but even so it instilled a sense of awe in anyone who looked.

Oh boy. Dallion swallowed.

The last time he felt this nervous was the first time he did a school play with his parents in the audience. At the time, he had honestly believed that failing would be the end of the world. Of course back then, he had been nothing but a child. Now, as a grownup, the sensation was many times worse.

“Don’t offer any pretext to extend your visit,” the child overseer said.

“Is that for my own good again?” Dallion asked, preparing himself mentally.

“The emperor’s meeting foreign emissaries,” the other said sharply. “Go ahead.”

Passing through the door almost felt like passing through an awakening gate. Although Dallion could see part of the garden clearly, crossing the threshold made it explode in size, causing everything else to disappear. If he didn’t know better, he could almost imagine himself being teleported to an entirely different location. Looking closely, though, he was able to see the faint magic patterns creating the illusion of infinity.

A pair of moon platinum bladerers descended from the sky, landing on both sides of the door. Cold and emotionless, they made it clear that Dallion wouldn’t be able to leave unless allowed.

Thanks for the tip, he thought. I already know that.

Still, it was a good idea to keep on walking and not have the emperor wait.

A new visitor, plants whispered and moved as he passed by.

Will there be fun? A rose bush moved in closer, its thorns glistening.

No, it’s someone he likes, a single lily replied from a pond on the other side of the path.

Later, then. Disappointment emanated from the roses as the bush pulled back.

“The garden seems to like you,” a deep voice said from further in. The high hedges prevented Dallion from seeing its owner, but he didn’t have to guess who that might be. “It’s rare that they get an empath.”

On cue, the entire garden shifted. Grass, bushes, and flowers moved to the side, extending the path Dallion was walking on. Looking at it, one would say that the arrangement had always been like that. The cobbled path continued all the way to an aether-stone gazebo. A single figure was there, tending to a large multicolored bush. Looking closer, Dallion saw him separating and merging flowers of different colors, as if he were weaving.

“Flower weaving,” the imposing figure said without even turning around. “A legacy taught to me by my father. There was a time when he used it to create soldiers out of the land itself, but that was back when we didn’t have sophisticated tools of war. Now, this is more a hobby than anything else.”

Reaching ten feet from the emperor, Dallion stopped. Light bounced off the ruler’s clothes, causing his outfit to constantly change color as if it were made out of chameleon skin. Even so, the skin of the man himself was shining in a bright purple, causing tears to form in the corners of Dallion’s eyes.

Don’t look at him. He remembered what the overseer had said. Good advice.

Finishing his living tapestry, the emperor turned around.

“So, you are the famed otherworlder,” he said. As he did, a throne of wood grew out of the ground, letting him sit. Moments later, it was followed by a small three-legged stool that appeared in front of Dallion. “Alien has been telling me a lot about you. He usually has a high opinion of everyone that joins his circle, but I see he wasn’t wrong about you.”

Alien saying something good about Dallion? That had to be a first.

“You finally managed to find my former archmage and destroy his gremlin device.” The emperor leaned back. “Now the archbishop can finally stop annoying me with that. Given that he caused the mess to begin with, he’s the last person who should be complaining.”

Clearly, there was no love shared between the emperor and the Order of the Seven Moons. Dallion wasn’t certain about the precise power-balance between the two, but at the very least he could see why Adzorg had been so confident that no force could defeat the emperor. Unlike most mages and high nobles, the man hadn’t bothered hiding his info rectangle, leaving it proudly on display. All seven traits on it were above a hundred and twenty.

“You’re surprised?” the emperor asked, aware of Dallion’s astonishment.

“I didn’t expect you to be an empath, Emperor,” Dallion replied.

“Oh, that.” The emperor waved a hand in utter disinterest. “I guess dear Felygn doesn’t think of me as his own. I was Galatea’s favored first, although he’s been quiet lately as well. What can you do?” the man shrugged. “Moons will be Moons. But enough about them. Now is a time to congratulate you.”

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“Congratulate me, sire?” Dallion asked before he could stop himself. From an etiquette point of view, this was a big no-no. Fortunately, no displeasure emanated from the emperor.

“Apart from dealing with a minor annoyance for me, you also rose to the rank of a mage overnight. Quite a neat trick, I must say.”

Dallion remained silent.

“Oh, don’t be bashful. I’m sure my old friend has filled your head with talk of Academy committees, master trials, and all that nonsense. Two things make a mage.” The emperor pointed up with his index finger. “A magic trait above eighty, and—” he pointed at himself “—me,” he added with an elegant laugh. “If I say you’re a mage, then you’re a mage.”

Three more bladerers flew down from above, landing around Dallion. One of them unfolded a robe made entirely of magic thread and presented it to the otherworlder. It was quite impressive, although not as much as the one he’d obtained from Archduke Lanitol’s mage. Furthermore, Dallion couldn’t feel the presence of a guardian within his new gift.

“Your thoughts?” The emperor asked, amused.

“I am deeply honored and in awe, Emperor.” Dallion instantly bowed, accepting his prize. He knew better than to say anything different.

“Of course you are. You’re allowed to put it on once you leave the garden.” A brief flick of his hand and the bladerers flew off just as quickly as they had appeared. “Now, there are a few more matters we need to discuss. You’re aware of my conflict with the Azures?”

Conflict? Given everything that had occurred in the last year, that was hardly the appropriate word. At least it was better than “disagreement”.

“Yes, Emperor.”

“Despite the assurances of Alien and my archdukes, things aren’t proceeding as quickly as I’d like. What should have been over months ago has stalled, making it obvious that I need to take matters into my own hands. And so, I intend to do just that by sending you.”

Part of Dallion’s mind was unsurprised by the comment. It was natural for high nobles to have others deal with their problems. At the same time, being asked by the emperor filled him with enthusiasm. Right now, he felt special; no, he felt chosen for a task in which so many others had failed.

“It doesn’t need to be flashy if you can’t help it, just don’t let me down.”

“Yes, Emperor.”

“Good. And once you’re done, I’ll acknowledge you as a noble.”

Dallion suddenly froze. It was too early for the emperor to know that. Only the inhabitants of his personal realm knew that he had reached level eighty and not even they were aware he was considering accepting.

“Surprised again?” There was a note of boredom in the emperor’s voice, as if Dallion’s novelty had worn off.

“I am not a noble, sire.”

“Bring me victory and you will be.”

In his mind, Dallion let out a sigh of relief.

“Yes, Emperor.” He bowed again.

“Of course you will. You’re an otherworlder, after all. Did Adzorg tell you that the capital used to be full of otherworlders at one point?”

“He might have mentioned it a few times, sire.”

“Ah, those were different times. People from different worlds, with knowledge far exceeding this world. Adzorg himself used to train a group of otherworldly mages back then. He was rather fond of them, but alas, they were easily corrupted by the Star. To be honest, at one point I was afraid that you might share their antics. Of course, given your dealings with the Order, that’s clearly not the case.”

Dallion swallowed. He felt the atmosphere change. This was no longer an amicable monologue on the ruler’s part.

“What exactly did they ask of you?”

“They wanted me to capture Adzorg.” Dallion felt he was unable to keep himself from answering. “Before it was too late.”

“I see…”

“Which is why I was hoping you would grant me his life, sire,” Dallion quickly added.

“Oh?”

“With the device gone, he is no threat to the empire, and—”

“He was your mentor.” The emperor finished the sentence for him. “Quite an interesting request. When Alien and other otherworlders gained my favor, they always requested one of two things: power or a way to get back to their world. You’ve chosen neither?”

“Having Adzorg belonging to me as an advisor is the equivalent of power, Emperor. At least to me.”

“Cliché.” The emperor yawned. “Still, it will give me an opportunity to annoy the archbishop. I’ve decided to grant your request, as long as you bring me victory. Understood?”

“Yes, Emperor.”

The answer must have been found pleasing, for the emperor waved his hand, dismissing Dallion. As a reminder, the stool beneath the otherworlder quickly shrank, disappearing into the ground.

With a low bow, Dallion was just about to start walking backwards towards the entrance, when the path did it for him. He could feel the guardian of the area pulling him back, as the bushes and hedges were rearranged again, blocking the ruler from view. In a matter of seconds, Dallion found himself once more at the gate. This time, the bladerers were no longer blocking it.

Wow, Dallion thought.

Considering how brief their conversation had been, he couldn’t have been here more than a few minutes. In his mind, though, the experience had lasted for hours—far longer than he deserved it to be.

He had seen nobles, clerics, mages, even the Moons, and none of them were as alluring as the emperor. If there was the worldly equivalent of superstardom and imposing majesty all in one, that was him. Emperor Tamin didn’t need to threaten or resort to a display of power. His mere presence was enough to make people aware of his might. If he decided to set foot on the battlefield, the war would be won there and then… yet such trivial activities were beneath him. He had given his subjects the opportunity to shine.

The doors opened. Dallion expected to see Adzorg and the overseer waiting for him, but they were gone. In their place, he saw a figure dressed in expensive silks and a full set of sea iron armor.

In the back of his mind, he remembered the overseer saying something about foreign emissaries coming for an audience. It was that notion that nudged him to step forward, returning back to the inside of the building.

No sooner had he done so, when a notion of normalcy surrounded him, as if he were gently returning from a high.

What the hell did I just go through? Dallion glanced over his shoulder. It didn’t feel like magic… maybe the plants in the garden had made him more impressionable than he was supposed to be?

Seeing his bewildered state, the armored emissary went up to Dallion and stopped, the full helmet turning in his direction.

“My apologies.” Dallion stepped to the side, still struggling with the aftereffects of euphoria.

“I never doubted you’d make it far,” a familiar voice said. Moments later, the emissary took off her helmet.

“Eury?” Dallion managed to say.