Nicholas Flamel Pov.

“He’s surpassed your children, you know? Both of them.” I looked at the emperor while I spoke. We were lounging in his palace in the capital, just catching up on the time I was cooped up with….things.

“You really think so? Well, even if he has, it will only be something temporary. Although we tell people differently, talent makes a huge difference at all levels of strength. And they far surpass him in the talent department, both of them.” He said, swirling around his glass of alcohol in his hand as he sat with legs crossed.

“It’s only a matter of time.” He concluded.

‘Talent should matter, and your children do not lack at all in that capacity, but that boy is an anomaly.’

“You should start pushing your children more. Before coming here, I took a detour to see where they had reached, strength wise. Your daughter lags behind too much and your son takes things too lightly. Having the security blanket of you as a father had dulled what would have been extremely sharp blades.”

“You’re taking quite an interest in the younger generation aren’t you? Any particular reason why?” I chuckled lightly at the question.

‘Quite the deflector, aren’t you?’

“Aelius my boy, I have longed to see if there would ever be anyone, any human, able to get strong enough to reach my state of being.” I flicked my finger in his direction and with a slight flex of my mana, everything in our surrounding turned to solid gold and he didn’t show any reaction.

‘He’s gotten better with age, but nowhere enough.’

“There are old monsters who would like nothing but to take this land and enslave it. There are beings of supernatural origin who are only being deterred by my presence. Achieving that facsimile of godhood you did allowed you to enter a false sense of power because you are only used to dealing with ants. Hell, the dragon king would have reduced this continent to a crater when he found out you wed his daughter if not for my presence.”

“The dragon king is powerful, but not so powerful that he can destroy my empire without any resistance. I can admit between us that I have yet to reach his level, but only because he has had more time. You know this as well as I do.”

“Hahahaha, While it is true that you may eventually surpass him, it will only happen after millennia have passed and he stops progressing, which you know will never happen. There are very few public figures, emphasis on public, who can boast to be older than me, and he is one of them. In fact, when I was born, he was a well known tyrant who had already had millennia under his belt, and dragons only grow stronger with age. He didn’t kill you simply because I was there and he knew to get to you he had to be prepared to have his own kingdom destroyed as well. Then he eventually acclimated to your presence enough to allow you your games.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The emperor just stayed silent and drank from his cup as if thinking of what I had just said.

“You understand, don’t you? The reason he is stronger than my children is because he is an anomaly. His concepts, and subsequently, divinities, are not within the realm of normality. They are not something that you can just understand within a short amount of time and express to fruition. He is young, too young to be able to do things like he does.” He stood up and went to the window overlooking the palace grounds.

“I’ve made sure to keep a firm eye on the progress of other talented children all around the world, from the witch queen's children to the dragon king’s brood. The elves that are touched by nature itself and the dwarves that seem to be born of stone. I investigate and keep track of all of them to gauge the average power levels among them.” He paused for a few seconds.

“My children are far ahead of the curve in development of powers. And that is across all species. You have been, ‘cooped up’, as you say, for the time you have so you wouldn’t know. But I am acutely aware of what I am growing in my own backyard.” He turned to look at me then with a smirk.

“The bastard even tried to hide the new city from me. Well, it would have worked if I didn’t see it before he put the veil up, cheeky brat.” He chuckled.

“Now he is sending out invitations to open the new city and is making people wonder, ‘what is it that he built? Is it as stunning as the world tree, it can’t be right?’ All that chatter….hehehe, I can't wait to see it.” His face became more serious.

“I know why you are worried. I know what lurks just beyond the senses of mere man, I can sense them myself.” His eyes gained a faraway look.

“They whisper to me, you know? The naturally born gods of the sun that have been all but forgotten, and there are many of them. They are looking for ways to hijack the faith I receive but don’t use to regain the strength they once had.”

“And you never told me this, why?” I asked, irritated.

‘It seems I didn’t do a good enough job purging them completely from the land.’

“I didn’t see the need. It was my cross to bear.” I narrowed my eyes at that response.

‘This little….’

“The deal we had was that I would aid you in the eradication of all those religions from this land to get rid of the gods that were bothering me. You were to become the lightning rod of faith in this land so none of them could gain strength enough to ever challenge me, and as a consequence, you. Where do you feel them the strongest?”

“I will handle them myself, you don't have to worry.” I sighed in exasperation.

‘Oh well, I tried.’

“Just be careful of them, they become nothing more than tricksters looking to consume you to regain their power.” He looked at me with glowing eyes and a wide sadistic smile.

“Only if I don’t consume them first.”