The break was well warranted, for the first few nights, I struggled to sleep because of nightmares. The man I killed kept screaming at me, it was hard for me to even rest when sleep came with screams from a dead man. Though, to my surprise, the nightmares eventually stopped, and I never understood why. I thought someone came in the night, but I always woke up alone, but I knew I wasn’t to blame for the battle, so I think it was because I began moving on from it. The rest of my break was incredible, I got to laze around and be nigh mindless as I just did what I wanted, excluding working on mech stuff, that was sternly said by mom, dad, and Lily, since it ruined the whole concept of a break. But it was, as people would say, rejuvenating. I felt younger… despite being young as I was, but it did let me know I was growing. Changes were evident, if anything, I looked to be in my early teens now rather than being a child, that made me curious.

When I asked dad, he told me it was something within the aging process, mostly to make it where people looked like kids, yet they were married with kids, it just looked strange when such a case came up the first time. Over the years, they shifted the way it worked, which meant we’d look like our late teens or early twenties upon reaching adulthood. This made me feel better, I don’t know how a reincarnate like me could handle doing anything like that with the body of a child, even thinking about it made me feel horrible. Though, the break eventually came to an end, and I was finally able to resume work, and I knew exactly what I was going to do, but my initial plans ended up being interrupted by Merlin. His voice spoke as his body came online, “Sir, it seems the teams on the forge world have managed to uncover some usable ship and mech factories. I went ahead and had them connect me to them, so we now have two functional factories for military use.”

I nodded, “Good, I wanted to address this, are they all functional?” Merlin replied, “It seems so, since this happened before your break, I had ample time to connect them before now.” I stated, clearly, “Make tier three ships and mechs from those factories, with what we seen, we can assume that someone has at, the bare minimum, tier three units. We need to work on reaching that stage before someone makes a move on us.” Merlin asked, “What about the factory in orbit sir?” I replied, “Continue making tier two ships, we’ll sell them to dad and Ruby, ensuring they can at least hold their own in a fight.” Merlin processed this for a moment, then said, “A valuable plan sir, have you chosen the designs?” I nodded, sending them to him, “This is it, also, can you make my mech tier four?” Merlin replied, “Yes, however, this will mean the unit can no longer be upgraded, this unit wasn’t meant for anything beyond tier four.”

I sighed, then nodded, “I know, but with what lies before us, I fear to know just what an enemy holds, I rather over extend a little than risk civilian losses.” I recalled what I wanted to do in a similar field, “Merlin, pull up the schematics of our mana information relays, I think it’s time we restructure to the mana communication systems.” Merlin seemed surprised, “Sir, are you sure that’s wise?” I nodded, “These space pirates managed to slip in, no way they weren’t supplied by just anyone, since they managed to bypass radar and lidar. Tactically, we need to be ready for anything, and nothing has been known to bypass mana systems.” Merlin processed this, then shown blueprints for civilian, merchant, and military communication systems, “This is what would work best, despite the need for more mana engines to be produced to make it so.” I looked them over, nodding, “Alright, put mana engines in the tier three ships and establish mana communications, I want to make sure nothing is lost when it comes to communication.”

After a moment, I wondered, “Merlin, have any fighter craft been used in combat in recent years?” Merlin seemed confused, “I’m not sure what you mean sir, why ask?” I looked to him, face stern, “Have any fighters been used in recent years, you know, something like the F-22 Raptor of space.” Merlin processed what he learned, then replied, “Such craft haven’t been used in combat for several millennia, be it due to mechs taking the forefront of combat or something else, I cannot say due to how long ago this occurred.” I thought, then nodded to myself, “Then maybe we should do that then.” Merlin asked, “That sir? What do you mean by that?” I looked to him, an idea forming in my mind, one that required no manpower initially, and I could hide it in plain sight for emergency purposes, “This plan is top secret, we need every silence in regard to this, even our commanders need to understand that what we do will occur, but not how.” I needed to fool my potential enemy, to that end, I needed to fool my allies as well, and I was lucky I had Merlin to make every step of the way possible.

~~~

Once I was finished with my plans, I moved to the enemy mech, one that made me feel a little sick seeing it, but I needed to dissect this thing to understand the capabilities of whoever sent the pirates here. My team stood with me, tools lining shelves and tables, scanners at the ready for anything we wished to look deeper into. We first dove into the make of the mech from the outside, its armor being the first important detail. Design, overall, meant nothing if the armor didn’t preform to its maximum capabilities after all. As we looked, I made a comment, “It almost looks like this is a… worse metal than what I have on my unit presently.” While my unit was being sent to be refitted by Merlin, the metal that made up the armor was better than this. One of the engineers said, “Look at the design though, this thing was made to ricochet bullets, maybe even deflect swords if it didn’t hit like yours did.” They showed me the locations they noticed, and his assumption was right, “A valid way to use a worse metal, but this wouldn’t make it a high tier two or low tier three just by armor alone.”

Once we finished with the armor, which seemed more form than function, we opened it up to the initial internals we sought to observe, aka, the arms and legs. What it looked like surprised me, “The mech muscles… they look like human muscles with how they’re lined up.” Unlike my mechs, which relied on proper mech features, this one relied on what seemed to be a biological style of mech. Mine twisted them, forming a spiral, which strengthened the mech incredibly. The muscles were, to my surprise, made of the same metal I was about to upgrade the muscles to in my mech. What the skeletal structure was made of seemed to be what I made tier two mechs out of, which heavily thrown off the capabilities of the mech. I questioned, “Who in the world made this? It’s a mess in here.” One engineer said, “It seems neat to me sir.” I replied, “No, it’s not that, it’s the fact that the metals in here don’t mesh well. The skeletal structure can’t work with the muscles to get maximum output, it’s… amateurish.” The person who made this was a mystery to me, how could they make something even I haven’t gotten to off of sheer technological growth yet, but be so inept to not make the parts work in proper harmony?

I made mention of this, “Tell this to every engineer, if you fail to understand how metals work with one another, you’ll make a machine like this that doesn’t function properly. While it may seem like it can, it doesn’t match up to machines of lesser caliber.” The engineers nodded, even the one who told me the machine seemed neat understood what I meant in this regard. However, one of the engineers said, “The machine moved! There!” He pointed to one of the muscles, and it seemed still, I said, “If it moved, I’d have noticed, no sound escapes my hearing so close.” The man said, “Not moving akin to a twitch, the metal pulsed!” I was confused by his words, so I leaned down and looked to the muscle and focused on it. After a minute, nothing happened, but I decided to keep up my guard, “I don’t see anything, let’s continue for the moment, but we will be guarded.” Two pilots were called to board mechs and watch over us as we worked, we then began for the cockpit and engine, which was a strange sight to all of us.

One engineer said, “It’s not a regular engine, nor does it seem to be akin to the mana engines you create sir.” I nodded, familiar with the design, but it didn’t ring a bell, “I understand what you mean, bring me a scanner.” Once a scanner was placed in my hands, I began scanning the engine to understand its composition. The scan was finished, and I went to check what I got… nothing. I rubbed my eyes, “Nothing? That can’t be right, I just scanned it.” I went back and scanned it again, once more, nothing appeared on screen. The engineers were stumped, “This hasn’t happened before… maybe our scanners are broken?” When I looked to them, they seemed to be using several scanners to try and scan it, but nothing was coming through. Some of the spider bots, which a name for them eluded me, so I was likely just going to call them Spider Bots from here on, began to climb on and test the engine themselves. After a moment, however, they began making beeps of confusion, even they couldn’t understand the mystery of the engine.

Merlin spoke through my earpiece, “I have determined this is a new, somehow concealed, power source… unless.” I asked into my earpiece, “Unless what?” Merlin spoke, his tone shown his concern, “It could be a bio-engine.” I thought that was preposterous, all the tech we knew of was gone, but maybe, “I find that improbable, wasn’t all tech above a certain point destroyed?” Merlin replied, “Unknown, even with the information that your father sent me, I cannot conclude if any tech survived or not.” Bio-engines were something akin to a mana engine, except that the bio-engine was akin to a living being, which allowed mana to flow through it. It was weaker than the mana engine by a long shot, but no one really believed it when my machines and those of other forges came to blows. However, while mana engines to me were incredibly well understood, I never truly understood what the bio-engines were, as scans always came up inconclusive. When I looked to my engineers, they seemed to be awaiting my orders, unsure what to do from here. I looked to the engine, then had an epiphany, maybe I was doing this wrong, “I have a plan, head to the break room and rest up.” They nodded, and I was soon alone with the machine.

I spoke to Merlin, “Call in some biologists, tell them their expertise and scanners are needed, they will be paid for their time, of course.” Merlin replied, “The call has been sent, do be patient.” I went and made myself a snack in the break room and rested, the whole thing was running my mind ragged enough that I nearly broke my proper etiquette. When the biologists arrived, I said, “If you may, can you scan this engine?” I got confused looks from the group, I realized I had to explain, “When we scan the engine…” I scanned the engine with a tool we use for engineering purposes, then motioned to the screen it was to be received on, “We get nothing, so I assumed that, maybe, this may be something living… or pseudo living. So would you scan this engine for us? Maybe it will help us in understanding what this engine is.” The biologists seemed to understand now, and they were swift to get working. As they scanned, I observed what was coming in, which was finally something readable.

That was when I realized part of the machine seemed… off during the scan, something overlapping in one section. I said, “Hm, how odd.” They were quick to wrap up the scan and look over my shoulder, one said, “Make the scan move, we’ll set it up to get all of the engine in a constant scan.” Under their wish, I did so, and the sudden discrepancy left me mortified. The engine somehow had a pulse, and despite the mech, and engine by default, being off, the heartbeat of this engine remained. I spoke, my entire concept of the bio-engine was destroyed in this one moment, “The engine… is alive.” I could tell that Merlin was as confused as I was, since instead of commenting, I could sense his processors were on overdrive as he tried to understand this thing that lay before us. An engineer asked, his eyes on the screen, “What do we do sir?” When I looked to both the engineers and biologists, I had to come up with a plan, something to do with this engine. I had a stop gap, but it would work for now, “This engine is top secret, you are not to relay this information to anyone, if we do, you’ll be tried in the highest court for disclosure of classified information, do all of you understand me?” Each of them nodded, even the two pilots emerged from their mechs and did a salute, as if to let me know their lips were sealed as well.

I looked to the mech, Merlin said, “We need to move this to the vault, we cannot let this see the light of day until we truly understand it.” I nodded, “Yeah, let’s do it.” I excused the engineers and biologists, then organized a means to hide this mech and move it to my former forge to be locked away and studied under Merlin’s dedicated eyes. When I went to my room for the night to clean myself off, after seeing the mech off, I stood in the shower as the water ran down my body, wiping the sweat, grime, and fuel from wherever it managed to stick. I asked, to no one in particular, “What the hell were we doing that we never considered just what we were making? What went in to those engines… did we even make them?” I never knew where the bio-engines came from, I never learned how they were made or where they were procured from, and now I was stuck needing answers that I could no longer get. For the time being, I needed to figure this out and progress with the domain’s growth. I made one comment, I couldn’t hold off anymore, “I have to make Lily a mech, no more stalling.”

~~~

Two years flew by like it was nothing, my head was basically shoved into progressing the defenses I sought to be brought up before I became an adult, and I was finally able to have enough personal forces that dad could send all his men back home, both in mech and space ship capacities. However, today was special, enough to the point that I even invited David to attend it’s reveal, since I never actually explained to the public what it was. To the public, this was some incredibly tall tower with an unknown use, but I planned to reveal to the universe that this was going to be a major hub for all things mech and battlecraft. Dad entered the room with David, who was quick to be surprised at the fact that Edward was putting me in some rather fancy clothes, “Woah, this is a rare sight, just what in the world are you doing son?” David asked, “This is rare? How so?” Dad replied, “He never wears fancy clothes, it’s just as rare for him to have Edward dress him.”

I smiled, “I told you; it’s going to be big, and it’s a secret. Though, I’m certain both of you might know what I haven’t explained about yet.” Both of them looked at each other for a moment before turning back to me, both saying as if this was planned, “That tower reaching into space?” Before I could reply, Ruby spoke up, “He’s made something incredible, and I know what that tower really is.” When she stepped out from the door to my room, I noticed the ruby dress she wore, one that matched her eyes and hair perfectly. Dad was quick to say, “Well, now you have me even more curious, that tower is massive.” Ruby shrugged, “I won’t tell, I want to see how you react to it when he broadcasts it to the domain.” She smiled at me, “See you at the announcement little bro, good luck!” She left the room, dad and David began to do the same, dad saying, “I guess that’s our cue, let’s see what my son managed to pull off this time.” David replied, “If it’s his usual, then I can tell we won’t expect it.”

Edward finished tidying my clothes up, “All finished sir, are you ready to shock the universe?” I nodded, my excitement was only rising, “You bet Edward, you better be ready, because this will change the domain forever.” Edward had a smile on his face, “I know it will sir, have you ensured security is well enforced?” I replied, “I guarantee that nothing will go wrong, I have ships in space ready for anything, not to mention police and army ready to respond to anything on sight and where large viewings are taking place. I covered every possibility, so no worries there.” After one last look over of my clothes, I made my way for the door, “Well, the one who organized the event can’t show up late, let’s get going Edward.” Edward replied, “Understood sir, your ride is waiting.” My announcement would change the universe, that fact would be true, and stage one of my long-standing grand project would wrap up today. For the sake of the future, this had to go perfectly.

~~~

I stood to the side of the stage I had set up, now that I was here in front of so many people, not to mention I was being broadcasted to everywhere in the Flameheart domain, it was likely the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve experienced in both lives so far. With everything set up, I made my way onto the stage, cameras flashed as I took my place on the podium. After ensuring the mic was on, I took a breath and spoke, “Thank you all for coming today, and for those of you at home, thank you for tuning in. Because today I’ll be unveiling what the structure behind me is.” I gave time for the camera crews to shift their cameras up the elevator for a moment before continuing, “This project has been seven years in the making, one so life changing that all the construction crews involved were excited to begin working since the first day, and I know for a fact that the crews are currently watching from within the structure with their families, since I want to do something with them when this announcement wraps up.”

With a smile on my face, I began with a statement, “Humans once considered many things impossible, ships soaring through space, medication that allows us to live longer, and at one point, tens of thousands of years ago, humans once considered it impossible to fly. But one thing always made me wonder, why haven’t we built something that could take people out of the planet, but without needing ships? Something to lift us to the stars above without the costs of fuel and ships? Well, I can state here and now, those on this planet won’t have to worry about that ever again.” This managed to get some heads to turn, some were chuckling, but one reported had the courage to ask, “Baron Flameheart, what does this statement have to do with the structure behind you?” I smiled, “The statement means that humanity has once again made the impossible possible, for the first time in known human history, humanity has constructed the first Space Elevator!”

This seemed to shock some, but others began to laugh, so I sighed and clapped my hands, “I knew this was going to happen, so how about this!” I motioned to the reporters, those who had no forewarning about this, “Reporters, why not join me? My family, Count Drakon and his daughter, and myself will take the first trip to the stars via this space elevator, right now. Why explain how it works when I can just show you how it works, yes?” Some of the reporters didn’t seem so willing, but many of them were rapidly packing their equipment to be moved into the elevator. I decided to calm them, “Don’t worry about safety, we ran tests continuously to ensure the space elevator is safe and functional, I wouldn’t risk my family and friends if I wasn’t sure it was safe.” This seemed to ease the uncertain ones, but they were a little slower in packing their equipment, likely out of nerves.

Once everyone was moved into one of the elevators, along with setting up the equipment to handle the fact their cameras wouldn’t function properly in the elevator without a proper connection to the ground, I made sure everyone was ready and began the trip. I spoke as we rose from the ground, our target being the temporary landing bays, “The space elevator has many elevators, some for just people, some for just item transport, and some that are mixed for both items and people, which is also an emergency troop transport in emergencies. This means, in terms of those who are close by, the space elevator can cut costs and make your trip into orbit faster than using ship to space services.” Through the windows that just came up, it was obvious that we were higher than even the skyscrapers, but we haven’t even been going up for five minutes yet. One reporter asked, in stunned silence, “How long will it take to complete a round trip up and down the elevator?” I thought for a moment, I know we tested that at least once, “I believe thirty to forty-five minutes, depends on those getting on and off and ensuring the elevator is clear to return down.”

This managed to surprise everyone, including my friends and family, Lily, however, seemed to not understand what this meant since we never really did much transit between planets. She was, not to my surprise, just watching the outside as we rose higher towards the stars. I smiled, my next plan would be visible during its construction phase, “There is more to this construction job, however, it’s as secret a project as the space elevator, though some keen eyes may guess it before it comes to be.” This seemed to turn some heads, all I could do was smile, “I wouldn’t make anything that makes life harder, rather, it’s yet another thing that makes life easier for those who reside on the planet I call home, and for those who chose to visit for whichever purpose they have.” This seemed to get the attention focused on me as we began to reach the top, a sight to behold before the expansion. I pointed up, “But wait, there’s more at the top.” Once the elevator hit the top, everyone present gasped, this section I was pretty proud of.

I extended my hands, “Look around, above and below, there’s fifty floors of fun, food, play, and even a place to stay! If you want a quick bite to eat before going planet side or going on your journey, there’s plenty of locations to choose from, from simple fast food to five star restaurants! Need a place to lay your head before your journey, or so sick of using the bed in your ship, there are hotels spread throughout the floors, each a little slice of planet life. Want to stick around and enjoy the top of the space elevator? Well, there are all sorts of entertainment locations, including places to drink for those who enjoy a good beverage. Let’s not forget that, from one of the one hundred ports scattered across each of the fifty floors, no ship will go without a port for long, some even have near direct access to the elevator. Also, for the merchants among those watching, there are many ports made for your craft to come port for extended periods, so come on down and set up in one of the vacant locations throughout the elevator! Each able to be rented so you can sell your wares to the people who come and go from this new Flameheart landmark!”

I watched as the reporters recovered from their stunned expressions and began to show the places across the floors, this made me glad that I chose an elevator that came to a more public location to show off the elevator’s main hub just a little bit more. I heard David exclaim, mostly out of shock, “How in the world did you even do this? This place is amazing.” I smiled, even my family seemed to look at me with questions, “Well, while I made sure the design, defenses, and technology was supplied, it was those who partook in the construction efforts that made this all become reality. To the construction workers who made this elevator possible, I thank you, because without you, this would never have been possible.” I bowed to them, because I knew that those who worked like this deserved the same respect that was given to the one who designed this. When I rose back up, I spoke, “I even made sure that all those who were involved in any step of this beautiful new monument were inscribed on a special mural in the little park on the bottom floor, from my sister Ruby, who managed to pull the strings to get the materials here, to each construction worker who laid the foundation, they are all honored for their time and effort to make this happen!”

I turned back to the reporters, “With that, I want to make one thing clear.” I threw my hands open, my voice booming, “As of this moment, the space elevator is hereby open to the public! Come one, come all, as the future has knocked on your door! My only question to you, is will you answer it?” It was lacking fanfare, but I could just tell that those at the bottom of the elevator were clapping, and I was just happy that they were excited of what’s to come. I made sure to approach the construction workers, my honesty made clear, “I was serious about the break, go out and enjoy yourselves, you all earned it.” After a wave of thanks, I watched as they went out and began to explore the space elevator they worked so hard on. I turned to my family, along with David and Lily, “Well, since this was of my own design, how about I give you the grand tour?” Lily screamed with excitement, “Let’s do it! Come on dad, let’s go!” I watched as dad and David looked at each other before sighing in unison, but in the end, they gave in and came with me. With this, I knew the domain would likely experience an influx of tourism, and I was lucky that I prepared for it this time.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

~~~

Sitting with Agnes, I was simultaneously exited yet concerned, “I never even expected this was possible, yet Aurelian had it under construction before my very eyes, my son truly is my pride and joy.” I brought a drink from one of the many establishments to my lips, the taste was something I never had before, yet it tasted sublime, “This must be something developed within his domain, its taste is unbelievable.” Agnes replied, “Indeed, both this elevator and wine are incredible, but we need to have an honest discussion about this William.” I knew what he meant, this elevator won’t be secret for long, especially as merchants spread it through word of mouth. I said, “I’m not sure what to do now David, he’s done something even I couldn’t expect, and those ships out there aren’t even mine, they’re his.” Agnes’ eyes went wide and looked to the window we had out into the vast emptiness of space, one of Aurelian’s new ships was patrolling around the elevator.

I made mention, “That’s a tier three ship, says the moment we had where space pirates managed to sneak in made him kick some plans forward, he’s even selling his tier two ships to Ruby and me, which we made sure to pay full price for considering his current paranoia.” I looked to Agnes, my voice serious, “Something from that day managed to get him into a twist so quickly after he got off the break, when I asked, his staff said they couldn’t say, but the mech itself had enough tells to say they could contend with tier two mechs easily.” I could tell Agnes’ nerves were shocked a little, he asked, “What does he plan to do then? Is he at risk?” I shrugged, “He says he’s handling the issue, so nothing can sneak by him again. But I also heard he’s making Lady Liliana a mech, one as powerful as his own.” Agnes seemed surprised, but he recovered pretty quickly, “Then tell him to bill me, I’ll pay for everything.” I replied, “Oh, no, he says he’s going to gift it to her, it’s why he hasn’t asked you to pay for it.” I could see Agnes’ face begin to twitch, “I see, so he’s willing to do that, aye?”

I sighed, “I never knew you were such a man to be so… protective of his daughters. Aurelian isn’t a bad kid, you know that, so what’s wrong with him wanting to do this for her?” Agnes let out a small, annoyed scream, and said, “It’s just the fact I want to do what makes her happy, but she’s so happy with him, it’s weird and I can’t process it very well!” I chuckled, taking another sip of my drink, “Oh, to be young again… though I doubt I could do what Aurelian is doing as if it were the easiest thing in the world, but the vigor he shows is unbelievable.” Agnes gazed towards our children, and all I could do was follow, as Ruby walked with Cecilia, Lady Liliana and Aurelian seemed to be having something akin to minor feast as they tried the many types of food this hub had. Agnes said, confused, “Hm, is it me, or does Aurelian seem… conscious of his space with Liliana.” I looked to him, confused, but quickly looked back. After getting a decent look, I did notice that, “Hm, I can say I see it, but I can’t really tell why he’s doing that. Is he sick?”

Merlin, to my surprise, spoke, “Sir Aurelian isn’t sick, that I can confirm.” Both Agnes and I jumped in our seats, we hadn’t even heard him approach, Agnes asking, “Then why is he doing this? Liliana doesn’t seem to notice at all.” Merlin smiled, “I cannot confirm, since even Sir Aurelian doesn’t know, but I believe he’s in love.” This surprised me, but Merlin asked, “Does Count Drakon know about Aurelian, Sir William?” I was still stunned for a moment, but I nodded, “Yes, it was how I convinced him to let Lady Liliana stay.” Merlin nodded, “Good, it makes it easier for me to explain.” After checking, which no one was even close enough to eavesdrop, Merlin said, “He’s conflicted, he said he never felt like this before, and I believe you both know the reason why. Isolation is painful, and it makes emotions hard to understand or process, especially since it happened to him at such a young age when it happened.” Merlin looked to Aurelian; his eyes seemed more human than some nobles as he watched Aurelian eat with Lady Liliana.

After a moment, he said, “I can tell you why he seemed so mature at first, because he was forced to become one at such a young age. Even in the world of games, he was essentially alone, and Lady Liliana has been akin to a miracle sent by the gods themselves.” He looked back to us, and to my surprise, he bowed, “Thank you for giving Sir Aurelian the second chance he deserved, each aspect of this life has been something he wished for from the bottom of his heart, and I cannot thank you both enough.” I was surprised, Merlin, an AI, was thanking us as a human would, it conveyed he was truly more human than I expected. Agnes waved his hand, “No, if anything, I want to thank Aurelian. He’s made my daughter happier than even I expected, and it’s helping her grow into a fine young woman as he leads by example.” He made one quick check, then said, “Merlin, you can you accept payment for Liliana’s mech? Even so, he’s making the thing, the least I can do is pay for it.” Merlin smiled, “I cannot, this mech is a gift for Liliana, it makes the gift less important if you pay for it. I can, however, set up a line for you to purchase tier two mechs and ships if you’d like.”

Agnes sighed as I laughed, I said, “He got you with that one, David.” Merlin seemed confused, “David?” He looked to Agnes, his eyes seemed to be shifting as he looked Agnes up and down, “I swore this was someone else, are my pro-… I mean, eyes, deceiving me?” In that moment, I realize he may know this isn’t someone named David, but the Emperor himself. Merlin’s an AI, that I knew, but I forgot to consider that Merlin would take in as much information about his new situation as possible, including whoever is above Aurelian in terms of rank. I stood up and pulled Merlin close, “Merlin, what are you getting at here?” Merlin said, “Based on facial structure, body type, and physical appearance, he has to be-.” I shushed him, “Quiet! He’s David Stella Drakon, do you understand me?” After a moment, Merlin spoke, “I see, he is David Stella Drakon.” He leaned into my ear, “I won’t reveal his identity, I don’t deem this a threat. However, I should warn you both about something later, it could be a matter of security in the Empire.”

When I leaned back, I sighed, he knew, “Fine, we should move to a private room now and discuss this while we’re both here.” I looked to Agnes, then said, “Merlin has something he needs to inform us about, it’s important if he says so.” Agnes stood up, “I understand, lead the way Merlin.” After a bit of walking, he took us to a private room, one that held his own name in reservation. Once he was in, and the door shut, he looked around for a moment to determine if the room was truly safe and turned to Agnes before kneeling, “Your majesty, it’s an honor to be in your presence.” Agnes seemed surprised, “Wha-, but how?” I waved my hand, “Merlin’s an AI, my son found him on the planet with the “City Killer” Behemoth. To be fair, he must’ve managed to cross reference image and video data to confirm you’re the Emperor of Avalon.” This seemed to intrigue him, but he must’ve decided to hold off, “I see, while I have questions, I would like to know the nature of this… issue you have.” Merlin rose, then said, “It seems some tech from my era has sprung up, and it’s enough to leave even Aurelian confused and rather terrified.”

This sent a chill through my spine, something that made Aurelian react like that would be quite concerning, “Is that why he’s suddenly shifting his production methods?” Merlin nodded, “Yes, in fact, the mech he retrieved made it obvious enough that someone had supplied those Space Pirates with tech that broke the slump, despite the flaws that came with it.” Merlin put shades on the window to prevent anyone from looking in, then projected a screen from his left eye, “The tech is scattered between tier two capabilities to tier four capabilities, if one could make the tier four tech, then we risk a war Avalon may not be able to win.” Agnes said, shock written on his face, “But… only Aurelian should know this information… so how is this possible.” Merlin spoke, “Sir Aurelian was reincarnated, that you know, and I inferred that he was hospitalized due to an unknown illness that eventually claimed his life. The whole time, he played what he inferred as a game called SGO, or Space Guilds Online. He learned all he wanted about the mechs and ships of my era and fell in love with making them.”

He looked at us with his right eye, “So, if he made such a thing possible, that means someone else may have similar knowledge due to their own rebirth. This begs the question of who, where, and why they’re doing this.” Agnes clicked his tongue, which was surprising since he never did so before, “So there’s a potential enemy who may be arming Space Pirates with tech we cannot handle at the moment… this truly is concerning.” Merlin spoke clearly, “Sir Aurelian knows the process to make mechs and ships from start to finish, many don’t due to the sheer difficulty to do so, which I infer means they cannot make an entire armada of the best ships and mechs because of it. However, Sir Aurelian has decided to become proactive, which is a good move considering the security he needs to uphold.” He looked to me, “It’s why he’s preparing you and Lady Ruby before he properly sends it beyond. He’s concerned, and rightfully so.”

Agnes seemed to be in thought, so I asked, “So what do we do? Aurelian alone cannot handle this, even if his factory runs at maximum capacity year-round.” Merlin nodded, “You’re correct.” He turned off the projector, his voice seemed solemn somehow, “Even with a sliver of the factory on his former planet being recovered and restored, we don’t have the means to go higher than tier three ships and tier four mechs, that’s including the price and material sourcing as well.” This was concerning, “Does Aurelian know of… this?” Merlin shook his head, “No, in fact, he’s got his hands full with the plans he’s establishing for emergency situations. His funds may be going up, but they’re not as fast anymore because of his constant expenditures to ensure the safety of the public. This also comes with underwater evacuation points for those who live near bodies of water.” My brow rose, “Why do that Merlin? It seems… strange to do.” Merlin said, simply, “It’s due to water pressure.”

He projected a simple video, “When a rocket is fired in space, it doesn’t have to worry about the atmospheric pressure breaking it, not to mention planet side since it’s also made for that. However, when the atmospheric pressure of water comes into play, it’s astronomically more difficult to target something with missiles and gunfire.” The video showed a missile crashing into the water, coming to a rapid stop, “This also makes it a good time to state that most missiles cannot function underwater, they weren’t made for it, which makes it a fair place to evacuate people to since it’s better than hoping a bunker buster doesn’t come.” I nodded as the projector turned off once more, “I see, how ingenious of him.” Agnes finally spoke, “How many ships can you supply the Empire Merlin?” Merlin thought for a moment, then said, “Not enough to fill an army, but once Sir William and Lady Ruby’s fleets are updated, I can supply you at least one powerful strike force, two if I have enough resources and have ample time before Sir Aurelian becomes an adult.”

Agnes thought for a moment, then said, “Give me a few days to converse with my council, if I come to an agreement, I’ll write up a contract with you to ensure the Empire can have that strike force, maybe even the second.” Merlin nodded, “Understood, let me send you some special rules we have in place.” After a moment, Agnes’ pad pinged, which was quite surprising considering he hadn’t approve it yet. Agnes seemed surprised, “If we give you the materials, it’ll cut the cost down by a ton!” Merlin nodded, “Due to material sourcing no longer being a factor, it means price will also dwindle as we don’t have to spend time and resources procuring them.” After a moment, Agnes asked, “Can we make tier three ships?” Merlin thought for a moment, then spoke, “Sir Aurelian, a question.” After a moment of pause, he spoke again, “An inquiry on the possibility of making tier three ships has come to me, should we do so if the individual is of high importance?”

Another moment of silence came and went, Merlin spoke once more, “Understood, thank you sir.” Merlin focused on us once more, “Good news, he has given clearance to do so, though it may be slower, thus losing the chance for a second strike force for the sake of a stronger strike force. Though, you have amazing luck, since you’re the Emperor, I have been given the green light to approve this deal.” He turned to me, “Also, he’s also given the same opportunity to you and Lady Ruby, Sir William. If this is the case, he can make it so and do as he wishes with the tier twos being produced or already produced.” I asked, curious, “What is Ruby doing about this?” Merlin stated, “Lady Ruby seems to be focusing on tier twos at the moment, which means her order will be finished faster if you choose to forge tier threes instead.” I thought for a moment, then nodded, “Let me receive tier threes, I have many planets with people who I swore to protect, so I want to ensure their safety over any cost.” Merlin nodded, “Understood, I will begin shifting prices and the order as specified.”

Agnes sighed, “This is ridiculous, I never expected I’d be considering the pros and cons of purchasing a strike force from a child.” Merlin spoke, “I never expected I’d see my master and creator again after he died all those eras ago, yet here I am, working to avert a potential crisis with him once more. Life is truly strange, but it’s up to you how you wish to perceive it.” Merlin sat down, likely to conserve processing power as he shifted orders around, “So, will you be a glass half full type of person, or a glass half empty type of person. I’m curious to what will be your view, Agnes Nova Pendragon.” Agnes chuckled, “Alright, alright, I get it. Though, I request you do not inform Aurelian of my true identity, I wish for him and Liliana to remain as close as they are without the title of royalty splitting them up.” Merlin nodded, “I will do just that, it serves my ends of seeing him happy anyway.” I took the last sip from my glass, my mind swirling with the issues at hand, “We have quite the plate to eat through, so let’s make sure we don’t choke on it.”

~~~

After one year since the unveiling of the Space Elevator, I stood in shock as I observed an order for ships that just came in… from the Emperor of the Avalon Empire himself. The note that came with is stated, “I see great potential in you, show me what you can do, Barron Aurelian Stella Flameheart.” The thought of my first order being from the Emperor himself was enough to scare me worse than the space pirates when they attacked my domain, mostly as my reputation would be on the line with this order. I said, “Merlin, make sure these ships are done perfectly, this could make or break my future as a mech and ship creator.” Merlin nodded, “Understood sir.” When I read the invoice, I also realized that, much like dad and Ruby, he requested tier three mechs with the mana core add on, he even sent me double his order of mana cores stating, “We have far to many for scientific purposes, use these as you wish to develop your mechs freely.” I felt a headache coming on, mostly as I was now processing everything I had on my list before this order came in.

I spoke, my struggles weren’t done yet, “How’re the bunkers going Merlin?” Merlin nodded, “Swiftly, they should be done head of schedule.” I followed it up with, “The flak guns I designed?” Merlin replied as swift as the first time, “Being built and installed within the Space Elevator, and much like the guns within the Space Elevator, they’re also being installed in secret locations within public places to ensure some semblance of public defense in emergency situations. Also, don’t worry about your new fleet, each fleet is functional and working at peak efficiency for both planets, even the patrol fleets are keeping the new trade routes safe.” I rubbed my temple, the headache was subsiding, but it didn’t do much to relieve the pain in my brain as I ran on overdrive, “How many other locations are we near to restoring on the forge world?” Merlin processed for a moment and said, “Another factory location has been identified, it seems to be a forge and factory mix, so we can begin refining metals on planet before moving them to the factories for construction. However, I believe cryostasis locations may be on planet.”

I was confused, I never made such things, mostly as it made no sense to me, “Are you saying some people may have built cryostasis pods to last until now?” Merlin nodded, “Indeed, though I’m not sure due to my memories after your death being locked away, so I cannot confirm nor deny that.” I nodded, “Then keep me updated on that, if we have people from that era to help us, then we’ll be a major step ahead of others.” The paperwork was growing, trade agreements and Elevator usage was skyrocketing, which meant tourism was shooting up in response to the new landmark. Nobles from all over were slowly gaining interest in my domain, which means I’ll soon be able to colonize a new planet… once I get the forge world stabilized. It’s not currently able to provide for itself if the forges weren’t running, so I wanted to fix that before colonizing yet another world since such a process was vastly more expensive than I expected. I then recalled something I should do, “Merlin, how are the warehouses on the forge world?” Merlin replied, “Nearly empty, we’ve been going through resources far too fast to make a decent stockpile.”

I decided to cover my bases, “Since not many people know of the forge world, contact Ruby and begin stockpiling resources there. If we can do that, we’ll ensure that if something goes wrong, we’ll be able to respond properly.” Merlin smiled, “Understood sir, what about the resources coming in from the orders?” I mentioned, “The forges and factories have the space for that, use those and have some other warehouses filled up last just in case we have overflow.” Merlin nodded, “I understand sir, right away sir.” I looked to the pile of daily paperwork that amassed, lucky that it wasn’t quadruple this height due to Merlin’s processing method, “At least I can do proper work in this regard though, makes my life easier overall.” Merlin nodded, “Indeed, some paperwork is easier to work with when doing it like this, even the ones who make the paperwork you sign prefer it this way too, since it lessens their load as well.” After working in silence for a moment, ensuring the paperwork was correct, I asked, “Oh, how about the mech I made Lily? How’s it coming along?”

Merlin thought for a moment, then said, “It seems like it’ll be done soon, it’ll be brought with your personal mech since it’ll be done soon as well.” I smiled, two mechs of my highest current capabilities, each made to suit the pilot to the extreme, it made drool a little just thinking about looking at them. But I quickly recovered, “To be honest, this isn’t what I expected noble life to be like.” I could tell Merlin was looking towards me, curiosity of my world likely held him in, “We always see these people at the top, able to do anything and not need to do anything either. All the power, and it usually ended up with people hating them because they abuse it. But here, I can tell the Avalon Empire truly does care about the people under its protection, it may not be the same elsewhere, but I’m glad I ended up in Avalon over any other stellar empire.” Merlin smiled as well, “I agree sir, it truly brought out the best in you that I knew was buried deep within that façade you put up all those eras ago.”

Within me, I felt a feeling tell me to ask more, “Merlin… was all the time I spent in the game… real?” He looked to me, fully focused this time, “What do you mean sir?” I put my paperwork down, realization striking me, “Did I… did we players send innocent people to their deaths for the sake of our own egos? Did I… command real people to give up their lives?” I could tell Merlin already knew what I was getting at, “I know why you ask now… but yes, every life, including the “players”, were real people. When you died, what you refer to as you “avatar”, died as well.” I felt my heart begin to hurt, how many did I alone send to their deaths thinking this world, no, universe was just ones and zeros? How many people did we “players” kill for the sake of their own egos? Merlin, however, placed his hand on my shoulder, “Despite everything, your people were willing to follow you to the ends of the universe, because you were what they aspired to be like.”

He knelt down, turned my chair towards him, and kept my eyes on him, “You were their guiding light, someone who managed to break down thousands of years of bad blood between races and let them all live in harmony. Every battle you engaged in was purely defensive, never for the sake of your greed, because you already had what you wanted. Everyone, including those from the Round, trusted you immensely. In the end, people were charging into the final battle shouting “In memory of the Forge Master!” in your name. You made an impact, to each and every soul you touched, they wanted to fight for your sake, for the one who would’ve done anything to reach the end with everyone.” What was going to be tears of sadness ended up becoming tears of joy, my heart just couldn’t take it, “Thank you, Merlin, this makes me feel better.” Even though they ended up losing it all, I at least knew they remembered me and fought on in my memory. Maybe my first life wasn’t as useless as I thought, I gave people hope of a tomorrow, and that was enough for me. I said, after I wiped my tears with a renewed vigor, “Let’s get back to work Merlin, I won’t let their fate befall the universe again.” Merlin smiled, “Right on sir.”

~~~

“You’re doing great, pretend the mech is an extension of your person, it’ll be hard now, but you’ll be rewarded for it when you master using it without assist features!” I said, piloting my own mech as I watched the green and yellow shaded mech struggle to walk. Lily said, in annoyance, “Why do I have to do this without them!? This is hard!” I smiled, “Trust me, this will make overall performance work wonders. Assist features may be good, but they dull your senses within the mech, so I want you to do it without it and be used to it.” I watched as the ears on the mech moved in accordance with what she did, mostly as it was meant to help her in combat, but they were movable to prevent damage. I made her mech resemble an elf, mostly as I understood they used to use rapiers as she did, so I drew up a mech that would… eventually make her better in combat. For now, I had to catch her yet again to ensure she didn’t fall over and hurt herself, “You’re getting the hang of it, keep going Lily, this pace is amazing!”

Lily’s face, one with tears streaming down it, appeared on my monitor, “Really? Am I doing good?” I nodded, “You are, trust me, I fell a lot too, but you managed to get further ahead of me after the same amount of time in your mech. Believe in yourself, you can do it.” Lily managed to get serious, wipe her tears and say, “Let me do it again, I can do it.” I sat her up, then stepped back as she began training again. I muted myself, my eyes looking up the space elevator, the orbital ring had begin construction just after my chat with Merlin, and it’s been a year since then. Cusping thirty-four, I had a lot to consider, especially with the fact I was going through puberty for a second time. Each year, I noticed how beautiful Lily was, and each year, this strange feeling within me continued to grow stronger.

I put my hands to my face, struggling to figure out why I thought her expressions there were the cutest thing ever, “Something has to be wrong with me, I’ve never thought of anyone like this before, so why can’t I stop?” Merlin, with a smug smile on the screen, said, “Sir, I have reason to believe you’re in love with Lady Lily.” I shook my head, “No, no way, I know what love feels like, I feel it for mom and dad, this isn’t what I feel with Lily!” It was strange, I wasn’t sure why I was responding like this to Merlin, he was just stating what he believes to be true. Merlin spoke, “Every time you see her, you always notice her beauty. You laugh with her on almost everything that contains humor. You always help her whenever she asks, even if you need to finish work yourself. You can’t seem to turn your eyes away from her as your heart beats faster just by standing next to her.”

He spoke, clearly to my ears, “You can deny it all you want, but you’re in love with her. Love for someone like this isn’t like familial love, you can see something with her in the future, and you’d love for her to be with you until you’re both old and gray.” Merlin smiled, “It’s not wrong to love someone, but in the end, you need to make the choice on what to do with these feelings.” Lily said, “Aurelian, look, I’m doing it!” When I unmuted myself and looked to her, I realized she was walking better than I ever seen at this stage. I said, in sheer happiness, “That’s amazing! I swear, you’re a prodigy!” I felt my heart soar because of her success, and in that moment, what Merlin said clicked in my head. Her success and failures were like my own, and I felt everything she did when it came to her day… I know now, I like… no, love Lily.

I felt my cheeks flush with heat as I properly realized it, quickly pushing it down since I wasn’t sure how she felt about me. Though, seeing her smile, it was enough for me to be her friend for now. I said, after muting myself again, “Merlin, don’t tell her… I want to do this myself.” Merlin had a calm smile, almost like a father to their child, “I won’t tell her, this isn’t a plan I can help with aside looking up places to eat or gifts for her.” I chuckled a little, “Never knew you could crack a joke like that.” Merlin shrugged, “I had plenty of time to consider if I could make jokes, now, she’s waiting for you.” When I looked back, I realized she was talking about her success. I began talking with her about her future and how bright it seemed by her talent, even then, she was like color on a blank canvas. She gave the stale, gray world color, and I loved every day I spent with her.