I’ve been feeling much more lethargic in the past 24 hours. Does it have anything to do with the drugs?

“I believe you mean the lack of drugs, Master.” Judgment replied, in the same deadpan, monotone voice I had come to expect of it in the past few weeks.

Turning to my right, I looked at Lucina’s perfect face. She had fallen asleep almost an hour after we left, and she lay on me for the duration of the flight. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to have someone like her in my life.

How much I wanted to feel her weight on my own, a constant reaffirmation that she was real, and we had a connection.

And holy shit am I really thinking about these things? Judgment, what the fuck was in the stuff that I was on? Was the world always this… disgustingly romantic?

“You are only coming to grips with processing your emotions regularly. You’d been on old world anti-depressants for nearly a month, so while the benefit of them is that they are quick to leave the body system, the downside is that very same thing.”

“As such, you will probably be bombarded with such emotions until you can learn to control them yourself. If I may remind you, Master, the emotions returning to you will not only be positive, but some negative emotions as well.”

Fuck me. How do normal people in this world process this shit. I looked to my left at Reya, who was doing some work inside her own AR settings. She noticed my gaze, and turned to give me a salacious smile.

“So, how was my sister?” I looked at her in shock, and her smile grew even wider. “Please, it’s an open secret in the palace that you and Lucina are an item. I’m just curious as to what you two are up to in bed.”

I turned my head to look at Lucina, then back at Reya. Oh well, what’s the harm in saying anything. Not like Lucina’s nature is a secret to her family.

“Nothing much.” I looked up at the ceiling. “Just some traditional Master and Slave play, but I’ve been thinking of doing something that Lucina might want to try recently, but I’m not sure how to go about it.”

I looked back at the princess and my eyes widened as she was trying to hide her reddening face from me. What the hell is she getting embarrassed for? She’s the one who asked.

“Master, I believe she was looking to tease you, and perhaps get a rise out of you rather than expecting to have a genuine conversation.” I sighed and shook my head. She should start figuring out what she likes sooner rather than later. That’s what my aunt used to tell me, anyway.

“Joshua… would you consider me as a lover?” And here it comes again.

“No. We’ve been over this before. We just are too different for us to get into that kind of relationship. Friends… still a slight possibility. But lovers? Never.”

Reya’s cheeks puffed out indignantly. “We don’t even have to be real lovers! You can fuck whoever you damn well please, I just need you to be by my side on the throne! You can own my rights, sell me out like some cheap whore, even take control of all my assets. I just need you to be the king. You’re the best person for the job, and-”

Lucina started to stir as our Aircraft started to descend. The awoken princess smiled at me, and nuzzled closer to me. Breathing out deeply, I sent Reya a voice message. “Whatever you were thinking of finishing that thought with, please put more care towards your own happiness before you take care of that of your country’s.”

She gave me a frown, but said nothing more as the jet touched down on the landing pad of a massive building. We exited the building, and the first part of the Luong Empire that hit me was the smell. The entire air space above the city smelled of sanitation, like a doctor’s office back on earth. The next thing I experienced was the sight. Towers, towers everywhere. The place looked like New York on hulk-level steroids. I didn’t see a single space in the open skyline that wasn’t occupied by a tower.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of flying vehicles littered the sky. I’m guessing that’s how we get around locally, since there’s no sidewalk, or even visible ground for that matter. Is this really all in a dome?

“Yes, Master. The dome itself disperses force along it’s surface area, and is the perfect barrier against missile strikes. Or, at least, that is what is presented to the public. In truth, it’s just a shield against the prying eyes of other nations, and a countermeasure against surveillance. Albeit with a convenient side effect." Huh.

“Where are you two ladies headed? ” An asian man decked out in a black tuxedo, light blue undershirt, and a dark blue tie asked Lucina with a bow. His gaze then turned to me. “Oh… and I suppose I should ask if you’re bringing your pet along.”

We had just departed the Skyquake aircraft, and as soon as we had, the man had appeared in front of us. Like Lucina, I was no longer wearing what I had been in the Metron Kingdom. My entire outfit had been left on the plane in favor of a new Gunmetal grey bodysuit, with black polycarbonate armor on my chest, shins, arms, and waist.

My mask had been replaced with one that only covered the bottom half of my face, and not wanting to let the chance of making a cultural impact go to waste, I asked that it be stylized into a demon’s mouth.

I was against wearing a mask at first, but Lucina thought that it would be better for the country if only its royalty and a select handful of people knew my face. Since Emperor Goto wasn’t in that camp, she made the executive decision to keep it that way.

Lucina flashed him a condescending smile. “I don’t know. We came from the direction of the Metron Kingdom, and used the Metron Kingdom Embassy’s private landing pad. Whoever could we be here to see? Do you have any clue, Joshua?”

The servant was scowling openly at Lucina, and then scowled at me, although he couldn’t see the smirk that had grown on my face. “No, I don’t think I remember. Oh, maybe I have something attached to my Judgment ID that could help clear things up.”

The man looked skeptical, and in addition Reya and Lucina both looked confused. Have they really forgotten about my meeting in the colosseum already?

“The human brain is a fickle thing, Master. Even should the princesses have noticed who it was you were talking to, since the Emperor didn’t speak to them directly, their brains have far less reason to remember than yours.”

That seems very unlike royalty.

“The human brain is a fickle thing.” Judgment repeated, and I mentally agreed with the AI. I made several movements with my hands, working the AR screen in front of me to materialize an incorporeal floating image in front of the man. His face visibly paled upon seeing the family crest of Emperor Goto.

Reya looked as if she remembered where I had got it from, and Lucina’s eyes widened almost as large as the servant’s. Now ignoring Lucina and Reya entirely, the servant answered to me first.

“I am terribly sorry for the behavior this lowly servant has shown you! I will go fetch the palanquin, please wait here a moment.”

While the servant scurried off, Lucina turned to stare at me, and in turn, I looked away from her and towards Reya. “What’s wrong Reya? You’ve been awfully quiet since we arrived.”

The princess twirled her hair in thought, and opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted by Lucina.

“Ah, I can answer that.” Lucina spoke. “Reya is someone who is confident and acts like herself only when she’s in her home. Outside of that, she’s far more cautious, and far more calculating.”

I tilted my head and looked back to Reya, who shrugged. “But you were fine when we were walking outside of Redfield Palace. What changed between then and now?”

“Master, I believe that says more about what Reya perceives as her home than anything else.”

She sees the entire Kingdom as her home? How conceited and self-assured is this princess. How ridiculous.

“Nevermind.” I said to Reya publicly. Turning to Lucina, I sent her a voice message through Judgment, “So, besides visiting the Emperor, did you have anything else to do?”

Lucina tapped her foot as she thought long and hard about it. Finally, she sent, “Well, first, we need to find out who our opponent is. Emperor Goto will have quite a bit of information for us on that front, so there’s no real need to plan yet.”

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She finished speaking, but was fidgeting quite a bit, so I felt required to ask, “Is there anything else on your mind, Lucina?”

Instead of answering me directly, she sent me a message through Judgment. A message that I visibly wilted at when reading. “There’s this club I want to try out. I mean, it’s in a really high-class part of Shin Tokyo, in the aristocracy district, and I’ve never had a date to go there with before, so-”

I stopped reading the ramblings of the mad woman, and decided to focus on the servant, who had come back. “The palanquin is ready, sir. Will it be just you going to the palace, or will your dates be coming with you as well?”

Disgusting. Just because he found out that I have enough influence to meet with the emperor, he changes his tune so simply. First I was a pet, and then the moment I showed him something with no substance, no value other than it’s design, I became a ‘sir.’

“Although you do like it when people call you ‘sir’, don’t you, Master?” Not the time or place, Judgment.

“Yes, I would love if you could provide some food as well. Our flight was quite long. I’ll even put in a good word for you, Mister…” I looked at the servant for the first time. He had an ovular face, and striking brown eyes. His skin was a healthy brown, and his height was a bit smaller than mine, probably about 5’11”. He had dyed red hair, almost orange… or maybe it was genetically made that way, with improbably spiking protruding in all directions.

“Akito!” He spoke his name. The servant’s eyes were practically shining. “Please, step into the vehicle, I will be right with you. Any preferences?”

I looked to the princesses, both of whom were practically salivating at the prospect of a meal. “I’ve heard good things about the farm-grown Kujira.” Lucina eventually said.

“Oh, but the Iruka is apparently to die for!” Reya exclaimed, apparently having regained some of her former vigor.

“Right away, Madams.” The servant took off, and the three of us shuffled towards the hovercar. The exterior was a metallic crimson red, very sleek, and with many curved surfaces. One such place was the hood of the car, which sloped down and came to a point flush with the propulsion covers.

The interior reminded me of the inside of a luxury limousine. Although, I guess all limousine’s were luxurious. There was a blacked out glass panel in between the driver’s seat and the back of the vehicle, which was spacious. It had an ovular table that was connected to the floor, and a mini refrigerator under each chair.

Once inside the spacious vehicle, I turned my gaze to Lucina. “Please excuse me if I’m being an idiot, but what are Iruka and Kujira?”

She looked at me like I was an idiot, but then her gaze immediately softened. “I keep forgetting that you aren’t from Ethia. Then again, they do translate into words found in your world. Iruka means dolphin, and Kujira means whale.”

“That’s illegal, isn’t it?” I recoiled, and Lucina scoffed.

“Maybe in your world, but not here. They’re rare, farm grown delicacies, each only available to those with means and power.” She smirked, the reaction irking me a bit.

“Ah, so like Kobe Beef?” Lucina’s eyebrows raised, and she let out an exhausted sigh.

“How do you know about that delicacy, but not the other two. You’re a curious person, Mr. Cole.”

I didn’t want to break the mystique by telling her that Kobe beef was a delicacy in both worlds, so I kept quiet. Soon, the servant came back with two bento boxes, one with whale for Lucina, and the other with dolphin for Reya.

Reya started digging into hers, and wore the happiest and most genuine smile I had seen her with in the month that I had been there. Huh, a foodie, I guess.

“Would you like to stop anywhere besides the palace, sir?” The servant asked after a while. I thought about it, and Lucina looked at me pleadingly, obviously alluding to her earlier message.

Sighing, I responded, “Not before then, no, but would you be available to drive us after our visit with the Emperor concludes?”

The driver’s eyes widened, and a goofy grin appeared on his face. “Of course, sir! You need only request my driver ID, which your Judgment Panel can copy on the drink menu on top of the table. Anything else you may require?”

“None, thank you for your help, Akito.” The man nodded, a grin still present on his face, and turned back to the road. Or rather, what would have been the road. We were currently flying through the air at a breakneck speed.

Looking around, I saw a maelstrom of cars doing the same, and decided to close the window to the driver’s seat. I turned towards the girls as they were eating and asked, “How the hell do all these cars not fly into each other?”

Reya looked at me curiously. “What’s a car?” Fuck my life, could she not figure out from the context alone-

“If you mean the palanquin,” Lucina spoke, “or by extension the kuurumas, then they have a guiding system that takes them on more than three hundred designated air paths. In fact, our driver isn’t really driving, but just directing which air path the palanquin will take.”

What a strange world.

“Forget about that though, would you like to try some whale?” She held out a piece of the fried mammal with ornate chopsticks, and I had to think for a moment.

On one hand, it is unethical… but at the same time, I’ll probably never have a chance at eating it if I ever go back to America.

My mind stalled as I thought about what I shouldn’t have, opening a wave of depression stemming from never being able to see my mother again, and the pain she must be feeling now.

Despite how many times we butted heads, she was my best friend, and was always there for me to lean a shoulder on when I needed it.

My heart tightened, and I grabbed the whale meat from Lucina’s chopsticks with my bare hands, voraciously eating the meat to distract myself from those thoughts.

Our hour long ride passed in relative silence after that, and we finally departed the palanquin, Akito waving us goodbye as he flew away. On top of the roof of the massive building, I took stock of the area around us. Is this really the palace, Judgment?

“Yes, Master, it is called the Steel Palace.”

But it’s… the same as every other fucking building here! On the way over, I couldn’t distinguish between buildings, but now I was even more confused. It just looks like a god damned business building I’d see in the financial district in America!

“Yes, Master. Having combed your memories I am well aware of the point of reference. However, what distinguishes these buildings is not what’s above ground, but rather, what is under it.”

I waited for a further explanation, but when none came, I merely sighed and started to explore the roof, figuring that all would be explained in due time.

There was only one fixture on the roof, and that was an elevator. We stepped towards the box for the elevator together, and a woman dressed in a red kimono with a white cherry blossom pattern stepped out of said box.

It was hard not to look the sensual woman up and down. Her ovular face curved into a perfect chin, and her rose-red lipstick stuck out against the paleness of her skin. A beauty mark lay underneath her left eye, and her long lashes drew one’s gaze toward her sky-blue irises. Her hair was on the shorter side, and came to a stop three quarters of the way down her ear. I couldn’t tell her proportions from underneath the kimono, but her legs were long. They came to an end in rope sandals. “They’re called ‘waraji,’ Master.” I did my best to ignore Judgment as the woman bowed to us.

“Greetings, Faceless Demon.” She then turned to Lucina to my right and Reya to my left. “It has been a while, Lucy. Is this one Reya then? My, how you’ve grown!”

“Akahime! Wow, it's been so long!” Reya lunged at Akahime, who steadily caught the Metronian princess in her arms.

“Come now, I told you to call me Akahime Nee-san, didn’t I?” Reya blushed and looked away timidly.

“But it feels like cultural appropriation… and the others will definitely make fun of me for it.”

“Nonsense.” Akahime scoffed, pinching Reya’s nose. “It’s only cultural appropriation if it’s harming the culture. You’re just keeping it alive in a different way. Plus, who cares about the people that will make fun of you. You shouldn’t give the time of day to anyone who laughs at another’s interest in culture.”

Reya smiled and rubbed her head against Akahime, who smiled. I turned to Lucina and saw a strained smile on her face.

“Come on.” Lucina said, walking towards the elevator door. “We have some business with your father. I’m sure you’re aware.”

Akahime flashed a playful grin and practically peeled Reya off of her, following Lucina into the shaft. “Certainly. From what I understand, father only desires to speak to the demon. You can both come to my room and… discuss where you found your latest toy.”

Once we were all in the elevator, it started to descend at a rapid rate, and even though I could feel the g-forces on my body, the ride felt relatively sturdy. We rode in silence, but from the occasional prodding and elbowing going on between Akahime and Lucina, I could only guess that they were exchanging private messages.

Stepping out of the elevator, a servant came to lead me down a hallway, whilst Akahime took the two princesses to her room. Is this the same building, Judgment?

“Yes, Master. You are coming to a window soon, I propose that you take stock of your location.”

Like she said, I saw natural light leaking in from the window, and walked towards it. I nearly lost my breath at the sight below me. There was an entire city underground, and not only that, on the ceiling of the gargantuan cavern were multiple buildings hanging upside down, in all shapes and sizes.

Judgment, where am I? “You are in the underground city of Chichu, Master. The city on the cavern’s floor is Chika, and we just came from Chijyo. Chichu is the aristocracy’s portion, Chijyo is the middle class, and Chika is the equivalent of the slums. Let me send you an image of the Steel Palace from it’s Chichu side.”

I received the image, and nearly lost my breath again. I was in a seven storied golden pagoda that pointed straight downwards with it’s base being connected to the cave’s ceiling, and the tip pointing towards Chika.

“Excuse me sir, the Emperor is on a tight schedule today.” I took that as my queue to stop gawking, and followed the servant to a red door adorned with gold dragons. The Servant opened it, and stepped aside.

“Gotoshi, it’s been a while.” The emperor turned to me, and I noticed that his throne room looked more like the office of a CEO. Even his regal garb was that of an elaborately decorated business suit.

“That’s Emperor Hoshizora while we’re speaking business. So how about it, have you decided to work for me, youngling?”

“Unfortunately, I am a Paladin in the Metron Kingdom at the moment, and can’t accept your request. I have come to speak with you about a person who was selling state secrets to the yakuza, and want a situation report on the gang activity in the area, if that is doable.”

Gotoshi sighed and put down his papers on the desk in front of his throne. “Hmm, that’s less than satisfactory.” Gotoshi mumbled, looking at the ceiling and taking a deep breath. Then he looked back at me. “How about this? For your undying loyalty to the Luong Empire, I’ll give you one of my daughters. Sounds like an even trade, right?”