The man who eventually strides through the same door the guard from earlier disappeared through is a man who stands a bit shorter than I do but he has a similar complexion and is a firmly muscular man. He is wearing golden-colored metal pants and nothing else, and he has a mildly concerned look on his face. He is accompanied by the guard and the two of them immediately look in my direction, spotting me instantly.

I hear his heart begin to speed up when he sees me, and I can’t say that I blame him. I’m an unknown figure standing in the bedroom reserved for the emperor or his heir, and I’m surrounded by thronemaidens. Even if he’s not eager to profess his loyalty, this is such a surreal situation that it might well be confusing and anxiety-inducing. He doesn’t let any level of confusion or uncertainty appear on his face, though. When he reaches us he does a gesture that I recognize as something akin to a salute to Sif and the other thronemaidens, who return the gesture respectfully.

“General fal’Iome, there is no easy or simple way to explain this but we are in the imperial bedroom because the figure with us is… the future emperor.” Sif says, which makes the man gasp in shock. I watch as he studies me curiously, and I sense the ether in me continues to transform me even as the man eyes me and looks me over. I step forward and smile at the man.

“Hello, General. My name is Ignacio tel’Avos. I was born on Earth, a veiled world where I have been told that one of my more distant ancestors, a man who was simultaneously a nova and an imperial prince, fled after being born in Etherscape during the commencement of the chaos following his grandfather’s, the emperor at the time, death.” I say, explaining a tiny bit of what I know regarding Etherscape’s history. The man nods at me, as he takes in the full implications of what I’m saying.

“I see…” He mutters, before suddenly gasping and falling to his knees, bowing before me. I smile and laugh gently before remarking on his actions.

“While I respect and admire your commitment to recognizing your situation, I don’t think that’s necessary right now. You had no idea who I was before just now, I think a lack of decorum is understandable and forgivable.” I tell the man, causing him to smile and slowly stand back up. He then turns to Sif and is quiet for a second, almost certainly gathering his thoughts, before speaking.

“Sif… You found him.” The general says, awe slipping into his voice. I am a bit impressed at this man’s acceptance of Sif’s remarks, but it’s clear that he trusts her. I suppose it’s because he seems to be a part of the imperial faction, though I do recognize the “Iome” part of his name as belonging to one of the families that was helping fund the search for me. The “Fal’” part is a bit strange though…

“Yes Tepat, I did.” She says, beaming at the man. I don’t interrupt her during this moment of pride and joy, and I wait a few moments before speaking up.

“I’m sorry y’all, but I still don’t know what comes next.” I remark, which makes the two of them smile at me.

“Of course your majesty. Events have transpired so quickly since we first heard word of your existence as a definitive fact.” Sif responds, apologetically.

“The next step is for us to contact the hegemonies. There IS a test which will confirm your identity as a matter of fact, but it’s important that it be done in the presence of at least half of the rulers of the hegemonies the first time it is done, so we can’t go ahead and do it right now.” Sif adds, revealing something intriguing. I glance at her and let my thoughts appear on my face, which she notes with a smile.

“Every imperial palace, this one included, has a prominent throne in the middle of its… Well, throne room. The throne is an ethermantic artifact, a relic of immense power, known somewhat uncreatively as the ‘Throne of Power’. These thrones can be synced to individual hegemonic rulers and to members of the tel’Avos line, and if someone not of the linked line or higher in the government sits on one of them they… are subjected to intense pain that lasts for a week. And they are violently tossed off of the throne.” Sif says, her voice quieting a touch at the end there. I nod as I take in this revelation and then let out a dark laugh.

“Whoa…” I say, causing her to look at me embarrassedly.

“This IS a formality and nothing more your majesty, but it will silence skeptics, and silencing skeptics is important during the beginning of the transition from a state of disunity and independence to a more centralized, connected state of affairs. S.T.A.R.S.H.R.O.U.D. is correct, you are of the Tel’Avos line and your abilities as a nova, which are physically manifesting right now, are confirmation of your identity. Still, it’s been half a million years, closer to seven hundred thousand years actually, since the last emperor was alive.” Sif remarks.

“Skepticism from a lot of different parties will be expected, reasonable even. This test will be sufficient proof of your identity in the eyes of all but the most conspiratorial.” The thronemaiden tells me, and I can’t really argue with her logic there. I relax and look at her curiously.

“So what will happen between now and that test?” I remark, curiously. This time it’s Star who speaks up.

“Well, my liege, the next step in this process is to send messages to the hegemonies and our close allies such as the ambassador from Clearbrass Estate and the diplomatic attache from Sorothustra. After that we have to wait for the hegemonic rulers and the important allies we’re inviting to appear before we can conduct the test.” Star states.

I have to hide my smile when she mentions “Sorothustra”, as Delphi actually mentioned what I assume are the native people of that planet when she was listing my powers earlier in the day. She said they could use magic so strong it could affect planets and that my own magic was roughly as strong.

“Never before have we sent out a message like the one we will be sending. Thanks to my potent powers we’ve never been tricked by an impostor or pretender. The fact that we are sending out a message revealing your existence is itself a powerful sign that we believe and are willing to stake our credibility on the idea that you are the legitimate heir.” Star explains, which is actually quite reassuring. Still that doesn’t explain what I will be doing in the meantime…

“So… what will I be doing while all of this background stuff is going on?” I ask, which causes my thronemaidens to smile. Even the general laughs lightly.

“Well my liege… You’ll have free time. Which given the hecticness of the last few hours is probably a bit refreshing.” Sif says, brightly. I turn to face her and nod, as what she’s said is true. It’s been just under two hours since my life was irrevocably changed and the changes are showing no signs of stopping or even meaningfully slowing down.

The next few minutes pass in a blur. Soon the general leaves us and my established retinue, the thronemaidens and the oracles and I find ourselves alone, at least if we discount the guards who are here doing their jobs. I begin to explore the imperial suite and am accompanied by the maidens.

The imperial suite is a vast set of rooms. There are small libraries filled with books on local history and generalized topics of differing levels of importance to ethermancers, numerous multipurpose rooms that are currently empty and undecorated, and a set of adjoining chambers for myself that I didn’t notice when I first entered the suite because the door leading to them was behind the teleporter.

The adjoining chambers include rooms for each of the seven head thronemaidens which are the only personalized rooms in the suite so far. Sif’s room is bare and defensible with only some personalizations such as a map of one of the planes. Thevah’s room is filled with artwork. Chyliss’s room is a completely bare place filled with weapons and a desk on top of which are countless sets of notes. The twins don’t share a room, to my surprise, and one of them, Belah, has a nature-themed room. Binah has a room filled with small ethertech devices.

Shelanvaranda’s room is covered in the flags and emblems of the hegemonies she’s visited. I am a bit surprised to not count one hundred different designs, hinting that she’s never actually seen all one hundred hegemonies. Velvet’s room is filled with items that, to my surprise, are from Earth. I notice books written in English, Spanish, and French, which so far are the only books I can read that I’ve seen since I arrived in Etherscape. One of the first times I speak since my free time began is because of this.

“Velvet, how did you get Earth books?” I ask her, when the thronemaidens and I are exploring the room. This revelation, that that’s what she has, surprises her companions. She smiles at me as she responds.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“We’ve known that Earth was going to be your birthplace. Some of us, particularly thronemaidens under my command, took care to learn what we could about the planet and the veiled solar system.” She explains, casually uttering something that makes me freeze and look at her curiously.

“Wait a minute… The ‘Veiled Solar-System’? Like… from the sun to the Oort Cloud?” I ask, which makes her nod brightly.

“The veil is most important and impactful on Earth but it covers much more than just the planet. If it was limited to the planet itself then when humans left Earth they would naturally leave the veil’s effects and become able to see the supernatural.” Velvet says.

“Every planet in the solar system has supernatural life and advanced civilizations which interact with each other. I’ve used various connections to get materials from Earth and to understand what life is like for humans on the veiled world.” Velvet tells me, smiling at me.

“I’ve even found ways to watch Earth movies and television shows! I find the antics of the boys and girls of the Malibu Beach House to be quite amusing.” She reveals while flashing me a cat-like smile. I vaguely recognize the reference she’s making to some older television show that was quite popular when I was a kid. Meanwhile, I’m still grappling with the sudden revelation that there is life elsewhere in the solar system of my birth. I also wonder about something important aloud.

“Wait is the universe… just filled with life?” I ask, and that makes my thronemaidens smile at me.

“Well sire, yes. Now plenty of planets don’t have life but the galaxy you’re from has tons of life. Humans can’t see it because they can’t glimpse past the veil and most life, even plenty of humans, have magical abilities of some sort. Even the barest traces of magic render humans ‘Exotics’ as per the rules which seem to dictate how the veil operates.” Sif tells me, causing me to turn and face her.

“I’ve also deployed scouts to your homeworld, though it was long ago. I wanted to find out how the veil operated, and my agents talked to some of the supernatural lifeforms on the planet. They encountered and conversed with gods, and temporarily resided in a place named Atlantis. The whole city of Atlantis is invisible and incorporeal to mundane humans but exotic humans and plenty of monsters live there. We believe it may well be the focal point of the veil as there is a vast machine of some sort that mundanes simply CANNOT perceive located in the middle of the city. No one knows what it does, but it certainly resembles some of the omegatech I’ve seen.” Sif says, which stuns me into silence for a moment. I only speak after nearly a full minute of silence.

‘I definitely want to see the veiled worlds. I know I won’t be able to go for a while, possibly a long time, but I still want to see them someday.” I eventually say, desiring to gain a full picture of the solar system of my birth. I then look at the other thronemaidens and realize something odd.

“How can I still understand you? I get that there was some sort of universal translation effect on the End of Time,” I say, referring to the city I am now the apparent lord of. A wrecked, hyper-tech city. “But how can I still do it here?” I ask, and this time it’s Thevah who speaks up.

“Oh, I can answer that. Is there any chance you’re super fast? And by that I mean… I mean faster than some spaceships.” She replies, and I smile and nod. Her eyes fill with joy when I say this.

“That’s what it is. Some powers synergize well with Etherscapian biology, and super speed is a particularly notable example of that. Super speeders from Etherscape are noted for their brilliance, even among super speeders, and it’s been confirmed that they have an enhanced learning speed. I suspect some part of you was absorbing the language we spoke while we were at the End of Time and now you can just utilize it as readily as you can utilize English or Spanish.” Thevah tells me, flashing me a lovely smile as she reveals this. I am satisfied by this explanation, as such an explanation would be bolstered by my enhanced brain anyway, and we settle into a period of relaxation.

We wander back to my bedchamber and I ask my companions for information regarding the abilities of a nova. All the while I explain that I know of my other powers but not those belonging to me due to my Etherscapian background.

“Well, novas can do anything ethermancers can do.” Shelanvaranda tells me.

“Ethermancers are capable of just about any otherwise normal magical feat, which can be everything from bringing back the dead to opening portals to distant worlds, but in Etherscape such acts are much, much easier so long as ethermancers are the ones doing them.” She continues.

“Some of the abilities somewhat unique to or otherwise tremendously powerful in the hands of the novas are things like… Super speed. A nova who is a speeder can travel at speeds faster than light speeds in space. Super strong novas can heft planets and have been seen using them as weapons in the right circumstances.” Shelanvaranda tells me, before turning to the others and letting one of them speak. Binah is the next one to chime in.

“There was one nova, the first, who was insanely durable. He was only defeated in battle by an ascendant who was hired by a terrorist group. His death was tragic, as the ascendant in question was incensed after taking a powerful blow from the nova and slew him, reneging on the deal he made with the hegemony. The ascendant was supposed to kidnap him, not kill him.” Binah tells me, frowning as she reveals that bit of ancient history. I pause and ask her about ascendants, having heard the term before. Sif is the one who replies to me, though, having smiled as soon as she heard me ask that question.

“Well, my liege, ascendants are… Reality breaking nightmares. There are four known types of ascendants and they each correspond to a lesser type of creature. Sanguinarchs are ascended undead who have traits that resemble both a vampire and a lich. Archdemons are ascended fiends, a term for all evil atrophied souls, and an evil atrophied soul eventually becomes a demon, devil, or any other sort of great, usually malicious, being. Dragon Lords are ascended dragons. Cosmic gods are ascended gods and very, very rarely ascended angels.” Sif announces.

“Ascended beings are capable of traveling throughout the multiverse almost as easily as the greatest Omega Lords could, capable of feats like freeform, nearly unlimited range teleportation, and can fight entire solar systems on their own even in grievously wounded states. Each of the four types of ascendants has unique powers and traits and they are, collectively, the most powerful type of beings that exists in any meaningful numbers. Throughout the multiverse, there are surely thousands of ascendants, if not more, but each ascendant is unique in some way and entire universes may not have or be the birthplace of even a single ascendant.” Sif says, educating me.

“Ascendants are powerful beyond the ability of words to meaningfully convey. They embody power in various forms and are so mighty that their abilities are not disrupted or weakened by ether which normally disrupts all other powers and weakens even the magic of the cosmic djinn and the people of Sorothusthra.” Sif reveals, causing me to blink in astonishment. That certainly explains why no one has tried to conquer the place, at least anyone weaker than an ascendant.

“Funnily enough, the ultimate defense Etherscape has against ascendants is also one of its greatest defenses against everyone else. Ascendants themselves. A very, very tiny handful of ascendants have been allowed to settle in Etherscape, and there exists an unbelievably ancient pact sealed between one of your most distant known ancestors, an etherscapian queen who predates the empire, and three dozen primevally ancient ascendants. They agreed to protect Etherscape from each other and other ascendants rather than try to conquer the place, as a way to keep this place’s potent resources out of the hands of their rivals and to keep their rivals, old and new alike, from acquiring the power that’d come with conquering Etherscape.” Sif says, and there is a tone in her voice of abject admiration. To be fair to her, what she’s just revealed is a masterstroke of diplomacy…

Even from what I know of Etherscape, which isn’t much, this place is a wonder. The power in the air here is so mighty that it can weaken gods themselves, which seems to make this place a nightmare to try and conquer for anyone weaker than an ascendant or a being on my supposed level of power. The only creatures who might be able to conquer this place are ascendants, but if doing so would anger other ascendants this place is effectively guaranteed to be self-governing for as long as the pact holds.

“My ancestors were amazing…” I softly remark, which makes everyone around me smile. My words are honest, sincere conveyances of the awe I feel when I hear of figures like the Omega Lords or the past rulers of Etherscape. A growing part of me is wondering how I could match the sort of mythic tales told about those who came before me, and about how I can grow into the sort of emperor this empire needs and deserves. I was just an office worker, I sold various products to all sorts of customers, I was not in politics or anything particularly impressive and now I’m told that I have all of these incredible abilities…

“My liege you are also amazing. Your heritage gives you an inheritance unlike any I could ever imagine. You are the inheritor of technology which reshapes reality itself, technology so mighty it makes ascendants nervous. And you have inherited Etherscape as well. Our population is unbelievably vast, a thousand planes the smallest of which is far larger than the galaxy you were born in, teeming with life. There are more ethermancers in some hegemonies than there are lifeforms in what your species dubs the Milky Way Galaxy.” Velvet tells me, speaking softly but reassuringly.

“If you combine your powers and the resources you have as an emperor, as well as the alliances you both inherit, and will surely make the sort of impact you want to make on the multiverse.” She says, confidently.

“If you wish to conquer, to spread the glories of Etherscape elsewhere, you will find your military responsive to your desires. If you wish to spread your influence and power diplomatically, there are quintillions of diplomats eager to do just that. If you want to take decades cementing your power here, there are sages ready and eager to advise you. Once you’ve proven you are owed your birthright, the multiverse will turn to watch what you do next.” Chyliss informs me, speaking gently even as she puts her hand on my shoulder.

I smile at the words of my servants, and acknowledge their correctness. I am not alone, and I don’t need to do things alone. I have capable allies and servants who scoured the multiverse looking for me, going to its very end, somehow, and endeavoring for decades about how to reach me. I am lost in thought momentarily when Chyliss begins to speak.

“But going back to your initial questions about your powers as a Nova… Other novas had strange powers over space, capable of all sorts of mysterious feats like opening portals that allowed someone to travel from one hegemony to another, and a single nova had the ability to kill or resurrect people instantly. Even hegemonic rulers were not immune to the power, as one particularly aggressive ethermancer discovered to his chagrin. That nova was named Mara and she was the first natural nova, the eldest child of the first nova.” Chyliss explains, and both powers fascinate me. I glance at my hands curiously, wondering if those same powers exist within me, especially since I already possess a great deal of personal power.

After this, we settle down for a bit and I kill time by having Sif bring me history books from the small libraries in the suite. I have them read to me, to begin to fill me with knowledge regarding Etherscape. Hours pass by uneventfully and before I realize it it has become evening. The next truly eventful part of my first day in Etherscape begins with Sif receiving a message from someone in the palace that dinner is prepared and that some of the hegemonic rulers and their children have arrived. Sif and the thronemaidens escort me out of my chambers and we walk towards one of the areas we explored earlier. As we walk my enhanced senses allow me to hear the surprisingly closeby sounds of various ethertech machines going off, and when I hear new footfalls I instinctively wonder if I’ve heard ethertech teleporters.

In almost no time at all I find myself in front of a vast door leading to what I assume must be an opulent dining hall. My thronemaidens walk towards the door and put their hands on it, waiting for me to signal that it’s time to open the thing. When I do, I do so nervously but excitedly. I am eager to meet the rulers of the hegemonies, at least the first ones to arrive, and to make a first impression on some of the women I suspect will be my first brides. I signal to my thronemaidens to open the door and they do so. The noise alerts the people on the other side, who turn to face me and as they lay their eyes on me their expressions shift in a range of ways. At the same time I’m delighted to see them and I smile widely and personably as I walk forward and step past the open door into what I correctly assumed would be an elegant, decadently furnished dining room.