Dave sighed, acknowledging the truth in Cedez’s words, but felt undeterred by the apparent odds stacked against them. "You're right, I'm neither of those. But I am resourceful, and I learn quickly. I've managed to survive, escape from a mad God-Emperor and free Remy, and I'll do whatever it takes to help you navigate the dangerous game of power and betrayal that you’re facing."

"Why?" Cedez asked, curiosity laced with a hint of suspicion coloring her tone.

"Because I want you to be free," Dave said earnestly, his eyes meeting hers with unwavering determination.

"Free?" Cedez tilted her head at him.

"You and Remicra are exceptionally alike," Dave said firmly. "She is bound as a slave by the Bondsmen Guild, and you're bound to Shandria as the Sovereign. Neither of you got to choose your own fate."

Cedez took a moment to consider his words, her eyes reflecting the weight of her role and her future.

"In this world of magical bullshit, it seems that many are trapped by forces beyond their control," Dave continued. "But I believe that together, we can break those chains and forge our own path forward. And I'll stand by your side every step of the way, no matter if you become the Sovereign of Shandria or a nobody.”

“You would have to bring down the goverment buildings, walls and defensive towers of Shandria itself for me to be free,” Cedez shook her head. “My freedom isn’t worth the weight of lives of every person here. The power I wield at night belongs to the city. I belong to Shandria as its Sovereign and her Divine Shadow, the goddess of the darkest hour. When I’m one with the ring cloud, I only have one purpose - to defend the town from hostile invaders. My mind is fractured into a thousand shards, spread out over thousands of animalistic shadows that devour all standing outside of the pyramid-wards to empower the eternal engine beneath.”

“I don’t care,” Dave said. “I’ll find a way to free you. I’m not going to abandon you like Chadwick and run off to the capital to seek greater heaven-defying glory or whatever.”

As Cedez looked into Dave's eyes, she saw the sincerity and determination that burned within him. And for the first time in a long time, she looked like she allowed herself to entertain the possibility of a life beyond the confines of her destiny.

"Thanks," she said finally, the corners of her lips tugging up ever so slightly. "I suspected that you were just the right kind of reckless bonehead who would be willing to break my narrative."

Dave watched as Cedez's smile blossomed wide, her toothy grin visible like the first hint of a crescent moon on a cloudless night.

He yearned to take a step closer to her, to feel the warmth of her presence, but the barrier shield made from the swarm of ghost shards was already buzzing at the edge of his consciousness, preventing the full force of the girl's charisma from affecting him. It was as if the phantoms formed an invisible fence, its electrified hum a warning to keep his distance.

"I presume, hero, that in this dire hour of need, you have come to seek the aid of your almighty Sovereign," Cedez intoned with theatrical pompousness, her voice lilting and full of mischief as she jumped off the swing. Her tail swished gracefully, the dark fur gleaming like a river under the moonlight as she adopted the shawl of Empress Nox.

The charisma radiance pouring from her intensified a hundredfold, washing over Dave like a tide that threatened to consume him. He shook his head, trying to dispel the feelings of obedience to Cedez that sparked against his ghostly shield. The corner of his mouth twitched, betraying a hint of his annoyance.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll try to keep it down," Cedez said, her lips narrowing into a thin line as she examined Dave's visibly annoyed expression. "Getting a little too excited."

"Right," Dave sighed with relief as he felt the overwhelming charisma-radiance emanating from Cedez lessen. He took a moment to collect himself, his pulse steadying, before continuing. "Ummm... that's right. I went to the Bondsmen Guild."

"Ah! You've met Svenn?" Cedez's grin returned, her eyes sparkling with intrigue and mischief.

"Which one of the thirteen elkin is Sven?" Dave inquired, under the impression that Cedez was referring to the leader of the gang of teen highway robbers.

"All of them!" the dark foxgirl replied, her voice dripping with conspiratorial delight.

"Eh?" Dave's confusion was evident.

"You're not buying thirteen elkin, Dave," Cedez clarified after a brief pause, her expression teasing and playful.

"I'm not?"

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Nu-huh," Cedez confirmed, her dark tail swishing languidly behind her. "You're buying Svenn, the mold inhabiting their long-dead bodies."

"What?" Dave sputtered.

"Svenn is kind of like you," Cedez explained, her eyes brightening with interest. "He's immune to my charisma."

"Are you… collecting people immune to your charms?" Dave asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yes, I am," Cedez nodded, her expression turning serious. "As Nilix Astrix, I've surrounded myself with pompous highborn and sycophants. That strategy clearly didn't work out for me."

"You're relying on boneheads, slaves, and criminals this time around?" Dave quipped.

"Precisely," Cedez affirmed, her gaze unwavering. "If you are immune to my charisma and understand that you owe me for helping you rise to the top, a dastardly necromancer can't convince you to stab me in the back."

"Is that what happened to Steve Chadwick?" Dave inquired.

"I don't freaking know what happened to Steve, okay?" Cedez exclaimed, waving her arms angrily. "I can only assume that the ward is terrible at memory transfer between Sovereigns. Maybe some conniving individual erased my mind before killing me, or there's some sabotage happening to the engine itself."

"You think that the current Lords of Shandria are messing with the ward to keep you from remembering what they did?" Dave questioned, trying to piece together the puzzle.

"Perhaps," Cedez shrugged, her eyes narrowing in thought. "It's spread out across the entire city, yes, but it's possible to disrupt memory transmission without the ward defenses kicking in, since it's not a direct attack on the engine itself."

"The ward can defend itself?" Dave asked.

"Just like it can defend the city," the foxgirl nodded, her expression serious. "The ward IS the city; it's the keystones and supporting beams in nearly every major structure in Shandria. After Empress Nox took the city, tons of buildings were destroyed, and Shandria was rebuilt to host her Divine Shadow."

"Does the ward not defend you?" Dave inquired.

"Not really," Cedez sighed, her shoulders slumping in resignation. "I'm just the meaty host for her Divine Shadow. I'm not that important. If I fail, piss off my subjects, and get assassinated, that's on me for not being a good enough Sovereign."

"When I grabbed your wrist," Dave began, his voice tinged with apprehension, "I saw an alternative, doomed timeline. It was three months in the future, and the Dragon God-Emperor attacked Shandria."

"Yeah," Cedez sighed, her shoulders drooping under the weight of this knowledge. "I saw what you saw. We are on a deadline."

"The ward can't stop the invaders?" Dave asked, his eyes wide with concern. "What if they come during the day?"

"In an emergency, the ward can transfer power via a pinhole gate from other cities of the Empire to bathe Shandria in absolute darkness. But we are likely going to suffer massive losses regardless," Cedez explained, her voice strained with worry. "That thing he did, instantaneously summoning millions of people into a single spot, the void dot that sucks everything into itself... I might not be able to swat it away in time.

"Shit," Dave swore, his mind racing as he tried to process the dire situation they faced. The revelation of Shandria's potential devastation via a summoned black hole weighed heavily on him, and he knew that they would need to act decisively and quickly to avert such a catastrophic outcome.

"Listen," Cedez said, her tone softening. "I know you came here to apologize, but honestly, I'm the one who has to apologize to you."

"Why?" Dave asked, taken aback by her admission.

"I might have inadvertently maneuvered you to grab me," she sighed, her eyes downcast. "I really wanted to see what would happen to you, wanted to see what future awaited us."

"What?" Dave squinted at Cedez, trying to understand her motivations. Had she manipulated him into being angry with her? If so, she hadn't expected him to snap at her so harshly - she was genuinely upset at being called useless.

"Sorry," she said. "Normally, touching me fills a person's mind with absolute, immeasurable, mind-shattering happiness, but with you… you saw a proper, coherent vision, yes?"

"Yes," Dave admitted, still somewhat taken aback by the experience. "I saw Shandria fall without you. Is that why you wanted to shake my hand?"

"Yeah," Cedez said, her voice tinged with a sense of urgency. "I was more or less sure that's what would happen. I wanted you to understand and accept me and also to see what dangers awaited us in the future."

"How does it even work?" Dave asked, his mind racing with questions.

"From what I understand, the absolute charisma effect pulls on the ward of Shandria to produce a helpful vision of sorts observed by me and the chosen hero who makes a wish."

"What if I touch your hand without making a specific wish?" Dave wondered, intrigued by the concept.

"You'd get a vision regardless," Cedez said, her gaze intense. "A mind cannot function completely without desire, needs, dreams, or passion."

"Right," Dave said, mulling over her explanation. "So this… vision, how reliable is it?"

"As reliable as the ward itself," Cedez said, her voice firm. "It's a warning for both of us to take heed. If you saw an invasion, then there is a very high probability that we will be invaded too."

Dave gulped, feeling a knot forming in his stomach. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Cedez admitted with a worried look. "I really want to help protect my people, but I also lack the authority to do so. Coming out as the Sovereign will most likely get me killed, and then the invasion will happen regardless."

"Catch 22," Dave muttered with a frown, his brow furrowing with concern. "Damn, we are in quite the pickle."

"Actually, it might be possible to delay or even completely stop the invasion," Cedez said, her eyes brightening as she rubbed her arms thoughtfully.

"How?" Dave asked.

"You'd have to kill the Dragon God-Emperor, my hero," she said.

Dave's eyes bulged at her declaration.