Later that evening I found myself in a peculiar setting. In a box high above the arena, a glass screen muffling the noise from the excited crowd, I sat at a long table enjoying an extravagant feast.

  Soon Chrysus would announce the next match up, but for now that was the furthest thing from my mind, which was focused solely on the person in front of me.

  The Empress of The Rising Sun was a radiant beacon in an otherwise desolate landscape. A single rose blooming in a wasteland. The thirst quenching first drop of water on parched lips. You get my point, she was very pretty, but more than that she was powerful and she exuded a royal presence like none I’d met so far in this world. In a way, she reminded me of my wife, but not nearly as terrifying.

  “Lucas, it is good to see you, old friend,” she said with a curt nod, her crown of chain-linked jewels dipping slightly below her hairline and brushing the top of her forehead. “I was delighted to hear of your coronation. Forgive me for my bluntness, but is this meeting perhaps an attempt to rekindle our broken arrangement?”

  Lucas had already explained this to me on the way here. Apparently, when he was a much younger man, and before his father disowned and banished him to Havar, he was arranged to marry the Empress – though she was a princess back then. Supposedly, powerful families often arranged marriages for their children as a way of strengthening ties and forming alliances, just like they once did on Earth. Panda had told me that it was a tradition that harkened back to a time when war was rife in Celestia. Now, however, the tradition referred more to the strengthening of trade agreements. Like if Elon Musk married off his kid to a Bezos.

  “Nothing would please me more Empress,” Lucas replied with a slick smile. “However, I don’t expect we’ll have much time to engage in nuptials any time soon. Celestia is about to enter a dark period, the likes of which we have not had to endure in many lifetimes. That is what I’m here to discuss.”

  “A pity,” she said with a sly smile. “I might have considered a proposal from a king.”

  Supposedly she had remained unmarried since claiming the throne. Something about proving her strength and a refusal to conform to the traditions of the past. It was all very Elizabethan.

  “Highness,” Gonzo half choked as he rushed through a bite of meat to try and get his words out. “I would counsel you to strongly consider her offer. A formal alliance of that magnitude with a woman of her prestige would strengthen Havar for years to come.”

  The Empress smiled and I was pretty certain she was trying not to laugh at the red-faced bureaucrat as she took a delicate bite of something that looked a lot like a chicken drumstick.

  “You don’t know much about women do you?” Taylor said, “flirtatious table talk and an actual proposal are quite different you know.”

  Gonzo flushed a deeper shade of red and disappeared back into his dinner plate, muttering about decorum and “stupid cats.”

  “I was going to wait until after diner to broach the topic,” Lucas continued, completely ignoring his aides. “But since it’s already been brought up, I would like to enter Havar into a formal alliance with your empire. I believe we are natural allies, with Diako as your head of state already.”

  Panda: Head of state is an honorary role. He’s just the most worshipped god in the east. Chrysus is technically the head of state here on the continent but in the west it’s rarely mentioned because Athena is still the most worshipped. Diako’s actual base of operations is in a city state he founded centuries ago, though I don’t know where it is, it’s said to be like an assassin’s fortress of sorts, hidden away. To my knowledge it isn’t located in the east.

  Panda messaged, answering my questions. He sat quietly beside me, feeding me information and I was glad for his company. Fighting, I could do. But all this political stuff had me a bit out of my depth. Nevertheless, I needed help and this was the proper way to go about getting it.

  “I will consider your proposal old friend,” The Empress nodded politely. “But it is rude to talk of business whilst eating, so perhaps we can shelve this topic for now? Besides, I would much rather discuss your new friend. Usually I wouldn’t concern myself with champions but this one has rather piqued my interest.”

  I looked up from my food at her words and she was staring at me like a lion sizing up an antelope. Her hands were crossed under her chin and she was ignoring her own food as she gazed at me.

  “Tell me, Champion of Diako, what brings you to my table this evening?”

  “Lucas mostly,” I replied.

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  She let out a single, muted chuckle. “Indulge me, if you will. You are not of this world are you?” I was about to answer but she cut me off, not waiting for a reply. “Tell me of your world, I would love to hear of it.”

  “What makes you say that, Empress?” I asked, sitting back in my chair and ignoring the delectable food on my plate for a moment.

  “It is obvious,” she shrugged. “If you were from this world you would be far more nervous, and I would have heard of you. Yet my sources found no record of your existence from before a few months back. In that time you’ve raised your level extraordinarily quickly and bounced onto the world scene like a flea swapping dogs. You might not know this, but even the strongest Celestian levels up slowly. You, however, have jumped from a temporary adventurer, to just shy of silver rank in no time at all. Only those loved by the system have that kind of aptitude for levelling and it is known that the system favours outworlders. That is why it brings your kind here.”

  “Huh,” I said, taking a sip of wine as she watched me curiously. “And here I was thinking the system hated me. Dragging me from my home and placing a map piece on my back so all the most powerful people of your world would hunt me. Maybe it’s different here, but where I’m from, that’s definitely not a sign of having someone’s favour.”

  She obviously knew that I was an outworlder, she just wanted to phrase it as a question. I didn’t know why, but I was happy to play ball if that would get her on my side. It did get me wondering though: was I favoured by the system? I had lots of evidence to the contrary, but in fairness, I had levelled up very fast and I even had a unique class which I had been told was exceptionally rare.

  “You are funny, Kaleb Akabane,” she turned to Lucas, “you didn’t tell me he was funny.”

  “Don’t go proposing to him, he’s already married.” Lucas said dryly.

  “A pity,” she turned back to me, “but surely your marital duties would not impede on you telling me of your home world?”

  “It’s not too different to this one. The map is pretty similar, but we don’t have magic, or a system. Humans are the only sentient species and they cover the entire globe in population sizes that are much larger than Celestia’s. There are no gods, at least none that anyone has ever met, and our technology is much more advanced than yours – probably because we don’t have magic.”

  Though even here, I don’t have magic. Yeah, the system definitely doesn’t favour me.

  “Advanced technology? Tell me about it.”

  “Well we have this thing called the internet. It’s kind of like the system, but you access it through a small device with a screen, kind of like your lacrima screens, and on it you can message people, create and watch videos and images, you can create entire worlds on it too, we call them video games, where you play as a character. It’s also a hub of information. Almost anything you could ever want to know is recorded on there and anyone with access can search it to gain knowledge.”

  “That sounds very much like the system to me,” she replied, her eyes lighting up as I told her about Earth.

  “I guess so.”

  “And these video games interest me. I would much like to play as a character on a screen sometime. If I ever get the chance to visit your world I imagine I would enjoy trying this.”

  I nodded and tried not to laugh, taking a sip of wine to hide my amusement. As I drank I glanced around the table to see that everyone else was staring at me in awe as well. I guessed I’d never really spoken much about Earth before. They seemed enthralled, Gonzo most of all. He was practically drooling, though his face still held the reddish hue from his earlier embarrassment.

  I bet an online filing system would be a dream come true for him. A bureaucrat through and through.

  “I like you,” The Empress said, “It is decided. I will offer to aid you however I can. Now, Lucas and I must retire to a more private setting to discuss this new alliance he so eagerly seeks.” She nodded and stood, “as a young woman, men desired me because of my looks. Now, they desire me because of my power. I wonder if one day someone will desire me for me.” She smiled but I saw a hint of genuine sadness in her eyes.

  “Probably not,” Taylor said and before she could finish speaking, Lucas shot her a deadly glare and she shut her mouth, widening her eyes. Lucas opened his mouth to chastise her. The Empress spoke first.

  “Do not admonish her for speaking the truth, Lucas. It is a quality that rulers so rarely get from their subjects. In time, I’m sure you’ll come to appreciate it. Besides, she is likely correct. It seems that the more powerful you get, the less freedom you have. I’m sure I’ll come to terms with it one day.” She raised her glass and the rest of the table joined her in a toast. “To duty and honour, for without it we are no better than the monsters we slay.”

  ***

  “It is time to announce the second battle,” Chrysus said, once again flying high above the arena and holding the hat filled with names.

  I had returned to Havier’s box to watch the announcement. My brain felt fuzzy, how had my life suddenly become so complicated? Juggling alliances with gods and rulers and awaiting my turn to fight to the death in an arena. All to foil Chrysus’ plot and hopefully get one step closer to the power I needed to accomplish my own goal of bringing my family to Celestia. In a way, I missed the simplicity of the training zone.

  It’ll all be worth it in the end.

  “The first contender will be Mistress Labia, representing Phonoi!” He shouted, clicking his fingers as her name appeared in the sky like fireworks to the sounds of cheering.

  “I don’t know anything about her,” Rex said and Panda nodded his agreement.

  “If she follows the god of murder then I think we can expect quite the show,” Asmodeus added. He was perched on the edge of the box like a stone gargoyle. His new size was useful, but it made it harder for him to stay with me. Still, I felt his presence close by the entire time I was in the stadium. It was comforting. “If you face her, don’t hesitate. My demon lord namesake had a fondness for her god, she is fearsome and ruthless. But you will still win, I’m sure of it. I can’t have you dying and sullying my good name.”

  I chuckled at him slightly and took a deep breath.

  “And she will be facing…” Chrysus said, digging his hand elbow deep into the seemingly bottomless hat. A smile cut his face. “My very own champion, The Desert Samurai!”