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1201 Words
Matt glared at Aster, who was shooting him smug thoughts as she had broken out of the mesmerization in mere minutes.
Mara laughed and ruffled Aster’s fur as she said, “Don’t compare yourself to Aster. It’s only normal that us beasts are better than simple humans.”
She threw her head back and laughed theatrically as flames flickered around her.
The Emperor shook his head and nodded slightly to Matt. “She’s not wrong about beasts being harder to compel, but the dragon blood that you found is also playing a massive part in her defense. Normally, the hypnosis effect of my Talent can hold even a beast for a few hours. Someone who tries to peer deeper is usually caught up for a day or two. It’s telling that you delved that deep but pulled yourself out. And prescient to the conversation that I want to have. Go shower and calm yourself down.”
He turned away to rejoin the conversation that had been going on before Matt had pulled himself out of the trance, before turning back and saying, “I did that because people always question if I’m trying to influence them with the future sight. You know the feeling, and even if I tried to use the active version on you later, it would be obvious. Even if you can’t resist it, you will be aware of it.”
Matt swallowed and nodded silently. It hadn’t escaped his notice that man’s eyes no longer had the magnetic draw they once did.
He quickly did as suggested and moved into their room to clean up.
As he started scrubbing the dried sweat off his body, he thought over the draw that the Emperor’s eyes had and how it no longer drew him in.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
Even the memory of the eyes still tried to draw him in, but they held no allure now. It was a mystery prize that he already knew the lackluster contents of.
He might decide to open another box, but there was no desire to dive into the pile and tear them all open.
When he finished his shower, he took a few minutes to stretch and center himself before he walked out to join the others at the table.
Liz winked at him and took his hand before giving him an easy squeeze of reassurance.
As Matt sat down, he realized that all of his etiquette classes hadn’t prepared him for meeting the Emperor at his girlfriend’s parents’ kitchen table.
Considering this had been a distinct possibility, he found it to be a serious flaw in his education.
Falling back to his general manners and respectful address, he greeted the Emperor with a deep nod and asked, “How may I be of service to your majesty?”
The Tier 50 tapped the table as he said, “This isn’t open court, Matt, no need for the formalities. I get this is a weird position for you, but we need to have this conversation. As both the Emperor of the Empire and your significant other’s uncle.”
Matt lifted his head to meet those golden eyes, but he was able to ignore the pull without issue, and suddenly he was happy that he had been given the opportunity to delve those hidden secrets before this conversation.
The Emperor smiled at Matt and said, “Feel free to call me Emmanuel, Manny, or Uncle Manny. But do whatever makes you more comfortable, even if that is using my title.”
Matt cringed internally. He didn’t even feel comfortable to think of the man by name. It just felt…wrong.
Seeing him in person, Matt had a feeling that everything in the room was pulled to the man like a black hole sucking in stars.
It was only the Tier 50s will that kept everything from crumbling to dust.
This man sitting at the table was the true center of the universe.
Seeing that Matt wasn’t able to speak, the Emperor continued, “You and my niece are expected to be able to complete The Path of Ascension.” He then nodded to Aster, “You, too, Aster, for all that you aren’t officially on it.”
The Emperor gestured, and Matt felt a great futility and weight in that gesture that he couldn’t explain.
“Normally, that is a reason to rejoice. We as a political entity have grown in the last two generations of rulers, and our changes have resulted in great strides. We’ve been finding the best and brightest of the younger generations. The problem is the timing. The Empire is going to come under a time of great duress. We will soon be embroiled in a war with at least three other Great Powers. Possibly more.”
Matt swallowed hard like a fishbone was stuck in his throat.
It didn’t help.
“This is nothing unique. Small-scale wars are commonplace. Or at least, common enough that it’s usually not a worry. We will fight, people will die, and eventually, a victor will be decided, and a treaty will be negotiated. In it, territory, goods, or expansion routes will be traded. Honestly, it’s all fairly mundane. At least, normally.”
Matt didn’t know if he could wrap his head around wars spanning Tier 15 to Tier 35 as mundane and routine, but he knew of the upcoming wars. Until now, he thought he had been prepared for the idea of them.
Now, hearing the strongest man in the Empire talk about it, he realized that he had no idea of the scale and magnitude of the situation.
The Emperor watched Matt with a gentle smile as he continued.
“This next war will be on another level not seen since the last realm war. The Great Powers are much larger than we were back then. They are scared of our future growth and want to take us out at the knees to slow us down. They will strike out early to prevent being fully eclipsed. That doesn’t even take into consideration the ramifications of your Talent being revealed.”
The Tier 50 seemed far too calm as he caught Matt’s eyes with his golden ones. They now seemed to be harder than steel.
“I’m sure that Luna and your other trainers have explained this before, but let me stress this personally. The other Great Powers are jealous or scared of our growth. Our political landscape has changed rapidly in the last few rulers, and we have paid a great price to get where we are today. The problem is, our gains have been massive in too short a time. The others see our growth as a threat.”
He paused, and even though his tone and expression didn’t so much as flicker, Matt felt like the Tier 50 was growling. “As they should. Our political structure has always been one of the more centralized ones, which means we can implement changes quickly, adapting as needed and with fewer headaches. Not that our changes have come easily, or all that fast when compared to a mortal’s lifespan. But when looked at from an immortal perspective, they are rapid.
- Writer
