On the one hand, I had the Queen’s Suite all to myself. On the other, I was all alone. Before Kalli, that didn’t bother me one bit. I had books, video games, and other solo activities. None of them appealed to me anymore.

I debated heading down to Kalli and the orphans but it felt awkward. While I sympathized with the kids, it was unfair that I was jealous that Kalli was spending all of her time with them.

To make matters worse, she didn’t appear to miss me as much as I missed her. If she did, she was masking her emotions very well. I wondered if I had Lavender to thank for that as well.

In an attempt to distract myself, I took a long bath. Kalli teased me through mate chat and constantly talked to me, but I still missed having her there. Unlike when she was forced to travel with Joe, this was a personal choice that she made to leave me to my own devices. While I did respect it, I didn’t have to like it.

After the bath that didn’t make me feel better, I decided to teleport somewhere. My first stop was [The City Under the Mountain]. Esha greeted me with a smile and an attempted hug. I ducked out of her reach and exclaimed. “I just had a shower! Stay away you stinky troll.”

“That is the smell of love!” Esha announced, getting a series of grunts and cheers from the trolls around her. “What brings you all the way out here, Lord Melvin?”

“I was bore…” I started, before changing tacts when I noticed the look on her face. “I mean, I wanted to see how things were going down here?”

Esha guffawed at me and grabbed my hand, showing me the progress. “More refugees show up daily. We need you to work your magic and make the city bigger. Also, we have a few key people that I was hoping you might be able to awaken. They will add great value to your empire.”

I sighed. While it was more work, it was just the thing to get my mind off of Kalli. I hopped in [World Editor Mode] and expanded the city while Esha gathered the people she wanted me to awaken.

When I came down, I found Esha with ten people. She introduced them. “Emperor Melvin, the esteemed creatures I present to you today each represent their clans.”

By focusing on just a single representative from the various clans that Esha introduced me to, I was able to work through them in under an hour. New additions to the empire included Kobolds, Gnolls, and Treants. There were also various new clans from races that I had already met.

The kobolds were humanoid in shape, looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, only with fur and a jackal’s head. Gnolls were strange. They smelt like trolls but were the size and general shape of gnomes. Finally, there were the living walking trees, using unattached roots to sort of crawl as they walked.

I spied on the girls through Kalli’s eyes while I worked. They were telling stories to the littles using a combination of magic spells to bring them to life.

When Kalli told the story about it being a windy day, Wendy made a gust of wind blow through the room, lifting papers from a nearby table into the air. As usual, Kalli made tiny puppets out of fire that flickered and danced as she told the story.

Shiviria was doing her best to participate but her control over her magic was still so weak that she only managed to freeze her dress.

Since Kalli was staying up, I didn’t feel like sleeping. I stood there in the underground debating where to go next. I could feel every town, city, and village in the empire. It was all connected through flowing streams of mana. That was the reason I could teleport so easily.

It was then that I realized the thin tether of mana also connected Celestea to the planet in the sky, Luna. Reaching out on a hunch, I folded mana in on myself. Kalli recognized what I was trying to do and started to complain. Melvin, don’t you dare…

She was cut off as I found myself stepping through the void once again. After a momentary trip where I imagined I saw Quetzcalcoatl’s codex floating through the darkness, I appeared in a place that wasn’t Gaia for the first time since I left Earth.

A luscious green landscape looked the same as Kalli and I had seen it through the mana stream. This time, however, my physical body was there.

Are you seeing this, Kalli?

There was no reply which made me start to worry. Our bond had grown strong enough to communicate even between dimensions. A smile found its way to my lips when I realized that I could still feel Kalli’s life force. At least there was that.

Deciding to make the most of my adventure, I began the walk toward the Celestea Castle clone. Luna had a few subtle differences over Gaia. While I could easily breathe the air and the temperature wasn’t too hot, the gravity seemed to be quite a bit stronger than it had been on the moon.

That didn’t bother me because I had grown accustomed to refining my mana and infusing every part of my body with it. As I started down the path leading to the castle, a heavy thunk sounded beside me. Not bothering to look, I said, “What’s up, Lamentus?”

The deep gravelly voice of the God of Sorrow replied. “The question is, what are you doing here? Humans are forbidden from returning to this place.”

“Why?” I asked, curious about what I was about to find in the castle.

The great green ape padded forward until he was blocking my path. “Because you were banished. Humans committed unspeakable sins on this rock and were deemed to be unworthy of its blessings.”

“I didn’t do it,” I replied smugly. “How can multiple generations be blamed for the sins of the past?”

Lamentus didn’t budge from his spot in front of me. “Be that as it may, all children bear the burden of their parents. It is the way of things.”

I yawned, stepping around the god. “What could you possibly be hiding here that is so important?”

While I expected to be stopped again, Lamentus just followed me. “Truth be told, a lot of the technology that once remained on Luna has been lost. I fear you waste your time if you came seeking power.”

“I don’t care about power,” I admitted, realizing that it was true. “I was just curious.”

“Can you prove those words?” Lamentus asked with a snarl that told me he didn’t believe me.

Thinking about my class, I explained. “Well, I have the power to create virtually anything. There are some exceptions but it’s usually just magic items that I can’t duplicate. Let’s say I wanted to make a nuclear bomb out of a rock. I could do that. The thing is, I have no desire to be powerful. I just want to live the rest of my life with Kalli.”

Lamentus was silent for several minutes before replying. “Very well. However, I cannot promise that the others will be so accommodating.”

“Others?” I asked, looking around to see if we were alone. “Are there other gods on Luna?”

The green ape nodded. “That is correct. Though not all of them are gods. You may be judged. Don’t blame me if one of them kills you.”

It was my turn to hesitate. The last thing I wanted was to be slain by a vindictive god. Especially when I couldn’t communicate with Kalli. She would never know what happened.

I turned to Lamentus and asked, “Hey, Lammy. Why can’t I communicate with Kalli? Normally, I can reach her across dimensions.”

The god laughed and replied. “Don’t call me that. The interference is divine. You are in a forbidden place and all communication is blocked. Your access to your mate will be returned once you depart from this divine soil.”

We walked in silence for a while until the castle came into view. Unlike Gaia’s Celestea, there was no city surrounding the towering castle. It was built into the side of a mountain looking lonely in its isolation.

When I hesitated, Lamentus turned to look at me. “If you wish to turn back, now is the time.”

I took a deep breath and said, “A little peek can’t hurt, can it?”

“Those are the last words you choose to utter?” The god asked with a chuckle. “Shall I inscribe that on your tombstone?”

The castle gate that loomed before me was much taller than the one on Gaia. It could easily admit a twenty-foot-tall giant. The band on my arm began to vibrate as I approached and the gate swung open with a loud creaking sound.

While the inside of the castle was covered with dust, it didn’t show any other signs of wear. The towers and walls of the castle were all intact. As with the Gaian castle, the mana guided me as I made my way toward the castle’s heart.

I stopped short when I arrived in the throne room. It was occupied. Standing around the throne, a group of shadows with glowing red eyes all stared at me. Even against my will, I felt my fists clench at my side at the sight of them. The one closest to the throne hissed at me. “What is the meaning of this?”

The vision of Stefanie crawling through the grass haunted me as I glared at the creatures. I found myself challenging them without meaning to. “Did you kill Stefanie? Which one of you did it?”

I took several steps forward as the shadow creature replied. “What is this creature talking about?”

Lamentus answered, startling me because I had forgotten he was beside me. “He is mistaking you for the puppet master’s minions.”

“The who’s what?” I stammered, nearly tripping as I turned to face the God of Sorrow.

“Your friend was killed by a wraith.” Lamentus spat the words in a low growl. “Dark magic cast by an evil mage.”

“Why do they look similar to these guys?” I asked, pointing a finger at the shadow who spoke.

The shadow drifted closer to me, stopping just outside of arm’s reach. “The puppet master’s creations are designed to evoke fear in you humans. Are you not afraid of the dark?”

“No!” I protested, not feeling very sure of myself. “The dark doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t stab my friend.”

Lamentus interrupted our conversation by asking, “What are you lot doing here?”

The lead wraith replied, “Our presence was requested. She who sees all asked to be notified when the chosen one arrives.”

Lamentus and I looked at each other in confusion before he pointed at me. “They mean you.”

“Who is she who sees all?” I asked, wondering if some kind of oracle lived on Luna.

“I am.” A familiar voice said from behind me.

I noticed the shadows kneeling before I turned to find Lavender. She strolled through an ornate door and cleared the distance between us in several long strides. “Hello, boy. It has been a while since last we saw one another. I chose this place for our meeting so that I could speak with you in private. I believe you have questions.”

“Yes!” I practically screamed. “Will Kalli get pregnant if we have sex?”

Lavender chuckled, motioning me to the throne. “Take a seat before you get yourself worked up. The short answer to your question is yes. Also, be warned, if you try what you have planned, the two of you will have a very real mind baby that will torture you both even when you are awake.”

I staggered the last couple of steps to the throne before hesitantly taking a seat. “Well, that sucks. Is there any other way around the prophecy?”

Lavender sighed, summoning herself a fluffy red chair along with a very large cushion for Lamentus. “Have you considered just having the kid? Besides, is intercourse truly a priority for the two of you? You are already very creative in your bedroom activities. It’s not like you need to take things further until you are prepared to procreate. Most couples would give anything for guaranteed success.”

“Not when they are sixteen,” I grumbled, shocked that Lavender knew what Kalli and I had been up to.

She waved me off and continued. “Melvin. You need to wrap up your business on Gaia and return to Earth.”

“Why?” I asked with a sinking feeling forming in my stomach. “Did something happen? Is my mother okay?”

Lavender waited for me to calm down before speaking. “Your mother is fine. Things have been set in motion recently. Things that pertain to you. Things caused by you.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, starting to worry about what Lavender was telling me.

She sighed and shook her head. “Unfortunately, if I reveal the future to you, it will change. All I am capable of doing is nudging you in the right direction. You have a big role to play in the events that are about to unfold.”

Getting a sudden burst of inspiration, I took the coin out of my pocket and flicked it to the Enchanter. “Do you know what this is and why it says what it does?”

Lavender looked at the coin for several seconds, mouthing the words inscribed on it. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what this means.”

She offered the coin back to me and dropped it when I reached out to take it back. Without warning, Lavender grabbed my hand and gripped it tightly. “Where did you get this ring?”

After trying to free myself in vain, I replied. “I don’t know to be honest. I picked it up in a dream and now it won’t come off.”

Lavender pulled my hand close to her face as she examined it closely. “This ring is dangerous, Melvin. I know you can’t take it off, but whatever you do, do not trust a word it says.”

“Um, it doesn’t talk.” I tried to explain. “Actually, it doesn’t do much of anything.”

“Keep it that way,” Lavender warned in a serious tone.

She then climbed to her feet, the chair vanishing the moment she left it. Kneeling to scoop up the coin, Lavender deposited it in my hand. Sensing she was about to depart, I thought desperately for more questions to ask. “Um, Lavender, where are the other gods?”

She shrugged. “I gave them the day off. Don’t worry, you aren’t missing much. They are all grumpy.”

When she was halfway to the door, I asked, “What’s so special about this place? Why are the Celesteans forbidden from coming here?”

Lavender waved her arms indicating the castle. “This place is a conduit. It feeds on the planet’s life force. The Celestean royal family are frauds. They used ancient tech to steal the mana from the planet and were exiled because of it.”

“What about Kalli?” I cried out as she put her hand on the door. “Is she a fraud too?”

Lavender laughed, turning back to look at me. “No. Kalli is everything you see and so much more. That is because of you, Melvin. You caused her greatness just as she causes yours. Don’t get me wrong, you were special from the beginning, but the two of you together are extraordinary. I can see a lot, but there doesn’t seem to be a limit to your combined potential.”

Before I had a chance to ask another question she was gone.