Panic flooded through me as I stumbled into another throne room. It was just as crowded as I remembered it with alcoves filled with women sitting at luxurious tables. The dark man from my dream sat on his throne watching me with a bored expression on his face while resting his head in his hand.

“Where’s Kalli?” I shouted, hoping Kalli would pop up somewhere.

I wasn’t when nobody answered, so I teleported again only to arrive in the same place as the first time. The second trip down the red carpet was much quicker as I jogged over to the man on the throne. He didn’t move or say anything though he did look slightly amused by my antics.

“Where’s Kalli?” I asked again as I gasped for breath.

The man stood up to get a closer look at me. “That’s strange. Were both of your eyes always red?”

Kalli!

“…Kalli?” I echoed my thought out loud.

The man let out a protracted sigh. “I’m sorry, Melvin. No human can exist without a body. I’m afraid your girlfriend is gone.”

My legs chose that moment to fail me. I dropped like a puppet with its strings cut and began to sob on the floor. My worst nightmare was coming true. Kalli was missing. It felt like she’d been ripped away from me. Not only could I not hear her but I also couldn’t feel her either.

“I can see you’re upset,” the man said, patting me softly on the head. “I think it’s best that you sleep it off.”

It was hard to tell what was going on with my eyes squeezed shut, but the man’s voice slowly faded as my mind slipped away from me.

Congratulations. You have reached level 44

Congratulations. You have reached level 45

I shot to my feet, ignoring what should have been a pleasant feeling while I looked desperately for Kalli. “Kalli! Where are you? Can you hear me?”

It felt odd shouting in my dream. Especially when I was alone. Then again, why was a dream still a place if I was all alone? Wouldn’t I dream normally if Kalli was gone?

Deciding she must be around somewhere, I decided to look for her. The problem was, while it wasn’t exactly a dream, the world behaved as dreams did. Everywhere I looked, I found what I thought I would. At first, I thought it was a coincidence. I walked toward what I assumed should be a basketball court, and that’s exactly what I found. Then I decided to check out the pool, and I found the pool.

After that, I tried to get creative. I imagined I’d find Kalli the next place I looked. While the area was a video game arcade like I predicted, Kalli wasn’t waiting there for me in a two-piece bikini. While she would have been mad at me if it worked, I would have given anything to see that scowl on her face.

I gave up after what felt like forever. There was no telling how much time passed in a dream. In the end, I sat there on top of a bridge and replayed the events of the previous day. “Fight Rasputin, check!”

What happened after that? I knew most of the TGB had been lost. They were good distractions but they were pretty worthless when fighting toe to toe with an awakened like Rasputin. Zofia hadn’t lasted more than a second. Truthfully, she was scrawny so it made sense that he took her out in one hit. I felt a twinge of regret when I remembered Gulliver and his lifeless eyes. Then Rasputin produced those horrific heads in the sack. Kalli’s scream still haunted me when she discovered her parent’s demise through our bond. Her grief had been paralyzing.

Then it came crashing back in on me. Kalli was dead. She’d blown herself up in an attempt to kill Rasputin. Why hadn’t I just sucked it up and put him in the ring? For that matter, why didn’t I kill him the first time I grabbed him? Then we wouldn’t have lost Gulliver. I wouldn’t have lost Kalli…

…she was gone.

Even though I knew it was a dream, I didn’t know how to wake myself up. Fog flooded my brain and it felt like I’d just awakened again and didn’t understand the world at all.

Was the entire adventure just a dream?

Eventually, as all dreams do, mine came to an end. I blinked away the sleep from my eyes as a fancy textured ceiling came into focus. What looked like Egyptian hieroglyphics covered the ceiling.

I rolled over to get out of bed and yelped when I saw two women standing quietly by the door. One of them came over and waited patiently while I calmed down. “Good morning, My Lord. Is there anything I can get for you?”

A quick inventory check told me I was hungry and I had to go to the bathroom. Starting with the more urgent need, I muttered. “Toilet.”

The woman gave me a knowing smile and pointed to a door at the end of the room. “Just this way, My Lord.”

Was I still in the empire? Why was she calling me lord? I was pretty sure I’d never seen the room I was in before, not even in Celestea castle.

Noticing I wasn’t getting up right away, the woman asked, “Do you require assistance, My Lord?”

I shook my head, feeling myself blush at the thought of someone helping me relieve myself. “No, thank you. I can manage.”

It was only when I tried to get up that I realized I might not be okay. My legs felt like jelly and I found myself falling back down to the bed. The woman gave me a look of concern. “Are you certain you wouldn’t like just a little help, My Lord? We have a wheelchair prepared just in case…”

“Why can’t I walk?” I asked, already starting to massage my legs with mana.

“You’ve been asleep for two weeks, My Lord,” The woman explained, motioning for the other girl to ready the wheelchair.

I waved her off and stood a second time. The mana had done its job and my legs were back in commission. “I got it! Thanks anyway.”

The facilities reminded me of the magic commodes from Shaw Manor back on Earth. While looking incredibly medieval, it was more effective than modern plumbing. Not only did it dispose of my waste, but it also cleaned itself when I was done, and the magic erupted from the bowl to clean me. I discovered how it worked when I was forced to dodge a waterspout that rose from the toilet bowl and attempted to give me a wet wipe.

I only realized the women had followed me when I heard one giggle in the background. The other shushed her and said, “I’m sorry, My Lord. This one is still in training.”

At a second glance, I realized the girl who giggled was significantly younger than the other one. Perhaps even younger than me. I decided to pull up their menus to at least see what their names were.

Access to the system is being blocked by Parental Controls.

I stared at the words for a few seconds before trying some other commands. Not only could I not inspect people but I couldn’t even inspect myself. Also unavailable was the ability to edit. Strangely, I still felt my mana and was fairly confident I could use it.

Deciding there was no helping it, I looked at the older woman and asked, “Who are you and where exactly am I?”

The woman smiled and bowed. “My name is Marcelle, and this is Ulli. We have been assigned to serve you. As for where you are, welcome to Origin, My Lord, the planet of beginnings.”

“Isn’t that the forbidden planet?” I asked, vaguely remembering a lesson about it from The Academy.

Marcelle smiled. “If you’re referring to the fact that nobody comes here without permission, then you’re correct, My Lord.”

“Why is it called the planet of beginnings?” I asked, slightly curious.

Marcelle continued the lecture. “Origin is the planet where human life began in this universe. Many legends from the other worlds originate here.”

The way she said that made me wonder just how many universes there were. Regardless, I had bigger fish to fry. “Who is that guy on the throne?”

Ulli gasped and even Marcelle seemed taken aback by my question. She leaned in and asked, “That’s The Creator. Isn’t he your father?”

I shrugged. While I knew that much from my bloodline, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure he was the man on the throne. Then again, I’d expected a name and not just a title. “What is his name?”

Marcelle covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m afraid I’m not worthy of saying his name. Only those he chooses are allowed. Well, and you, My Lord. You’re the first offspring he’s invited to Origin from off planet since I’ve been alive.”

The only way I was going to get some answers was probably going to be from dad directly, so I said, “Take me to him.”

“Ah, you’re awake,” my dad pointed out from the throne. I wondered if he’d moved in the weeks I’d been asleep. “I knew you’d be on your feet in no time.”

“Who exactly are you?” I asked, wanting more than just the revelation that we were related. “Why did I end up here when I teleported to Kalli?”

One of the servants behind the throne fed him a grape which he enjoyed before replying. “You probably know me as Michael. That’s what your mother called me for most of our relationship. However, the name I am most known by is Merlin. Your mother chose to name you Melvin as a nod to that name. There was some drama during the Middle Ages and I got caught up with a certain legend. The truth is, I’ve gone by many names over the years. The longer you live, the more you grow bored with the mundane. If you like, I’ll let you choose my next name. Just make sure it starts with an M since I’d hate to have to rename the entire bloodline.”

“Um, I think I’ll just call you dad,” I decided. “You didn’t answer my second question, though. Where is Kalli? I teleported here to be with her.”

“I’m sorry, son,” dad said soothingly. “Your girlfriend is dead. She sacrificed herself to save you. You teleported here because of your connection to me.”

“Is mom here?” I asked, looking around at the various alcoves. “She was looking for you.”

Dad frowned. “I haven’t heard from Sam in years. Don’t worry. Now that I know she’s looking for me, I will be sure to find her and bring her here.”

“Why is my magic blocked?” I asked. “And what are parental controls?”

Dad chuckled and nearly choked as his servant fed him another grape. She recoiled as he glared at her. “I couldn’t exactly have you deleting things around the tower. Don’t worry. You’ll have access to your magic when you need it. We just need to go over a few ground rules first before you begin your training.”

“Training?” I asked. “I need to get back to Gaia.”

“In due time,” dad replied, waving me off. “As I’m sure you’re painfully aware from your recent battle with Rasputin, you have a lot of power but you don’t know how to wield it properly. If you’re going to be a champion of the people, you are in desperate need of training.”

“Are you going to turn me into an animal?” I asked, remembering Merlin’s training methods from a book I read one time.

He snickered, obviously having read the same book. “Do I need to do that? Don’t try to edit yourself into one. That’s how the dark ages began. Why don’t you take today to get acclimated to the palace? We can begin your training tomorrow.”