Heralesse arrives at the command post with her detachment of Royal Guards, and she finds Rikuto checking on his ‘ninja-knight’, Larravu. She has been suffering from unending nausea since their attempt to stop the mana fire at its perimeter. The young king notices Heralesse approaching, and he jumps up from his seat.

“Heralesse!” He jogs over to meet her, a little flustered and exhausted, but everyone in the camp seems to be in various stages of fatigue, including Heralesse.

“Hey, Rikuto. I just came back to get some rest. Count Ethuvere has started evacuating the city after the dragon attack, but it’s slow going. How’s… everything here?”

Larravu wearily greets the young queen, “Your Majesty… I’m sorry…”

Heralesse replies softly, “It’s alright, Dame Larravu. Rest. Thank you for protecting his Majesty Rikuto.”

The gatonine smiles wearily and nods.

The otherworlder King replies to her question, “The situation is stable, though we’ve had to withdraw our entire front-line engagement of the mana fire. The Fievegal’s dragons, sorry, Sirs Magnir and Neith, discovered that wind magic is capable of carving through the fire, but it was on a negligible scale. There’s a rain storm that Yuna and Serrentuk summoned that’s fairly local. No significant effect on the mana fire. If anything, the rain seems to be ‘burning’ like anything else, as we feared.”

“I see… at least we’re making some progress,” murmurs Heralesse. She looks at the mana fire. It’s late in the evening now, but it still feels like day time with how brightly the mana fire fills the world around it with light. Because the sun has almost completely set, it should be a lot darker. And, because the light is coming from a different angle, the sky has taken on a distorted yellow-orange color more than the typical daylight shade of blue. It’s exhausting simply because it’s disorienting not knowing for certain what time of day it truly is.

“Pretty much everyone else has been getting some rest, Heralesse. You should go ahead and do the same.”

“Do you intend to join me?” asks Heralesse without thinking. Rikuto twitches and snaps his gaze to her, suddenly flustered

“Wh-... Wait, what?”

It’s then that her wording clicks for Heralesse as well, and she blushes. “No! No, not like… I just meant, will you be resting as well? You need it as much as any of us.”

Rikuto chuckles in apparent relief, which does make Heralesse feel a little perturbed. Though they’ve both agreed to focus on their work until they get to know each other better, there will obviously come a time when an heir will need to be born. If anything, the mana fire was a grim distraction from the pressure the Mornistae nobles will undoubtedly put on Heralesse and Rikuto, but it’s obviously not something to worry about right now. If the seriousness is anything to go by that Rikuto, Daniel, and Zuzia all discussed with their advanced knowledge of how a world itself functions, at least compared to the majority of Zenkon’s denizens, then this mana fire and anything adjacent to it, such as the enemy titanic dragon, are all existential threats to humanity and all other sapient races of the world.

Actually, now that I think about it… that’s kind of terrifying. What if something like this is happening on the other side of the world? If it truly is as large as the otherworlders suggest, if something like this happened on one of those other lands, could we do anything about it?

Her expression has returned to the seriousness of the event in play, and she looks at Rikuto again. He notices her gaze and asks softly, “Wh-... What’s wrong? If… If you want to… uh… share…”

“No… It’s… nothing. S-Something else, but not worth mentioning right now. Thank you. I guess I’ll go get some rest as well…”

“I’d like to ask you to use the Fievegal’s command tent if they’ll let you.” Rikuto gestures to one of the larger tents towards the rear of the encampment, and it’s immediately obvious why.

Princess Arachne alone is enough to deter anyone from approaching, since she’s the largest presence in her ‘normal’ form, larger even than a full-grown boruan matron. She’s outside of the tent caring for some of the Fievegal’s wounded, specifically a strange fairy-like being who is covered in a pasty off-white fluid that glows rather noticeably even against the evening-like contrast of the world around them.

But, two more presences, though far more subtle, are easy giveaways for why it’s the safest place in the encampment to be; Sir Neith, the powerful grey greater dragon and brother to Geirahoel, and Sir Magnir, the fearless blue dragon who dual-wields Daniel’s heavy revolvers, are both guarding the entrance. It would be a ‘sloppy’ guard, since Neith is lying down on his back, resting his eyes by the looks of it, and Magnir is cleaning one of his revolvers while seated on the ground.

But, Heralesse knows the dragons are attentive and quick to react, so it’s unlikely even a skilled assassin like Doephluev could sneak in.

More importantly, while she was a ‘prisoner’ at one point, Heralesse is considered, at worst, the elder sister of the sovereign Empress’s best friend, meaning she’s close enough to be considered a friend in a loose sense. If the Fievegal wanted to capture Heralesse and Rikuto at any point, they wouldn’t need to wait until they willingly entered their command tent.

“Wait… Wasn’t that originally supposed to be our tent?” asks Heralesse, realizing the Fievegal had planned on using the airship as their mobile command center.

Rikuto chuckles. “Yeah, that was the plan. But… Well, they needed it more than we do at the moment. Though, I’m sure they will let you use some space. Last time I was in there, it was just Hekate and that golden dragon, Jeavana, I think her name is now, on the bed. If there’s room, don’t worry about decorum.”

“What about you?” asks the young Queen. She leaves it at that, lest she say something else embarrassing.

“I, uh, tried to take a nap not too long ago, but, uh… I had a bit of a spook.”

“A spook? Did someone do something?”

“N-No, no! Nothing like that. I just… I can’t sleep right now.”

“I see… If… If I can help…”

Just as she’s making this offer, something feels very off. There is an ambient noise around them from people moaning in pain, healers doing their best to chant spells and communicate various needs, and metal from blacksmiths reshaping tools to try to attempt different strategies against the false inferno.

But, that feeling she just started to feel has a similar presence to the sudden silence of all of nature; that eerie, oppressive silence.

Even though there is still noise, something feels like it has shifted in the same way. Heralesse’s instincts are crawling, and Rikuto seems to have noticed it, too. They both glance around.

Buckrokhs are snorting and pulling against their restraints, pawing at the ground, or even rearing up with abnormal bellows. Though humans and goblins are mainly reacting to the sudden anxiousness of the buckrokhs, the gatonines, shenwulves, dattakoriens, and boruans have come to a near-stop simulatneously. A few of the triage patients of those races are even screaming suddenly, trying to claw at their ears or out of their bandages.

Heralesse is just close enough to overhear one of the gatonines ask a nearby dattakorien, “What is that?”

“I-I don’t know. But, it’s endless, right?”

“Yeah… Is… is it a weapon?”

Several of the buckrokhs start aggressively dragging their own noses through the dirt, snorting and bellowing as several take off running.

The human queen notices Sir Ecklevon rushing towards the Fievegal command tent, though the dragons are already on their feet, trying to listen to everything going on.

Rikuto and Heralesse run towards them, knowing that something is very wrong.

“What is it!?” asks Rikuto before they even reach them.

Ecklevon replies, “We need to get everyone out of here. Whatever it is, it’s getting worse. Something is about to happen, but I don’t know what.”

“Does the smell have anything to do with it?” asks Magnir.

“Smell!? What smell!?” asks Heralesse. “Is there a bomb!?”

Neith shakes his head, “No.”

“There’s been a rotten smell for several hours now,” replies Ecklevon, to which the dragons nod in agreement. “Like… bad eggs. Subtle, but it’s everywhere. I’d be more surprised that you can’t smell it, your Majesties.”

“Kumamoto…” murmurs Rikuto.

“What?” asks Heralesse. She was just trying to think about what the air ‘smells like’, and she did at some point notice that there was something foul to the air.

The young otherworlder king whirls to face the mana fire. “No… No, this can’t be. W-... Are we… too late?”

“Rikuto…!?” starts Heralesse desperately, needing to know the answers.

Unfortunately, the answers present themselves.

It’s not especially violent, but everyone feels it in a wave just as soldiers were panicking and asking why they aren’t evacuating.

Given that everyone hears and feels it this time, she knows it must be bad.

Just like the impact of Sayrdarralouche with the ground after Zuzia threw him through the air, a rumbling wave of sound hammers through the ground. It’s not as dramatic, but it is an ominous, almost omni-present feeling through Heralesse’s whole body as she grabs onto Rikuto to support each other.

The whole world is shaking, shivering in response to the wound it has been suffering in silence until now.

And, if Rikuto is to be believed, the cataclysm they feared would mark the end of the world has been reached.

Heralesse feels a heavy weight pulling her to the ground, and her own knees are shaking too much to stop it. Rikuto has given up, sinking to the ground in despair. The mana fire doesn’t look that different, but Rikutoi knows more about the things that happen within the world itself than probably anyone on Zenkon, since it was “everyday schooling” for his culture back on Earth.

Heralesse’s eyes water, and she hugs him, unable to think of anything else. If it’s going to be the end, she doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do.

Zuzia is the fastest one to exit the tent, asking the same question everyone else has been so far; “What’s going on!?”

The small mountain that is Sayrdarralouche’s remains aren’t moving, and the rumbling is still continuing in varying pitches and intensities. That said, there are glimmers from the spikes that formed, obviously trembling and shaking like leaves on a tree in spite of their massive size.

“What are you doing?” asks Zuzia. “We’re not dead yet. We need to keep fighting.” She shouts, “Harbinger! Get your butt out here! You’re the one with all the toys!”

Daniel wearily exits the tent as well, followed by Yaulwembor, Veiranoei, and Jeavana, who are all clinging to his arms or shirt as the two draconic women scan quickly for the source.

“I hear it…” grumbles Daniel. “Is Sayrdarralouche moving again?”

“No. It’s an earthquake,” replies Zuzia. “That means the fire is reaching the mantle, doesn’t it?”

Daniel looks at Rikuto, and then Heralesse, and finally Zuzia. He thinks for a moment, looking around at everyone.

For a

moment, Daniel seems genuinely surprised to have so many eyes on him, but he turns his gaze away from them, staring at the ground in the distance for a moment.

The next words out of his mouth cause both Rikuto and Heralesse to flinch and stir.

“No. It’s not big enough. I’ve felt an earthquake like this where I grew up. Thousands of miles from the nearest volcano in any direction. If it is volcanic activity, it’s nothing more than a leak. Old Faithful probably shakes the ground more.”

Rikuto scoffs, turning a sort of scowl on Daniel as if he’s not taking it seriously enough. “You…! As if a tourist geyser compares to what we’re up against!”

“And yet, two minutes have passed, and we’re not all dead, Mister College Undergrad. Or, sorry, is it ‘Uni-vuh-sitee’.” Daniel mockingly pronounces ‘University’ in a stuffy way, sounding somewhere in between British and Australian, but not quite right for either.

Rikuto growls, and he rises wearily to his feet on wobbling legs. “You bastard! This is all your fault!”

Before he can do anything else, Daniel grips Rikuto by the collar, all but dragging him violently close to him. “Got you back on your feet, didn’t I?” He shoves Rikuto back just as bluntly, shouting loudly, “Everyone listen up! Fievegal, Mornistae, Empire, I don’t care. You all need to hear this. Yes, this is my fault. I didn’t see the problem for what it was, and I ignored it too long. But, we’re not dead yet. We are alive. Your families back home are still alive. Our children, our wives. Our brothers and sisters, fathers and… mothers. If they were alive an hour ago, they’re alive now, and they’re counting on us. If you want me to act, say the word. I have one last tool in my arsenal that is forbidden by treaty and will kill everyone that is still in that city right over there and anyone still here if they don’t evacuate. Do you understand why I’ve been slow to act? Because, until this moment, even I have been afraid of my own power more than that.” He points at the mana fire.” He looks at Rikuto again, saying sternly, “It’s a god-damned leak, and nothing more. If it were worse, than we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He then looks over his shoulder, “Neith, Magnir, fly over the crater and see if you can see anything. I’m guessing a jet of lava coming out of the ground should discolor even the mana fire for a moment, and it should be agitating the embers.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“As you wish, your Grace,” reply both dragons. They do sound nervous, but they keep their composure, quickly putting their helmets back on and fastening down their armor.

“Be mindful of any up or down drafts,” adds Zuzia. “If it is volcanic activity, the hot or cold air could play hell with your flight.”

Both dragons nod in agreement. “We’ll be careful.”

“Arachne, how is Silence doing?” asks Daniel.

“She is alive and healing, Father, But, I ask that we do not send her into battle again so soon…”

“That’s fine. Is she stable enough that you can leave her side?”

“Yes,” replies the Death Knight fearlessly.

“Good. Take some of your, uh… Charonim with you and go with Neith. If you’re willing, send one or two of the non-sapient ones in to try to observe how bad it is. Neith, how many people would it take for your strategy against the mana fire to work?”

“The wind, your Grace?”

“Yes.”

“I… don’t think it’s feasible, your Grace. It took a considerable amount of my power to get us maybe twenty feet or so. And, it will probably only work where dirt is present.”

“Understood. Where are Kera’tai and the other Chi’rinnis? We need to try the black fire next.”

“They’re on their way,” replies Xyreko’s voice from nearby. “Estimated arrival in around twenty minutes.”

Daniel nods. “Tell them they have permission to engage immediately. Once we identify the area where the tremors are coming from, we need to mark it as a red zone; no one on or above the ground to be safe.”

“What about us?” asks Rikuto.

“Mornistae and the Empire need to start packing up and evacuating. The Fievegal’s secondary personnel will be doing the same.”

“What are you planning?” asks Zuzia skeptically. “Are you planning to drop your nukes now?”

The air goes tense once more, and Daniel looks the Polish woman in the eyes. He has extremely dark brown eyes, far darker than her ‘beer-brown’ irises. They’ve clearly seen a lot in this world, and he doesn’t seem at all hesitant about what he’s thinking.

“We’re at the end game, Zuzia. Even if I’m right, and it’s just a leak, we have no way of knowing where the clock’s at. Time isn’t on our side anymore. We need to…”

“No! We need to talk about this! The city is still evacuating!” exclaims Zuzia. “You said it yourself, everyone will die.”

“No, an insignificant population in one city will die,” retorts Daniel viciously. “I hate it. I hate that I have to say it like that, but it’s the truth. ‘Everyone’ will literally die if we don’t stop this thing, and time is running out. We don’t even know if the Chi’rinnis will be able to get in range of the mana fire to use their spell.” Daniel looks to the albino Empress, Sundenelle, who twitches.

“I-If you mean the gloom inferno spell,... Yes. It does require a rather close range to deploy it.”

“Then make a bomb that does it!” shouts Zuzia. “You can make a nuke, but you can’t make a ‘gloom inferno bomb’?”

“Smashing two rocks together really hard is a lot easier than adapting a magical spell to a technology where it had never been used as such before!” Daniel halts himself from going further, putting a palm over his face. “Neith, start your mission.”

“Your Grace…?”

“Zuzia won’t hurt me. And,...” The American glances at everyone watching nervously from all factions present. “This is a conversation we need to have out of earshot, if possible.” He raises his voice, saying, “Regardless of any outcome, we’ve done all we can do from here. Fievegal, begin evacuations of the campsite and fall back to rally site Charlie. The critically wounded will be moved by shuttle, the rest by truck. Go, now. Don’t discriminate for the wounded either. All wounded get evacuated. Period.” He asks more quietly, “I trust you have no objections?” He says this looking at Rikuto and Heralesse, and the young queen defers to her young king. Rikuto is flustered and nervous, but he agrees. “No, it’s fine. Mornistae, once the wounded are evacuated, I want you to make double time to Urflasdat and urge even greater haste. Tell them they have one hour to clear the city and head north, or they won’t escape.”

“Right away, your Majesty!”

Zuzia urges, “Send a rider to inform them, now!” She then grips Daniel by the collar, growling, “Inside. This instant.”

The leadership of all three major factions ducks inside the tent, and the real discussion begins.

***

Inside the tent, the main group gather in the open area, with the only one not taking part at all being Hekate, and Jeavana remains lying on the bed due to her wing and back injuries.

Daniel asks, “Jeavana, are you awake?”

“Yeah… I… I heard most of what you guys said…”

“Isolate us from outside the tent. We need to…”

Before he even finishes speaking, Zuzia snarls, “You will hold off and give us time to evacuate the city.”

“You heard Rikuto. An hour is good. I’ll give you that much.”

“You’ll give us as long as it takes!” shouts Zuzia. “I know we’re on the edge, but that is no excuse to sacrifice innocent lives! Rikuto, tell him! Tell him the hour was just to get the fire under them.”

“Th-That was my intent,” replies the Japanese king. “But, I agree with Zuzia. We can’t sacrifice innocent lives.”

“Are you two familiar with the trolley problem?” asks Daniel. “Either version of it…”

“This isn’t some edgy high school debate, you child!” retorts Zuzia angrily. “These are real lives we’re talking about! Women, children, elders, fathers, sons, mothers, daughters. Can you really live with yourself sitting here or wherever in safety pushing a button while you’re piss-drunk laughing about how ‘cool’ and ‘edgy’ you are? All you’re missing is the trench coat and eye patch, and you’d be a shoo-in for a stereotypical edgelord isekai protagonist!”

“And all you’re missing is a bible and a camera to be a self-righteous echo-chamber hypocrite. Were you a politician!?”

“Screw you! Answer me! Can you really live with yourself if you make this choice!? Huh!? Because I can’t! I know how close I came just a few hours ago! Hekate, that little cinnamon roll, bailed me out of it. Not you, not your dragons. Hekate. So, I know exactly what’s at stake. People on our side. People who are innocent. People who will be a part of the world going forward. You have no right to take that away from anyone!”

“You two, calm down…” urges Aramellianna’s voice as she tries to approach. The only person Zuzia can’t harm right now with her magic contract, ironically enough, is the one person she wants to punch in the face in this very moment.

But, Daniel snaps. His tone is icy and cold, but it carries with it a level of anger Heralesse has never heard, and it even startles Zuzia.

“I haven't slept in three days, Zuzia. I had to fight a god-damned zombie dragon just to finish saving one person in a way that should have taken me five minutes. Every possible tool or method I could come up with as an alternative is failing. My hands are raw, every muscle in my body aches, and I am exhausted. This fire isn't some brush fire spreading because of the failures of local government. It's a literal hole in the world, and it’s getting bigger. If the evacuation fails, the outcome is utterly the same. We don't get to save the city and save the planet. That has been painfully obvious to me for every single second of every single one of the last three days. And, if people refuse to leave the city until it is already burning their own homes, they’re choosing not to be saved.”

Tears start down Daniel’s face as he pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to stay focused and strong. “If I don't push the button, the fire takes the city, then it eats through the crust, and then everything… everything we all love… is reduced to ethereal paint, scattered to the solar winds of this galaxy or universe or even simulation, for all I care.”

Daniel looks directly into her eyes with steely resolve hardened by anger at his own shortcomings and failure to prevent it from reaching this point at all. “Your faith is admirable, truly. But, it relies on the intangible. I can live with the guilt of Urflasdat. I could not live with the guilt of the whole continent, the whole world, and the future, even if I did somehow survive.”

Zuzia is stunned by Daniel’s impassioned speech, and her own eyes are watering from the heightened emotions that they’re even talking about something so dreadful.

But, she, too, doesn’t give up. “If you’re so sure about it…Then why are you crying?”

Daniel asks with disbelief, “Did I… look like was enjoying this train of thought? I know how wrong it is. I know it’s not just some lunch table chatter. The literal weight of the world and the weight of a city are on my shoulders. I haven’t, for one moment, forgotten that.”

Zuzia gently places a hand on his cheek, wiping his tears away softly. “Then please, just give us some more time. We’ll figure out a way to get everyone to leave in time. I promise.” She wipes her face, resolving herself for her own task. ”Now, excuse me. I have to get moving.”

Daniel watches her leave, and he tilts his eyes to Rikuto. The younger Japanese man doesn’t know what to say. He ultimately can’t be the one to push the button, because his own morals agree with Zuzia. But, he at least understands where Daniel is coming from. “I know time is short, but… I’ll… I'll use my ability if I have to.”

Daniel nods once. Ryuogriar mentioned something about Rikuto having a special mind-control ability, but the young Japanese man would be gambling on using it against any of Daniel’s allies. To use it on a large populace would actually likely require him to use it on someone of authority among their ranks, rather than trying to come in contact with hundreds of people, if he can even control that many people all at once. It always irritated Daniel in stories when a mind-control character shows up, because nine times out of ten, they’re written with absolutely no limits on how many people they can simultaneously ensnare with an ability tied directly to their own person, typically only the protagonist himself gets a “will power saving roll of a ‘nat 20’ to escape the hold’, and the person using the mind control has absolutely no recoil, blowback, or real consequences.

Regardless, even with their efforts combined, if people aren’t leaving in a timely manner already, they may not believe everything going on is real, or may be too scared to leave their homes. Zenkon doesn’t have the means of communicating natural disasters and the lessons learned from them far and wide like Earth does.

Japan is a perfect example.

They have layers and layers of emergency action plans because they are a densely populated country, at least in the cities themselves, and natural disasters live up to the name frequently. Every citizen of Japan is expected to be a part of any emergency action plan, educated from childhood on the basic best practices, and scaling up through their formative years to include every necessity.

A commoner on Zenkon, regardless of country, is lucky to be educated on basic reading and math, and typically done so only through their own families.

This means that the noble aristocrats and royalty, who would be educated greatly, have to hear a bunch of frightened cats with no understanding of why they’re being herded, or specifically, told to abandon their homes suddenly. Even if it makes sense to plenty of them, it will never be all of them.

Daniel calls out, “Xyreko…”

“Here, Daniel.”

“Go with Rikuto and Zuzia and do everything you can to keep them safe, while also helping them evacuate. With exception of emergency reserve power, you may use all spare mana available within the Citadel.”

“Thank you, your Grace.” Xyreko turns to Rikuto. “Let us discuss what you think will be most useful, your Majesty.”

“Thank you… And, Daniel…”

The American has a heavy heart, knowing Rikuto and Zuzia are right in the moral sense, but not in the logical one. Regardless, he manages to lift his gaze to look at his younger Japanese counterpart.

“The second we’re clear, I’ll give you the signal.”

The mechanic in way over his head gives one more bob of his head in confirmation. He said what he needed to say, and shouting it out loud finally clarified everything for him.

He’s drowning in crushing guilt and sleeplessness. Could I have convinced them if I hadn’t been drinking? Was I too emotional? Or, am I simply that un-charismatic?

These questions pass through his mind and vanish just as quickly, since they are meaningless in the face of what he is really focused on.

The American silently watches his fellow Earthlings and Xyreko leave, a grim finality presented by the light from outside vanishing with the tent’s flap closing. He smiles a little bitterly, knowing it may be the last time he sees them.

I don’t blame you two at all. You are absolutely right to refuse this evil. If that’s how it has to be, I’ll carry the guilt alone.

He whispers, “So please… forgive me, even just a little.”

“Forgive you for what?” asks Veiranoei softly.

Jeavana adds, “Yeah, you’re not entirely wrong. But,... By the sounds of it, like you said, we can spare an hour or so, right?”

“It’s probably for the best,” adds Sundenelle. “Even if it all works out, if even one innocent person is harmed, that’s all anyone will talk about, given how your reputation is already.” 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“There will come a moment for decisive action…” It’s Aramellianna that just spoke up this time. “The ends can justify the means, but it doesn’t mean we skip right to the ends.”

The American studies everyone still in the tent with him, as well as looking at his fox-eared companion for a long time. She’s still passively asleep, or more accurately, unconscious, but she seems to be having a bad dream. It could be that she’s feeling the prickle of strange mana from even this range away, or she’s sensing the earthquake the same way Veiranoei, Yaulwembor, Treia, and Jeavana all stirred anxiously at about the same time.

The geological tremors are possibly from the mana fire reaching the mantle, but Daniel’s gut tells him it’s not. It’s possible there was a crust pocket of magma already lying in wait, or it’s possible that the cataclysmic ‘meteor’ impact caused local cracking of the bedrock, as well as compression, which is being relieved just as quickly. They’ll know if the flight team led by Neith can find the depth of the source.

The point is, everyone has been trying everything they can think of, but only scratching at ashes compared to the raging inferno before them.

Daniel has tons of ideas, just as everyone else does. But, most of them require time they never had to begin with. The mana fire will not wait. Ryukana and Amalaskae have already cashed in their “get away with it” points, so they won’t be able to help again for the foreseeable future, assuming they actually get away with what they did to help subdue Zuzia and bring her over to their side.

And, though he implied it a little, he is thankful he managed to avoid saying what he was really thinking. If the humble mechanic’s hunch is right, the timing fits with the meteoric impact of Sayrdarralouche hitting the ground. It’s possible Zuzia was so defensive about the risks of collateral because she’s worried sick about the collateral she may have already caused.

But, just because she feels guilty doesn’t change the facts of teh current situation.

And, the facts are, there don’t appear to be any good options left.

Daniel closes his eyes. The ladies are still discussing where their own focus should lie, as well as trying to reassure Daniel that there’s still time, but he mostly just thinks.

For a long moment, he thinks about everything he has gained coming to Zenkon.

He is surrounded by lovers, whether it’s a curse or not.

He has children when he had no real prospects of such on Earth.

He technically has ‘F-you money’ at this point and could theoretically retire for the rest of his life.

He’s honestly probably one of the worst Emperor’s in the history of either world. He barely spends any time in his castle, it feels like, and the world continues to turn without his influence, which doesn’t speak much to an Emperor having existed at all.

But, he does have virtually every possible thing a person can have to lose, now, and when he thinks about his family, even just any single one of them would be enough for Daniel to give everything for.

He made a promise, but at the end of the day, one thing will never change.

If his family’s future alone can be promised at the measly cost of one blue-collar mechanic’s life, it would already be a steal.

And, if it’s the fate of the world, even if it will be buried beneath the unwilling lives he takes with him, it still feels a rather cheap, if dirty, price to pay to protect everything else.

A moment ago, a far-flung mechanic from another world closed his eyes to think. Maybe it was to dream, if only for an instant. It is a dream of a world where his family can live as they please in a world full of adventures to be had.

A moment ago, a way-ward regular joe closed his eyes to shut out the world around him. The world as it is, full of questions with no answers all being asked towards him.

A moment ago, a young man who found himself at the head of a rising Empire that he likely does not deserve closed his eyes to find even a moment of peace that the sleepless nights have denied him since he learned of his biggest failing to date.

A moment ago, an over-extended, indecisive nobody closed his eyes. In the moment that follows, that man vanishes.

And, when those dark brown eyes open again, it is the MAD Emperor who opens them.

***