4

"And that is what I know about Etherscape." I say, finishing an explanation that takes me about seven minutes of uninterrupted talking to get through. The thronemaidens look impressed by my succinct summation of a very broad swath of history. 

"That is good. You clearly have a decent grounding in this history, so much so that I have to wonder if you have experienced some sort of boost to your intelligence given how rapidly you learned all of that…" Sif replies, and I nod brightly. 

"I have! At least one of my powers was a boost to my intelligence. There's an omega power," I say before Delphi chimes in and says "'Meta Mind'." I smile at her and nod. "Meta mind, that boosts my intelligence." I remark with a grin. 

"It even lets me manipulate technology and learn about it with a glance!" I exclaim confidently, which causes Delphi's smile to falter. 

"Uhh… Meta mind is great for learning about technology but it can't let you manipulate it. Do you mean that you can manipulate technology from a distance?" She asks, which causes my eyes to widen. 

For several minutes I've had the ability to remotely manipulate technology. I haven't exercised this ability, but I've sensed the potential of it in the back of my mind to do it. The realization that it's not Meta mind is bizarre. 

"I… I definitely can." I say, glancing at a servitor and making the creature raise its gun by telekinetically pulling it up and then activating it, which causes it to fire a projectile made of energy out one of the windows which line the western walls of the living room. No one here is surprised when this happens, and instead Delphi falls silent. 

"That… sounds like 'Technopathy' your majesty." Sif replies a second later. 

"It was an ability possessed by some novas. And a number of ethermancers can do it as well. Tydanarial tel'Meht is a genius at it, capable of using it to command a small warehouse's worth of ethermechs at once." Sif adds, with a bright smile. She also mentions the tel'Mehts, a family Star described as prolific ethermech builders. Me being able to use this ability makes some sense, since I've been slowly generating ether and can already use metacreativity. Still… 

"So my abilities as a nova are just… spontaneously appearing? How odd." I remark, even as I smile and glance at my hands. Sif is quiet for a moment and thinks about something before Chyliss suddenly speaks up. 

"It's interesting that technopathy would be the second power of yours in your capacity as a nova to appear. The tel'Mehts are one of the less enthusiastic families to return to the imperial fold, and while they aren't hostile towards it knowing that the emperor is a technopath AND an omega lord might be enough to get them more interested in you." The brunette says, and I nod as she explains that before asking her why the tel'Mehts aren't enthused about returning to the days of old. This causes her to frown for a second before she eventually replies. 

"Well, your majesty, that family is one that is solely passionate about technology. While the unity offered by a skilled emperor is a rising tide lifting all boats some families have adjusted to the new normal better than others. The tel'Mehts are one such family." Chyliss tells me. 

"Some families responded to the chaos poorly, like the tel'Dzeks," Chyliss reveals, referring to one of the three families that I know is helping fund the efforts to find me. "However, others ascended to new heights of power and influence. The tel'Mehts were not negatively affected by the loss of the novas, at least not any more so than any other family. Ethermechs are remarkable armaments in battles between different factions of ethermancers." Chyliss says. 

"The right ethermech, piloted by a sufficiently skilled manamutant or powerful enough ethermancer, or better yet the right pair of manamutant and ethermancer, can do incredible things on the field of battle. I've seen firsthand what happens when a smart pilot or smart pilots maneuver an ethermech." Chyliss tells me with a small smile. 

"Your nature as an omega lord and as a nova who possesses technopathy will certainly catch the eye of the tel'Mehts. I can't wait to see what happens if they join the imperial faction." Chyliss says, finishing her remarks with a sly grin. I chuckle and silently study my surroundings for a second before speaking. 

"So… What happens next?" I ask, looking at my companions with a small smile. This remark causes Sif to reach into her armor and retrieve a small sphere that glows as she moves it. 

"Well, sire, what happens next is up to you. But speaking as a citizen of Etherscape, and as the head of the imperial faction, I and other leaders, even including strategists from loyalist hegemonies, have a plan in place that we could follow." Sif says as the device in her hand begins to project an array of information into the space between the two of us. 

"There is a lot of work to do, your highness but one of the first things we need to do is head to Etherscape. Our hard work has kept many, the majority, of imperial holdings under the control of the imperial faction, and there are numerous hegemonies that have long standing offers to house the heir during the transition should they, you, ever appear in Etherscape, but if we follow our plan you do need to come with us in the days to come." Sif explains.

"Then there's the matter of teaching you what you need to know about Etherscape's government and the rest of the multiverse before you can become an effective ruler…" Sif says, her smile fading a touch as she speaks. 

"And of course there's the matter of you being an omega lord, the greatest foes of the Infinity Command in history." Sif says, with a touch of concern. My eyebrows rise when she says this and when she sees me she laughs softly. 

"The Infinity Command is the remnants of the coalition that slew your ancestors. At least those on… that side of your family tree. They formed after the assault on this city, but were organized by foes as vastly powerful as cosmopotences, and various other factions. Various powerful beings were terrified in the wake of that battle and decided to ensure that no other faction could ever become as powerful as the omega lords did. Sometimes their agents even infiltrate and operate in Etherscape." Sif tells me with a frown. I also frown, as even as inexperienced as I am politically I recognize that I can't overtly move against the Infinity Command without looking incredibly suspicious. Star, surprisingly, smiles at me and begins to speak. 

"Uhh if the plan is to move against the Infinity Command all we have to do is wait a while and an opportunity to oust them from Etherscape will present itself." Star says with surprising confidence. I glance at her and she points at her head. 

"I can see into the future. It's becoming a LOT harder to do so, at least with regards to you, no doubt thanks to your powers, but I know of a 'Crisis Point' where we'll be able to deal with the Infinity Command and safely oust them from Etherscape with minimal, and easily acceptable, political blowback." She says brightly, before urging me to relax without speaking. I study her for a second before deciding to accept her remarks for now, and Sif seems satisfied by them as well, smiling at the oracle. 

"Okay, that's an adjustment that we can account for in future meetings to shift our plans long term. In that case I recommend we focus on more immediate concerns. We need to put measures in place to secure this city as part of your holdings, and we also need to decide where in Etherscape you'd like to go first." Sif tells me, even as she adjusts the strange projector in her hand and causes what it is displaying to change. Previously the thing displayed only words but now it is showing me images of different landscapes. 

"I don't know how long you want to stay here, my liege. I, personally, want to return to Etherscape as quickly as possible. This city is not secure and so long as it is not secure your life is in danger here." Sif says, glancing at me protectively. Her words seem to annoy Delphi, whose body language changes slightly, but she doesn't say anything. 

"I would love for us to head here," Sif tells me, pointing to an image depicting a grand city on a gleaming, stunningly beautiful lake. "This is Drinn, known to the people of Etherscape as the 'Emblem of Order'. It is the safest of all of your holdings, and populated by people the most fanatically loyal to the imperial crown. Plus from there we could get new allies who'd be willing to help us secure this city." Sif explains, brightly. At this point the other thronemaidens, previously content to quietly watch as Sif, Chyliss, and I speak, chime in as well. Thevah is the first to talk, pointing to another image. 

"Oh, your majesty, we should head here!" She says, energetically as she points to an image of a city that is seemingly one with nature where buildings are fashioned from gigantic trees and public transit seems to integrate nature. The blonde twin, Belah, smiles enthusiastically when she sees Thevah's suggestion. 

"That's Serenity! It's my pick as well, my liege. It's a beautiful plane right next to the home of the tel'Knirs, and in Serenity the people live in peace with nature." Belah explains brightly. The remaining thronemaidens all begin to get involved as well, pointing to and explaining the differences between the different holdings on display. 

Velvet and Shelanvaranda are both partial to the land of Flareiss, a place of romance. Binah likes the thought of visiting Neidon Kal, a place of etherfae and rules appropriate to such a location. Chyliss discusses three different places, Ethirin: a city that has been the capital of Etherscape before and is located in the middle of the empire, Aerremgard: a place fit for gods and where ethermancy is stronger than normal, and Acropolis: a desert plane rife with history and culture. 

"Long term you will need to decide on which holding to make your capital. And of course, once you've selected your queens their familial holdings will also be places you could make your capital." Velvet explains, and I pause when I hear her say something curious. I glance at her and softly utter a single word. 

"'Queens'?" I ask, confused, She repeats the word happily, but then her eyes widen and she says something quite curious even as she looks to Delphi. 

"Is the translation function of the city just… not working?" She asks, which is itself an odd question that allows me to realize that these women have not been speaking English but rather something about the city itself allows us to understand each other. Delphi smiles a bit smugly for a second before replying. 

"Oh the city's translation technologies are working fine. As is our master's innate ability to comprehend us. He is actually confused about what you are saying. In his homeworld most kingdoms are not run by polygamous monarchies." Delphi explains, which causes my eyes to widen when I realize that I am about to learn firsthand just how different this culture is from the one I come from. Velvet's eyes also widen as she learns that I am truly confused.

"Huh… Okay, I guess I can explain this," Velvet says, which gets a smile from Sif who nods at the thronemaiden. "So Etherscape, when unified by an emperor or an empress, is an imperial monarchy. The emperor or empress is, thus, at the head of a vast harem." Velvet tells me, beginning to smile as she explains this. 

"Due to a number of different factors, chiefly the immortality all emperors and empresses have had, and the effect ether has on sexuality, the emperor or empress has always had at a minimum fifty wives, husbands, or spouses and many… many more lovers." Velvet reveals which makes me lean back and just look at the floor. I can feel her face stiffen as she studies my reaction to this revelation. 

"And that was the first emperor… He famously had the smallest imperial harem." Velvet adds, which is so stunning that it elicits an actual peal of laughter from me. Thevah is the next to speak up, and what she says is helpful. 

"You're scaring him! Sire, you should know that the primary purpose of the harem is to help delegate governmental tasks and to facilitate the smooth running of the empire." The raven-haired beauty reveals, which does cause me to relax a touch. 

"I'll take over this explanation," Thevah tells me, smiling when she sees me relax. "So each of the hundred hegemonies and… thousands of noble families, which rank below royal families in our federal government, have submitted suits of daughters or sons as potential marriage material. In the days to come imperial analysts and Sif will comb through the suits and select the most intriguing and useful for you personally to look through. The purpose of this is for you to decide who to marry and what ranks to assign your wives." Thevah explains, which makes me pale as I consider how that sounds from my cultural context, before I shake my head and try to focus on what I don't know: how the culture of Etherscape views these matters.

"The basic ranks in the imperial harem are, in descending order of importance, queens, ladies-in-waiting, concubines, and mistresses. Mistresses are the only ones who are not wives, but are actually official lovers who have access to a basic package of rights and privileges. Concubines, which will probably be the most common rank you give out, are official wives who, among other things, have permanent residences in all of your imperial holdings in vast odahs. Ladies-In-Waiting are privileged women who are beneath queens in rank but still directly oversee parts of the government. Queens are, in many ways, small empresses and are recognized, critical, parts of the imperial government." Thevah says, educating me patiently. 

"There are, by tradition, only four queens and who you select as queens will be incredibly important in the early days of your reign. That said, all the other ranks can have as many members as you wish, even the ladies-in-waiting rank, though how special that position is is determined by how few people are in it so you'll be advised to keep that rank as small as possible." Thevah explains, smiling gently at me. I sigh and take in this news with a stoic expression. Sif speaks as soon as Thevah is done talking. 

"You should also know that some influential figures and factions from beyond Etherscape will submit suits to you. Some, such as members of the Clearbrass Estate, a state made up of powerful elemental djinn, have long-standing agreements with Etherscape in case a true heir ever appears. Clearbrass's ambassador to Etherscape is marriable as well. She will undoubtedly know that we have found you in hours or days after we return to Etherscape… Jourdal is spectacularly powerful. She'd make for a great wife, if you are cunning enough for her." Sif says, and I can feel her heartbeat quicken when she says the name of the ambassador from "Clearbrass Estate". 

"Still, a lot of that is further in the future than we should be thinking about for now. I strongly advise that you select a place in Etherscape and that we head there for the future." Sif says, reiterating her previous position. I nod at her and look at Delphi. 

"You're the official representative in this… odd alliance of the city. I need your input before I move further." I tell her, which makes her smile happily at me. 

"Well, master… This city is just a place. Visitors have arrived here before and will arrive here in the future and have done no meaningful damage to the city, even ascendants only able to minorly scratch the city's walls, in the days since the coalition's invasion. I don't understand it myself, but I have to assume it's some super contingency put in place by primordial omega lords." Delphi tells me. 

"There is the beast, a cosmic prisoner stuck here since before the first omega lords set foot on this place, but even cosmopotences can't free it. I've seen them try, without knowing what it was, and fail. As far as I know only a deliberate act by an omega lord could free the monster. And all of the omegatech that is still here is secure in vaults as impossible to break into as the one you found the servitors in. If you want to leave… We can leave." She says, which makes Sif smile as happily as I've ever seen her smile. She's also as quick to interject as ever.

"Your majesty, I don't mean for us to abandon the city forever. In fact I am already mentally making plans to arrange for the city's full exploration and settlement, but if you stay here you will lack resources you could otherwise have." Sif explains. 

"The thronemaidens already number in the tens of millions and right now we're weaker than we've been, recruitment wise, at any point following our inception. The appearance of a new emperor will swell our academies throughout Etherscape and will also bolster the ranks of other groups in the imperial faction." Sif declares, confidently. 

"At the same time the appearance of a new emperor will also send shockwaves throughout the hegemonies, many of whom will eagerly flock to the imperial cause… Whatever that cause might be." Sif tells me, smiling all the while. 

"On the other hand, if you were to settle here and explore this place without leveraging your status as the heir to Etherscape it'd take you… A long time to fully excavate and restore the city. Even with your legion, even if you find other legions, you won't be able to devote the resources to this city's restoration that you could if you armed yourself with ethertech. Especially since omegatech presumably works on ethertech." Sif points out, wisely. I nod at her and chuckle. 

"You're right. I know the smartest move is for me to protect myself, and the way for me to do that is for me to go along with the plan." I say, causing her to relax as she realizes that I'm willing to go along with her and follow the plan as she's laid it out. I turn to Delphi and study her. 

"Are you ready to leave? I know you've spent a long time here…" I ask, which makes her smile sadly. 

"I have. Billions of years. I'll miss this place if we go, but if we do I know that it represents a great opportunity both for you, and for the city. And that's what matters." She replies, maturely. I nod at her and consider her words as I decide which of the recommended holdings to first appear in. After a few moments I look up and lock eyes with Sif.

"I think there's only one sensible option here moving forward. We need to move to Drinn. And we need to keep word of my status as an omega lord on an absolutely need to know basis. Which for right now means no one but the people in this room know that about me." I exclaim, causing Sif to almost get up and cheer. She flashes me one of the most joyful smiles I've ever seen. Delphi nods at my words and silently glances at Star, who audibly whispers what I assume must be a set of coordinates. Delphi shuts her eyes and I sense the teleporter behind me begin to whirl to life. The thronemaidens look to Sif and I and wait for one of us to give orders but neither of us are quite sure of what to say. Eventually I break the silence.

"So… Drinn. The 'Emblem of Order', populated by a civilization of people who are fanatically loyal to the imperial crown and the head on which it rests… My head." I mutter, even as I get up off of the seat I've been lounging on. The thronemaidens quickly follow and I turn my attention to the teleporter. I walk towards it and then into it and am quickly followed by those who are determined to serve me. The teleporter expands to accommodate us all, and then the door shuts when the last of us enter the object. 

For a moment nothing seems to happen and then I feel my senses automatically adjust to a barrage of new stimuli, heaps of it, and before I can turn around I hear the inner workings of the machine I'm in shift and move of their own accord before the part of the machine in front of me opens up and I find myself standing in an intimate, surprisingly small bedroom filled with luxurious furniture. Sif moves faster than I've ever seen someone move and darts out in front of me, protectively scanning the room for any possible threats. A few moments later she turns and gestures for me to move forward, which I do while smiling at the protective woman. 

"Okay… So we're in a bedroom. My bedroom?" I ask, turning and looking at Sif who nods even as she smiles and walks over to a large door on the other end of the room. 

The room is currently almost pitch black but my senses are more than keen enough for me to see in it. It is an opulent place, one clearly meant for an emperor, but it's also noticeably smaller than the rooms I've spent much of the last hour and a half in. At the same time with every breath I take I can feel myself growing taller and stronger, native ether filling my lungs. 

"And this is ether…" I mutter, causing my thronemaidens to gasp as they realize that I'm now in a place where ether suffuses the very air. The stuff is now coursing through me, spreading into my body with every breath I take, and as it fills me I feel my very cells being supercharged by the stuff. 

"Your majesty, how are you feeling?" Binah asks, closing the distance and putting an arm on my shoulder. I smile at the tall warrior and chuckle as I feel energy and power beginning to infuse my body, spreading through me like the warmth of a delicious cup of hot chocolate would when one drinks it on a cold winter night. 

"I feel… incredible." I tell her, as the warmth spreads further down my body and reaches more intimate parts of my anatomy. I can feel my body changing, though I can't see my reflection so I have no clue what I look like. Sif, upon hearing that I am fine, looks at me and signals that when I'm ready she'll open the door. I look around and bashfully hesitate to ask what I'm about to ask.

"I know that the culture here is different and that you all don't know much, if anything, about Earth aside from Delphi and Star, but on Earth clothes are pretty commonplace. Should I be dressed before we go anywhere else?" I ask, and as I glance at the thronemaidens I notice something which elicits an internal smile on my part: they all look a bit saddened at the thought of me in clothing. Shelanvaranda is the one to answer my question, and as she speaks I turn to look at the elf. 

"Well, public nudity is normal in Etherscape. It sends a signal of strength both to those familiar with Etherscape and those not familiar with it. It lets people know you do not fear their assaults and don't need to hide behind metal or enchanted cloth, as well as projecting an aura of honesty and openness." The elf explains, causing me to sigh. 

"Plenty of people wear clothing, and sometimes clothing is worn as a sign of modesty or because of circumstances, and beyond Etherscape clothing is normal as well, but lots of wealthy, influential figures in Etherscape eschew clothing while in the territories they control or are influential in." Shelanvaranda continues, causing me to realize that clothes are not really necessary. I chuckle and decide to embrace the phrase "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". I nod at Sif and she opens the door, to the shock of a duo stationed outside of it. 

A pair of male soldiers clad in armor that only covers part of their bodies and armed with futuristic looking rifles see me and the thronemaidens as light streams into the room and their faces blanche as they recall where the door leads. They also recognize Sif immediately and ask her if why she's in the room that's supposed to belong to the emperor. Sif dazzles them with a smile and informs them that I am the heir. 

She also asks that one of them go retrieve "General fal'Iome", which the man who asked her why she was in my room does immediately, darting away from the scene and dashing towards a distant door as fast as he can. I smile at Sif and step forward, walking more clearly into the light now creeping across the opulent bedroom. 

In moments I hear the voice of the warrior as he speaks into a mechanical device of some sort just out of view after darting into a nearby room. I then hear a soft voice utter confused words in reply, but the warrior urges the speaker to drop everything and come to the imperial suite. The person being spoken to asks for more information but the guard says he doesn't understand what's going on either, and urges the general to come here. I hear a sigh and then a soft pair of feet distantly, elsewhere in the palace I'm in, begin to move in my direction. 

The guard then shouts that the general is on his way and Sif thanks him for his cooperation, shouting her thanks in a voice louder than I'd have expected her to be capable of. Sif smiles at me and tells me I'll like the general.