“Wait!” Jasmine yelled. “So you are his mother? So he isn’t from our continent? Also, he might kill me? Why?” Jasmine was breathing heavily and in a bit of a panic, she didn’t know how to leave this place and it was clear that he could get to her no matter where she hid.

  “Are you familiar with destinies Jasmine?” Bethany asked and Liasandra raised an eyebrow.

  “Like as in people who are destined to be together or like someone was destined for a certain career?” Jasmine asked, thoroughly confused.

  “Kind of, but I'm talking about universal destiny. It's not something you are born with, but instead something that the universe needs doing and is willing to give you a touch of power and opportunities if you are willing to play along. I’m going to show you both what mine is and then I’ll tell you about his, and maybe that will make it clear to both of you why his reaction to certain things can be tricky.” Bethany said to Liasandra and Jasmine as they both leaned in expectantly.

  Bethany showed her destiny first and explained that she thinks that Eli’s power is going to one day grow past the ability for the system or the universe to control easily so it wants her to be with him and keep him human. Aside from making sure he has a healthy relationship with pleasures of the flesh, she also talks him down when his reaction to problems is bigger than it needs to be. Just because he can destroy cities doesn’t mean the situation calls for it. Then Bethany explained his destiny to be a check on the cruelty of the powerful, specifically those who rule over an area.

  Giving them time for it all to sink in, Bethany sipped at her tea and mentally patted herself on the back at how good it was and how she made a great choice in purchasing it despite its seven figure cost per pot. She was also happy with herself in being able to enjoy something so simple despite the craziness of everything going on around her. If it was up to her, she and Eli wouldn’t leave their bed until it was time to cast his vote, then back to the bed and each other. Normally when she had him all to herself it was in the middle of a dungeon or while moving through terrain, this place was like a vacation and she wanted more time with him.

  Surprising even herself, the prospect of sharing Eli with Alora, which was unlikely, or Jasmine, which was far more likely, didn’t seem to phase her. She was used to being with married men in the corporate world who would spend a late Friday night with her then go home to their wives to go another round or two. This was different though, she loved Eli more than she thought possible, she would do anything for him which she knew wasn’t healthy in the pre-system world they came from. However, in this world it made sense that to be with the de facto ruler of a planet meant sharing him as well as being everything for him. She was his lover, his bodyguard, his tether to humanity, and most importantly she was his someone he could rely on regardless of what she had to do.

  Bethany was snapped out of her musings when Liasandra spoke, “So, if he is a check on those in power, and you,” pointing at Bethany, “are his check on power. Doesn’t that make you the ruler of the planet in everything but name?”

  Jasmine narrowed her eyes at Bethany, but she was far too startled by this revelation to notice. “If you put it like that then I guess it kind of does.” Bethany shrugged it off and went back to her tea with a self-satisfied smile.

  “Does that mean I have to convince you to let him sleep with me so he doesn’t kill me? But why do you think he might kill me? What did I do?” Jasmine was sounding a bit despondent at her choices. It was one thing when she wanted to sleep with him and she might get a chance, but doing it to save her life felt wrong, like selling herself for food.

  “First off, you don’t have to do anything, in fact it might be better if you didn’t do anything. You could just pretend we never talked and go your own way. However,” She said with some emphasis on it. “I’m willing to bet that he showed you something and its eating at you to know more, to be more. You want what he can offer, but in all seriousness there isn't any need to sleep with him. I am more than happy to be the only one in his bed for this whole conference.”

  Jasmine slouched in her chair and let out a long sigh. “You're not wrong, to be perfectly candid, if he came to my zone, he would probably kill me. I freely use my will skill to maintain control of the people there and it isn’t always cruelty-free. Perhaps if I join him he won’t bother with my zone and my plans can continue.” She froze, realizing that she had just said more than she wanted to.

  Liasandra looked at the two of them, then at the teapot on the small table between them. “That isn’t normal tea is it?”

  “Good eye mom, it's called truth tea and Jasmine here just demonstrated what it does. It doesn't force you to talk, just makes you speak the truth if you were going to lie.” Bethany said with a smile.

  “Aren’t you affected by it?” Liasandra asked.

  “Of course I am, the trick is to not lie. It's easy to get around it if you know how it works, also it really is very tasty.”

  “So, how do I not get killed by the most powerful person on the planet?” Jasmine asked, having difficulty keeping her fear hidden.

  “Despite mom’s description of my role in all this, I do not tell Eli what to do, I make suggestions based on long term strategy. I don’t really have any advice for you, except to make up your mind and lean into the decision with every ounce of your being.” Bethany said as she took another sip of the delicious and still hot tea.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Why do you keep calling me mom?” Liasandra asked.

  “Well Tara is his real wife, but I mean just as much to him as she does and I want us to be on more familiar terms because it keeps me from wanting to drive my spear into your mouth and out the back of your head for abandoning him when he was 12.” Bethany paused, looked at the tea and smiled. “This tea is really strong, I was trying to say something diplomatic but I can’t hide my real feelings while drinking this stuff.”

  Aria touched the teleporter wall and requested to teleport to Eli’s room, there was a delay as she guessed that he had to give permission. A minute went by, then two, then she was given permission and she appeared on his floor. Her jaw dropped at how fancy everything on his floor was, she walked right past Alora and out onto the balcony to see the endless blue ocean and hear the soft waves crashing against the building. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath tasting the salted moisture in the air and smiled as if this was the first care-free moment she has ever had.

  Alora joined her on the balcony leaning over the railing right next to her. “Do you remember when we met? Before Eli showed up and changed everything I mean.”

  “I do, I wasn’t a very good friend. I was just using you as a shield in case any of those guys following us around got physical with us, I was going to tell them to take you and leave me alone. I was scared and weak. I’ve been wanting to apologize since he remade me.”

  “I’m not mad, I wasn’t a good friend either. I left you at the drop of a hat even though you were injured to chase after my own dreams of magic and wonder.”

  Aria took another deep breath and let it out slowly. “Do you regret joining him? Are there any downsides?”

  “It’s not easy, it's not like he actually teaches me magic and I have to do whatever he says, but he is a good person and won’t force me to do something if I say no.” Aria gave her a flat look. “Yes there are downsides, but when I’m done being his apprentice I’ll have a life that would have been impossible without him. I’ll go places and achieve magical wonders that I don’t even have the imagination to think about right now.”

  “So, you're saying it's not easy but the pay off is worth it.” Aria said with an unsure look on her face.

  “You want to join him but you aren’t sure if he will want you.”

  “I want to be by his side like you are, but not if I’m not going to be of use to him. Having him look at me with those disappointed eyes isn’t something I can handle.” Aria took a breath, bracing herself. “Thats how he looked at Gwen before he locked her inside her own mind. That look is burned into Gwen's mind and it represents despair. Gwen didn’t survive his divine punishment, Aria did.”

  “This might be hard for you to hear, but I think you need to talk to him. The only way you can resolve this is by confronting him with your feelings. I will go with you and be there the whole time and I won’t let him harm you. The worst that can happen is that he says no.” Alora said, doing her best to be reassuring, but seemingly failing as Aria looked very despondent.

  “I don’t know if I could handle a ‘no’ from him. You might not understand since he lets you be so informal with him but he is a god, he is my god. Being told no, is a bigger deal than you realize.”

  Aria and Alora were standing in front of the door to the room Eli had been using to sleep, both of them were nervous for different reasons. Aria was basically asking to be judged by someone she saw as a religious figure and Alora just wanted to be a supportive friend this time and not get pulled away by her own desires. Neither of them had thought to actually knock as they were both playing out different nightmare scenarios at how this could go. Eli could hear them, in fact he had heard every word they said since Aria arrived. Something about this floor belonging to him gave him a weird omni-presence while he was physically there.

  “Come in girls.” Eli said to them through the door, he usually called Alora by her name or addressed her as a woman but they were acting like girls so that's what he said. They both entered the room but stayed near the door while Eli was sitting at the foot of the bed. “I heard you talking, so I already know why you are here. I need you to answer something before we continue though,” Aria looked increasingly nervous. “Why did you come here with Jasmine? What is it about her that warrants my attention?”

  Aria took a step forward and with confidence said, “I thought she would fit into your group. She is unique and has powerful potential just like most of the people you seem to recruit.”

  “How did you get her to bring you along instead of one of her friends or subordinates?”

  “I told her that I know you,” Aria said, but stopped talking when Eli blinked to be right in front of her, bending down so that their faces were almost touching. It was an absolutely terrifying ability because there was no warning and without sufficient perception it seemed instantaneous and it didn’t even disturb the air. It was like he had always been that close and she hadn’t noticed until now. “And… and… I told her some things about you.”

  “What did you tell her? Be specific, your life and hers depend on what you said.”

  Aria gulped audibly, then took in a deep breath so as to get it all out as fast as possible. “I told her about how strong you are and that you would be in charge here and that if I make an introduction that she would have a better chance at a good relationship. She didn’t seem interested until I told her more about oath magic though. She was really fixated on that and wouldn’t let me out of her sight until we got here.”

  “What is oath magic?” Alora asked, she was hoping that if she asked the question it would save Aria from additional punishment.

  “It’s…” Aria started but was cut off by Eli putting his hand over her mouth.

  “Do not say another word.” Eli said, he kept his hand over her mouth with his hand on the back of her head. He picked her up by her head and addressed Alora. “I appreciate you wanting to help Aria, I am very pleased. But we need to have a private chat on this topic so leave us.” Alora froze for a second, unsure what to do but Eli allowed Aria to turn her and she nodded for her to go. She slowly walked backwards and the doors shut on their own, she was tempted to stay and listen but knew that it would backfire so she decided to check on Bethany and used the teleporter wall to go to the voting room.