{We also now know what affinity the cult leader awakened. He awakened with an esoteric affinity to faith-aspected mana. Knowing that gives us some clues as to its operation, so we have avenues to research that will prevent it from affecting us going forward. We’ll know if we’ve succeeded for sure once our affected citizens have their disintegration permanently stopped,} Nova reported, as she was the one keeping track of the relevant research in the Lab City gold labs.“That’s a relief,” Aron sighed. “About the evidence—is there any reason anyone can think of why we shouldn’t make it public?”There was a possibility that some of the cult’s documents might need to be classified for national security, but as he had yet to receive a detailed briefing or any of the evidence himself, he couldn’t say for sure.The human members of his inner council looked to the AIs present at the meeting, as they hadn’t had time to read through it themselves, either.{There’s some information in them with s
Before the panic and fearmongering could spread further, a notification was pushed to every device on the planet, imperial or otherwise. The emperor would shortly be making a speech explaining the whys and wherefores of the disintegrations.The notification was enough to bring everything in the world to a screeching halt, as, other than those who were asleep and thus missed it or those doing important jobs, everyone sat and stared at their screens, upon which was displayed the imperial seal. Everyone was worried that the disintegration would be affecting them, their families, or their close friends, and they wanted to know what exactly was going on.And whether they were imperial citizens or not, Aron had an excellent reputation, so his words bore the most authority.As usual, Aron appeared behind a podium against a neutral blue backdrop, the seal of the empire proudly displayed on the front of the podium.“Greetings to everyone around the world,” he began in a neutral tone.“Earlier
Aron had decreed that the remaining days of December would be an imperial holiday. As such, everyone was given the option of taking the ten days off for a paid holiday, or choosing to work for double pay. That included both government employees and private companies alike, a move that was popular with employees, but not nearly as popular with the enterprises employing them.As for himself, on the other hand, he was still working without pay. After all, he had never taken a salary from the imperial treasury to begin with, save a ceremonial 1 END per year. Even as the emperor, he was still a government employee, so he had to be paid. But since the money was irrelevant to him, he only accepted a token pittance.He was currently in his office dealing with state affairs. “With this,” he sighed in relief, “the case of the progenitor cult can be considered closed.” He flicked his eyes to the scanner and linked the final document to his retinal pattern and other biometric data, a measure that
Felix looked at Aron with a face full of disbelief. “Man... I know you’re the emperor and above us mere plebeians, but... really?” he asked in surprise as he swiped his hand across in front of him, closing the file he had been reading.“What’s the problem this time?” Aron shot back, rolling his eyes.“You have less than ten friends. Ten! Doesn’t that make you the least social royal in the history of the world? And! AND! Half of those are the people you dragged in to be the CEOs of your companies using magical contracts!” Felix scoffed. He jokingly continued, “Can you even consider that friendship? And besides me and Sarah, don’t you have any friends from your time in school?”“You seem to have forgotten how everything started. You and Sarah are the only two people that stuck with me when Rottem Morgan threw his little hissy fit and had me expelled under false pretenses after I proved him wrong in public. So however many I have now, it’s still more than two!” Aron playfully punched Fe
“So everything’s final then?” Rina asked, gesturing to the list of people eligible for the lucky draw attendance at their wedding.“Ah, wait... there’s a girl that asked me for an autograph when I was on my ‘European tour’. Come to think of it, I wonder if she ever solved the problem I gave her....” Aron looked around and saw the strange expressions on the other people at the table with him. He suddenly realized how what he had said could be misinterpreted and sputtered, “Y-y-you people! Who do you think I am!? Sheesh! She was the front desk attendant when I was checking out of the hotel and she recognized me and asked for an autograph. That would’ve been that, until Nova looked through her information and discovered she was a talented engineer, so she set a question that, if the girl answered it correctly, she’d find some rewards from Nova.”He shuddered at the cold shoulder he was expecting from Rina later. Even though he was almost positive they were just fucking with him, he had a
Aron, Rina, and Jai were having a conversation in a room filled with toys, play mats, and small desks. Three of its walls were decorated with childrens’ art in bright primary colors and shapes, and a digital display adorned one wall. The sound of children at play drifted in from the windows.“We’ve established a presence in every city in the world after finishing the last round of renovations. We’re still negotiating with noncitizens to purchase land from them so we can build our own schools, but that’s taking more time than we initially expected. “We may actually have to continue using the renovated buildings until the completion of the fortress cities, since we’re now responsible for a little under a hundred million orphaned children around the world and the locals are putting up stumbling blocks in our acquisition negotiations,” Jai said, his tone a mixture of satisfaction and frustration.The total number of children being looked after by the Coeus Foundation made them the world’
Aron nodded. “It’s exactly what you think,” he said. “The awakening phenomenon isn’t over, and when people reach the early stages of puberty, the clock will start ticking down to their eventual awakenings as well. Thankfully, though, the process will be much smoother as it won’t be as... abrupt as the first awakening was.“So, to prevent the orphans who are soon to awaken, the House of Hope plan was brought forward and made the main thrust of the Coeus Foundation’s activities. We will guide the newly awakened through their growth phase and seamlessly shift them into ‘hero academies’ as they reach the age of awakening. That serves a dual purpose—first, it’ll prevent them from their desperation driving them to a life of crime, and second, it’ll guide them into working for the empire instead of becoming part of private forces in the hands of noncitizens.“Prior to the mass awakening of the three percent, we’d already made plans for the House of Hope project, but at that time, it was mean
Somewhere in the solar system.An asteroid the size of one of Mars’ moons floated alone in orbit around the sun, in all its majesty. Formerly a cosmic dust-covered rock, it had been completely worked over and half of it had been cut off, leaving a flat surface from which grew an enormous docking tower. The half that remained was still a natural rock, though the cosmic dust coating it had been swept away, leaving the surface clean, while the docking tower was made of a dark gray hadfield steel alloy, as most of the empire’s hardware in space was.A study in contrasts, the natural half of the asteroid was dark, while the docking tower was brightly lit with brilliant flashing lights and painted signage highlighting the various docking bays of different sizes.(Ed note: Picture Omega, from Mass Effect 2.)[Outpost 134, this is ISA-EV-343398 on leading approach, requesting approach lane and docking assignment,] the captain of a two-kilometer-long vessel reported.[Outpost 134 copies reques
“Seraphina,” Aron began, his voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of authority, “I’m not your enemy—unless you choose to make me one. I understand your anger, your frustration. You’ve lost control of a situation you believed was firmly under your command. But this predicament wasn’t my doing—you’re here because your leader chose to sacrifice you. What I’m offering you isn’t a chain—it’s an opportunity.”Her sharp eyes narrowed, the intensity of her gaze unwavering, but she held her silence. Aron leaned forward, his own gaze unrelenting as it met hers.“You can continue resisting, pushing the boundaries of the mana oath, and enduring needless pain. Or…” He paused, letting the words linger like a challenge. “You can choose to turn this situation into one that serves us both. Your strength, your insight—these are not things I wish to suppress. Quite the opposite. I want them refined, amplified, and put to meaningful use.”He motioned toward the table, where Nova was still doing fina
[Colosseum]Aron and Seraphina stood motionless, maintaining the same distance as at the start of their faceoff. Neither had moved, even during the spectacular fireworks show that followed Aron’s acceptance of her surrender. The only exception was Aron briefly waving to the citizens of his empire watching the broadcast, many of whom were overcome with emotion, crying in celebration of their historic victory. This event marked the first-ever interstellar combat they had participated in, and despite their lack of experience, they emerged as the sole victors.As cheers of triumph reverberated among his people and the disbelief of others lingered, the broadcast concluded. The moment Aron secured his final victory, the Arena itself was officially handed over to him as part of his reward, along with control of the AI referee. Without hesitation, the AI complied with her new owner’s first command: to end the broadcast. Aron had more pressing matters to attend to—a private conversation with a
[Meeting Room]Inside the Zelvora mental network, an oppressive silence hung over the gathered representatives around the meeting table. The events of the day had left them all stunned, their minds racing with the implications of what had transpired. These were not just any representatives—they were the ones who had signed off on the agreements, the architects of their civilizations’ participation in this contest.Now, they were confronted with the brutal outcome of their decisions.Many representatives sat deep in thought, their faces betraying various degrees of fear, frustration, and resignation. Those who hailed from civilizations steeped in selfish political traditions knew all too well the grim truth: scapegoats would be needed. Someone would have to bear the brunt of the blame for the humiliation, anger, and setbacks their civilizations had suffered.For many of them, the path forward seemed bleak. In the best-case scenario, they might lose their positions, exiled from the corr
To say Aron was surprised would be the understatement of the gigaannum. The announcement had obliterated every scenario he had meticulously crafted in his mind. In all his time spent in simulations, preparing for countless contingencies, not once had he considered the possibility of the Xor’Vaks surrendering—least of all without a fight.Their pride in their strength was legendary, surpassing even the vaunted arrogance of the Valthorins. For a race that reveled in their dominance, surrendering, especially on such a grand stage, was unthinkable. This sudden reversal of expectations hit him with such force that he could practically feel the metaphorical veins in his temple throbbing from the sheer shock of it all.The audience’s collective astonishment mirrored his own, but none felt it as acutely as Aron, whose carefully laid strategies now seemed almost laughably over-prepared in the face of this unanticipated twist.The largest part of Aron's shock wasn’t just the surrender itself bu
The minutes passed quickly for the viewers, their eyes glued to Aron as he sat unmoving in the same meditative position for over fifteen minutes. Speculation ran rampant on both sides, fueled by curiosity and tension.For those in the Empire, the consensus was that Aron was in VR, likely meeting with family or key figures. Many debated who he might be speaking with, guessing that he was either calming worried loved ones or strategizing for the next fight.On the other hand, viewers from the Astral Conclave harbored a mix of anxiety and intrigue. They questioned whether Aron was recuperating in preparation for the upcoming battle, enhancing his focus and mental clarity, or if his recovery from the previous fight was incomplete and he was still in the process of healing.But their speculations ceased to matter as Aron opened his eyes with five minutes remaining in the waiting period. Calm and deliberate, he removed the glasses from his head, placing them back into their container. His n
The moment the fight was officially declared over, Nova acted without hesitation. She immediately dispatched the collector ship, equipped with a medipod, to retrieve the Trinarian fighter's body. Simultaneously, she ensured Aron could rearm himself with a fresh set of nanomachines. For the first time, this process was being done openly, marking a significant shift.Previously, nanomachines had been classified technology, their existence kept strictly under wraps. However, that secrecy had been unintentionally broken when Nova used them to cover Aron’s exposed body during a critical moment, prioritizing his dignity over confidentiality. As a result, while the technology remained shrouded in mystery, its existence was now officially acknowledged, albeit without disclosing any further details.Aron retrieved a small canister from the ship and opened it, revealing a liquid-like substance inside. Pouring it onto his hand, the substance behaved unnaturally, defying gravity as it began to sp
"Him alive is better than dead, right? I can use his live brain data to study how they use their spatial abilities—it might even help accelerate my plans if things go as intended," Aron said as he stood over the fainting Trinarian fighter.{True, having him alive presents opportunities. But dead men cause no problems, while the living carry infinite potential for chaos—especially one like him. If our spatial lockdown isn’t enough to fully contain his abilities, he could use them long enough to cause catastrophic damage, even if it means enduring the backlash,} Nova replied, her tone laced with caution. She wanted to ensure Aron was fully aware of the risks he was inviting by sparing the fighter's life.Usually, Nova would have been in favor of keeping him alive—it meant more data for her to process, analyze, and extrapolate from. But spatial ability users were in a league of their own when it came to danger. Even a dead one would yield enough data to at least satisfy her curiosity for
“Nova,” Aron called out in his mind the moment his eyes snapped open, rapidly collecting information and orienting himself, realizing he had finally left the enigmatic place the system had sent him.“Nova,” he called again, this time aloud, his voice carrying a commanding weight as it echoed faintly in the arena. Receiving no response to his first call, his sharp gaze shifted to his surroundings. It didn’t take long for him to notice his current state—nearly naked, save for the swarm of nanomachines that had begun assembling around him.{The system had ejected me, sir,} Nova’s voice finally came through, calm but slightly delayed as the nanomachines completed their task. They prioritized covering his lower body, forming a sleek pair of trousers, as there weren’t enough surviving nanomachines to reconstruct full armor. His chiseled upper body remained exposed, glistening under the lights of the Colosseum, much to the awe and unease of the spectators.Nova’s pragmatic choice left Aron l
Following Nova's orders and the AI referee's approval, the mana stone carriers swiftly began moving toward the Colosseum. As the first ship arrived and entered, it wasted no time, promptly unloading its entire cargo of mana stones before departing to make way for the next carrier to do the same. The process was conducted with remarkable efficiency, ensuring a steady flow of mana stones into the Colosseum without any unnecessary delays.The process continued as over fifty ships unloaded their cargo of mana stones, an act many from the Conclave viewed as both excessive and wasteful. With each successive ship, the pain of the Conclave's viewers grew, particularly when the fifth ship alone had already matched the quantity of mana stones used during the Colosseum's initial construction. Yet, they didn’t stop there; instead, they went on to unload ten times that amount, as if mana stones were an endless resource, leaving the Conclave citizens bewildered and horrified by such apparent extra