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Iona Joan walked out, her angel wings locked behind her. Several other rulers paced behind her, each looking like members of a council or guards. The bubbly ruler walked up and gazed at me, a smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye,

“Calm down, Shalahora. We’re just making sure he’s trustworthy.” Her eyes narrowed,

“Well then…Tell us everything we want to know…Mmkay?”

I condensed my wake, time crawling by. While standing still, several minds considered how to approach the situation. Considering my abilities and the survivors’ lack of combat potential, I had many options. Several of my psyches wanted to mold out of my constraints, while others wanted to leave my body and regrow outside it.

Before doing any of that, a lone Daniel presented a more devious plan. The other Daniels enjoyed it, so we all chose to follow it. A series of debates and arguments began about the plan’s specifics, each of us iterating on the others’ approaches. After a few minutes of discussion, Iona frowned at us. She ebbed out in a slow drone,

“What’s wrong? Has an eldritch filled your throat, or are you just stupid?”

I pitied her for a moment, her lack of awareness setting her up for a slam dunk. Unfortunately for her, I was playing ball, metaphorically speaking, of course. I unloaded my wake and kept it unactivated yet extended. I frowned at her, my face covered with my helmet. I said,

“What’s with the capture? I haven’t done anything to any of you.”

Iona jeered, “You’re a newer ruler, so I’ll cut you some slack here. We’ve talked with other rulers, and many of them are allied with Valgus. You and that Baldowah maniac talked before arriving here, so we’re not going to welcome you back with open arms.”

Shalahora deadpanned, “Valgus crushed his body fifty times over. That’s talking to you?”

Iona narrowed her eyes and pouted towards Shalahora, “Hey now, I’m the one interrogating him, not you. Stay out of this, honey.”

I mentally recoiled at her attempts to be ‘cute.’ It contrasted with any other approach I’d ever seen by a ruler, and it carried the opposite effect she intended on me. It was a blatant attempt at lowbrow manipulation, both an insult and an exploitation. I kept that to myself as I frowned,

“Regardless whether I said it or Shalahora said it, that’s still my defense. Valgus and I are not friends.”

Iona locked her hands behind herself, “I’ll be the judge of that.” She pointed her finger and gestured to all of me, “Now, tell me this. You’ve survived on this planet for this long, correct?”

I blinked,

“Duh.“

She frowned, “You don’t have to be so mean about it.”

I peered down at my restraints, the cords burning my skin. Peering between the burn marks and her, I sneered, “Oh, I’m the one being mean? Ok, just making sure.”

She sighed, “Hm…Either way, you got through all of this. I’m wondering if you joined Valgus’s faction. Do you have any proof you didn’t?”

Shalahora stated, “Aside from the fact he was attacked by him on sight?”

She did a playful huff before snapping, “Hey now.” She put a finger over her lips and winked at Shalahora, “Shush.”

The cute shenanigans repulsed me. I snapped, “I’m with Shalahora, and we know what Valgus is up to. I’m also offering you all protection here, but you’re getting in my way.” I narrowed the eye slit of my helmet, “It’s almost like you don’t want me to give the rulers here what they need…Is that true?”

The other rulers peered down at her. She struck a pose, and I slowly blinked in astonishment. She murmured, “Come on now, everyone, you know I’m not like that.”

To my complete, utter, and absolute amazement, the other rulers blushed. I couldn’t even fathom what the hell was going on, but I was losing my patience for it. I locked eyes with the other rulers,

“Are you all poisoned or something? Otherwise, this is…This is disappointing. I expected more from the rulers of worlds.”

Iona Joan’s tone changed on a dime once more, “Look, I’m trying to be kind here. Now either you’re going to answer my questions, or else-” She snapped her fingers, and my restraints tightened, “The situation will get nasty, mmkay?”

The restraints tightened, burrowing inches into my skin and flesh. I glared down, unphased and adamant, while my eyes locked onto Iona. I remained silent, the atmosphere of the room changing in an instant. She twitched and looked away, unable to hold my gaze. I kept the room in that silence before murmuring,

“You think you have control here?”

Shalahora took a few steps back, giving me room. The other rulers, not trusting their own magic, did the same. I tilted my head to Iona, and I stayed in my restraints,

“People like you try to set up ‘rules’ in a conversation. They’re unspoken restrictions, but they are always felt. It’s a game people buy into without even being aware they’ve joined in. Negotiators always set up the rules to compensate for what they can and cannot accomplish…Just like this, and just like you.”

Iona frowned, “Ok, well, I’m not the one in chains, am I?”

I held the room in quiet. It lingered before I stated,

“No. You’re wrong. The chains I wear are physical, and they can be removed, snapped, or broken. Your chains are ones of ability, and they require the passage of years, the trials of pain, and the resolve of patience to overcome. That is no simple task…However-“

I stepped forward, my body hissing while the energy cords stretched. I kept stating my words,

“What if your chains were more tangible than my own?”

I took another step, the mana cables humming from the effort to restrain me,

“What if your lies are like glass, both brittle and waiting to be shattered?”

With one more step, I stood before her, twice her height and countless times her size. The energy cords squealed out in pain as they held me, but I was silent. I regenerated faster than the chains could burn through me. I stood taller than she could stand.

I leaned towards her,

“Your domain is built upon the ethereal. It is a castle of sand. It is a fortress of mirrors. It cannot move. It cannot breathe. My kingdom is different. It is moved with each of my steps. It heeds my call, every part awake and in motion.”

I extended Event Horizon over her and the room, and I quaked the dimension they stood on. I simmered,

“My kingdom cannot be taken from me. It is the mastery of my mind and the body I’ve built. That is why you convince others while I resolve myself. That’s why you rely on lies while I establish truth…Now-“

The mana cables ruptured, and I reached out my hand. Iona gazed up at me, fear and awe mixing in her expression before I shifted her with a gravity well. I moved a single finger as I did, emphasizing the ease of it. Iona Joan blinked before I spread my arms to the others,

“Let’s discuss some deals.”

I smiled,

“Mmkay?”