Everything I had learned, everything I knew said that this was impossible. Danu, Beleros, and Cyronax were in sleep. And if they were here and active, then the strings of Fate for all life in our Universe were about to be snipped. I really hoped my shrine to the Sidhe Pantheon wasn’t the impetus that sparked the final battle between Gods. But their words vibrated with realism, a truth that was so profound it could not be ignored. Still, I questioned. “How are you here?” I asked frantically. “And if you are awake and made manifest in this Universe, what about the local Gods and Pantheons?” I continued my fear and concern palpable. Danu explained. she continued. Beleros said entering the conversation for the first time. His voice was reminiscent of crackling fires and summer breeze. Cyronax continued. “Do you know what happens if I chose not to claim the planet?” I asked. Most people would have chosen to rule. But I knew I wouldn’t be staying on Earth. I had grown more Sidhe than human, even in these few short weeks, and I wanted to return. There were oaths that bound me, and people that I owed allegiance and duty towards. Danu answered. “There is no way to stop the process? To leave Earth as it was?” I asked. Beleros informed me. I had only been Sidhe for a short amount of time. I was still conflicted and prone to act based on preconceptions and expectations I had while human. But that didn’t mean I was ready to forsake Talahm or the people I had grown to know. People that had placed their trust in me and swore oaths of allegiance. People that had trusted that my plans to start a House that would welcome all Sidhe was worth leaving home and family behind for. People that believed I was honorable, decent, and hoped to make a difference in the lives of those that had no one to speak for them. Cedric. Uron. Lohne. Brianne. Henry. Blayney. Una. Irvin. Jennie. These people were mine now. Our fates and futures intertwined into a tightly woven web of possibilities and potential. We had claimed each other. To abandon them now went against everything I believed. I wasn’t a Saint. My future plans may be naive and simplistic. But they were mine. Crafted with those friends I had made. The first true friends I had made in a long time. And there was Caraid to consider. I thought that he would stay bound to me if I accepted the System notification and claimed Earth, but there was a chance that his ties to the Hunt would force System to sever our soul. He’d already sacrificed enough. First his reincarnation by becoming soulbound to me. And then his freedom by taking my place as part of the Hunt. It would be offensive and reprehensible if I also took his home and people from him. “What becomes of you if I decide not to claim Earth?” Even as much as I wanted to base my decisions on totally selfish reasons, I recognized that this decision wasn’t only about me, it would impact an entire world's population, as well as what other civilizations might exist in the Universe at large. Karmic balance required their survival, it was much more important than any plans and goals I may have. Those statues, those creatures of metal and magic I had given life, that had been imbued with the Divine. Gods made manifest, focused on me. Their gaze was benevolent and comforting. Their domains melding, the ying and yang of summer and winter a spinning paradox of life and death. As one they reached out to give their blessing. Their powers bestowing a clarity that I had never experienced before. And that clarity allowed me to understand. The Multi-verse allowed for a multitude of possibilities. But for all the permutations of Law and Life. There was an interconnection that bound them as a whole. An underlying framework that created order out of chaos. Danu began explaining.