Black lightning tore through the scarlet firmament silently, while gale-force winds harassed the throne room of the Cradle of Creation. There, in its middle, was a floating azure orb. At first glance, there was something otherworldly about it, but a discerning eye could tell that the colour of the globe was deepening over time.

Gaius reclined on a throne of black stone, which had been inscribed with white filigrees. These filigrees were originally grey in colour, but over the past month or so, they had turned white slowly, and there was a good reason for that.

“Nexus.”

As the word left his lips, his left armrest unfolded to reveal a little sculpture, who was busy watching a miniaturised Display. There was no audio, but the words on the now modern-looking news program was more than enough to tell Gaius what was going on.

Disastrous defeat in the Central Circle: is Salvation inevitable? Two weeks in silence: War Council’s absence ‘unnerving’. Countess Reinford: The absence of Queen Hyperion and Archduchess Gaia ‘key reason’ behind to full-blown rebellion in the Western Holdings. State funeral for Queen Hyperion and Archduchess Gaia suspended due to violence.

“None of these things are my fault, though,” Gaius muttered.

Ever since the near-total annihilation of Orb’s main battle forces, caused by his speech and his disabling of ignition sigils in the continent, the elites of Orb had vanished entirely. They hadn’t fled the Central Circle, making use of the chaotic departure by the Locomotives to hide their next actions. Gaius, however, was reasonably sure that they had gone underground — literally — but he was unable to detect them.

The great gods had definitely done something to mask their presences.

Nexus sat up slowly. “But they’ll still all be dumped on your head. I am told that many otherworlders like the feeling of being feared by many, and that they have fantasies of being the root of all evil. You’re on your way to becoming that, so why not just enjoy the experience?”

Gaius eyed the throne room’s interior décor, which was also black with whitening, grey filigrees, and then wondered briefly if his brain had been addled when he listened to Nexus’ suggestion to look like an evil person back then. Sure, Gaius had put his foot down when it came to the issue of adding spikes and severed heads, but it wasn’t like this scenery didn’t scream ‘true evil’ either.

“Enjoy the experience, you say…” Gaius rubbed his forehead. For the past week or so, he had been sitting on his throne, making use of his place of power to scan through the entire continent to no avail. Rather than acting like an evil lord, Gaius felt that he was the epitome of a hard worker through and through — he hadn’t slept for the entire time.

“Well, according to many books, roots of all evil like to spend entire weeks brooding on a single issue while reclining on the throne,” said Nexus. “See? Look at this photo!”

Gaius craned his neck. There, on the Display, was a shadowy being leaning back on a black throne. The white filigrees inscribed on it were glowing faintly, amplifying the shadows that lined the shadow’s human face. A touch of irritation entered Gaius’s heart, and he got up from his throne slowly, before twirling on the spot.

“Hmm…I don’t think I look scary.” Gaius glanced at the photo again, and then decided that it was the cloak’s issue. The cloak itself was based upon the lecturer’s cloak he had worn back in Heritage Basestation, just that there had been a palate swap. “Isabelle thinks the same way too.”

“Considering that you two start flirting and hugging whenever you check on her, I don’t think she’s really a good judge of this issue, though,” said Nexus. “Not to mention the two kids. Maybe you should bring Isabelle down to stroll in one of the many towns and see what kinds of stares you get.”

“…I don’t think I need to do that, really.” Gaius stared at his black robes, and then twirled once more, turning them into a tuxedo. It was the same kind he found himself in, back when he first entered Cybral, but the last time he wore it to meet Isabelle, she had been beside herself with glee.

And then promptly hauled him off to a boutique…in Celestia. Despite the fact that it was a world where one’s thoughts could create anything, especially so for its creator.

Of course, boutiques and other services still existed in Celestia, because Gaius had set a limit on the amount of energy any given individual could harness in a day. This change came after Gaius, who had seen an inordinate number of phallic symbols created after the first batch of arrivals got comfortable, felt that giving everyone the ability to create ceaselessly was a bad idea.

Celestia’s inception was intended to overcome the most foundational of reasons behind conflict and exploitation on multiple levels, not to liberate the perverts of Orb into giving them what they wanted.

“So? What are you going to do?”

“Wait,” Gaius replied. “They will come to me. After all, the great gods have figured out my weakness…and they too, should have guessed the way I intend to overcome it.”

“The Border of Transmigration…if you didn’t have that, the great gods might have not been this hostile to begin with,” said Nexus.

“The people who need my salvation the most tend to be very indoctrinated. Even if you offer them a path to true self-fulfilment, they might not take it. There’s no second path to this.”

“Just saying, but what happened to offering them a choice?”

Gaius stayed silent.

“You’re depriving them of their memories too,” said Nexus. “You’re not respecting their free will either.”

“For the greater good. You know the reasons behind why I’m sealing away everyone’s memories. If I don’t…all this would be pointless,” said Gaius.

“Are you sure about that?” Nexus asked. “Are you really sure about that?”

“Enough.” Gaius closed his eyes for a moment. “That is not something I will decide. I trust the great gods of Orb. They will have figured out my intention. If they want to prove that there is value in retaining their memories and original identity, they’ll have to show it.”

“You and your test.”

“That’s what a teacher does,” said Gaius, tilting his head. “In a sense, I’ve come full circle.”

“Many things have come full circle in the last decade or so, Master Gaius.” Nexus replied. “The great technological developments, for instance, will not be used in the small yet epoch-making battle to come.”

“I’ve come a long way, haven’t I?”

Nexus chuckled. “You should reminisce with Isabelle instead. Not me.”

“You’re right.” Gaius patted the little guy’s head. “I’ll be going to see her, then.”

“See you later, then. Tell her I said hi.”

Shadows rose up around Gaius, and wrapped him in it.