“Forty years old… never thought I’d see the day I reached the age of a middle aged man from Earth.” I said, sipping on a tea that came from recent trade agreements with other nobles. This particular leaf was one from one Viscount Lancaster, and it was better than some of the leaves from the capital that I bought to taste, which made me a rapid fan of it. Merlin replied, “I’m surprised you held out no hope of reaching this age sir, most kids in your situation would at least have a sliver of hope.” I chuckled, taking yet another sip before I began to check on some of the construction projects ongoing, “Merlin, when you get to name the thing that’s killing you, you don’t expect to recover from it.” Merlin paused for a moment, then nodded, “I understand sir, your reasoning makes more sense now.” When I checked a recent, fast moving project, Merlin was quick to ask, “Are you sure this is a good idea sir? While having a bunker for non-combatants within the mansion is paramount, is letting in others a smart idea?”

  I understood his fears, someone my try to kill my staff, but that wasn’t the point, “A noble’s home should be safe refuge for those in a trying time. I won’t sit by and let so much potential space go to waste, it’s not in my creed.” I also armed my home and the soon to be functional bunker to the teeth. The walls the ceilings have enough firepower to combat a small army, not to mention the bunkers for the civilians being constructed in major areas. I made mention, “Merlin, is this including the blood test measure I implemented?” The blood test was simple, one would put their finger down under the guise of it being a fingerprint reader, only for a small, undetectable needle to draw blood to for a swift blood test. This ensures anyone trying to play off another fails to do so, since the blood needs to be fresh to function. Merlin replied, “Indeed sir, we made sure to implement this properly, along with the weapons and explosives detector.” I nodded, “Good, all’s well on the shelter front.”

  I turned my attention to the orbital ring, which actually became a spectacle to everyone once someone figured it out. Well, it was easy to figure out since I decided to reward that someone for the guess, but it was basically a way to see if anyone had a clue. I sighed, “Delayed again? I swear, something must be wrong.” Merlin spoke after a moment of silence, “I believe it’s more of a technological issue. We passed a few steps, so making the will suffer a little due to a lack of proper ship technology, though it should still be done before you reach adulthood sir.” I sighed, “Calculate the time it should be if delays continue, then tell me outright so I can properly plan around it.” Merlin nodded, “Understood.” I checked the forge world, while we have managed to expand the size of the overall city, we haven’t yet found other parts to the factory at large. It’s a shame, but it’s all we can do to just keep building. I whistled, “Woah, it’s self-sustainable now? That means we can finally look into colonization!” I felt a smile cross my face, not very often when such a moment hit that I could do it so easily.

  Merlin spoke, “I’ll begin searching for a planet to terraform, on other news, it seems Lady Liliana is coming our way.” I felt a sudden desire to freshen up a little before she got here, then realized I was being too focused on my feelings, “Curse the hormones of teenagers.” Merlin chuckled, “You never experienced them properly the first time, so you can’t claim you felt them like this.” I sighed, “You’re too good with quips Merlin.” The doors to my office flew open, Lily had matured faster than I did, and I couldn’t help but continue to fall in love with her beauty, “Aurelian, come and spar with me with our mechs!” Despite her wearing something suited for mech combat, it only made her seem like a cool beauty, and her child like attitude had slowly shifted into one akin to how I used to act mature. But now, as we both began to reach the steps of adulthood, both of us began to properly mature in both body and personality.

  I threw off my work clothes, revealing the fact it was merely akin to an attachment, as I was already prepared for this, “Then I won’t hold back today, show me what you learned then, Lily!” Though, as our childishness has slowly left us, competitiveness had replaced it. We raced down the hall, our hearts pumping us full of adrenaline as our mechs were prepared for our spar. Our skills over the years had improved, and the only ones aside the commanders who could even stand up to us in combat was ourselves, which made the time we spared the most competitive part of our day. As we got situated within our mechs, Lily said, “I’m going to beat you today Aurelian, so don’t hold back!” I chuckled, my excitement was palpable, “Oh, you think so? Well, don’t get your hopes up, because I know everything about you and your mech, you aren’t beating me today!” Merlin, as if sensing the damage we could cause, said, “Do head to the sparing grounds, I don’t wish for a fight to break out in the mech bay.”

  Lily said, “Ok Merlin!” I remembered Lily met Merlin when I passed out when I met mom for the first time since the accident, but I never knew she met with him more than once for any reason. As she walked ahead, I asked, “When did you two chat Merlin? I never knew you two spoke like this.” Merlin replied, “Lady Liliana and I meet every so often, usually when she lacks any ideas for the day, but that’s usually few and far between. I sometimes supervise her training when Lady Elen cannot do so for one reason or another though, so I guess we have an amicable relationship.” I smiled, “Good, you could do well with some friends Merlin.” Merlin seemed confused, “I could? Hm, maybe I should look into that.” Once we were equally apart in the arena, Merlin said, “Are the two of you ready?” I nodded, and Lily did the same, Merlin continued, “Good, then swords ready!” We drew our blades, mine was a decent sword while Lily’s was a rapier, Merlin finished, “Begin!” Lily and I charged, today’s theme was constant combat which wouldn’t cease until one gave up or our mech couldn’t move. I could handle the repairs, so this was the best time we had to up our limits.

  ~~~

  I looked to Agnes, his eyes locked to the sparing match of our children, “I can’t believe they’re this good… but it’s as Aurelian said, “As iron sharpens iron, man sharpens man”. People from his world were so wise.” Agnes nodded, “That I can agree to, even though they were primitive in our eyes, they could still commit some powerful warfare while seeking the light of peace.” With my eyes, I tracked the strikes between the two, swift overhead from Aurelian was knocked off course by a strike from Lady Liliana. Aurelian managed to connect a hit afterwards by using her brief relief from diverting that strike to redirect his blade into her leg, it almost seemed like magic that he could redirect a strike like that. Agnes said, “Despite going against a blade that is purely speed focused, Aurelian can keep up with a sword meant more for damage rather than speed. These tier four units… they’re unbelievable.” After a moment, he sighed, “I wish I could order one, but the price… I’d get an earful from my darling wife and the prime minister.” I chuckled, “I know, but maybe they’d understand it if they saw what we get to see every day.”

  I watched as Lady Liliana coated her blade in wind, something she managed to commit to once she understood the flow of mana in her mech, to which Aurelian responded by coating his blade in fire. The strikes that emanated from their clashes shook the windows of the viewing room we were watching from, yet the two seemed to be hard focused on their spar. I knew why they did this like so, but it made me worried for the two. Agnes seemed to read my mind, because he said, “Don’t be worried, I know now that Aurelian loves Liliana, I doubt he’d let any harm come to her from him. Liliana, though, cares for Aurelian far to much to hurt him either, they’ll come out of this with bruises and scrapes at best.” At the mention of love, I knew I had to look that future in the eyes soon, he needed to find a spouse, and I didn’t want to force him into a loveless marriage. I asked Agnes, my voice serious, “Agnes, what do you say we consider engaging Aurelian to Liliana? Both of them… they match with each other more than just the emotional level, they bring each other up with them, almost like they have triple, no, quadruple the effectiveness than when they work alone. I doubt I could see them choosing anyone else.”

  Agnes’ eyes didn’t seem angry with it, despite his fatherly instincts with Lady Liliana, they seemed to take a calm look as he watched the sparing match, “If you told me this a decade ago, I might have responded differently… but seeing them interact as I have for so long, I can see they make each other whole, even if they don’t know it.” Merlin spoke, once again sneaking up on the both of us despite his form being machine, “I can agree with that whole heartedly.” After the moment of shock from both of us, I asked, “How do you always manage to sneak up on us? You’re using a machine to seem human, but we never sense you coming.” Merlin shrugged, “I’m not sure myself, maybe my joints are well oiled.” Merlin took to a free chair, his eyes laid upon the sparing match that had sped up, different mana types were flaring in sparing match with mechs, Agnes saying, “Never in my life did I expect to see magic flying from mechs like this, it really shows the changes Aurelian can bring.” Merlin spoke, surprising both of us, “This was a rather common sight, back in my era with the Forge Master.”

  Agnes and I looked to each other, curiosity taking hold of us. As I turned to face him, Agnes said, “Do tell Merlin, what was once your normal?” Merlin smiled, not a false one that seemed to be his work smile, but a smile that somehow made him seem more human than AI, “The Forge Master was truly a fantastic man, one who was making mechs since before I was ever born into this universe. I watched as he worked, once able to move freely, he slowly became less and less mobile, his illness taking him from the one who could work until the stars covered the planet to someone who had to take breaks every hour to recover their strength… his loss hurt us all, yet it somehow banded the entire era together.” He looked up, towards the stars, “He made mechs that made this tier four mech look like child’s play, and all of them had the capacity to spew magic like water crashing down a waterfall. Even though he didn’t know everything that he was doing, he was still caring for everyone under his protection, even if he himself never knew.”

  Merlin’s smile remained, “You two should cherish every moment of life, because even now, I cherish every moment I have with Aurelian. His joy is somehow my own, and his sorrows carry to myself as well, he made me human in many ways, and he continues to do so now.” Agnes seemed confused by the wording he chose, but I knew, “Wait… is Aurelian…” Merlin nodded, “Indeed, while he may not have known this universe was real at the time, his name had gone down in history as the best creator of mechs and ships in the universe. He was, and technically still is, the Forge Master.” I noticed Agnes’ eyes went wide, but I couldn’t blame him, because my eyes went wide as well. Merlin put a finger to his lips, “Now, I don’t need to tell you to keep quiet about this, yes? If someone figures out he knows of mechs from an era long dead, he might be kidnapped.” I nodded, “Of course, he’s my son first and foremost, I wouldn’t let harm come to him like that.” Agnes nodded as well, “I’m no fool, he deserves to do as he wishes, and I won’t do anything to change that.”

  The sound of metal scraping emanated from the arena, despite the chat lasting ten minutes, the victor raised their sword high, “I take today Lily, nice work though, you really had me on the ropes.” Lady Liliana replied, “I’ll beat you soon Aurelian, just you wait!” Aurelian replied, clearly excited by the challenge, “I hope you do Lily, because that means you’ve improved.” Agnes sat back in his chair, “Engagement… I never really thought of doing so like this…” Merlin smiled, “Ah, how his first love has grown so. Maybe I can serve his decedents as well, that would be bliss.” Agnes and I turned to Merlin, both of us asking in confusion, “He’s never fallen in love!?” Merlin shrugged, “He’s been hospitalized for a while, and he saw this universe originally as a game, so it makes sense he hasn’t fallen in love, yes?” Both of us remained shocked, but I somehow began to laugh, “I can’t believe this was how he fell in love, never could I have imagined something like this!” Agnes, after a moment, began to chuckle as well, “I’m glad I met Aurelian, he’s somehow made my life that much more entertaining.” I think all of us could agree that he was a major factor in our lives, and we’d be on entirely different paths without him.

  ~~~

  I sat in my office, paperwork done for the day, but Edward made one of his rarer appearances since he usually took care of dad when he was here. He was once dad’s butler, so I let him serve him to his hearts content, but seeing him come to me was a rare sight, “Edward! Nice to see you, what brings you to my side of the mansion?” I chuckled a little at my word choice, but Edward said something I didn’t expect, “Sir… someone send you a rather large… package. It has something akin to a message, but we’re not sure how to access it.” I raised a brow, “Did you check it for bombs, poison, everything?” Edward nodded, “Yes, everything’s safe, but the contents are… confusing.” I rose from my chair, “Merlin, with me, make sure Lily doesn’t come to me as a precaution.” Merlin nodded, “Understood sir, I’ll inform Elen at once.” I followed Edward, and once we got to the location where the “package” was, I realized it filled up an entire warehouse. Merlin took a quick gander at everything, his confusion evident, “Nothing dangerous detected, however, these are all… rare metals.”

  This managed to get many warning signals to start firing off in my head, “Check again, including the so called “message”.” Merlin did as I asked, he replied, “No dangers, yet the contents of this device is truly strange.” When I looked over the device, I noticed a particular location for a cable to be plugged into, “An HDMI cable? No one knows what these are… right?” Merlin shook his head, “No, they were once used, but it’s a bygone thing. In a way, it would be akin to using a payphone instead of a smartphone of a technologically primitive planet.” I nodded as I processed the concept, “Do we even have a cable to do this?” Merlin pulled a cable out from his leg, “I had a cable prepared and possible to connect to a certain computer, the spider bots are bringing it now.” As if on cue, four spider bots brought something akin to a laptop, Merlin took it, thanked them, and they were on their way. After a bit of setup, I asked, “Is this connected to any systems, it could contain a virus.” Merlin shook his head, connecting the device to the laptop, “No, it’s alone in a separate, far outdated system. Now, let’s see who this came from.”

  The screen powered on, and before me sat a man who didn’t show himself from the shadow that covered him, “Ah, about time, I didn’t expect it would take nearly a decade to finally meet you. Luckily, I was ready to take this little call when you began the setup.” Merlin quickly covered the camera, but the man made no response, maybe the camera wasn’t in use for him. I asked, “Who are you? Why send me all of this?” The man waved his hand, “Who I am isn’t important, but who I represent. I represent Providence, a very powerful group that wishes for you to join us, the rewards of such will be greater than you could dream of.” After a moment of pause, the man said, “Oh, these rare metals are a gift to you, whether you decide to accept the offer or not.” After something appeared on the screen, he said, “Take a readthrough of this, it’ll show the many perks that can come from joining us.” I was confused, this wasn’t what I expected from this little message, but I began to read out of curiosity… and I hated every bit of it.

  At first, it had the normal things, wealth, fame, authority, beautiful women, the whole nine yards. But the deeper I went, I noticed they were even allowing me to gain control of neighboring noble territories, treat my people how I wished, which eventually lead to me being promised more power than the Emperor. I moved the file to the side, “Are you being serious about this?” The man said, “Of course, we have many people on our side, and not just from Avalon. Your power would be far greater than anything the emperor could dream of, all you need to do is join.” I clicked my tongue, “No way, I won’t be doing this, it doesn’t align with anything I wish to do or have.” The man replied, stunned, “You won’t? Most people in your position would kill for this chance!” I replied back, grabbing the cord connecting the computer to the machine, “That won’t let me reach my desired esthetic, begone.” I pulled the cord, the file and the feed disappeared, Merlin said, “I’ve recorded the entire thing, I shall send the file immediately to the Prime Minister and the Emperor through all available channels.”

  I closed the laptop, “Check the “gift” for tracking devices or magic of the same type, clear it, then move it to the most remote warehouse on planet, I want this nowhere near a civilian population center until we’re sure it’s clear.” Edward asked, “And the device sir?” I glared at it, “Destroy it completely, I don’t even want scrap metal to remain of it.” The device and its connections were likely being purged as we spoke, so I didn’t even bother trying to salvage anything from it. Merlin replied, “I will remain here and investigate the metals, I’ll also ensure this computer is purged properly from any ill effects.” I recalled everything mentioned in that letter, and I knew I needed to be swift, “Get dad, Ruby, and David here immediately.” This managed to get them confused, but I continued, “We cannot relay this information over regular methods, it may get picked off by someone along the way, bring them to the meeting room Charlie.” Merlin nodded, “Understood sir, right away sir.” I was lucky Ruby was visiting, this meant we could get to work immediately.

  ~~~

  “So you’re saying there’s a secret group that may be trying to usurp power within Avalon? I find the whole concept sheer insanity.” Ruby said, her eyes shown just how much she didn’t trust what I expected. I sighed, “Look, at this point, I wouldn’t lie about this, even I find the whole thing strange, but I can at least say they have the means to back up the wealth aspect. Merlin, if you please.” Merlin began to project everything before them through a series of holograms within the table, each of them began to go through what Edward, Merlin, and I witnessed in the span of ten to twenty minutes. David’s eyes widened, he asked, “Did you already alert the Emperor?” I nodded, “I’ve sent word, but since I didn’t want to relay it through regular means, I’ve sent some of the ships already finished to him carrying the information. Hopefully, the worst case scenario doesn’t come, but we need to be ready just in case.” Ruby shouted, “Unbelievable! That whole warehouse costs more than the fleets father and I purchased combined!”

  Her saying this sent a shiver down my spine, even now, I could tell things weren’t looking good. I said, “Merlin, do whatever you can to fast track the bunkers, guns, and orbital ring. I also need the production of all ship orders to be finished asap so we can work on countermeasures.” Merlin replied, “Understood, I’ll put in emergency work action on those areas.” I tapped my foot, my mind rushing, “We may need to deploy anti-spy warfare already, if they could do this, there’s no way they don’t have intel on our facilities.” Ruby spoke, “I had done so ages ago, we’ve been handling it in secret.” I was confused; she just outed the fact she had begun preventing spies from reaching me for decades. I had to refocus, “Then relay it to counter-intel, we need to put everyone on emergency level four for a while.” Merlin replied, “Sir, if you do this, it’ll mark we’re under threat to people who may relay the information to the public.” I replied, “Just tell them this is a means to ensure we’re on our toes, but we can’t be foolish now that we know this is happening. Life for the average person will continue as normal, but we need the military ready for action at a moments notice.”

  Dad stood up, “I’ll take your mother and return to my domain, I have a lot of work to do to ensure we’re ready to receive the new ships and keep an eye out.” Ruby rose as well, “I have to agree with father, I have to get back and relay the same to my forces and ensure we don’t have spies among us either.” She looked to me, “I’ll handle the relay of information, but once that’s done, they’re back to my domain to ensure we’re ready for anything. Let’s just hope this is merely a scare.” I watched as David began contemplating everything, the worry in everyone’s eyes were beyond what I expected, “Yeah… let’s just hope this is nothing.” As we dispersed, Lily was quick to pull me along to something she wanted to try out with me, and it eased my worries a little. If it was for her, for the one I knew I loved more than anything in the universe, I would do anything to see her smile at the end of the day.

  ~~~

  I stood in a section of the orbital ring, one hidden from the active construction personnel that were expanding the civilian sectors, overlooking a lot of drone craft. My military commander said, “In all honesty my lord, this seems… foolish.” I shook my head, “It’s actually the opposite, mechs can only fly so fast, but these can go far faster than any enemy can lock onto.” The commander shook his head, “No, not that, I understand the speed thing.” He looked to the missiles these were to be loaded with, “These are all ship destroyer missiles, why not use these to combat mechs?” I realized that was the issue, not the fact I made autonomous drones and shoved them into sectors of the orbital ring. I said, “Commander, I consider this preparation for a special operation only disclosed to you.” I looked to him, his eyes clearly showing his focus, “We’re likely going to be a target for a very powerful group that seems to wish to take power from the Emperor, and very few people know this.” I pulled him close, “Disclose this to anyone, and I’ll have to find a new commander, understood?” The commander, after I released him, knelt to me, “I would never consider betraying you my lord, you managed to give my family hope, and I won’t let that hope go to waste.”

  I nodded, “Then get up, I need to explain the operation, and I’d rather not look down on you as I do.” Once he stood up, I stated, “This is Operation Hammer Down, these anti-ship UAVs will launch after being armed and fly out to target enemy ships when the situation turns disastrous. They’ll take one payload and attack a ship with it, the way these are run is to prevent course disruptions by firing it manually.” I snapped my fingers for a minute, then said, “It’s like a gun, once you fire it, it goes on the course you shot it on, that’s what these are meant to be. They don’t get distracted by flares or chaff, so unless the ships can warp, they won’t be able to dodge. They’ll target the command deck first, then disable the ship further before returning to rearm and launch once more to repeat the process.” The commander asked, “And if Operation Hammer Down fails?” I look to him, “That means the enemy is far stronger than we are… it means we fail and need to take as minimal loses as possible. Of course, I made sure I armed everything I could with the best equipment at my disposal to create, but that doesn’t mean we’ll win.”

  On the battlefield, better tech doesn’t always mean victory, rather it’s the experience and intel one has at their disposal to combat the enemy. The worst part about our current potential enemy is that we have no idea how many they have, nor their true combat strength. Knowing I had to resort to this so early makes me nervous, it means I was running off contingencies I was ill-prepared to manage, and for once, I was on the defensive end of the deal. Very rarely did I ever fight, I was too sickly to do major movements, which meant VR combat was nigh impossible unless I was drugged to a state of near delirium. Back then, though, I had the Round to back me up, to defend me while I fought in my own way. Now, now I had to figure out how I was going to ensure the people of my domain survived a potential attack from an unknown enemy.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The commander asked, “What are the chances we win against them?” I could tell he was nervous, but I couldn’t determine their combat strength, “I don’t know, but it’s very unlikely, since they more likely than not have a stream of information coming from us.” The commander’s eyes went stern, “Then when they come, I’m not afraid to lay down my life for my people, that I swear.” I looked to the stars outside the bay, mostly as we haven’t installed the doors just yet, “Our goal is to ensure as many survive, even if we have to sacrifice ourselves to do it, understood?” The commander nodded, “I’ll follow your commands sir, I’m sure the soldiers will understand.” I said, “If it comes to it, ensure the older soldiers understand that the younger generation needs to live. While experience is needed, the young have more of their lives to live, and I don’t want to cut them short.” The commander nodded, “I understand, my lord.” As I gazed unto the stars, I wished with my entire being that I didn’t have to make that call… but only time would tell if that would come to pass.

  ~~~

  Left, right, uppercut, while martial arts wasn’t my strong suit, I knew I had to eventually learn some hand to hand combat, so I was learning a mix of different styles to ensure I had some variety in my defensive measures. The sound of the punching bag shot through the gym room, which was more like a fully functional gym for not only myself, but for the staff who resided within the mansion. Though, for some reason, it was empty, when it was normally in use at nearly every hour of the day due to shift changes. While I do find it strange, I just kept throwing punches at the bag, knowing full well I needed to at least master some of the basics before the attack window comes… which I’m not so sure of when it’s going to happen. Some feeling has been building up within me, that the attack is no longer a matter of if, but when. Maybe… maybe it's fear that’s beginning to dwell within me… because I’m no longer as safe as I believed I was.

  I’m no longer behind that screen that protects me from this world, there’s no restart for me this time, this is it, and I fear I may never get the chance to live to the fullest. Can I protect mom and dad? Ruby? Can I… can I actually protect Lily? After a hit that hurt a little more than I expected, I pulled my fist back and realized… I was shaking. It felt like there was so much going on, yet nothing was going on at all… I was alone in wondering how I was going to get through this. Was Providence run by reincarnates? If they have the tech I believe they could have, how many people could I feasibly save? How many of the older generation would have to be sacrificed to save the younger generation if it came down to it? These people were alive, and I didn’t have the mental fortitude to send people to their deaths, even if it meant I could save so many more. This world wasn’t a game, nor could I see it as such, each person had a life, and I didn’t want to snuff it for the sake of my own desires.

  I threw myself back into punching the bag, the sounds louder as the pain slowly build up with each strike I landed on the bag. Strategies, possibilities, how to protect those I hold dear, every thought that entered could no longer be held back as I began throwing my whole body into the punches, the full force of my being put into each punch. Eventually, the bag gave out before the chain as my fist slammed into the bag, the contents spilling out onto the floor as dust flew up into my face. I pulled my fist out of the bag, my voice agonized as I nearly shouted, “What the hell am I supposed to do?!” Before I could do any more harm to myself or surroundings, I felt hands pull me to their chest, a soothing voice saying, “It’s ok Aurelian, I’m here.” Mom and dad were gone, but I already knew who pulled me into her embrace. I just began to cry, everything building up within me spilled out like a dam, “I don’t know what to do Lily… there’s so much, but I can’t figure out how to keep everyone safe.” I felt one of her hands rub the back of my head, “It’ll be ok, for now, just let your mind rest, I’ll be right here.”

  Somehow, I could only be this vulnerable around her, as if she was the only one who I wanted to show everything that made me myself, and this only made me love her even more as I cried into her arms. For once, it felt like my stress was leaving me, all thanks to her. After I cried as much as I needed, I asked, “How did you know to come here?” She smiled, “Well, I wish I could say intuition led me here, but Merlin told me you were “going off the mental deep end”, whatever that means. But I couldn’t ignore it, so thank him if you want anyone to thank.” I chuckled, “Well, I can still thank you, you’re the only one who could calm me down like this.” Lily chuckled as well, “I never knew I had that effect, but I guess I’ve known you long enough to know you like to hide things more often than not. I won’t let you suffer alone Aurelian, that’s what friends do.” Seeing her like this only made me realize how much she’s truly grown, I smiled, “You really have become a fine woman, I’m sure David’s proud of your growth.” Lily blushed a little, “I should be comforting you, not you flattering me.”

  After a bit of embarrassment, and changing rooms since the punching bag needed to be cleaned up, Lily asked, “So… what seems to be bothering you? You usually don’t let something eat you up like this.” I sighed, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hide it from her, “I fear the domain may come under siege in the near future. Some… powerful and influential people formed a group named “Providence”, to which I denied their proposal since they seemed to have nefarious intentions with their group, including undermining the Emperor’s power in some capacity. They have a level of tech that could match or best my own, and I’m not sure if I can defend the domain… I guess I’m just afraid that I’ll fail.” Lily, for a moment, seemed to show an intense concern, but quickly laughed, “You’re Aurelian Stella Flameheart, the smartest person I know, you’ll find a way to come out on top, I just know you will.” She took my hand in hers, a smile on her face, “Besides, no matter what, I’ll stand by your side, always.”

  Her saying that made my heart rush a little, though I don’t know if she feels the same as I do, but I was fine with it… or maybe I wasn’t. I wanted to do things that a couple would, and the future could always change on a dime, and I wanted her to know how I felt. I smiled, cheeks clearly flushed, “Thanks Lily, this really cheered me up, I think I can put my all in without issue now.” Lily smiled back, “Good, because I hate seeing you look so down, smile more.” I made it my new chance, before we become adults, I wanted to proclaim how I felt to her, that way she could think about it once she went home for her celebration of adulthood. She’s been with me since the beginning of my wider aspirations, and I want her to be with me beyond that. After we split for the night, and I laid in bed, I said, “I really do love her, don’t I?” Merlin chuckled, I didn’t even notice he was in the room, “I told you sir, but at least you noticed it now and not later.” I felt my face flush with embarrassment again and covered myself with the covers, for now, I needed to do what I could do now, so hesitation wasn’t an option.

  ~~~

  Forty-five years old, many things had come to pass during the years, one of which being the completion of the orbital ring, which we ensured had bunkers installed throughout the ring to ensure safety of the visitors and inhabitants that may take to living within the ring. Its defenses have also been installed properly and hidden within the ring, ensuring no one can determine their locations without us noticing their investigations. The three orders I had finally wrapped themselves up, which put them under double time to ensure I can get a special strike force for overwhelmed forces in combat, the ships being tier four to ensure they can handle their increased risk, but I made sure to make them… trickster units. Essentially, trickster units look like an older model of ship, but they’re actually stronger or a different unit of the same tier entirely. It’s meant to throw off enemy ships only doing recon of the basic level, so we’ll know if anyone tries to do more than that. In terms of the Forge World, we’ve found a structure that we don’t know the purpose of, but it’s been difficult to find entry for several reasons, so that’s been ongoing for a while. Aside that, no foreign ships have gone to the planet, which mana detection has made abundantly clear, so it’s still a secret.

  The final thing was something I needed to discuss with Lily, who I met with after work for the day concluded, “David has sent the time for when you’ll go back home for your coming of age ceremony, along with preparations for your noble training. Though, as David said himself, he’s not sure if we’ll be getting training in the same location. Due to my current noble status as Baron, I doubt I’ll be put with a Count unless they determine my merit to be worthy of such an opportunity.” Lily put her hand to her chin, then asked, “But you’ve made leaps and bounds in technology, I mean, you designed and had a hand in making a space elevator and orbital ring for crying out loud, not to mention the first new mechs and ships in thousands of years. Why wouldn’t they put us together?” I shrugged, “I may be popular and noteworthy out here, but the Avalon Empire is quite vast, so I doubt the rumor mill has taken me the distance that would matter.”

  Lily said, clearly upset, “How?! Merchants come constantly, to the point where I even heard names of nobles near the center of the Empire have begun to show interest!” I added, “Likely competition. Nobles, while understanding, wish to gain their own power as well. An easy way to gain power is to ensure others don’t rise through the ranks, that or take their achievements as their own. Since they cannot claim my achievements, since father hasn’t yet chosen an heir to follow in his footsteps and lets us consider our achievements our own, they need to find a way to keep my achievements from getting too deep into the Empire’s rumor mill. Since I haven’t revealed my technological advancements in mechs, ships, and weapons, I’m hoping the sheer technological wonder of the space elevator and orbital ring can carry my merit somewhere.” I put my palm to my head, “Though, I’m not so sure if releasing my merit at this time has helped or hindered me, considering the ongoing circumstances.”

  Noble society was a strange one, but I could tell based on history that some families were certainly kept down on the totem pole to prevent them from rising in power. Lily, however, asked, “Before we get too deep into conversation, when am I to return home?” I thought, making sure I recalled properly, then said, “Three years I believe, it’ll give you time to return home, reacclimate yourself, and get prepared for your coming of age as you’re assessed by David to see your growth.” She nodded, “I see, I’ll let Elen and the other members of my staff know.” She, after a moment of looking around, stood up and sat next to me before laying her head on my shoulder. I felt ever fiber of my focus shoot to my shoulder as I asked, “Lily! Wh-what are you doing!?” She looked to me, seemingly making it cute on purpose, “We have a limited amount of time left, I want to enjoy it with you as much as possible.” Either she somehow knew of my feelings for her, or she had some for me, but it left me incredibly confused and flustered.

  I built up enough courage to put my arm around her, “Then let’s enjoy it then, maybe I can find it in me to take a vacation, I’m certain I acquired a modest beachfront property since I never got to go yet.” My planet was akin to Earth in many ways, but I was certain it wasn’t Earth in any capacity, but it means there was plenty of beachfront property to invest in. I took to one that was more of a bay like area for the sake of safety, then had a house built there for myself and family. We didn’t have to worry about swimming, since it was a part of our curriculum since there were plenty of planets with large bodies of water. Lily smiled as she snuggled closer to me, though I was unsure as to why, “That would be nice, just me and you, relaxing all day for a while.” I lifted my hand and patted her head, “I’ll see if I can get us some time to do so, we’ll likely be extremely busy after our coming of age, so we might as well enjoy some time while we can.”

  After a bit, I asked, “Do you just want me to dote on you today? You seem more affectionate than usual.” Lily smiled, “Maybe I do, I remember back when you doted on me whenever I had a bad day, and maybe I want to see how you do it now.” While it was true, it was more me placating her since she wanted to spend time with me when I was busy with some of the recent events. Though, we’re older now, and I’m not so sure how I would “dote” on her since we’re older. I said, clearly beaten, “I’m not sure what would count as “doting” on you, it was easier when we were younger since it was easy to understand, but I’m not a mind reader. If anything, I feel like you’re doting on me since you’re letting me do this.” She smirked, “Maybe this is what I wanted as well, I haven’t felt like I wanted anyone to do this, but you somehow make it feel just right.” I twitched a little, not expecting it, “Lily, you should say this to someone you love, not to a friend.” But this time, I got no response. I decided to let it slide though, I was fine as we were for the time being, there was plenty of time for me to prepare my heart before confessing to her.

  ~~~

  The two aforementioned years flew by like a dream, we did take a vacation to the beach house, and it was a blissful few weeks. The smell of salt in the air, the waves that made me want to return one day and try to pick up surfing, and the sand between my toes made it an enjoyable first trip to the beach. It was a great change of scenery for the both of us, and it let me unwind enough to put me into a better position mentally to fortify the existing infrastructure to the best of my existing capabilities. However, this morning was actually a surprise, as instead of sleeping until I woke naturally, I felt a heavy weight land on my stomach. After I jettisoned all the air from my body, I quickly realized who landed on me, “Lily… why?” Lily shot up, clearly ready for something, “Get ready and meet me outside your room in half an hour, got it?” She got up and ran outside the room, leaving me time to contemplate what she was doing as I got ready for the day. However, once I got out the door, I was blindfolded and lifted by someone I assumed was Edward, “What in the world is going on? Should I consider this a kidnapping?” Lily said, “Nope! You’re safe!” I just decided to go along with it, I mean, why not since Lily was alright with it.

  Around a minute or two passed, then I heard someone say, “Did you have to carry him like that?” Edward spoke, “Well, I sort of just did it, but hindsight right?” After a bit, he sat me down, and I heard shuffling as things were moved all around me. I tried to predict what was going on, but there was too much movement for me to understand anything occurring around me. Then, my blindfold was ripped off, as mansion staff and Lily shouted, “Happy Birthday!” I was surprised, obviously, since we never really celebrated my birthday like this before. I chuckled, “Thank you, seriously, but you didn’t need to do this.” Edward said, “Well, since Lady Liliana is about to return home, she wanted to throw one big birthday party for you before she did. We decided to, despite your wishes, support her final wishes.” I understood now, and before me sat a cake with a few candles lit up, as well as a glass of what I assumed was juice, since I made it clear I wanted my brain to fully develop before I drank alcohol. With a single breath, I blew out the candles and raised the glass, “Then what are you waiting for, let’s start the party!”

  The day was pretty normal, something not too big, but not to small either. If anything, it felt like I was somehow getting a party I never got back on Earth, good food, cake, drinks you enjoyed, and friends to celebrate with. Merlin spoke, his tone seemed to say this was a normal occurrence, “Hm, I thought I could connect with Count Drakon and your father, but it seems the connection is spotty, maybe something is disrupting the connection.” While we had communications through mana, I never divulged the information to others, so their connections would be as spotty as usual. For us, since mana was everywhere, somehow even in space, we had a near perfect connection with the forge world every day. I waved my hand, “It’ll clear up, but if you need to, try to boost the signal and see if something’s wrong.” Merlin nodded, and the day resumed.

  I managed to get presents somehow, from mom, dad, Ruby, even David had something sent to the mansion. However, as I had requested, I only requested a few things maximum, since I wasn’t a fan of needless gifts. Ruby had sent me things I usually procured from elsewhere, things like the tea leaves I was a fan of being one of the many crates wrapped in wrapping paper. Dad had sent something I’d been eyeing for a while now, a space suit. Since I was to begin doing training, I wanted a space suit that could take a beating while keeping me safe, but I was unsure which suit would work with me best. I even put it on and had Lily punch me, which was funny since I felt nothing and she was shaking her hand in pain. Mom had sent me some mana cores, which she knew I was after, and it was exciting to know I had more cores to work with. David, to my surprise, sent me two blades. One to holster on my belt, and one that seemed to be for a mech… since it couldn’t get inside the building. Both were… unique in several aspects, they were ancient, relics of a time long gone… my time long gone. They were powerful, not to mention in nigh perfect condition, so I made sure to send the sword to my mech for the time being and attached the other one to my belt.

  Lily, jokingly, had a bow on her head saying she was my gift, which surprised me for a moment. But she took it off and slapped it on a box of her own, “Joking, here, this is my gift.” When I opened the box, there seemed to be a headband in it along with a lavender scarf. Lily said, “I had a headband and scarf made for us, something meant to be a matching set.” She took the headband out, which seemed to carry the gold color of my eyes, and wrapped it around my head. Once it was on, and she took the scarf out and put it on, she said, “In a way, it’ll let me know you’re alive and kicking, see?” She imbued a bit of magic into her scarf, which the tip hanging off her shined a golden hue, “So long as you wear the headband, I’ll know you’re alive. So, this is as much a gift for both of us as it is me to you.” I felt my face flush with embarrassment, “I… I guess I can do that.” Either way, I’d likely wear it a lot since it kept my hair out of my face, not to mention it felt pretty good, so why not enjoy the gift whenever I could, right? Once presents were done, we did a lot of things that seemed to just fly by as I had fun. I decided that today was the day I wanted to ask the one question I wanted to, since we may not have the chance.

  I took her to the balcony, somehow without the staff caring all that much, and said, “Lily… there’s been a question I wanted to ask you for quite some time, but I’ve been pretty afraid to ask it.” Lily seemed surprised, she elbowed my side, “Oh, so the might Aurelian is afraid of something?” After a moment, I think she noticed how serious I was, since she stopped egging me on. I looked to her, and I felt ready to spill my heart to her, to spill everything that had been building up within me for over a decade now. I opened and closed my mouth, the words not forming, but Lily seemed to notice and took my hand in hers, “Go ahead, what do you want to ask me?” My heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest, finally, words were finally forming in my mind, “Lily… I-.” Before I could do anything, I was cut off by a knight rushing into the room, “A large fleet of unidentified ships approaching! There could be ten thousand ships!” I knew we had, at best, nine thousand ships here, however, this let me know my fears weren’t unfounded.

  I shouted, throwing off what I wanted for the sake of public safety and order, “Ensure all civilian craft are pulled into the orbital ring and close the emergency doors! Begin evacuating the orbital ring and prepare the planet for emergency evacuations! Get the fleet ready, I’m heading up there!” I heard Edward say, “But sir, if this is true, you can’t fight them yourself!” I replied, “If I cower, how will the men who are apart of our military take it!? I need to stand by them, no matter what!” I motioned to Lily, “Someone get Lily to the bunker, I have a feeling this is going to go south.” Edward seemed to want to say something more, but folded as he moved to Lily, “Lady Liliana, let’s do as Sir Aurelian wishes for now.” Lily looked to me, but I could only nod, I wasn’t sure if she could handle the enemy that came for us. I made my way to the space elevator, my mech being prepared in the flagship as I watched some civilians begin making their way preemptively to the bunkers. For now, I had to make it work.

  ~~~

  As I entered the flagship’s command deck, I said, “Merlin, be prominent and arrest those we know have ties to foreign powers or seemed to have taken the place of another. I don’t want anyone getting the drop on us while we fight.” Merlin confirmed, “Understood, beginning Operation Round Up.” It had been a few days, mostly as space flight took some time, which made me ready for when communications opened to the unknown fleet. As I sat, my communications officer said, “My lord, the unknown fleet is trying to hail us!” I sighed, “We’ve been doing this the whole time they approached, why in the world are they doing this now? Open channels.” The screen flared to life, and to my surprise, a familiar voice spoke to me, face concealed, “It’s unfortunate we had to speak like this again, Baron Flameheart.” I kept my face neutral, “You, I thought I told you I denied your little group invite.” I pushed a button, one that let Merlin know to send an alert to the Emperor, dad, Ruby, and David that Providence was making a move. The man said, “That you did, however, I come in a more… hostile form this time.”

  He extended his hand, his mouth visible as it held a sinister smile, “You are to join under me, or I’ll force you to do so by might. I doubt you could handle the power Providence can dish out to… unruly subjects.” Merlin spoke in my ear, “Classification identified, tier three ships confirmed, their flagship seems to be tier four.” This set the president that we could fight them, but it seemed to pin the fact that they have the capabilities to make ships stronger than us, but I doubt they understood the weaknesses like I did. I whispered, “Mark their weaknesses, we’ll take down the flagship at the first available opportunity.” I then spoke to the unknown man, “I don’t understand, I denied you once, so why would I agree this time?” The man’s smile seemed to somehow grow, “Do you think we came here just to have a tea party? Our force of ten thousand strong doesn’t need to fear your inferior tech, not to mention the fact we had plenty of time to prepare for you.” Merlin spoke once again, “Scans indicate bio-engines, mechs and ship alike, this indicates someone is either suppling them or they somehow found the means to create it.” This didn’t bold well, sudden technological advancements in some locations have shown people got drunk off the power that came with it and became warlike.

  I shuffled in my seat, with what the domain had in defenses, this fleet stood no chance, but I needed to make it seem like I was scared. I began to type out commands, essentially to prepare to open fire on my command and aim at the targeted weak points, “You think your tech is any different to a noble of the Avalon Empire? We stand at the pinnacle of tech, the best you can do is match it.” I let leak a false sense of fear, that little amount that shown I think they aren’t bluffing due to design differences. The man chuckled, “You must’ve finally finished with those outdated scans, now do you understand what you’re up against?” I nodded, “I do, and I hate to say it, but it's pretty impressive how you managed to pull this off… as a bunch of pirates.” I motioned to the side of one of their ships, “That emblem, a knife in the eye socket of a skull, you’re with the pirates you sent to my planet around a decade or two ago.” The man nodded, “Hm, I’m surprised you noticed that. Well, I am using hired help after all.” This sent concern down my spine, “hired help”, pirates yes, mercenaries could also come our way, but this let me know we were outnumbered by far. Though, this let me know the one leading this wasn’t present, meaning we likely would not meet here.

  I gave a few more silent orders, essentially telling the forces at the forge world, one that was only four thousand strong, to be on alert and to guard the facilities with their lives. I smiled, “Well, I made a fine choice to not join you, considering you work with pirates. I have to say, very undignified.” The man chuckled, “We’re not exactly doing anything legal, so we have the freedom to do so, now, chose. You either serve us willingly, or we’ll have to-.” I cut him off, “All ships, fire!” A collection of kinetic and laser weaponry soared through space, connecting with many of their ships. Some went down immediately, some took serious damage, yet some were only grazed due to their positioning. I shouted, clear as day for all on the line, “Push back these pirates! The Flameheart domain will remain free from their tyranny!” I heard the battle cries of my men as mechs launched from their respective craft, but I knew this would be the last stand of so many people, all for the sake of our freedoms.