I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago,
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know.

******

"There is something wrong with you."

Robin's voice cut through Emma's mental wandering, bringing her focus back to her body. The mutant had set herself up in her favourite chair overlooking the beach from the cliff. It also provided the best view of the Dragon beyond. After a long day of practicing, she treated herself to a nice tumbler of Louis XIII. Cognac wasn't her favourite drink in the world, but she had only sipped it once when she was young and stole it from her father.

It was her personal mission to go through and sample a little of each of the mansion's considerable booze selection. It was almost tradition by this point. She would take her seat with a different drink each day. She would watch the sunset and then spend a bit of time persuing the minds of the other women on the Island. Nothing intrusive, but a daily check-up for anything of note.

"Excuse me?" Emma asked archly. The pirate had taken a seat on another of the soft chairs, her drink in hand. Coffee, not booze. Not for the first time, the White Queen wished she could read the brunette's thoughts.

As soon as Robin knew a psychic was in their midsts, she spent considerable effort learning how to block casual intrusions. With Mental Talent, it had taken a few weeks rather than years. Unless Emma was willing to put her full force of effort into battering down those defences, Robin's inner mind would remain hidden. She wasn't perfect, occasional errant thoughts slipped through, but she was one of four people on the Island who weren't open books to the White Queen.

"You heard me. There is something wrong with you." Far from sounding accusatory or insulting, the pirate sounded worried.

"In what manner?" Emma kept her voice level in feigned casualness. What had the observant woman discovered?

"Like you," Robin nodded to the blonde in acknowledgment. "I've kept my eyes on the others. Not when they needed privacy, of course."

"Of course." Tacit agreement passed between each woman for a moment before the Strawhat continued.

"And some things you've said and done do not line up. You've claimed on multiple occasions that Mikael is mad or dangerous, but if that were true, you would not be able to tell us about it."

"I can't say anything about what I saw in his head," Emma clarified. "If I draw conclusions and put facts together using information externally obtained, I can say that. If I talk to him about subjects aloud, the restriction no longer applies."

"That's true and very clever of you," the brunette nodded to the point. "But that is not all. Artoria told us about her knights a few weeks ago during lunch. I had an idea. When I let the thought slip on purpose, you didn't react. Though you said you would be going back to teaching, not once have you ever made mention of it over the last month. Then I remembered you talked about a husband. Only you mentioned him in the past tense. Over the last few weeks, I've been doing independent verification just to be sure. Before their summoning, all the others, every single one, were in a situation that could lead to the end of their world."

For a moment, only a moment, Emma considered wiping Robin's mind. It was an errant thought but one that was, theoretically, possible. The mutant took pride in her high Tier. At 8, she was tied with a few other women but was only surpassed by Diana. In contrast, Robin was at the bottom, initially a 4 before being summoned and raised to 5. By this point, with the regular infusions of Mikael's blood at every meal, she was already Tier 6. Still two below Emma.

Unfortunately, while possible, it wasn't certain. It would be a race between whether the mutant could batter down the defences of Robin's mind or the pirate could sense it in time to snape her neck. Emma wouldn't stay dead, but the three days it took to reform would be long enough for the pirate to turn the other inhabitant against her.

More than that, Robin was Chosen.

The thought of harming her directly turned Emma's stomach. If Mikael ever found out... Just the idea was enough to make the mutant nauseous. So instead, Emma decided to be truthful. Maybe she could even spin this into a boon.

"You guessed right," the blonde responded seriously, her voice grave. "I had already put the pieces together."

"Then there is nothing left? Nobody left?" Robin asked sadly. Judging by the mist in her eyes, she already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid not," Emma shook her head in denial of that small hope. "We all come from 'Dead Ends.' None of us have anything to go back to. In some way or another, all our worlds have disappeared."

"I suppose I already knew," though Robin was crying, Emma was surprised to see her start to smile. It looked more like a grimace to the blonde. "Dereshishishishishishi. Dereshishishishishishi."

The brunette laughed as tears ran down her cheeks and hugged her legs to her chest. For minutes, the laughing/crying continued. Once it started to die down, Emma wordlessly poured some of the cognac into another tumbler and slid it across the table to Robin. The pirate downed the drink, and when the blonde poured another, she also swallowed that one. It was only on the third pour that she sipped.

"Sorry about that." Her eyes were red and wet, her chest still heaved with sobs, and the hand holding the glass was shaky. Robin was back in control, though. "I will take time to properly mourn them later. I still have some other questions, if you don't mind?"

"Sure," she agreed softly.

"Does Mikael know?"

"He doesn't. He does about Glynda and the servants, but I kept it from him once I realized the full scope. He suspected something for a bit, but Scathach threw him off course. Mikael sincerely believes that dropping us off in our worlds would make us the happiest in the long run. He convinced himself of it." Emma stressed the word 'convinced,' trying to get the point across. "He was looking forward to visiting your world in particular."

"More work around from external factors?" Robin asked, and Emma nodded. "So what exactly happened? Can you tell me how you know?"

"I can't say anything of what I saw in his mind." Not that she would. The memory still sent shivers down the mutant's spine and butterflies into her stomach. "The others, however, have been pretty open about their circumstances. Everyone either was dying or dead when summoned. Scathach was the only exception, and when she explained her circumstances, it threw him off the scent."

"What was different about her?"

"She didn't need to die for her world to end," Emma explained, falling into old habits. "Scathach exists in a perpetual 'what if' scenario. For a Servant to be summonable, they need to be dead. She never died. But she is here, which means she has to be dead. I am not as familiar with magic as others, but I've had dealings with it in the past. I think it is because she is a 'Lord of Spirits.' Magic loves that kind of ambiguity. The only times she has been summoned for their 'Grail Wars' were when the world had ended already, or magic had completely dried up. Since she doesn't remember magic drying up, the former is more likely. Mikael thinks she came from a timeline like the latter."

"So we are all undead then?" There was a sardonic smile on the brunette's face. "I can appreciate the irony of it. But this means something else. Are you able to talk about Patrons?"

"I can," Emma nodded, glad to have someone intelligent to converse with. Too many fools were given all the needed information but could not piece it together. "Mikael told me about it a few times when I prompted him. I know pretty much everything about the catalogue that he does."

"Death, then?"

"Almost certainly. Mikael casually mentioned that he never chose a patron since he didn't see the point for a short story." Emma gestured to the Island around them. "But his choices do not line up with reality. We have to assume that changes were not just limited to the Island, but other aspects as well."

"So 'Death,' or whatever they are, are behind all this? For what?"

"Who knows?" Emma replied airily. "That is beside the point. You cannot tell Mikael."

"Why not? It should end his insistence on dropping us all off to go galavanting across the multiverse."

"I cannot say." At Robin's disbelieving look, Emma continued to insist. "I really can't. I can get around his Command by getting him to talk about things out loud, but he refuses to talk about some things. I can only tell you that, while his elements play a big part in his reasoning, they are not the issue's core. I can only tell you that the idea that we can be, and will be, happy without him is important. If he knew that Death was his patron, he would come to some conclusions that would jeopardize us all. When I'm summoned tonight, I will try and get him to speak on the subject so I can explain to everyone tomorrow."

"Then explain one final point to me." The pirate's eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "What were his actual commands? For all his prickly outside, he is smart. His first order wouldn't have been something as vague and unhelpful as 'regain your sanity.' He wouldn't know a loss of sanity was the problem. On top of that, he would hate controlling your mind directly like that. More than that, it takes one command seal to heal a servant completely. Two if you want them back in fighting shape. Three if you want to be on the safe side, but there would be no reason to use all four for that Command."

Emma couldn't help but blush at the memory. It hadn't been her proudest moment. She didn't regret it, but she regretted her naivety. The Emma of back then, the one only recently summoned to the Island, was a different person. That Emma had been a fool. It was a wonder at all that she was Chosen.

"His first order was to 'Forget everything you saw in my mind.' He figured memory loss was better than any mental manipulation since most people constantly lose and repress memories. No danger of personality death." Robin gave an actual chuckle at the thought, and Emma blushed further when she realized the pirate had pieced together the rest.

"Let me guess," the brunette teased. "Once you realized your memory was tampered with, rather than let Mikael explain, you dived right back into his mind to find out what had happened."

"He tried to stop me with another Command, but I had already gone deep enough. He then ordered me to 'Stay and not do anything' while placing the three orders you already know about. Since it was so specific, the stay order wore off after a few hours."

There was only one lie in there. Out of the six seals, none had been used to try and stop her second dive. Emma couldn't risk any other women finding out about the actual Command. Not if she wanted to keep Mikael's trust. Explaining why a Command like, 'Never order me again' was given would have tipped her hand. Until she was sure of their loyalty, she could not tell them of the power they held over him.

"That is all six," Robin nodded as she stood from her seat. She left her coffee but took the tumbler of alcohol. "That also explains why there is something wrong with you. One seal wasn't enough. You are still a little mad."

"What gave it away?" Emma couldn't help but ask as the pirate walked into the night on the path to the beach. She didn't need to read her mind to know she was going to the ocean to mourn her friends.

"I've known for months. I just didn't have anything specific to pin you down with until recently." The pirate looked back and gave the mutant a small, sad smile. "We were all worried for Mikael after he entered the Kiln, but you were the only one who looked ready to die with him."

"I could have been more worried since I knew more about the situation."

"True." The Strawhat turned towards the path once more. "But I had to ask myself; why would Emma Frost care that her jailor was in pain?"

For a moment, Emma was by herself again. She went over the conversation in her mind and decided it would be a boon for her plans in the long run. Only for a moment, however, as another voice stole her from her thoughts once more. Coincidentally it was another woman whose thoughts she couldn't here.

"She is right," Raven said in her monotonous tone. "One seal wasn't enough. You should ask Mikael to use another."

"I am happy how I am now. The old Emma is long dead. She is better for it. She wouldn't be able to handle the loss of control. If he were to use another seal, all it would do would kill me a replace me with a facsimile. That Emma would do all her power to unravel Mikael. And she would succeed." That old Emma would have told the other women about his condition.

"Unlike you?" Though the mutant couldn't see the Cambion, staring deep into her glass as she was, Emma still bristled at the tone of her voice. Standing up abruptly, the blonde started to make her way back into the mansion. Not without a parting shot, however. Though different, she was still Emma Frost.

"You don't get to judge me! Not when you are keeping the same secret. I noticed how you never mentioned Mikael's emotions during my little 'interrogation.' Very heroic of you, taking advantage of man's disabilities."

"Him loving us is not a disability."

"It is when he never got the choice!" Emma snarled as she turned the corner.

Raven's following words went ignored, even though Emma knew them to be true. After all, she was Chosen.

"I can at least recognize love when I see it... and fanaticism."

*******

"Alsanna intends to stay here," Emma reported. She reviewed her list one more time, ensuring everything and everyone was checked off. They had been teleporting around as Mikael used her for their final rounds. The mutant had also subtly brought up the topic she needed to explain the situation with Death to the Island's women. He was being very talkative, likely because Emma was the only one who knew his actual state of being. She would repay that trust. She wouldn't fail Mikael. Not now, not ever.

"She said as much, but I would rather have you check to be sure." The armoured man sat beside a bonfire, the only heat source in this frozen castle. "Is that the last of them?"

Memories of his time in this game flashed through his mind as he reviewed things.

"For this cycle," Emma nodded as she adjusted her glasses. Unlike the other women, she had direct insight into Mikael's tastes. Artoria had gotten a lucky guess in with the bunny costume. The entire outfit had been perfectly set up to appeal to him. But Emma knew persistence would be essential.

Whenever she was summoned, she had subtly different clothes. Nothing overt, a librarian-like look here, an office skirt with garter belt there, but enough to consistently remind the man of her feminity in a way he couldn't ignore. Taking the role of his 'secretary' and aiding him in ensuring the people of this world got what they deserved, for good or ill, had only made her temptations easier. He liked competent and helpful people. Bunny girls were temporary, but sexy teachers/librarians/secretaries were forever.

Like the others, she couldn't physically interact with the world, but her mental and sensing powers were still applicable. She couldn't influence anyone, but reading their minds and reporting to Mikael was well within her abilities. Her range, unaided by Cerebro, was still counted in miles, so she didn't even need to be near them and could stay by Mikael's side.

"You gave Lucatile the Ivory Crown. She intends to return to Mirrah now that she has completed her quest. She will abide by your words and not spread knowledge of it. Benhart has the Sunken Crown. He's not friendly enough to reveal it. Rosabeth has the Iron Crown and is happy to keep it a secret. Shanalotte has the King's Crown and will give it to who she wants. Right now, she has no candidates." Emma flipped the page on her pad, looking over her notes.

"I could probably give it to someone else but fuck 'em," Mikeal said casually. "Dark souls 2 had only a few supporting casts that I like."

"You reunited Lenigrast and Chloanne," Emma continued. "Shalquoir is all set. She has survived this long and won't face any issues. You freed the Milfanitos and brought them to Majula. Gavlan is wheeling and dealing. Tark has been accepted by the community as well. Vengarl is acting as the town defence with his new body. And you settled things between Creighton and Pate."

"What of Milibeth?"

"She intends to stay with the hags."

"Then we are all set on this end," Mikael said as he idly played with a flame in his palm. "How are things on the Island? How is Priscila?"

"She is fitting in," Emma began. "Your idea of joint training has done wonders to get her out of her room. Supposedly, one of the only reasons she stayed there was due to not liking having to shrink. Glynda has not only helped train her physically but has also started tutoring her."

"And the bite?" Mikeal looked worried, but she was quick to soothe it.

"No reaction. The mark is still there, but it hasn't affected her mind. My warnings early on did not lower her crush on you, but it seems to have diminished on its own. We cannot test the other aspects without you meeting her."

"That's good," he let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried I was Controlling her. I know I chose No Bindings, but better safe than sorry. My future will improve if I do not worry about biting people."

"And on your end?" Emma couldn't help but ask, though she knew he wouldn't want to talk about it. Mikael surprised her by shaking his head and speaking.

"Nothing so far. I always liked Priscila in the games, and the little time we spent together was nice, but that is it. I'm fond of her, but it is not overpowering like my emotions for you all. As you mentioned, we can't know for sure until I see her in person, but I am hopeful my condition is limited to you ten. How about the others? Anything I should know about?"

"I still cannot read Raven, Diana, Scathach, or Robin's minds," she reminded.

"That's fine. I just want to be sure everyone is OK."

'Worry, concern, protectiveness, love. Smiling faces, Glynda crying, Medea professing her love.'

Most people did not think in complete sentences at all times. If they were focusing on something, sure. But most of the time, thoughts came from feelings and abstract images that flittered around quickly. It was the mark of an excellent psychic how quickly and accurately they could parse through those confusing thoughts. Emma was one of the best psychics in her world.

"Robin just received some bad news," Emma was careful how she couched the report. It wouldn't do to arouse Mikael's suspicion. More than that, so long as the concern he showed was natural, the rage and madness wouldn't come. Over the last few months, Emma had become adept at directing his attention away from his foreign feelings. Imprisonment in a game world was frustrating. Imprisonment in his own mind, with his emotions as shackles? That was what truly drove him mad. "Turns out she hadn't realized the other Strawhat pirates had died before her. It was only after she asked me to help relive the last memories before summoning that we put the pieces together."

"Shit!" Mikael swore. He stood up and started to pace around the room, thoughts going miles a minute. Emma loved watching his thought process, at once precise and fast as it was jumbled. He wasn't Reed Richards or Tony Stark genius, but he was more intelligent than most of her students any day of the week. Teach him one thing, and he would grasp five even if he didn't learn ten more things.

This time his focus was on what this information meant regarding their summoning. He went through the catalogue in his mind. For a moment, Emma tensed as his thoughts lingered on the Patron setting, but he dismissed due to Scathach once more. Instead, his thoughts turned towards the 'used' section. He contemplated that the reason the build had so much extra stuff was due to getting the 'Waifu's' at a discount. Emma breathed a sigh of relief as Mikael decided to pursue that line of inquiry for now.

"Alright," he eventually said. "I want you to offer them your services as a psychologist. Don't force them. This is for their benefit in the long run, but couch it as an extension of Tsunade's check-ups. God knows many problems could be solved if characters just talked about their issues rather than repressing them. Get them to talk about what happened before their summoning if you can. Were they approached by anyone? Did they sign something? It would be best if they let you see their memories like Robin. Anything at all can be a hint we can potentially use."

"What about Robin?" Emma asked as she noted down his orders. She expected the other women would go for it if she explained it as becoming better friends and wanting to help out. It wouldn't even be a lie. They were all Chosen and would be spending an eternity together. Helping them with issues now would go a long way to making the unit more secure for the future.

"In your professional opinion," Mikael asked while he continued to pace. "Would it be better to delay facing Nishandra and Aldia? They are all that's left between me and the throne. I should be able to beat them before the next summoning, but if you think Robin needs my support, I will put it off. I do not know how long it will be before DS3 or if my plan will delay or hasten the time."

"Assuming it will be a week without contact, like last time?" She dreaded being out of contact for so long. The two and a half days between her summons were too much already. Still, it was a necessary sacrifice for the time when she could spend every moment by his side.

Emma gave the issue some real thought. There were upsides to both options. On the one hand, getting Robin to depend more on Mikael would be nice. On the other, having more time to ensure none of the women bring up 'Death' would be beneficial.

At the end of the day, like Mikael, she did want what was best for the other women. It was a shame that only a few of them had realized that Mikael was what was best. But they would learn like the others. Emma longed for the day she could drop the facade of the 'Ice Queen.' When Mikael no longer needed her as a spy and only wanted her as a woman. There would be a window between Mikael freeing them and finding worlds she was planning to exploit to break down his last resistance. Her plan so far, fostering romance between the women and loyalty to Mikeal, was going well, though a few still needed work. Until then, however, she would do as commanded.

"I think," she hesitated for a bit before firming up her decision. The mutant was very careful not to phrase it like an order, lest the seal try and restrain her. "I think it would be better to proceed with your plan. It should be easy at breakfast tomorrow to make the offer of counselling and word it so that Yoruichi and Tsunade know about Robin. They will be there for her while you do what you need to. How likely is it that you will be in a condition to receive her on the other end?"

"I give it fair odds," Mikael stopped pacing to stare at her. "You know as well as I that my condition drives me to take action, any action if it frees me and you all. I do not plan to link the fire again, but if I am not brought to Lothric after a while, I might go crazy enough to be pushed to link it anyway. I hope to find a worthy replacement before that, however. Worse comes to worst, I am not only used to the pain, but the fire has already faded to a considerable degree. It won't burn as intensely, nor as long, as it did after Gwyn."

"I wish you didn't have to risk it," the mutant admitted, letting her real feelings flow through for a bit. "Any chance you can still summon us after you walk away from the throne room?"

"I hope not, though it is possible. If I am not brought to Dark Souls 3 immediately, I will be waiting years. That would leave you all trapped for much longer than necessary. I managed to beat this game in two months on your end. I aim to get it even lower than that for the third instalment."

"I'm worried about your sense of time," Emma said. "I can see how you see it. Days and weeks pass by, and you hardly notice. You just fight and die, fight and die, over and over. It's all blurred together. Not counting those first few days or the time spent in the kiln, it's been over four hundred and fifty summonings. You've been at this for almost forty years."

"Shit, now that you put it that way. Did my virginity grow back? Can it do that?" He smiled playfully at her, but she didn't laugh. She didn't particularly like dark humour, but she could tolerate his jokes. So long as they weren't aimed at himself. "You don't have to worry, though. You've seen my mind. Yes, time here is blurring together. Nothing I can do about that. But my memories of home and freedom are crystal clear and never fade. I remember what I ate for dinner the day before I appeared in the cell. I can still feel the warmth of my cat. I still see the laughter of my friends as we went out drinking. I still feel the excitement and anticipation of playing Elden Ring when it comes out. These memories will never fade nor dull."

"You say that like it isn't part of the problem," Emma responded quietly. "A mind is not supposed to be so inflexible. It is meant to forget and move on. I would rather your memories blur rather than this perpetual longing."

"In this life, there are things we can't control and things we can." Mikael shrugged philosophically. "I can only control myself. I have the option to laugh at my situation or cry. I dislike crying. I'm bad at it. So I chose to stop and enjoy the good things I have. Does my situation suck? Big donkey balls. Are there upsides? Definitely. Even if I cannot return any of their feelings, it is nice to be desired by some of my favourite characters. By the time I am free, I will be a certified badass no matter where I go. Who else can claim to not only kill gods but have single-handedly saved and ended a world?"

"I can think of a half dozen people off the top of my head," Emma deadpanned.

"Oi! Don't compare me to comic book characters!" He playfully responded. "You all are nuts. I, on the other hand, am a picture of sanity."

"Clearly," Emma deadpanned again, though a smile curled her lip. "If nothing else, your skill at arms and sorcery would make you a viable threat."

"And?" Mikael asked pleadingly, wiggling his eyebrows for emphasis.

"And what?" Emma could see what he wanted in his mind, but she acted obliviously. He would have to order her to say it.

"Come on, say it. You know it's true." He urged.

"Fine," the mutant sighed dramatically. "And you are 'Da Dragon.'"

"Don't you forget it!" Emma really wanted to smack that adorably smug look off his face. He turned to unlatch the box on his belt and present it to her. She opened up the portal without him having to ask. He threw the box through the gray energy. "Now, this dragon has given you his hoard. I expect you to treat it with all due reverence."

"Anything in specific?" She asked, pulling up her notepad to jot down any orders.

"Same as last time," Mikael shrugged. "Keep the souls contained. I had a few turned into weapons from two different smiths for Medea to look over and possibly replicate their craft. You all can go through the rest and pick out anything you like."

"Alright," Emma finished writing, put her pad away and turned to step through the portal. She did say goodbye, however. "Good luck. I'll see you on the other end."

"Bitch please," Mikael responded as he put his helmet back on. "This dragon doesn't need luck. I am inevitable."