I pushed my doubts as far down as I could. This is me, I am me, and I will answer to no one else. “As my memories are lost on me at the moment, would you mind if I pestered you with some questions for the time being?” What better way to pass the time than to collect information? At least until I could come up with a serviceable plan.

“Of course, your majesty.” Syn remained on his knees, as did the rest of the guards behind him. Each was akin to large golden statues that hardly swayed. Were they waiting for me, perhaps?

“Come along.” I slid the knife through the waist of my pants, careful as to not destroy the precious fabric, before I crossed my arms and regarded my new allies. They were all powerful and beyond reproach. With what little memory that I have, these were the cream of the crop. Some of the best warriors that my empire had to offer. Sadly, though, that’s all I had for the time being.

As one, they rose to their knees like a well-oiled machine. The three behind Syn, took a step back, and quickly fanned out around the inner wall. Two taking a position around the door, and the third, moving behind me to the back wall. “What is it that you would like to know, your majesty?” Syn’s demonic mask gazed at me with its unblinking eye.

“Tell me about the Athanatoi, what have you been up to since I was last here. What were the last orders you have received?” I wanted to ask what they were, and how they were formed, but I fear that a question like that would paint me in too bad of a light, so I had to be careful with what I asked.

“Your majesty. The last standing orders we received from you were to stand by, and wait for your return. Captain Alessia, however, told us to do what we can to defend the capital. It’s been a losing battle for the last few thousand years, as many of our numbers have fallen. For the first few years, our biggest priority was getting the survivors to safe locations, scuttling classified locations, as well as retrieving blue prints, and other data manifest. After that, we’ve been running vanguard actions, and assassinations on key targets.” Syn straightened up and belted out a quick brief. Granted, I’m aware that a lot could have happened in five thousand years, but thankfully he condensed it all down.

But five thousand years? That was a very long time. There were at least a thousand Athantoi if memory served correctly, and now there was only four. At one point they were the greatest miltiary force of the era, and now, they were all but extinct. What a shame. It even brought some pain to my heart as I thought about it. They were my friends, and companions in my past life. Now, they were nothing,

But on the same topic, I had to worry about my place here in Asteria. Kharon did say there were at least two villages worth of people around. Which would mean that whoever lived there would be living. No doubt that the empire would be a distant memory. The undead, however, were the ones that kept their memories of it all. They would be the ones who would be the most loyal. There were even military detachments that were operating nearby defending the villages. So at least I could have some sort of foothold in their hearts.

“That is very good to hear. What are the biggest threats we are about to face?” I spun around and walked over to the stack of papers nearby and gathered them all. I already had this discussion with Kharon, but I wanted to know what he was going to say. The severity of threats often differed between two people, so I might as well see if I could find a middle ground.

“There is a horde of Imps growing in the east. In the west, a few city states and successor kingdoms are trying to make a claim on the palace. Not to mention the kingdoms that have risen outside of the heartlands are growing in power and influence.” The eye of the demon stared at me as he spoke. His voice was a little strange now that I heard him speak for an extended period. It sounded a little ethereal and soft, but also like stones rolling down a mountainside. It was deep, but airy in a way. However, it was very confusing to listen to.It was almost like there were two separate people speaking.

“Out of those threats. Which one should we focus on?” Now, here is where I could figure out my path forward. A chance to walk a path I chose for myself.

“The imps are the biggest issue. We suspect they are being corralled and forced into our direction. They have consumed the last major goblin tribe in the area and the survivors have already flocked to the outer village. We expect the first wave to arrive within the next week or two.”

A week?! Two at the most?! That was not enough time for me to cultivate to a point where I could take care of myself. A small blossom of anxiety bloomed within me, and I glanced at the papers in my hands. I wanted to curl up in a ball and not move an inch. This was all too soon for me. I froze for a few seconds as my mind shut down from the stress that was quickly overflowing. Focus Calixa, you can do this! One step at a time.

It didn’t help that I felt lonely. I had no one here to confide in. I still didn’t fully trust Kharon, and I was at a loss elsewhere. Even the people who stood in front of me, who I knew to be my companions, felt so far away from me.

“Syn, Kharon and I will prepare a war map shortly. I’ll want you on the war council. In the meantime, can you retake the throne room?” I needed space from all of this. Already, I was becoming overwhelmed. At least this way, I can give them a task to focus on while I get my mind together.

“As you wish, your majesty. Griffon, Saber, you are with me. Basilisk, you are to remain next to her majesty’s side. Do not let her out of your sight.” Syn stood up, and immediately began belting out orders without the slightest of hesitation. The other two Athanatoi fell in line behind him.

“Do you need any help?” I asked as I watched him turn away from me. I had confidence that they could do this by themselves, but I couldn’t bring myself to coldly send them on their way.

“No your majesty. We will shoulder this burden on our own. I will let you know when we have retaken the throne room.” Without another word, Syn and the other two vanished and the door to the meditation chamber closed with nothing more than a gust of air.

The closing of the door brought some sort of peace to me. But I knew it would only be temporary. After all, my life was on the line, and so was that of the others under me. I clenched my jaw, and anger lashed out within me. This would be so much easier if I could just slot myself in and go from there. Now I have to deal with a horde, and if what Syn said was true, then someone was forcing them in our direction. That also meant that I would have to deal with whoever that was in the future as well.

Was it fate that left me in this situation? Or was it a terrible sense of timing? I sucked air through my teeth as I pondered the thought. I didn’t know, and I highly doubted that the me in the sky would throw me into the wolves like that. So bad timing and fate was more than likely the culprit. Fate in itself was something that I hated. The idea that my life wasn’t my own was enough to make me so furious. I was no one’s pawn, and damn any one that stood in my way.