Chapter Two Hundred and Forty-Eight. The illusion of choice.

Chapter Two Hundred and Forty-Eight. The illusion of choice.

It was odd, Ed reflected, that he'd gone through hundreds of portals between Earth and Thayland, and after the first he hadn't had any qualms, but now that he was creating the portal, his nerves were on edge.

He'd had the capability for nearly a month, but despite taking the skill he hadn't used it. It was part of the skill build recommended by Bob and the Endless, which he'd followed carefully. He'd wanted the survivability and flexibility it had offered, and this was part of it.

Under normal circumstances, he'd have one of his staff available to open one for him, but he'd taken the rare day off.

He finished the ritual and let out a sigh of relief as the light yellow of his magic shifted and twisted, opening a portal back to Thayland. He stepped through the portal and into his office at Glacier Valley. Stepping out, he shot a series of rapid orders at his aide. While the reporters at the U.N. weren't sure what had happened to the assembly, Ed had a sneaking suspicion. He doubted that there had been an implosion, given the utter lack of rubble. He knew the King of Greenwold was going to be attending. He knew the King of Greenwold was a Dragon, and having met him, doubted the King would willing sit through a meeting at the United Nations. His conclusion was that the King had somehow transported the entire assembly to Thayland.

Now it was just a matter of finding out where. Orders given, he dropped a portal at his feet, falling through it and appearing above the valley. Falling through portals wasn't nearly as disconcerting when you were the one creating them.

Casting his flight spell, Ed rushed towards Holmstead. Someone, somewhere knew where the President was, and he intended to find them.

"To summarize, Madam President, you do not feel confident in the might of the American military to withstand the upcoming disaster?"

"I do not," she replied, "the documents I've provided are accurate in what we know, but as I'm sure your intelligence agencies have all said with depressing regularity, it's what you don't know that changes the equation." She shook her head before continuing. "I had no idea that the King could teleport the entire assembly chamber from Earth to Thayland. None," she stressed. "Nor was I aware that he was planning to do so."

"You plan to accede to his demands?" The Prime Minister of Italy sounded surprised.

"I do," she agreed, "because even if I were able to disagree and maintain control of my government, and somehow dissuaded my citizens from taking refuge here, I would be sentencing them to a horrible, bloody death. The King isn't asking us to give up our land or our sovereignty, he isn't asking us to put aside our religion or our principles. All he asks is that we allow him to save as many of us as possible, preferably with our eager cooperation."

"Which brings to question his motivations," the delegate from Israel replied. "From what I've gathered, the number of these 'mana crystals' that would be required is staggering. Hundreds of trillions of them."

"I won't presume to understand his motivations," Elania stated firmly. "He is at least tier eight, possibly tier nine, and despite having a humanoid form, he is a Dragon. I can only confirm that thus far, he has acted honorably and in good faith. As I've documented, a fraction of a percentage of our populace has been delving for these mana crystals, and extrapolating their success out, we will only need two percent, or slightly less, of our population engaged in that activity to provide the crystals necessary to maintain stasis for the rest."

"You've already taken advantage of this, haven't you?"

She smiled, and nodded. "Contrary to what the tabloids would have you believe, I haven't had any plastic surgery, nor have I started dying my hair. The increase to my Endurance attribute is entirely responsible for turning back the clock. In fact, as you're currently on Thayland, you now have active mana, simply either state or think very hard the word 'Status.'"

Murmurs of surprise began to ripple across the crowd as they accessed the System for the first time. "Extraordinary evidence."

"I wonder why no one has ever tried this before," Bob mused thoughtfully.

He was currently surrounded by a modified shield that prevented mana from entering it. It had taken three seconds for him to absorb the ambient mana, leaving a vacuum inside. He was able to shape his mana flows much more precisely, although the downside was that he wasn't able to regenerate his mana. His mana pool was deep enough that it wasn't much of a concern, but he could see that someone who was low level, or who hadn't focused on their spellcasting attributes, would run out of mana almost immediately.

'It requires a rather high degree of both skill and knowledge, something those who attempted to work with mana without the aid of the System lacked,' Trebor replied. 'Once the System provided access to skills, those clumsy attempts were left behind in favor of the faster and more powerful skills.'

Kellan raised a claw theatrically, and a Gateway twisted open. "Proceed through to the Church of the Light, where you will find shelter and sustenance while we finalize our arrangements."

He watched in satisfaction as the leaders of Earth walked hesitantly through the Gateway, leaving the dissedents frozen in time and encased in crystal, a poignant statement on the futility of disobedience.

As the last of them passed through the gateway, he smiled to himself. "I will carry them, kicking and screaming, and in the end, they will revere me."

Elizabeth was standing in the Cathederal of the Light, her armor gleaming, and her bare blade standing tall in front of her, point resting on the marble. Next to her was Porrose, the pint size corgi now the size of a mini-cooper. His coat gleamed as well, and his bright eyes surveyed the Cathedral, always alert and aware, looking for threats to his mistress.

Huron stood behind her and slightly to her left, separated by half the members of her protective detail, the other half on her right. He'd requested her presence, stating that the King had done something rather Dragon-like, and the entire United Nations assembly had taken an unscheduled trip to Thayland.

The massive Gateway at the far end of the Cathedral abruptly shone with golden light along its edge, while a veil of silvery liquid filled the space within. Leaders and dignitaries began spilling out, most looking apprehensive, and not a few fearful.

As more and more of them surged through, the first arrivals were forced to step further into the Cathedral of the Light, which caused no few to stumble, as they had been distracted by the incredible beauty that had been dedicated to the Church of the Light. Michaelangelo would have wept had he seen the heights to which art could rise, given centuries of practice, and superhuman attributes.

There pushing and jostling, which was something many of the delegates were unfamiliar with, however in just a few moments the Gateway winked out, leaving the crowd clustered around the end of the Cathedral, many gawking.

She frowned. There were two dozen, or perhaps a few more, delegates missing. Shaking her head, she raised her voice. "On behalf of England, and the Church of the Light, allow us to welcome you."

"Elizabeth?" The Prime Minister of India asked incredulously, his voice hoarse and cracked, a testament to the ferocity of the discussions that must have taken place.

"Yes, Chandra," she smiled at her childhood friend. "Your presence, as always, warms our heart, as the sun warms our skin, and our love for our people warms our souls."

The old man smiled and moved forward with all the dignity that hours on his feet and his cane allowed, bowing as he reached her. "I see that the 'reincarnation' ritual must work as described," he said. "If I may, you are as lovely, perhaps even lovelier, were that possible, than the flower of your youth."

She allowed herself a light laugh, breaching protocol on behalf of her oldest friend. "Phillip is engaged in the local Dungeon, else he would likely agree with your flattery," she replied.

Chandra raised a gray eyebrow. "It brightens my world to know that the rumor mongers were wrong, as they've whispered darkly, proclaiming his passing."

"He was quite ill," The Queen agreed, "however Thayland, and specifically," she nodded to Huron, "the Church of the Light, have miracles on tap. May I introduce you to the head of the Church of the Light, Huron," she nodded toward the High Priest. "Huron, this is my oldest friend, Chandra, the Prime Minister of India, a country with a population numbering in the billions."

Huron stepped forward, slowly and precisely raising his arms to lightly grasp Chandra's shoulders before bowing his head slightly. "May Vi'Radia and the Seven Gods of Light illuminate your path, sheltering you from the Shadows." He removed his hands smiled warmly at the older man. "Would you like to discuss the best time for your own Reincarnation? Her Majesty has informed us that the Earth cannot afford to lose your Wisdom and guidance."

"I'm not in danger of passing any time soon," Chandra replied gently, "and there are others in my country who are in much greater need than I."

"At your leisure then," Huron said smoothly. He inspected the rest of the crowd in the Cathedral. "Ladies and Gentleman," his voice carried, "acolytes will be arriving momentarily to see to your needs. If you need to rest, or eat, or simply wish for a quiet place to discuss the day with a few friends, you need only ask. All of the acolytes have accepted the Divine Blessing of Eros, and will be able to understand and reply in your native language. May Vi'Radia light your path."

He stepped back, and Elizabeth repressed a smile as several acquaintances moved forward to speak with her.New novel chapters are published on