"Nice place you have here."

  The compliment reached Xyn as he plopped down on the couch. "Thanks. Get comfortable, and help yourself."

  Space warped, and dozens of different delicacies and beverages popped into existence. It was a repeat of his opening act with Cynthia, only this time more extravagant. The time mages ate well, and turned out to be sugar fiends.

  "Oooh," Ana's face lit up at the display. "Then, I won't hold myself back. Thanks." The Fire Elementalist snatched up a cupcake on her way to her seat, the couch opposite his. "Mmm, this is delicious. Ah, it's been so long since I had anything sweet."

  Xyn watched her devour the desserts with great interest. Her actions were interesting, after all. "No concern over being poisoned? Are you that certain I'm no foe?"

  A cupcake had its fate delayed as the golden-haired beauty lowered her arm. "I'm an excellent judge of character and deemed you the good sort. Or will you deny it?"

  "I wouldn't. I'm a good apple."

  An amused look passed over Ana's beautiful face. "I believe you. That said, while I trust my intuition, it has erred on occasion. I consume without reservation because I possess means that render poison and the like pointless."

  "Nifty."

  "Indeed. I am blessed."

  "I saw that. You wield a variety of magics."

  "Charms. That's what they're called."

  "Hm, Charms, huh? Does one make you irresistible, by chance?"

  The words flowed out of the psionic. Ana was surprised by them, but so was Xyn, who couldn't believe he had spoken his thoughts out loud. The momentary silence was broken by a chuckle.

  "Ahaha, no, that's just my natural charm at work," she said, flicking at her bangs with a smile.

  "I see. Good to know." Xyn did a fake cough before bringing a cupcake to his side with a Vanta construct. "Better to know would be your name."

  "Ana. I am Ana Sterezia Starlight, the Sun Maiden, and princess of Ludalsha."

  "Oh, that's a lot to unpack."

  "Indeed, but do so after stating your name."

  "Of course. I am Xyn the Void Prince, an Abberant of Universe 6, the Realm of Psionics."

  "No fewer things to unpack with your introduction. Xyn. A fitting name for one as unique as you. Unless you're common potatoes where you're from?"

  "I'm not. There's only one of me...in the multiverse," the Void Prince said, arrogance naked in his voice.

  "I don't doubt that. So, who is to go first?"

  "Ladies first."

  "How gentlemanly. Very well." A troubled expression overcame Ana as she realized that she couldn't talk and continue her gluttony simultaneously.

  Xyn saw her dilemma and offered a solution. "You can use that if you want."

  "This is - oh, it's like a Talk Sigil." The Fire Elementalist poured her mana into the orb after a quick inspection. [Like this? Yep, it works the same. It has a few additional features. Neat.]

  "Keep it. Along with this."

  Ana caught the storage ring and thrust her will into the device. Her mind's eye captured the contents within and went wide.

  [All this for me?]

  "It's yours to have and hold, forever. Most are redundant on account of your many abilities, but there are a handful of items that will prove invaluable."

  [Handsome, considerate, and generous. You must be quite the lady killer, Xyn. Your translocation must have broken countless maidens' hearts, no?]

  The Void Prince's face became an unfinished puzzle.

  [What?]

  "No, it's just way off, is all. I was infamous in my home universe, never popular in any sense."

  "Lies," Ana said, her words coming out with more force than she expected.

  Xyn summoned a blue orb. "This is called a Truth Stone. While funnelling mana into it, you'll be unable to tell a falsehood. You have one too. Try it out for yourself."

  Ana did. Retrieving hers, she had it glow and attempted to tell a lie. "Oh, this is indeed invaluable to have."

  Xyn nodded, and his face glowed blue. "I've never had any luck with the fairer sex. No romantic relationship to recall or speak of."

  "You weren't lying, huh?" Ana rubbed her chin, wrestling with the impossibility that were Xyn's truths. "Your home world must be incredibly strange," she said in a mutter.

  "What about you, Ana? Your absence must have broken countless hearts, surely."

  Xyn asked the question nonchalantly, but internally, he was a bundle of nerves. The answer could very well break his heart then and there, after all.

  He would not get his answer, though. The question had ignited a dreadful flame in the Fire Elementalist. Treats were set aside as seriousness overcame Ana's expression. She remembered what was at stake and felt ashamed for indulging as she was.

  "That's almost certainly the case," she said, her face shadowed by stormy emotions.

  "Ana?" Xyn's voice echoed with concern.

  "Every second that passes, my people's blood is spilt." The Sun Maiden blinked and tore apart the hovering cloud with a fiery determination. Her gaze fixed itself on the psionic. "Time is of the essence. Xyn. Do you have the means or knowledge to cross realms?"

  "Is returning home that urgent?"

  "Returning home would be good, and it's what I desired after coming here, but Drazal, loathsome as he was, did enlighten me on some important things. I, and the rest of my world, were under several misunderstandings. Returning home would be a band-aid solution. The permanent one can be found in Universe 2, the Realm of Good and Evil. I must slay the Demon King."

  Xyn's heart stopped for nearly a second before resuming its beat. There was no romantic implication to be had, though. Such was his shock at the absurdity displayed. It stunned him into silence for a good three seconds before he found his voice, his shout.

  "No! No, no no, no way, that's insane."

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  "Insane or not, it must be done."

  "By someone way stronger. You're way too weak to be stepping into a literal hell."

  "Weak...me," the Sun Maiden's face scrunched up.

  "Yes, in the grand scheme, you are just above middle-tier."

  Ana's pools of water boiled at the statement. "You do not know my strength."

  The Void Prince looked at her and understood he was talking to a wall. Mere words alone wouldn't break through. Thus, he changed his approach.

  Monochrome.

  White appeared behind Ana's couch, right hand black and raised. He sliced down at her protruding head, only to be stopped by the white layer that encased the Sun Maiden's figure.

  "And you're dead."

  "Huh, what are you talking about?” the Sun Maiden returned in bafflement.

  Ana had been surprised by the second Xyn, but his attack hadn't gone unnoticed. She watched it while assessing his intentions with Shroud of Paranoia. Noting no real killing intent, she allowed it to play out. He was clearly trying to demonstrate something.

  White retracted his hand and Vanta. He lingered for a lengthy second on account of the view before vanishing. Xyn blinked and parted the fuzz that invaded before saying, "That was me killing you just now. Had I used a different type of Void, you'd be dead. You don't believe me, I see. Fine. Seeing is believing. That flower shield of yours. That's your greatest defence, right?"

  "It is. Don't tell me, you'll destroy it in one hit."

  "Precisely."

  Ana's eye twitched. "Go ahead and try." The White Lotus was manifested in its full glory.

  Xyn stood up and readied a backhand strike. Before doing so, a thought struck him, and he turned to Ana. "Hey, destroying this won't permanently harm you, right?"

  "Your concern is touching," she said, but didn't mean, "but no, it won't. It'll be disabled for a few seconds at most. Stop dallying."

  The Void Prince shrugged out of defiance before obliging. Blackening his hand, he swatted the Charm like it was some overgrown fly. The energy shield shattered like fragile glass, breaking into shards that quickly lost their rigidity to become mist.

  Ana's eyes became unfocused for a second. Not just from the shock, but from the psychic pain that came from the destruction of her Charm.

  "That...what is that darkness?" she asked, thoughts and emotions in disarray.

  "Endera, the Flames of the End. My most potent offensive and defensive tool," Xyn said, having the deadly darkness become a flickering flame atop his palm. "I had thought it unstoppable in my home universe, but since coming here, I was proven wrong. I was a frog in the well, ignorant. The current you is no different. The Demon King isn't someone you can take on and win, as is."

  "I know that," Ana argued, staring at the flames intently. She could not sway them, no matter how she tried.

  Xyn raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you?"

  "Of course. I'd lose to a Demon Lord as I am. That's why I said, you do not know the depths of my strength." The blue glow of the Truth Stone caught Xyn's eye. "Should I go Supernova, my power will surge to godly heights. At my current strength, destroying a small mountain is the best I could do. On the other hand, as a Supreme, I would have to be careful not to split the world with my swings."

  Shock is what one might expect to pass through Xyn, but strangely enough, it didn't. Since first laying eyes on her, he felt she had no ceiling. Not even a glass one. Something unfathomable resided within her that whispered echoes of an unlimited potential.

  "Interesting, but that wouldn't have changed the outcome. You would still have lost to me, or do you explode upon death, by chance?"

  "I do."

  "Oh, then it would have been a draw. Can I see it, this Supernova mode of yours?"

  "It's not something I can brandish whenever I want to. It can only be used once, after all."

  "Once, for how long?"

  "A few minutes at most."

  "That's not long at all. And you can only use it once? Once a week, or a month, or-"

  "Once in a lifetime. The power is overwhelming. To others and the Sacred Champion that uses it. Once I don the Cloak of the Sun Goddess, my body and soul will begin to break down, then after a time, become a star in a fiery explosion."

  "And you want to use this technique on the Demon King - why? Even if it works, you'd be throwing your life away."

  Ana scowled.

  "I'm not throwing anything away. My death will mean the saving of countless lives and the freedom of my beloved nation and realm from the nightmare that is the demons. It will be a beautiful sacrifice. I'll fulfil my duty - as other Sun Maidens have in the past," Ana showed a proud smile, remembering her ancestor's achievement. The light of a martyr swam in her blue eyes.

  This is...

  Looking upon her, the Void Prince felt an innate revulsion. He lived for himself and so found her ideas revolting. He kept these thoughts, remembering Drazal's words about her being extremely patriotic. The young man hid his feelings well. Wearing a blank face, he reversed course and reclined back on the chair.

  "Do you have to be the one to kill him?" Xyn asked tentatively.

  His fear wasn't realised as Ana waved her hand. "That would be satisfying, but no, it doesn't have to be me. If there's another way to defeat the demon threat in a reasonable amount of time, I'd be happy to sit on the sidelines. In short, I can live without doing the deed."

  "Literally," Xyn said, feeling a wave of relief.

  The Sun Maiden showed a smile, her first in minutes. "I'm not chasing death. Ideally, I want a long life filled with all sorts of pleasure. The dead can't enjoy deserts, after all."

  A chocolate-topped cupcake leapt to Ana's palm with the aid of a golden ring. Secure in her grip, she waved it about and got a high from the sugary aroma it spread.

  "To die for my people is great, but to live among them is even better."

  "If that's your stance, I have good news. That other way almost certainly exists. Machaeverosa is the land of possibilities, where mundanes can become gods with the right opportunity. There are dozens of ways to get stronger."

  "Do tell, I'm listening."

  "The most straightforward can be found on a landmass to the far north. There's a dungeon and at its centre is a filled cup. The golden liquid it contains will increase one's mana output by 20% and capacity by five times. No strings attached."

  "Really?"

  "Yes. It's that simple. One sip is all it takes. Thousands have used it since the Great Shift, and again, that's the easiest method. To the far east, there's a continent that runs on video game mechanics."

  "Video game?"

  "Hm, you're unfamiliar?"

  "Yes, what is it?"

  "Too long to explain. Essentially, you can get a guaranteed power-up by going to this continent. The magic or Skills you obtain there aren't the best from what I've read, but Munchion is worth it for most. It's also the only place a mundane can gain powers."

  "What else?"

  "There are plenty, is my point. To list them all would take all day, and my knowledge is not exhaustive. The best one, and the one that I have on my travel log, is the Tower of Ascension."

  "What can be found in this Tower of Ascension?" Ana asked, leaning forward in her seat. The topic had lit a fire in her belly.

  "The power to affect a realm. How this manifests is different for different Conquerors. By the way, Cabrena's a Conqueror. Her Starlight Legacy comes courtesy of a Tower of Ascension. What did you think of her?"

  Ana rewound the clock in her head, her face turning thoughtful. "Her magic was queer, and she was unfathomable, but I didn't think she was strong in a fight."

  "Yeah, that's the common impression of those who meet her. The very nature of her strength is immaterial, unreadable. In reality, she's a peak figure in the multiverse. Her Heaven's Judgement is considered on the podium of the strongest attacks along with Curo's Final Strike and the All-Father's lightning bolts. And she earned this power by climbing and conquering a Tower of Ascension, a feat I'm looking to repeat in the near future."

  "This Tower, can anyone challenge it?"

  "Yep. Anyone can, and many have tried over the course of twelve hundred years. It is the only unconquered Tower left of the original one hundred. If you want, you can attempt it yourself. The challenge is rather straightforward."

  Xyn explained the clear conditions of the Tower. By the end, Ana wore a frown.

  "I can see why it remains unconquered. What makes you so confident? Your clone ability?"

  "I call them duplicates, but yes. I have a sure-fire strategy that will make obtaining the prize a simple matter. Once I wield Transcendent-level power, my foes will fall like dominoes. Of course, that list includes the Demon King. Even without you bringing it up, I'd have gone after him. He is an existential threat to all in the multiverse."

  Ana nodded, her opinion of Xyn rising in real-time.

  "Before entering the Tower, I have some things to do. One of them is to visit Sov the Monk. He's like Cabrena."

  "Another Conqueror?"

  "Yes, but also in reputation. A powerful and ancient Transcendent, and also harmless. Unlike Cabrena, though, who can't keep still, he's a statue. He's been occupying a decrepit temple for a millennium already. And luckily for us, it's not far."

  Xyn pointed to the southwest.

  "A few hundred kilometres in that direction, so a short journey. We'll have to wait till night, though. Approaching in the daylight will just get us teleported away."

  "Five hours then."

  "More or less. Let's use that time to get us on the same page." Though I'd prefer if we were on the same couch or, better yet, on the same bed. Xyn didn't bat as the thought was had; it was too familiar at this point. His mind had become dreadfully filthy in the last thirty minutes. Waste disposal could not keep up with the invasion. "There are no guarantees with Sov, but he might prove useful. Knowledge is power, and he has a ton, as well as the perspective of one at the top of the mountain. What do you say?"

  "Sounds like a plan."

  "Excellent. Now, to make good on our initial deal. Tell me about yourself and your home universe, Ana. Oh, let's get this going before we start."

  Logs clattered into the fireplace, falling into a tent-like structure. A lighter was summoned next, but it became redundant by the next moment. The wood ignited with golden flames before becoming a regular orangy-yellow hue.

  Xyn whistled in appreciation and returned the lighter to Void Vault. "The stage is yours, princess. Let's hear it. Sing a song of good times and bad, of victory and defeat."

  "I'll do just that," Ana said with a smile.

  The words spoken, a long account ensued.

  ***