Blue light swelled, reached a zenith and then quickly waned to ultimately disappear, all over the course of a couple of seconds. The doors in front of John and Lydia began to slide open. “Try to not slip into my pants on this floor,” he quietly joked while they stepped out.

“I will see whether or not it fits my goals,” Lydia responded.

“You saying your little horny attack was on purpose?” John wondered. If that was true, it had been well-acted enough to convince him.

“The greatest lies are cemented in truth and I do so wish today to end and for your cock to be inside my throat, my love.” Lydia cleared her throat to keep her composure. “I attempted to make Suel think my weaknesses are more pronounced than they actually are. He might overplay a future advantage, in such a case. A good benefit and excuse to touch your sex.”

“You are getting hornier by the day.”

“And whose fault would that be?”

“Mine. I’m not apologizing.”

“Keep satisfying me and I will not ask for it.” Lydia smiled lightly in his direction for a second, then put on a diligent mask as they stepped out of the teleport pad.

The highest level of the tower was a room dominated by faceted light. Stained, round windows, worthy of the greatest cathedrals, made up most of the walls, separated only by bits of stone in-between. Unlike the windows on the dancing floor, these were of the regular thickness and let the light of the sun fall in. Because the day was nearing its end, all of it was red-tinted and primarily came from the west.

The fractured, coloured windows guided that light into several prisms scattered across the room. Some were large pillars, others just small pieces that dangled by thread from the ceiling. Speckled light of red and gold was thrown onto the black and white dome of the ceiling.

“Follow me,” Romulus declared, once he had stepped out of the other teleporter. With firm steps, the young form of the Apex walked towards the centre of the room. There, a contraption John would have expected to see in video games stood on a circular elevation. It was a black, metal pillar with a large lever jutting out of one side.

Looking down, John saw a number of roman numerals etched in gold into the black marble of the floor. The realization that they were now standing on a large clock, with the lever serving as a comparatively undersized hour hand, followed soon thereafter. Romulus waited with his explanation until the entirety of the remaining guests had arrived.

“In this hall of illumination, each of the twelve windows paints a different image upon the ceiling,” Romulus began. “The sun would be light source enough for all of them. However, as much as I can get my beloved Sol to agree to my whims, the celestial body itself is beyond even my control. An earthly solution had to be created.”

Putting his hands onto the lever, Romulus caused some kind magical apparatus to spring to life. A bright, golden light cascaded through one of the windows as what likely was some kind of artificial sun formed on the outside. Albeit so much colder than the original a comparison could hardly be made, it was still warm enough that the broken rays that reached the inside quickly heated up the room.

Everyone looked up to the ceiling. As Romulus had said, the many prisms across the room now directed and reshaped the light to make up an image. Hundreds and thousands of dots overlapped to create different colours and forms.

Above them was a man with a red beard and golden crown, projected into the curve of the dome. His eyes were of such vibrant detail that John truly felt as if an ancestor was looking down on him from the heavens. As impressive as that bit of craftsmanship was on its own, what truly humbled the Gamer was that Romulus had designed this room to project twelve different images like that by merely moving the light source.

“Barbarossa – the founder of Rex Germaniae,” Romulus continued his monologue. “He was my foe at first. He led a rebellion against the rule of my empire, 800 years ago. Battle after battle, he won against my forces, until I myself decided that I had to face at least this danger to my people. On the day he was crowned by the pope in your mundane world, we duelled and I won. Accepting strength, he swore fealty to me, but only on certain concessions. Thus, the kingdom of Germany was born – even if some still cling onto the empire title he originally aspired to.”

Without much in terms of visible strain, Romulus pushed the lever and the machination of the outside moved with the smooth sound of lubricated gears turning. The specks of light on the ceiling drifted along in a chaotic display, until they coalesced into a new shape. Once the lever pointed at the roman two on the floor, the new image was as sharp as it could be.

The ceiling now held an image of the double-headed eagle, Reika as the goddess was currently called and gendered, in a fashion between stylized for a coat of arms and realistic. Her feathers were bright red in that form, a colour similar to the beard of the man that had been shown previously.

“The god of emperorship had been on my court for a short time preceding Barbarossa’s rise. Perhaps that deity becoming the patron god of the newly formed Rex Germaniae only reinforced the visions of their own empire some clung onto. Be that as it may, they both appeared before me in short time and found one another. A contract was made and peace was in my realm.”

A simple shove forwards and the specks of light were once more reordered. The third image was one of a long table, with seven men with royal robes covering their medieval clothing.

“Barbarossa, for all of his ambition, was not to be a long-lived man. The sting of a manticore he wished to slay in single combat robbed him of his vitality. Age claimed him at young years, by the standards of powerful Abyssals. Before his death, he created the system of electing a new ruler. An elective monarchy, rather than one tied to a bloodline. My lordship was honoured through my presence in the votes and the tithes they pay me to this day.”

A new image followed, depicting a king with black hair on one knee before a woman so gorgeous the image failed to catch her true essence. Her hair was white, represented through gaps in the picture, and impossibly long. John recognized her to be Fade.

“Long before Rex Germaniae, the German nobility were one of my military marches. The aristocrats were expected to fight. If there was peace, they had to fight one another. The second king of Rex Germaniae elevated this nobility further, by striking a deal with the Mother of Shadows. The other elemental mothers and the Father of Light soon followed.”

The image switched to the fifth and depicted the same black-haired man fusing with a body of darkness.

“It wasn’t long thereafter that the ritual to fuse a contractor with their elemental was developed. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the elementals. Two became one, a stronger body, a new mind and more powerful abilities. For all the advantages, many shied away from it at first.”

Image six showed a map of Rex Germaniae at the time. Austria hadn’t bloated outwards into Hungary and the Balkans yet, making the territory considerably smaller. Image seven soon followed, showing the territories in two different colours.

“Those opposed to the unification and those for it formed their own leagues. In a rare display of historical patience, the differences were put aside with time. The cultural practice of unifying elemental and summoner won out, but not doing so was accepted – even if it came to be looked at as an odd exception. People reigned and time passed.”

Image eight slotted into place as the lever was moved to the appropriate hour. On the dome was now depicted a number of gravestones. Different shapes of Reika sat on each of them.

“There were times of trouble for Rex Germaniae when, through bad luck and aristocratic plots, six kings and queens died in the span of fifty years. Between each reign, the throne went empty for years, as the system of voting had been buried under unnecessary traditions that slowed the election down to a crawl.”

Another shove and the image of a young man appeared above. He was handsome, but seemed to be dissatisfied with life on a level that reflected only in the pain in his eyes. Despite that, his smile was sympathetic and posture straight and controlled. His hair was white, rolled up into the twirls appropriate for the royalty of almost modern times.

“Frederik when he was young,” Romulus’ tone wavered, grief cutting through, “he was the first king of Germany who saw me after the election was over not only to bring the tithe but to talk to me. He talked like an equal to me, sometimes poked me with his cane, a privilege he earned through diplomacy and successful wargames. He was my friend and he was a great reformer.”

The tenth image was that of an older Frederik, standing before a crowd of nobles. They had their arms and swords raised, clearly revolting against their leader. The king, in turn, held a map of Rex Germaniae, and an impressive writing quill. The feather was black and white, the end beset with a metal extension that was more reliable than the sharpened end usually would have been.

“Most of his time was spent on restructuring the fundamentals. The splintered lands that had come about through generations of inheritance were unified into more sensible chunks. Overarching guilds were established, titles streamlined, realms consolidated and the military reformed to better serve internal needs. He may have gotten even more done, had he not spent so much time following his art addiction.” Romulus chuckled in memory of his friend before giving the lever another push.

It was like an extension of the previous image. At the very back of the crowd, a group of dark eyed nobles, arrogant militants and spiteful merchants bided their time and just watched with malevolence and patience. The colouration of the artwork was masterful, expressing more through shadows than through light and immediately setting the mood.

“Even his time wasn’t without its issues. Those you would call Nazis rose in that time in Abyssal prominence. Their ideology spread throughout the powerful of society and in their magical ability. Where exactly they originated, I cannot tell you, just that they spread through my empire with absurd speed. Dealing with the nobles at large, this malignant growth was only noticed when it became too difficult to stop them. Taking advantage of the situation in the normal world, where their mundane brethren waged war, they eliminated the Abyssal presence of Great Britain and wrought havoc on many other corners of the world. It always was a point of great shame for both Frederik and me that we let this pass. We were good men doing nothing. When we started to move against them, they already had enough influence to pool all of their resources and move to the other side of the world.”

One last push and the image of Barbarossa returned.

“Nobody’s rule is perfect and yours will not be either,” Romulus said, turning to Lydia. “However, I have seen your ambition and deemed you able. Be it through help of other great people of this time,” the Apex gestured at John, “you have not only the strength of character but the might of magic to back it up. You shall inherit the authority to use both.”

With one mighty pull, Romulus forced the lever into an upright position. A loud clank echoed through the large hall and then the entire pole began to rise from the ground, revealing a secret container within. An eagle’s cry followed immediately thereafter, as Reika appeared out of nowhere and landed on Lydia’s shoulder.

‘How?’ John wanted to know, looking around for any holes in the walls or something like that. ‘…Magic, I guess,’ he told himself when he found nothing.

In the meantime, Romulus had pulled two items from the hidden stash. The black and white, artistic feather that Frederik had held and a piece of parchment that was both ancient and incredibly well maintained. “The quill that was used to reform Rex Germaniae many times before and the decree that made it an autonomous kingdom within the empire,” Romulus explained while handing both to Lydia. “Use this authority wisely.”

“I shall, my emperor.” The queen bowed at her waist and took the items with great respect and calm demeanour. She inspected both, the feather much more carefully than the decree, before putting them away inside her pocket dimension. “I am honoured by your trust in me.”

“I have the power to reshape the world, but not the presence to do it in all the ways I want,” Romulus responded. “Where time doesn’t limit me, my stubborn will does. Bring prosperity and power to my lands and I will honour the results.” He stepped away from Lydia and directed his gaze at John. “Now, John Newman, I understand this is where you want to attempt to give her something even greater?”

“It doesn’t have the same historical value and I think Lydia will scold me more than anything for giving it to her,” John mused, while his hand disappeared into his inventory. Already sighing, Lydia turned towards him and froze when she saw the weapon he pulled from his inventory.

It was a rapier that glittered with supernatural power. The long, thin blade was currently hidden away in a golden sheath of pure Elementium. Grip and guard were primarily consisting of Mithril, the silver-white material cast into a minimalistic and defensively optimized design to protect the wielder’s hand. At the lower end of the leather-covered grip was a spike in drop-like shape.

Just with the materials already on display, the weapon was worth a barony. Lydia unfroze and calmly took the weapon from John’s offering hands. “Not going to put up any resistance?” the Gamer asked in an amused tone.

Weighing the weapon in her hand, it was heavier than usually expected of a rapier, Lydia responded, “I have been dissuading you from this expensive a gift for months. Were I to deny you now, I would just keep finding it in my quarters.” She drew the sheath back a centimetre and then slammed it back shut. “What would move you to such idiotic benevolence?”

“Love, first and foremost,” John returned with a grin, putting his hands into his pockets. “Gratitude, that would be another contender. A wish to see you safe, now and forever, is another great explanation.”

“Come on, let me see what that is,” Suel chimed in.

“I am rather intrigued myself,” Romulus hummed. Although he wasn’t a metal mage by nature, it was safe to assume that the Apex of the Abyss had learned the craft. Both him and Lydia would have felt the oddity of the metal under the sheath in the second it had been exposed.

Giving John a long stare, she properly drew the weapon once his unwillingness to take the weapon back was absolutely established. The prismatic metal sang several clear notes as the motion made it vibrate. Fundamentally see-through, its insides were separated into an endless number of triangles, each of a different shade of red, green, purple, brown, blue, silver and gold. Green and purple were the most present in the blade, while blue, gold, silver and brown seemed underrepresented. Red was somewhere in between. The surface of the weapon reflected the light as an equally divided spectrum. Even without any of that, the raw power of the item made it glow softly at all times.

“…What is that material?” Romulus asked.

“An alloy of Terrium, Oblivium, Poseidury, Tempi, Schattengarn and Solunian,” John admitted without any issue, since he had already told Sol what was necessary to stitch this together. “Not an equal-parts one by any description. We used a considerably higher amount of Schattengarn and Tempi and less Poseidury, Solunian and Terrium. A specific name for this alloy wasn’t chosen, but we call the overarching category of them Fusion Metals – or Fusionals for short. As for the components, we have come to call them Collision Metals or Collimets. Rolls of the tongue a bit better than elemental extreme metals.”

“This self-aggrandizement of your organizations will make it easier for me to stomach keeping this,” Lydia analysed. She was considerably less surprised. Likely, she had known that something like this was coming for months, allowing her to come to terms with the reality in a matter of moments. Interested, she tried to exert her ability on the weapon and the blade stretched in response. Dropping the hand through which she channelled the magic, she saw it resume its original dimensions.

Since Fusion (and Collide in particular) was the only organization in the world that could guarantee a steady supply of these metals to teach future smiths with, John essentially had free reign on what he wanted to name them. Sure, the actual elemental extreme metals had been named aeons ago, but everything else was up for grabs. When it came to establishing his guild as a prestigious entity, eternalizing its name in naming conventions was quite high up there.

“The smith named it Strimata,” John said, not having any interest in even trying to refute Lydia’s claim.

“How was it created?” Romulus wanted to know.

The Gamer bowed his head in an apologetic fashion. “You will have to understand that I stand nothing to gain from telling you so. Fusion will guard this secret for as long as we can. Forging weapons like this will be an insurance towards the rest of the world.”

Romulus begrudgingly backed off, while Suel stepped closer. “Mind if I hold that for a second?” he asked, showing greed and curiosity.

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” John said.

“Come now, there is no way I could steal it in this environment,” the vampire-like man responded jokingly.

“You can try, but it will slice open your hand if it thinks you’re unworthy,” the Gamer detailed further, and Suel quickly went back three steps. “Glad that we agree."

Lydia sighed one more time and carefully sheathed the weapon again. “I will keep this weapon hidden for this night. In accordance to your designs, John, the first usage shall leave an impact.”

“Just be careful to not kill anyone with it. I couldn’t test it, it won’t let me use it, but I could read the Attributes,” John reminded her.

“I will be as diligent to my obligations as I always am,” the queen stated and put the weapon away in her pocket dimension. With it removed from sight, the mood in the room became less tense.

Romulus took control of the situation before anyone else could. “That then ends what I had planned, Lydia,” he announced, his form swelling again to that of the imposing giant. “Shall we return to the festivities at large?”

“We shall,” the queen agreed.