Back to me falling
I was falling—plunging through an endless sea of swirling colors and fractured space. Time lost all meaning. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? I had no idea. I couldn’t feel even the faintest shred of time flowing in this place.
There was no up or down, only the unrelenting sensation of descent, my body weightless yet trapped in a never-ending spiral.
Then, without warning—
Thud.
I hit the ground. Hard.
"Ugh… damn, that hurts," I groaned, my voice hoarse as I pushed myself up. A sharp ache spread through my lower back, and I winced, rubbing the sore spot. My thoughts immediately turned to cursing that supreme being—
But I froze.
Yeah, no. Not worth another round of divine flicks. Or worse—the beating I had just endured. There was no way I would go through that again.
I shook my head furiously, as if even thinking about it would give me nightmares. You might think I was exaggerating—but no, I definitely wasn’t. That beating was far too painful.
But while I wasn’t going to curse him, I was still frustrated. And what did I do? I stomped the floor of my suite, pouring all my frustration into it, as if it were to blame.
I completely ignored the presence of the Empress, who tilted her head, watching me with a confused expression.
She remained silent for a while, letting me pour out all my frustration and calm down. But, like a madman, I kept going.
Finally, she couldn’t bear it anymore and spoke in a confused tone.
"Kallus… what happened?" She paused, seeming to think of something before adding, "Did the being summon you?"
Her voice snapped me out of my sulking and mad state.
Only then did I stop my little tantrum and take a deep breath, using my senses to check my face. Fully healed. Good. Wouldn’t want her seeing me looking like I just went through the beating.
Turning to her with a slight smile, acting as if nothing too special had happened, I nodded. "Indeed, he did."
"Oh," she said, then added, "Umm… then why were you mad?"
She tilted her head, eyes filled with curiosity. That curiosity made me nervous, and thoughts swirled in my mind like a storm.
Quickly, I blurted out, "Oh, I was just blaming myself for acting like a complete idiot earlier. That’s all."
I forced a casual tone, scratching my head, trying to appear as natural as possible.
She nodded, indicating that she understood. Seeing her reaction remain normal, without any suspicion, I sighed internally.
I’m saved. Huff.
But then, the Empress’s brows furrowed slightly. "I see… but was that the reason he summoned you?"
I gave another nod. "Indeed, Empress. That was why he summoned me—to correct my delusional self-blame over an event I had no control over. Ignoring it was natural… and destined to happen, one way or another."
Then,
I briefly explained my conversation with the being, though I carefully left out the part about my punishment—especially those humiliating divine flicks.
I had an image to maintain, after all.
While I was busy celebrating my narrow escape, the Empress, on the other hand, wore a serious expression.
The Empress remained silent throughout my explanation. Then, at the end, she finally spoke.
"Indeed, he was right about this, Kallus. You need to get a hold of yourself. If you keep wavering like this, it won’t take you, me, or anyone else far.
For all the power you possess, if your state of mind remains like this, it will be anything but useful," she said in a serious tone.
At the end, she added, "You need to be strong, Kallus. For all the responsibility you’re carrying, it’s not just about you anymore—and you know that.
You have a crew to protect, and even those who will join us in the future, like Earth. Thinking too far ahead is pointless at this stage, just as the being already told you."
Her serious statement cut my celebration short.
I looked at her, seeing the disappointment in her eyes, and my mood plummeted. She was right. Every word.
I took a deep breath and turned around, my gaze settling on the beautiful blue planet not far from me, visible through the panoramic view of my room.
"I know, Empress. Every word you said was right.
The truth is, I’m the only one being weak here. Everyone in our fleet is working their asses off, preparing for the war that will soon come, while I— their leader—waste time thinking about things beyond my control. And then, instead of focusing on what really matters, I blame myself."
I let out a bitter chuckle. "I could say I’m new at this, that I’m young, but those are just excuses—excuses to avoid accepting the truth of the world I now live in."
"I won’t make any promises with words, nor will I say that I’ll change.
Instead, I’ll let you see it for yourself—through the effort I put in."
"And I’ll start by meeting my family, clearing everything up with them, and focusing on what actually matters—not the other way around."
The Empress nodded, as if giving her approval, a gentle smile on her lips—one that seemed to say, You are not alone in this. I’m with you, along with the entire fleet."
And it was reassuring to me, too.
I nodded at her, accepting her support with a grateful smile.
My room remained silent for a while as the Empress joined me, both of us gazing at the glowing, yet beautiful, blue planet before us.
I thought our conversation had ended—but oh, God, no. It definitely hadn’t.
Just as I thought our conversation had truly ended, I heard her voice again—this time filled with playfulness and mischief, a complete contrast to her usual demeanor. Still staring out into space, she casually asked, "So… you got beaten up or what, huh?"
I felt my mouth twitch, my emotions fluctuating for a split second before I forced myself to recover. Still, something in my expression must have given me away because she didn’t seem convinced.
I quickly shook my head. "Nothing of the sort happened," I lied smoothly, waving a dismissive hand. "In fact, we had a very… pleasant conversation."
A blatant lie, but hey—it was way better than admitting I got my ass handed to me and had another unknown punishment on the way.
Just as I thought I had salvaged the situation—
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A golden panel appeared in front of me, different from the usual blue ones.
[Did we really have a pleasant conversation, hmm?]
I froze. My heart skipped a beat.
[I seem to recall beating someone quite thoroughly.]
[Did those flicks mess with your memory?]
My face twitched.
Damn… what’s with his antics today? Did he get drunk or something?, it thought.
Slowly, I glanced at the Empress. Was she seeing this? Had she read it?
She tilted her head, her curious gaze locked onto me. "What happened?"
Seeing no sign that she had noticed the message, I silently sighed in relief.
Seeing no sign that she had noticed the message, I silently sighed in relief.
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For now.
"Oh, nothing! Hehe." I chuckled awkwardly, waving my hand in an attempt to dismiss the panel.
But it didn’t disappear.
Instead, it multiplied.
My mouth twitched. You’ve got to be kidding me.
"OH, if you say so," she said slowly, smiling—almost knowingly.
But she remained silent.
I sighed as the panels finally disappeared—all except for one.
[I’ll let you go this time, little rat.]
My eye twitched. Damn him.
I clenched my fist, resisting the urge to yell at the golden panel—though I doubted it would make a difference. Instead, I forced a stiff smile and waved my hand again.
Finally, the last message vanished.
The Empress, still watching me with that knowing smile, tilted her head slightly. "You sure you’re okay?"
I quickly nodded. "Of course! Never been better!" I forced out a laugh, but I could tell she wasn’t convinced.
Her smile deepened. "Hmm… if you say so."
I sighed internally. Great. Now she’s suspicious.
Not wanting to dwell on it, I turned my attention back to the massive blue planet before us.
Earth.
For all my frustrations, worries, and the divine antics messing with me, this was my next step. My next challenge.
It was time to face my family.
I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I stared at Earth through the panoramic view of my suite.
A part of me was anxious. Facing my family after everything… —it wouldn’t be easy.
The Empress remained beside me, her presence a silent but firm support. "So, when do you plan to meet them?" she asked, her tone softer now.
I exhaled. "Tomorrow just as planed. But first, I need to prepare. I can’t just show up out of nowhere and expect them to accept everything immediately."
She nodded. "That’s wise. But no matter how much you prepare, there will always be things you can’t control."
I smirked slightly. "Yeah, I’ve been learning that the hard way." My mind flashed back to the supreme being and those ridiculous divine flicks.
Never again.
The Empress chuckled, likely guessing where my thoughts had wandered. "Well, at least you’re aware."
I crossed my arms, gaze locked onto the planet below. "I’ll do it right this time. No more hesitation."
Her expression turned serious. "Good. Because the sooner you settle things on Earth, the sooner we can focus on the bigger picture."
I nodded. She was right.