As John slowly returned to his room, there was a chaotic conversation going on between Pallas and Kostas, within John's mind. The two were quite surprised to know that Lord Khaos knew of their existence and how they were going to handle something like chaos energy.
Pallas spoke with a frustrated tone. "Oye human, what do we do now? Our planning has pretty much gone to waste at this point, hasn't it?"
John, feeling the weight of exhaustion on his shoulders, replied. "Calm down Pallas, let me return to my room, and then we will talk there properly. With my father here, I can't focus on so many things. The trials were far more taxing on me than I thought they would be."
Pallas, not satisfied with the response, continued. "While I am okay with that, you should take a look at the inside of your body. It seems like Lord Khaos failed in removing all the mana from inside your body. There are as of right now, three different types of energy inside you that are ready to clash with each other at a moment's notice. You are practically a ticking time bomb right now. If the balance is disturbed even a little bit, you will explode like an overblown balloon."
John, shocked by the revelation, exclaimed. "What? How could that be possible? He is a god for fucks sake, how could he mess up something like that?"
Kostas chimed in. "Yeah, he is a god and all, but even gods aren't all-powerful. They aren't all that much different than us in most aspects."
"I see, well let's talk about this in a moment," John said, addressing the two entities in his mind. "The two of you try to figure something out. We're all in this together. If I die, you die, we all die. The world will go straight to the future we've faced, and there's no way we'll find out who killed your children and caused the war."
"We know that already," Pallas huffed, a hint of annoyance in his tone. "Why do you think we're trying to get your attention on this?"
"Fine, just don't bother me with this right now. I'm sure the emperor is already feeling that something is amiss," John said, his expression returning to its normal state.
"Alright," the two tenants of his conscience replied in unison.
"What has you so distracted, John? It seems as though you can barely walk ahead right now," the emperor said as he helped the stumbling John back up.
"Ah, it's nothing, your majesty. I'm quite simply tired. And I have a few things on my mind about going with grandfather for a while after today," John replied as he regained his footing.
"I see, well don't worry. We're only doing what's best for you and the nation. Your life would be in danger if you stayed here right now. The Empress has probably already figured out that I don't intend to hand over my seat to either of her children, so she might use any means necessary to make them the sole heirs to the throne, either by getting you kicked off the line of succession or by having you assassinated. But you won't have to worry about such things at your grandfather's estate. There, you'll be able to focus solely on becoming stronger and a more efficient emperor, under the guidance of the previous emperor himself." The emperor spoke gravely, his expression reflecting the seriousness of the situation.
John nodded in understanding, "I understand, your majesty."
"Well, child, this is as far as I can follow you. I have a meeting with the elves' representatives and Julian that I must attend before the banquet. I believe Sir Joseph will be enough to guide you safely to your room," the emperor said as he turned his head towards the knight, who was slowly following behind them.
"Indeed, your highness," Joseph replied, bowing his head in agreement.
The emperor, with an air of authority and power, simply nodded before making his way towards the central palace.
As the emperor's presence receded, John let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, finally. The weight of his presence can be overwhelming," he said, visibly relaxing.
But Joseph was quick to remind him, "Your Highness, please exercise caution in your words. The palace is a place of politics, where rumors and whispers can spread like wildfire. We wouldn't want any misunderstandings to arise regarding your feelings towards the emperor." He spoke with a concerned tone, concerned for his prince's safety and reputation.
John reassured him with a wave of his hand. "I understand, Sir Joseph. Rest easy, I'll be more mindful of my words in the future," he said, trying to ease the tension.
Joseph nodded, understanding the prince's sentiment. "As you say, your highness,"
"Now, I believe I should return to my chambers. I would like to be well-rested before the banquet tonight," John said, moving towards his room.
"After you, your highness," Joseph said, following closely behind as they made their way through the palace.
Five minutes later, John sat on his bed, with his eyes closed, contemplating his current situation. "So, what do we do now?" he spoke silently to himself.
"Well, what can we do aside from trying to maintain a balance between the three energies inside you?" Pallas said, his voice tinged with concern.
"You think I don't know that? I'm asking how we do that?" John replied, sighing softly.
"We're as clueless as you are right now," Kostas interjected. "Both Pallas and I have at most used only two types of different energies, and while it's true that we've used chaos energy before, we barely managed to make contact with it. We're not equipped to control the amount that's inside your body."
"Yeah, I hate to admit it, but the Titan is right," Pallas added. "And even the small amount of energy that I had access to almost drove me insane, due to its inherent nature to cause chaos wherever it is."
John let out a deep breath. "Is there no way to infuse the divine energy, chaos energy, and mana when making stars?" he asked, trying to come up with a solution.
"Wait, hold on. What are you talking about?" Pallas asked his voice filled with confusion.
"Well, I was thinking of forming stars with one third of each different energy. That way, the balance would be stable, and I would be able to use them as I please," John said, carefully considering his options.
Kostas, deep in thought, nodded. "It's a plausible theory, but we can't say for sure without testing it. But to do that, you would also have to form your core with the other two energies," he added.
John's expression grew solemn as he processed the information. "Which means if I were to ever get any other energy, it would mean almost instant death," he said, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Pallas interjected, "Well, not as instant as long, excruciating, and slow."
"What do you mean?" John exclaimed in confusion.
"Your core would break down slowly, and since your entire body will be a core, it would take a while for it to break fully, making it excruciatingly slow and painful. If you had a smaller core, while it would be painful, it wouldn't kill you, or take as long, as it would take far less time for the core to break," Pallas explained, trying to ease John's worries.
Kostas added, "But there's no need for you to worry about any of this right now. The divine energy and chaos energy within you will reject everything the moment it enters your body. What you do need to worry about is how you will control chaos energy and, to a lesser degree, divine energy. Unless you have at least some semblance of control over your three energies, you won't be able to form your core."
"Well, how do we do that?" John asked, frustration creeping into his voice.
"Beats me," and "No clue," Pallas and Kostas said in unison.
"Well, leave that for now. Help me control the chaos energy," John said, sighing in defeat.
Suddenly, a third voice entered John's mind. "And why do you believe you can control chaos energy?" it asked.
"Lord Khaos?" John exclaimed, his body visibly shaking at the appearance of the god.
"Well, I have no time for pleasantries right now. So, I'll just give you a hint. Since it was my mistake, there is still mana in your body," Lord Khaos said, interrupting John before he could say anything further.
"Thank you, sir," John said, gratitude in his tone.
"Chaos energy isn't something you can control. Its inherent nature, as you said earlier, is chaotic. If you believe you can change its nature, you are far too arrogant of your strength," Lord Khaos explained.
"What do you suggest we do then?" Pallas asked.
"Guide the energy, don't try to control it. The energies will know what to do on their own. That's all the hints I can give you right now," Lord Khaos said before disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.
"What the hell are we supposed to do with just that?" John said, his frustration growing.