Edited by: ASaltedFish
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Ellery, Edros, and Akimitsu quietly entered the Imperial Palace without the media knowing. This was a secret meeting that even the Emperor's confidants didn't know about.
It was normal for Edros to visit the palace, so no one took notice of his hovercar. As for the attendants in the palace, they already knew their job description and kept to themselves when they saw Edros with Akimitsu and Ellery.
Edros led them to Emperor Eliane's study because it was the best place to talk about confidential information. Eliane was already there waiting for them.
It was the first time Ellery had ever seen the Emperor up close. Just like her pictures, she looked heroic and strong, but she wasn't overly masculine. Overall, she seemed like an intelligent and brave leader. It was no wonder she was the Emperor.
"You must be Ellery Aster. You look a lot cuter in person than in the photos." Eliane teased, but not in a flirty way. She was a woman with a wife, after all. "It's no wonder Edros is so obsessed with you."
Edros knew that the moment Eliane spoke, it would be to tease them. "Eliane… Time and place." Even though he was a bit embarrassed, he did his best not to show it. Getting a reaction out of him was what she wanted!
"Alright, alright, I will stop. Everyone, sit down and stop standing around my study like a bunch of statues."
In the study, there were bookshelves on the left and right walls. There was also a large circular window behind the large wooden desk. In the center of the room, there was a coffee table and two large leather sofas that could fit three people each. The wood accents of the study were complemented by a red circular rug that took up more than half of the room.
Edros, Akimitsu, and Ellery sat on one sofa while Eliane sat on the other one. Someone came in to put some snacks and drinks on the table and then quickly left the room so they would be able to talk privately.
Seeing the three of them together reminded Eliane of Ellery's date with Akimitsu. Well, their family took care of Akmitsu, so she didn't mind him being here too…
Well, Ellery didn't make it known who his partner was, but she felt he was stringing them along…
"Alright, this is a more casual meeting, so no need for formalities," Eliane started the secret meeting. "I know I asked to meet you, Mr. Aster, but it seems I won't be able to get answers if I don't answer your questions first, right?"
She knew that Ellery wouldn't accept this meeting for free. He also looked serious, ready to negotiate a deal.
Ellery smiled. He liked smart people because it made it easier to get to the point. "Of course, but I would like to confirm that we will both be truthful, and everything we say here tonight is confidential."
"Naturally, can I know what you want to ask me first so I can make sure our exchange is equivalent?"
He nodded. "Yes, I wanted to ask if the Imperial family has a way to find the Beast God."
Eliane sat back while raising one of her brows. "Oh… And what makes you think I would have that answer instead of my little brother? He's a member of the Imperial family, too."
"He's not the Emperor. I am asking for information only you would know, Your Majesty."
"Well, since we are being truthful, I do have a way to find the Beast God that only the Emperor knows. But I do not think my question will get an answer that will be of the same value as my answer."
"Wouldn't that depend on how I answer the question? Why ask me to come if you already have an answer in your mind?"
"That's a good point. Then, regardless of your answer, I will at least tell you how we are able to find the Beast God. If your answer is worth more than I thought, I will give you everything you need to find the Beast God."
Ellery was relieved to hear that. "That is fine. I agree to your conditions."
"Perfect, then let me go first. I have several questions, but you can answer what you want and skip the questions you don't, okay?"
"I understand."
Edros saw that Ellery was a bit nervous, so he patted his hand. "It's okay. Eliane may talk annoyingly, but she has always kept her word."
"Annoyingly? Do you find my way of talking to be annoying, little Eddie?"
Edros ignored her and closed his eyes. He felt that her response solidified his point.
"Well, even if she is like that, Edros is right," Akimitsu whispered into Ellery's ear, but he was immediately glared at by Eliane.
He pretended he didn't say anything and smiled, seemingly unbothered by her glare.
She huffed, ignored Akimitsu's comment, and stopped teasing Edros. "Okay, first, I want to know how you became SS-ranked and increased your potential. From what I know, when you awaken as a Guide or Sentinel, once you reach your maximum potential, that is it. It never changes. So why are you different?"
"Answering your first question will directly lead to why I need to find the Beast God." Ellery took a breath. "There are two souls in my body, which is why there are two spiritual seas and quantum beasts. I can't say for sure that this is the definite answer, but his soul in my body definitely increased my rank and my max potential."
"Two souls in one body? How is that even possible? Are you looking down on me just because you are an SS-ranked guide?" Eliane couldn't help but glare at Ellery, who seemed to be talking nonsense. "If you don't want to answer my question, you could just skip it."
"Please don't shoot me down so quickly, Your Majesty. Let me bring him out for a moment, but he's not comfortable with strangers, so please, be kind to him."
Ellery closed his eyes and, as planned, switched places with Aster.
When Aster opened his eyes, he saw Eliane looking at him intently and he immediately looked away. He was playing with his fingers and trying to get the courage to ask the question in the script.
"Does… Does it seem like we are lying?" At the end of his sentence, he accidentally bit his tongue, making his expressionless face grimace for a moment.
Edros saw and heard what happened and asked, "Aster, are you okay? Do you need some ice?" What could help when someone bit their tongue? Ice should work… Maybe.
He shook his head slowly. "I am okay. Just…" He didn't know what else to say. His tongue felt better, but he felt awkward and didn't want to speak anymore!
"You truly have another soul in your body. I felt the changes in your aura almost instantly…"
She brought her face closer to Aster to get a better look, but Aster leaned back as far as he could, trying to look at her but feeling uncomfortable with being stared at.
"I am called Aster… Ellery goes by Ellery…" Aster realized what he said sounded kinda stupid and felt embarrassed. He wanted to crawl into a hole!
He closed his eyes and quickly switched with Ellery. They proved their point, so there was no need for him to stay in the front any longer…
Ellery sat up and looked at Eliane. "Sorry, Aster is a bit shy and isn't good with people, so I am back now. You can call me Ellery instead of Mr. Aster now that you know we have two souls in one body."
Eliane sighed and leaned back onto the couch. She closed her eyes for a moment to process what she just witnessed.
Aster was a completely different person from the one in front of her. Instead of being confident, he was shy and awkward. Instead of feeling a warm energy, he was cold but there was a subtle comfort that made people want to be close and protect him. Ellery right now was the complete opposite of the person she just met a minute ago.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Ellery looking at her with clear but curious eyes, like he was waiting for her reaction.
"I understand that you are being truthful. How did two souls end up in your body?"
That was when Ellery explained the accident that he got into and how Aster's soul slipped into his body. From there, Aster had control of their body at first. He thought that he would move on after a while, but now, that wasn't the case.
They both had equal control of their body and could switch whenever they wanted to. Not only that, but their separate spiritual seas seemed to be growing by the day, giving them an abundance of spiritual power. Individually, they both were SS-ranked…
"If I didn't meet you in person, I would have thought you were lying up your ass."
"Eliane, your profanity," Edros immediately corrected her. If his sister-in-law heard her, she would have immediately scolded her for cursing in front of guests…
She coughed while scratching the back of her head. "Sorry about that. Your answer exceeds my expectations, so I will tell you what you want to know, but before that, can you tell me why you are looking for the Beast God? I need to make sure the reason isn't selfish."
"That's fine. I was hoping to ask the Beast God to separate Aster's soul from this body and to create a new one for him. I feel the longer we are in this body together, the more danger there will be for the both of us…"
Ellery finally said what he was thinking out loud. Even Aster didn't know this was what he thought. Well, Aster did want to leave Ellery's body, but for different reasons. He felt guilty for occupying this body when it wasn't his…
"Sentinels can explode because of corrupt spiritual energy, but as a guide, that isn't something we have to worry about. Even so, since we are both SS-ranked, with two people's worth of spiritual energy in one body, I am worried about our growing spiritual energy. It may be too much for this body and…"
"And you are afraid that you will also explode or something, killing the both of you, right?" Eliane immediately knew where Ellery was getting at.
"That's correct. Both souls are comfortable in this body right now, but who knows how long that will last. This could change just as quickly as Aster entered my body. I don't want us to die. There are also people, like Edros, who are counting on us for survival."
"Are you feeling okay right now?" Akimitsu jumped up, taking a good look at Ellery, but saw nothing was wrong. Still, he was worried that Ellery and Aster might be hiding their pain.
Edros also looked over to make sure and didn't see anything wrong with Ellery, but how could he not worry? Today, they could be fine, but what about tomorrow?
"We are fine, Akimitsu… It's just a worry for the future, that's all. We are stable right now, but I will be sure to call the two of you as soon as I feel something is off."
The two sighed in relief but also made sure to assign Ellery and Aster's contact information as important so they could always call and bypass the do-not-disturb setting.
Eliane saw the three interacting and felt that Edros was a little left out. Ellery and Akimitsu had good chemistry… Well, at least Aster was the one who was compatible with her brother.
She didn't know that they started on a really rough patch, though.
Anyway, she thought Ellery made a good point. If Ellery and Aster died, her brother would die too because Aster was the only one who could guide him. Not only that, it would be a shame if two SS-ranked guides died at the same time. It would be devastating not only to the Empire but also to the entire galaxy!
Who knew if there would ever be another SS-ranked guide with SSS-ranked potential…
Just knowing this was more than enough for Eliane to help them.
"I understand why you wanted to seek me out. Thank you for answering my first set of questions. I do have another question, but we can save that for later. First, let me give you what you are looking for."
Eliane stood up and went over to the left set of bookshelves. On the middle shelf, she touched a brown book that seemed to blend in with all the other books. There was nothing special on the cover, but when she tilted it upward, a click was heard, and the bookshelf opened up a secret room.
"Follow me, kiddos."
She smiled, but they all knew this was serious. Even Edros had never seen this hidden room.
"This is the room and the item left by the Beast God and his wife."