The motionless body of Rollo lay sprawled out before the crowd. Rhea too collapsed from her wounds and exhaustion. Nobody dared to cheer. The ‘paramedics’ rushed out to both the gladiators as they hurriedly began caring for the two. 

“How did she do that last move,” I asked James as I nudged him. 

He looked at me for a second before responding, “I have no idea.”

How did she just make a spell flat up dissolve? With what seemed to be no effort at all. I kept trying to think of possibilities, but nothing made sense of what I had just seen.

During this time, Barkley Torant once again descended from his position high in the clouds. 

When both of the injured fighters were taken away, Barkley spoke in his signature profound voice, “TODAY SAW THE BEGINNING OF A NEW REIGN, RHEA, WITCH OF ETTERA, HAS NOW FINALLY WON HER FIRST SUMMIT AND WILL HOLD HER NEW TITLE AS ‘RHEA, WITCH OF ETTERA, AND GLADIATOR OF THE SUMMIT.”

I found the new title a little extra but the crowd went mad. The stands shook at the sound of Rhea and her new title being chanted repeatedly.

Looking at James chanting beside me, I joined in on the fun. 

Losing track of time. 

When the chanting began to die down I looked at the time. 

1725 EST.

I was more than a little late. 

I turned towards James and tried my best to casually say, “Hey, I got to go somewhere.”

Looking at the time, James then responded, “Oh, ok, um, I guess I’ll see you around.”

I doubt that “Maybe,” I replied keeping my thoughts to myself. I then turned towards the old woman but she was already gone. Oh well. I didn’t have time to look for her.

As I ran up the stairs I glanced back just once to see my newfound friend one last time. Now he was gone too. Disappointed, I turned back around and headed towards the capitol building.  

********

Entering the gates had been no trouble at all. Simply telling the guards who I was and showing my family insignia was satisfactory. 

As I walked up the pearly staircase the air became much lighter, but in a good way. Although the fresh air on the lower levels was still miles better than the fabricated air I was now accustomed to, something about the gentle breeze and light air reminded me of my previous life.

The guards stationed in front of the building were expecting me. I didn’t even have time to tell them who I was before they took me by my arms and drug me into the capitol building.

There weren’t enough words in the universe to describe a place like this. It would be hard enough just to explain the magnificently crafted architecture that outlined the walls and ceilings. Not to mention the spotless gold and white floor that stretched out for hundreds of yards. No, what really made this place so great was the smells, sounds, and overall atmosphere. All these senses overwhelmed me.

Not once in my old life had I ever felt so marveled. 

My peace did not last for long though.

As the guards opened the door to the meeting room of the Capitol Building, I was met with stares from everyone in the room. They had all been standing up from their seats as they argued over a large circular table. The table itself resembled that of a typical holographic stand with its only special feature being made of a blackish-gold material. What appeared to be the whole galaxy was currently showing. 

Interrupting the awkward silence my father spoke deadpan as though simply making an observation, “You're late.”

“I know father I was ju~”

My father held up his hand to silence me. 

“My fellow Chancellors, this is my son Cronus Aphelion, if you don't mind, please introduce yourselves before we continue.”

The first man to speak was a rather plump and tall fellow. He resembled Titus in almost every way except for his clothing which resembled mine, except his colors being white and brown. The only other unique feature of this man was his grassy green eyes and two curved horns that sat atop his head that resembled a mighty ram. 

The man spoke with a proud tone, “Well, I guess I’ll go first, my name’s Soris Amari,” the man let out a dry cough to fill the silence around him, “Chancellor of the planet Ptah.”

I nodded at the man.

“Well kid, since he went I guess I’ll go next, the name is Apis, and I'm the Rigel of that sorry planet.” 

To be honest, I kind of expected him to be Apis. 

Typically, I can determine the general strength of those around me. Though when their strength is so much greater than mine it begins to become much harder to grasp their power. Out of the 12 people in this room, only 4 people were out of my range and only 3 excluding my father.

Apis was the only one in the room who wasn’t dressed in official attire. He wore a silk-like shirt that resembled what you may wear to the beach. His brown shorts fit the term short. The only other piece of clothing he wore was a pair of tan sandals. His muscular frame aided by his clothing and sarcastic attitude reminded me of a certain stereotype from my college days in my previous life. His sunglasses may cover his eyes but nothing could envelop those gigantic bull horns.

I would have given Apis a nod similar to what I had done before but the man was radiating disinterest.

“I suppose I am up next,” a man much closer in resemblance to Soris spoke next, “I am Mando Asghar, the Chancellor of Space Station 7 and it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” 

The much fatter-than-taller man gave me a quick bow before diverting his attention back to the table. He was much puffier than the other Pitaahians I had met. His round belly hid any muscle features he may have had. His clothes were once again similar to mine except for his colors being white and purple. Not to mention the singular rhino-like horn centered on the middle of his forehead. 

Following the clockwise formation, the next one to speak was what appeared to be a female, “Hello Cronus, your father has told me many great things about you, my name is Maeve and I am Chancellor of Pluta, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

Simply put, Maeve was beautiful. Her face was flawless, devoid of any blemishes or wrinkles and her eyes were as blue as a bluebird. Her long wavy hair fell to her shoulders except for the middle part that she had up in a ponytail. Just barely visible were her two striped feline ears. She wore a tight-fitting white shirt with a matching short skirt that had a hole poked in the back for her black and white striped tail. Her legs were covered by the pantyhose she wore which led to solid black heels. Her colors were white and black.

“It is an honor to finally meet you as well,” I said as I bowed. Yes, give me a break, she was very attractive.

She was also another one of the 4 people whose strength I couldn’t sense.

As she gave me a smile my eyesight then shifted to the empty chair, who I assume could only be my sisters, before landing on a man who was far from attractive. 

Awkwardly he spoke, “Hm, yes, it’s nice to meet you young Cronus, the names Olly and I'm just a humble scientist who was forced to get way over his head in politics, oh I’m the Chancellor of Space Station A, or Artic if you're going off what the A means.”

The man was of the same race as Maeve but he was far outclassed in terms of talking and looks. His greasy black hair was in a mess and his fluffy ears looked like they could use a wash. His yellow feline eyes gazed intently at me despite the heavy bags under them. His attire was similar to mine except of course it had yellow as its secondary color. He also had a hole poked in the back of his pants for his much shorter tail compared to Maeve. 

“Um, it’s nice to meet you too,” I replied after realizing I had been staring for too long. 

The next person to speak was another gorgeous lady who was born to lead.

“Welcome Cronus, I have been eagerly waiting to meet you, I hope you prove to be just as capable as your sister one day, oh, of course, let me introduce myself, I am Rachel Dunam and Chancellor of this ole rock we call Vesta.”

By human standards, Rachel was a goddess. She had her light-blonde hair together in updos and her sparkling brown eyes could make even the coldest man feel. Similar to Maeve, she was blessed with no blemishes or wrinkles. Her clothes fit perfectly with her mature figure and she stood with a certain seductive posture. Her white skirt and shirt were accompanied by a secondary color of a rose. Not only did this lady's beauty stun me, but she was also strong enough to the point where I couldn’t detect anything from her.

As I regained consciousness, I realized she had been holding her hand out for me to take. Embarrassed, I quickly took it and did the formal gesture I had been taught.

Take her hand gently, then down and bring the lady's hand to you and give it a gentle kiss, then you loosen your grip as you stand up and look her in the eyes and say, “Th-I mean it's nice to se- I mean meet you, m’lady.” 

Ok yes, I fumbled my introductions but on the bright side, it brought her a smile. 

Averting my eyes out of embarrassment, I finally looked at the last person I had yet to meet. There was only one person he could be. 

“Hello Cronus, It’s good to finally meet you, your sister has told me many great things, my name is Damon Fyre, Rigel of Vesta.”

Taking his outstretched hand I gave him my best attempt at a firm handshake. The pressure I felt around him was intense. Even holding back his true strength and not being able to sense it… I could tell… this man was without a doubt the strongest person in this room. 

He had bleached blonde hair cut short with flawless tan skin. His brown eyes twinkled with wisdom but they still paled in comparison to Rachel. He wore a solid white suit with no color markings. That was pretty much all of his description. He simply didn’t need to boast his strength. He was strong. 

“Please excuse Chancellor Valentine's absence, he should be here shortly,” the powerful Rigel spoke, “In regards to your sister, she should be here any mo~”

He was cut short by the large double doors opening. When I turned around to see who it was I couldn’t believe my own eyes.

In walked James accompanied by a stunning young lady with violet eyes unnervingly similar to the old lady I had met at the arena.