"What'd you think of the capital?" Nectar asked as she led me through the castle.

"It's nice. Clean. Safe," I said.

Nectar chuckled as she nodded. "Very. I'd dare say nicer than yours, other than the lack of plumbing. The lights? I don't miss those. They had hurt my eyes at night, especially when flying. But I really miss a real toilet," Nectar said.

"Make one?" I suggested. She should know how.

Nectar was quiet for a moment, and then she shrugged. "Maybe one day."

Hm…? Was that tone regret? Sure sounded like it…

For a tiny moment I considered offering helping her do so. Maybe she had forgotten how, or something. But…

"Well… I admit at least this place is nice. Do you really have no crime at all?" I asked.

"Oh, occasionally there are fights, I suppose. But there is no theft, no property crime or murder. Your nations had little to no crime thanks to how harsh your punishments were. Here? No one commits a crime because there is no need to. The people are simple. And in their simplicity they have everything they want, from birth," Nectar said.

"Hm," I nodded, though wasn't sure how much I believed it. Maybe the reason they had no crime was because of all the monarchs walking around. They were conduits to their god, and as such were rather potent deterrents if you thought about it…

"To be honest, Vim… I'd claim your lands were more perfect. At least in certain terms," Nectar then said.

"Trying to honey up to me are you?" I asked.

She slowed a moment and glanced behind at me. "Still making your odd jokes. No. I meant it. This place is not as perfect as yours," she said.

"It's not my place anymore. I stepped down as Lord of War…" I hesitated a moment and frowned. "A hundred or so years ago…?" I said after a moment's consideration. Somehow I knew I was wrong. Had it been two? Three centuries…? Surely not more than that, right…?

"Vim, it's been almost four hundred years since you left," Nectar answered for me.

I flinched. "Figures…"

She chuckled at me. "Still, I stand by what I said. But that does not mean this place is lesser than your kingdoms, Vim! No… I find there is a strange beauty to imperfection. This land is a simple one, without the hustle and bustle of yours, but it is the lack of such stress that makes it lovely," she said.

I nodded slowly, since I understood what she was saying. "Such peace is the end-all goal after all."

"Hm… it is…"

We rounded a corner, and the hallway we were in got a bit bigger. The place was made mostly of stone, but had that cleanliness to it that shouldn't be real. The stones looked… old, and looked like they had a slight layer of moss on them. Yet I neither smelled, or felt beneath my feet, such moss.

And to top it off, I could tell certain things weren't… normal.

Certain hallways we passed looked too long to be real. Some doors that were open revealed rooms that were far too large in comparison to the available space around them. Windows revealed gardens, or scenery that did not make any sense. One of the windows we'd passed a few hallways ago had been overlooking a gentle beach. And I knew such a thin had not existed outside of this castle.

But I was not shocked to see such things, nor worried over them.

This place had been made the god. It wasn't natural. Such rule-breaking physics was only to be expected.

"How many live here…? Or well, under her rule?" I asked as we passed another hallway. One that looked like it warped, with the floor slowly angling upward and circling around. As if wrapping around itself.

"Throughout the whole nation? Nearly three million, roughly," Nectar said.

I whistled, but only to a point.

That had not been as many as I had thought. Especially since my nation had been nearly ten million strong. If their numbers were only at three million, even after four hundred years, then they must not have imported many from my nation at all.

"I had figured more of you would have joined. Did you not accept everyone as you claimed you would…?" I asked.

Nectar slowed a little as to look back at me. "You may have left your people, Vim… but they did not leave you. Most, although fully willing to be cordial and to trade with us, chose not to join. They remained under their own banner," she said.

"Hmph. And let me guess, they've fallen terribly since?" I asked.

"Actually, no. I've not returned since leaving, but Kriss had visited them often before he passed away. Your nation is flourishing Vim, and doing so mightily well. They haven't needed to conquer anyone or anything in hundreds of years, nations have willingly joined them on their own accord," Nectar said.

Although very excited and proud to hear such a thing, I focused on something far more important. "Kriss…?"

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She nodded gently. "He was one of the last to join us, amongst us commanders… He had firmly believed you'd return, and had wanted to be there when you did. But eventually he found himself alone, and tired of dealing with the politics and drama and so came here to live his last years in peace. He died fifty odd years ago," she said.

Hearing of such loyalty from that bull of a man made my chest hurt.

"He had been a good man," I said softly.

"Better than most can believe, yes."

"Did… did he ever have children?" I asked. If so I'd like to meet them.

"No. He came here at the end of his life, Vim, he had arrived sick."

That's too bad…

I was about to ask more, about the other commanders she had hinted had joined her… but we walked past another hallway. One that had that glowing blue water in it.

Slowing to a stop, I down the hallway. In the center of it, flowing endlessly and smoothly, was the blue water in a small groove in the floor. A tiny line of blue ran down the center of the hall, and diverted occasionally into other hallways as it did.

Nectar noticed my pause and stopped as well. She turned around, her wings shifting a little as she stepped over to me and stared down the hall with me.

"We call it the lifeblood," she explained.

I frowned at that. "Why so…?" I asked warily.

"It is what feeds our farms, Vim. We do not water our crops, or our herd animals, with water from springs or lakes. We do so with this," she said with a point at it.

Wanting to groan at that, I suddenly felt like throwing up all the food and drink I'd enjoyed the last few days. "Why?" I asked.

"Well… because it's special…? The Goddess grants it to us. It allows crops to grow abundantly, as I'm sure you saw as you traveled through the lands. And a single gulp can keep even the biggest of bulls hydrated for days. It is potent," she said.

Gross.

I shook my head and turned away. "Poison," I said.

Nectar chuckled at me as she hurried to join me. "I kind of figured you'd say so. But whether you like it or not, its effectiveness is clear. And I've never seen anyone suffer or grow sick from it, and in fact the opposite. I believe it is thanks to the lifeblood that we have no sickness, or ailments," she said.

Possibly. "God's gifts are capable of such things," I admitted.

"Yet still you claim it a poison," she said.

Well… "Yes? Have any of you tried not surviving off it?" I asked.

Nectar slowed and frowned at me. "What do you mean?"

"Have you seen what happens once you wean yourself off it? Say… leaving this land, and eating and drinking normal food?" I asked.

Nectar's frown deepened. "We have many people who leave this nation, and the safety of the Goddess's barrier. They never seem to have any problems, Vim…"

"Yea? How long?" I asked.

"How long…? I… I don't know? Months, maybe?"

I huffed at that. "Right. No matter," I said.

Nectar obviously was upset, likely because she was trying to comprehend what I meant… but I was in no mood to tell her why.

Even if it had no adverse affects, even if it didn't harm you or make you addicted… it was from a god.

They didn't just live under a god's rule, they subsisted on it.

They survived because of a god. They ate, they drank, they lived, thanks to a god. They allowed nearly every facet of your life to rely on a god's blessing.

Disgusting.

"Hm…" Nectar of course noticed my feelings of the matter, and likely knew full well I'd have thought such a thing from the beginning. She knew what I thought of gods.

"You're lack of any attempt to sway my opinions is rather worrisome," I said as we headed deeper into the castle.

"I'm not brilliant enough to try such a thing, Vim. You're as ancient and powerful as she is. You taught me all I know. All my father had known, too. I know I don't have the words, or the wisdom, to convince you in any form or fashion. If it's even possible at all," Nectar said.

"What you just said speaks well of your wisdom, Nectar, don't sell yourself short," I said.

Her single ear fluttered as she glanced at me. "Thanks… Um… might be rude to ask now, so late, but how have you been Vim?" she asked.

"I'm always fine, Nectar. You know that. Thank you for asking though," I said.

She tilted her head at me, but nodded.

"Why's the castle so empty, by the way?" I asked, since I suddenly felt a little awkward.

She smiled softly and chuckled. "She sent everyone else away. You should know why, Vim…"

Right… "Speaking of everyone else, I noticed you have a rather sizable human population."

Nectar nodded. "Yes. Goddess Blue likes them. This land was originally for them, for the humans."

I see… "Part of that faction yet allows all of you to live amongst them?" I asked. Usually the gods who sided with humans detested non-humans and all other types. Such a thing was rare.

"She's a genuinely good person, Vim. You'll see," she said.

I scoffed at that, but said nothing.

We walked in silence for a bit, until we came to some stairs. Large ones, which led down instead of up. Yet as we started to descend them, I felt the air grow thinner. As if we were suddenly rising thousands of feet into the air, to the point my ears felt like they wanted to pop.

Down below, I could see a large set of double-doors. Ones that were open wide. And the room they led to was bright. The kind of bright that came not from firelight, or even powered lamps.

That was sunlight. Real sunlight. In the middle of the night.

"You don't have your spear, Vim," Nectar then whispered.

Glancing at Nectar… I studied the way she stayed focus. She wasn't taking her eyes off the door we were nearing. Likely our destination.

"No. I don't," I said.

Nectar's wings made noise as they shifted, opening and closing a little, and she grabbed her shirt. Rather tightly.

The sight of her doing such a thing reminded me of her youth. When she used to chase me and her father around. Before her wings had been strong enough to carry her. She had been a timid thing back then.

"There are… a few of her loyal ones with her. Monarchs and such… they refused to leave," Nectar said softly.

I smiled gently at her. Was she trying to warn me this was a trap…? I had figured it might be since arriving, so that was not worth fretting over.

"I don't know if they'll try anything… but they might. I begged them, as did she, to let her speak with you first. To try to reason with you," she said as she finally looked at me.

Her eyes were glistening with worry.

"It won't make a difference, Nectar," I said gently.

She gulped, and nodded.

"I know."

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