Interstellar Age



Erich immediately went back to his room, located at the Garden of Eternity which was one of the most prestigious resorts across the entirety of the Milky Way Galaxy. However, upon entering his suite, which was practically the size of a large penthouse, Erich found yet another surprise waiting for him. 

The last few days had been rather hectic for Erich, especially the previous night. And now, while he was thinking about Lunaria's offer, he just so happened to stumble on the Alfheim Empress's most beloved daughter. A woman who was equally as beautiful as her royal mother.

In fact, Erich noticed there was very little distinction between the two goddesses. One might suspect they were twins, or perhaps even clones, if they did not know any better. The most distinguishing feature between Celestia and her mother was that the Alfheim princess had long and straight hair with while her mother had long and wavy hair. Aside from this distinction, they were virtually identical. 

But there was a more important question in Erich's mind. Why was the beautiful Alfheim Princess waiting for him in his hotel room? He was just about to ask this question when Celestia bowed her head and apologized to Erich for the second time within twenty-four hours.

"I must apologize for my recent behavior. I have caused you such trouble, all because of my own pitiful ignorance. Please forgive me. I know it is not a proper excuse, but I truly believed I was following the will of fate. In reality, I was just misinterpreting things..." 

Erich sighed heavily, as he stepped towards the Elven beauty, and looked her straight in the eyes. He was about to forgive the woman. However, in the next moment, her brows narrowed into a fierce gaze, while her flawless facial features suddenly became stern. Her next words shocked Erich to the core. 

"You smell like my mother... Don't tell me you visited her? Alone, and unsupervised?" 

There was a dangerous glint in Celestia's eyes as she walked forward, and began to sniff Erich's body, as if she were a k-9 unit searching for contraband. She was so fierce in her investigation that she had pressed Erich against the wall. 

Erich began to sweat profusely, afraid that this crazy bitch might do something serious to him, but before he could try to convince her that nothing had happened between him and her mother. She suddenly stopped sniffing him, and walked away towards the window, where she crossed her arms and sulked as she gazed upon the massive city below. Her next words surprised Erich, perhaps more so than anything he had ever heard. 

"I don't understand it.... No man has ever been intimate with my royal mother before, not even my biological father. You see, my sisters and I were all artificially created, while my brothers were born from my father and his mistresses.

My mother has never been intimate with a man, and yet she kissed you, an outsider, not once, but twice. What is she thinking? What about you is so special that she would all of a sudden now be willing to throw away her chastity?" 

This news was mind-boggling to Erich. While Lunaria had said that no man had ever touched her body before, Erich did not dare to believe it. After all, she was a mother. How could it be possible for her to remain pure? Now Erich suddenly understood why Celestia looked so much like her mother. She was artificially created, and most likely made in her mother's image. 

Unfortunately, Erich could not explain why Lunaria had taken such a liking to him. In reality, it was a combination of things that were mostly out of Erich's control. Lunaria had long since held a fetish for Germanic men.

After all, they were much taller and stronger than Light Elven males, due to their genetic enhancements, and were all engineered to be attractive by Germanic standards. Which just so happened to align with Light Elven standards. 

Erich was a particularly striking specimen, having received an experimental top tier gene serum, and unlike his own people, Lunaria was not disgusted by his silver hair and eyes. In fact, she found it to be quite exceptional. 

There was also the fact that Erich had already broken a taboo by becoming the lover of a different Empress. And while the Great Oni Empire was nowhere near as powerful or prestigious as the Alfheim Dominion, Lunaria's inhibitions were definitely lowered when she heard that someone else in her position had already rejected the traditions that were so commonly found across the galaxy. 

There was also the fact that Erich was the chosen successor of the Germanic Star-Empire, meaning that one day he would be an emperor in his own right, even if the GSE was not a hereditary monarchy. 

But what had really pushed Lunaria over the edge, was the fact that Erich was a Sage, and had been willing to prove his abilities to the Alfheim Empress, when no other Sage had ever dared to divulge their secrets. As much as Lunaria was skeptical about the so-called foresight, when it was proven to exist in front of her, she could not help but drop her pretenses and accept reality for what it is. 

The moment Erich proved he was indeed a Sage, and could see the future, Lunaria became obsessed with raising him to become her pet. A powerful weapon that she would be able to wield against her enemies. One who she would reward for his future successes. 

Of course, Erich knew absolutely none of this, and was simply left scratching his head like an idiot, as he answered Celestia's question without a proper answer. 

"I'm not really sure. Maybe I'm just that charming? Your mother wouldn't be the first empress I've accidentally courted.... Perhaps I have another ability that I'm not even aware of. The ability to attract the opposite sex?" 

Celestia's cold exterior immediately shattered, as she broke out into a fit of giggles. She could not believe that Erich would say something so utterly foolish. If that were actually a superpower, then he might very well have it. But what nonsense was this man speaking?

Upon seeing that the Alfheim Princess was no longer angry with him, Erich felt more comfortable with this conversation, and thus accepted Celestia's apology from earlier. 

"I forgive you, by the way. You may not have a proper understanding of foresight, or what you refer to as fate, but you tried to prevent what is supposed to be a galactic tragedy. Although, I'm still not sure why your feelings towards me suddenly did a one eighty after you made an attempt on my life."

Celestia sighed and gazed longingly at the royal palace, which could be seen from the balcony of Erich's room. She then explained her feelings in depth, and how they had guided her on this brief journey. 

"I've always been obsessed with fate and its prophecy. My mother has always condemned me for being like her mother, but most of my fondest memories of my childhood were listening to my grandmother speak of such things. 

However, when I first heard of the prophecy regarding the man who our Sages refer to as the "Dark Sage", and how they suspected I would be the "Bloody Bride", I couldn't accept that I would be responsible for such destruction, and death. 

So, when I suspected that you were the Dark Sage, I tried to kill you before such a horrific fate could ever come to pass. I was humbled, of course. The way you dispatched my Banshees, I have never seen anything like it. Your people truly are the galaxy's greatest warriors, if you can pull off such a feat, and with stun weapons, no less. 

After that incident, my mother punished me by stripping me of my status as her Heiress, though I do believe that has been reinstated after the most recent developments.... This was a further humbling incident, which caused me to perhaps accept my fate a little too quickly. Perhaps it was just me coping with my own foolishness. 

So, I decided that when the Centennial Ball finally came to pass, I would embrace my destiny, and become your woman. Of course, there are obviously laws against this, so the only way I could think of how this might happen was to force my mother's hand. And well, that did not exactly go as planned." 

Erich could only scoff at this story. It was truly something only a woman was capable of pulling off. After all, they were generally lacking in rationality, and because of this were much more prone to acting rashly based solely on their emotions. 

But there was an interesting piece of lore in her story that Erich heard. The Dark Sage, and the Bloody Bride? He had to admit; it wasn't the worst nickname he could have received. But then again, Erich was not the kind of many to really care about prophecy. Thus, he was quick to inquire about a different matter, which was far more important to him. 

"So what happens now? Are you still convinced that you are this bloody bride? Or are we going to laugh all of this off and pretend like it never happened?" 

Celestia looked at Erich with a questionable gaze, almost as if she were debating in her own mind how she should proceed. She then sighed once more before explaining her thoughts to the man. 

"I am almost entirely certain that you are the man the sages refer to as the Dark Sage. The thing is, I just don't see how you could be so cruel and capricious. You are not a particularly villainous person, and though you appear to be weak around women, you are strong willed enough to reject my previous offer, of punishing me however you see fit. 

Perhaps I am the Bloody Bride, and it will be I who convinces you to go to the dark side. Or perhaps my mother will fulfill that role. I'm not entirely sure of anything anymore. After all, my understanding of fate and its prophecy has been completely thrown out the window. Especially after my mother explained how your foresight works. 

But I do know this, despite not spending much time together, I enjoyed every moment of it; it was quite exhilarating, was it not? You are also totally my type, and because of this, I don't plan on handing you over to my mother on a silver platter. So how about we just get to know each other a little better, and see where things go?" 

Celestia did not wait for Erich's response, and simply grabbed hold of his collar, while pulling him in close where she kissed him on the spot. Like her mother, she did not seem to be very skilled at kissing, but there was definitely the same degree of passion that Lunaria had showed him twice already. 

Erich and Celestia continued to kiss for some time, before they eventually broke apart. Leaving a rather flushed expression across the Elven Princess's ivory face. Awkward silence persisted for some time, before Celestia finally spoke up. Though there was definitely a bit of anxiety in her tone. 

"Well, it is getting late. I should head back to the palace, or mother will send a squad out to look for me. But before I go, could I perhaps use your shower? If I go back like this, mother will smell your scent on me, and if that were to happen, I can't even imagine the hissy fit she would throw. Needless to say, it would be of epic proportions." 

Erich chuckled when he thought about the fact that the two most beautiful women in the galaxy were now waging a silent war for his heart. But he ultimately accepted Celestia's request and made one of his own. 

"Alright, sure, you can use my shower. And while you get ready to depart, I'll order some room service. You should at least share a meal with me, after kissing me like that..." 

This comment caused Celestia to blush once more, and avert her gaze, but despite her embarrassed expression, she said something which Erich was not expecting. 

"I'd like that...." 

Thus, Celestia went off to the shower, and shared a meal with Erich, where the two of them would discuss much about their pasts before departing for the night. On the following day, Erich would step foot through a Warp Gate, which led directly to Germania. Where he would be given a small period of leave to spend with his loved ones.