500th Time Reborn, A World Only Known By Women: The Karma System

I woke up the following day with Morgana still in my arms. She was asleep, and I didn't want to wake her, so I just lay there and watched her. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, and I couldn't help but feel grateful that she was here with me.

After a few minutes, I slowly got up, being careful not to wake her, and got dressed. I had a lot of things that I needed to do today, and I wanted to get an early start.

I left a note for Morgana telling her where I was going and that I would be back later, then I headed out.

I had a lot of thinking to do, and I needed to find Tallia to get on the barrier.

"What do you need me for this early?" Tallia asked as a golden portal opened beside me, and she walked out, linking her elbow with mine.

"I need to get on the barrier," I said as we started walking. "I have a rough idea of how we are going to erect it, but I need to get a better understanding of the magic involved."

"I see," Tallia said as she nodded. "Well, I should be able to help you with that. I've been studying barrier magic since you mentioned it."

"Good," I said as we made our way to the kitchen. "I also wanted to talk to you about something else."

"What is it?" Tallia asked as we stopped in front of the kitchen.

I took a deep breath before telling her about my encounter with Xena before she stopped me. Tallia listened intently, her face betraying no emotion.

"Do you think it's true? I really can't see why she is pulling her punches. There is no reason why she shouldn't have used her chaos to try and stop me, right?" I asked when I was finished. "Do you think Nemoria is working with Kadeon? or maybe... I really don't know at this point. I am sure that my mother is the evil one, and she is the one that made Xena the way she is. There is no one else that would force Xena to do that."

"It's possible," Tallia said after a moment. "But I don't know for sure. What makes you think that your father has anything to do with this? Isn't he the God of Light and everything that it touches?"

"Yes, but I am really wondering about that. I can clearly remember when my mother came to talk to me when I first entered your world after leaving my post. She told me that Fate was going to get me no matter what, but Fate isn't real; it's just a concept. That is starting to bug me. What if Fate is a person? " I asked.

Tallia was quiet for a moment as she processed what I had said. "It's possible," she said after a while. "But I don't know for sure. I think we need to find out more about your father. He is the one that created this world, so he must know something."

"I agree," I said as I nodded. "But we need to be careful. If Nemoria is working with Kadeon, then that means they are both playing a dangerous game. I don't trust either of them."

"I will be careful," Tallia said as she nodded. "But I think we should focus on the task at hand. We need to get the barrier up as soon as possible."

"I agree," I said as I nodded. "But I also want to find out more about my father. I have a feeling that he knows more than he is letting on."

"I will see what I can find out," Tallia said as she nodded. "But for now, we need to focus on the barrier."

I nodded as we headed towards the front door for the Manor.

"Galio!" Eliza cried out from behind me, and I turned around as she ran over to jump into my arms. Her hair was wet, but it smelled really good.

"Hey there, Cutie! Good morning to you," I said as I kissed her, and Eliza beamed up at me.

"Chili was too lazy to get up early, but I made sure that I was bathed and ready! Can I come with you today?! I know that I can't come to the fight later, but can I come with you for the rest of the day?!" Eliza asked, and I smiled warmly.

This little countess was always so cute with everything that she did, and it was about time that she came out with me. Eliza might even be able to keep all the mobs away from me. The last thing I needed was to be chased around.

"Of course, you can come with us," I said as I ruffled her hair. "But you need to be careful, alright? No running off."

"I promise," Eliza said as she nodded vigorously. "I will be good."

"I know you will be," I said as I put her down before turning to look at Tallia. "Ready?"

"Yes," Tallia said as she nodded before leading the way outside.

"So, where are we going today?" Eliza asked as she skipped beside me.

"I need to get on the barrier," I said as we made our way toward the edge of the city.

"Oh, okay," Eliza said as she nodded excitedly.

"You can't screw around," I said as I shook my head. "It's actually really dangerous, so you need to be careful, alright?"

"I will," Eliza said as she nodded before falling silent. I could tell that she was deep in thought, and I wondered what she was thinking about.

"Eliza, what's wrong?" I asked after a few minutes.

"It's just... I don't want to be a burden," Eliza said quietly. "I know that I can't fight, and I don't want to be a hindrance."

"Eliza, you are not a hindrance," I said as I stopped and knelt down in front of her. "You are actually really helpful. I know that you can't fight, but that doesn't mean that you can't help. There are a lot of things that need to be done, and I can't do it all by myself. I need all the help that I can get, so please, don't think that you are a burden."