"We wanted to let you know Leila had a dream and Athena said she could potentially bear a child that was a dragon if she met the right soul. She’s worried sick about it. She knows you gave her your blessing, but she loves you and your kids so much!" Brie said charismatically.

"Please tell her not to worry! Of course I am ok with her finding new love. She deserves to be happy. By the way, you should know that when Azazel comes back, he will be much stronger, as will the sins. Make sure you don’t slack off during your time of peace!"

"Wasn’t planning on it! We have to remain sharp and make sure Xander grows up the right way, right Brie?"

Brie nodded and Lox smiled.

"Well babe I think it’s time we get back. The cabin is ours for the night!" Sora said excitedly.

"Before you go, have you really not looked beyond Exteria?" Lox asked nervously. "Are you not from Earth, Sora?"

Brie and Sora paused in confusion. They were so hyper-focused on their party and lives they didn’t think about the possibilities of other planets.

They both took a step back and looked around, bewildered by the number of forms of life and planets that existed.

"Earth really is gone. What a shame. What’s with that large golden planet between the red and blue ones, south of Exteria?" Sora asked.

"That is Nexus. This planet is home to over 20 races and is known as the ’central planet.’ It’s the hub for currency exchange, vacations, air cruises, boat cruises, stock investments, a governing body and more similar to Earth than Exteria. It’s the most advanced planet in this universe."

"And the others? There’s over 100..." Brie trailed off. She was shocked.

"I’m surprised you didn’t come to this conclusion yourself. Xander opened a portal and you heard your enemies’ plans. How could you miss something so large?" Lox asked as politely as he could.

"Sora, remember when we walked through your garage the first time and we didn’t think anything of the spacecrafts your parents left you! Why didn’t we think about it sooner?" Brie asked with increased interest.

"You’re right. Maybe that’s why Athena told me I wasn’t strong enough to teleport to Paradise. Thanks Lox, this is amazing information, Sora said joyfully

’I don’t know why I doubted him,’ Sora thought while feeling embarrassed.

"Well, I must get going. It was lovely seeing you two. Please encourage Leila to find love again. When she finally decides to rest and move on, we’ll be here waiting for her."

"We will! Great seeing you!"

*****

Brie and Sora continued to view the other planets and life forms. Sora found a planet with only humans and wondered if that’s where they went when Earth died. There was one minor difference. The pets were companions that could talk to their owners and transform into giant beasts.

"No, Earth was completely destroyed. I restarted humanity afterwards on Eerth. Yes, I know the name is cheesy but they are unaware of their previous existence." Athena said, surprising the happy couple with a visit.

"Thank you so much again, your majesty. This was an amazing day," Sora said with a smile. "Or days? We’ve probably been here a week or something? It flies by compared to life down there. We don’t feel tired at all yet either."

"You’re welcome. Yes, because you are in your natural environment time flows and feels much differently." Athena said politely. "Are you beginning to understand the impact of what Azazel, Helen and Eris do?"

"I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand why they do it, but it’s sad to see so many different types of life and types of planets knowing they’re at risk at any moment," Sora admitted emphatically. "Is this why I cannot teleport to Paradise?"

"You still are not strong enough, but yes, I still would not allow you to unless your soul was at risk of being shattered. When a god, goddess or any soul betrays Paradise and is caught, their soul is shattered. They cease to exist."

"How many times has that happened?" Brie asked with a concerned look.

"Too many. But, that is not what you should focus on. If you two stayed in Paradise, you would be going to each planet in an attempt to aid them or stop their conflict. We need you two on Exteria to save it," Athena preached with a reassuring smile. "Although you do have my blessing to do whatever is necessary to save Exteria."

"How do you keep up with so much? You’re such an amazing leader," Sora complimented Athena.

"Thank you. It’s not easy but I delegate and have set the rule to not interfere with any form of life. This isn’t limited to Exteria. Thankfully, I am blessed with hundreds of amazing gods and goddesses to assist me. But I think it’s time you two should return."

"Thank you so much again for the wonderful birthday gift! One day I’m confident we will be eager to help you and the other planets. Is there anywhere we can go now?"

"Please be careful. Keep pushing Xander. I see great things in his future. Also, Leila has found the right soul. Encourage her to not let her feelings for Lox and her children hold her back."

"Absolutely. Thanks your majesty, you look as beautiful as ever," Brie exclaimed.

"Happy birthday dear! You have so many more ahead of you. I truly believe in both of you."

Athena sent them to the cabin and both of them took a few minutes to adjust to life back on Exteria.

"Woah. Now I’m tired." Sora said as they landed smoothly in the living area.

Brie yawned. "Do you think we should tell Leila now?"

"Nope. Today is about you, and I believe Xander is going to sleep through tonight. How about we—"

Brie cut him off and teleported him into the bedroom. It reminded them both of their honeymoon, as they spent the entire night making love.

Finally, around 4 am they both fell asleep, exhausted.

*****

Lox appeared in the dark space and talked to the masked god.

"I told them what you told me to tell them. We’re up to 40 on our side. How long do you think Azazel and company will be gone for?"

"Time is irrelevant. They’ll come back when they’re ready and when they do, Sora and his party won’t know what hit them," the masked god said menacingly, with a hint of glee in his creepy laugh.

"What next?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Return to Paradise. Now we watch the true beauty of stealing life force. I can’t wait to power up myself. We will need it for when we fight Athena."

"Understood. Summon me when you need me."

Lox felt a pit in his stomach. He was worried about leaking more information to Sora and Brie and hated where this was headed. But what choice did Lox have?