POV Rio
Once the dust had settled, many world leaders were dead, and the world was thrown into a state of chaos for a short time. But that is when I made my appearance. With the Guardians' backing, my own strong reputation, and most importantly, the reveal of the magic and technology we possessed, people were willing to flock to my protection. Mars quickly became populated, as many were interested in leaving their old and broken homes behind for a better future.
The one thing that stood out to me was how quiet it was. I had greatly underestimated the level of trust and goodwill both the Guardians and the companies I had founded had developed. It likely helped that while I announced the founding of a new Empire and showcased the many technological innovations and ways I would defend my Empire, I didn't attempt to force anyone to join. While they may not have access to my technology, they would still be free to use the services of Wayne Enterprises, and my charity work didn't stop or become conditional.
It may also have helped that I am handsome. And those who are attractive are given more trust than they often should. Or perhaps it was the aura of purity I gave off. Or maybe it came down to practicality. I was offering peace, justice, and security. They still had many freedoms, and there was a form of representative democracy; it just ultimately answered to me. My Empire was open to visitation, where people could see the utopia I had crafted on Mars.
I also took this chance to reveal my elven nature to the world. With a little explanation, I made it clear they would have an eternal ruler that wouldn't grow senile, nor would there be a succession crisis. Eternal stability.
A bit over two billion people moved to Mars. Perhaps I could have made more join with more incentives or power moves, but I didn't see a need to do so. I made it clear that outside of Africa, I wouldn't interfere with Earth. Africa was turned into a massive nature preserve and was a forest under my mother's domain, so I made it clear that we ruled that continent. A few complained, but few really cared that much, as the continent was clear of any resources beyond wood and water.
That and, of course, the Everfree Forest, but seeing as that forest was already ours, nobody said anything.
Russia, China, Brazil, Argentina, India, and what little remained of Pakistan collapsed after most of their officials were killed over a few short hours. It wasn't total anarchy, but the nations were completely leaderless or very close to it, and plenty of their internal affairs were a mess. Many other countries faced similar issues but to a far lesser degree.
Since the Guardians had been operating in most of the countries of the world, corruption was greatly diminished already. The few corrupt people we could remove for one reason or another were just purged, leading to some chaos but nothing that the rest of the government couldn't handle. Of course, that led to another strategy I used to bring in more people. I released a lot of files on corruption or other issues that basically every democracy had fairly large issues with. This decreased people's opinions of democracy in general, which was already fairly low due to previous actions I took to reveal pedophiles in the government of many countries.
Then they are shown how I run a democracy. This makes a Public Official have every second of their life under immense scrutiny. If you want to represent the people and hold Public Office, you have to give up your right to privacy. Only with complete transparency can people be confident that their duly elected officials can do their jobs properly. If you slip up, you get removed from office, and a new election is called. You may even get sent to prison depending on the mistake. Furthermore, elected officials couldn't hold stocks, own a company, invest in a company, make money, or otherwise profit while in office. You get paid to represent the people by the government, not private businesses.
Of course, there was a bit of doubt I had in the back of my mind if this was the right time to announce myself. To forge a new empire. But if I didn't do it now, I may never find a better opportunity. Humanity was already fairly united in the fear of alien invasions, and the idea of a united world government had gained a lot of traction. Society was changing, and the people in it were interested in where they would go from there. But it was also before the UN could truly unite the world. Sure, they were on the path, but they still had a ways to go. And with many nations facing more chaos, they would be more open to a sturdy rock amidst crashing waves. And it wasn't like I was doing this alone.
"Please sign these documents; they relate to the latest batch of immigrants joining us," Lucy says while handing me a stack of documents.
"Thanks, sweetie," I say while giving her a peck on the cheek.
"It is only right that your significant other helps you," Lucy says, and I can tell what she was hinting at.
"In due time, in due time," I say with a loving smile.
Lucy wasn't trying to rush me, but she did make it abundantly clear that she was interested in marriage. It might have been because my mother kept trying to get us to make a baby.
'Ugh. That is the one good thing about her being asleep. No more awkward conversations about the proper form for baby making.'
I shudder when I think of that conversation, and Lucy seems to know exactly what I was thinking about as she shudders as well. Apparently, even she was beyond embarrassed to talk about that. It didn't help that my mother had some really obscure ideas about baby-making and even stranger descriptions about it. Honestly, it took me several minutes to realise what she was talking about when we first talked, as it was so obtuse.
"How much longer do you think we have?" Lucy says nervously.
"A year maybe. Do you think we should just ask her to stop?" I ask.
Lucy shakes her head rapidly.
"Sigh. I know you're scared of her, but she really isn't that scary," I say with a comforting smile.
POV Shift Lucy
I love that smile on him, which is why I couldn't bring myself to tell him.
Flashback...
"Now that you are dating my son, there are a few ground rules I need to make clear," Gaia Everfree says as she looms over me.
I look at her bravely, but that bravery fades instantly and is replaced with fear.
"First and foremost. If you break his heart, I will break every bone in your body and then heal you and do it again. Then I will rip your heart out and replace your blood with branches. Got it," Gaia says with dangerously glowing eyes.
I was doing everything I could to stop myself from pissing myself in fear, but despite that, I still nodded rapidly.
"Good, now that is settled, I will explain the other rules," Gaia says as her aura is reduced to a livable level.
I let out a breath that I didn't notice I was holding in and fell to the ground as my legs turned to jelly. But it seemed I spoke too soon, as her next statement scared me as well.
"Tell Rio what we talked about today, and I will deny it and make you learn why people fear Mother Nature's Wrath," Gaia threatens with that same suffocating aura.
I gulp in fear, and tears start to well up in my eyes.
"And if you EVER! And I mean EVER! Try to take my son away from me..." Gaia threatens with unfiltered rage in her tone, and I was exposed to an aura that was somehow even stronger than I could ever imagine.
My entire body froze with a primordial fear. This time I can't hold it in, and I wet myself.
Flashback Ends...
To this day, I was terrified of talking with his mother. I was scared of very few things, and she was at the top of that list. I was more scared of her than Rio leaving me. The only silver lining was that nobody other than Gaia knows I peed myself, and I suppose, despite how scary she is, she is very supportive of our relationship.
When Rio says that his mother is one of the strongest beings in the Universe, I don't doubt it. I only feel pity for whatever being ends up on her bad side.
POV Shift Thanos
Achoo
I pause as I sneeze.
"What the hell? I can sneeze?" I say with complete confusion.
I hadn't sneezed before, thanks to my unique physiology, and I truly thought I couldn't sneeze.
'And why do I feel like someone is threatening me?'
I look around with a sense of dread, but that feeling passes as if it were never there in the first place.
'Strange. Maybe I should take a break. I have been at this for a couple of days already.'
I look back at the massive set of doors that I believe will lead me to my goal and decide that rest would be for the best.