For the next six months, Dorian trained every day, building up his willpower.
During the entirety of the first month he showed absolutely no signs of even possessing the ability to bend space. He did everything Hex said, following her instructions exactly as she guided him through the process of unlocking his power. Each day was spent in a training room inside the Yarrin Pyramid, yet there was no change.
He was beginning to think that Hex was playing some kind of cruel joke on him before, halfway through the second month, he managed to bend space to allow his pointer finger to pass halfway through a small stone. The experience had been so draining that he immediately blacked out, but his determination to learn increased tenfold.
He practiced, his willpower growing until his whole finger passed through. Then his hand, his forearm, and finally his entire arm by the end of the fourth month of training. Blacking out each time he attempted it had slowed his progress, but it did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm, as he was nursed back to consciousness by his beautiful wife and daughter each time.
Spending so much time in Yarrin also allowed him the opportunity to watch as Mira slowly got the hang of ruling the tribal city. He did his best to guide her, though he had no experience in governing a civilization, or even possessing an interest in it. What he did have was a natural instinct to help his daughter in any way he could.
At the end of the sixth month, he was ready to teleport his full body.
***
"Master Dorian, I've been doing research on the planet Zeshan and I think we have a problem." His AI Hex said through the communicator built into his jumpsuit's wrist, which was laying on the floor.
He was in the massive bed in the harem area of The Collector's tower, Zoe and Floria sleeping naked on either side of him. He sat up, careful not to wake them as he got out of bed and picked up his jumpsuit. "What kind of problem?"
"The kind that means we can't land on the planet without permission from The Varian Empire." Hex replied.
"Why? Wasn't the planet abandoned after it's civilization destroyed itself?" Dorian asked, keeping his voice low as to not disturb the two beautiful girls.
"That's what the empire claims, yes. But I've discovered information that proves they were lying. The official story claims that the planet was quarantined due to high levels of radiation. I did some digging, and it turns out that no nuclear bombs were ever set off on the planet's surface. In reality, the planet was cut off from the rest of the galaxy after it attempted to rebel. The empire bombed them into submission before cutting off their supplies and communications as punishment."
"But that was hundreds of years ago. Anyone responsible for the rebellion would be long dead, so why continue to keep them cut off?"
Hex thought for a moment, "Perhaps they want to punish their descendants. Or, maybe so much damage has already been done that it would be impossible to reaccept them into the empire. Either way, the fact is we can't even approach the planet without being shot down by an automated fleet of ships that stay in orbit."
Dorian paced back and forth after slipping his jumpsuit back on. "The fleet is completely automated?"
"Completely. Since the planet isn't very important to the empire, they didn't need to leave any sentient beings to guard it. The fleet is controlled by a very simple artificial intelligence that is programmed to shoot down any ship without an access code. It's complexity is obviously nothing compared to mine." Hex said, a hint of pride in her artificial voice.
Dorian rolled his eyes at her remark. "Well, maybe The Collector knows someone who can give us an access code."
He walked to the door, only taking a second to look back at the two girls sleeping in the bed. As per the agreement with The Collector, they had both contributed to birthing Dorian's children. While he spent the majority of the last six months in Yarrin, he visited his harem each month to reimpregnate them. Due to his genetics speeding up reproduction, the total number of children he had created with the harem had reached seventy two out of the required one hundred. Seventy two unique individuals created by his seed. The thought filled Dorian with intense pride each time he dwelled on it.
Walking through the corridors of the tower, he passed many of his sons and daughters. Having so many offspring had given Dorian the opportunity to observe how his interdimensional genetics functioned. Each child only took a couple of months to reach maturity, as those who were born after the first few rounds of insemination already looked as if they were eighteen years old. However, they seemed to stop aging after that point, making Dorian recall how the doctors at his orphanage explained that he wouldn't be able to die of old age.
As he walked he said hello to each of his children that he passed, making his way towards Bermil's office. Before he reached it, however, he was stopped by one of his daughters.
"Dad! Uh, hi there." The girl said, inserting herself between Dorian and the office door. As one of the children of Sava, she was mixed race. Her skin was lighter than her mother's, though darker than Dorian's. Her very dark brown hair was swept to the left, kept semi short. Her form fitting clothes showed off her athletic body, complimented by her C cup breasts.
"Hello." Dorian replied, not expecting to be ambushed. He had talked to her before, as he tried to interact with all of his children as much as he could. Having so many made it difficult to keep track of individual details, and his mind worked quickly while he tried to remember her name. "Ifera, right?"
"Aya. Ifera is one of your other daughters."
"Ah, Sorry.."
"Don't worry, having seventy kids must be difficult. You're trying at least." She replied calmly. "What're you up to? Going on another adventure?"
"Preparing for one actually. Why?"
"I was wondering if, well, I could go with you...." Aya said, her hands behind her back as she looked at him, half seductive and half pouty.
"You...want to come with me?" He said, surprised.
"Of course! I've lived in this giant tower my whole life, I'd really like to experience the galaxy in person instead of just pictures and stories. Plus, we'd get some daddy daughter bonding time. It would mean a lot to me..."
Being called a 'daddy' filled him with lust, even if it wasn't her intention. He realized that none of them had ever been outside the tower during their short lives. "As much as I'd like to bring you along, it's way too dangerous."
Rather than showing disappointment, her face displayed resolve. She had expected him to deny her, but she wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Dangerous? How?"
"Well, after I get a hacker I'm going to sneak past an entire fleet before landing on a planet whose civilization was bombed to hell. I have no idea what I'll find there, so I'm not going to bring my daughter into something like that." Dorian said firmly.
"If you need a hacker, couldn't I at least go with you to find one?" She asked.
The request was reasonable, though Dorian's new fatherly instincts told him that it was a bad idea. "I don't even know when I'll be able to find one. Just...let me think about it. I was about to talk to Bermil. Lets see what he has to say first, alright?"
Aya looked reluctant, but she agreed before moving aside, allowing him to enter the office.
Bermil, The Collector, was right where Dorian expected him to be. He was looking out of his giant window, staring off into the oxygenless wastes.
"Bermil? Are you busy?" Dorain asked the older man.