CHAPTER 7
"Enzo, prepare the tv"
*"Tv? Seriously Adam. That's the best you can think of?"
"It wasn't me"
*"Right..."
"It's also not what you think"
Enzo retrieved a colored sphere from the smallest leather pouch on his waist then pulled a metallic pedestal from the largest pouch. He enclosed the milky orb within a cage that swiveled on the top portion of the pedestal. He spoke when the protrusions and sliders on the cage were all carefully adjusted to their proper positions.
Reginald then spoke with a somber undertone as Enzo set up, "I know that this is late but I'm really sorry for not getting you out of the dungeons earlier. There was a lot going on in a short time frame."
Enzo then said, "Your Majesty the Temporal Vision map is ready".
"Play it, they will understand then"
Reginald snapped his fingers and generated a cloud of frost that wrapped itself around the interesting little contraption. Like an inflating balloon, tiny fractals of ice fluttered around the metallic casing in a self contained sphere
There was no sound but Elena and Adam could clearly see the outline of the palace and city they had the pleasure of seeing from an arial view.
Reginald narrated the events that played out, "Usually, I never have to leave the castle but two days ago in the afternoon, a powerful magic broke through the protective barrier that surrounds this kingdom"
The singular model shrunk while the overall appearance of the kingdom enlarged for a better view of the entire kingdom and its surrounding lands. The picture split into multiple models that enlarged onto specific cities, villages, mines, and other points of interest like a magnifying glass. A dome like bubble flurried near the edges of the cage and covered all of the models and protected it from...
"Is that a blizzard?"
Reginald replied with an even, "No, that's just a regular snowstorm. A blizzard would instantly kill everyone in the kingdom. The barrier couldn't withstand sucha phenomenon"
"Oh...", Elena struggled not to ask for more information, then remembered that a certain Demon companion existed and could talk to her in secret.
*"What is the temperature out there?"
"Negative 100 degrees celsius, rounded down"
*"Is that on average?"
"No..."
*"That's good. It gets warmer then right?"
Adam smiled at her and simultaneously hid it from the King and Enzo. It was specifically because the two men could see Adam and it would be weird to smile after talking about the potential death of millions.
"Its currently the hottest time of the century. Its summer remember"
*"Oh my god, how unbearable are the winters "
"Very"
On one of the magnified models.
The storm near the bubble shifted in an awkward way and turned into a giant empty corridor that matched up to half of the entire magnified area.
The floor of the empty space glowed with a red-orange light. That light smashed against the dome like a tide and pierced a small hole in the middle of the flurry protecting all of the models. The light gushed forward through the inside of the dome until it slowed due to some miniature puffs of icy smoke. The light only came to a stop when a giant wall of white enveloped and killed it.
The invading distance measured at a little more than two inches into the dome and what was left turned into a black-brown obsidian stain.
"It...", Elena hesitated to say anything because of her lack of knowledge on magic, but she did understand that it may not be a good thing.
At the same time, on another magnified model.
The image zoomed in on the source of light and showed a young man with fiery hair and reddish pink skin who stood just outside of the major flurry.
He smiled and looked at the ground below him, ground being a relative term: An ocean of burning rock that somehow, did not incinerate any of the people standing on it, may not be ground per say.
A three meter tall "thing" clawed it's way out of the magma pool below the young man.
Rocky pustules that spewed lava like fluid peppered its body. Its mouth twitched with insect like pincers as spurs lined it's back like melted wings. Its entire body cracked with stone flesh as leathery skin glowed with an off- white yellow color. In a weird way, its entire aura resembled Adam's when he got angry or detached, a physical sensation that she had felt before.
*"I know why the King said scary now"
"What?"
*"Nothing"
The firey man pointing towards the barrier with his palms open while the beast spread its grotesque mouth and amazingly, spewed out a tide of golden yellow liquid. The liquid sloshed against the surface of the snowy dome and corroded its surface. Eventually, it leaked inside and spread as fast as a wildfire in a dry forest.
The toothy young man clenched his hands while the monster stirred and dug into the pool of flaming corrosive liquid. The beast shook as it ignited its body and shot out an even larger tsunami of flame. The young man also shot out a beam of flame but instead of a tide, it was more of a coiling pipe that redirected the flow of the larger attack.
A dozen or so people behind the young man followed his actions and opened their palms, releasing a series of noticeably smaller beams of flame.
The people all stopped when the young man closed his palm. Interestingly enough the man just walked away while the beast sunk back into the ground. They all just left, vanishing into the snowstorm just as mysteriously as they came. It took no more than 10 seconds for all of the damage to be covered up by the falling snow.
At the same time as the first few models:
Another screen picked up the events on the opposite side of the kingdom and zoomed in on what was supposed to be a city.
The model zoomed out as something consumed the city and its surrounding land. By the end of the attack, all that was left was a crevice hundred of meters deep. The ice fragments of the TV filled the empty hole with snow after a few hours passed by in seconds.
Elena's brows knitted close together while she said, "It was all a setup?".
Enzo turned the crystal off and carefully placed the components back into his bag.
The King, who did not look at the Tv said,
"That light took ten thousand lives and destroyed over 3000 kilometers of precious land. Homes, families, our people, our faithful men and women...
Reginalds voice cracked, said, "...My daughter", sat on his throne, and patting the bears nose in comfort.
Enzo sighed and took control of the conversation.
"His Majesty defended against that inferno for almost 24 hours before he could completely end it. In that time, the trade capital of the kingdom faced an attack that we could have never anticipated. I went over myself to figure out what occurred but the city vanished by the time I arrived. At the same time, his Majesty and I received word that the palace had been attacked soon after both of us had left"
"The city and it's people?", Elena struggled to say. She had a sinking feeling that she was tied to that event.
"They are fine Elena. They had just been moved to another location that is a little bit out of the way, it will take a few weeks to set up highways and other channels for trade but the change is favorable"
"What about the survivors of the attack?"
Enzo's curved eyes frowned for a split second before returning to their, half closed, smiling position. "There are no survivors. Half of the current army and thousands of volunteers are excavating and restoring the land to the best of their ability but it is a hopeless effort."
"So, I was purposefully brought to the city, where you found me? With hopes that my 'awakening' would be as destructive as any other witches?"
Enzo nodded at her Inquisitive statement. He was not surprised that she could put everything she learned together. There were reasons why witches were feared throughout the land.
"Yes. A normal witch would corrupt the land of no less than ten kilometers around her or him when they first form a contract. Though, that corruption is a loose term as it completely depends on the type of being that one is contracted with."
Sadly, he continued, "Magic is just as useful as it is deadly, especially when one comes into a great deal of uncontrollable power. Power that is enough to instantly destroy the mind of those that are weak"
"What was the ultimate goal then? If I am the witch of prophecy why would any power give me up?"
"Ah yes. Contrary to everyone's expectations and preparations, no one knew how to differentiate a regular witch from you until this morning...", He said it with a feigned smile of innocence.
Then he remembered something and put on a tired expression, "Onto other matters that you can help with, the abduction...", The King tried to say.
"Th abduction of her highness. How do I say this? She was not the, intended, target. It was actually…"
Adam spoke out and said, "The young captain"
*"What? Why would he be kidnapped"
"I'll tell you later"
Again, Enzo was not startled and continued on with, "We request your assistance with retrieving the princess and dealing with her captor"
The entire world froze. Adam spoke out "inside" Elena's head, "If you look down you will see a wheel with choices. It only pops up for main story quests so you will be seeing this one more time at the very least."
"These choices!?"
"What?"
"Can you make this simpler? 23 different options is too much"
"Maybe..."
"Then I guess I'll choose this one..."
SOMETIME LATER...
Elena caressed the head of a teddy sized polar bear with big yellow gold eyes.
"So, wanna go see the kingdoms resident witch or the blacksmith"
"Blacksmith and thank you for the quest reward I love marshmallow, he is too cute"
"I have no idea what you're talking about"
"Riiigght..."
"I don't know where he came come. Honest"
"..."
"What?"
With a sigh, Adam relented, "Alright, fine. This entire 'game' is inside of my head...".
He pointed to himself.
"No wonder you always close your eyes, I always thought you were focussing on bird view"
He, emotionlessly but forcefully, said, "Don't call it that anymore..."
"Why not?
"Because I call it omni vision now"
"Humankinds entire history and creative masterpieces in your head yet you chose that name"
"What? It's an ambitious name and I'm sure that I can reach that level sooner or later"
"That would be interesting. Also, where is everyone? Shouldn't there be servants or something walking around? Or anyone in this shop"
"..."
"Fine. Marshmallow, I hope you don't become as cute as me otherwise that big bad demon is going to try to keep him all to yourself. Isn't that right Mister Demon?"
Elena held the bear at arm's length and looked into its eyes while talking to it.
"..."
"..."
The bear called marshmellow looked at her then at Adam, who stared at him with cloudy grey eyes. He tilted his head and let out a little cry of understanding before it licked Elena's hand with its unnatural blue-purple tongue.
"You are so cute, yes you are...", She squealed as she pressed the bear against her chest.
He tried to move his face to breathe but Elena's hug was similar to the constricting power of a boa.
He and Adam shared a look of brotherhood before the bear passed out.
"Look Adam he fell asleep in my arms. He is so cute"
"Yeah..."
"So how does my HUD work. Theres is no hp bar or mana bar or anything, just an circle at the bottom of my vision"
"I'll tell you since we are already here. As you get some of the relevant items, you gain more of the HUD. I'll add more things to make your life easier"
Adam opened the door to the royal blacksmith's forge slash shop as he spoke.
"Where's the blacksmith?"
"Out. But he said we can grab anything you want"
"When did you work that out? You know what it's fine, let's pick something nice out."
They parused through the leather, metal, and cloth armor pieces.
"You can grab anything, your equipment tab will open. What you want to wear is entirely up to what you think you can move around in, you'll feel the weight yourself"
"Oh..."
She grabbed a silvery vambrace then it vanished into motes of lights and surrounded her wrist.
"I can use one set defensively and another for appearance... Then I'll grab something heavy" She grabbed the heaviest and most sturdy equipment and used her new menu to equip them. A test jog around the shop showed she experienced zero resistance or a drop in speed, a testament to her strength.
"Weapons? What can I use?"
"Maybe what you are familiar with. It's old, late 20th early- 21st century, but you can use a gun"
She ignored him and moved to an adjacent area.
"What's this?"
"A staff..."
"Magic staff?"
"Yes..."
"I want it"
"Figured"
They left the shop after Elena equipped herself and marshmallow. He wore a leather collar that actually matched up to full iron plate mail in defense.
"How does it work. I have a magic tab but I don't have anything in it except for a snowball spell. And why is my magic bar empty?"
"You need an essence crystal or a conduit to activate your mana bar, as for spells you need to find a magic book or grimoire or..."
"Or what?"
"Make a contract with a magical creature"
"Are you?"
"It would seem so"
"Then how about you show me what makes you so magical"
"..."
Adam just turned away and ignored Elena's remark.
He guided her through the castle like he knew where he was going. It was a good thing too because even with her intelligence, it was hard to follow the twists and turns that Adam took. Not to mention the beautiful yet repetitive architecture that confused onlookers.
Elena did not notice the white smoke that leaked out of his eyes.
"Was this castle made with the intent to be a maze?", Elana asked.
"..."
"Come on don't be like that, You know I can't help myself. I'm inquisitive, it's my thing", she said somewhat helplessly.
"...", Adam took a left at the end of an unnaturally long corridor and walked through a glass like door. It led to an indoor garden, a dome greenhouse made of ice. The smoke that left his eyes reversed its flow by the time Elena walked in behind him.
She whispered to herself, "You've already rejected me so the least you can do is respond when I ask a harmless question. Walking so fast, its like you want to run away..."
"A witch and her... familiar..."
Whoever spoke chuckled then said, "...It has been far too long", with a magnetic voice.
"I am the Witch of the Winter Winds...Landa're Frae Jor, Lady of the Frozen Winds works as well in your language..."
Adam and Elena followed the stone path to the center of the dome and reached a flat plot of land. A small field of human sized plant pods suprised Elena, especially when and the largest pod in the garden opened up with the sound of chiming bells.
A woman with silver blonde hair and ice blue eyes stepped out of the plant while wearing a silky dress that billowed out behind her. A sweet, honey-like, and womanly scent wafted out and fluttered through the air. It was so alluring that marshmallow woke up and stared at the woman as she approached Adam.
She reached out for his face while he stood there with a stoney expression.
"Its great to see you again..."
"Likewise...", he replied with an even and unwavering tone.
She rubbed her palm on Adam's face and caressed it as she walked past him towards Elena.
"So you are the child that has been chosen", She said with an earthly husk.
Elena stood up straight with an emotionless expression, almost like she was showing off her maturity.
"I am Elena. It's great to meet you Witch of the Winter Winds..."
"Miriam or Ms. Barclay little one, my title is reserved for my enemies, distant associates, and those that cannot behave"
"...", Adam silently winced at that list she provided.
Miriam smiled, exposing her pearly white teeth.
"Follow me". She walked down a path that, previously, did not exist when they entered the room.
Adam looked at Elena but she turned her head and followed the tall and mysterious witch.
Marshmallow just looked at Adam as he was carried away by Elena.
Adam sighed and said in a whisper, "Explain it to her, I would rather be annoyed than ignored by her..."
The two women walked in silence at least until Elena could not hold back her curiosity.
"How do you know him?"
"You may not like what you have to hear child. Would you like me to tell you even if it changes the way you feel about him?"
Miriam wore an uncaring smile but her eyes and disposition betrayed any sense of amusement that might have been purposefully displayed.
Elena met her eyes and challenged with a devout conviction, in other words, she put on a careless grin and said, "Tell me".
Miriam slowed her steps and spoke into Elena's ear. A few seconds later, she looked back at Adam and gave a him a sweet and puffy eyed stare before she yawned and fell backward.
She did not touch the floor because of Miriam, who flicked her hand and conjured a strong but gentle wind.
"What exactly did you tell her?"
"To sleep, what else. Honestly, even after all these years you are still so..."
"Scared of what she represents, yes. I should be"
"And what does she represent?..."
Miriam waved her hand once more to reveal another hidden path. Elena floated over and drifted onto a flower bed that looked more like a magic circle because of the glowing buds that surrounded it.
Adam moved her limbs into a comfortable position and grabbed Marshmallow from her chest. He stroked the fluffball's head.
"I don't want to know..."
"But you already do...", she said after Adam stomped his foot on the floor and created a stump of wood.
She added, "Isn't that the reason that you're doing all of this?", with a smirk.
"..."
Using a similarly light tone, like Adam's, she said, "You chose not to give up your secrets and that will be your burden to bear", warningly.
"I know..."
"How much will you take from her?"
"All of it, even if I can't"
Miriam gave Adam a look of concern and infinate wisdom before she sighed and turned to Elena's sleeping face.
"What we have is a gift but it can also be a burden"
"..."
Miriam glanced at Adam with sorrow before she turned away and left the little hidden garden.
Adam's eyes glowed like lanterns in the night and shook with emotional tremors. After a few dozen seconds of unblinking affection, he gave her a fleeting kiss on her forehead. "Nryo, start the procedure", he said evenly as he looked at marshmallow.
The bear returned Adam's stare and did nothing, like it was a regular bear that did not understand human words. Adam grabbed the bridge of his nose and said, "Marshmallow, can you start?"
The bear nodded its head and planted himself in the middle of a smaller circle.
"Full copy, then increase the timetable to stay on target. She needs to get home for dinner. I don't want her parents to make a scene again."
Chapter 7.5
MEANWHILE…
"Can you grab the suntan lotion"
Not even five seconds later, Li held an expensive bottle of suntan lotion.
Eve stepped out of the water and accepted the towel he passed her. She dried herself just enough and then bent over to place it on her lounge chair. She had just come back from swimming a few laps around the center island.
Li avoided her body and stared at the sky but, unlike buddha, he could not detach himself from his earthly desires. He looked down just in time so see Eve bend over to fix the angle of her chair.
He could see the immaculate curves of her body but was instead drawn to the notion of her actions instead of her universally accepted beauty.
For instance, her movements were a few seconds too long (You have to know her to understand that she doesn't do anything, by "accident" or without a reason)
Li was forced to watch as she tantalized the string of her top. He could only bite the tip of his tongue to keep a clear head.
Even worse was, Instead of taking off her top right there, she held the cups of her bikini to her chest, extending his torture that much longer. Like a dog in heat, he struggled not to pant as she walked around the chair, oh so slowly with her long legs.
She sat down on the chair and threw her legs to one side before she laid down on her back. She twisted her boneless waist and laid on her stomach. Then she used the hand on the side that he couldn't see to to pull her top into the air. All the while, she just barely kept her body's private parts hidden.
She almost broke his, taunt, restraint when she dropped the small piece of "clothing" beside the tanning bottle and said, "Can you get my back?"
She wore an uncaring mask, like she was asking for directions from a stranger.
They both froze for a full minute until Eve said, "Li...", with a hint of pride and joy.
Unfortunately for her, Li broke through a monumental threshold a long time ago and reached a state of nirvana that one reaches when they are set, mind, body, and soul, on something. He did not have restraint, he would readily admit that, but he did have patience. And to him, they were very different things.
If someone were to measure his heart rate now compared to a few seconds ago, it would be the difference between a sprinter in action and a corpse.
"Certainly. Forgive me for bringing you any concern but I was momentarily entranced by your heavenly beauty."
He said with a smile that expressed his heartfelt emotions. It was a wordless expression of his pure feelings and is thus an indescribable look meant only for Evelynn's eyes.
She did not reject his words or expression like she had so many times before. This time, she allowed herself to blush in silence and only looked away after she could no longer handle his burning gaze. How could he still want her after so many years apart?
Hurriedly, she said, "...you are so annoying", completely changing what she was going to say.
He was on his way to lather Eve's back but, sadly, fate had other plans.
The technologically controlled miniature ecosystem darkened and thunder rumbled. Then it started to rain cats and dogs. It was all followed by a weird mist that started to surround just the two of them, blocking Li's view of Eve.
Li said to himself, "Why?", as he fell to his knees. The digital screen on his climate controller popped up automatically with an emoji frowny face and a message that said "sorry".
A few seconds later the rain slowed down and turned into a light drizzle, but Eve was already dressed and under the umbrella of a nearby table.
Li could only internally cry after his small win ended with him unable to gain any rewards. He then gathered his emotions and entered his sage mode, putting on a face that meant, 'I will not give up. You will admit that you have fallen for me, TODAY'
EARLIER…
"78.34 percent complete"
"22 more minutes left then..."
Adam sat on a log that felt unnaturally soft but firm. He locked his gaze onto Elena's body since it glowed with a familiar scanning light.
The bulbs beside her flower bed released a series of colorful rays.
With certain scans, Adam could see her muscles, veins, bones, and nerves. Even her nervous system and neurons as they pulsed through her body could be read and mapped. Everything could be seen through her glowing skin.
"What is the estimated accuracy of the copy?"
"96.9877% repeating"
"That's not enough..."
The polar bear marshmallow, looked at Adam and spoke in Nryo's overly "energetic" robotic voice, "You can ask mother to help..."
"No. I can't..."
Adam closed his eyes and hung his head back. A few minutes later he asked a question to no one in particular, "Am I doing the right thing?..."
"..."
He sighed and said, "Marshmallow..."
"Master, you are putting not only yourself but everything at risk just by doing this much. There is only so much you can control on your own. The Madam, for instance, has gotten herself Into a predicament and you have yet to notice"
He rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "Is she with Li?"
"Yes Master. I defended her honour by stopping that man from approaching her in a vile and deviant manner"
"Okay. Thank you marshmellow", He then typed something on his wrist watch.
"No trouble at all Master. And I know this may not be the best time but you can only sustain this 'game' for..."
"I know. That's why I said increase the time frame"
"Also, the copy of Mistress?"
"I'll work something out but right now I need you to make sure nothing goes wrong with the update. Eve might be affected so let her know the time it's going to start. And leave her alone for now, she is safe with him."
"Understood"
The little bear saluted with its stubby paw and did a little hop that turned its body into a little sphere that vanished as it shrunk away.
Adam tapped his wrist and pulled up a diagram of Elena's internal body structure. He purposefully kept her chest cavity empty and sighed.
"Do I deserve you? Do I have the right to do this? I would say no on both counts if not for this."
He used an invisible blade of wind to draw blood from his own body. After a few seconds of bleeding, the liquid turned into smoke and returned to his wound. The cut itself was covered by an extremely thin layer of black crystal that turned to dust and disappeared into the grass below him.
He ignored himself and tried to alter the diagram using his alien language. He came to the conclusion that there was only one way to complete what he had in mind.
He laughed out loud, looked up, and said to himself and no one in particular, "So it really doesn't matter how far I have come..."
He finished speaking with a hint of relief, "I still need more time to think about it". He could only bide his time and wait for Elena to wake up since his efforts came up with zero results.
MEANWHILE…
"What time is it?"
Li did not dare remind her that she just had to guess and whatever number she said would be correct. She always had possesed an intuitive intelligence.
He had changed into something more appropriate so he checked his watch for the time. "6:28 pm", he said as he poured Eve a cup of juice.
The two were out of the rain and took residence underneath an antique gazebo. They both lost themselves in the rhythmic pattering of the rain.
"Oh...", she said with blatant annoyance. The drink by her side sat there for the next ten minutes until Li brought her a fresh cup.
Another few minutes silently went by as the two of them sat beside one another: they continued to listen to the rain that fell above and around them. Li even closed his eyes so he could focus on the sound of the droplets falling into the pool.
The atmosphere crackled with electricity until Eve pecked Li on the cheek. If it was any other time, Li would have attacked and submitted to her superiority, effectively taking a loss by professing his love and kissing her back. The same could not be said with his newfound resolve.
"That's for waiting all these years...", She said nonchalantly with her back facing Li. Unknown to him and to her, a pink face betrayed her deadpan expression and odd actions.
Unfortunately, Li smiled in victory and playfully said, "Who said I waited for you?"
If Li had known what Adam was concerned about he would have realized that now, of all times, was not a good time to tease her.
The very next instant Eve stomped her foot and created spiderweb like fractures all over the antique pavilion they were in when she stood up. Not even a full five seconds later, she gave a raucous laugh and turned her head towards Li with the most beautiful and warm smile he had ever seen.
Her words however, plunged him into a frozen abyss because of how true they were.
"Adam would have killed you if you didn't"
She cupped her face and stopped herself from doing anything she might regret.
Her eyes widened in surprise. She quickly left Li there to figure things out for himself as she headed towards the door.
She gathered herself on the way and exhaled a heavy cloud of emotion. She spoke to herself, just loud enough to be in the range of audible sound. "How much time do I have before I'm unstable?..."
There was no reply, unlike what she had been expecting.
"Adam?...Nyro?....."
White smoke leaked out of her left hand, "Fuck, I don't want to lose like this". She had just reached the door when she heard, "You win...", in her ear.
An arm then wrapped around her waist and spun her around before she could open the door.
"I love you solely and wholly. These years without you by my side have been and will always be the most torturous years of my life, so...never leave my side ever again and I will continue to treat you as my personal goddess"
He had gotten a full view of the smoke that continuously poured out of her body. Unlike with Adam, the smoke cut Eve millions of times, ripping and tearing at her insides and skin. Her hand rippled with hundreds of little holes that spread to the rest of her arm. Her eyes started to break up as well bit not a single drop of blood fell because of the smoke that lapped it up.
Contrary to her rapidly deteriorating appearance, it did not give her any pain.
The two stood there for no more than a minute, but even that was enough for the white smoke to tear through the entirety of Li's hand and parts of his arm.
Interestingly enough, it only revealed crystal white bones that were covered in black hexagons so small that only a microscope would have seen them. Amazingly, his bones shimmered with white light. His flesh also had, black, hair thin wires and mesh films holding it together.
Blood barely leaked from his wounds as the wires constricted around his arteries and veins.
For the first time in Li's life, he watched as Eve tore down her facade and teared up with a genuinely happy expression. Whatever helped her control her expression, tone, and feelings, broke down. Her words however, were what made him reconfirm, for the millionth time, his feelings.
"Listen up you little shit's, stop acting up so I can kiss my man..."
The smoke actually started to recede slowly but...
"NOW", and just like that the smoke vanished from view and re entered her body.
Li smiled like a schoolboy who's crush just said yes after asking thousands of times.
What happened next is…