Bethany and Eli sat in the room quietly as her torn ligaments and bruises healed. They didn’t speak for several minutes, but their eyes did not move from staring deep into each other. Bethany was getting lost in the slowly moving and swirling galaxies of his eyes and the feelings of safety, of love, and of home that she got from them. Eli was growing more and more in love with Bethany and the look she was giving him was why. She looked at him as if he could burn the world down around her and she wouldn’t bat an eye, as long as he was in her life. That kind of passion and devotion is not something that he thought was real.

  “So, how did I do?” Eli asked, finally breaking the silence.

  “Well, aside from how amazingly you treated me, it went perfectly. Although, your skill doesn't usually impart such a feeling of dread and hopelessness.” She paused and thought about it pushing him to share but decided to not be so aggressive about it. “Do you want to talk to me about it?”

  Eli sighed heavily, “When I was twelve I woke up in an abandoned home with no memory of who I was or how I got there. I wandered the street until the sun came up and a cop found me. They placed me in a foster home and it wasn’t a good one. Those months before I ran away were rough but my emotions were suppressed and the anger didn’t come.” He paused and took a breath. “When I reached for an emotion to supercharge the skill, that anger came back and was focused on my mother. It was deeply repressed and all came flooding back.”

  Bethany was rubbing his back, “You looked a little too ready for violence.”

  “You stopped me dead,” Eli put a hand on either side of her face and pulled her close. “The way you smiled at me, I knew that no matter what I did, even though I was hurting you, that smile would not change. I realized that I was about to do something that would make me unworthy of that smile which would cause me to push you away.” He kissed her softly and with love. “You are mine forever, and you belong at my side.” Eli was realizing that he was leaning on her heavily at this moment, essentially giving her the job of keeping him from losing control. He hated himself for putting that on her, but it seemed to be what she was already doing and saying it the way he did was something he hoped she would understand.

  “Yes my love, I am yours forever.” a system window appeared that she quickly glanced at:

  “Attention”

  “Your destiny has been reinforced by declarations of love.”

  “The punishment for abandoning your destiny has greatly increased.”

  She ignored it and did not let the sliver of worry entering her heart show up on her face, Bethany felt that this was the perfect time for a distraction. “So, we should totally Fuck in here and make those people outside wait.” Then without waiting for an answer from him she stripped and jumped on top of him breaking the chair he was sitting on.

  After an hour of intense love making in a glass box that seemed to excite Bethany to no end, they were getting ready to rejoin the room. Eli looked the same as he always did, something about him made it impossible for him to look disheveled. Bethany on the other hand looked like she had just spent an entire weekend doing drugs and having sex. However, she did not fix herself, she put on the loose fitting partially see-through pants with no underwear and skin tight shirt with no bra, since the system store didn’t sell any. She wanted everyone to know that they all just had to wait while they enjoyed each other and if Eli could pull off the look of someone who didn’t care, specifically not giggling like an idiot or having a shit-eating grin, it would make the point all the more.

  Eli walked out of the side room and at a slow and deliberate pace, ignored everyone and sat on his throne. When Alora stood and took her place next to him they began to talk to one another as if they were alone. Bethany stepped out of the side room with all the grace of a new-born giraffe, only having to play it up a little since their love making had been quite rough this time. Apparently Eli had some frustration that he was dealing with and had used that moment to get it out. She didn’t mind in the least since combining that with the glass walls made it the best sex she had ever experienced.

  “Are you alright, apprentice?” Eli asked Alora.

  “Yes master, I was more hurt than Bethany but not by much.”

  “Apologies for getting you caught up in my drama again, how is the magical training coming along? Have you made any progress?”

  “Some, but I seem to have hit a wall.” Said Alora, she looked disappointed in herself.

  “What is the problem?” Eli asked. This was a very intentional conversation, not only did he know that everyone would be listening, which was proved correct when the room fell silent, but he wanted to see what the other continents knew. Eventually he could feel that their world would join the integrated universe and he needed everyone on the planet to be as strong as possible.

  “Well, I’m trying to make lightning by mixing earth, light, and wind magic from my nodes, but the result is not anything close or even useful.” Alora said she knew this was something to get everyone's attention by the fact that they were in the room with everyone and the fact that they were the only ones talking didn’t stop him from continuing. However, knowing what was happening and being happy about it were two different things, she did not appreciate being talked to like a child who was struggling with a reading assignment.

  “Show me.” Eli said in a loud voice.

  Alora sighed and turned her hand palm up, glowing sand swirled in her hand like a rave tornado then dissipated.

  Eli tapped his chin for a moment, “I think I see what your problem is,” Eli turned his head toward his mother. “Liasandra, would enlighten my apprentice on how the chaos continent’s people are taught to use magic?”

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  She stood, even though it was clear that her injuries from the previous incident had not healed and she looked like the loser of a very long boxing match, “I will not give away the magic secrets of my people. We may end up in war against the other continents or even you. It was foolish to ask.”

  “Lord Ornori, do you share her feelings on this matter?” Eli said while turning to face him.

  “Apologies, but I too must look out for my people.” Ornori bowed slightly as he spoke.

  “Winston.” Eli yelled and he jumped so high out of his seat he was now standing. “Do you have any insights on magic to share with the room?”

  Winston cleared his throat, “Ehem, uh, sir, I do not have any insights as my continent's people are new to magic.”

  “Understood Winston, please pay attention as I instruct my apprentice. Alora, when you use a skill, how does it work? Or rather what makes it work?”

  “Well, the skill rune that the system places on the node shapes the magic which alters reality to match the rune.” Alora said, but Eli could clearly hear in her tone of voice that it was her twin soul giving her the answer.

  “That is mostly correct, but you're missing a key component. Something that can make magic affect reality without a rune to give it shape. Afterall, the chaos and order people present used magic before the system came and changed our world. It is will that makes it work, your intent can shape magic. Alora, try again, but mix the magic inside your body and release it with your focus on lightning. Picture it flying out of your hand just how it looks from your staff.”

  Alora took a breath and focused, staring intently at her palm. Then a small bolt of lightning left her hand and shot up in the air about two feet. She jumped in shock but then clapped in excitement, this was a huge jump forward for her magic study. Both Ornori and Liasnadra were narrowing their eyes at Eli.

  “Excuse me, but how did you come to figure this out? You obviously are from the middle continent and haven't even had magic for a year. You were only mildly suspicious before, but now I must demand an explanation for how you are so far ahead of even some of our elders.” Ornori said in a stern tone.

  It was obvious to Eli that something had changed, the whole vibe in the room was changing to one of hostility and violence. On his own he would not be able to fight off the entire room, but he had access to the building’s magic as well and it appeared that the system had foreseen a situation like this. From his throne he had access to a multitude of building functions, one of which was the ability to send everyone, or just specific people back to their floor or room. He stayed in the throne and had that menu brought up just in case as he began his dramatic refusal speech.

  “You demand to know my secrets when you would not share yours?” Both the chaos and order people tensed as they understood how the situation had been set up against them, but they were still ready for a fight. “I do not wish for conflict, in fact I need us all to work together. It is my understanding that we are just the most recent addition to this system and it is only a matter of time before the much older and stronger parts of this system connect with us.”

  Eli had stopped talking letting what he said sink in, no one seemed to want to believe him but they couldn’t deny it either. Ornori was the first to speak up, “And I take it that you want to lead our planet to face this possible threat?”

  “Not even a little bit.” Eli replied immediately and with some disgust in his voice. “I do not control a safe zone and the only people who fight with me are those who have made the choice to join me. My only responsibility is to stop cruelty and suffering caused by those in power, those in this room. Be good to the weak and I have no reason to even know who you are.”

  “And we are supposed to believe this, that with all your power you will just leave us alone?” Liasandra said with her own flavor of disgust in her voice. “What assurance do we have that you won’t just accuse us of cruelty and take over regardless.”

  “You have no assurance, no promise, no guarantee. And there is nothing that any of you can do about it. You have yet to witness most of what my master is capable of and…” Alora stopped at a hand gesture from Eli.

  “Everyone here is free to make their own choices, including what to think or believe about me.”

  The room fell silent for a few moments then people started going into side rooms to talk and others were whispering to each other. Eli sat quietly on his throne and after a while he got bored and Bethany sat on his lap and they just held each other, whispering softly about magical fantasy dates that they could go on. Both of them knew it might be a century before they could actually do it, but it passed the time and Bethany was still feeling very romantic and lovey after their sex in the side room. His acknowledgement of her feelings and reciprocation of them was a novel experience for her, even if his feelings are not as strong as hers.

  When there was about an hour before people could vote, one of the few female lords present, and the only female lord from the order continent, walked to the center of the room and stood in front of Eli’s throne. She did not speak at first, she just stood stoically and waited to be addressed, whether it be out of fear or respect Eli could not tell. Bethany got up and stood to the side and Alora stood taller and replaced her expression of jealousy that she had with a neutral one. Eli looked her up and down as well as scanning her with his magic sense to get a feel for the woman.

  She was a tall and thin woman with bright green eyes, blonde hair, and angular facial features not unlike the starving models from when Eli was a boy. He thought to himself that she would be attractive if it wasn’t for the look of sheer disgust on her face that was so severe there were extra wrinkle lines on her face.

  “Hello, please introduce yourself and speak your peace.”

  “I am Lady Figula, and I wish to let my feelings be known on your relationship with these two women.” Eli, Bethany and Alora’s eyes all went round in surprise. “I do not think it's appropriate for you to have trapped them like this, they both might as well be in chains at your feet.”

  “Look lady…”/”Listen lady…” Alora and Bethany said at the same time but were harshly silenced by a short burst of magic from Eli. They both lowered their heads and sat on either side of the throne, Alora was just doing what she was told, but Bethany knew his plan instantly and it took all of her will to not smirk at the poor woman.

  “You are correct, they are trapped, they are mine, and I may put either or both of them in chains tonight if they ask. Do you have a point, Lady Figula?”

  “My point is that it is not a real relationship, the power imbalance makes it impossible. You are taking advantage of them, you must see how wrong that is.” The tone of her voice was more pleading now as if she really wanted to convince him to stop what he was doing. Eli’s best guess was that this was personal somehow.

  “I understand your point but I would argue against your logic.” Eli stood and started pacing around, winding himself up to a dramatic speech, the exact thing that Bethany had warned him not to do.