I took another step forward.

  Clink

  CRUNCH crack

  “Do you remember my promise to you?” I asked, my eyes stared confidently at the clearly less confident man. “That whatever future you saw at Her Wrath’s breastplate, I would make real,” I roughly repeated the promise, “that should you continue to dehumanize Cerys in any way moving forward.” I spat the word ‘dehumanize’ as I used it.

  “You cannot see me, Seer.” I observed. “You are not allowed to interfere while I am under the tutelage of Desmond,” I continued, gathering metal items from around me, arranging them in ways that could hurt this villain. “You are out of line, Agent.”

  I stepped again. My taller and bulkier form towering over his reedy but fit and weathered body. Which was now ever so slightly quivering.

  “Would mother fault me for losing my temper and killing you here?” I asked him, my voice now completely void of emotion. “Not even your companions would be in line to help you, nor listen to you, due to the fact that you are against Her directives.” I reminded him, my bluff being bold and brave.

  “What say you, Gerald?” I threatened.

  I slipped into the power. Ninety percent.

  My hand moved to his shoulder as he tried to turn away from me. I grasped it, kicking his right knee inward, hearing a slow, reverbed wet crunch ring out into the silent Library. The book clattered in a drawn out fashion on the ground behind me.

  He fell, shrieking, in voice dull and drawn out, like a bleating goat. I held him down with one hand.

  Time returned to normal as I activated my shock wave form.

  “Was this the future you for-saw?” I asked him in his right ear, tightening my grip on his shoulder until his bones popped and gave way. He flinched and convulsed at the electricity coursing through his system.

  “I have no more use for you, Seer.” I said, being sure that the evil wretch had no more cards to play.

  “I made another mistake,” the wraith admitted through gritted, blood stained teeth, his voice barely able to form the short sentence. “I bet against you trusting Desmond, nor him trusting you with such information.” He shook his head, or at least attempted to, failing to move it rightwards. He whimpered pitifully as his movement hitched.

  “This certainly is not the exact future I had envisioned, it seems people do change.” He said, his words growing wet. “Seems like you still got me in the end.” He admitted bitterly.

  “You pass.” The masked man said as his form distorted and air popped outwards.

  Clank, clink clunk

  The cog that flew him to Her Wrath fell from his back, armor falling to the ground and an arming sword materialized out of nowhere.

  He fell limp in my grasp.

  Gerald breathed his last.

  Not letting him fool me ever again, I reached out with my will and sent a bolt of charged electricity into his body, turning it to ash. Said Ash blew around as the flash subsided.

  I tested how my ears would hold out if put under a relatively powerful lightning bolt.

  KABOOOOOM

  No deafness, just mild ringing.

  Thunder rocked the formerly silent Library.

  His armor and weapons were puddles of glowing, sparking hot slag on the ground, the carpet was littered with ash, fires started on less affected areas of the carpet.

  I used the molten metal to smother the fires, then held the metal puddles above my head, keeping the metal from dripping or catching fire to anything.

  “Agent.” I commanded in a slightly angered tone.

  A woman in the same clothing as Seer used to wear appeared before me, kneeling on the dirty carpet.

  “Inform mother that Agent Seer is no more, he broke the promise and died for it.” I commanded her.

  “Do not fail me” I warned her, a sinister tone I wasn’t used to using spread across the aisle.

  “Yes, Your Eminence, it will be done.” The female agent returned as she saluted and then disappeared.

  I turned around, picking up the book that had led to the death of an evil man. I then turned it in my right hand, feeling in control of my fine motor skills suddenly.

  “What in the accursed fiery pits have you done, Erec?” An old, female voice asked behind me.

  I turned once again to see the mollified Librarian. She was standing on a mountain of books of every kind and color. Just floating there. An accusatory look spread through her all knowing eyes.

  “Keeping certain promises.” I answered, leaving my face impassive and my voice devoid of emotion.

  She shook her head, a grim look on her face. “So it would seem.” She then turned around and floated back down to the first floor.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  ‘I have to hurry back to Cerys, I need to be sure.’ I told myself as I looped both books under my left shoulder, lifting off into the air and moving towards the entrance at a fast pace.

  —----------

  Three minutes later

  —------------------------

  Whoooosh

  Clink

  I arrived at the entrance to our suite.

  I opened the door knob with my hand.

  Just then- a realization entered my mind. Front and center.

  ‘It was a test. I passed the test. Did I just kill Gerald due to my mother's scheming?’ The door slowly swung inwards, Cerys was sitting at the dining table, waiting for me to arrive.

  She turned her pretty head towards me, lustrous red hair flowing past her shoulders, let down for the moment.

  “I made a mistake.” I said, my voice gaining an emotional tinge as I walked towards my spot at the table.

  “I forgot that he too was a tool at my Empress’s disposal.” I admitted. “I killed Agent Seer, he threatened your life once again, degrading you to a bargaining chip and hostage.” I continued, tossing the books onto the bed as I walked.

  Cerys got up, approaching me, heels made their distinctive sound upon the marble under the carpet.

  Clack

  “It was a promise I made to him back at Her Wrath, I'm sure you remember it.” I said with exasperation, my head shaking.

  Clack

  “He died all too easily, likely either following orders or an illusion.” I admitted, looking at the ground, seeing Cerys' red heels in my vision.

  Clack

  I felt a slight touch to my cheek, like a flicking brushing motion.

  I looked up into Cerys' eyes, sadness in them. “Don't sell yourself short, Erec, you did what you thought was right, what would protect me.” She answered, shaking her right hand.

  Did she slap me?

  Pfft-

  My right hand moved to my mouth, attempting to stop the laugh from escaping my throat.

  “You are truly durable now.” She said, a wry smile showing on her red lips. Her smile then turned to a serious line, “you got manipulated, schemed against.” Her hand landing on my right shoulder, moving into a hug, “you, so far, have yet to meet a single person in this life who doesn't have designs for you.” She said, including herself into that genre of people. “You are keeping me alive, without you, they kill me, that is my design for you” she confessed.

  “I already assumed as much.” I acknowledged her take.

  “Then you must know that I am also a person who can never be a hundred percent of the time real with you,” she explained, “you must understand yourself more thoroughly, you kept me alive by killing Agent Seer.” She shook her head, a grim look on her face, “by falling for the scheme.”

  A silence flowed through the room, stopping just as quickly as it appeared once a knock sounded at the door.

  “Your Eminence, dinner is here.” The maid said once again, moving away from the door and leaving the cart there.

  The silence continued after that, for a few moments.

  I gave in and hugged Cerys with controlled movements and focused follow through.

  Mph

  Her cute sound against my chest as I held her there.

  “As long as you will have me, I will have you.” I admitted, feeling touched by her explanation. I then stepped back to see her eyes looking up into mine with warmth.

  “Shall we have dinner?” Cerys asked, a slight blush on her pale complexion.

  “Lets.” I confirmed as I went through the paces of setting up our dinner once again.

  As I finished the lay out, I sat opposite of Cerys, who had already started to drink of the sky apple cider.

  I reached over to serve a cutlet of steamed flying rabbit haunch.

  As we ate in comfortable silence, I couldn't help but wonder what I would have done with such realizations if Cerys wasn't here to talk me through things. I felt emotional. Like a coiled up snake, ready to unleash itself at any unsuspecting shape that appeared in front of my venomous fangs.

  She helped me through that. She stopped me from doing something that could easily have meant the death of me and many others. I owe her much.

  She moved onto some blueish sky-wheat pancake served with sky sap syrup and a little helping of some translucent sky milk butter on top.

  As we continued, my mind was made up: I would keep her alive. I would do everything in my power to keep her by my side, alive and out of harm. Of course, Cerys is a seventh cog knight with battle experience, but I was fast approaching that level of power. If I could help end this damned rebellion and come back to a proper home with Cerys, I would be satisfied. Maybe this was another angle mother was playing, the honey pot to keep me enticed. A pot that could be shattered if the bee turned his stinger upon the queen. But it didn't matter to me anymore. Any suspicion I had for Cerys was fast waning.

  My mind made up, I continued supper, looking forward to the future, but looking at the future with diamond eyes.

  Multiple lenses, multiple views on takes. I knew just how hard surviving this war could be.

  ‘I need more power.’ I reminded myself once more.

  —--------

  The next day, nearing lunch

  —---------------

  I had been rotating my cogs, waiting for Desmond to show up to our meeting place. It had been hours though, so I was wondering where he may have been until I felt a tug at my will.

  I exited my mind palace to see a dead-eyed Desmond staring into mine a few paces away.

  “You can take off the amulet, Erec.” Desmond said with a grim look on his face. “You defeated Gerald, thus me.” His usual grin was nowhere to be seen.

  There we stood, in the training hall, face to face as I looked at him with slight surprise.

  “Were you two close?” I said with a measure of guilt as I took the amulet off, manipulating it over to Desmond, who took it in his right hand.

  “At one point, hundreds of years ago.” The man said, shaking his head, eyes watching a scene long past. “Never mind, Erec, never mind.

  His face turned back to the humored expression in a flash, uncannily.

  “Today, you will attempt to do something that should really only be possible at the seventh cog.” Desmond said with a theatrical voice. “Form metal from your power.” He finished, his arms going out in a ‘go ahead’ motion.

  What he just asked of me was practically against common logic, but held certain merit. I had always been incredibly good at mastery of the

  manipulation of magical output.

  I closed my eyes.

  I focused inwards, my right hand going up.

  “Good form, now imagine an ingot of steel, twenty by five centimeters.” Desmond guided, sounding enthusiastic.

  My ears rang a tad as my right arm flexed, my magical cogs started turning at a rapid pace as I put effort into the idea.

  “Yes! Hold that style! Now imagine yourself willing into existence that ingot you have in your mind!” Desmond roared, getting worked up while trying to get through my intense focus.

  CRUNCH

  I felt a vibration at my feet.

  “Erec, you absolute machine, you did it!” Desmond proclaimed as he walked over to my creation.

  Vertigo washed over me as I felt my will bottom out, my cogs still rotating. I opened my eyes and steadied myself.

  He picked up the relatively small steel ingot and smirked, presenting it to me. “You just did something that goes against the natural order of this world.” He reinforced his excited expression, “creation is a seven cog and up accomplishment, you've outdone yourself, Erec.” He shook his head when he looked into my eyes.

  “That is one of the downsides of going ahead of the rules, but you will easily break through to the seventh cog now that you've already completed creation.” His voice still giddy and excited. “That's all for today, I would like you to rotate your cogs as much as possible going forward.” He waved me away as he completed his instructions. “Oh, try to create varying metals of your choice once a day, the act of doing so will rapidly increase your progress.” He called from behind me as I turned around.

  “I'm sorry about Gerald, if he didn't treat Cerys worse than dirt, I think he and I could have at least understood each other.” I admitted, standing still, facing away from Desmond.

  His voice was forlorn, “I don't agree with you, Gerald was worse off than you could ever know.” His voice broke as he said his next sentence, “you could never understand, but I cannot tell you either, not yet.” He let out a shaky sigh, “I thank you for saying so, but don't think highly of either of us, we are not good people.” His breath hitched at ‘are’, “he wasn't,” Desmond corrected himself.

  “See you tomorrow, Erec.” Desmond said with a defeated tone.

  I left.

  I made my way to the canteen, feeling hungry and thinking of bringing something for the Librarian to have. As an apology for toasting one of her carpets.

  —----

  3 mins later

  —-------------

  Clink

  Clank

  Clank clink

  Clank clank

  I decided to jog, trying to use my physical form to move while not causing the marble tiles to explode into stone shrapnel.

  It went well, as long as I slowed the momentum of my foot falls and push offs the moment I touched the tiles, they wouldn't be eradicated.

  As I arrived at the canteen, everyone's eyes were on me.

  I slowed my approach to a walk then continued my way to the serving counter, the cook still as busy as ever.

  “Why don't they get you more chefs?” I asked her as I carefully leaned onto the counter.

  The chef looked up at me, her eye widening as her will brushed over me, seeing it for the first time.

  “Hah! Well I'll be,” the chef cleared her throat, reigning in herself after her ‘blunder’, “Your Eminence, what will it be today?” She stared into my eyes with a respectful and interested look.

  “Same as always, your choice, could you also throw on something for the Librarian? I need to apologize to her, but don't really understand her all that well.” I explained, hoping the chef knew anything about the Librarian.

  Her left eyebrow raised, showing genuine confusion, “Librarian, Your Eminence?” She clarified, growing visibly uncomfortable.

  My instincts went off, warning me heavily to choose my next words carefully.

  “Ah, don't worry about it, I was just going to sneak in some food for my beloved Cerys in order to have a date with her in the library.” I said with a measured and sure tone, being absolutely sure not to change any of my mannerisms of speech.

  “Ah, that's a new excuse, sorry Your Eminence, but no food or drink in the library.” She said as her head shook. “Everyone knows there hasn't been a Librarian for hundreds of years.”

  “Can't get anything past you, chef, so just the usual.” I said as I waited for her to finish what she was doing.

  Inwardly, every warning flag was at full mast as I was nearly panicking.

  ‘Who in the scorching hells have I been spending three hours a day for months with then?!’

  I outwardly gave the cook a grin and a thank you as I inwardly warred with my logic and observations, coming up with wild and irregular conclusions.