Beyond?

by Andur

  Oh, no. Nonono. Not that tour! Annice was bad enough to evade. Not her. She is the fucking heir of a clan. Not to mention that they rule the fucking country! I try to find the proper words while I think about possible solutions. “Eeee...”

  “That's what most men say once they see and touch them.” She walks up to me and presses her chest against mine.

  I can't hit her like Olivia. She is Stella's sister... and pushing her away from me is probably also troublesome. Will she scream if I don't react to her advances? Whom will they believe if she says that I attempted to do something to her? I can imagine her doing something like that.

  “I am sorry, but I love Stella.” I try to walk past her, but she trips me with her tail and I fall on my ass.

  Without waiting for me to get up, she sits on top of me with a smug grin. “Where is the big warrior who defeated seven assassins? Are you afraid of being rough with a future clan head?” She traces a finger down my chest while her tail is playing with my ear. “Come on. Nobody will know. I can show you some new things you can try with Stella later. I just want a child who is a mage like me. And you offer the best chances for that.”

  The fuck? “I'll know. And there are tests! Furthermore I don't trust you. So get off!” I try to keep my eyes away from her chest.

  “Oho? But I have the power to change the results of something like a small test. Come on... it's just a short duty.” She reaches down to my trousers and attempts to unbutton them, but I grab her hands and pull them away.

  “I am serious!” If she doesn't stop I might really have to get rough.

  “Sure. All men are serious.” She starts moving her hips in a swaying motion back and forth. “But that's only until you find their fetish and flip their switch.”

  Unfortunately I feel my manhood betraying me between my legs, which earns me a smug grin from Sola. Just when I decide to push her off the door to the restroom explodes inwards and Sola and I are covered in splinters.

  Something flashes into the room and I feel Sola's weight disappearing from me. A hole opens up in the wall to my right while Sola penetrates it like a bullet.

  Then I realize that Stella is standing above me. “Shi... erm... This isn't how...”

  Stella's expression is a smiling mask. “Let me guess. She forced herself upon you?”

  “Yes!”

  “And you told her that you don't want to, but she didn't listen.”

  “Exactly!”

  “Why didn't you hit her like all the others? You had no problems with hitting a woman.”

  “But she is your sister! And the future head of the country! You have no problems with me hitting her?”

  Stella bends down and strokes my head. “Hit her, maim her. I don't care. Today I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since I know her. But tonight you can sleep with Ghost, just for your information.”

  No way! I am denied our together time? I am without fault! And sleeping with Ghost? He'll eat me! But then I hear coughing from the hole in the wall and Sola steps back into the room.

  Stella points at the broken door. “I am sorry honey, but I need to talk with my sister.”

  I nod and hurry outside. Then I get away from the entrance and slide down the wall of the corridor. From the restroom I hear the roars of two fighting dragons who use a little more than words to settle their dispute. God, how do I explain this to Stella? I close my eyes and try to think of a possibility to prove my innocence.

  When I open my eyes I find Valeria in front of me. She is pulling on her lower lip and smirks at me. “How is it brother? Being fought over... is it exciting? And how about saying thanks for me keeping an eye on you?”

  33. ~Work.~

  “The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.”

  -Arthur C Clarke.

  Free City States of Nict, Capital

  Valda

  It has been a week since our little family meeting. It went really well if you ignore the incident between Stella and Sola. They trashed three rooms during their fight. Valeria explained to me that Sola tried a move on Azir and since she deemed Stella as the lesser evil of the two, she warned her.

  Apparently Stella wasn't too happy about sharing and reacted... violently. The noise attracted Helen and me. Of course Helen immediately tried to stop them from murdering each other. Which wasn't entirely successful. I was impressed that Stella was able to inflict serious damage to her older sister despite being the younger of the two.

  Stella took a blue eye and a broken horn until Helen finally stopped the fight, but her sister was in worse shape.

  Azir informed Helen that it's probably better to keep a close eye on Sola. My son seemed a little down, so I decided to visit him for once. I want to see how he is faring with his own house.

  I enter my son's property together with Yoran. The warcat which Yoran gave to Azir immediately shows up and Yoran has a moment of reunion with the cat. He took care of it from the moment it was born, so it's not surprising that he is still tolerated by the cat. Sometimes I wish that I too was good with animals.

  After he greeted the cat thoroughly we continue on our way and make ourselves known by ringing the bell at the door. It's evening and the classes have already ended. So they should be at home.

  The door is opened by Stella and Valeria, which surprises me. Stella immediately steps aside to let us inside. “Valda, Yoran, you should have told me that you want to visit too. I could've prepared something.”

  I smile. “Then the surprise effect would be lost and I wouldn't get to see how you are really doing on your own.”

  Yoran nods. “Yeah, no worries. We aren't here to eat. I didn't know that you have a good relationship with Valeria?” His eyes wander around the room. It's just a small entrance area. One door leads to the first floor, but it is closed and there are several barrier spells attached to it.

  Stella leads us up the stairs. In the next floor I find a similar door, but it isn't guarded that heavily. One floor further upwards we enter the living room and Stella offers us a seat. Everything looks neat and orderly. Obviously she and Valeria were drinking tea when we barged in. The house seems well organized, but there aren't many decorations.

  I take a seat and Stella offers us the same tea. Nodding, I try to break the ice. “So you are doing fine? You had quite a fight with your sister.”

  Stella smiles. “I have to apologize once more for making a scene. My sister and I aren't on the best terms with each other.” She sighs. “Sometimes I wish that we could form some kind of peace treaty, but it looks like she hates me for some reason.”

  Valeria makes a dismissive gesture. “After seeing your sister I don't think that the fault lies with you.”

  Stella nods. “I just wish that I hadn't overreacted like I did. It was stupid and selfish of me to let my anger out on Azir. But he could've simply forced her off of him! I would've believed him if my sister had made up a stupid story.”

  Yoran nods eagerly. “So you had a fight with Azir and you consulted Valeria to find a solution. Hah, that reminds me of the fights I had with Valda. In the beginning she was really unhappy with my pets.”

  I cuff him. “I am still unhappy with your stupid stables. The cats are okay, but the nightmares stink fifty metres against the wind!” Then I return my attention to Stella. “So, what happened?”

  Stella starts playing with her fingers. “Well, I threw him out of the bed and he waltzed off into his laboratory and hasn't come out since...”

  Yoran raises an eyebrow. “And that was when?”

  “The evening when I had the fight with Sola.” Stella's lips turn into a thin line. “Like I said, it was childish of me, but I was mad at myself and him.”

  “That was one week ago? And he hasn't come out since? What about school?” I ask furiously.

  “He didn't attend!” Valeria answers quickly.

  “I see. And you two didn't think it was necessary to return him to the correct
path?” I set my focus on the two of them who pale immediately.

  “I tried! But he sealed the door to his laboratory and I can't get in. Valeria couldn't open it either.” Stella gestures at the house. “My ability was useless too. I even tried to break through a wall and the windows.”

  “Hooooh...” I squint my eyes while I try to remember something. Then I stand up and walk towards Azir's laboratory. “Children keep staying children. No matter how old they are.”

  When I arrive at the heavily secured door from earlier I just stand there and look at it for several seconds while I try to sense the weakest point in the magical formation. Azir already tried to lock me out once. He was a little child at that time and became too absorbed in his hobby of building clocks.

  I ordered him to go outside once in a while, but he refused like a stubborn child. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that he has the memories of an eight hundred year old archmage from another world. And from time to time he is acting childish, without a doubt.

  I realize that such a long life can be a heavy burden, but that's no reason to act like a stubborn old man. Maybe his body is affecting him? If Valeria's report is true then his current body is quite different from what he would probably deem as normal.

  On the other hand someone that old surely can't remember every single detail of his past. It's been two decades since he was... reborn.

  He already spent a long time on this world and I tried my best to make him forget his past. So the reason why he is locking himself up is probably something trivial... like building clocks. Surely he forgot the time.

  Finally I find the weakness I was looking for. The seal he put on his quarters is a little more sophisticated than last time. Probably he decided to refine it after I broke it so easily. Well, as long as he doesn't realize that I am not destroying his seal, but the magical formation which is holding it in place, he can reinforce it as much as he likes.

  He may know many tricks, but he doesn't know all of them. That much is obvious. I cover my index finger in mana and stab it into the wooden doorframe. The glowing magical circles and seals on the walls and the door disappear, falling apart and dispersing like mist.

  I nod, this old me has a few years of experience in handling mana. There are still some things Azir could learn from me. Stella and Valeria gasp behind me. “How did you do that? We tried for over a day without any result.”

  “Ohohoho.” I hold one hand in front of my mouth while I break the door open. “I am still the clan head of the Zait. If I couldn't get past my son's seal I would lose my confidence in being his mother.”

  I open the door and step inside. What awaits me is a dark corridor with many cables running along the walls. Something like a fist-sized, metallic spider skitters towards me and I attempt to step on it, but the thing evades sideways and runs up a wall and to the ceiling. From up there it glares at me accusingly. Then it turns and runs off while sticking to the ceiling.

  Walking along the corridor I take a look into the rooms to my left and right. Inside I find many different machines and artefacts. Most of them don't make any sense to me. “Looks like he was very productive during this isolation.”

  “He did something like this before!?” Valeria calls out. “When?”

  Yoran answers from behind us. “I think he was six... or was it seven? You were too young to remember it Valeria. He turned his room into something like a dungeon within a day. Though it's much worse this time. I wonder where he got the materials from?”

  Stella gives off an insecure laugh. “That might be my fault. He often comes to me with a shovel of dirt and asks to transmute it into one metal or the other.”

  When I look into the next room I find Azir lying on his back. He is on the ground on top of a thin, metallic disc and snoring quite loudly. The disc has a radius of about two metres. Yoran switches on the lights and we take a look around the room.

  Aside from the disc in the middle of the room I find several copies of it leaning at the wall to my left. To my right is a big silver mirror and the other side of the room is occupied by a long working table. The left side of the room, which should have a set of windows, is taken up by several big chalkboards with formulas.

  Suddenly the small spider rushes through between my legs, carrying a glass of water. It jumps onto Azir's chest and pours the water into his face. Then it escapes while he shoots into an upright position.

  Without thinking he grabs a tool from the collection around him and throws it at the spider. “Little monster! Just wait until I get my hands on you! I'll take you apart! I should have never given life to you!” Then his eyes fall onto us.

  I cross my hands in front of my chest while putting on my best motherly expression. “Explain!”

  He looks down at the ground, obviously in deep thought. “I thought I would try to wind the time forward in order to avoid Stella's bad mood. Obviously it didn't work as planned.” He pulls a clock-like device from his pocket. “Wow. Seven days! It seems like it is still not working properly. Hmm. I thought I had repaired it.”

  Stella walks past me and kneels down besides Azir. “You used that device to speed up the time? Can I see it?”

  Azir hands the device to Stella. “I took it back with me from the other world. It never worked properly, but it can speed up or slow down the time around you, which is like putting yours-”

  *Crack!*

  “~Ups.~” Stella keeps smiling at Azir. “I am sorry. I didn't expect it to be that fragile.”

  He nods, while he tries to keep smiling. “It's no problem, I can repair it.”

  Stella's aura turns really intimidating from one moment to the next. “So you tried to do something dangerous to avoid a single day of punishment?” The device crumbles into dust within her hands. “Ah... my bad. It's so hard to keep this ability under control while your emotions run wild.”

  Azir places his hands in a praying position. “Erm... It's okay. Like I said, it never worked properly.”

  Stella pulls him to his feet and points at the disc under their feet. “What's that?”

  He answers as fast as possible. “That's not dangerous at all. It's a teleportation circle which can be linked with others of its kind. Even someone who isn't proficient in teleportation magic can use it. You just have to step onto the rune which indicates your destination. Then you pour mana into the magical circle on the disc.” He looks towards the other discs at the wall. “Originally I wanted to make just three, but then I got carried away and built one after the other. It annoyed me that it takes so long to visit my family. Of course I could teleport on my own, but this makes it much easier.”

  Stella raises an eyebrow while looking at the device. “Your family's mansion is in another city. Somewhere behind the horizon.”

  A heavy silence falls upon the room. Azir built a device which rivals the City Gates! I told him many times that he shouldn't reveal knowledge like that! Well, Stella would've found out at some point anyway.

  He looks up and slaps his hands together. “That's right! The mirror! It shows someone's memories! Now I can prove that I am without fault!”

  He attempts to walk over to the mirror, but Stella holds him back. “It's fine. I believe you...”

  A giggle draws my attention and I turn towards the noise, just to find my husband touching the mirror. What I see in the mirror is his point of view while I am lying naked under him on our double bed. I am a younger version of myself and obviously moaning in pleasure. Though the device doesn't give off any sounds.

  Yoran looks towards Azir. “Son. Do you mind if I take that for-*Slap*

  I bend down and grab my unconscious husband at his clothes. “Azir, Stella, please excuse us for a moment.”

  “It is common knowledge that teleportation spells are complicated and dangerous. Teleporting into something, or messing up the teleportation itself can result in instantaneous death. That's why teleportation is only used in emergency situations and only towards a location which is in line of sight.
>
  The problem with teleporting long distances is that you can't be sure that the space in which you arrive is clear of obstructions. Even something as small as a bug can end your life if it is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  Teleportation is one of the great secrets of our time. We know that our ancestors could do it, but not how.

  If you want to teleport to a place you can't see yourself, you have to solve several problems beforehand. First the problem of arriving at the right place. Then the problem of checking if the space you arrive in is free of obstructions. Even fusing with the air at your arrival point is deadly. Then you have to solve the problem of aborting the spell in a case of danger. There are many more problems to solve and this is only an example of dealing with the issue.

  The point is that no matter how you solve it, the spell gets more and more complicated because you have to take so many different circumstances into account. Up until now, nobody was able to cast a spell that complicated and nobody managed to make the needed magical formation small enough to make it possible.”

  -Papyri magicae.

  Free City States of Nict, Capital

  Azir

  “Don't you realize the meaning of this?” Stella shakes me enthusiastically. “This is going to topple our society. We two could become independent!”

  I shake my head. “Maybe you are overestimating the discs a little. They aren't self sufficient like the Gates and require a lot of mana. An average magician has to use one fifth of his inner mana reserves to teleport from one main city to the next. Commoners aren't able to use the discs at all.”

  Stella stops for a moment. “They are still a revolution. People will ask how you managed to create them.”

  I put on a mourning expression. “So that means I can't use them.”

  She lets go of me. “I didn't say that. We just have to be careful on how to present them to my mother.”

  Bending down, I tilt the disc up and roll it over to the others. “Why? Didn't you already tell her about me?”