Thank you to my patrons, OdeToAKite, Danielle Warvel, Michael, JewBot9000, Jonathan Newman, Konrule and Kolonji Francois for always being patient and supporting in what I do.
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CLATTER CLATTER
"I know we made a decision yesterday, but seriously, what are we?" Seraphina asked while her legs were crossed.
Aric, who sat across her, finally put his head back after half sleeping for an hour,
"I don't know. A fake couple?"
Seraphina raised an eyebrow, "Why can't we be a real couple?"
"Because, real couples love one another while we two...don't. We at best have an interest with one another, plus you won't sleep with me."
Seraphina's tendril started to slither out, "How are you so sure?"
Aric glanced at the tendril approaching him, but didn't flinch,
"Because you don't love me or like me enough to do that. Two, this may sound a little too honest, but I'm guessing Vayne here ruined the meaning of sex for you."
She stared at him in disbelief. She knew he wasn't wrong logically, but emotionally, she couldn't quite agree. She looked away from him while thinking deeply.
I mean...why can't we just be a real couple? We're already familiar with each other...I know about your shawarma, your kids for god's sake. I even know about your old life...
I guess I, too, never had any normal relationship. Theodore was...ugh. Somehow, a worse nightmare than Vayne. Then there was Charles, a lovely duke, who turned out to be gay. He likes men, and although he didn't treat me like shit, we would never be happy together.
...But then, there's you. Stuck in a body you didn't want, and still find a way to connect with me. You know about my family, my past with them, my school days, minus that psycho.
Sure, it's only been a few months since we knew each other, but no man would solve someone's problem if they weren't at least interested, right? Am I crazy?
She let out a low laugh, "You're awfully perceptive for someone who claims not to understand women."
"I never claimed that I never understood women. I was married after all. I'm just more cautious."
She faked a smile, "Really then? Just cautious?"
Aric knew this was going to go wrong and raised his hands in defeat.
"I don't know, Seraphina. I really don't know. I'm pretty sure I like you enough to ogle your body and daydream of things no one should ever know, but at the same time, I don't know if we could be a good couple."
She crossed her arms, "Why not? We already do everything together, what's a kiss and saying you're my partner going to do?"
Aric was a little frustrated, "Because I might actually fall for you."
He continued, "Because I don't know how much longer I can sleep in a bed with you and restrain myself. I am a man, Sera. At the end of the day, I am a man who likes women."
"And being with you every day and not doing anything does things to you. It makes me uncertain, it makes me cautious, and it's...I don't know. You sleep with me so easily, even initiate to touch me, hug me, cuddle me, and stuff, and yet, I never see you flustered."
"When you do those things to me, it changes me. It makes me feel something towards you. At the same time, we have already set out boundaries. I can't just act on it. We are just...a fake couple at the end of the day. You don't know me enough to like me as a husband or a boyfriend. Hell, I could even be as bad as Vayne."
She scoffed, "Impossible. Unless you're Theodore, you cannot be worse than him. You are by far the nicest man I have met. Even nicer than Duke Charles, and I only do those things with you because I am comfortable with you. I never let my guard down and get familiar with just anyone if that's what you're thinking."
"Aric, listen. I asked you to stay because I want you." Her cheeks and ears started to burn up,
"And-and-and, plus I don't want another man coming into my life and messing it up for me. Plus, you already touch my body, no man other than my partner should be allowed…"
He got defensive and flushed, "That-that was an accident, okay! I didn't mean to sleep on your ass or press your boobs. I already said I'm sorry!"
Her tendril gripped him by the waist, "Then, just be my partner. Sure, it might have to be a secret, and we are probably going to hate some of the stuff we are bound to do, but seriously, Aric, I need certainty."
She looked at his eyes with a soft, vulnerable expression, "What are we?"
Aric's face and body were getting hotter by the second, and he wanted to face her away but decided not to,
"Y...your fake husband, but a real partner, your partner. I...will learn to like your flaws and your strengths."
Her gaze softened, "Okay then. I can accept that, for now."
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As the carriage rolled onward, neither Aric nor Seraphina noticed the faint golden light high above them. Suspended on dark clouds and the night sky, Theodore gazed absently at the sky.
His fingers played around with a ring that had engravings that looked like wings.
How dare he? Theodore clenched his jaw, replaying the farewell ceremony in his mind. The cheers, the banners, the way Seraphina waved goodbye from the carriage.
Husband...tch. Filthy.
"That man… Aric," he muttered darkly. "Just who is he? I was so sure my plan of making Seraphina hate Vayne would pay off... no, it did.
"That birthday party, tch. I almost got her right where I wanted her. I could've gotten her, showered her with my love, and kept her to myself all in the room. After all..."
He took out a black box that turned white with his touch, "I could've controlled her with this..."
He put it back in his pocket, "Now I can't do that since my stupid father is signing that document. What did that fucking man even do anyway for father to be scared of him? He's not even that strong. If it weren't for teacher Lira, he would've died by accident."
His eyes glowed faintly, "Right now, I could blow up their carriage, take a few hostages, cut them up as a warning until my precious comes to me. Or perhaps…"
His grin widened, "…I could simply remove him from the equation entirely, but I think that would make her more upset and a nuisance to deal with. She is, after all, stronger than me, and I adore that."
His pupils dilated as he played with the ring at a faster pace
"We are always meant to be together, Seraphina," he whispered,
"Fate says so. You're mine and I won't let anyone stand in our way."
The air even at that altitude started to change, and Theodore immediately threw a light ball in front of him. The light ball rebounded back, penetrated through the clouds and exploded at a farm field hundreds of kilometers away.
The voice sounded menacing, "Heh? There's still someone like you?"
Theodore, despite his strength rivaling Seraphina's, felt uneasy with this figure.
"How are you here? Nobody else should be able to fly and maintain this altitude."
The figure tilted its head, and sharp fangs showed as it smiled disturbingly,
"The question is, prince. Why are you so obsessed with her? I have been…hearing about your petty love, and she doesn't even like you."
The prince immediately unsheathed his light sword that shone brightly, and pointed it at its throat,
"You. Do not know that. She loves me. She's just brainwashed by that waste of oxygen of a man. She will soon realise he is nothing but horseshi-"
The figure grabbed the sword and broke it with just a grab. Theodore was confused and afraid all at once as he had never seen his light sword broken. More so, this easily
"Listen here, buddy, I don't care if you want her and control her every life however you want. In fact, I feed off that energy you show. I hope you keep being obsessed with her. But."
The figure walked closer, the cloud started to turn black and the air became so thick that it felt like inhaling smoke.
"To tell that man who invented otherworldly technology is a waste of oxygen, that's where I draw the line."
The power that the figure started to spew made his legs heavy.
"But." The power started to calm down, and Theodore regained his composure,
"I am also interested in what you would do."
"I love chaos. Like, really love chaos. But, I also want assurance that…my favourite man, Aric, isn't going to be threatened by you. I know what you're capable of. Your sick, delicious imagination…The things you would do for any man who even thinks about her. My my!"
It clasped its hands together, "WOOO! HOW EXCITING! SO TASTY!"
Theodore's heart started to beat faster, but he maintained his face,
"You sound like a starving dog."
The figure chuckled and wagged a finger at him, "Oh no, no, no! No, prince. Not a dog. A connoisseur. A critic of chaos, if you will. And you, dear Theodore, are an artist in your own right! The wonderful brushstrokes of obsession, the splatters of madness…"
It inhaled as if savouring the air, "…mm, exquisite. If you could just recreate that madness into reality, OHHHHH how I would REJOICE seeing that! The blessings I will say for you!"
"So, here's the game, my sweet prince. You may do whatever you like. Kill the innocent. Burn the guilty. Torture, betray, lie, scheme—OHHHH!"
It hugged itself as if the words were a comfort. "I encourage it. Declare war on everyone if it pleases you. Tear this whole world apart. Every act, every atrocity…"
It released the embrace, "…will only make me more entertained."
Theodore's pupils narrowed. "Anything goes as long as I get her? So I have your permission, oh mysterious figure?"
The figure nodded, but its smile thinned immediately,
"But listen. Not one and I mean, NOT a single scratch on my Aric."
The air grew denser, pressing against Theodore's lungs,
"You may torment her. You may bend kingdoms to your whim. You may even succeed in dragging her into your bed of chains and illusions. But if my Aric suffers so much as a paper cut because of your little fantasy…"
Its grin widened ear to ear with too many teeth for one face, "I'll peel back that beautiful skull of yours and see if you like getting a scratch on you."
Theodore's grin faltered. This creature's fascination with Aric…It's crazy. It doesn't really care about anything but Aric, but why? It didn't care what happened to the world so long as Aric remained unharmed.
Even I care what happens to this world. He thought. But this thing… it doesn't give a damn. Maybe it's too strong to care. Whatever it is, I should be done with it.
Silence.
The figure tilted its head, and its eyes began to glow a deep red. When Theodore's lip twitched, the figure noticed instantly.
"Ohhh?" it cooed, "There it is. That little shiver. Do I scare you, prince?"
Theodore stiffened. In less than half a second, the figure's hand wrapped around his throat and lifted him off the cloud with ease. Its fingers were cold but real.
What…the hell is this creature? The mana is off the charts! Its aura isn't even registering with my eyes.
A shadow's body but a person's touch. What the hell am I seeing?
He forced himself to calm down. Calm yourself. There's no bloodlust from it.
"Are you scared?" it whispered in his ear. "Your body language says you are. Look at you. Stiff. Twitching. Hiding it with bravado. You're uncomfortable."
Its red eyes locked onto his. "Do I scare you? Or…do you scare you?"
Theodore flared his power just enough to sear the creature's hand. It let go,
"I get your point. I won't touch Aric."