Beyond?

“Those who see all magic own the world. They are the ones who are to be obeyed. No one shall refuse their wishes. The Empire exists to serve them. No one dares to defy them.

But one refused their rule. One challenged the order. One banished them.”

-The forbidden Chronicle.

***Free City States of Nict, Capital***

***Azir***

I regain my consciousness and find myself being dragged away from the warehouse. Ghost and Ivy are following me like two well behaved pets. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I was just a little overwhelmed by my feelings and used too much strength.” My mother pulls me to my feet and points at Ivy. “Would you care to explain who that is?” Valda points at Ivy. “She came up to me and called me Master!”

My eyes wander to Ivy. “Err... that's a bit difficult. Ivy, why are you calling my mother Master?”

Ivy bows. “Of course. I've spent much attention on the relationship between the Creator and others. When this woman came to our house and broke the Creator's seal with her finger, she immediately acted like someone with the power to command. When she entered my master's laboratory, she even tried to step onto me like I am a fly. And the Creator always acted very respectful towards her when she visited. Hence she has to be the Master.” She looks up again, smiling.

Valda squints her eyes and takes a closer look at Ivy. “I don't remember stepping on you.”

“Maybe you remember me like this?” She pulls her robe apart and reveals her marvellous twin mountains, with the artificial spider embedded between them like a decorative gemstone.

Valda jumps forward and smacks Ivy, pulling her robe together in order to cover her up. “What the hell do you think you are doing?” Her eyes wander towards me.

“I didn't do it! She did that on her own by taking over a dead body!” I try to justify myself.

“We'll talk about this situation later. Right now we have to leave. The army will arrive soon. Helen wasn't sure how long she can delay them.” Valda takes Ivy's hand and leads her away from the warehouse.

I whistle a command for Ghost and all four of us leave the vicinity.

***Free City States of Nict, Capital***

***Stella***

The door opens and Helen enters my living room together with Lucas. Sola is sitting beside me on the couch and Valeria is reading a book while sitting on a chair close by. Both of them kept me company from the time when I woke up. I don't feel like having them around me, but I couldn't manage to get rid of them. They said that they are staying to keep me from doing something stupid.

Then another person enters the room and I jump up to fly into his arms. “Azir!” Burying my face in his chest, I don't let go of him.

He closes his arms around me. “I am sorry, but they hurt you and I... when I read her memories, I simply had to stop them.”

His words make my heart cringe. “Did you get all of them?”

“Most.” He leads me back to the sofa and sits down with me.

At that moment I realize that Valda and Yoran entered the room too. And then another person walks inside. A beauty with blonde hair and strangely pale skin. It's not at the point of being abnormal, but nevertheless draws attention. She is holding a plate with different foods from the cooling box in our kitchen. She takes just one bite from everything while looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.

I point at the woman. “Who is that?”

Azir's expression cramps up. “I would call her an... assistant?”

The woman's eyes leave the ceiling and fix on me, then she drops the plate and runs in front of me, kneeling down and touching the carpet with her forehead. “The almighty Supplier! I've looked forward to our meeting. May I beg you to employ me as a servant?”

I watch the woman on the ground with a baffled expression. “Supp... Serv...” I don't need someone who could get between me and Azir in my own house! “What makes you think that I need a servant? And why are you calling me Supplier?”

The woman doesn't look up. “I studied the relationships between organic beings and found out that the Creator might be mighty, but is still living off the grace of the Supplier. The Supplier owns the house and supports us with the necessary materials. If you want to survive in this world, you need to fulfil a proper purpose. Therefore I seek employment.”

My face cramps up. “I don't even know who you are!”

“The Mas...” Valda kicks the woman on the ground. “Clan head Valda instructed me to reveal my true self only to you, so would it be okay if we went to the kitchen for a moment?”

Even so, I don't think that I'll be fine with this...

***Free City States of Nict, Capital***

***Azir***

When Stella left with Ivy I felt the attention of everyone turning towards me. Then I was interrogated by Lucas and Helen. Lucas even pointed a magical light at me like in a bad movie. My mother already did her part beforehand, but it wasn't an interrogation I had to endure from her. She did the worst thing a mother can do and talked a guilty conscience into me.

About how I left Stella alone and didn't even bother to send a message. I admit that I could've handled the situation better, but when I found an enemy agent within the bureau of magic I feared that they had people in even higher places. If my family started to act strange, they might have become the targets of attacks.

I'll make it a priority to create more of the communication cards and then I'll supply everyone with them.

To my relief it seems like Helen and Lucas used their power to persuade the witnesses of the event that I didn't use soul magic. I just used a very powerful form of mind magic, which looked like soul magic.

In order to prove my innocence I'll have to submit to a group of mind magicians. They'll scan me in order to determine if I have any souls other than my own in my body. I told them that it's no problem at all since I don't have any. Seriously, why should I?

Forcing another soul under your will to strengthen your own does nothing more than to increase your mana pool. It might be true that a regular magician gains a power boost from that, but I am a Zait. My clan's ability gives me access to more than enough mana.

I have no need to burden myself with the depressing memories of others. Using souls to strengthen yourself is like copying the memories of other's into your own consciousness. There is no way to tell how long you can take something like that. You might simply go mad at some point.

The black magician who summoned me to this world used that technique too. To be honest, I was baffled at how many people were inside him. It was a little wonder that he wasn't insane. Well, maybe he was. It's not like I knew him long enough to tell.

Upon revealing that this test isn't a problem, Helen and Lucas let out a sigh of relief. It seems like they already feared the worst.

Stella returns with Ivy from the kitchen. Her expression looks a little conflicted. “Mom, could you instruct one of the branch families to add a servant's quarters to our house? Ivy is our maid from now on.”

Helen raises an eyebrow. “Sure, though I would like to know who this person is? I don't have anything against you having servants, but you obviously didn't know her a few moments ago?”

Stella returns to my side and pulls me from the sofa. “I need to confirm the situation with my dear fiance first. Ivy is a trustworthy person, please believe me for now. I am tired and want to be alone with Azir.”

They agree with stiff expressions. I decide to lead them out through the front door. As for Ivy, she retreated into my laboratory since it's practically her home.

The only one who refused to leave immediately is Lucas. He stares down at me in silence until the others are gone. After a while he decides to talk. “I was wrong about you. When you went all out and punished the ones who hurt Stella, I wasn't sure what to think. But after a while I decided that only someone whose feelings are true would do something like that.”

I attempt to answer. “It's nice of-”

Suddenly the huge brute hugs me with a tear running down his cheek. “Take a good look after my daughter. She needs you right now!” Then he lets go and wipes the tear from his cheek. “And just a little warning at the end! If you ever run off again without leaving my daughter a message of what you are doing, I'll fold you over backwards and toss you into a river that's flowing out to the sea.” He turns and follows the others.

I just stand there, frozen. After a minute I finally manage to move again. What the hell just happened? Returning back to the third floor, I find Stella in the kitchen. She is trying to fumble something edible together. With trembling hands...

So I take the plate from her and hug the one whom I should have taken care of instead running off for personal revenge. “I am sorry.”

She nods. “I am sorry for falling apart like this. You probably felt much worse... especially since you had to learn about it like that...”

Suddenly I feel much worse than before. I knew about it all along, but I can't tell her that right now. “Don't worry about it.”

.