Beyond?

“About the political and religious differences between the known countries:

Quinn is a nation far to the east. Not many travel that far, but we know that they have a monotheistic religion. Their belief teaches that there is only one true goddess who created the world. They think that magic is a flaw which contradicts the rules of nature. People with magical ability are therefore looked down upon and forced into religious service inside churches. This is officially done in order to save their souls. It includes many hours of prayer and guidance by the older priests. The harsh indoctrination starts in the earliest days of childhood and doesn't allow free thoughts or a free life. Those who are burdened with power have to live and die while serving the nation.

The country is ruled by a king and a queen who rule with absolute power. They pass this responsibility down to their descendants. The current rulers of Quinn are named King Novak Zerces the Seventh and Queen Frey Zerces the First. They have two sons and a daughter.”

-The writings of Dwem.

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

***Stella***

“Why are you always putting seconds onto my plate?” I squint my eyes and follow Azir's movements as he shoves the leftovers of our meal onto my plate. He is definitely acting strange. Normally he doesn't look out for me like that. But now he is overdoing it, I am already full. “I'll get fat!”

Azir holds the empty pan protectively in front of him. “It's already a given that you'll get fat. I've only my own well being in mind.”

My eyes widen and my tail instinctively lashes out at him, but he skilfully blocks it with the pan. “It's not even sure that I am... I just warned you that day because I wasn't in the mood!” What is he thinking!? We did it once on a dangerous day and it has been only four weeks since then! “You can't be certain that I am pregnant! It hasn't been long enough and I refuse to test myself. I am not sure what to think about you hiding my contraceptives that day!” This didn't match his usual character at all. Some connection in his brain must have shorted out.

Luckily the egg is gone. Sola already returned from her mission and is taking care of her egg herself. I am not comfortable with having it inside Azir's incubation chamber.

He fumbles with his fingers. “I don't think that I am that lucky.” Then he runs off and returns with a paper bag. “Here, just in case.”

I warily take the paper bag and look inside. “What should I do with crushed egg shells?”

“Eat them!” He shrugs his shoulders and looks somewhere else. “Just in case that you get certain urges. It's better than eating chalk... or people.”

I throw the paper bag at his forehead. “The ~eat people~ thing just happens in cases of severe malnutrition! You need to starve a highly pregnant woman for several days in order for her to lose her reason. And just for your information, I am still not sure if the whole thing wasn't a form of rape!”

Several wrinkles appear between his eyebrows and it seems like he is trying very hard to remember what happened that day. “No, I am sure that it wasn't like that. You were really into it in the end. Though I must admit that raping a princess is something not many guys can do.” He smiles and bends down to pick up the paper bag, then he shoves it into one of my robe's pockets.

“You!” I point my finger at his chest. “I said no! And you blatantly ignored me. Using me like... I am really considering telling my parents about this!”

He isn't impressed at all. “Go on and do it. They watched. Helen herself said that you liked it. I don't think that I have to fear anything from her.”

Oh... I don't want to remember it! I almost died of shame. For Mom and Dad to see me like that! That's right. I still have my father as a trump card. “Then I will talk to my father! He is easy to influence in matters like this. You won't have a nice time at all!”

“I am not afraid.” Azir turns away to wash the pan. “In fact I already got his approval a while ago. I believe that I am not only free of guilt in this case, but I've also the best witnesses possible.”

Noooo! Why did they have to see it. “I'll say that it happened on another day.” It's a low blow, but I'll simply play the female card.

He doesn't turn around and continues to wash the pan. “That's cheap. And besides I always wondered how there can be rape in a sexual relationship? Isn't something going seriously wrong if one partner refuses to-”

“Stooop!” I see this isn't going to lead anywhere. He has the upper hand in this matter and it's bugging me. “I don't care any more. Just see to it that it doesn't happen again.”

Suddenly a red light appears in my field of vision and I freeze. I've gotten used to being permanently connected to the mana net and this red light is indicating that someone from our inner circle needs my immediate attention.

Azir's idea of a country spanning magical mind network got a firm foothold within our society and I am not entirely sure where this will lead us.

I acknowledge the incoming request and the communication window with the requested participants opens.

I end the communication and get up to receive Helen at the door. Azir went out of his way and moved the stepper disc to a new location ten metres in front of our house. I am not sure if he put the stepper disc intentionally directly beside Ghost's sleeping place. If someone who doesn't smell like us uses the disk he will appear next to a big, angry furball with many claws and sharp teeth.

When I open the door I find Helen already approaching our house. Ghost is circling her at some distance. Azir taught him not to attack our family members according to their smell.

Helen doesn't waste time and soon she comes within a comfortable talking range. “What's up with this story about an army approaching our borders?”

“We also heard about it only moments ago. It'll be best if we let Ivy explain everything.” Azir's voice sounds from behind me and I turn to face him. He gestures for us to use the stepper disc, so we head directly to his observatory.

Arriving there we are greeted by Ivy and a few of Azir's researchers. Ivy's expression is composed, while the researchers around her look like the world is ending. She starts her explanation without caring for Helen's approval. “The army was spotted far away from our borders. They should need at least two more weeks to arrive in Nict.” She points down the hallway in which we appeared. “We can take a look at the situation in the main control room for our spy drones.”

We follow Ivy and I use the chance to take a look at what Azir and his team accomplished here. He turned the observatory not only into a control facility for his drones and satellites, they also started researching various other technologies. By looking into the rooms to the left and right I get a glimpse at various different projects.

Most of them are related to Nict's industry and the military. Others are clearly related to research activities and the university. Azir's expertise with technology is now widely known and my mother gathered the smartest brains of Nict in this facility. They are all people who studied the lost knowledge from the Empire. As I already learned myself it's really hard to take one of the old books and apply the knowledge without someone to take you through the process step by step.

Many of the saved books' contents are too specialized to be applied that easily.

Just recently we ran into an unexpected wall regarding the genetic manipulation of plants. Our professor found a book which described a magitech approach on altering an existing life form into something else. The content was understandable and sounded easy enough to put it to practice. What we didn't expect though was how hard it is to map a genetic code. If we did that by hand, we would be still at work a hundred years from now. Our ancestors solved the problem with something that was called a gene sequencer, though the author of the book didn't find it worth mentioning how a gene sequencer works.

Those are the problems we are dealing with at the university, while we are trying to reinvent the gaps in our knowledge.

Azir turned out to be a magical short cut on many problems our people are facing. It isn't like he is doing everything on his own, but more like he is guiding his subordinates into the right direction. Sometimes I wish he was a little less smart. If it wasn't for his utter, complete uselessness in biological, philosophical and medical aspects I would get an inferiority complex!

Maybe my professor should ask his team for help. They can take the problem apart and present the mechanical and physical aspect to Azir.

My random thoughts get interrupted when we enter a big room. There is a big three dimensional projection of our world on a podium in the centre. It's a magical construct which is achieved by using magic to bend light. The magic is easy enough to perform and is known to the modern Nict since a long time ago, though putting it to good use like this is the research team's accomplishment.

Ivy starts interacting with the magical construct by performing fast chopping movements with her hands. The projection changes and shows us Nict's eastern border together with the foreign army's course and speed. “They are moving with a top speed of fifty kilometres per hour and cover about two hundred kilometres a day. They will pass our borders sometime next week if they keep that up.” Further images appear which show the advancing force.

Helen stares in disbelief at the map. “Impressive. We can't move so many soldiers at such a speed. That means that they must have crossed the eastern planes in just a little more than a month?”

Ivy nods. “Seven thousand and four hundred kilometres in thirty seven days. Though they seem to rely mostly on their carriages.” Another chop of her hand expands one of the videos. What we get to see there is a long line of wooden vehicles with no visible way to propel themselves. They simply... drive on their own? Probably they are using magic like Azir's drones.

Azir chuckles lightly at my side. “That's an army? Looks more like a carnival!” He points at the picture.

I admit that he has a point there. The carriages are all of different size and shape. Some utilize three wheels, some four or more, the variety seems endless. On top they are painted very colourfully. This army looks like a moving rainbow. There is a particularly big... thing in the centre of the formation. It looks less like a carriage, but more like a moving fortress! This one seems to be made out of metal.

“I am itching to order a strategic strike at them.” Azir tilts his head and licks his lips. “I detest such a display of wasted resources.”

Helen shakes her head. “No. We must find out why they are paying us a visit first. We shouldn't simply make an enemy out of someone who was able to resist the old Empire. I am not entirely sure that your orbital attacks would work on them. Don't forget that they had a way to stop the Light of the Emperor. Why shouldn't they be able to stop your new toys?”

Azir shrugs his shoulders. “That's why I want to test them.” Suddenly he faces me with a smug grin on his face and nods while checking me out.

I know this expression. He only wears it when he solves a particularly hard problem and all of his calculations worked out. After a few moments I can't bear his expression any more. “WHAT!?”

His grin widens, showing off more of his teeth. “Does it taste good?”

In that moment I realize that my jaw is making grinding movements and something crunches between my teeth. My eyes wander to my left hand with Azir's paper bag. In my right I have some of the crushed egg shells. I was too absorbed in the moving pictures, so I didn't even realize when my body moved on its own. “Oh, no...”

Mom hugs me from the side, a brilliant smile on her face. “Don't worry dear! That's normal. I am so happy!”

.