Beyond?

“The greyer is a big black bird. They are scavengers and their big claws and beak are perfectly shaped for the job of opening the dry skin of rotten carcass. Their ability to eat anything allowed them to spread over the whole continent. They are the preferred prey of wild nightmares which developed excellent jumping abilities in order to catch them as soon as they come close to the ground.

But one shouldn't underestimate them. If they are starving they gather in swarms. Once their numbers are big enough they attack and kill anything that's unfortunate enough to cross their path.”

-Biology report I.

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

***Azir***

“And that's a -J-, don't confuse it with the -I-.” I write the letters onto the chalkboard while two pairs of eyes are following my actions with great attention. The twins are under my care today since Stella had to attend to her lessons. Having nothing better to do I decided to teach them from early on like I did with Valeria. If they see me as a person of guidance, being a father should be much easier. Three weeks have passed since their birth and their training is making progress. It's very similar to drilling Ghost.

Educating your kids is very important. If they don't get taught and learn to value culture and order it's the downfall of civilisation as we know it. I don't want to be told that I am a failure as a parent. Sometimes parents call their offspring failures and in a certain sense they are. Their parents failed at giving them a proper perspective in life. It's not the kids' failure, but the one of their parents'.

I'll make my children proper members of society who can stand proudly in front of someone and proclaim that they belong to my family.

Stella interrupts my train of thought by entering the room and her forehead develops an amazing amount of wrinkles upon finding me in front of the chalkboard with my students on the floor in front of me. “What are you doing?”

“Teaching them the alphabet obviously?” I answer and gesture at Sariel and Zadkiel on their cushion.

“They are too young. You don't seriously believe that they get what you are telling them? All you are doing is entertaining them. They are paying attention to you because you are the only moving object in the room.” Stella sighs and comes closer, taking the chalk away from me.

“That may be true, but even if they don't fully understand what I tell them it has an effect. My training is aiming on making it easier for them later on.” I reach for the small pieces of chocolate in my pocket and raise my finger to draw the attention of the twins. “Who am I?”

“Pa!” Sariel calls out. I reward her by throwing a piece of chocolate into her waiting mouth.

“Pa!” Zadkiel imitates her action and I reward him too.

I fold my arms in front of my chest and nod satisfied, looking at Stella's pale face. My wife breathes out, long and slowly, then a tear forms in the corner of her left eye. “They said Papa. I was looking forward to their first word being Mama!”

“Oh, wait! I taught them that too.” Again I gesture for the twin's attention. “Say Ma-Ma.”

“Ma!”

“Ma!”

I reward them properly and Stella bends down to hug the both of them. “They are so smart, Azir! I think only the children of the Siorda can beat them. We are surely blessed with talented children.”

“What? The Siorda are developing faster? I have to tighten my training schedule for them!” It can't be!

Stella sighs and puts the chalk onto the chalkboard's holder strip. “What I originally wanted to talk about is the mana net. Helen is very disturbed by the way the whole thing is developing and wanted to ask if there is a way to... regulate it.”

“Of course there is, what's her exact problem?” I ask.

“I took a look at it with Louise and Helen is right when she says that the flow of information is much too fast now. Many of the old channels became obsolete since the whole thing started. For example it's more efficient for the military to communicate over the mana net than over the old messaging system.” She tilts her head. “Karsen and Talia are also concerned regarding the lack of discipline in some cases. That means making data with national importance public.”

I frown. “Aren't there already laws against espionage? Lock those people up, or give them whatever punishment is required for their actions. You can hardly blame the medium through which the message is delivered.”

Stella nods. “It's as you say, but the mana net is making it too easy for them to vanish within the crowd. They simply plant the info and hide themselves under a mountain of users.”

They are already that far with their tricks? “That shouldn't be a problem. I'll give Helen and Lucas a few of my administrative rights.” I certainly won't hunt down the bad elements of our society. There are more important things to do.

“Administrative rights?” Stella asks baffled. She is already very well versed in using the net and can deduce what I mean by that. “There are administrative rights for the mana net?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Of course there are. Do you think I simply give away a great invention like that for free? I could shut down the whole thing with a thought if I want to. The net is my way of controlling and spreading information, I can backtrack every user once he is connected. Don't worry, the controls are very easy to handle. Helen will be satisfied.”

I connect to the mana net and give Helen and Lucas the necessary rights. Stella plays with her fingers while thinking about what I said. “I see a lot of other problems with the situation. Are you sure that this whole thing can't backfire on us? There are moral issues about spying on other people.”

Moral issues about gathering information? “Don't worry. Oh, by the way... did you know that your father has a very dirty mind?”

Stella's eyes widen. “You didn't!”

“I did. He barged in on us with Helen several times now. The both of them are acting like this house belongs to them.”

“Actually it does?”

“That doesn't change the fact that we are the ones who are living here. Returning to my point, I wanted to find at least some dirt on their shoes.” Taking a breath, I gather my thoughts. “I expected that Helen is the perverted one, but your father is spending way more time visiting dubious sites. His total time on the mana net accounts to two hours a day. Half of it is spent on a site which is offered by a certain shop in the red light district of the capital.”

Stella's head turns bright red. “Won't he know that you know, once you make the rights available to him?”

Nodding my head a grin creeps onto my face. “Oh, he is smart. He will find out. And I am sure that Helen will find out too. She is a control freak and I doubt that she won't use the chance to track the movements of her husband.”

“You can't! What if they start fighting with each other!” Stella calls out.

I shake my head. “Don't worry. Your father isn't looking up what you think he does. What he is interested in aren't the companions, his interest is focused on the toys and tools.”

“Tools?” Stella's eyes widen.

“Yes, so far he bought ropes, whips, handcuffs, a very tight leather outfit, two sets of differently sized marbles, chains, oil and a very thin lingerie, matching Helen's three sizes.” I count the different items. “And he visited the page with the dildos eleven times, but so far he hadn't the courage to buy one of them. Maybe he is still thinking about the size? I am hoping to get a little more on him.”

Stella is just standing there in utter disbelief, her mouth wide open. “I get the handcuffs, but a whip!? Marbles?”

“It's okay my love. Your mind is too innocent, but that makes you cute. Don't take the wrong path like your parents. And don't talk with Louise about this, she would surely dirty your mind.”

Stella turns away from me and takes Zadkiel up from the floor. “I don't want to hear any more of this! Give me back my illusion of having proper parents!”

She opens her robe to feed Zadkiel, pressing him to her chest.

I steal a glance and scratch my cheek. “Did you make them bigger?”

That was obviously not the correct question since Stella snorts and leaves the room with big purposeful steps.

Something tugs at my clothes and I remember about Sariel. She crawled to me since Stella left her behind.

I nod vehemently, looking down at her. “Did you see that? Your mother can't even take a simple question.”

Sariel looks up to me with begging eyes and tugs once more on my trousers.

“She is a bad mother, isn't she? Feeding Zadkiel and forgetting about you.”

Sariel's eyes wander to my chest.

“No! I don't have any milk!” You made a fatal mistake when you chose me as a provider. I lack the necessary facilities.

Her gaze turns upwards to make eye-contact with me and her thumb wanders into her mouth, looking even more heartbreaking.

I bend down and pick her up. “We'll follow your mother and plug you up to her second tit, she has two after all.”

.