“I can’t believe it.” Elrhain muttered, “All-purpose poop.”

“We only found three, no, four purposes though.” Agwyn tilted her head. She leaned back onto the tholus wall using a sleeping Yip as a cushion. The fish gremlin squeaked but didn’t wake up. In recent days, with vigorous experimentation, all three of them had learnt how to fall into a deep slumber like state that Agwyn forced Elrhain to reluctantly call as, ‘Semi-Sleep.’

Or sleep, for short. Even though they were awake throughout the process. Pretend sleep, where no one called out each other… But Elrhain was starting to suspect that the fish gremlin really did know how to fall asleep in this sleepless dimension.

It was an hour after they had trekked back to their home base, so to speak, near the terminal and the Gladys spire. At first, Elrhain wanted to return to their dream corridor gangway. But Agwyn vehemently refused, claiming they had to ‘Get out of their comfort zone.’

… She was being a real nag about it if Elrhain were to be honest. Which he wasn’t, even purposely blocking Agwyn from reading his wayward mind.

“Runic Chains, glyphs, Sagathan lamps, healing… and?”

“The projectiles Yip shot. They punctured one of the aliens, right?”

“Ah… Ahhhh! They looked like Sagathan lamps.” Elrhain could feel Agwyn shift through his memories.

“You… are getting pretty used to violating my privacy.” He grumbled, which Agwyn ignored.

“That gives me an idea.” She ran off and squatted before one of the crystals sprouting from the base of the tholus. They were a picture-perfect copy of Sagathan lamps; that’s why they kept referring to them as such.

However, they could heal and kill alien beasties…

The Earthlochian princess observed it carefully for a few seconds and then tried to pry it apart. But the crystal was stuck pretty deep. She puffed out her cheeks, unhinging the vibrio knife module on the left gauntlet of her exo-gear.

There were no streams of vibrating plasma coating the alloy blade, but Agwyn hoped just the metal spike would be enough. She aimed for the crystal’s base before punching as though the knife was a pickaxe pick.

It worked, and the crystal broke off with a flash of neon blue.

“Hey! That’s dangerous!” Elrhain said, remembering the pain he felt when he brought his scalded arm too close to one of them.

“You didn’t notice, did you?” Agwyn asked. “There was a Sagathan lamp under my butt when you pressed me down behind the boulder. I think being provisional admins gave us certain security clearances.” She referred to where they had hidden when Yip fought the aliens and mentally conveyed a replay of her experience.

“…..” Elrhain gulped. He did not notice. But now his imagination went wild. Though in a darker direction of a hundred what-ifs.

“I-It didn’t hurt. Not like it did before. Stop fantasizing weird things!” Agwyn blushed fiercely. “Rude!” She glared at him, but it was more like an embarrassed peek. Since she was so tiny and was squatting down, she certainly was super fierce. “Rude!”

She pretended to be mad, telling him not to have naughty fantasies while bombarding his psyche with such exact situations right out of an erotica, not even letting him apologize for almost gravely injuring her because of his carelessness.

Drop it! She implied, And think of how steamy that situation was.

Elrhain gulped again, and Agwyn pouted.

She picked the half-foot-long irregular-shaped crystal. Wanting to change the subject.

“It really doesn’t hurt. But…”

“What’s your plan?” Elrhain asked, trying to hide his discomfort and going along with Agwyn’s ruse. ‘What am I doing….’

“Uh… I was thinking of inserting my vibrio knife into the crystal’s base using it as an impromptu plasma blade… if I can grind out a sharp edge….”

“Grind with what? The vibrio knife is blunted without plasma. And I highly doubt the lunar rocks will suffice. Brute strength? Macho Agwyn?”

“I am going to use your thick skull.”

“I’m joking.” Elrhain held in a laugh, shuffling her leafy hair.

… He really did love her. Yet he had almost hurt her today, mindlessly shoving her to supposed safety. Elrhain was feeling mighty embarrassed. Yet while he was thankful that Agwyn played off the incident as a racy incident rather than the potential life-threatening one that it was, his guts twisted with uneasiness. That’s why, he really shouldn’t let a ruse stay a ruse.

“I’m… sorry.”

Agwyn pouted fiercer. “I said drop it, didn’t I?”

Elrhain sat down and hugged her from behind, making Agwyn fall on his lap. He brushed the corners of the crystal with his sixth fingers. He’d need to have a long discussion with Agwyn about not disguising their feelings and issues to each other like that. Apologies needed to be said when it was due.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Elrhain had thought their relationship had gotten more stable after they were able to open up a little to their family. But then the horrible, improbable illusions the terminal had shown them hurled their efforts eighty steps down.

The visions opened old grudges and new wounds.

Because of many uncontrollable factors, Agwyn and Elrhain had a habit of handwaving away problems in their relationship back on Earth. Even after thirty years, three cycles on Fanas Diosca, the undying ghosts of these habits haunted them.

They were there when Elrhain ran away after learning he’d be engaged to Agwyn. And when Agwyn broke down, afraid that their new family would resent them for possessing unknown knowledge.

Both times, both he and she were fearfully expectant. With hopes that finally, they could be with the one they failed to love for so long, after so many twists and turns and death and a rebirth. Yet they were also terrified that a million outside forces would break them apart.

The forces may not even be strong ones. They might be unnoticeable facts of life the typical person was so prone to underestimate. Until the poison in their blood festered their souls.

In their previous lives, they simply weren’t honest with their feelings. They assumed what the other wanted without ever asking. They pushed their own beliefs and expectations of what was right and wrong onto each other. It was so obvious. They just didn’t realize.

Annamaria had hurt him badly, choosing Naomi’s words against his, and ended up betrayed and broken. Alex Fischer, desperate to retain their friendship even if it meant never being her lover, had forcefully quashed his feelings, comforting himself with the endearing existence that was Park Jarim.

By the time Annamaria had fallen for him, Jarim had left beyond the stars for her dream, and Alex remained utterly devastated. Completely dishonest. Hopelessly out of love and without any wishes to ever again further a relationship with a female human. And so Annamaria suffered. For decades. Even with their made-up family and cohabitation.

It wasn’t real, after all. For all he was a father and she was a mother to Miramarja; she wasn’t his wife and he wasn’t her husband.

But Annamaria acquiesced to that fakeness, as did he. She never even considered bringing another man into her life despite all of Mrs Hildebrand’s nagging. Not when it would break the wonderfully fun yet false dynamic she had with the love of her life.

‘She fears our love failing, of us falling out of love, and she demands perfection. That’s why she awkwardly tries to be so considerate to me. She… always avoids conflict. Until the last possible moment.’ Elrhain sighed. He didn’t let Agwyn read his mind, but the Earthloch inheritrix probably guessed what he was thinking and avoided his gaze.

Yet Elrhain’s gaze further hardened. This life would be different, and it already was different!

Elrhain acknowledged that if they stopped making an effort to grow their relationship now, some of the terminal's simulations might well come true. Even a telepathic bond could not save a stonewalled love. Thinking it could would be the epitome of hubris and an insult to all happy marriages and the painstaking effort that went into each.

But to heck with the terminal and its saboteur programming!

Elrhain had long, long, very long talks with Miramarja’s marriage counsellor and read many books on love, marriage, and commitment before his adopted daughter was whisked away by a hooligan. And before, when he was feeling disheartened after Jarim had picked her dream over him. He had etched them to his heart, and he was not afraid to use them!

Their relationship had the best possible start he could think of. They didn’t need to be considerate of each other’s different lovers each time they complimented her dress or his watch. For they were no longer each other’s third wheel. A fresh start starting with death. Elrhain would rather die and be done with it than mindlessly repeat the same idiotic mistakes he made in his last life. Pride and ego could go to hell. Alex Fischer might have appreciated Annamaria’s consideration, the poor, mighty man that he was with his inflated sense of self. But Elrhain realized that he hated it. And while Agwyn was on her tiptoes right now, it was only because the terminal had shoved unsolicited what-ifs and story ideas into her unprepared mind…. Or so he assumed. He’d need to ask her, really.

But either way, if this was the Collective, Elrhain would have sued the unliving transistors out of the terminal’s controlling authority.

That’s why… that’s precisely why they didn’t need to; Agwyn didn’t need to use lewd fantasies to placate his guilty feelings.

…after all, couples who solved every problem with angry, petty, fearful bedroom playdates seldom lasted.

But Agwyn didn’t look like she was ready to open up about this matter right now. They’d need to really… take some serious notes.

“It’s going to be a long discussion, Annie.” He said impulsively but felt Agwyn shiver in his embrace. The girl then gritted her teeth and continued speaking her intentions with the Sagathan lamps.

‘Ah, I didn’t mean to make her uncomfortable.’ Elrhain sighed inwardly while tightening his hug. When he was with Jarim, they’d never really have awkward moments like this. Nothing so painful. She was… easier.

‘And now I am comparing Annie to another woman. I’m freaking disgusting.’ Elrhain shook his head and gave Agwyn his full attention.

“It looks like a tree branch to be honest. Why not slash it at an angle with the knife nonetheless? Maybe you can break off a piece. It’ll be like a broken beer bottle, all sharp and stabby.”

“I don’t know. Let me try a few things.” Agwyn ran a finger over her knife’s edge. Usually, a thin layer of ultra-condensed plasma would coat it, vibrating at an extremely high frequency.

Agwyn held the crystal in one hand and put the knife against the base.

She ran the blade along the crystal’s side with all her strength in one fast stroke. But the crystal remained unharmed. She tried tens more times with grunts of exertion. She hoped to sand it into shape. But it was fruitless.

She then tried Elrhain’s suggestion and slashed the crystal as though cutting out a spear tip. But the blue material didn’t peel nor break away like wood.

“Before, I used the pointy tip to concentrate my power. That’s why I could break it off.” Agwyn held the crystal to her eyes and then showed it to Elrhain.

He felt a slight prick in his eyes as they focused.

“It’s… hard, but brittle. There might be a threshold where the crystalline structure breaks completely rather than peeling back layer by layer. Bummer.”

Elrhain sighed. “Use manna?”

Agwyn nodded. She closed her eyes. A bluish violet glow perfused her body. A basic application of refined manna, pure reinforcement of the physique. It was crude, but it was the most common use of manna. No fancy spells, cultivation techniques, or totems whatnot.

Agwyn was about to repeat what she did earlier but suddenly stopped. Her eyes grew wide in confusion.

“Huh?” She retracted the vibrio knife, holding the blue crystal’s tip and base, flowing violet manna with her hands.

Agwyn squinted her eyes, then pulled.

And the crystal extended as though it was made of putty.