People often say that love is blind and in some extreme cases, they even say things like 'love is the most powerful force in the universe'. It is true that at times, love can drive you crazy or make you utterly oblivious to anything apart from the words of the object of your feelings. Whether you are strong-willed, dimwitted or even completely emotionless, it can flip your life in an instant and make you forget common sense. For those people who are afraid of love or simply shy away from it, the very word could be nothing more than a meaning of doom. If you never experienced these feelings or do not understand it, you often try to rationalize or even question its existence. You might be convinced that it is a simple chemical reaction linked to the human body and nothing more than that. For others who believe they had a taste of it, they commonly try to justify it as a mystical force that can't be fully explored and that there is no solid explanation as to what truly love is. As for me, I've never been in love. At least I don't think I've ever been. I can't be certain since my memory is fragmented right now, but I damn as hell am certain of one undeniable thing when it comes to this accursed subject. Love, whether good or bad, certainly makes you stupid.

"Let me go you monsters! Damn these goblins!" A man in gaudy golden plate that in no way could cover his protruded belly, is currently huffing and panting greatly. He is trying with all his might to escape his predicament, with little to no success, that is because he is being held by a number of goblins. "Lord Ian, don't hide behind these feral creatures! I demand you accept my challenge. Release the beast slave or sell her to me this instant. She has to be mine! Your lordships hands has no right to her!"

There can be only one explanation as to why he is behaving like a raving boar. It is a very simple conclusion. I believe that Goldy, I started to call him that because of his over the top shiny boob-plate, must have fallen for Catnip at some point. Most likely because she has been diligently caring for him for the past two days, not missing even a singly drop of sweat on his oily cheeks. I don't know if it is some kind of bridge effect or not, but I would have to say that the girl is very pretty. She has all the needed curves, huge bossom assets, is young and have a pretty, cute face, so whether it is this or that I am not surprised he is into her and I should also add that she has big cat ears on her head that act as a huge bonus. However, their age gap is not small and despite the fact that he is from a noble house, his behavior is not at all that of a gentleman. I was also told that he is little Does brother, which I find very, very difficult to accept. As annoying as it is, in our current situation, I simply can't ignore him. In normal circumstances I would have nothing against his flirt attempts but looking into his eyes I can see nothing more than purple hearts of a genuine pervert.

If his feelings were reciprocated by the girl I would be more then happy to encourage them if needed, but it is obvious she has no love for him and only cares because the guy holds crucial information about her brother. It's cruel, yes, but that is how the life usually is. I don't know if the current status between the two of them is good, because he is in a knight on a white horse mode, willing to tell her everything she asks and jump on to protect her from any possible harm or if it is bad since he is trying to challenge me for her ownership every few hours. As silly as it is, he is not willing to listen to reason. My words are not reaching him in the slightest, they simply bounce off his thick skin. I have to admit though I wasn't trying to be very persuasive, yet.

It's very hard to grasp what actually goes on in his head. He is all in on the idea of protecting her, but at the same time treats her as a slave or a tool, definitely as someone far beneath him. For me that is just contradictory and I can't wrap my head around his line of thinking.

Moving back to what is actually happening, the young master Mongbock is being held in a tight headlock after yet another assault on my life. His current assassination attempt, consisted of an improvised wooden ladle and a spork. Fortunately, this guy is extremely weak and clumsy. I doubt that he would be able to hit my head with that ladle even if I were asleep. Goblon G Is holding him with his arms around the neck making the poor guy's head progressively greener, so I signaled G to release him.

"Goldy, calm down already. I told you she isn't a slave. How are you ever going to win girls over if the only think you do, is treat them like, lets say... a mop. Even if you care for a mop, in the girls eyes you just see her, as a mop. They won't love you for that, unless their extremely into M category. You should drop it or change your approach, this is my honest advice."

"I will not listen to a man who tricks women and hides behind goblins in matters of honor!"

I shrug my shoulders. This guy won't listen to anything I have to say. Speak about being stubborn.

"On that note Ian, do you actually have any experience with women? Tell me if it is really alright for you to think that going for the head of every girl you meet, could be a valid advice."

I turned my head sideways. Short Tails has a bit of a point, but head pats never killed anyone. It's not as bad as she puts it and I know that she likes them since she is yet to brush my hand away. She has never done so, not even once.

"I doubt you know a single thing on how to treat a woman, but you are right in this case. March is not a tool to be obtained or traded." She was drilling her eyes through my skull since the beginning of this subject. Her judging gaze was somehow making me a tad bit guilty, but head patting good children is justice. However bad it sounds. "By the way, what's an M category?"

"Ekhem... don't worry your tails about it Shorty, lets change the subject." Continuing with current topic would bring us at dangerous waters, so it was better to change it. Including her, all the girls were gathered with us around a big bonfire. I escaped from her piercing gaze and looked at our alleged ladle assassin. Putting a serious look on my face and intense glare in my eyes, finally made him more receptive, at least little bit. "Goldy, lets make a deal. If you really care about our cat girl there, then you'd surely agree that the first priority is to get her brother back to her. If you'll act as our guide to and around the capital and if you help us sneak her family out, I am willing to give you my word that I will not interfere if she decides to go with you. However, that is if and only if, she decides that on her own."

Goldy dropped his head. He is probably thinking if this is a trap of some kind. Shorty on the other hand stood up from the trunk she was sitting on and walked up to me only to whisper in my ear.

"What if he blackmails March behind our backs? Are you really willing to let her go with another man after what you've done to her? Do you really feel no responsibility?"

"Relax your tails princess. As far as I remember I haven't done anything to her, that I should feel guilty of so stop playing the responsibility card. I did give my word however, so I will help to the best of my abilities. Besides, look at that guy. Do you really think he is capable of elaborate plots? Ten minutes ago, he was trying to chop off my head with a wooden ladle." I gestured for Catnip to walk over to us and Tatsu joined up along with her. With all three of them, we created a whispering semicircle. I directed my words at our most silent party member. "Catnip, I am not going to abandon you to that guy. If he tries anything, tell me and I'll do something about it. His help would speed things up, but if it turns out that he would pose danger to us, we can rescue your brother on our own. That fool already spilled where he is."

"So, you are willing to use him and lie to him just for our convenience? You really are scum, evil and shameless to the boot."

"Malay, he is not evil! I would know since me and master are linked with red thread of justice, love and righteousness. Goldy is at fault for treating March as a mop. If he is a fool then he deserves to be used as a fool. Also, making a move on masters third wife is already outrageously unforgivable. People like him should be burned alive and buried with a curse of souls eternal pain."

Tatsu said some outrageously disturbing and at the same time contradictory things, but Tatsu is Tatsu, so that can be ignored. Thankfully, non of the girls took her joke seriously. I hope. Although I have to admit that Shortys dead-eye stare is becoming a rather frequent occurrence.

"Don't worry Catnip, we will find your brother and rescue him with or without that guys help. I've already given you my word. Oh and girls, don't take Tatsu seriously. She is just joking around."

"I am?"

"Hmpth, this jerk as my husband? He can't even keep his hands to himself. This type of guy would need to be constantly monitored for cheating. I am not interested in a man who touch the head of every girl he sees." She sent me a disgusting but also a resigned look and with a heavy sigh, continued on with a question. "What would be your decision March? Ravan seems harmless enough. He also is of Mongbock and Doe is certainly a good girl. Her brother does not not have the same spirit, but I can't imagine him to be that bad. He lacks a lot, that is certain, but it might turn out that he actually has some redeeming qualities. In the end he has the same blood in his veins as his sister, so he could be of help to us."

Long Tails lowered her big ears while whispering with us. While she was shooting boring looks at him, Goldy was scratching his fat belly. His eyes under his furrowed brows were judging us from the other side of the bonfire.

"Lord Ian. Lady Malay, I..."

Catnip took a deep breath. Her tail was still and it was obvious she was trying to force herself to say something. In the past three days I managed to break some ice between us, but her guard was already ridiculously high from the very start. Helping her out is not as simple as it looks. I stood up from my tree stump and smiled at her. She needs warmth and guarantee that she won't be abandoned. Tatsu and Mal can give her that warmth and me too, to some degree. They can take care of her and be her support, but women and men support is not and should not be the same. Sometimes young girls, like Catnip, needs both in order to survive. Building her own pillar of stability needs a willing mind and many helping hands. Goldy can't provide that help now, obviously goblons are no good either.

My armored glove disappeared and I put my hand on Catnips head, stroking her ears and hair. This little trick with vanishing armor resulted in me getting an earful when we went for the ponds in the caverns below the goblon cave. I was so eager to bath after two days of constant stress, that in my haste I forgot about my wishing problems. My desperation to submerge in hot water earned me an ability to summon and unsummon my gear at will, but at the same time it cost me an hour of tirade and an extremely shameful display of things that should not be shown to girls of any respectable age.

"You sure are reserved on that front. You are willing to do anything to help your brother, while not thinking much about yourself, do you? Mal is here for you, you know? Those last two days convinced me that she really cares about you. I too gave you my word and even Tatsu, being on the side of justice and all, is surely willing to help you out. You are not alone. You don't need to say anything if you do not wish to, but you have friends that will stand beside you." Furry Ears stretched her arms and then hugged Catnip causing another short but intense bawling episode. Tatsu joined in and hugged both of the girls. Considering her height, she had to bend a knee.

Catnip is a sweet, innocent girl and she deserves to have good friends. Although I don't know if Tatsu could every take on that role.

"NOOOOOO!"

Our little family skit was brutally interrupted by Goldy's desperate yell. He was on his knees banging the ground with his fists.

"I won't accept it. I will never accept it. She is mine. Lord Ian, how dare you touch her head! How shameless and violent can you be!"

"What is it with you people and head pats? Look, there's nothing wrong with it. You can do it too, however I would advise against it when it comes to adults."

I moved my right hand away from Catnip and rested it on Furrys furry ears, stroking her head with slow and steady motions. At the same time I moved my left one to Tatsu and did the same. Apart from Furrys resentful gaze, she made no move against it. However, what disturbed me was Tatsus blissful look of extreme ecstasy. Yup, this is the last time I am touching her head.

"Wha..."

Goldys eyes were expressing a whole range of emotions. From utter horror, to total surprise, to complete disbelief.

"Ravan. I think you already know this, but this man here lacks any common sense."

"There is still a chance! If it was forced, the bond might not have been formed yet! I still have a chance!"

With yet another heavy sigh Shorty shook her head. She was looking at Goldy with strange mixture of contempt and pity. I didn't want to bicker with her about the point of common sense, so I followed with a more pressing subject.

"Alright, lets wrap up the silly head pats issue and focus on what's at hand." I removed my hands from the girls heads to avoid the pun. "Goldy boy, what would it be? Will you act as our guide around the capital or should we rope you against some tree in the forest and leave you there? I am sure, that with your storage, you will be a tasty snack for some wild beast."

He was still acting unconvinced so I hovered my hand over Catnips head to give him a bit of encouragement.

"I'll do it! No need to threaten me. If I won't go, there will be no one to protect her from you."

"Glad to hear it. I am warning you though, If you try to do any funny business while we are at the capital, I'll... turn you into a toad and give to some ugly witches to sexually experiment on. Keep that in mind." I walked up to him and pressed my gloved hand against his shoulder. "I always, keep my promises."

Goldys face turned blue and he gulped audibly. I hope I scared him enough. It would be bad if he turned on us in the middle of our rescue mission or if he reported us to the knights at some point.

"You really are cruel, Ian."

"It's his own choice. Now, lets get over our plan."

***

"This, is our main target. As you can see, getting in probably won't be easy and finding one particular person in that huge mansion won't be any easier. Once we get into the capital, we will have to scout around in order to find a way in. Infiltrating that place is our main priority. Thankfully, we already have a solid lead."

"It's more like a castle or a fort rather than a mansion and the center looks just like a pancake with domes on top. Who builds like this?"

"You ain't seen much of nobles district Tatsu. This thing is not really that strange compared to other buildings I've seen there."

We are all gathered next to the bonfire in front of the goblon cave and what we can see now is vast grounds with another excuse of an art expression in its center. Of course it's all conjured miniature and the plan is narrated by non other than Shorty.

It is getting dark and dusk is slowly closing in on us, but it isn't night yet so I can still see her and looking at her expression, I have to admit, Tatsu was on point. To make it clear, the dome parts don't really look like domes at all. We are able to see this aberration of... well, something on an over-made, several story high pancake with guard towers, thanks to Furrys great capabilities.

"Seriously, people in this world have severe problems with their imagination and tastes."

"I couldn't agree more, master."

With no exaggeration, my eyes are bleeding rivers of blood watching this thing. That's all because of Goldys incoherent explanations. They were translated into understandable interpretations and formulated into a simple plan, by our leader. Our captive blabbed for an hour about, in his words, 'Magnificent palace'. Making long story short, Furry made a three dimensional map, using her magical skills. She manipulated earth, mud and dirt to create a simple, yet very detailed view of the castle and its grounds where Bambom is being held. Don't ask me about the name. It's not me who came up with it. Still, I would be more than happy to have a word with Catnips parents regarding this particular subject.

"Ian, focus and listen or you'll end up messing up again. This time we are following my plan. Your ways of doing things only consist of talking things out. We all know how that would end up. We can't allow for any incident of your doing to happen at the bal. There will be hundreds of nobles and knights in the Holy Capital."

"Touché, Two Tails. Touché." I crossed my arms and sent her a disgruntled look.

"Grrr..."

Me and Tatsu were of the same mind. This cheeky girl will one day have what is coming for her.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Furry sighed deeply touching the bridge of her nose with her fingers and carried on.

"Chaos or some kind of distraction would be welcomed, but our priority is to find the boy first. Gathering information would probably be almost impossible if you were to move in with your usual antics, Ian." She took a small bite of meat, gulped it down and returned the rest back to her bowl, she continued on with her monologue. "Getting back to the topic. We will have an opportunity to infiltrate very soon. As I already said, in four days Countess Vrostch will be having a party. She is the owner of that castle and is a high ranking noble in the Holy Empire. The bal will have hundreds of participants. It's to celebrate the coming of age of Mor. He is her and her second husbands second son. Her first husband is the one that is tasked with the events organization."

"Wait a moment there Shorty. I am not sure I understand. Does she have two husbands?"

"No, Lord Ian, she has four of them."

Goldys revelation made me drop my boar skewer, having it end up as an unfortunate addition to the pancake art.

"What? Is that legal?"

"Yes, lord Ian. Father of our current emperor said, 'I will make it, legal'... and he did."

I was already having trouble understanding the norms of this world, but this piece of information made it more confusing. I know that there are always places that have some kind of patriarchal or matriarchal institutions or dogmas forced or imposed by different religions, beliefs or customs, but as far as I know, such rarely coexist with each other, if even at all. The Emperor have more than just few wives and a mistress or two on top of that and I can understand the reason for it, but I thought that was it. I can swallow why few nobles keep a mistress girl or a boy on the side. Powerful bloodlines need to flow and in their case some kind of insurance is a must. But four husbands...

"Here, Lord God, another skewer."

"Ah, yes, thank you, Chief Goblon." Chief gave me another piece of meat and moved behind me with a polite bow. This guy is the definition of a perfect butler. He isn't one of those shadow butlers like Baldrick was, to my great relief.

"Countess Vrostch, has a great swath of land to the north of the country. Vast farmlands as well as two mines of iron and a goldmine made her very rich, not to mention, a newly discovered dungeon in her lands gave here even more wealth. She came to power ten years ago and thanks to her many contributions she quickly rose in ranks. Her third and fourth husband married into the family three years ago and there are rumors about the fifth joining in soon. I myself think thank she is a venerable noble that is worthy of great respect."

Goldy was speaking his mind while chomping off big chunks of one of boars crispy legs. His flabby chin worked hard with every bite.

"My brother Reinqueth, is my fathers first wife third son. Three months ago, the patriarch received an invitation to the bal for Doeranaya. But, father wants to sell my sister to one of the royal family sons and not to Mor, so he pushed for Reinqueth to go instead of her."

"Goldy, out of pure curiosity, how many children does she have and how she knows who's the father?"

"She has seven, Lord Ian. Her fourth husband is said to become a father in the next two to three years. Countess is currently thirty two and certain questions are not supposed to be asked." He looked at me with pure hatred. Boars leg in his grip was being violated by his trembling hands and he was attacking it with his teeth in a way that could only be summarized as venting out great amount of anger. "If you want to sneak in during the bal, the best way would be to get an invitation."

"And that's where my plan will go in to motion. Before that, we need to somehow get a hold of an invitation and forge it. Our current focus is to steal it from one of the nobles or from Ravans brother. Listen up everyone, we are departing tonight on Tatsus back and we are going straight for the capital. I do not see any clouds in the sky so we are going to fly low under the light of the moons."

Furrys idea was sound, except for one part that didn't make any sense.

"What?"

"You have no say in the matter Ian. We are flying. Period."

"You can't force me!"

"Should I tell Doe about your wild run across the cave full of goblins while not having a single piece of clothing on you? I am sure that, that little girl would be thrilled to hear all about your perverted nature, not to mention your escapades to the memories of pure maidens as you have already scarred us with shameless image of your body! All that, just few days after your daring marriage proposal to that noble lady!"

"On second thought, flying is ok. You know Mal, you look quite beautiful today. That cloak really looks good on you, despite those shabby tatters you are wearing and that face of yours. Your tails are also longer and bushier than they were yesterday. Your corny and unwelcoming attitude is even more charming than it was the first day that we have met."

I said it all with the best smile I had. My attempt at cajolery was met with a rather emotionless response and a flat gaze. Damn, I don't thing it worked.

"We move in five hours, get ready everyone." In a quick attempt to disengage from the front lines I started to retreat back to the cave trying to evade any possible threats by putting my self in front of Tatsu. I used her as a dragon shield, but unfortunately was caught mere seconds later, invalidating all of my efforts at evasion. Cold, unforgiving hand grabbed my shoulder with Hulks incredible strength. "You're coming with me."

***

  I was dragged back in front of the bonfire and then confronted with a very strange set of questions and orders.

"Ian, if we are to succeed with our plan, you need to do something with that aura of yours. We won't be able to enter the castle, not to mention approach capital itself If every person with even the poorest of detection skills can spot you from hundreds of meters away. We will be caught at the city gates or worse, shot with a balista before we even get close to the city."

I was quite surprised. There was no scolding. At least not yet. Knowing this girls temper however, whatever I say or do will end up with her blowing up sooner than later and unfortunately I have trouble understanding what she means, is a balista some kind of a metaphor?

"I have an aura? You mean, my inborn charisma, right?"

"Charisma my foot. Ian, If I were to put you in the middle of a town, everyone in that town and possibly in all villages around it, would instantly know where you are. You are shining like a frenzied lighthouse. With all that ether you are emitting it's a miracle we haven't been found yet. The only reason I can think of, that we are not bothered here is because we are in a thick forest and have taken shelter in a goblin cave. Even with that I can only say it's pure luck or some divine providence that we had those two days without any interference."

"What in the world are you talking about Shorty. I don't see any ether around." I looked for shining lights or any kind of magical effects, like in movies, but there is nothing here. It's Just us and the darkening sky. "And what even is ether? Is it something like mana? Is it what you used to create that map of the castle earlier?"

Furry in completely unexpected move sighed again and moved her hands to her forehead. With irritated expression she slowly slid them down her face and graced me with the eyes of a dead fish.

"Why do you think you could not see a single creature in the forest except for goblins. For us to eat those skewers today they had to go to the very edges to hunt." She moved closer to the bonfire and continued on while warming her hands. "Ian, you might be an idiot sometimes, but you are certainly not dumb. There is no way you can keep running away from this. Tell me, what happens every time you are trying to talk to people."

"Shorty, you are exaggerating again. It's not true there are no critters around. I recently saw a squir... or maybe it was a hamster? Anyway I have no problems talking with people. Look at Tatsu and Catnip. They have no problems talking to me and even Goldy and his sister were ok. Goblons communicate with me too, even if they are just grunts. And that hamster I just told you about, it had a solid dialog with me, although it was one sided and that particular conversation stole a bit of my sanity and couple of years out of me." I set my case and smiled confidently, but apparently that cheeky girl had already prepared solid answers. She also ignored the squirrel part.

"They faint, Ian. That is because the amount of ether you emit from that body of yours is enough to knock out a damned Rainho bird. It's so strong that I wouldn't be surprised even if that overgrown bird died while doing a backflip and Rainho usually weight over ten tons! Doe needed three magic items of quality I dare not to mention and they were still barely able to withstand the pressure. Ravan has a magical breastplate that must be an heirloom and is a very high class item that protects the mind. Tatsu is a dragon. Strange, quirky and doesn't even look like one, but no matter how you put it she is still a damned dragon. By default, all dragons are immune to any kind of mind alteration influence and magic is in their very veins, they literally breathe ether. March, on the other hand, is a cat kin. Her race is somewhat resistant to magic and she is able to adapt quickly, even to yours. I am also helping her with adjustments. As for me, I am..."

"...a demigod, yes, yes. Ok, you have an answer for everything. Still, all of this is strange, don't you think? I could not possibly call it a coincidence. If all of you have some means of defense against my... ether, how can you explain that? How come that we all met? I do not like being led by the nose, but it looks to me like something or someone made it happen. The question is, whether it is that I am lucky or maybe it is that you are? Or maybe, non of us are and you are just blabbering nonsense."

Shorty looked me in the eyes for a long while and after what looked like a good minute she sat down on a tree trunk that was chopped by one of the goblons earlier. Her hands started to move with fluid motions, caressing the air and creating strange patterns. When she spoke again her voice had a trace of uncertainty and you could even feel fear if you listened carefully. Looking at her beautiful gestures as she waved light with her hands, I listened very carefully.

"I don't know. Your existence is strange no matter how I look at it. Nothing I know makes sense when I talk with you. Was our meeting preordained? Was our fate tempered with? There are beings who can change fate. I, know one who can." The last part was almost a whisper, it trembled with mixture of anger, fear and anxiety. With pensive expression on her face, Furry grabbed a pot with water by her side and started to move one of her hands again. The motions she was making were slow and graceful. Her fingers worked with nimbleness and dexterity. "You must understand that I was once praised as the most beautiful and knowledgeable woman in the whole Forest. There wasn't a person that did not respect me. People would often ask me for advice and I could be there for them. But I already lost all of that and it will take time to restore my body and powers not to mention my peoples trust. In contrast to what I have lost so long ago, what I gained is an infuriating baggage and a whole lot of questions."

"That was rude."

"Still, I can't blame you for my own circumstances and what angers me the most is that although I want to say our situation is your fault, I know that in truth, it isn't, not all of it at least. We were all incredibly lucky to get out of Onaboron the way we did. You created a whole mountain of problems, but I know you are... somewhat, relatively... to some degree, not a bad person. Whether I want to admit it or not, you rescued me and doing so you also saved March." With a solemn look, she stopped for a moment and looked at the two moons that shone brightly. "Thank you, Ian."

She moved her face away from the moons and in opposite direction from my own, so I couldn't see her all embarrassed. It must have cost her a lot to be this open with me. After a moment of silence, she resumed weaving her hands and in response to her actions, water streamed out of the pot and created clear sheet in front of her. She took air in her lungs and released a gentle breath turning the water to ice. She brushed it once with her palm changing the surface as it started to reflect her face. She took the now created mirror in her hands and started to polish it with the tip of her cloak.

"I look like a little kid now, but mark my words Ian. With time you will acknowledge me and you will stop treating my like a brat." It looks like she is really hanged up on the idea of her authority being respected. I can understand that very well. Maybe I should change my way of speaking to this girl. "We need to hide your aura somehow. Thankfully, your dragon subordinate is skilled at manipulating ether, so I don't have to worry about her. We will need her strength. I am still to weak to be a proper help." Her sad face was saying it clearly. She really is bummed out with her current condition. After hearing her out, it is clear this girl needs some pats on the back.

I walked up to her and put my hand on her shoulder. I was about to tell her not to worry to much, but my attention was drawn to the reflection in the makeshift mirror.

"What a strange surface. Have you made it to show up someone in particular or is it that my reflection is distorted to look like someone else? Are we going to change my looks to that guy so we could sneak into the castle?"

"No, this is your reflection. There is no alteration to it."

"What?"

My jaw dropped. What she said could be nothing but a ridiculous case of a very bad joke. From few things I remember about myself I actually have full recollection of my own face. The guy I see in the mirror is someone completely different, it's an intimidating, incredibly scary looking man in his late twenties. If I had to say, with this guys kind of jawline you could even sharpen razors. He would be quite handsome if not for overall, 'I'll murder you' face. It's common for people to think that such looks is a magnet for girls and an epitome of being a badass, but in real life, on a normal street, with simple common people, such a guy would be nothing more but a laughing stock and he would quickly turn into a meme. If it's really me now, then I can understand why people faint when they are confronted with this. And it's better that way, if they had a little bit more time, then those people would turn from being intimidated to being dead from severe stomach pain caused by excess laughing. However, that is still on the edge of being acceptable. On a scale of bad to very bad, its currently on abysmal. That's because the worst aspect of the reflection that is an absolute cringe is not the jaw or the face itself. Whoever thought it would be funny to put me in a body with this, had a really twisted personality. It's no longer on a level of a bad joke. I really think that someone did that on purpose out of pure spite to torture me.

"My eyes glow! They look like they are going to swim out of their sockets at any second. What the hell, Shorty, since when were my eyes like that? They look like freaking sand moving on its own!"

"They were giving off that golden-black shine since we've met. I don't know about before that, though."

This, could not be happening.

"Why do they glow!"

"How should I know! Why ask me?"

"This is unbearable. Are you telling me that all the people we talked to up until now, even little Doe, they all saw this? No wonder she accepted, she practically had no choice or she probably felt like she would be murdered on the spot."

"It's not because of that she accepted. Calm down Ian. You are losing it."

"I-I need something to cover my face, I need a mask, yes, a mask. Also, it would be best if I erase the memory of myself from the heads of all these people, yes I should erase the memory and the people with that memory. Where is my Mjolet. Head trauma is the best way to get people to forg..."

Suddenly I felt cold hands on both of my cheeks.

"Ian, deep breaths. Breath in, breath out. Come back to reality. Do you really want to hit Doe with that hammer of yours."

Furry was holding my face in her hands while standing on tiptoes. She was staring hard into my eyes and clearly trying to bring me back from whatever mental carousel I put my self in. I realized I was wholly covered in cold sweat and my heart was beating like crazy. A little bit more and I would end up with a panic attack.

"You... are right." I took a deep breath and tried to relax. I narrowly avoided doing something out of desperation and its consequences could potentially be catastrophic. I am normally calm and collected, but when it comes to my image I lose it quite fast. Normally, it wouldn't be that important. But in my current situation, my one mistake could cost someone their life. "I'm ok Mal. Thanks."

I took a quick glance at my reflection again. What returned back to me was a look of a terminator gone mental, with bad case of cringy, creepy eyes, but it still could be worse. Thankfully, I do not have demon wings on my head or tentacles growing out of my butt.

"Ian, give me your hand." Furry grabbed both of them without waiting for my response. "You and I are already connected due to your..." She stopped her tongue in the middle of her sentence and after a second, carried on with another thought. "I am currently trying to exchange energy between us. Tell me when you'll feel something is different." After a minute of standing like that near the bonfire and only with the moons accompanying us, the mood became extremely awkward.

"Trying to force myself through your shell is like trying to open a safe with a kitchen knife. It's practically impossible, especially when I am this weak. Listen Ian, ether is energy. Mana is also a form of energy. Both are not the same, but both are energy. They can mix, intermingle or reject each other. People in this word manifest different kind of effects by manipulating this energy. There are many kinds of it, but the important part for you to know now is how it feels."

"What about those mages in pajamas. Were they also using ether? The only thing I know about it is that it is only used by petty kidnappers."

"Stop with the jokes. Humans and generally all mortal races, like March, have very shallow understanding of ether. In order for them to manifest anything, they need utmost concentration. They often chant, call to gods or do anything they can to boost end effects. Imagination is extremely important, and if you immerse fully in what you want to do, the effect is that much visible. Those mages were actually very strong and were known even in my time as a force to be reckoned with." She stopped glaring at my hands and directed her head for the moon above us. Then she closed her eyes and gripped my hands with even more strength. "And you mocked them in full view of more than a hundred people. Their tower won't let it go easily. In just one day, you made an enemy of a whole country and a powerful order of mages. Summoning Tatsu the way you did, most probably put all the gods in the vicinity on a high alert, too." She furrowed her eyebrows and sweat covered her cheeks. "To make it simple for you to understand, ether is the most basic form of energy, it's what the universe is built of. Even your thoughts could be a form of ether. Mana you speak of and other kinds of magical energy are all derivatives that can evolve from it. Do you still not feel anything?"

"It tickles a bit."

"This is pointless." She let go of my hands, opened her eyes and swept the sweat from her brows.

"So, the thing I need to do, is to make that energy or whatever it is, go somewhere where no one can see it, or make it invisible?"

"You can't make it invisible. Beings like gods or demigods, normal mages, the simplest commoners or feral beasts, even newborn children emits energy all the time, unique all but to themselves. People can learn to curb that energy down to emit incredibly small amounts and store it in their bodies. Sometimes to great quantities, you can limit how much ether you release but this can never go to zero. Normally you wouldn't see it without some form of detection and people learn how to hide their ether levels, unless the person in question release it in some form, that will also make them lose the energy they were gathering for a period of time, you can't normally guess how powerful some people could be. Every person has a limit of the energy they can take in or release from their bodies. It changes with training and experience and it is even harder to manifest it into the desired form. I am trying to think of a way for you to release a standard level that would be comparable to that of most humans. It would be a easy thing for me, if you were a human, but In your case... Since the time in the dungeon, you were bursting out an inexhaustible amounts of energy without end and it looks like you haven't even noticed it. That is what I meant by your aura. It is so dense and there is so much of it that people in your vicinity simply can't take it. If they are not accustomed to magic or high amounts of energy, they just, pass out."

It sounded very familiar. It is like in games.

"So it's just like mana points. You gather it without doing anything or meditating and you spend it by casting spells, until you run dry and then start to gather it again."

"More or less, yes. It takes years to learn proper techniques and arts to be proficient. But in your case, there is no concept of running dry. You are like a huge dam with all of its gates opened wide. Like a fully turned on faucet with its cork screwed off. You are like an open wound from witch primal ether spills in to our world without stop. For now it is how it is, but if we leave it alone, in the near future, it could bring a whole lot unknown changes to this world. I can't even fathom the effects it could have on Aranna."

I knew it, so from the very beginning I really was a ticking bomb. The one who put me in this body is a total a-hole. But, I won't be beaten so easily. I've been given a weapon, so, I might as well use it.

Apart from bonfire giving us light, night took over completely. Darkness was spilling from the woods around us. Typical sound and smell of the forest could reach my ears and nose and it was really calming.

"Mal, I'll try to do something. Previously, I half-assed things, but this time I'll make a solid effort." She must have felt the change in the air as she came up to me and grabbed my arm. Normally she would slip some snide remark, but this time she said nothing. I took it as an encouragement. I closed my eyes and started to formulate a wish.