Sometime in the distant future.

Stronghold in the Continent of Ambition.

“Can I ride you?”

She whispered in his ear as she interlocked her arm with the man walking beside her. Despite the situation, the man’s thoughts didn’t venture towards anything explicit as he glared at her with furrowed brows.

“Why would you bring this up? You know I won’t agree.”

The woman pouted as she said.

“Oh, come on, where will you take all this pride? If I don’t ride you than who will? That perfectly smooth and soft back is just going to waste.”

The man seemed unhinged.

“You can’t.”

The woman seemed disappointed as she leaned on his shoulder. But soon she felt his breath tickle her ears along with his voice.

“You can ride the front tonight. If you know what I mean…”

Her sad look faded in an instant as she smiled contently.

“I’ll settle for that, but just this once. You best believe I am coming for that back.”

They continued this banter as they strolled through a large hall crowded with people who gave them sidelong glances. How could they not? Since their interlocked hands seemed like the centre of the universe that held the world together. The spectators being dead stars that just existed, insignificant in the big picture.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

It was only natural though, these two being the strongest people that have ever existed on Earth. Although the people watching were not aware of this fact, they still didn’t dare to watch too intently.

Despite them talking casually, their voices were not heard by anyone other than themselves. Their steps however, echoed through the hall emanating with an aura of dominance.

They strolled forward without paying any attention to the effect their mere presence caused to the rest of the world. Towards the centre of the hall, where lay the usual centre of attention. Attention that was now thoroughly snatched by the couple.

A swirling mass of black and white energies that looked chaotic, yet serene at the same time lay there in the centre of this massive hall. People went through it into the Realm while others came out from the other side.

They walked into those swirling energies as the man pondered about how far he had come. How grateful he was to himself for somehow pushing through, how grateful he was for meeting her, he never could have imagined himself living such a life.

Then the energies separated and devoured them, leaving nothing behind.

***

The man felt his weight returning to his body as the black and white separated into an unfamiliar scene. A wide ocean stretched from left to right in the horizon. Behind him were trees so big that they pierced the skies, the sky a blanket of green. He stood at the edge of the land, in front of a multicoloured bridge that extended into the ocean.

The man’s heart dropped as he felt for his partner’s hand linked with his own. But there was nothing. His gaze scattered around him to locate the person he couldn’t imagine himself without, but she wasn’t there. The only thing he located was a fort, connected with land through that multicoloured bridge. This was not supposed to happen.

His mind was about to go into a frenzy as he went through one possibility after another about what could have gone wrong. All his thoughts came to the same conclusion as they all linked to a single entity. It was confirmed by the familiar monotone voice that echoed in his head.

“It’s time for you to fulfil your end of the agreement.”

…