“So, where exactly are we going again?” Dan asked he was currently looking at Amani who was currently packing a duffle bag with some of the strangest assortment of items he had ever seen.  

“We are going to a place where it is dark year round, the realm of Abyzou, the אוֹפִיקלֵד.”

“You really have to start speaking in a language I can understand.”  he said shaking his head, every time she said words in whatever language that was his head felt like it was going to break apart from just attempting to listen to it.

“Sorry,”  she apologized, “It's nachash, the realm of Abyzou.”  she said.

“Naw-khawsh.”  he repeated to himself sounding out the words she had just spoken.  “So what you are saying is we are going somewhere that is not on earth?”  he asked, there was some apprehension he felt when he thought of it that way.

“Yes and no, it is hard to explain, let me put it this way-”  she paused to consider her words carefully. “It is there but also not there, it is a plane of existence that exists in a whole other time line, but seeing as it’s denizens are part of the natural world they cannot be removed from it,” she sighed, she knew she was not really getting through to him, it was a hard concept for a being who was not part of the actual flow of magic to understand.

“So, it is like a parallel dimension then?”  he asked.

She looked at him in shock, was he actually getting it? “Yes we will not only be there but we will also not be there.” she looked at him. “It will be odd at first, you se you will start remembering parts of all your selves.”

“All of my selves?”  he asked.

“There is only one you, but there is also an infinite number of you, for example what if instead of choosing to free me you decided to wish for godhood? Your life would be much different, and it is that very act of difference that causes a different you.”

She looked at him, he was currently puzzling over somethings, his hand stroking the short beard he had on his face. “So, what would happen if I was to meet these other me’s?”

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It was not a question she had ever thought of, as a being of pure magic she was an existence that was only in one plane at any given time. But Dan was different, like all mortals he was a being that was trapped in the cycle without even knowing he was there.

That meant there were an infinite number of Dan’s out there, but it also meant there was not one that would be the same as he was. With a smile she pulled a golden bottle out of thin air and a golden dagger.

“This will hurt, but it will bind you to me, making sure that no matter what happens I will be there with you.” he allowed her to take his hand and draw the blade across it.  The skin parted and blood dripped down the side of the wound. Opening the bottle she poured some of the golden liquid into the wound, before cutting her own hand and placing it in his own hand.

A bright light was born between their hands, and a strange symbol flashed gold in his blue eyes. Closing her eyes she saw all the possibilities of his life, and narrowed in on the one he was now.

Each one of his lives was characterized as an outline of light, some red some blue and even a few gold, infinite possibilities in every direction.  Reaching out she touched the one in front of her, the one she would tie her very being to.

As her hand brushed up against the shadow it bloomed, becoming a bright green with gold swirls, smiling she now felt better, no matter what she would now have a way to get back to Dan. She was his and he was hers.

As she was about to leave she caught a glimpse of one of his other lives, his other possibilities.  Now this was interesting, it seemed one of the other options for his life would have ended up with him being married to an alien…

She looked around at all the other outlines, how many other interesting lives would he live?

Looking away she brought herself back to reality and looked at Dan.  she let go of the hand, and there on both of their palms was not a wound, but rather a golden crest. “No matter what, we will know how to find each other now.”

“So who exactly is this Abyzou you were speaking if, is he a nice transdimensional being?” he asked, a slight smile on his lips.

“It's a she, and uh, she is not the most pleasant...”

“What do you mean by that?” he asked.

“She is a an individual that is, shall we say motivated to act on envy.”

“Envy? Envy of what?”

“Well, she has had a hard life, her husband cheated on her, and she is infertile, and well, these erm, other events caused her to have a warped view of love and is extremely envious of anyone who is happier than she is.”

“Sooooo, why exactly are we going there again?” he asked, he didn't know what she would do, but he didn't want to piss off some woman that was on the same level or above Amani in terms of what can be done with magic.

“We need the Silthr rose, it was gifted as a present to her by her, em, late husband...”

“She killed her husband didn't she...”

“Yes.”

“So we have to go and make a deal with a woman that killed her own husband?”

“Make a deal? No, we just need to go take the rose.”

“So now we are thieves?”

“We need it, and there is no way she will give it to us...” she said.

“No other alternative?”

“None.”  

Dan sighed. “Great, let's go steal from a transdimensional demon...”