A week had passed slowly for Paden.  The week long shopping spree of the women had tired him out mentally and physically.  He was itching to get back in the woods but his days of hunting had ended and the closest he got was practicing archery with the guards.

Paden was gathered with Marie and the Selmitt family.  It was past noon and time for them to begin the light and dark sprite ceremonies.  Weillin and Duke Selmitt were in the center of the room inscribing diagrams and symbols with red chalk.  When they had finished, they gave it a thorough examination twice before they were satisfied.

“We will begin with the light sprite ceremony.  It is the easiest of the two and safest.  More importantly, the light sprite can aide you in the dark sprite ceremony,” Weillin informed Paden when they had finished. 

Weillin led Paden to the center of the circle and had him sit on the cold floor.  Paden would need to enter his meditative state before they could begin.  It took thirty minutes before Paden was ready so Weillin and Duke Selmitt then chanted a few words as the circle activated.

The circle began to glow dark red and after some time it glowed a brilliant gold color.  Weillin and Duke Selmitt breathed a sigh of relief as they observed Paden from inside the center of the circle.  He had begun to connect to the other realm and felt himself leaving his body.

Paden looked around as everything around of him was full of light.  The world was extremely clean, sterile.  At a glance, it gave Paden the feeling of warmth.  However, as he reigned in his thoughts he began to frown.  There was an unnerving feeling of unnaturalness to the world.  This was the plane of light, he thought?

Paden walked.  His only path lay before and behind where he arrived.  He slowly walked the long white stone corridor.  The further he got the more immaculate and clean, the floors, walls, and ceilings became.  Time had ceased to be to Paden.  What existed was the long corridor he walked ever certainly forward as he could hear voices around him but see nothing.  He could feel the presence of something in front of him but out of eyesight.

Paden finally arrived at the end of the corridor and stepped into a large marble hall surrounded by white pillars.  Inside was a single beautiful woman sitting upon a stone cold, marble throne wearing a simple white robe.  It did nothing to hide her ample assets and Paden had a hard time not staring.

His gaze was noticed by the woman who smiled at him radiantly.  However, Paden had the odd feeling he was being looked down upon, almost as though she were mocking him.  The gaze irritated him.  However, these thoughts receded as the woman stood up and her white robes began to exude an aura of light.

She was five and a half feet tall.  She had blonde hair and blue eye, with a fair complexion.  Her face held soft features that stimulated the desire to protect.  She was well proportioned and stunning all around.  Paden felt as though he were before a goddess and should be kneeling before her but didn’t.

The woman frowned.  She was inwardly displeased the mortal before her was so brazen as to look upon her so openly.  She wanted to kill the man child before her, but resisted the urge.  There was something inexplicably curious about him that made her wish to speak to him.

“Who are you?” asked the woman in a commanding tone.

This tone irked Paden.  “One usually introduces themselves before asking the name of another,” he fired back.

Paden's flippant answer enraged the woman.  She summoned a sword of light and brandished it at Paden as he did nothing.  He had heard that nothing could harm him in this realm.  At most, he would have to retry the ceremony.  The woman took his inaction as arrogance and sliced at him.

She was utterly shocked to find the sword did nothing.  Paden just looked at her wondering what she was doing.  She looked at his questioning look and thought he was mocking her.  She continued to slash at him to no effect feeling utterly baffled.  A normal human would have died in this realm.  What in the Holy Mother’s name is he, she wondered?

“Who are you?” asked the woman in a commanding tone.

Paden could sense an underlying feeling of uncertainty from the woman.  Like a small puppy trying to act like an adult.  That was the kind of feeling she gave him.  Soon as such thoughts passed his mind, a small smile creeped up and a light chuckle escaped his mouth echoing in the chamber.

His reactions surprised the woman and angered her.  “What are you laughing at?” she asked with red cheeks.  All Paden saw was a beautiful young woman who was puffing her cheeks out in irritation.  The commanding aura of authority she exuded was gone.  It made her look somewhat cute.  Once again he chuckled at the woman.

The woman had never been so angry before.  She was a sprite of high authority in this realm.  Humans would beg to get a glimpse of her much less for a contract with her.  However, here was a human youth that did not show such respect.  He somehow evaded her strikes in a way she could not understand.  This frustrated her. 

“Tell me who you are and I may accept a contract with you,” she told him in a higher than thou tone.

Paden scoffed outwardly as he wondered what she was on about.  “Why would I wish to establish a contract with you?  What’s in it for me?”

Paden had one chance.  He could sense her authority and power but her attitude left much to be desired.  It almost reminded him of his experiences in Avery and Woodhaven.  Not only was her attitude poor, she had even tried to hurt him.  He didn’t know why she couldn’t but he could use this to get some information from her.

“Listen to me foolish one.  I am the exalted Lady of White Light.  I have far reaching authority and power.  No Light Sprite can measure up to me.  You would best be humble in my presence,” she told him loftily as she threw a look of superiority to him.

Paden furrowed his eyebrows.  He was getting nowhere with her.  He turned and looked at the exit or entrance to the temple.  He couldn’t bother with her.  He would find his sprite outside in the Light Plane.  Time meant nothing here and he had all the time he needed to find his destined partner.

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The woman watched in utter shock as Paden turned around and left.  It took a few moments before she processed he had left her.  He left.  He left me.  No one has ever been so rude, she thought numbly after his figure disappeared.  She grew inflamed by his brazen actions in dismissing her.

Paden walked around.  He saw several sprites.  Some were like the woman who had an adult human form.  However some were as small as his palm.  He had seen a few men but they kept their distance.  He could feel that although they were not hostile, they were also not as affectionate as the females were.

After some time the crowds of sprites grew lesser and lesser which confused Paden.  He knew the Light Plane should have many sprites so their decreasing numbers confused him.  He had even spotted some who looked fearful which perplexed him.  Why do they seem scared of me, he wondered?

“Fufufufu.  This is what you get for ignoring me,” spoke an arrogant voice from behind Paden.

Paden looked and saw the woman sitting on a wall overlooking him before dropping down to the ground.  This answered his questions of why the sprites seemed to be avoiding him.  The woman was using her authority to scare off potential sprites.  This pissed off Paden.  He walked up to her.  Smack.

The woman looked at Paden dumbly as she held the cheek he had just slapped.  She couldn’t believe he had just hit her.  Weren’t men weak to beautiful women?  She looked at him wide eyed in surprise. 

“You hit me,” she said in disbelief.

“Yea,” he told her calmly.

“You hit me,” she repeated.

“Nothing gets passed you, huh?” he asked sarcastically.  He was beginning to get fed up with her parroting the same phrase over and over.

“You hit me.”

Paden had enough of her and walked off.  She stood still as he left her once again.

“Wait, wait, wait,” the woman said to stop Paden as she dashed at him.

Paden turned around and gave her a fed up look.  “What do you want now?” he asked her irritated.

“You hit me,” she parroted once again.

“Yeah, well, you were annoying,” he told her begrudgingly.

“You hit me.”

“We established that already.”

“No you hit me.  Humans are supposed to be unable to hurt us here in our plane,” she told him with a curious gaze.

Paden looked at her.  What does that mean, he wondered?  He shrugged.  He would ask Weillin and his father when he got back.  The most important thing is finding a sprite.

“Well, bye,” he told her abruptly and motioned to leave.

The woman reached out and held him in place.  “Seal a contract with me.”

Paden looked at her stupidly.  “Why would I want to?”

“I am the best sprite you will ever find,” she told him smugly.

“Don’t like your personality.  I will look elsewhere.”

“You, can it be you want me to be submissive.  Even though you are young, you have such inclinations already,” she told him while jumping to her own conclusions.  Paden turned red, wondering how she got that from eight words. 

“Okay I will submit.  Now let’s seal the contract,” she told him fast seeing he was about to change his mind.

Paden was taken aback by her abrupt change in personality.  “Why?” he asked unsure.

The woman looked pressed for time.  “Look, just seal the contract.”  Paden did nothing and looked at her.  She groaned in frustration.  “Fine.  My sisters will come soon.  I don’t want them to steal you,” she admitted with a cute expression.

Paden thought about it briefly before deciding it was as good as he was going to get.  Her personality left something to be desired but the power was real so he held out his hand.  She grabbed it and placed it over her chest as Paden blushed despite knowing what was coming.  She looked at his expression and smiled as though she had won.

The next part established the control.  It was completely reliant on the strength of the contracting mage’s own power.  If it was high enough the sprite could be completely enslaved and have to listen to their mage’s orders completely.  However, such contracts were rare.  Almost all contracts were equal contracts.

However, something happened which surprised the sprite.  She only looked at the exposed portion of his power.  However, that was a portion which was essentially halved by his seal.  The contract took into account his power without it a power that was enormous and completely unnoticed by the sprite.

The contract finished as the sprite look at Paden flabbergasted.  The contract was one step up from a slave contract.  She could ignore some orders but a majority she could not.  More than that, Paden would have a commanding presence in their contract connection.  It would be something that defined their relationship not right away but years down the road.

She was surprised and mad but very curious about the identity of the youth.  She had never heard of a mage having such power at so young an age.  It was virtually unheard of.  A lifetime with him may not be so bad, she thought as she looked at his young face.

Paden felt a burning sensation as a pipeline engraved itself upon his consciousness and connected him to the sprite.  He felt her through his connection.  It gave him a warm feeling of familiarity that made him smile as he had forgotten his displeasure at her earlier actions.  That didn’t matter anymore to him as though a distant memory.

Paden felt himself becoming hazy.  He felt a soft pair of hands being place on his face as a quiet whisper, reached his ears.  “My name is …” whispered the soft voice of the sprite as she gazed at Paden longingly.