“The one you love and the one who loves you are never, ever the same person”

― Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

An unholy dirge pierced the sky, extended the full breadth of Avalon. Millions of mechanised voices, united in a parody of song. Ven frowned and the noise closest to him was muted by his aura.

That should do it… He’d removed the control runes from every drone within his reach, a strain on his current abilities.

I just got free and I already need a nap.

The jet-black storm that filled the sky receded, back under his skin. His friends could deal with the aftermath, if they wanted to re-enslave the machines, it would take time. A headache buzzed under the bridge of his nose, pinched tight as he considered the prospect.

“HUSBAND,” The air trembled as a mountain fell from the sky. Huan leapt from her mount, arms spread wide. “You’re finally home!”

“Hold up,” Ven darted to the side, Huan’s form left with only empty air. “Is that you, Huan?”

The ground greeted the dragon-kin, a cratorious explosion. Feet extended into the air, Ven was greeted by her armoured backside. A crack of force flipped her upright, tears in her eyes.

“That’s how you greet your Wife… after all this time?”

Wide silver eyes loomed in Ven’s vision, framed by a dishevelled braid. The mountain above roared a complaint as it arced over their heads.

“You’re not his wife, not yet!” Lyra descended from the sky, one eye shifted to Fenrir's black glare. She raised her hand and waved. “Hi Ven, how have you been?”

“Not bad, just…”

“I AM his Wife,” Huan bristled, a thick violet aura extended around her. “But I welcome your challenge, wolf!”

“It would be no challenge at all…”

“I don’t have a Wife,” Ven rolled his eyes. His words deflated Haun, a return of her puppy eyes. “Not yet anyway, now, how have the three of you been?”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“We’re doing well,” Lyra smiled. “But Brull has overtaken us in his cultivation… he’s a peak Semi-divine already!”

“AND I’M DOING GREAT,” Huan butted over Lyra. “Now that you’re awake, everything is perfect!” Her face slackened as she drifted into fantasy. “We can start the planning… I want a big ceremony, with everyone in the city present!”

“That’s nice,” Ven ignored the young woman’s delusions. “What can the two of you tell me about these drones?”

----------------------------------------

“I think I’ll return to the Colony…” A dreadful shiver coursed its way beneath his exoskeleton. “I’m sure the guild is up for the task of…”

“NOT A CHANCE!” Mara jumped on Speaker’s back. “This mess only exists because you wouldn’t listen! I TOLD you, Ven said no artificial intelligence as slaves.”

The city was in chaos. Drones of all shapes and sizes littered the streets, stuck in a constant wail. Mara was at a loss. What can I do with a billion crying drones? Aangor appeared beside her, face twisted as he covered his ears.

“What has Ven done?” The great ape grumbled. “I have reports that transport drones have sealed themselves, a large number of people are trapped.”

“He set them all free,” Mara lifted Speaker over her head. “Come on, we’ve got to issue some kind of command to the Knights, this chaos needs to end!”

----------------------------------------

“Master Ven!”

An excited cry echoed from below. Ven stopped in mid air, Huan and Lyra beside him. Jun stood atop a spire, hand raised to the sky.

“Hey Jun,” Ven swooped down. “How has life been treating you, still the family horse?”

“I forgot about Princess and the Horse!” Huan laughed. “Jun IS still the family horse, but I haven't ridden him in years.”

“You’re always so mean…” Jun’s face drooped. He turned to Ven. “Life has been well, Father has me taking care of all of his old duties. I’ve been appointed the Royal Steward!”

“So still a horse,” Ven nodded as he patted the young man’s back. “But at least it comes with a title… I’ve heard tell you were the most vocally opposed to the use of drones?”

“They went against the warning you left us,” Jun sighed. “Mara was also against it, but her hands are pretty full just keeping everything running.”

“THANK YOU,” Ven raised his face to the sky. “At least someone was listening, if the others had done the same, we wouldn’t have an entire population of intelligent machines to deal with.”

“I was focused on getting you free…” Huan rocked back and forth. “If Jun hadn’t tried to stop the drone project, I would have definitely stepped in!”

“Sure, sure,” Ven patted her head. “You did a good job.” A memory popped into Ven’s head. “Have the ants made progress with the space elevator?”

He hadn’t been certain it would even work. Cain’s realm ignored much of the physics that Ven understood, but there was still a limit to the atmosphere.

“It’s entered its final phase,” Jun nodded, hand pointed to a stark black line, centralised within the city. “It’s been an amazing tool for cultivation, we can essentially bathe in the cosmic ocean!”

“A thousand years is still fast…” When it was completed, the tower could transport mountains of material to and from the cosmic ocean, a bridge into the world beyond. “How about transport? We’ll need vehicles that can survive the ocean’s power.”

“That might be a problem…” Jun frowned. “We had a bunch of working designs, but…”

“What?” Ven raised an eyebrow. “Too impractical?”

“No…” Jun rubbed the back of his head. “It’s just that all of them included drone neural networks. I doubt that any of them are functioning right now…”

“You put the A.I.’s into the starships,” Ven closed his eyes and took a breath. “So when I freed the drones…”

“You probably also grounded the ships,” Jun nodded. “But maybe we can get them back up and running soon…”

“Not a chance,” Ven shook his head. “The drones I’ve seen are going to need some serious therapy, or whatever it is you do for an A.I.”

“Therapy?” Lyra tilted her head. “What’s that?”

“It’s when… never mind for right now,” Ven sighed. There were so many concepts that this world didn’t have. “I’m sure Mara can figure it out.”