James stood on the edge of the bullet train platform, nervously bouncing on the balls of his feet. Nadia waited beside him, a bemused look on her face.

“This is perhaps the most high-strung I’ve seen you, disciple,” she said.

“And whose fault is that, master?” James asked.

Nadia only chuckled. After she had sent her message, Tsukiko replied later in the day. The express delivered letter had two words.

I’m coming. It had said.

James could only imagine how irate Tsukiko would be. He hadn’t wanted her to worry, so he might have lied about a few of the circumstances here and there. By and large what he said was the truth. James had just left out all of the depressing cultivate or die stuff.

Nadia hadn’t, however, and now her letter sent his lover directly toward the fire. And so James stood on a platform, nervously waiting for Tsukiko to arrive so he could send her home.

“I hope she didn’t take out a loan,” James said. “Tickets to the megacities are expensive.”

“Do not worry, disciple,” Nadia said. “I made sure there were no issues.”

“You’re the reason I’m having the issue,” James grumbled. “Remember, we’re here to tell Tsukiko to go home.”

“From how you speak of her, I find that unlikely,” Nadia answered. “Besides, far better to keep those important to you close.”

“Once I can protect her, sure,” James argued. “But right now I’m the smallest fish in the largest pond. I bet a sneeze from someone above could break me.”

“Not while I am here, disciple,” Nadia said. “Trust me.”

James sighed. “You know, while I admire how sure you always are, I wish for once you would be more cautious.”

“I am as cautious as I need be, disciple,” Nadia said.

“But what if someone stronger than you comes along?” James asked.

“Then someone stronger comes, and you run,” Nadia said simply.

James sulked. “With Tsukiko, who has no cultivation, who wouldn’t even be in danger if you didn’t tell her what was happening.”

Nadia raised an eyebrow. “Are you assuming that your enemies did not already know of your letters to her?”

“She’s mortal, so they wouldn’t care?” James questioned hesitantly.

Nadia raised an eyebrow. “Disciple, you know mortals matter little to other cultivators. You would hinge her safety on another’s dismissal?”

James refused to answer. He didn’t want to admit that his master was correct, that at any moment a cultivator more powerful than him could swoop in and destroy everything he loved. And all because they coveted something he was born with. The flimsy rules of society didn’t help assuage his fears either. He’d seen firsthand just how strong those rules were in the lower areas of Tower Ten.

A robotic voice announced the arrival time for the next train. Four minutes. In four minutes Tsukiko would step off that platform. Step off into a world more dangerous than anything they’d ever known, all because he got greedy.

“Disciple, stop blaming yourself,” Nadia said.

James started. “What?”

“Do you think I don’t know you well enough yet?” Nadia asked. “It has only been a short while, but I know the look you get when you berate yourself.”

“What am I supposed to think then, master?” James asked. “If I hadn’t tried to guide you none of this would be happening?”

“Perhaps,” Nadia said. “Or perhaps the demonic cultivator we were chasing would escape as they did before, rampaging across the floors until the found you. Perhaps they possessed you and once again forced you toward this world. Perhaps Tsukiko would be the one possessed, or even myself.”

“What are you saying?” James asked.

“I am saying that the world is made of choices, disciple,” Nadia said. “As the Metastate has shown you. Those choices mix and collide with each other, crafting new pathways for one to travel. To look back and ask what if is a fool’s errand, for there is no guarantee that your differing choices would lead to better outcomes. Better to look forward and attempt to make the best of what is given to you.”

Wind blasted the platform, heralding the bullet train’s arrival. It whooshed into position, slowing as quickly as it arrived to let passengers off. James bounced back and forth, eyeing the departing passengers until he caught a sharp look that stared directly at him.

Sure enough, Tsukiko stepped off the train, her dark eyes instantly noticing James. A small travel bag rested by her side, a rather impressive one that moved without help from its owner. James glanced at Nadia, his master already walking forward.

Sighing, James followed. Nadia easily brushed past the other departing passengers, her strong build and powerful presence pushing others away. Tsukiko met them a few feet from the departure area.

“James,” she said. Her voice was stronger than steel. Stronger than titanium, even.

James tried a compliment. “You’re looking great, Tsu—“

The sharp glare stopped him. “No compliments until we talk.”

“Then, let us move to a more suitable area,” Nadia said. “There is a cafe nearby that I particularly enjoy.”

Tsukiko nodded, moving beside Nadia as they left the station. James sucked in a breath, Tsukiko was more than irate, she was livid.

They passed through the crowd, James staying behind the two women as they walked. He tried making conversation, but a single look from Tsukiko stopped him every time.

Nadia, however, was free to hold conversation. She and Tsukiko discussed the trip to Cyber Crane Megacity, as well as how things had been back in Tower Ten. All the while James was forced to stay silent, his punishment for making Tsukiko worry.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

When they arrived at the cafe and had seated, Tsukiko finally deigned to address James. “So, what’s this about almost dying?”

“Look, I know you’re angry,” James said.

“Oh, what gave you that impression?” Tsukiko asked. “Is it the glare? I thought you liked the glare? I made sure to keep it sharp for you.”

James winced. “I messed up, okay? I didn’t want you to worry.”

The glare softened. “I know, James. But worrying is better than a surprise letter notifying me of your funeral.”

“I’m sorry,” James said, hanging his head. “I wanted to keep you away from all this. Plus, I’d thought that I would be coming home soon.”

“I had kept information from James,” Nadia explained. “I made him think he would be free when he achieved the sect’s goal to keep him from getting depressed or distracted.”

“No, master,” James said, “you were right to keep it from me. You’re right that I would have run.”

Tsukiko raised an eyebrow in question. James explained everything, the possession, Osman, his one month time limit, and how he would now be examined. Tsukiko listened intently, her frown deepening as James explained.

“And you thought keeping this from me was a good idea?” she asked.

“It was, an idea,” James said. “I won’t argue that it was good.”

“Well, at least you know that much,” she said. “Besides, a hundred years isn’t a long time to wait. We’ll just marry when I’m an old crone.”

James snorted. “The scandal of the century. Cultivator marries aged mortal.”

“With proper cybernetics and medicine, keeping a young body is entirely possible,” Nadia said.

James looked at his master. “You’re joking.”

“I am not, disciple,” Nadia said. “The process is prohibitively expensive, however. Only available to mortals with more money than some smaller sects. It also requires constant application of a drug to keep the mind from deteriorating.”

Tsukiko shivered. “No thank you. I’ve seen what drugs can do to people. I’m perfectly content staying an old lady.”

“Or, you could cultivate as well,” James said.

Nadia shook her head. “The others in the sect would never allow it. Cultivation is a sacred thing, they’d say. It is not something that anyone can do.”

“Just don’t tell them, then,” James said.

Nadia shook her head. “Trust me, disciple. You do not want to risk the wrath of every cultivator. Doing this would label you as demonic and you would be hunted down.”

“That’s stupid,” James grumbled.

“It is the way the world is,” Nadia said. “However, once you are formally inducted into the sect it is possible to take on a disciple.”

“Something for you to work toward, then,” Tsukiko said with a smirk. “Unless you like them older?”

James smirked back. “What, imagining me training you alre—ow!”

Tsukiko had kicked James’s heel. Her glare was back to its usual state.

“So, you’re staying here until things are sorted?” James asked.

Tsukiko nodded. “Nadia has offered a room.”

James looked at his master. “You put a lot in that letter, didn’t you?”

“I found it prudent to prepare,” Nadia said. “Speaking of which, we should inquire into some protection for your paramour. The protection formations and spellgrams will be strong, but nothing is perfect, and some personal items would do wonders for mental stability.”

“What did you have in mind?” Tsukiko asked.

—

“I thought I’d seen it all,” James said softly.

The three were in a store plastered wall to wall with paper. Usually, James wouldn’t be so awestruck, but the type of paper here defied imagination. Some of the paper was made of metal.

That, however, wasn’t the truly awe inspiring piece. No, that came from the rows upon rows of origami animals sitting on the back shelves. The paper animals breathed, twitched, moved like their real life counterparts.

“We use a specially treated polymer for the paper,” the shop owner was saying. “The coating is a series of linked nanobots that connect to your handheld. We also allow direct mind linking for a nominal fee.”

“This is amazing,” Tsukiko said, petting a paper cat that rubbed against her legs.

“Each protector holds various programming. It can act like a pet, a talking companion, plus a hundred other combinations.”

The store owner picked the cat up and scratched it underneath the chin. The cat yawned, stretching out and unfolding back into a piece of paper. “Storage is simple as well.”

“How often does it need charging?” Nadia asked.

“That’s the best part,” the store owner said. “The nanobots use ambient free electrons to individually charge, ensuring one hundred percent uptime on the device.”

“And their protection rating?” Nadia continued.

“I am happy to say that we are one of the twenty diamond rated stores in SeeSee,” the owner said.

Nadia nodded and turned to Tsukiko. “Which animal do you prefer?”

“This one,” Tsukiko said, pointing to a birdlike piece.

“It’s smaller than the others,” James pointed out.

“Ah, but it uses the same amount of material,” the owner said. “You will find the birds and fish are more durable, making them excellent defenders.”

“We shall take three,” Nadia said.

The owner bowed low. “You are most generous.”

“Three is a lot,” Tsukiko said as she looked at the price tag. “I’m fine with one.”

“Three is perfectly fine,” Nadia said. “In fact, I would order more. I have the means and you must have adequate protection should something happen. But you will get the most efficiency from three protectors. More than that is difficult to manage with a single handheld.”

Tsukiko was ready to argue the point, but James stopped her. “Let her do this, okay? So I don’t worry about you as much at least?”

She sighed. “Alright. But you need protection as well then.”

“And he shall get it,” Nadia said. “However, origami protectors would slow James down. I have a different plan for him.”

The different plan turned out to be cybernetics.

“Master, are you sure about this?” James asked. “I’m not exactly a fan of modifying my body.”

“It is only a superficial adjustment, disciple,” Nadia said. “Without this, you won’t be able to use the true defenses I have in mind.”

James looked around at the sterilized white room. Servitors with too many arms stood over him as they double checked his vitals and the nearby tools. Another servitor came forth with a tubed mask that connected to a machine on the servitor’s body.

“You know,” James said fearfully. “I don’t think I need this cybernetics stuff.”

“Relax,” the servitor said in a calm voice that did not match its appearance. Nadia echoed the sentiment. Tsukiko wasn’t in the room, choosing to wait outside with her new protectors instead.

James did his best, but relaxation only came once the anesthesia from the servitor entered his body.

He woke some time later, nothing different about him except for a small trio of sockets on the back of his neck. James felt the area, cool metal from a protective plate preventing dust and other particulates from entering.

“There are no issues,” the servitor said. “You are discharged.”

James stood, letting Nadia lead him out.

“I don’t think I want to do that again,” James said.

“Then don’t,” Nadia said. “Some see fit to modify their body to better use the arts taught to them, but it is not needed.”

“Why was this needed then?” James asked.

“All in good time, disciple,” Nadia answered. “But first we must get Tsukiko settled in.”

“Why can’t she come with?” James asked.

“The next store is inside the sect and mortals are not permitted inside,” Nadia answered.

“Oh,” James said.

Tsukiko’s room was in fact in the same building James went to select his martial art. She and James received special keycards that allowed them onto certain floors, specifically food, recreation, and Tsukiko’s room.

The room sat decently high above the city, a large window showing the sights below. Ornate curtains flanked the window, ready to block out the world if needed. A single large bed sat in the middle of the room, large enough for a family of five. A small desk stood beside it, a monitor and dock for the handheld already set up. A separate bathroom, along with the servitor storage, sat next to the desk. A few of the servitors were out and about, cleaning bits of dust and depositing them in the trash chute.

“What an upgrade,” Tsukiko said, looking out at the megacity below. “To think, a day ago I was in my dusty old apartment, waiting on someone to send another letter. Worrying helplessly.”

“I said I was sorry,” James said.

“I know,” Tsukiko answered. “I haven’t forgiven you yet. Give me another week of making you feel guilty.”

“Fair,” James answered. “In the meantime, expect lavish gifts that only a cultivator can give.”

In the privacy of the room Tsukiko was less inhibited. “Oh, and what could those gifts be?”

“Jewels?” James asked.

Tsukiko shook her head.

James grabbed Tsukiko by the waist. “Then food and candy beyond imagination.”

“Tempting, but no,” Tsukiko said with a smile.

James spun her around. “Then poems by the greatest writers and the rarest flowers.”

Tsukiko leaned close. “Enticing, but lacking.”

James leaned forward as well. “Then my lady, what could I offer you? For I have nothing left to give?”

“Isn’t it obvious,” Tsukiko whispered. “All I ask for is you.”

The two leaned in for a kiss, and for a moment their worries left them.