As much as I wish Aurelius was only a nuisance, he is also a master caster. Combat isn’t his forte, or so I once heard, but it’s clear that he has experience in battle. But no experience could ever prepare him for my prime form.

My fist manages to connect with his face, and it’s very satisfying, but it lacks a lot of force after pushing through a block of air that I can only describe as ‘thick’. It seems to push against me, slowing me but not stopping me. A blow that should have thrown him into the wall, or perhaps through it, only snaps his head to the side.

He gives up on trying to pull his weapon, throwing a punch of his own as I grab a fistful of his robe. His mouth opens in what I imagine has to be a cry of pain or surprise as he makes contact with my chin. Bet he didn’t expect that to hurt. Swinging full force at me is not much better than hitting a stone wall.

Hitting him is like punching a pillow. I feel no resistance as I drive another punch into his gut. Aurelius’s legs shake and my grip is the only thing that keeps him from crumpling. Doesn’t stop the contents of his stomach from coming up, rancid bile splattering all over my boots.

The greatest weakness of any caster is a martial fighter in close combat. Doesn’t matter how many spells you know or how large your mana pool is if a punch takes you down before you can fire a spell. That’s why simple soldiers without a drop of talent in the realm of spellcasting make up much of the royal army and why knights still carry blades. The Hall forces every initiate to take a foundation class to teach them the benefits of a strong body…and the inherent dangers of having a weak one.

In the end, unless they are exposed to the prolonged attentions of a melder, the strongest master caster is still just human, vulnerable to slashing, stabbing, and bludgeoning.

My prime form is a caster’s worse nightmare, as I designed it to be. Funny enough, Aurelius was an inspiration for my lovely form. I figured if I was sturdy enough to take a caster’s first spell, fast enough to reach them before they could throw a second or fly away, and strong enough to put them down, or at least cripple them, with one blow, then I would be the match of any caster. Combined with my regeneration, I’d be unmatched.

Aurelius has proved the point. As I thought, a ceiling takes away his greatest advantage, preventing him throwing spells while safely flying far above any danger.

Oh, hey! The bastard’s feet are touching the ground. It’s sad how happy that makes me.

My happy thoughts are interrupted by Aurelius pulling himself together and looking up with glowing eyes. I slap him, a small chastisement. So what if it knocks a tooth free. A couple minutes with a good healer will have that fixed in short order.

His shoulders start to shake. At first, I think he’s crying and smile at the sight. I realize after he looks up with a wide grin and a bloody lip that he’s laughing. His mouth begins to move and I restore my hearing with a thought, more than a little interested in what he has to say.

“—for you. You just assaulted an instructor of the Hall.”

“You think too much of yourself,” I sneer at the helpless master caster. “Right now, you’re just a trespasser who refused to remove yourself from my wife’s home after being told to leave repeatedly.” I shake him. “I know there’s nothing wrong with your ears so that just leaves a problem with your brain. Or maybe your ego. Is that it? Do you think that just because you can cast a few fancy spells, you can do as you please?”

I laugh when he doesn’t answer. “I don’t blame you. I’m pretty damn strong now and the longer I have my new strength, the more apparent it is that the rules don’t have to apply to me if I don’t want them too. But here’s the thing. It only works when you’re the strongest. Otherwise, you just look like an idiot when somebody stronger slaps you around. Like this.”

I slap him again, once again inordinately pleased by the gesture. Aurelius is less so. He spits out a bloody wad and glares at me. “I’ve already used one of those fancy little spells to send out a distress call. Soon, this estate will be surrounded by instructors and members of the Grand Watch. Enjoy explaining your ridiculous philosophy to them.”

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“Nope!” Rolly appears above us with a pop of color, shades of blue and yellow. She titters, a perfectly mischievous sound. “Balled your little message up and threw it out. No one knows you’re in trouble so no one’s coming to save you.”

“What in the Abyss are you?!”

“A friend of mine. Don’t look so surprised. I bet an insensitive bastard like you doesn’t have any but people, from all sorts of realms, like me.”

“Hehe, look at his face Lou! That was the perfect plot twist!”

“What should I do with you?” I ask the suddenly fearful Aurelius.

“If you do anything to me, the Hall will never forgive you,” he hisses.

“Only if they find you and we have a lot of ways to make sure they don’t.” Kierra could mulch him for the garden. Or turn into him into a bloody soup before pouring him someplace discreet. Bell could bury him deeper than anyone would care to look.

Saints, I could swallow the bastard. The thought of permanently carrying his form with me is distasteful but there’d be no trace of him left. Ooo, I could pose as him, raise all kinds of hell, and disappear. That way, they wouldn’t even be looking for a dead body. Oh, that’s almost worth remembering him every time I reach for a new form.

“Lou.” I look over my shoulder at the snow bunny. She is calm but her eyes are stormy, one hand covering her son’s eyes while the other holds him secure in her lap. “I don’t mean to pry, but may I know what’s going on here? Killing a man for not knowing when to leave seems a bit extreme.”

“I agree,” Alana says, frowning heavily for having to share a sentiment with her sister. “I know what an ass he’s been to you but is it really worth alienating the Hall? They’re kicking you out now but it’s only until your criminal status is rectified, which we can do. You kill him, that’s it. You’ll never be able to set foot on this rock for the rest of your life. Think of the summoning records. Think of your friends. Cloud.”

She’s making good points. “Kii? Surprised you have nothing to say about this.” Isn’t this the part where she enthusiastically insists we slaughter the bothersome baldy and take on the whole kingdom?

She sighs. “I promised, my love. Less pushing, more talking, hm? It is your choice and I will respect it.” She chuckles as I gape at her, doubting my ears. “But if it were me, I would snap his neck and be done with it. There is one creature more troublesome than cornered prey. Irrational prey. They become unpredictable. I am not interested in what ridiculous scheme this worm with wings will think of next.”

Really, the decision should be a foregone conclusion. I’ve disliked Aurelius from the day I met him. He’s repeatedly tried to ruin my life, going as far as to accuse me of improper use of the mental affinity. Even now, with his feet touching the ground and one murderous whim away from death, he’s staring at me disdainfully. I know that look. It’s the look of someone who thinks they’re superior. Or worse, thinks of everyone around them as lessers. Perhaps both. This man goes beyond arrogant to the realm of the entitled.

As I stand in my home that I’ve become rather fond of and have just been told to leave indefinitely, holding the man I’ve considered something of a nemesis for nearly a year, I realize that he isn’t the monster I made him out to be in my mind. In fact, he’s nothing. Rather pathetic.

What kind of sad man spends a year chasing after a woman that’s made it clear that she wants nothing to do with him? He would rather believe that I am messing with Kierra’s mind through my succbui than accept he has no chance with her. That kind of obsession is no different from madness and I cannot bring myself to care about a pathetic madman who I could kill with a backhand if I don’t control my strength. Certainly not enough to give up on the largest collection of summoning records in the kingdom.

There is one thing I want before I throw him out the door and hopefully, out of our lives for good.

“Why Kierra?”

“What?” he asks.

“Don’t act dumb. Why my wife? I understand why you fell for her, who wouldn’t, but why have you been pursuing her so recklessly? You’re not actually stupid. You’re…well, you’re a master caster with a position at the Grand Hall. I’m sure there are plenty of women who’d be interested in you. Maybe. You’d at least have better chances with someone else, but you insist on chasing a married woman who doesn’t like you. Why?”

“You don’t—ahh!!”

I grab his wrist and squeeze. “Listen. I’m trying very hard to be a decent person and even harder not to break you for petty satisfaction. I need you to do your part. Just tell me what I want to know. No matter how bad it is, you can’t lower my opinion of you.”

Aurelius glares at me, then at the hovering Rolly that is stopping him from calling for help. “No,” he spits out. The determination doesn’t last. After a few more minutes of ‘encouragement’ he shouts, “Stop! I’ll speak, I’ll speak!”

I haul Aurelius to the table and set him down in the chair I vacated, putting my hands on his shoulders. “Go on. We’re all ears.”