Tycen walked out of the library and went to a coffee shop. He ordered some delicious tea and took a seat. He took a moment for himself. Slowly sipping on the tea and reflecting on the date that was about to happen. Tycen hadn’t been on a proper date in a while. His last relationship ended many years ago. It wasn’t even that serious by his standards. If Tycen were being honest with himself, he didn’t even know what serious was. The idea of meeting and interacting with a new person was equally exciting and scary. Asking Izzy out was a total spur-of-the-moment action, something that was quite unlike his usual demeanor.

That’s why he wanted to be alone. Tycen wasn’t sure if he had made the wrong decision or if he even had some regret. He didn’t. Tycen felt like that was why he had become complacent with his past relationships. He overthought every step, every moment, every action. If he weren’t 100% sure about it, he wouldn’t move forward until he knew for sure. That was why he enjoyed being on the team. Piper and Levi were nothing like him. They took calculated risks, they were bold, and they were okay with not knowing, planning, and thinking every step.

For a brief moment, Tycen thought he would be a good match for Anna. That notion was quickly squashed. Tycen and Anna were too similar. They both were deep thinkers, planners, and pragmatic. Neither of them would push the other to get out of their shell and get out of their comfort zone. They would be the same. Tycen wasn’t sure about some things in life, but he was sure about this… getting stagnant was not an option. He refused to be stuck. He refused to be that person who never left their city to explore the world. It was why he had backed off Anna rather quickly.

This was not to say that Tycen didn’t love Anna. He did, just not in a romantic way. Tycen was happy with how things were going with his current relationship, but he was starting to feel lonely romantically. That hole in his chest was growing ever so slightly. Perhaps that was why he brazenly asked the young Avington woman on a date. Or perhaps it was the fact that she saw him for him and not some freak. Perhaps it was both. Tycen wasn’t sure , but he wanted to figure it out.

As he took another sip of tea, someone spoke to him.

“I take it tea was not on the menu for our date,” Izzy said teasingly. Tycen chuckled and got out of his seat. Izzy was wearing a tight dress with a half cloak covering just her chest and shoulders. Her blue eyes popped in contrast to the beige cloak and green dress. Tycen’s eyes lingered on her athletic body; she was fit. She was about as tall as Levi, which meant that Tycen was a whole head taller than her. They gave each other a slightly awkward hug.

Tycen chuckled, “No, but dinner is. Maybe a walk on the shore?”

“That sounds delightful,” Izzy said. “Did you have a spot for dinner in mind or would you like some suggestions?”

“Please, take me somewhere,” Tycen said. “It’s your city.” Izzy paused, somewhat shocked at the response. “Surprised?”

“A little bit, yeah,” Izzy said. “I guess I am not used to guys allowing me to have a say in a date.”

“Those guys suck,” Tycen said. “Why wouldn’t you have a say? You look nice by the way, very nice.”

“Oh,” she did a small cutesy move. “Thank you, I am glad you like it. You look handsome as always.” She looped her arm in his, “sorry if I am a little awkward. First dates are hard.”

Tycen chuckled again, “trust me you will not be the only awkward one. First dates are allowed to be awkward. I am excited to get to know you though.” Tycen could see her blush under the golden rays of the setting sun. She turned her head slightly to hide her blush.

Izzy was nervous to go on the date, especially after her mother found out. Izzy loved her mom, but there was no way that she wanted to tell her about this date. Especially not since Bekka decided to blurt out that Tycen was an Avian. Izzy walked over to the meeting location with a frantic mind. It had been so long since she had been on a date, let alone a good one. All the guys she had dated were royals. She hated dating royals. They were all stuck up or talked about themselves, or their siblings, or a rival, or blah blah blah.

They were all dim and stuck up. Izzy had yet to meet a royal that was intellectually stimulating. This wasn’t to say that she only had royal suitors; no, that would be too simple. Izzy also had older men from her workplace hit on her. Men nearly double her age would flirt with her, cat-call her, or just in general talk about her in ways that were definitely not appropriate. Izzy, under normal circumstances, would have never said yes to anyone, just randomly asking her out on a date.

However, something about Tycen, besides his look, was intriguing. So Izzy said yes. Whether it was her brain short-circuiting or newfound bravery, she wasn’t sure. Regardless, she had already said yes; therefore, she was going to do her best to enjoy this date. At the very least, she got to dress pretty. She approached the district where they said they would meet, but Izzy couldn’t see Tycen at first. She frowned, saddened that he stood her up.

Izzy then looked over to her left and saw him sitting at a coffee shop. Her heart skipped a beat, and a smile crept onto her face. Butterflies went mad in her stomach. She shook her hands, took a deep breath, and made her way over to Tycen. She was so nervous, but she was doing everything she could to keep her cool.

“I take it tea was not on the menu for our date?” Izzy asked. She had a soft smile and felt proud of her joke. She watched him stand up. Her heart fluttered, looking at his purple eyes. They were so pretty. Tycen smiled and chuckled at her joke. He was wearing a style of clothing she had never seen before. It was a tight black tunic with some of his chest exposed and tight, long sleeves that showed off his impressive arms. He had looser, cream-colored pants that got tighter as they got closer to his ankles. He had an open brown coat over his tunic. She thought he looked absolutely handsome.

Izzy caught his eyes staring at her body, and pride welled in her chest. She did not care for her looks that much, but it was always nice to have a compliment like that, especially from someone who looked like Tycen. She started to warm up with some light banter, and she could tell he was doing the same thing. After a couple of back-and-forths, she decided to test the waters. Would the date sink or swim?

“Did you have a spot in mind for dinner or would you like a suggestion?” Izzy asked. She was already prepared to let him take her to some expensive restaurant that charged more for the ambiance than good food, all because he wouldn’t take a suggestion. She waited for that response, but it never came. The one that did stopped her in her tracks.

“Please, take me somewhere,” Tycen said. It’s your city.” Her face must have shown total shock as he chuckled and commented, “Surprised?” She gave him bonus points in her head and knew exactly where they should go. Before they moved on, Tycen complimented her. She was filled with so much excitement that she had to move. She did a weird movement with her body and smiled.

Izzy had no idea what she was doing or what was going on, but she was here. He complimented her, and she loved every second of it. Izzy looped her arm in his, deciding she was going to try to get this man to like her, as she was already feeling some type of way. She led them through the bustling streets toward a section of the city Tycen had never been. They engaged in small talk the whole time; it was light, and the conversation flowed smoothly.

Izzy led Tycen to a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant that had a few other patrons.

“Izzy,” a voice from the kitchen called. Out from the back walked an elven woman. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and she had a huge smile plastered on her face. “Welcome back, oh you brought a...” she paused, giving Izzy an approving look. “Friend.”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Date,” Izzy corrected. “Can we have the table in the back, Francene?”

“Of course,” Francene said. “You know the way, I’ll bring the menus in a second.”

“Thanks,” Tycen said. “I’m Tycen, nice to meet you.”

“Francene Deluve,” she replied. “Pleasure is all mine.”

“Come on,” Izzy said, pulling Tycen into the back room.

“She seems nice,” Tycen said.

“She’s a big flirt,” Izzy said, shaking her head. “But she makes the best-steamed fish dish in the city, without question.”

“I love steamed fish,” Tycen said. “How long have you been coming here?”

“Since I was a little kid. My grandma, the one you met, used to come here with my family so often. Francene doesn’t get a lot of decent people to visit her restaurant.”

“She’s an elf, that makes sense.”

“A beautiful elf at that,” Izzy pointed out.

“OH was she beautiful, I hadn’t noticed,” Tycen said with a smirk. Izzy tried to give him a flat look, but she couldn’t hold in her smile. Francene walked back with two pieces of paper. “I’m good,” Tycen said. “Whatever your best dish is, I’ll take that.”

“It’s an elven spicy monkfish eel,” Francene said. “Are you sure you can handle such spice?”

“I thought you elves like things sweet? I can handle spice,” Tycen said with a smirk.

“Very well, you lady Izzy?” Francene said.

“Same,” Izzy said confidently.

“You’re both crazy, but suit yourself. Your bodies, not mine.” Francene walked out after about 10 minutes she walked back in with two massive plates that were steaming, red steam. Tycen had never seen red steam before but if that wasn’t indication that he messed up, the next thing certainly was. The aroma from the dish was so spicy that his eyes started to water right away. Francene had a face full of pride as she sat the plate down and watched their reactions.

“I tried to tell you, spicy,” she said. Tycen nodded in appreciation. Francene smiled and chuckled as she left the food, fully expecting there to be a lot left over. Tycen and Izzy looked at the food in front of them. The dish itself looked delicious: perfectly cooked, flaky white meat eel dripping with butter and that spicy sauce. Tycen took a bite of the eel with just the butter. It melted in his mouth.

A groan of satisfaction left his throat involuntarily. Across from him, Izzy did the same as she ate the fish. Tycen got bolder as he took a bite of the red sauce. Once he did, his taste buds erupted in a heat he had not experienced in a while. It was delicious, and the spice was not nearly as spicy as his grandma's spicy sky snake stew. This was a distant second, but still second, that was not bad. The Triadic Kingdom was known for its spicy food. Francene had a long way to go to be close to the level of the kingdom, but she was definitely the hottest for an elf. They ate in silence, both entirely too focused on their meals.

***

“Do you think Tycen will have a good time with that Izzy girl?” Anna asked.

“He’ll be fine,” Levi said as he pulled a book off the shelf.

“I hope so,” Anna whispered.

“I do too,” Levi said. “I totally forgot I got this book. The history of order magic.”

“Why does there need to be a history?” Piper asked.

“Because order and chaos are not natural to this world. Some being had to have brought it or introduced the concept to someone here at first,” Levi said.

“Oh interesting,” Piper said.

“Indeed,” Levi said. He started flipping through the pages of the book. The girls looked at him as he read and decided to search the library for anything else. Levi had a lot to learn, and hopefully, he would find some answers. As Levi opened page one, the strangest thing happened to him. His vision went black, and a solo textbox appeared.

Hello…

Thank you for reading an account of Order Magic…

I am Tranquility, the goddess of Order Magic. I discovered this planet several thousand years ago as I was traveling through the universe. I found that the world had no Order, and a world without Order is doomed. I decided to stay and make my presence known to teach the world Order magic….

Order magic is as simple as this harmonization of the fabric of reality. In other words, Order magic is the stability that keeps things flowing. It is all-powerful, and it is something that is used for the greater good…

Order magic is not easily learned, however…

It takes someone with a complete and total commitment to the greater reality that they desire. True order requires a person’s inner thoughts to be harmonized. Proper order requires a person’s soul, mind, and body to work together as one. If a person has done such a thing, they will be deemed worthy to control Order magic. If they are not, they will not be able to control order…

This was the main rule I established in this world for Order magic….

There are many forms of Order magic: Order Energy Manipulation, Stabilization Manipulation, Destiny Magic, Serenity Manipulation, and Magical Warping. The one that I specialize in and provide this orderless world is Order Energy Manipulation…

Order Energy Manipulation is the ability to harness the power of the ambient Order of the world to create order spells, ritual ingredients, and summon ingredients. One must be at minimum 4-star to completely harness the ambient Order of any world. If one attempts to manipulate the order energy too early without their body being properly prepared, it will destroy them. The energy will be too much for the young, ill-prepared body to harness….

I offer this warning to all who are willing to pursue Order Energy Manipulation: Get stronger. Once you have reached the baseline of strength, head to the temple of Order. At the temple, my disciples will guide you on the path of enlightenment. Enlightenment is the process I mentioned earlier: harmonization of mind, soul, and body….

The back of this book contains instructions on how to get to the temple. Please follow them and approach them with pride. We shall work hard to bring order to this orderless world…

Just as Levi was about to close the book and have his vision return to normal, he felt a pulse of aura that was stronger than anything he had ever felt. His vision grew bright gold. In the midst of the golden light, he saw a figure. It was a woman with a flowing robe and golden hair. She turned impossibly blue eyes on Levi.

“You are not a being of Order magic,” the woman said. Her voice was strained and distant.

“Nope,” Levi replied. “I thought gods and goddesses couldn’t die?”

“Gods and goddesses are immortal but not free from death.”

“You were killed,” Levi said as he realized what had happened.

“Partially,” Tranquility said. “My physical body was destroyed but my soul remains spread across many different realms. Once they are reunited then I can return.”

“I see, why did you stop me from leaving your book?” Levi said.

“I wanted to see the man who opposes my form of magic. I wanted to talk to the Chaotic Paragon. That is quite the title you have. Not one that is easily achieved, how did you achieve it?”

Levi paused to consider her words: “Pretty similar to the way you described enlightenment, honestly. Except the main difference is that I don’t control chaos, like you control order. We work together; it's a partnership.”

“A partnership…” Tranquility said, her voice uncertain. “Why would you willingly make a deal with the devil?”

“I don’t see it that way, but I can understand why you would think that. I won’t explain myself more… I got the feeling that it’s worthless to even try to do that.”

“It seems that chaos has already taken your mind; there is no hope for you,” Tranquility held out her finger. A golden beam shot from her finger and pierced Levi’s mind. Well, it at least tried to. Something stopped the beam from reaching Levi’s skull. A metal tentacle was wrapped around his skull. “Oh my,” Tranquility said. She narrowed her eyes. The impossibly blue started to glow brightly as she stared deep into Levi’s eyes. “I have seen one of those before.” She tapped her chin. “A yes, a mimic. That completely conquered one of the worlds I had tried to conquer myself. Chaotic Paragon, you are much stronger than I expected. A mistake I shall not make twice.”

Her eyes glowed again as she continued to look at Levi. “You also have familiars from the depths of chaos. That is fascinating. For now, I shall leave you be. I hope we meet again, Paragon, I do think we will have some interesting interactions. Take care of your familiars. They have formed a deep bond, no wonder you have gained such a prestigious title.” With that, the brightness grew much brighter, and Levi had to cover his eyes. After a few seconds, his world vision returned, albeit with spots everywhere. He blinked and rubbed his eyes.

The book he had been older turned to golden ash. Levi could feel the faintness of the aura of Tranquility, almost as if she was laughing as the book turned to ash.

“I hate it when villains monologue and then get the last word,” Levi said. "That's stupid as hell.”

“There you are!” Piper exclaimed. “We’ve been looking all over for you, where did you go?”

Levi looked up with confusion. Where did he go? He had been here the whole time. “I have been sitting here for the whole time.”

“No, Levi, you weren’t,” Piper said. “We found a section in the library that we believed would be interesting to you, so Anna sent me back to get you. I have been looking for you for about an hour. I thought you were taken.”

“What the hell,” Levi said.

“Why are there ashes in your hand?” Piper asked.

Levi stood up, “Boy, do I have a wild story to tell you. But I’ll wait to tell Anna as well. Lead the way, babe.” Piper nodded, grabbed Levi by the hand, and took him to where Anna was in the library.