Transcendence?

***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***

I slowly open my eyes and find myself looking at the ceiling. Was the last night a bad dream? A big group of assassins ambushed the mansion and some managed it past the guards. They injured me while I was heading for my room. But I managed to fight them off. And then... and then... she slapped me!

“Oh, you are awake! Tch! I wasn't completely ready yet! I spent so much time to think about my first commands for you. But I still wanted a little more time to find the perfect formulations.”

By turning my head I find Celestial on a chair beside my bed. She is smiling at me with a broad grin. It wasn't a dream? I begin to touch my body here and there but there is no pain. No injuries!

“I had Stefan heal you up. You weren't conscious.” Celestial looks at a sheet of paper in her hand. “Let's see.... where should we start.”

At that moment I realize the golden bracelet on my wrist and a shudder runs down my spine. What the heck happened while I was asleep!?

“~Take off my slave-ring!~” Celestial points at me with a winning smile.

The same moment she spoke those words I feel the slave-ring starting to meddle with my mind! But I gracefully avoid the attempt of the stupid artefact and manage to divert the command into taking a glass of water from the small night-table beside my bed and offer it to Celes.

She takes the glass of water with a baffled expression and stares at it for several seconds.

I smile at her. Don't think that a lifetime with one of those cursed artefacts didn't force me to find ways to deal with them.

“I suggest you try again! Take off my slave-ring! Huh? Why couldn't I put any power into my voice?” I try again while emphasizing every word. “Take Off My Slave-Ring!”

Now she gives me a strange grin. “I already anticipated that and tried to give you some orders to protect myself. I did it while you were sleeping, so I wasn't sure if it would work. It seems like it worked to order you that you can't order me to take off your slave-ring.”

“~Love me for eternity!!!~” Again she points at me with a triumphant expression.

Wah! That airhead really tried to do something hilarious! “Fool! Impossible commands don't work of course! ~Love me for eternity!~ OF COURSE THAT DOESN'T WORK!”

“Damn!” She skims through her list. “~Get me and Liandra a proper citizenship and enough money to live on our own!~”

Again! “-I understand. A hundred copper coins to shop in the city.-” I smirk at her. “You know? Everything that requires a prolonged physical action from me is easy to divert.”

“Argh!” Celestial throws her list to the ground and stomps onto it. “~Then tell me your true feelings about the first time you confessed to me!~”

“-I love you.-” I hold my damned mouth in an attempt to stop the words from leaking out. But the slave-ring works too fast to intercept such easily and fast answered requests! What the fuck is going on in her head!?

Celestial actually turns a little red?

But I can play this game too! “~What do you think of me?~” With this I will uncover your true nature!

“-A pitiful hermit who lost his way and abandoned society because he was hurt far too often. If we had met under different circumstances I may have helped him.-” Now she is the one who tries to shut up herself.

Uh!? I didn't expect an answer like that.

Then she glares at me. “~Why did you save us?~”

“-I couldn't bear to see you as the slave of some barbarian.-” What the heck did just come out of my mouth!? Did she break the bracelets somehow? Again! “Don't pry into my unconscious thoughts! ~Stop to treat me like an enemy!~” Hah! That one worked!

“~What do you think of me now!~” Celestial shoots another question at me.

“-The most beautiful woman I have ever seen.-” My mouth acts on it's own!

What!? Damn! My command was too general! And why did I answer that way!? “Stop this airhead! Who knows what will happen if you continue with such ridiculous requests! This is dangerous! What if things escalate?”

“Then take off my slave ring! Or I will say something really ridiculous!” She threatens me!

“I still don't trust you.” I shake my head.

“~Let's always be together!~” She gives me a triumphant smile.

“-~Let's always be together!~-” Damn! Damn! Why did I repeat that like a robot! I hate slave-rings!

Again the words came over my lips before I knew it! “Stop it! Those artefacts are dangerous! Who knows what could happen to us!”

She just holds her arm towards me with a determined expression. “You should be more interested in getting rid of that ring than me. After all you should be more hindered by it. I can still do this while you can't perform your magic any more.”

After drinking her glass of water she crushes it in her hand and grinds the shards to dust! What the Fuck!? I reach for her slave-ring and hold mine towards her. “At three!”

She nods.

“One.” “One.”

“Two.” “Two.”

“Three.” “Three.”

Both of us are freed from the rings. But before I can react she snatches the one I was holding out of my hand and starts to scrunch up both rings like paper!

“Finally! That's the end for the last two of those cursed things! And now for something else!” She gives me a dangerous smile.

I draw my blanket higher as if it would be able to protect me from that woman!

“I want a proper citizenship for Liandra and me! Even though you are a bastard, I realize that you are a civilised person at heart and crave for relationships with others! Otherwise you wouldn't have saved your little sister.” She folds her arms.

“There is just that issue with the law...... otherwise I would have organized something like that long ago for Violetta.” I shake my head.

“And the issue is?” She starts to tap the floor with her foot impatiently.

“Err... well. You are either born in Norfolk or you get your citizenship from the official sources in the capital. That could take years if ever! It is much more unlikely to get one now with war looming over all of us. The only other possibility isn't within my reach.....” I shake my head.

“Which is?” Celestial furrows her eyebrows.

“Well. You can marry someone with a citizenship. Then his citizenship will extend to you. The same goes for adoption. But I can't adopt Violetta or Liandra because you can only adopt a child if you can provide a family with two legal guardians. I am alone, so that's not possible.”

“Then I will become your wife and we adopt Liandra and Violetta. Who knows how long the borders will stay closed? It's better to plan ahead!” Celestial comes to a ridiculous conclusion!

“What!? That's not possible! You are my.... ” I sit up but her cold glare silences me.

“I am an opportunist. There could be worse reincarnations than taking a husband who confessed his love to me and thinks of me as the most beautiful woman in the world.” She smiles at me while I feel an aura of doom emanating from her! “I had the entire night to think about the situation. Under the current circumstances I am willing to accept a marriage of convenience. ”

“That wasn't...”

“~Yes?~”

Awww... Hell! That was before I got to know your personality! Of course she is still beautiful.... as long as you don't get to know her. Why does it feel like I could lose my head if I say those things loud?

Celes grabs my hand. “Think about it. Whom else could you take? Especially with that secret basement of yours..... what would the Academy do if that secret would get out too early. Could you even trust someone else besides me? I was keeping your little secret safe for a few months by now.”

My face got a little pale during her speech and my blood pressure fell to dangerous levels.

“And if you don't believe me..... ~Omega~. And think a little about your little sister and mine. What's one lifetime to us? Wouldn't it be nice of us to give them a nice family-environment to grow up in?” She gives me the finishing blow.

I force a smile onto my face. “Shi......Sugar cat. When would you like to hold the marriage.”

“Ohoho... I don't know honey bear. As soon as possible. Of course I would like to have complete rights to your estate in case of an unforeseen death. The assassins seem to walk in and out of your mansion like well known guests.” She encases my hand with both of hers and it feels like a vice took hold of me.

“So far they only entered but never came out again.” I smile at her.

“Whatever. Come, we have to tell the family!” She grabs my hand tighter and pulls me out of the bed.

We find Liandra and Violetta in the study. They are with Stefan. He is currently teaching them math from the looks of it.

“Violetta, Liandra! We have happy news for you!” Celestial places my arm around her and hugs me from the side. “We are going to ~marry~!”

“Really!” -Liandra

“That means we stay together forever!?” -Violetta

“C...Congratulations!” -Stefan

“Y..yes. That means you can stay..... forever.”

I smile down at the kids who jumped up and hugged us from both sides.

.