So that we're all on the same page, let me do a quick introduction with a little bit of a history lesson added in.
Around five hundred years ago, Earthlings (normal human beings and all manner of existence on the planet) discovered that there are parallel worlds very much like Earth that have existed as long as Earth has. By worlds I don't mean planets. I mean, they exist in a different dimension altogether. I'm sure there's a very comprehensive scientific explanation for this, but it's way to complicated for me so I won't bother. But the point is, these worlds were able to coexist without interfering with one another for ages. Which is why there was a point in time in human history where people believed aliens and extradimensional travel was nonsense (stupid, right?).
This was proven false when one of the said parallel worlds imploded with enough force that it created several dimensional rips. Earth, being a younger and bigger world than the others, survived mostly intact. In comparison to the elf world Ellenis and the dwarf world Oren, Earth was in relatively good condition even though we lost most of our continents. There weren't many records left during this period since 70% of the people on Earth died. It took a while for the world to recover from such a massive catastrophe, but it managed to move on because of one thing: magic.
The world that self-destructed was found out to be Gaia, which according to the elves, was a world that was always in a state of chaos anyway because it was too full of magic. Before the implosion, there were only the barest traces of magic on Earth.
Researchers suspect that's why Earth still managed to retain most of its physical structure and the changes to the planet were mostly surface-level (like the continents breaking apart, but the planet itself remaining whole). They say that the magic from Gaia flooded to Earth when the first rips appeared, and managed to cushion the blow when the true implosion happened. Ellenis and Oren weren't so lucky, because they've been exposed to Gaia's magic all too suddenly.
With the natural barriers between the four worlds pretty much shredded, it was inevitable for things to change. Elves and Dwarves that survived the blast found themselves on Earth, while some very confused and ignorant humans found themselves in an entirely different world. Years passed, and wars broke out, and cities and kingdoms were rebuilt. You know how it goes.
Ellenis and Oren and Earth became one (sort of). There was no point in designating one city belonging specifically to one race, since there were as many humans as there were elves and dwarves. That would be asking for trouble, and everyone's tired of killing each other especially since the Anomalies are doing such a great job of it. One factor that united the three races was defending against their common predator, which were the Anomalies.
They were called Anomalies, because they were creatures that were not supposed to exist. Even now, no one knows what exactly Anomalies are. The best explanation so far is that Anomalies were enchanted remains of creatures native to Gaia. During the implosion, instead of being destroyed, they were transformed into the ravenous beasts we know today. Their bodies are made up of a mix of magic and alien biology, which explains their desire to eat flesh and absorb the magic in the things they eat. The biggest problem with the Anomalies is the fact that they appear in places where there are dimensional Breaches--space and time rips left behind by the Gaia Incident. These pop out unexpectedly, in places where the barriers between the dimensions were especially weak.
To counteract this, many City States have employed a Border System. This refers to using a very strong barrier spell to cover a set area over a specific period of time to ensure that there are no Breaches that can form in that specific place.
Now, the Border System was the brainchild of a man who called himself Alamo Vega. He was a renowned Mage in his time, a clever but gentle man who wanted nothing more than to protect his family and ensure their safety. With his team of researchers, they came up with a new spell that guaranteed a safe haven for people against the threat of the Anomalies for generations to come. The Border System enabled people to rebuild entire cities without worrying about a Breach or an Anomaly attack. Alamo became known throughout the worlds as a genius and a hero. And that man was my great-great-great-great grandfather.
Several generations later, the Vega family continues their grand tradition of contributing to society. With the immense fortune that Alamo started to accumulate, the Vega family delved into the world of business and politics and brought forth several notable individuals who, in one way or another, managed to make their own marks in history. Great uncle George was a renowned doctor who managed to perfectly merge cloning technology and healing magic to regrow severed limbs and synthesize perfectly person-compatible organs. His cousin, Louisa Vega-Housten, founded the Vega Foundation, in memory of our ancestors, which is currently responsible for funding thousands of philanthropic organizations across the worlds. Then there's great-grandfather Owen, who started Vega Industries, a conglomerate with a finger in almost every pie: entertainment, technology, transportation, magical research, and artficing, among others. We had several relatives in politics and government and even produced a few notable Adventurers.
Currently, my father Gregory Vega, is the head of our clan. He was a Rank S Mage during his Adventurer days, which were cut short when grandpa died. He was an only child, and so he had no choice but to lay down his armour and put on a business suit and settle himself to a life behind a desk. Because he was not particularly active in the family businesses when grandpa was alive, a lot of people wondered if Dad would make it as the head of one of the wealthiest family-owned businesses in all three worlds. Running around uncharted territory to discover treasure and slaying Anomalies is a completely different thing from leading Board meetings and being responsible for the lives of several thousands of employees. But despite my Dad's rough looks (even now you could mistake him for a gangster) he had a reputation for leading one of the safest parties ever. He hardly loses anyone during raids and missions because he always puts his people first.
He's a people person, like me. Business is business, you gotta be a hardball if you want something done. But he never forgets that the company is made up of people and not machines, and that makes all the difference.
Which is why I found myself being crushed against my father's chest the moment he entered my hotel suite.
"Dad! I'm okay! Really!" I gasped out, awkwardly patting his back as he squeezed the breath from me.
"I nearly had a stroke when I heard you were attacked! What were you thinking, going out like that without a single bodyguard!" Even at his age he could easily lift me up off the floor with a hug. My Dad is one of the strongest people I've ever known.
"Dad, I haven't had a bodyguard since I got my Mage license."
"And what good did that license do you, when you don't even bother to learn basic combat magic?" he demanded, settling his large frame into the couch.
"I had a barrier spell," I said defensively. "Unlike you, I can't draw much magic. Combat spells are impossible for me."
"Tsk. I don't know where you got your gentleness from, sweetie. Your mother and I must have been too soft on you."
He was telling the truth. I'm the youngest of four siblings. I was spoiled rotten. There was a reason for that, though, but I'll explain later.
I changed the subject. "There shouldn't have been any wild Anomalies on this island."
My father nodded. "The Anomaly Guard is investigating as we speak. I had a word with the man in charge and they guaranteed a report by the end of this day."
I smiled, sparing a little sympathy for the person whom my father 'had a word' with.
"But I heard something interesting on my way here though," Dad continued, giving me a look. "Something about a boy."
Of course he would have heard. This is the difficulty of having an overprotective Dad who has everyone on his payroll. So I didn't bother to dodge the issue. If I had the right read on Jester's personality, I was going to need all the help I can get.
"A young man, actually," I corrected him. "And I'm a young lady now Dad."
"Doesn't matter. So. Who is he?"
3 days after our Fated Encounter.'The number you are calling is not in service. Check the number and dial again...'That was the twelfth time I tried to call Jester Lee. I didn't want to admit it, but the truth is hard to ignore. Either the number he gave me was false or he was blocking my calls.Realistically speaking, why would anyone bother to hand out their number if they were planning to block you anyway? So it's most likely he gave me a wrong number on purpose so I couldn't bother him in the first place.I smirked. He's got pluck, I'll give him that. Most men (and women) would be pushing each other out of the way in order to get my attention (I am not exaggerating, I've seen it happen) and there he was, nonchalantly giving me a false number and treating me like some sort of fangirl who would only waste his time.There's a chance, of course, that he thought that way precisely because he
Mister Louie got back to me while I was on the drive back to the hotel."I double-checked and I can tell you for sure that the number you gave me was a burner," he said, amused. "Now why would anyone be giving you a burner, Alisa?"I held back a sigh. "Maybe because they don't want to talk to me?""Who in their right mind would wanna ignore a sweetheart like you?" Louie laughed. "Is this someone dodging a debt or something? Coz you seem pretty determined to catch him. You don't usually ask me for a favor this big."That made me smile. "I wanna keep things a secret for a little while, Mister Louie. And you could say I'm the one who owes this person a favor and you know I always pay my debts. So I have to be able to contact him so we can talk it out, you know?""Hmmm... well, whatever your reason, I hope you know that whatever I come up with using my methods, it won't hold in court? This is kind
"If it's in two years...there's not much time."
Dad was not amused. He grabbed a beer and emptied it in one go. His cheeks were red and his frown had turned into a pout. The effects of the purple cake must be wearing off."He should declare his intentions first. I'll meet with him myself."Huh. Well, that would prove difficult, since I don't think Jester is aware that he had any intentions to declare at all. Dad seems to be forgetting that I am still in the 'unrequited crush' phase of our relationship. Even calling it a 'relationship' was seriously stretching the boundaries of the word.This was getting quite embarrassing."Dad, I think we should discuss this when there's actually something more substantial between us to talk about. I mean, I think I like him, but he doesn't know that yet." I winked at Harry, who was chuckling silently in the corner."Mister Rosche, Madam Josefa, Diane. Thanks for keeping us company. I think we should be leaving now."
35 days after our Fated Encounter."Are you sure about this?" Bea asked me. "Because it's not too late for us to cancel.""Oh, yes, I'm sure. I finally found a window of opportunity after waiting so long. I'm not backing out now." I smiled confidently, twirling in front of the mirror to check my outfit: a calf-length brown pencil skirt, a plain white turtleneck, my favourite black stilleto boots, and a dark-brown fur-trimmed coat (its faux fur, of course, I don't wear clothes made from real animals. I'm not a barbarian) draped over my shoulders. My hair was done up in a casual high ponytail, with a matching brown satin ribbon holding it in place."Oh, I don't mean the date. I meant moving." Bea clarified, handing me my purse."Oh, that. I don't see the problem. Where I live is my business. And besides, the view is so pretty--""There are literally hundreds of other places that could give you a
He should have known something was wrong the moment he stepped into the cafe.First of all, he had never seen the place so full. Almost every table was taken, and his gaze immediately zeroed in on his favourite spot in the corner, hoping it would be empty. Thankfully, it was. He had been looking forward to having a cup of Arabique coffee that he had been craving for the past few days. Of course, he could just order to-go, but sipping coffee while doing some casual reading in his favourite cafe was something that always relaxes him. And boy, did he need some down time.The past week had been a blur of subjugation requests and raids and rescue missions and paperwork. If he had known how much paperwork he had to go through every time he finished a mission, he would never have accepted the Chairman's offer of enlisting as an Anomaly Guard. Well, at least they allowed him to have an aide. He spared a moment to appreciate Boris' hard work and sympathize with hi
Humans are not as compatible with magic as elves or dwarves. Something about inherent biological capacity and environmental exposure. Earth was naturally devoid of magic, and if it weren't for the Gaia Incident, humans probably would be in the same oblivious bubble of ignorance they've been enjoying for the past few millennia.But things did change, and in order to survive, humans had to evolve and adapt to these changes. Nowadays, roughly sixty percent of the human species can be considered Mages. Now, for every three hundred human Mages, one is bound to develop some sort of supernatural ability in addition to their inherent magical abilities. There aren't a lot of them, and their abilities are so unique and varied, that it's hard to categorize them. So, they are generally known as the Gifted.Although magical ability for the Gifted are less than for ordinary Mages, some of them have Gifts so powerful that it can't even be considered a disadvantag
I had been sitting on pins and needles the entire time I was waiting for Jester to email me the venue for our date.I couldn't even vent my stress by picking out an outfit, since I don't even know where we were going to have dinner. Bea said I should email him to follow-up, but I said I didn't want to sound super desperate or something. And part of me was worrying that maybe he wouldn't reply (that would be embarrassing!) or that maybe he'll go back on his promise and cancel on me (I don't think he's that type of guy, but then again he was the guy who gave me a fake number).So, to ease my frustration, I asked Mister Louie to install this tracking spell and sync it to my holo screen so that I can see in real time where Jester might be. Mister Louie assured me that although it was totally illegal, it was also untraceable so I won't go to jail for it, but he did say I shouldn't mention (especially to my Dad) where I got it from.