Chapter 2

I followed Elizabeth and her father into the back of the warehouse, and we stopped at a security checkpoint. The guards saw Elizabeth's father and sent us all right on through. I noted that all of the guards were huge, burly men, some with horns and others with tusks. Minotaurs and orcs, if my memory serves me right.

I followed them both into a room that was at the end of a hallway, and once inside, I noticed wonderful plush furniture in this section of the warehouse, complete with tables, and some had laptops and tablets on them. Elizabeth's father led us to the back of the room, which looked like it belonged to the big wigs of this place, and he took a seat in a large chair and sighed heavily.

"That's what I needed. I hate standing for so long." Her father said, motioned for Elizabeth and I to sit across from him.

We did so, taking large arm chairs facing him. He studied me for a while, and if he was trying to size me up, I couldn't tell. Eventually, he spoke.

"First and foremost, introductions are in order. I am Thadwick Jonnadeer. You already know my daughter, but it is you that I am most curious about. What is your name, young man?" Thadwick asked me.

"I uh, my name is Osidious Vanir. Most people just call me Sid. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." I replied, but I was more so entranced by what my eyes were seeing.

This man in front of me shined brighter than anyone I've ever seen. It must be the magic that they were talking about, so I immediately understood that this man must be powerful. Definitely not striking, like Elizabeth was. Even though it was my first time seeing elves in the flesh, and more so seeing Elizabeth like this, I couldn't help but think that she was even more beautiful now than she was before.

Thadwick considered me for a moment before he spoke.

"From what I can tell, you had no knowledge about any of this before you came here. Is this correct?" Thadwick asked me, and I nodded in the affirmative.

"Interesting. Well, then how do I say this. What you believe to be mythology, and supernatural, is very much real. Magic is real." Thadwick said, fixing his gaze on mine, "When we use magic, we can channel specific elements to use." Thadwick said, and a small fireball appeared in his hand.

"So cool." I said, still in awe of seeing this.

Elizabeth produced a ball of light that almost blinded me before she dimmed the brightness of it.

"You have to channel your magic, and focus it on a specific part or specific parts of your body." Thadwick told me, then his gaze became even, "But you have just defied even what I thought was possible. Not only did you use an element that few can use properly, but you channeled it throughout your entire body. That is not possible by a simple mage or magic user. You didn't just use the mana in your body. It was as if it was a part of you. Your magic level was higher than anything I've ever seen before ."

"My magic level? Is that like... how I see people who shine brighter than others?" I asked, and Elizabeth and her father nodded at me.

"Yes, that is your magical senses seeing the magic inside of another. Have you always felt... special, but never understood why?" Elizabeth asked me, and I immediately nodded.

"Yes. I mean, look at me." I said, flexing my biceps, showing my prestine muscle definition, then I lifted my shirt showing my perfectly sculpted abs.

Elizabeth turned a bright red, and Thadwick cleared his throat before I realized what I was doing. I quickly ended my little show and explained in further detail.

"I don't exercise, like at all. I play video games, I read, and I watch anime for godsake. I just tell people I spend all my time working out, so they leave me alone, when that's further from the truth than anything. I can pick up my own fucking car. And now apparently... I can create lightning." I said, getting it all put in the open.

It actually felt good to vent, and the other two stared at him with a new appreciation.

"Interesting. You are quite the special case, Osidious." Thadwick told me.

Elizabeth just stared at me like I was an expensive art display, and I won't lie, the attention from her was nice.

"Mana is a part of this world, and every day life. It's all around us, and we can all gather the ambient mana around us to channel it into our abilities that we use. However..." Thadwick said, staring at me intently, "We do not create mana. We can not generate our own mana, and as far as we know, there are only a few beings that can."

I listened intently, as knowing exactly what kind of supernatural being I was quickly became my number one interest. Thadwick nodded at his daughter to continue.

"Only beings of great power are known to be able to create mana. Dragons are the first ones that come to mind, but no one has seen or heard of a dragon's existence for... well, a very long time. Celestial Fae are another, and they are very much still alive, but they never leave their realm, as they supply the mana for the realm to remain stable. They are the Fae queens and the rulers of the Fae realm. Then... there are those of divine descent, but very little is known about them, many people believe that they don't even exist at all. Many theories, however, point to them being the source of where magic and mana originally came from." Elizabeth said, her eyes locking on mine.

I just stared at them as I took in this information. I stared at my hands, and when I focused and channeled the energy I now felt in my body, sparks emitted from my fingertips. The two elves watched in wrapped fascination as I did this.

"So, what do you think I am?" I asked.

Thadwick looked me up and down once more before he spoke.

"Well, you are a male, so a Fae queen is out of the question. Tell me, how do you feel right now?" He asked, causing me to really think about that.

"Honestly, I'm pretty tired after what just happened." I answered, suddenly feeling more exhausted by the second.

"No animalistic tendancies? Do you feel like going on a rampage?" Thadwick asked again.

I shook my head, and I didn't quite know what that question was supposed to mean.

"No, nothing like that. I'm just... exhausted." I said, feeling like passing out more and more as time went on.

Thadwick and Elizabeth both looked at each other, trading knowing looks. I didn't quite know what that meant, as I was just too tired to think straight at this point. I started feeling this way shortly after my little fight with Randall. Maybe it was a first time magic thing? I'm not quite sure myself.

"Well, all will be figured out in due time. I would like you to come to my residence so we can conduct some further testing of your abilities. I am quite curious. How does tomorrow sound?" Thadwick asked me, giving me a warm smile that I was not expecting.

"You can follow me after work if that sounds good to you." Elizabeth said, and I really had no reason to object.

These two people were willing to help me figure out this whole situation I had been put into. Magic, mana, the supernatural, and beings I thought to be those of pure fiction were actually real. Elizabeth, the smoking hot girl from work, is literally an elf, and she's even more beautiful than she was before.

"I can do that. Not like I have much going on anyway. Besides, tomorrow is Friday, so I have all weekend to get closer to an answer." I honestly without much hesitation.

I'm obviously not a Fae, and Dragon just doesn't feel right to me, so... divine origins? Could I actually be a God, or something like it? That sounds almost too cool to be true, and yet, here I was, the possibility actually existing. I couldn't help but smirk.

"I'm really glad you came, Sid. Even if things didn't go quite as expected." Elizabeth said, grimacing at the last part.

"Randall will be fine, and I'm sure he's learned a valuable lesson. The best healers we have told me he will recover just fine, and I can guarantee that he won't be picking fights with people much anymore." Thadwick said, shrugging off his concern.

"I appreciate everything you have shown and told me... I... have a lot to think about and consider." I replied, standing up and feeling slightly off balance, but I corrected my stance.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Elizabeth asked, and I was surprised to see genuine concern in her gorgeous green eyes.

I smiled at her.

"Yeah, just gotta sleep it off, and I should be back to normal... or better than normal? I guess we'll see." I said, wondering just what kind of changes my body was going through.

Thadwick held out his hand with a smile on his face, and I took it, shaking firmly.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Osidious Vanir. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow."

He said, and I was actually shocked at the strength of his grip on my hand.

"It was good to meet you as well, Mr. Jonnadeer. I will be there tomorrow." I assured him.

"Proper, I like it, but please, Thadwick is fine." He replied back, and I smiled.

Elizabeth came up to me next, and she gave me a hug, causing my brain to malfunction at her touch. Her skin was soft, and she had the most wonder scent I'd ever smelled. Like a spring meadow, the smell relaxed me, and put me at ease, although now I was feeling even more tired.

That was slightly offset, however, as the feeling of her soft and very generously sized breasts pushed into me, which slightly tapped into my libido. I hugged her back, savoring the feeling of her pushing into me before I backed off.

"Thank you for inviting me. I'll see you tomorrow at work, and I'll see you afterward, Thadwick." I replied, and he nodded at me.

Elizabeth led me out by the hand, once again causing my body to tense. I couldn't help but notice the myriad of looks I was getting from those in attendance, but they all kept their distance. Many eyed me like I was some kind of monster, and again, the irony was not lost on me. However, many of the women present were giving me sultry looks that I actually couldn't quite parse. I had to do a double take on several occasions, as many of the women were insanely attractive, if a little different than what I was used to.

As we made our way towards the exit, a woman came from the side, a sway in her step as she came towards us. She was gorgeous, and as she got closer, I noticed that she, too, was different than what I expected. She had adorable fluffy ears and two big bushy tails, both orange in nature, as was the hair on her head. My eyes were glued to her as she smiled, stopping to stand right in front of Elizabeth and I.

"So, Lizzie, who's your friend?" The woman asked, bouncing her eyebrows at us.

Elizabeth moved forward and embraced the woman. A friend it would seem, and a damn hot one at that.

"Nadi, this is Sid. Sid, this is the wonderful Nadia Brown. We've been friends ever since we were children." Elizabeth explained, and I just stared, trying to parse what exactly this woman was. A fox girl, like in that anime I really like?

Elizabeth saw my confusion and gave me a hand.

"Sid here had no idea about any of this until today. The paranormal and the supernatural, that is." Elizabeth explained, and Nadia smirked.

"Ah. And I thought he was just admiring my face." Nadia replied, grinning mischievously.

"I, uh, am just new to all of this." I replied, and I was surprised I was able to get anything out at all.

Nadia giggled.

"I'm a Kitsune." She said, and I inwardly jumped for joy at my correct assessment.

"I've read books with Kitsune's in them and seen them in some of my shows, but I never thought I'd actually be talking to one. This is... a lot to take in." I said, and I felt stupid the moment the words escaped my mouth.

Thankfully, and to her credit, Nadia just giggled at me.

"Lizzie, he's adorable! And quite the looker too, if I do say so myself. The stories may or may not be right on the money. My parents told me that our people descended from a powerful fox diety, but no one is really certain. To me, I am just me, and that's about all I need to know." Nadia said, giving me a beautiful smile.

Not gonna lie, so far, this was great. Nadia was just as pretty as Elizabeth, yet she was also adorable. Flirtatious, which didn't both me, but also pretty nice from what I can tell. She continued.

"Enough about me, though, I want to know about you. I saw what you did to Randall. It was so satisfying watching you put that asshole in his place. Your mana was... astounding. What are you exactly?" Nadia asked me, and her flirtatious nature was present, but also genuine interest.

"I, um, don't know, exactly. Thadwick and Elizabeth threw out some ideas, but we still aren't sure. I'm going to be seeing him again tomorrow. I hope he can help me find out." I answered honestly, not seeing a reason to tell her any less.

"My father seems to have taken a keen interest in him. He's going to be coming over to our house tomorrow." Elizabeth explained, and Nadia seemed to perk up at this information.

"Can I come over too? I am curious to see what else he can do." Nadia asked, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"I don't mind. Sid, what do you think?" Elizabeth asked me.

I just smiled and nodded.

"Sounds fine to me. The more the merrier. Plus, I need more people to help me now more than ever. All of this new information I've learned is just... world altering." I replied, and if I was being honest, seeing her more often would be a wonderful sight.

"Great! I'll be over tomorrow after you get out of work." Nadia replied, beaming at us.

I shook her delicate and soft hand, and Elizabeth gave her another hug before Nadia took her leave, and Elizabeth walked me the rest of the way out of the warehouse.

We walked outside into the cool night air, and I looked over at the stunning Elven beauty. Her eyes shined like bright emeralds in the moonlight, and her blonde hair had a reflective sheen that made her look like an angel. She caught me staring, and we both flushed a deep red.

"Tonight was... a night." I said.

Real fucking smooth.

That did seem to lighten the mood as it caused Elizabeth to laugh.

"I'm really glad you came. Truth be told, I wasn't sure what to expect from you. I saw faint magic coming from your body, so I didn't at all expect what you showcased to everyone tonight. I'm glad my father seems to like you, and it seems you even have another fan. Don't worry, Nadia is one of my best friends, and she's a sweetheart." Elizabeth assured me, and I just smiled at her.

"Thank you, Elizabeth. Despite what happened, I'm glad I came. It was nice to see you. The real you." I told her, and that caused her to blush.

She gave me a hug, and before I could pull away, she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and my whole body tensed. I could feel the lingering magic from her lips on my cheek, but more than that, a beautiful woman just hugged and kissed me. I was at a loss for words.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She told me, giving me a wink.

"I, uh, yeah."

My conversational skills did need a little bit of work it would seem.

Elizabeth chuckled at my flustered look, and graciously, she let me go, and I walked back to my car with the dumbest grin on my face. I probably looked like a super villain that just hatched a crazy new scheme.

I got in my car, started it up, and prayed that I had the energy to navigate myself home, my tired body catching up to me faster as the night went on. I was growing a little concerned, as I had never been this tired before in my whole life, and this is coming from a guy whole pulled many an all nighter on the release of a new video game.

I don't even remember the drive home. All I knew was that I somehow made it back to my apartment and stumbled inside, locking the door behind me. I threw my keys in a bowl on a stand near the front door and slowly made my way to my room. I made sure my alarm was set, still having a modicum of responsibility left in my foggy brain. I practically threw myself on my bed, and the moment my head hit the pillow, my entire world went black as sleep claimed me.