Chapter 35

"Rowena Ravenclaw" he intoned once he turned the stone thrice.

A ghostly image came forth, an elegant woman that shone even through her ghostly visage, her eyes gleamed knowingly, gleamed with knowledge that surpassed his own. She stood tall and firm, her posture could only be quantified as graceful, a woman who knew her value and emitted an aura that simply made one know of it.

Her eyes bore into him, assessing him and he could imagine the gears of her mind working at speeds most would never even be capable of. Her eyes shifted towards the Stone in his hand and he wondered if she had any idea what it was.

She shouldn't...she died before the Peverell Brothers were even born.

"That stone is responsible for calling me from my rest?" she inquired with clarity and purpose in her voice.

He nodded slightly "Yes Lady Ravenclaw" he said with as much respect he could convey in his voice.

She floated towards his outstretched palm, towards the Stone and she scrutinised it carefully.

"Who made this?" she inquired as she kept her eyes on the Stone.

"Cadmus Peverell." He said simply as he kept his eyes on her.

"Hmm. Interesting. The Peverells..." she said trailing off as she kept her eyes on the Stone "Not so surprising in truth" as she looked at the stone contemplatively before her eyes flicked towards him. "Are you one?" she asked and he shook his head.

"I'm a Sayre. Atticus Sayre" he said calmly as he inspected her reaction to him.

"Ah, famous artificers, at least in my day. Friends of the Peverells too." she said she looked him over.

"The Peverells are no longer I'm afraid. Regarding artificing, it's no longer the case, my family turned towards business these days though sometimes there are those who do go into it but never to the scale we once did" he said calmly. She looked at him saying nothing for a short moment before she spoke.

"That Stone..." she murmured as she gazed at it. "Capable of calling on spirits of those who have passed." She said as she drifted closer to it.

"Have you spoken to the creator through his creation yet?" she asked him whilst keeping her eyes on the Stone.

"I haven't" he admitted. "I haven't had any need of it" he said honestly. She turned sharply at him and she looked at him with intense focus.

"If you have called on me, you want my knowledge." She said calmly as she looked at him and he nodded slightly.

She looked around "You've found my Room" she said as her eyes roamed across the room which was a simple configuration that simply had a chair and a lit fireplace amidst a black room.

"I have...it's a wonder of creation. I've searched Hogwarts through every room and none came close to the wonder of this" he said truthfully.

When he created his map, he had access to every room, every passage way, and it was great. The centuries old abandoned rooms had nothing of value, of course, all of it was sent to the Room of Hidden Things but they did have interesting rooms that spoke volumes of Hogwarts' past classes. He'd found rituals rooms, duelling pits, ventilated brewing rooms and so on.

"I'm not surprised." She said with a little amusement creeping into her voice. "My fellow founders never really cared for possibilities that magic could give beyond a certain degree and purpose." She said calmly before she floated a bit further away.

"This room is the culmination of much of my studies. But enough of that" she said as she turned to him with a question of her face.

"I called on you to find out how the Room of Requirement, how the Time Room was created and how the Book of admissions obtains the names of those born in the Isles, those who meet the minimum magical threshold" he said calmly as she eyed him curiously.

"I can understand why you wish to know the first two." She said calmly "But why the book of Admissions?" she asked with a tilted head.

The Book of Admission was a fascinating piece of magic that continued to be the foundation of Hogwarts, of how the Ministry operated when it came to magical children.

"I want to know how it is made from you because I won't...at least easily...have access to the Book to figure it out. I want to know because I want to expand on the magic and have it work worldwide but also remove the minimum threshold so that anyone with magic in their veins is known to me" he said calmly and she floated down to meet him at eye level.

"Why." She said without any hints of what she was thinking in her voice.

And so he explained. He explained the centuries since her death, the breakdown of relationships between muggles and magicals, the eventual implementation of the Statute, the progress muggles are making and the time bomb that existed for the inevitable exposure of the magical world and the subsequent war that is likely to follow given the animosity, the fear and the hate the magical world held for the muggle world and the intolerance that existed in both worlds. He tells her of Grindelwald and his own campaign and his successes, he tells of his own plans to safeguard the magical world as well as he could with people who were not lost to their prejudice and ignorance.

For over an hour, he explained and she listened though she began to look away in lost in her thoughts once he finished.

"Even in our time, our relationship with the muggles in power, in some fashion or another, hadn't been easy but Godric and I..." she trailed off as she dived deep into her memories.

She turned to him "It seems coexistence is coming to an end." She said emotionless as she looked at him strangely "One way or another" she said before she closed her eyes momentarily before it shone with a determination that he seldom saw in anyone.

"I will teach you all I know, Atticus Sayre" she said seriously "But I require several things from you" she said as she floated right into his face.

"Ask" he said simply, inclining his head as he did so.

And so she did. It was all things he could do or attempt to do and he swore to her he would.

Every day since, he spent the maximum amount of time with her, learning what she knew.

He learnt more in those two hours each day than he had ever learnt from any teacher, bar Aurilak.

She was a goldmine of information and her creation of the Time Room was a happy accident of hers.

She did experiments with early versions of space expansion techniques. In one of these experiments, she pierced their dimension of existence and managed to gain access to a realm that she posited that it lied on top of their dimension of existence, where existence was wholly different. 

Her early forays discovered that the realm was a void unlike anything she had seen before. It seems that anything she introduced, like air or light lingered for longer than possible, as the realm took on these foreign introductions and shaped the realm in accordance.

She experimented for years and found that the laws of the realm were fundamentally different to their own dimension of existence and she had an uncanny ability to affect it. From there, she was able to introduce time to her own specifications whereby she fashioned out a pocket of the realm to run at an delay she personally decided.

It was remarkable what she found and the possibilities that it held was countless. He had asked her why she decided on a way that limited the use of magic in the Time Room and she said she was afraid of the consequences to the room should magic be introduced in greater scale, that she was afraid that magic would undo her design and he understood then.

Her conditions in the Time Room made it stable and the fact that the person doesn't age in line with their realm of existence in the Time Room was one of the conditions. The introduction of magic, could destabilise that aspect along with other things.

Aside from that, she told him of how the ROR was fashioned and he caught on quickly and he would be able to make his own now. He already had ideas on how she might have done but with the things she told him, it would be relatively straightforward. 

The fact that it relied on the leylines didn't truly matter to him. He had alternative ways of powering the ROR. 

When it came to the Book of Admissions, they hadn't yet touched on that but that would happen later in the year.

She rarely talked about her own personal life, and he didn't pry. He was well aware the most...sensitive aspect of her life. 

But she did talk about the dynamics of the founders, and her own relationships with them. She was closer to Godric than the other two as they knew each other the longest. She grew up in Londinium and had known Godric since they were children.

Whilst she apprenticed under a master – at that time there weren't any specific masteries...simply a title of being a master – Godric travelled the Isles, battling against wizards who were causing trouble on behalf of Kings and the magical council. He was a famous battlemage by the time he met the rest of the founders and was largely responsible for the first students due to his fame.

Helga had been a famous healer, one who the nobility went to. She was depicted as kind hearted but wicked with a wand. Helga's father had been a well known warrior who travelled Europe, fighting in mercenary companies before he settled to have a family and taught Helga all he knew.

Salazar...His story was tragic, even then. First he lost his parents and brothers to the fanatic muggles and then he lost most of his family bar a single infant child to muggles once more. She said that Salazar had been infamous for killing muggles and much of his reputation, bad or good, depending on who you asked, stemmed from that period of his life.

Godric had once been contracted to kill him but the Peverells prevented him from doing so, stating that Salazar was off limits. Salazar killed the ones who contracted to have him killed, ending any notions of people calling in a hit on him.

By the time they met Salazar, he'd been broken, Rowena said and that his infant son had been the only thing that kept him truly from falling off a cliff. Helga informing Salazar of their aims had been another lifeline and it had given him a purpose that lost with the death of his wife and children.

She told him, fondly, of their troubles and tribulations in first finding a suitable site for the school and said the McDowell family had been instrumental in helping them find the eventual site. He enjoyed the look on her face when he told her that His grandmother had been the last of the McDowells and that his father and his sister and he were the McDowell legacy.

Hearing her talk about the construction of Hogwarts told him, from the way she talked, that it was likely the best of times for her. She smiled fondly when she recalled the duels that Godric, Helga and Salazar would fight to determine certain things about the castle and the smug triumphant look on Helga's face when she beat them both before she'd cook a lovely rabbit stew for them all after nursing their wounds.

She talked about the negotiations they had with the Centaur herds and the service they provided for them, to protect their lands from muggles, in exchange for looking out for wizard children. She talked about the learning curves of constructing a highly magical construct, one that delved in so many different facets of magic.

It was wonderful to listen to her speak about her life's work and the close bonds they forged through shared labour and struggles. Godric and Salazar became close friends despite their wildly different life experiences and their opinions, even though it did not last.

She talked about the struggles they had in convincing magical families to send their children away from the safety of the home, to receive standardised education. She talked about the efforts of Godric and Salazar to convince families to do so and the arguments they had regarding the training of new bloods. 

She talked about the scepticism of Salazar with regards to keeping Hogwarts safe from the muggles through their children, the collaboration of him and her in creating muggle repelling wards that they freely shared with the rest of the Isles in response to his concerns, the concerns that were alleviated but never satisfied.

She talked about the early growing pains in keeping track of so many children, a few hundred of all ages, from eleven to even twenty years of age...the growing schism between them all when it came to new bloods, the gap between them and magically raised magicals when it came to education, both mundane and magical and of course religion that played such a large role in the gap between the differently raised magicals.

She grew sadder as she talked about the final years of their time together...about the problems that they had ignored, the fundamental differences that were always going to flare between them. How different life experiences ultimately scarred many of them, and pride and conviction made them unable to resolve their differences to a conclusion that didn't leave them bitter. 

She talked about how much Hogwarts affected their personal lives as well, that their dreams ended up hurting those who mattered the most to them.

Throughout all of this, he'd remained silent as she spoke to him, seemingly getting things of her chest to a stranger she'd never see again once she told him all that he wanted.

Strangely it was therapeutic for himself as well. Hearing such things from someone he greatly admired enabled him to self reflect on his own goals, on what he wanted and how it would affect his family.

He rarely thought of his sister and his parents and Benedict when it came to his Island. But then, he didn't really think they'd truly understand. 

Was that unfair on them? Likely. After all, they supported him in everything. 

He began to confess to her about his own life, about how he was disillusioned with the magical world and that his own desire of creating an Island had been primarily because he did not see a future for the magical world with the way it was run and that conflict was inevitable and through idiocy and arrogance it all would be destroyed.

He told her about his change of heart, of taking people with him, those who deserved a chance, to live to their utmost potential whilst being accepting of the differences between peoples. He talked about his struggles about morality and his hesitancy to be involved in the magical world beyond what he was doing because he did not feel like he had any stake in it, beyond saving what he could. He told her about Emily, the problems they faced and still faced.

She listened and answered and offered advice without judgement and at times questioned him on his practices. It helped to get off some of the things that bothered him off his chest. Her advice regarding Emily had him realise a number of things about himself and the way he might have treated her.

Finally, she told him about Salazar's departure, once more about new bloods. How that finally broke everything. Salazar left bitter but easily without any further problems. Despite it all, they all knew that they cherished each other, in their own way. How could they not?

Hearing it from her was so different than what was known and he wondered how different society would be if the truth was known. Would the poisonous elements of society be as bad as it was or would there be far more cohesion? Or was it simply a natural state of existence, the inevitable breakdown of relationships, the inevitable decomposition, the inevitable death...

Does one cherish the moments one has or do you simply try and extend it as much as you could, less sweet but longer lasting and perhaps bitterer? 

It left him ponderous for some time.

His first term went by quickly. He worked on his extended life ritual, whenever he had time in the Time Room, working out the kinks and would now restore his cells whilst at the same time keep him fertile.

His work in forging was going pretty well and his sessions in the evening with Dvalin were useful. He used the little forging room in his trunk when he was Dvalin as he didn't want Emily to know about the Stone.

He was working his way up with his help. Part of his use of the Time Room was partially used to get some sleep along with studying for his Runes Mastery and figuring out a way to automate certain magical spells in preparation for his intentions of the Asteroid.

There are already minor scale automated spells, prank spells and so on worked like that. Often they could be minor transfigurations or charms that are activated via time delay or some other mechanism so the basis existed. The problem was of course scale and the nature of what he was doing. 

It required further work and understanding. His satellites managed to pinpoint a number of sites where that was greater than fifty kilograms of gold. He wasn't interested in gold veins or the gold themselves, after all he could create gold now himself. No, he was interested in shipwrecks. In the period between 3000BC to 1941AD, he knew that were tens of thousands of shipwrecks though many were likely useless. But...

Magicals love gold and always have. There might well be shipwrecks filled with artefacts along with the gold but he had little time or desire to search through the hundreds of sites in the ocean, most of them in the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Sea and the South China Sea.

Interestingly, there were some certain locations in Mexico and northern South America where there were some sites that stood out...possible it was something related to the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations...perhaps he'd be able to find something magical amongst it. 

Sara, his cousin, was now travelling through the Americas, searching for magical ruins with a few body guards. 

In their letters, she looked into Archaeology and thanked him for suggesting it. He wondered if she's turning in a little Lara Croft. He wasn't going to lie, he'd be up for some adventures.

Imagine the magical shit the Aztecs would use to booby trap their treasures? 

Indiana Jones kinds of shit though he expected inferni, flesh eating bacteria, acid spitting serpents and all other kinds of fucked up shit.

He hoped Sara would invite the fuck out of him. It would be a blast.

He kept in contact with Moira as he worked through her course load in the Time Room and informed her of the properties of the Time Room. The Advanced Humans had a unique understanding of Time though she personally had not. 

He felt a little sorry for his ancestor. She did not want to interact with the world as it was and he understood her. It would be like him interacting with hunter and gatherers. He wouldn't.

In truth, he was greatly surprised at how engaging she was with him. He wondered if it was because of the link of blood, beyond the fact it was her duty to leave behind her knowledge. In any case, on that front, a number of Asteroids were identified that suited his purposes which were great. 

He wouldn't be able to do anything about for the next...three years or so but that was fine.

He needed to work on wards, create wards that protected against nuclear warheads, His work on wards were steady but slow as it was several notches down his list. He already made headway in figuring out a way for wards to work against other forms of energy but for the moment, it was incredibly poor and it was more a botch job than anything else.

He needed to work on how to harness magical energy better as well. It was partly why he intended to study energy physics. He had a feeling that, more like a nudge that suggested that he do so. 

His dream visions were almost on a repeat but one thing was clear, he would be in battle for a while once he finished training. The books he read on divination helped him understand somewhat. His own ability was far more artificial, far more personal than Seers who were naturally so. Those Seers saw futures that none truly understood why. Why those visions. It was the same for Prophets and their prophecies. As there was some kind of guiding element.

It made the notion of magic being alive, being sentient gain some truth to it. He considered what Emer Sayre said to him about rules about not being allowed to divulge things. If Death was not in control of that realm, the realm that Moira said was the Domain, then who was? Was it perhaps these Precursors? If that was the case, did they also have some kind of hand in magic...neurophysical energy and the way it responded to his kind?

He shook his head. These were questions for another time, at a time where he could pursue it. 

His classes were going pretty good and he soon became a favourite teacher for most of the first, second and third years as his unconventional way of teaching became cherished.

His games were few, he'd only had two sessions of it with his first years and one with his second years but he approached Charms from a more intuitive way, explaining to them in such a way that he hoped would inspire them. He of course lectured, it was important to convey information quickly and concisely but it didn't mean it had to be boring and non-interactive. 

His classes with the older students were far more standard given how close they were in age.

Unfortunately not everything was fine and dandy. He was dragged to Slughorn's Slug Party by Emily and he had to socialise with the people he brought in.

He admired Slughorn in the way he was shameless of collecting people. Everyone knew of what he was doing and yet because he was doing it in such non intrusive and non malicious way, people played along. In truth it was a pretty good networking event and he met several ministry officials, many of whom were more than happy to speak with him considering his reputation. 

It helped him gain insight what the Ministry thought of him. His reputation in the last few years was quite high and he was a commodity that the Ministry was happy about.

The Ministry above all else didn't like its power disrupted and many of its policies were geared towards that.

The bans on rituals, the bans on entire branches of magic and restrictions on what is taught...

It was surprising they weren't more nervous about him but once more family legacy aided in this regard. The Sayre family never sprouted a Dark Lord though they rarely intervened and when they did, it was on the side of the Light. This reputation protected him in many ways despite the fact that it was known he was powerful and that he was capable of wandless magic which had caused a stir in the school over the months until the students became used to it.

Dumbledore had eyed him calculatingly more often nowadays. Dumbledore likely was capable of some form of wandless magic. A man like him would want such a capability hidden, to be used discreetly. He wondered if he could send out compulsion charms wandlessly. Though an occlumens could resist, children were far more susceptible to such a thing. It would be an invaluable tool in his arsenal to shape people to his desires...fostering worse relations between people and houses whilst also subtly influencing people to trust him.

Strangely, the man rarely communicated with him even if he watched him. Dippet on the other hand had been intrigued by his teaching practices given how well received it was. Often, it has lead to a minor debate at the staff table, each interjecting their own opinions. 

It was almost as if...he kind of accepted Atticus? Dumbledore confused him so much.

McGonagall was slowly accepting of his methods given how well it translated in many other subjects. The first years were over performing in many of their classes and he couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride about that.

He shook his head as he removed his thoughts from Dumbledore and teaching. Having his wandless capability known was advantageous in many ways but it also made enemies wary and could perhaps strike in unconventional ways. Now that it was known he could do wandless magic, if he was ever sentenced for some bullshit, he'd be imprisoned in far more magically constricting ways.

Most magical cuffs were designed to disrupt magical flow within the body, to deny the user to be capable of utilising their magic properly.

There were a few darker ones, ones that suppressed magic. These were actually the basis of the spells that bound magic in muggleborns who refused to attend Hogwarts. 

The spells weren't permanent but if enough time passed, the magic of the individual withered to something only slightly above a squib. Magic nourished the body and if magic was suppressed, the body of the magical no longer had the supporting influence of magic thus reducing the strength of said body thus reducing natural access to magic. Magicals were sturdier after all.

In any case, he would need to figure out a way to make sure suppressive and disruptive magic never took hold of him. He'd never allow his magic to be taken from him.

Regarding Emily, her status in Slytherin was solid. She was the undisputed leader and she had her own court so to speak. And yet there was a little tension about it when he asked her about it. He'd been curious – and worried – about it and he wanted her to tell him but he hadn't pressed. 

She did tell him a little about her time in Slyterin however...There were some grumblings by a few older students but none dared to act on it. He suspected there was more to it but, she hadn't elaborated. 

Some of her associates were elevated to the Slytherin Hierarchy. Malfoy and Dolohov were the ones who were elevated. Two very different people, capable in their own ways.

One who would have a corrupting influence in the ministry whilst the other would be one of her most able duellists, deadly to her enemies. Perhaps in another life, perhaps even in this one...in different circumstances.

She hadn't really moved away from her stances in any definable way, he knew this, from the little she was willing to tell him, from what he discerned. She built her influence on the ideas and notions of her associates, leveraging it all to gain power and now that she didn't truly need it...

She would have difficulty getting out at a satisfactory conclusion if she wanted to maintain relationships. Their support would be necessary for her to fulfil her ambitions.

But then again, she'd be able to smooth it over once it became known she was the Slytherin Heir...

She made more of an effort with the rest of the Houses and given her association with him, she made significant strides as she was given far more time and looked at less warily than the other Slytherins. 

Her lack of family name was one of interest, especially considering how she was in control of Slytherin House particularly by purebloods who knew more about the dynamics of the House. Nonetheless, she slowly but surely made herself seem as a approachable figure. It helped she stayed polite all throughout her Hogwarts years. 

He broke out of his musings but the sound of harsh scratching of a quill on parchment. He looked at Emily and saw her writing some calculations down. 

It was time for Yule and he'd be returning home for it in a couple of days. 

He sat in the Chamber with Emily, working with her and teaching her at the same time the intricacies of rituals as he has done thrice a week.

"Perhaps we should call it a day Emily" he said rubbing his eyes. They'd been working on this the entirety of Sunday morning and now evening.

He looked at her and saw her focused on arithmancy calculations and he shook his head in fond exasperation. He got up and stretched and gave her one more glance before he decided to leave her be. 

He knew very well himself the importance of staying in the zone, so to speak, when you were inspired in some fashion or another.

He made his way out of the mouth and made his way towards the centre of the large chamber.

They used this space to duel – he hadn't told her yet of the ROR – and so they reconfigured the room to suit them. She was getting better each day though he himself had plateau'd in some fashion.

He trained every morning still, he never reneged on his training, but there was only so much you could do without facing opponents who are unique in their skill.

He needed combat experience. His training with Brosovic was perhaps his best period of training and yet, he needed far more. He needed opponents who did different things, who were experts in their own way.

He shook his head and raised his wand perpendicular to his body. 

With a jerk, the stone floor began to animate into a large hand that clenched into a fist as he willed it so. He sent the fist forward, travelling the length of the chamber before he sent the animation back into the stone floor and he raised his wand up as he increased the strength of his transfiguration and the ground shook as a draconic head of stone rose up from the stone floor. 

The wyvern rose from the ground, as if crawling out from quick sand as a limb rose from the floor and planted it on the ground, a loud thud emanating from the contact its limb made to the ground.

Huge wings of stone, wings impossibly nimble and capable of taking it into flight, unleashed themselves as the Wyvern released itself from the earth.

Atticus shifted his focus to his secondary animation and with a jerk of his wand, at the other end, a serpent, one that resembled Seraya, rose from the ground, less dramatic but far more menacing and soon enough two great beasts of stone lunged towards each other smashing into each other, breaking off the stone that they consisted off. 

The Serpent bit into the neck of the wyvern and tore of a huge piece from it though within seconds, liquid stone covered the gap in the throat once more making it whole

He waved his wand around, intent on keeping the fluidic transfiguration going as each tails of the beasts remained connected to the ground, greedily consuming material to maintain their shape, to maintain their form as they continued to savage each other.

He closed his eyes before his eyes snapped open, his magic wild and furious.

His understanding of atomic science and thermodynamics made this possible.

The wyvern escaped the attempted constriction of the serpent and distanced itself enough to open flap its wings, its force creating powerful gusts of winds that he could feel even as he stood in the opposite direction of the wind.

The wyvern rose into the sky, its tail remaining firmly connected to the ground and stared down at the serpent that coiled into itself, getting ready to strike down the wyvern.

The wyvern inhaled air, sharp whistle like sound echoed through the room as air rushed through the sharp stone teeth. The act of inhaling air was pointless and yet it was a simple manifestation of his imagination. Its chest began to redden slowly but surely until it was red white hot as it began to ripple much like water did with every beat of its wing. 

The wyvern opened its mouth, the mouth extending far beyond the hinges of its jaw and a torrent of magma spewed forth, ejected from the gape of its mouth towards the Serpent.

The Wyvern looked gaunt, skeletal as it lost its material. The Serpent lunged away from the incoming liquid hot stone and into the waters of the Chamber.

The wyvern directed its magma after it and made contact with the water and an explosion of steam and water splattered around the room. So much so he had to conjure a light shield to protect himself from the heat of the steam until it cooled and a drizzle of rain fell all around the chamber.

Emily POV

The table shook, the room shook, with a suddenness that took her out of her concentration of the arithmantic calculations that she working on.

She got up as she turned towards the direction of the noise, the larger chamber. She was annoyed but she was intrigued more so.

She made it to the exit of the mouth of the stone statue and what she saw greatly surprised her.

A great stone dragon...no a wyvern, that was in flight staring down a massive Basilisk, one that looked similar to Seraya.

She turned her eyes towards the figure who stood far from the action but no less responsible for all of this.

Her eyes were stuck, fixed on his figure, as he stood there, steadfast and unyielding. She could smell the power that was emanating from him as he weaved his wand through the air, as if a conductor directing their orchestra, all to his whim and tempo.

She returned his eyes towards the stone beasts and her eyes widened as she saw the chest of the wyvern heat up impossibly to a red then finally red white and a blast of liquid hot stone was sent towards the serpent who managed to escape most of it as it dived into the waters of the chamber.

The wyvern sent the liquid hot stone into the water and massive clouds of steam erupted and she winced a little before she palmed her wand.

Thankfully, it dissipated quickly and the steam soon turned into water and light rain began to fall down onto the grounds of the chamber.

The wyvern searched the water as it remained in flight, as if it held intelligence as if it was truly a creature.

She eyed it all in utter fascination. 

She had known his intentions of what he called fluidic transfiguration, a form of transfiguration that never ceased. Animations were created and that is where it stopped. They had a fixed size, a fixed animated transfiguration that once destroyed becomes debris that you once more begin to transfigure but that was not enough for him...no he wanted more which she could understand better than most.

A never ending animated transfiguration was his goal, one that could remain animated and intact regardless of the destruction it received. 

And now, she was seeing his efforts and it was masterful. She had seen his efforts in their duels though it was simply on a much lesser scale.

The serpent erupted from the water and launched itself towards the wyvern. It caught the wyvern's leg and clamped down on it, tearing it free before it once more dived into the water.

Her eye twitched in annoyance as she watched the incredible display of transfiguration, two facsimiles of the most dangerous creatures attacking each other with abandon, puppets to his strings as he played out a grand retelling of battles long past. 

She has yet to evoke such displays of transfiguration from him, against her. She didn't yield this kind of level, in their duels, and she knew, however much she didn't want, that it was illogical to consider it so. He had more experience, he started learning magic at an earlier age, before he could even read and he had undergone 21 rituals, giving him advantages that she could not yet overcome.

Her research into rituals was fuelled, in part, by a desire to match and overtake him, beyond simply desiring to increase her own strength and magic.

She yearned to beat him at his best, to make him use everything he could to defeat her. It would take time...years, she knew this. With him off to fight Grindelwald in a year's time, he would push on further than her with the experience he gained.

The serpent once more erupted from the waters though this time, it was different. The waters around the shifted around the serpent and her eyes widened as she understood what he was doing.

The serpent shifted into a Hydra Basilisk hybrid with two of its heads made from water whilst the stone laid central in the trident serpent.

The wyvern hadn't been idle and began to dive towards the serpent which the serpent responded to avidly, eager to meet the challenge of the wyvern.

She looked on as she watched this dance, this dance spoke volumes of the power and skill required and her eyes once more fell to the figure that changed her life.

She knew, at one time, she'd feel great anger and wariness of anyone who'd show as much skills as he was today. In truth, she did not expect that to change if she saw it from anyone else.

And yet, she felt a measure of pride at his accomplishments. It was only right her consort...her partner was as brilliant as he was. But it highlighted her trailing progress.

She already fell behind in almost every aspect and it was something that grated her significantly. Even regards to the Dark Arts, he knew more even if he didn't use it.

Her pride was wounded when even his own ambitions were far greater and far grander than she had even imagined and the more time she spent with him as he explained what he intended to do, the plans he worked up, the more she understood...

It was more than possible.

It made her own ambitions to rule magical Britain seem laughable and miniscule. How can one beat the ambition of creating a island from scratch, to design the nation as you wish whilst also ensuring you remain firmly at the top with none ever capable or willing to topple you from it?

To create a country on the scale he was doing that would only be considered to be greater than Atlantis itself. The names of the Founders, the names of the Peverell Brothers, the name of Merlin, would pale to his name.

He's said that they'd do it together...and yet, it felt far from that.

The ground shook once more.

She resented him for showing her up...for completely upending her to such a degree that it made her own ambitions seem trivial.

More than anything, she resented that she felt...so inadequate. 

Her eyes fixated on the great constructs as they battled.

She had always been assured of her own destiny, of her being at the top, ruling Magical Britain as she wished. And now...

With his admissions of his ambitions, it shifted her perspective completely and she, for the first time, was doubting herself...of the path she declared when she first discovered how special she was and the world she belonged to.

As time went, and she interacted with her associates, that doubt only intensified. She'd always known she was cruel. She never cared, truly, about what she did to others. She still didn't.

Everyone was a tool for her to use in her goals but as she watched them...she realised how pathetic they were. She'd always known they were foolish in their discrimination...their prejudices that made them overinflate in self importance because of something as asinine as blood.

Power was what mattered, truly, and she thought to use theirs, their influence, their wealth, their wands for her own purposes to eventually rule Magical Britain.

What did it matter if she used their prejudices for her own purposes?

But ever since he took her up in space...an experience she'd never forget...ever since she knew of his eventual goals...

Would she truly be content to try and rule such a broken country with such broken people who were not worthy enough to even lick the filth from her boots?

When she had a fresh opportunity to build a country from scratch, to set the foundations of the society that she wanted to rule?

The problem was...did he truly intend for it to be theirs? He told her his plans but she knew he wasn't telling her everything. 

It was grating on her...the lacklustre attempt for him to include her...to dangle the prospect of ruling in front of her whilst also not including her properly in the actual planning.

She had asked herself 'what do you want to do?' and it was a question that she had no true answer to. 

The ground shook once more as the great beasts clashed though she was steady.

His ambitions beyond the island...were insane and approached ridicule. It was foolish, impossible.

And yet...there was a niggling thought in her mind that persisted that he would be capable of it.

If he was capable of it, what was his limit and would she ever stand as his equal? It was what kept her from believing him completely.

Her feelings of inadequacy flared once more and she clenched her fists before she relaxed as she banished those thoughts away.

Finally, the display ended and she looked at him as he walked on the ruined stone floor. He raised both his hands and with a sharp expression, pulled them in and the stone, that was once ruined began to morph slowly but surely back into its shape.

She walked on the newly re-formed stone floor, her steps lightly echoing through the chamber and he turned to her and she could see a tired expression on his face.

"You broke me out of my concentration" she said curtly as her arms were behind her back. It had no heat but she had to at least keep up pretences.

He rolled his eyes as he sighed exasperatedly though a fond look came across his face and she couldn't help but relax a little. He held such power of her...thankfully he wasn't too aware of it though she was sure he'd never exercise it.

"My apologies my dear Millie" he said with a little grin on his face and she soured at that.

"Don't butcher my name, mother's little boy" she said with a raised eyebrow and his face scrunched up at that to her amusement. It amused her that he held such a term in distaste.

She looked him over and saw tiredness in his face. "Was it power intensive?" she inquired curiously and he shook his head.

"It wasn't that caused my tiredness, rather the concentration that it required." He sighed as he rubbed his hand across his face before he met her gaze. "The fluidic transfiguration required a level of control and concentration that truly tests me." He said before he looked thoughtfully "I think with more time, with intense dedication to it, it will become second nature to me but until then" he shrugged "the combination of stone and water was probably the worst of it...I couldn't maintain it for too long" he finished and she hummed thoughtfully.

She liked transfiguration but it was never her passion. Hers was in the dark arts, charms and wards. She intended to make great strides in all those fields.

"Shall we head back to the main room?" she asked intently and he nodded with a smile.

They walked in step silently until they arrived at the room before he spoke

"Will you return to the arithmancy now or are you done?" he asked curiously before moving to the sofa and he threw himself onto it.

She walked over and sat at the end of the sofa with her legs crossed as she faced him. He adjusted himself with one of his legs underneath him as his arm hung off the sofa. "I'm done for now. Those adjustments to rituals you've given me are a work of art" she commented truthfully.

He nodded "Much of it is based on the works of my ancestors. They devised a method of ritual set construction that allows for matching and fitting with arithmancy that balances everything out as perfectly as possible. They were perfectionists." He said calmly.

With his help, she managed to balance her first ritual set that should have been darker in truth but with his help, it was only dark grey in nature.

"Are you coming with me back to the Manor for Yule?" he asked as he eyed her curiously.

She hadn't decided until recently when she'd told him she'd decide closer to the time. 

"I am" she confirmed and he smiled at her and nodded "Good. You turn fifteen in the break and I'd have to hate to miss it" he said amusedly and she rolled her eyes.

"You're a teacher here, you can come back at any time" she said with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged a little uncomfortably.

"True enough." He said a little lowly as their eyes met.

Their relationship...has been strange beyond matters concerning their future plans. She was partially responsible for the strange limbo state they were in. Their relationship had never been a conventional one, at least from what she knew of. They both acknowledged that they were bound together, removing any doubts of where this...partnership, the bond of theirs may lead to and during their sessions together, there was a tension.

A tension that was borne from his lack of drive to let them proceed any further, much to her growing...dissatisfaction. Since Hogwarts restarted, they rarely find themselves in situations they were in the summer, where they'd spent much time together, but inevitably, it had the same outcome, an outcome that played on her mind...All. The. Time.

She hadn't broached the topic...to her own immense self loathing at her weakness...the fear of his rejection...of further rejection...

She couldn't help it...there was just something about him that...made her so vulnerable that she felt sick about when she was away from him but when she was close to him...within touching distance...under his fingers...his hands...his arms...his lips...

All that vulnerability was gone as she felt, in those moments...something beyond contentment. And she loathed herself for it...the fear of losing that, the fact that she cared about that. 

And it grew each time, each time, he broke away from her...when he halted her advances. And she was too afraid to question him about it...

It was strange in truth, her complete change, all because of him. She never needed anyone and as time went, it was more and more becoming as such. And she was afraid of it. Afraid of needing him, afraid of him rejecting her.

She'd been...focused on him from the very moment she knew of him...which only grew once they spoke, which only grew once he proved himself different, more like her and yet so different. It became unbearable until they became each others, and for a short while, it had been great. 

But now...it was...

It had been so easy before...before she had doubts...before he evoked these doubts in her...

The constant anger she felt at those loathsome girls who dared to suggest her own unsuitability for him...the desire to Crucio them grew each day...each day, this uncertainty between her and Atticus remained in place...playing at her doubts, increasing them...

And yet, they all went away by the merest touch by him...as if he was simply the answer to all her problems and his touch was the key that opened the door to safety. 

She tested herself thoroughly for any potions...for any spells. She checked her mind through Occlumency, to see if he did anything and she did not know if she wanted to be pleased or disappointed when she found nothing.

All of this...unbearable turmoil was alien to her and she didn't know what to do. It all started, in truth, when she didn't recoil from his touch and had she not been so angry, she would have been great surprised at herself. Had been because of his magic, the power of it?

Power undeniably attracted her and he was practically power personified in a suit of flesh and blood. And yet, she knew it was not truly what made him exempt from all the rest. It was also why her complete change with regards to the more carnal aspects didn't surprise her even if it bothered her when only a year and a half ago, the very thought of touching disgusted her.

Intellectually, magically, physically and now she knew for certain, ambition, he was a fit for her and she knew this, she suspected, subconsciously from the very first meeting once she reflected on it.

Though...there was another element to it...that whisper in her mind, that there was more to it...that there was something else that was involved but no matter what she tried, the answer did not want to come...as would forever remain within fingertips but never any closer, no matter how much she wanted to know.

His breaking of things progressing...further bothered her more than she ever imagined. When his touch was on him...when he smiled softly at him, when he kissed her neck...She wanted more...she wanted to feel more...she wanted him to worship her, she wanted in her grasp.

She had always been aware of the nature of relationships, the nature of mammals, from an abstract point of view as such things didn't apply to her, the aspect of pleasure through methods usually reserved for propagation, for creating spawn and it never held any interest to her. 

After all, she had no interest in becoming a vessel to parasites. But the idea of pleasure no longer bothered it...rather she craved it.

She knew she was desirable, even more so now that she nearing complete womanhood. She'd seen it first hand from Atticus, as his hands roamed on her, as they caressed her...when he clasped her when she drove him to the very edge before he pulled himself back...again and again and again.

The constant state of arousal she now felt when she was in his presence...the unfulfilled nature of it...his eyes on her was enough to quicken her heart, to generate almost uncontrollable lust and need that he evoked in her, feelings that she struggled to contain. 

Had he desired so, she doubted she would have stopped. She never understood the notion of hesitating due to some kind of taboo regarding pre marital relations. She saw no value in retaining some social construct, some false notion of purity.

When she learned the ridiculous value purebloods placed on virginity, she looked up if it had any value magically speaking and she found none, not even in Salazar's collection of rituals. 

It was simply a measure of control, an effective one that, she determined, just like in muggle society. In both worlds, pre marital relations were rare, even more so in noble families, at the very least on the female behalf where the criteria was far more stringent.

Amongst many things that ran through her mind, was a logical explanation that perhaps he was hesitating on acting on his desires that he clearly felt for her...that he was hesitating because of his adherence to this notion of purity.

She dismissed it. He paid lip service to most of pureblood beliefs, mostly for his parents than anything else and his words of it being not the time, that he didn't want to rush anything felt hollow. 

After all, he decided that. That he didn't want to take her virtue. She hadn't told him, at the time, that such notions angered her. She hadn't told him many things.

But one thing was clear...None could take from her...not even him. He did not understand, or perhaps wish to understand that it was what she wanted, even when she made it clear over the summer, even when she made it clear through her actions and yet he continued to control himself, control the situation and it was becoming unbearable as it continued to grow her fears.

"Are you alright?" he asked her breaking her out of her thoughts and she saw the look of concern on his face.

She didn't like the imbalance of whatever they had...the hold he had on her...the excessive gap between them magically, the secrets he still kept from her.

Did he not trust her, even after everything they shared? She was aware she wasn't the most...honest of people but she thought she was successful in making him know the value he held to her and that she wouldn't jeopardise him or them.

"Why do you want me?" she asked sharply as she stared at those purple green orbs that widened in surprise before a look of hurt appeared on his face.

She squashed down any feeling of unease, of guilt. She needed to know...she needed to know if he even saw her as an equal.

Her mind returned to those memories when he lectured her about magic, even if he never intended to be condescending, it had been so. He treated her as if she was a fragile thing...easy to break...easy to anger...easily tempted.

Did he see a cauldron ready to explode when he looked at her? That hurt her more than she liked. The shadow her counterpart cast over their relationship was large. Despite the fact that she felt some measure of pride of her counterpart's success, most was disappointment and bitterness.

That her counterpart failed so badly, and fell off so much that he thought she needed a minder. 

That were not actions of one who considered the other an equal and beyond all else, she would never allow herself to be relegated to anything lower than that.

She needed to know.

She spoke before he did. "What is it about me that you want? You've said you've fallen in love with me but I wonder if that's even true?" she began before she got up and paced a little, not looking back at him.

"You've known about me all this time...for so long. Every interaction we've had, every conversation we've had, you've geared towards leading me away what should have been my fate." She hissed out through her mouth before she looked back at him and she pushed down any hesitation when she saw his stricken face. She stopped pacing.

"You've been in control the entire time. Control of the conversation...control over what you share with me and so much more." She said as she looked at him with manic eyes as she finally got what she was bottling up inside her due to her...fears.

She laughed bitterly

"I didn't even realise it until recently" she sneered at him "when you so expertly rebuffed my advances for wanting more with you...from you." She said bitterly as she looked away as she began to pace.

"You've managed me so expertly Atticus" she laughed bitterly as she clenched her fists.

"It's funny" she said mockingly as she eyed him from the corner of her eyes "You've treated me so similar to how I treat Rockwood" she said with a harsh smile as she sought to hurt him.

"And in such a creative way" she laughed as she eyed him with hardened eyes. "Who knew, love could be such a weapon" she smiled bitterly at him.

"I've been playing on your strings like those stone constructions of yours" she said bitterly and that was finally enough to rouse him.

He got up in a flash and she tensed as he suddenly stood in front of her with a stormy look that melted away in a sad one.

"Is that what you truly think of me?" he whispered brokenly to her as his eyes drooped to such hurt.

"I don't know what to think of you" she whispered lowly as she averted her eyes.

"I didn't know you at all, until really recently when you knew so much about me. And still, I feel like I don't really know you." She looked at him and saw his stricken face.

"You've succeeded in changing me Atticus" she whispered "And I hate who you turned me into...into this weak, needy, fearful creature that I am now" she said bitterly.

"You've made me unbalanced...afraid to lose you if I push...and I almost would do anything to ensure that I didn't lose you, even letting you continue to control everything between us" she whispered as she met his eyes who she never seen so tired, so dejected.

"I..." He began as he broke away from her gaze for a moment to look into the distance.

"Why did you tell me about the Island Atticus?" she whispered as she stepped back a little. "Was it because you thought you could get away with putting me in a position that would seem like ruling but would be nothing more than a gilded cage...the illusion of ruling?" she said a little louder...harsher with a venomous undertone and he looked sharply at her with stormy eyes.

"Never" he hissed out as his eyes blazed "Would I put you in any kind of cage Emily. I don't ever want to control you...help you yes! Give advice yes!" he said as he stepped closer to her with his hand outstretched and she flinched away from him.

She couldn't be distracted, be weakened in this moment in time. They needed to clear this.

His face showed a look of agony before he bowed his head.

"It seems I vastly misunderstood and mishandled...well everything" he said quietly before he turned to her.

"I never intended to control you Emily, or the situation..." he sighed before he closed his eyes.

"I am not the best...at trusting...or being open with things that mattered to me the most. I have been like that for as long as I can remember. I told you about the Island because you should have known about it well before when I told you. 

For the longest time, I wanted a place of my own...a place where I wouldn't have to deal with the wrongness that I see in the world and an Island...well, it was the best solution. An Island of magic, an Island that I can call home, completely and happily. 

One that is free of the schisms that dominate the magical world..." he opened his eyes and looked at her with a tilted head.

"I no longer want a place of my own Emily..." he whispered as he made his way to her.

"The island would belong to us and me offering it to you to rule was my attempt to aid your ambition in a way that would be fulfilling. We would be creating it all from scratch." He said with a sad smile.

She scowled as she turned from him "And yet you wouldn't share permanent transfiguration and you only shared what you knew of Northern Magicks because you knew how difficult it is and that you didn't believe I could do it" she said accusing him.

He sighed and bowed his head and scratched the back of his neck "It's silly now..." he laughed derisively "the way I am keeping that knowledge from you. I see now" he said with a deeply distressed face before he looked at her.

"No wonder why you don't think I don't trust you...why you think I'm controlling, why you're questioning why I want you. Those are not..." he said cutting himself off.

She didn't bother asking...she knew what he meant.

"I apologise if I seem to be controlling...I don't want to dictate anything to you" he said with a look of self loathing "I..." he began but seemingly was lost for words for a moment before he looked at her with clarity.

"I trust you Emily. It is easy for me to say, I know...but I do. Everything I have shared with you, I told no one and I doubt I will for a long time. My parents, my sister, none of them know of my plans to create the island...to create a haven for those who we accept." He stepped closer and she remained firm as her eyes were fixed on him.

"None of them know the eventual goal of reaching out to the stars, to build a home for our kind, for magic." He ran his hand through his hair. 

"Much of my life, I worked on plans, plans within plans...on a schedule" he said a little wryly to her as he smiled sardonically "It seemed like I have treated this relationship like it without even knowing..." he said with a whisper as he closed his eyes.

"You asked me why I want you Emily...You make me feel alive in ways I have never experienced" he said passionately as he opened his eyes and the greens in his eyes were dancing amidst a sea of amethyst.

"You make everything real, you make everything worth it. I love everything about you" he whispered as he stepped closer to her and she let him.

"You're so driven in your pursuits, even if it seems insurmountable. Nothing can stop you if you set your mind to it. Your passion for magic, your sheer intelligence" he whispered out to her as he reached to her and she began to waver and when he brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, she leant into it.

"Your beauty..." he whispered as he looked at her with fondness and her resistance began to melt away.

"You are what I value most Emily and I..." his voice hitched as their eyes met and she saw remorse in his eyes "...I apologise for my actions...for giving you reasons to doubt my commitment to you." He whispered as he gently took her face in his hands and caressed her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I will no longer keep anything from you." He said solemnly "Ask and I will answer to the best of my abilities. My intent was never to control you, or the situation...It was simply my nature to keep things to myself." He smiled sardonically. "I am learning Emily and I can be a bit slow...will you forgive me?" he asked her genuinely.

As she stared at those vivid, expressive eyes, she could only nod as she accepted his apologies.

"You will stop with the condescending lectures?" she asked sharply with a raised eyebrow and his lips twitched as he inclined his head slightly.

"I will stop with the condescending lectures...though you will have to point it out to me..." he said a little abashed and she couldn't help roll her eyes in jest as she took his hands of her face and held his hands.

"Will you also teach me whatever I desire, regardless if you disapprove? No more deciding on my behalf?" she asked once more, now a little more questioning.

"I will, as long as you don't dismiss my concerns." He said seriously "And I reserve the right to protest anything that permanently changes you and if I think it greatly endangers your life, I won't say that I won't intervene. You are mine Emily Riddle." He said with blazing eyes and her eyes narrowed "Same for me. I won't do anything permanent to myself without your knowledge and same conditions apply." He said to her with searching eyes.

It was more than fair terms, terms she could agree to so she nodded her acceptance.

"I want...more responsibilities with the planning of the Island. So far you've kept much of it to yourself, even if you told me what you're going to do, you've not told me how." She said firmly as her eyes bore into him "If you truly want to share the Island with me, you need to include me in it from the very start. I may have ideas of my own that are better than yours." She said calmly as she watched his reactions and he was looking at her curiously.

"That's...doable" he said slowly before his eyebrows furrowed "But it would take a lot of time away from your politicking" he asked puzzled.

Her lips pursed. She knew that and she only just realised that it was...something she willing to bear.

"I've decided...my future in Britain is no longer certain" she admitted to him to his surprise and she rolled her eyes as she let go of his hands and drew her hair back "Don't act so surprised Atticus. Given what we intend for the future...and yes, I've bought into it now" she said with thinned lips "Suddenly my ambitions regarding Britain are redundant." She said with a mild glare that drew a smile from him "So...it is only logical that I use my time to help setup our island. With you going off to war, my help will needed" she said a little primly and he gave off a large smile.

"I'm happy to hear you say that." He said warmly before he frowned a little "Are you sure though...I don't want you give up what you've always wanted." He said a little concerned.

"I've always wanted to rule Atticus. Ruling a flying Island full of magic that I helped design, ruling over a people with laws I helped establish definitely is preferable over ruling a bunch of inbred self important weak wizards" she said calmly with a raised eyebrow "That is not to say I won't ensure I don't have a place of influence in Britain. After all I am to be Lady Slytherin" she said with hardened eyes. Just because she had a change of mind did not mean she was completely giving it up. "Depending on how long the island will take, using my title will increase the alliances we'd need when it comes to the human element." She said with pursed lips as she thought it over before she shook her head.

"Of course, it all depends if the magic of it all works. Which you will explain to me?" she said with a tilted head.

He nodded seriously "I will. I have...numerous notes on the topic that explains what is needed and the problems we'd need to solve. I will make copies for you." He halted briefly before he looked at her "I will need to protect the notes with my standard security" he said with a little grimace.

"Oh? Such as?" She asked a little bemused. This probably would be over the top.

"Hmm...the notes will be keyed to your magic, they will be protected with blood magic, automatic recall to a location in your trunk if they are out of your hands for more than 24 hours and also a couple of..." he hesitated a little "dark curses that activate if there are attempts of tampering and preventing the return of the notes if they're not with you or in the trunk after 24 hours." He finished a little lamely to her delight.

"What kind of curses?" she asked intensely curious at his paranoia. 

"Bloedig Driemall and Chalybs Funis" he muttered and her eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline.

"The Dutch eye melting curse and the steel ropes that bind then slowly construct them to death?" she asked a little disbelieving. It was beyond over the top.

"Only if they break the protective enchantments" he protests a little weakly.

Her lips twitched "At least I know you're not so averse in using the Dark Arts when it comes to your plans" she said a little dryly and he shrugged a little.

They fell silent. The one answer she still wanted from him was playing on her mind.

She came forward and pulled him in and stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips. His left arm snaked around her whilst his right hand held her cheek.

For a few minutes they kissed before she broke it off and breathed out a sigh of contentment. 

Not even dealing with a dozen dissidents felt as good as a second with him. She opened her eyes and stared at those purple green orbs of him that she came to lo-...

Her eyes widened at her own realisation. Did she truly...

"Emily?" he asked in a worried tone taking her out of her thoughts. She looked at him and saw a little concern on his face.

She wrung herself out of his arms as she took a several steps back.

Their eyes remained fixed on each other. His eyes showed confusion and idle curiosity whilst hers belied her intent, her desire.

She was in her uniform whilst he was in dark blue attire.

She slowly began take off her tie and saw his eyes widen and cut him off before he could even begin

"I want more Atticus" she whispered.

"Emily..." he said a little strained as his eyes shifted to her hands as she was now midway through the buttons.

"It's my choice Atticus" she whispered and his eyes snapped to hers "Or do I not get the choice?" she said with half lidded eyes "I have heard your reasons and I've decided they're not good enough" she whispered as her face set into a determined look.

She was done waiting.

Atticus POV

To say he didn't expect what was happening and what has happened today would be understating things.

Her hands roamed around his back.

He couldn't deny her any longer without causing problems, problems he had no true desire of causing in the first place.

Because what could he tell her about his reluctance? That he was reluctant because he was uncertain of the...decency of it all? Given that he had almost twenty years of experience of a previous life that he's remembered since birth?

He knew he was...perhaps overthinking this. After all, he died only aged eighteen and he was seventeen now. He's never really felt older than the age he was at. When he was a child, he had felt as strongly as a child did. He was calculating, colder of course and mature in a way that belied his age at the time but he never felt as if he wasn't himself.

The problem was, he fell in love with a younger girl and he was conflicted with it. It had been difficult to restrain himself from acting on his lust. The fact that she was pushing for it hadn't been easy. To hear her now...

Being discovered to reincarnated...or remembering a past life...whatever it was, it was one of his greatest fears...no, the result of it was what he feared. That it irrevocably changed the nature of his relationships with his family...that they would see him as a usurper...as a false thing in the body of their child. That they would no longer love him.

Not to mention, the danger of being exposed to the DOM who would no doubt would like to experiment on him...after all, being confirmed to be reincarnated...some kind of cycle of rebirth of souls in an infinite multiverse was something to be investigated.

And so, the dilemma. How does one explain to the girl who you intended to remain with for the rest of your life the nature of your existence? When do you tell her? A year into the relationship? Before...marriage? After 2.5 kids? 

He internally scoffed at that.

No...he could never tell anyone. It would add unnecessary conflict and breakdown of relationships just to sate selfish and inane feelings.

 "Atticus" she whispered as she brushed his cheeks with the lightest of touches. "I'm done waiting" she purred and it sent shivers down his spine.

`As my queen commands` he hissed in her ear and felt her shudder in his arms.

Her hands released his forearms and she began move her hands to…places. "Emily..." he whispered weakly as it all dawned on him. 

Before he could say anything further, she stepped on her toes and kissed him on the lips as she pulled off his belt from his trousers.

She broke it off and he saw such intense eyes that it struck him surprised. "Atticus, I want this." She whispered as their eyes met. "We don't have to go all the way, there are things we can do and I want to try" she said carefully as her hands roamed around his chest.

It would be so easy to say yes...to give in. "What things?" and soon both of them were in for an experience.