Spellheart 10: Chapter 11 (Patreon)

“Husband?” I squeaked.

“Wait a second, Elara, is that you?” Dean asked. “You mean to say Theo is the guy you said you were married to? What? How? When!?”

He stood up from his chair in shock, stepped back, and stroked his chin in deep thought.

“I see how it is. You weren’t frozen in stasis those four hundred years, were you? While Sam and I were struggling to survive, you were seducing ladies left and right all the while!” Dean jabbed a finger in my direction.

Sam was a little calmer. “Theo, how do you know Elara? This should be the first time you’ve met.”

“I don’t know her,” I replied, voice muffled as she pulled me closer. “Elara, was it? I’m afraid you have the wrong person.”

“No, I don’t. This is when we first meet...” The blushing Demigod held me close to her chest. My face was buried between her boobs. I could have struggled free at any time, but my arms suddenly felt tired. I let her continue to smother me a while longer.

“I thought you said you got married centuries ago to a human during the age of the Elven Star Dominion?” Sam asked Elara.

“Yes, I did. Here he is right now.” Elara stroked my hair.

“Theo? Any explanation for this?” Sam asked me.

With great reluctance, I extracted myself from the pair of Demigod breasts. For an elf, she had a sizable rack. I was pretty impressed. Normally, they were too petite for something of this caliber.

After pulling my head free, I finally got a good look at the woman claiming I was her husband. She had long dark hair, somewhere between black and indigo. In matched her eyes, her pale cheeks revealed an excited blush beneath them.

She had a small but athletic body, perky in all the right places. I was quite certain of that since she was winding herself tighter about me by the moment.

I’d been sitting down, and at some point, when she’d trapped me in her boobs, she’d slipped into my lap. Her legs straddled mine, and her arms were around my chest. She rubbed her face against mine like a cat trying to mark her territory, and the way she brushed her entire chest up and down was enough that the strain in my pants would soon cause a wardrobe malfunction.

Elara sensed it when I did, and her rubbing grew even more excited. She started moving faster.

“Oh, you are happy to see me! I was worried.” She leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “You’re going to do such delicious and sinful things to me. I can’t wait to be your good girl again. I’ve been all alone these last thousand years waiting for you! Others made their offers, but I tossed all of them out on their asses. Especially that one.”

Elara jerked a thumb behind her at Dean.

“She sure did...” Dean grumbled, rubbing his side. “You are one tricky bastard, Theo. Here I thought I had a victory in the bag, and you go out pulling an ace you’ve had hidden up your sleeve for who knows how many centuries! How’d you do it? I need to know.”

I forced my hands away from the beautiful and adoring woman sitting on top of me. “I wish I had an answer for you, Dean. But I genuinely don’t know this woman. Elara, are you sure you don’t have me confused with someone else?”

Elara shook her head.

“No way. The sharpness of your jaw. The piercing look in your eyes...” with her right hand, she traced a hand along the side of my head as she stared intently into my eyes. “And the familiar throbbing coming from down here... I know that part of you in particular far too well."

While she spoke, her left hand snuck considerably lower, slipping right past the hem of my pants. If I had any hope of keeping my little buddy in check before, it was certainly gone now.

“Okay, so if Theo’s your long-lost man, but Theo doesn’t know you, obviously, there’s only one explanation. Time travel.” Sam nodded as though the matter was settled.

“What? No. Didn’t you say time travel is a mess? I decided the last time I messed around with the Timeweaver Spiders that infiltrated the Fateweaver Society, I would never mess with time travel again.” I shook my head adamantly.

Sam smiled. “If you thought the little experimental time field I have is confusing, think again. That was, by and large, just a set of nested fate-based spell effects. At most, you might be able to reach three days in the past with that sort of thing. And there’s only one true timeline, with any disturbances just being minor distortions in the flow of fate. Real-time travel can constitute any number of parallel worlds. Much like the one we’re in now.”

He gestured around the two of us.

I frowned, glancing up at the empty sky. “I was under the impression that this parallel world was incomplete. Imperfect, as one of the Demigods put it.”

Sam shrugged. “Yes and no. Many of us, including me, think this entire branch planet is basically a creation of the Primordial World itself. Similar to those floating islands, but much larger in scope. Unlike this one, the version of the Ten Thousand Worlds we come from is a real universe. But just because some of these alternate timelines are smaller in scope doesn’t mean they can’t feel just as real. And have just as big an impact on a main branch.”

Dean held his hands over his ears. “Lalala, confusing time travel bullshit. I don’t want to hear it. There are other places with cool shit and pretty women. That’s all I know and all I want to know.”

“It can get pretty confusing. Not to mention disheartening. Dean hates the deterministic approach I took to the barrier around the Fateweaver Society, but it was the only version I could get working. Something like the Primordial World is much bigger in scope and can do a lot more with timeline branches.”

“I still don’t quite get it,” I replied, a bit dazed. Normally, I had more brainpower for conversations like this, but Elara currently had her hand down my pants. I could have stopped her at any time. And I would stop her as soon as my arms weren’t feeling so incredibly exhausted. I would just have to let Elara continue until I mustered a little more mental energy.

“Think of fate like a thick braided rope. On the whole, it’s all moving in one direction. But there are lots of individual strands in there. Some are moving backward, some forward, and some twisting around themselves. Individual strands can interact with one another, splitting off for a while before eventually rejoining the main chord. Fate is like that. This utopian branch world might one day merge back in with the larger true iteration of the Ten Thousand Worlds, assuming someday a series of correct decisions turn our version of the World of Sanctuary and Serenity into a utopia.”

“What about us?” I asked. “Are there versions of us in this version of the time stream?”

Sam shook his head. “No. We humans are unique in the Ten Thousand Worlds. There’s only one of us. Well, unless we intentionally split ourselves. Or get in a teleportation array accident.” Sam shot a glance at Dean.

“Or fuse with a volcano to create an adamantium lava clone,” I admitted. At this point, we all had our share of clone horror stories. A bunch of spiders had turned Sam’s skin into a puppet, not realizing that Sam himself had turned their puppet into his puppet through a bit of creative fate magic and some serious puppet-caption.

I hadn’t been around for Dean’s evil cone incident, but apparently it involved quite a bit of arguing over who was the real Dean.

“I remember seeing myself at the Fateweaver Society, though. So we are from a big strand, but right now we're in a little strand. Got it.” It had been quite a scary thing hunting down a killer, only to realize I was the killer myself. I hoped to never see those damn time-traveling bodies snatching spiders again.

“You might have seen yourself in my little attempt at time travel back home, but that’s a limited form of time manipulation. At best, it was probably like seeing your reflection in the mirror.” Sam took another long drink, probably preparing to launch into an even more thorough explanation of life, the universe, and everything. "My version of time travel bends reality as far as it can. If fate can twist to align events so that the timelines match, then they do so. Unfortunately, you'd find my spells lacking when it comes to containing Demigods. If you had a fight in there now the whole spell would probably come crashing down. I suppose I could reinforce it by--"

I held up a hand to stop him. If I let him get going, he could go for hours. It was a discussion I wouldn’t mind hearing. Still, I wasn’t going to spend the day discussing theory when a more practical concern had fallen into our laps. Well, my lap, more specifically.

A younger, weaker version of me might have been inclined to let Elara keep doing what she was doing. She thought I was her long-lost love, and from what Sam was saying, there was a decent chance she was right.

So, what was the harm in enjoying her company? I was surrounded by lovers, but nothing was as thrilling as finding a new paramour. Especially one as eager as the one in my lap.

But I wasn’t the same man I’d been when I first came to this world. Or even the same man I’d been when I was building up the strength of the Hearthwood. I wasn’t going to jump into another woman’s pants the moment the opportunity presented itself, no matter how cute and needy she might be.

So, mustering all my strength, I slowly nudged Elara out of my lap.

“Maybe I’m your man, maybe I’m not,” I began. “But either way, I only just learned your name, Elara.”

Elara’s face fell. “Oh... well... I suppose you’re right. It’s just... I know you so well, but you don’t know me. Yes, of course. We should take things slowly.”

Reluctantly, she stood up. As she did so, she straightened. Suddenly, she looked a lot less like a sex-starved woman in the throws of lust and more like a regal and confident Demigod. No wonder I’d missed her before. She had blended in perfectly with the other Demigods from the Elven Star Dominion.

Only now did I realize what made those women seem so approachable? She didn’t smile. Her face was smooth, aloof, and neither smiling nor frowning. Combined with their arrogant reputations, it made all elves of Elara’s time seem like they looked down on the rest of the world.

Clearing her throat, Elara held out her hand. “Well then, Theo, Patriarch of the Hearthwood Clan. Would you please join me for a drink? I think we have more in common than you know, and I would love to sit and talk for a while.

“Damn it.” Dean stood, placing a hand on my shoulder as he did so. “Sam and I will clear out for the two of you, then. I’d wish you good luck, but I don’t think you need any fortune from me, you damn lucky bastard.”

***

Elara was lovely conversation once I could think straight enough to enjoy her.

Part of it seemed to be her powerful cultivation. One simply didn’t hang around for thousands of years as a Demigod without making some progress. She told me a bit about herself, and I learned she’d been stuck where she was for a long time. It was much like Amisra had been as she struggled with the peak of the Wizard realm. Elara’s issue was similar for the peak of the Demigod realm instead.

“As I am, I doubt I can ever become an Immortal Ascendant,” Elara explained when I asked her. “I simply lack the conceptual insights. During the height of the Elven Star Dominion, we produced crystalized insights that any Sorcerer could use to become a Demigod. They make the breakthrough to Demigod easier, and they are what most of us use. It was very helpful for us, as it allowed us to produce many Demigods. The issue with these crystalized insights is that they leave a lackluster foundation for Immortal Ascension.”

“So that is how the Elven Star Dominion produced so many Demigods, huh?” I asked, surprised and intrigued. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to secure some of these crystalized insights. My matriarchs were already cultivating by using my insights and the hints provided by The Wanderer. Maybe by studying these ancient things, I’d be able to put together something that would be useful to them. As soon as I wondered where I could acquire some of them, Elara reached into a dimensional storage item tucked in the corner of a tiny pocket in her sleeves and produced a shiny, smooth blue stone.

“I have more in a treasure chest somewhere, but that’s all I have on my person,” Elara explained.

“This is too valuable. I can’t take this from you without taking anything in exchange!” I protested as I accepted the crystal.

“Sure you can.” Elara shrugged. “Just put it in your Dimensional Storage.”

I was startled to hear the name of something from The Wanderer on her lips. I certainly hadn’t talked about it in her presence. More and more, I was becoming increasingly certain that she’d been telling the truth about meeting me in the distant past.

“I insist. Name your price.”

Eventually, Elara rattled off the names of several raw materials that I only knew of thanks to the new item shop and from stuff the Drafter’s Study could produce.

“You’re something of an enchanter, are you?” I asked curiously.

Elara gave me a thin-lipped smile. “I dabble in the subject.”

From there, we compared notes and discussed some differences between our respective styles. The methodology of the Elven Star Dominion was rooted in years of tradition and experimental study. Mine was more based on extrapolating from fundamental theory. Both were vastly superior to what the enchanters of Deania could do in the modern era. If Elara shared this ancient knowledge, she could revolutionize crafting throughout the World of Sanctuary and Serenity.

“What’s your specialty, if I may ask?” I’d already shown her Spell Eater, so she knew my favorite subject was enchanted weapons.

“Golems,” she replied. “I used to make golems. And machines that made golems. Though I haven’t worked much with either in a long time.”

“You know, if you taught people some of what you know, you would dramatically improve quality of life worldwide!” I said, not bothering to hide my eagerness.

“I have.” Elara shrugged. “Or at least, I used to. I have not left the Primordial World for some time. If my teachings have been forgotten, then time is to blame, not me.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean that to come off as an accusation. I haven’t exactly shared everything I know either. However, I do try to spread the lower-level stuff around as cheaply as possible. If your teachings have been forgotten, they were probably lost with the passing of the last Golden Age. Those damn golems...”

“Yeah...” Elara cast her eyes downward. “Anyway, I do think you could improve this spear of yours. There’s a few--“

Before Elara could finish, a horn sounded near the entrance to the party.

“Welcome! Welcome, Demigods one and all!” Ethan shouted. I wasn’t sure if he was hosting this event, but he’d certainly taken over as though he was. Something still seemed off about him, but I couldn't place it no matter how hard I thought. The man had been dead, of that I was certain. “It looks like everybody who’s coming this time has arrived! Take the rest of the night to eat, meet, and greet everyone! If you want to exchange techniques or practice your spells, do so outside. Make sure you don’t stay up too late, though. Tomorrow, we’ll begin discussing the fate of our world. We also have several new Demigods joining us for the first time! Make sure you all get to know them.”

Elara rose from her seat. “That’s right, I expect you’ll have something to say come discussions tomorrow. In this case, you’ll want people to know who you are. Come with me. I’m certain I can introduce you to a few old friends. You get to know a few people when you’ve been coming to these things as long as I have.”

She held out her arm, and I took it in mine.

<Note>
Edited to fix some stuff and to account for the fact that Ethan was dead. The last part of the chapter in the old version was a deleted segment I discarded but forgot to remove completely. Sorry!