Sex in the Sky

“~ If you are just joining us for the first time, Please heed my warning and read His Seduction first before you start the second part, or else you will have no idea as to why these two boys act the way they do. Sure, you may still enjoy it, but isn”t it nice to have all the facts? And for those of you who have been asking me to continue on, here it is. I only hope it appeals to you as much as the first one did. ~”

~~~~~ @>—-,——————- ~~~~~

Keith lay there and stared at his glowing stars, trying to take in what had just happened and just how he felt about it. Was that all there was to sex? Did it always feel that good? Did Mike want him to do the same? Oh, he wasn”t sure about that just yet. He couldn”t even muster up the courage to look his best friend in the eye at the moment for longer than five seconds before he blushed and looked away. Somehow, he was sure it was supposed to go better than this when two people had just done what he”d just gone through.

He was still trying to figure out why he was so hard again. Damn it.

Mike lay at his side looking very much like the cat that had just eaten the canary, as he ran his fingers lightly over Keith”s heaving chest. “You have no idea how long I”ve been wanting to do that.” Mike leaned close and whispered in a sultry voice, “And there is still so much I want to do to you.”

Keith gulped and felt his face redden, his steel colored eyes never leaving the pale green stars on his ceiling.

The pleasure he”d felt only minutes before was fading from his mind only to be replaced by shock at what he”d just let happen. How could he have let it happen? He could have said no anytime he”d wanted and put a stop to the whole thing, but did he? No! Worse yet, part of him didn”t want it to end. Part of him wanted him to ask Mike about these other things he wanted to do to him, but his mouth just wouldn”t let the troublesome curiosity get lose. Thankfully, he didn”t have to fight his inner battle because regardless of what he decided to do, Mike didn”t appear to be done with him yet anyhow.

Mike slide on top of him, using his weight to pin Keith to the mattress. “You are just too damn cute when you get embarrassed, you know that?”

Keith could feel his face grow hotter. Oh, great. He not only liked his best friend doing things to him his father was sure to disapprove of, but now he was cute. That was just great.

He looked into Mike”s dark blue eyes and felt as though he was being swallowed whole. This was not his best friend who teased him about girls and helped him out when he was in a bind. No, this was some stranger who had succeeded in seducing him with kisses and was, all in all, rapidly corrupting him!

Oh, and there he went with the corrupting again.

Mike leaned down and kissed his neck finding an incredibly erotic spot Keith hadn”t been aware of at all. Who knew a neck could have so many wonderful nerve endings in it?

So much about this seemed so wrong when he really stopped to think about it. But who could think with Mike nibbling on their collarbone, really? Damn it, focus! A part of him felt he should never have let this happen. It was all some horrible mistake he couldn”t take back now. Wanted him to stop the mistake from getting worse, but he felt powerless to do so. A small voice in the back of his head that sounded oddly like his father kept yelling for him to stop this nonsense. He even tried to give into and agree with the annoying little voice, really he did. Except when he opened his mouth to put an end to it all and make Mike stop making him feel so many wonderful things, Mike was suddenly there chasing all the thoughts from his head as he kissed him in to dumbfounded ness. And it was oh-so-nice.

“You think too much, you know that,” Mike mumbled against his lips.

Keith soon found himself moving against Mike”s jean clad lower half, trying to get closer. Moans escaped from low in his throat as Mike”s mouth claimed possession of his own.

Oh, please, just for night. Please, God, just let me enjoy tonight and not worry about tomorrow. Just for tonight.

Somewhere in his wandering thoughts, Mike had become as naked as he was. It was the most incredibly feeling to have naked flesh against heated flesh. Enjoying every moment of it, he let his own tentative hands roam over Mike”s broad chest and shoulders. Letting his thumbs gently flick at Mike”s nipples, he delighted when Mike let out a small gasp of pleasure. Growing bolder by the sound, he twisted the nubs ever so slightly making Mike groan and his body grow taunt.

“Oh, you”ll pay for that,” Mike grinned.

Mike”s hand grabbed him and before long had him moaning loudly and squirming on the bed.

With his other hand, Mike pulled open the bed stand drawer and grabbed Keith”s secret stash of lotion there. It never dawned on Keith what Mike was doing until he felt something hard pressing against his ass. His whole body froze, going as taunt as a guitar string. This definitely wasn”t something he”d thought about.

Mike stopped moving the moment he felt Keith begin to panic. His head close to Keith”s ear, his voice was soft but strained as he spoke to Keith. “Shh. It”s okay, Keith, I promise. I”ll go slow. It won”t hurt much, not with the lotion. Trust me, Keith, I wouldn”t do it unless I thought you would enjoy it, too.”

When Keith still didn”t move, barely even breathed, Mike kissed his neck. “Relax for me, baby.”

Mike never moved, just softly kissed his neck and Keith began to feel himself relax muscle by muscle like melting ice. Every inch he relaxed, Mike would slowly slide further into him. The pressure was intense, as was the pain slowly growing inside of him, but there was something else, something that was just beyond the pain, yet he couldn”t quite seem to reach it.

When Mike was in him as far as he could go, he tried to stay as still as possible, letting Keith get used to the feel of him. It was killing him, it really was, but he didn”t want to frighten Keith more than he already had and he would do anything to keep from hurting him.

“You okay?”

Keith shifted bellow him, making him groan. Mike smiled as he heard Keith”s own sound of surprised pleasure. “Um, yeah, I”m – I”m okay. You?”

“Geeze, Keith. You sound like you”re asking me how the weather is where I live,” Mike laughed softly. “Damn you feel good.”

“Well, you feel pretty damn good yourself.” Keith was surprised he”d said it out loud! He hadn”t meant to. He closed his eyes on a humiliated groan and shook his head. He sounded like some cheesy movie extra.

Mike laughed again and kissed Keith”s lips. “You haven”t felt anything yet.” And he began to move.

For the next hour, Mike made him come again and again, each time bringing him to a new realm of pleasure. Exhausting both of them, they finally collapsed and fell asleep tangled up in each other.

* * * * * *

Keith stretched, feeling sore muscles in places he didn”t even want to think about. Twenty. Not a super powerful age to be, but it felt good. He”d never felt so good waking up the day after his birthday. Of course, it was his first birthday away from home so his dad couldn”t screw things up for him like he usually did.

Snuggling deeper into the warmth under the blanket, Keith paused. Funny, he didn”t remember getting under the blankets last night. And he didn”t remember his bed ever being quite so warm before.

His hand reached out slowly behind him until it made contact with warm, smooth flesh. And then the night came back to him with startling clarity.

Whipping his head around, he found Mike sprawled across the side of his bed, half hanging off of it, his blonde hair partly obscuring his face. The sheet was sitting tantalizingly low on his hips, making Keith”s mouth water before he realized he was staring at the outline of his best friend”s ass.

Muttering a curse, Keith jerked himself out of bed, falling on his ass onto the cold floor and hitting his head on the nightstand. Cursing like a sailor as quietly as he could, Keith held his breath and peeked back over the edge of the bed at his still slumbering friend.

Dear God, what had he done? He knew all too well. Worse, he didn”t feel the shame and regret he was so sure he should be feeling right about now. In fact, he felt rather giddy. Ack!

Staying on the floor, he grabbed the nearest pair of jeans and slipped them on. He crawled over to the door, somehow afraid that his sleeping bed mate would wake if he were to stand up all the way and then there would be no escape. He dragged a T-shirt he recognized as his own along with him.

It took him a full minute to slowly turn the knob and sneak out, taking another minute to softly close the door again behind him. At first he just sat there clutching the shirt in one hand and breathed deep calming breaths. Yes, breathing was definitely a good thing. But not when it made your head uncomfortably light, Keith decided and stopped breathing quite so deeply, waiting for the blood to stop rushing to his head.

Feeling safe at last, Keith pushed himself up off the floor, sliding up the wall. He crept slowly down the hallway, feeling like some inept cat burglar sneaking away from the goods instead of towards.

No! Best not to think like that. Not yet at least.

Making it half way down the hallway, he was feeling fairly confident until Jason appeared in front of him, making him yelp like a school girl, his hand flying to his pounding heart. He glanced quickly back at his closed door, expecting it to open at any moment, praying it wouldn”t.

“Damn, man! A little jumpy?” Jason”s eyes followed Keith”s back to the bedroom door. “Dude! Do you still have someone in there? Don”t deny it, I heard you in there. You got laid!”

“NO! I mean, yes, well, ere . . . it”s not what you think, Jason. Not exactly.”

“Oh, right.” Jason nudged him with one of those knowing male looks that said he didn”t believe a thing Keith was saying. “Man, Mike is going to be jealous as all hell. I didn”t hear a thing out of his room last night!”

Keith blushed. “You don”t say.” Clearing his throat, Keith started backing down the hallway. “Look, I”ve got to run out for a bit, okay?”

“Dude, you”re running out on her? Cold, man,” Jason laughed. “With the way you two were going at it, I can”t imagine it was a bad experience for you. That girl sounded like she knew how to take care of her man.” Jason looked thoughtfully at Keith”s door. “You may want to hang onto her if she can make you call out like that, dude. Girls like that are rare.”

Feeling like he could just die on the spot, Keith mumbled something Jason couldn”t quite hear, and took off down the stairs, throwing on his shirt as he went.

The sun was still low in the sky as Keith walked briskly down the street. His first instinct was to go to the library where his sweet books could sooth his tempered spirit. But what book could heal him now? What could a place of quiet sanctuary offer him when all he wanted to do was yell at the top of his lungs in joy and confusion? Damn it all, a library would never do.

He didn”t have many friends. Definitely no male friends that he could talk to about this! None but Mike and Mike was the last person he wanted to talk to at the moment.

Sigh.

There was only one place he really could go to, one person he could speak to. He knew that somehow Kelly, Mike”s younger sister and a good friend of his, would understand. She wouldn”t make fun of him, not until she was sure he could handle it, that was. And he was hoping she wouldn”t mind it if he hid out for a while.

“Ouch!” Keith looked down at the bloody underside of his right foot and frowned. He could barely believe that he”d been in such a rush to get away that he”d completely forgotten his shoes! Now a dismayingly large piece of glass had lodged itself deep into the soft part of his foot. “Damn it, damn it, damn it! Man, that hurts!”

He looked up at Kelly”s little apartment building that had seemed so close just moments ago. Now that his foot was throbbing painfully, the place seemed miles away. One tiny attempt at stepping in that direction proved he just wasn”t going to make it unless he got the glass out. With a heavy sigh, Keith flopped down onto the sidewalk and looked at the small puddle of blood gathering at his foot. The glass poked out at him as though silently laughing at his attempt of a quick and easy escape from the uncomfortable situation he”d found himself in just moments ago. Could things possibly get anymore complicated for him, he wondered.

Fingers slick with his own blood, Keith gave the glass a tug until it came out, a pained cry escaping him along with a heart felt curse. His ravaged foot oozed steadily onto the ground. “Eew.”

Not wanting to leave a trail of blood everywhere, not that it would be a first on this sidewalk, or get some kind of weird infection, Keith pulled off his newly donned T-shirt and wrapped it tightly around his foot. The girls across the street were apparently appreciative as the hooted and hollered at him, until he blushed.

Pulling up the too big jeans he now recognized as Mike”s, Keith limped off once again in the direction of Kelly”s place. Of course she would have to live on the third floor of a building that did not believe in the miracles of elevators. By the time he reached her floor, he was sorely tempted to crawl down the hallway until he reached her door, his foot hurt so bad. Instead he sucked it up and merely whimpered with every step.

Keith leaned his right arm on the doorframe and pounded with his left. “Please be home. Please be home.”

Kelly often spent the night at her boyfriend”s house off campus, leaving her apartment to the whims of her roommates, Scott and Sandy. At this point, he almost didn”t even care if they were there, so long as Kelly was as well.

Scott opened the door and managed to not drop his jaw only by clenching it tightly. The sight that greeted him had his mouth watering.

Standing in the hallway was one of the hottest little bodies he”d seen in awhile, and, man, had it been awhile. Whoever it was had his head down, dark hair falling wildly in his face. He had on nothing more than a pair of jeans that hung marvelously low on his hip bones, giving light to the fact that there was nothing else on underneath.

Scott swallowed and restrained himself before he jumped the poor kid right there in the hall. “Can I help you?”

Keith looked up and saw his surprise reflected in Scott”s eyes.

“Keith?”

“Hey, Scott.” Scott was staring at him rather weirdly and it made butterflies dance in Keith”s stomach. Scott”s light brown hair was wet as though he”d just come out of a shower. His whiskey colored eyes bore into Keith”s until Keith looked away. “Is, ah, Kelly here? I really need to talk to her.”

“She”s out jogging, but she should be back any minute.” Keith The Bookworm, Mike”s friend and roommate, was whom he had almost jumped? Who would have guessed the guy that was always studying would have such a hot body? Damn!

“Oh,” Keith said, not bothering to hide his disappointment. She wasn”t there. She was supposed to be here now when he needed her! Not appear when it was convenient to her time schedule, damn it! This was a crisis!

“Would you like to wait inside,” Scott drawled.

“Um, yeah. Thanks.” One hand pushing off the doorframe and the other trying to hold up the pants, Keith limped inside.

It was only then Scott looked down past those mouthwatering hips to the bare foot and bandaged other one. The T-shirt wrapped around the one foot was dirty and blood had begun to seep through slightly on one side. “What the hell did you do to your foot? Come sit on the couch and let me have a look.”

“No, no. I”m fine, really.”

“Yes, I can see that. Now sit down.” Scott walked behind him and gave Keith one small shove, which sent him flying onto the couch with a grunt. Smiling smugly, he began to walk back to the bathroom to get his medical equipment he”d barrowed from his classes.

“Thanks,” Keith said with a glare.

“Don”t mention it.”

Keith pushed himself into a sitting position and sucked in a breath. Sitting was not as comfortable as he remembered it to be. He blushed as he remembered the abuse his rear had gone through not more than five hours before.

Shaking off the memory, he pulled his foot up and began peeling off his T-shirt. Every few moments, he would throw a look to the door, praying it would open and Kelly would come home so he could talk to her.

Had Mike awaken to find him gone? Was he mad? How did he feel about last night? Had it been a one-time thing for him and now he would move onto whatever student caught his eye next?

Keith groaned and bent over, feeling suddenly nauseous.

“What? Tough guy like you not fond of the sight of blood?”

“I”m fine.”

“You say that a lot, don”t you?” Scott kneeled down in front of Keith and began to clean around the cut. “So how long have you been a pathological liar?”

“What?”

Scott raised an eyebrow at him. “Just tell me what you did to make the bottom of your foot look like stepped on a razor.”

“I stepped on glass, but I pulled it out.”

“And you walked all the way over here without shoes because . . .?”

“I . . . forgot them.” Keith shook his head. “Will Kelly be back soon?”

“Geeze, you sound like a kid waiting for your buddy to come rescue you from chores or something. Just relax, would you?” Scott frowned at the foot as he poured alcohol onto a cotton swab. “Because this is really going to hurt.”

Keith shot himself off the couch with a yelp. He didn”t get far as Scott refused to let go of his foot. “Sit still, the burning will subside in a few moments, but I have to bandage this while I can.”

“Son of a . . .! Damn it! That hurts! Why didn”t you tell me it would hurt?”

“I did, so stop complaining.”

“How about I shove a hot poker into your foot and we”ll see how well you control your complaining, you jerk!”

Scott laughed. It was a rich and compelling sound. “Got some fire in you, don”t you, bookworm?”

Keith flopped his head onto the back of the couch, breathing heavily. His foot throbbed fiercely as Scott”s cool hands wrapped some kind of tape around it. Surprisingly, Scott”s touch was gentle and felt . . . nice.

Keith barely suppressed a sigh. Was he doomed now to look at other guys in a whole new light thanks to Mike?

Scott patted his foot lightly and sat back to look at his handy work. “There, you”ll live. Thankfully, you didn”t cut it deep enough that it would have to have stitches, but I would be careful with it for awhile.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Keith closed his eyes and simply sat there. So far, in less than twenty-four hours, he”d had a great party, been seduced by his best friend, ran away before said friend woke up, sliced his foot open, found his one confidante wasn”t where she was supposed to be, had momentary lapses of fantasy for the guy sitting in front of him, and had blushed more times than any girl he”d ever met. Oh, yeah. This was going to be a day to remember.

He looked up when the couch gave beside him. Scott was now sitting next to him starring at his . . . no, he couldn”t be staring at his mouth, could he?

Scott laid his right arm on the back of the couch, turning his body and giving him better access to Keith. Who would have guessed this kid would be such a hottie? And would plop himself down in Scott”s lap like a gift from God for the taking?

Scott couldn”t help but lightly lick his lips at the wicked thought currently coursing through his mind.

Keith saw the action and the look in Scott”s eyes and felt panic begin to well up in him. Oh, why had he said he would wait for Kelly inside? He scooted as slowly as he could to the very end of the couch, hoping Scott wouldn”t notice.

He did.

Nearing a coffee shop Black sensed that Aiden would like to enjoy some coffee.

“Hey you two, care for some coffee. I sure would like some.”

The pair stopped arguing and looked at Will. Aiden was contemplating having some coffee himself. “Yeah sure.” Was his reply, “If you also want some,” he asked Tinka.

Tinka saw this as a perfect opportunity to clear her name for the mess she had caused earlier in the bar with the Josh dude. She also felt that Will was a nice enough guy from the conversations they had had. Aiden

“You boys go ahead. I have to get back to my sorority. Have some sheets to cover up on.” Black immediately saw through the lie. So she was leaving so Aiden could spend some time alone with him. These pitiable humans sure did things in strange ways. But it suited him just fine.

“Are you sure?” Aiden inquired. He badly wanted to chat up this hunky Will but due to the events that happened earlier he still could not think straight.

“Yes positive. It’s not like I have to have a chaperone till the hostel or something.”

“We could just go till your dorm, drop you off and …”

“Just go dammit,” she growled, and then leaned in and whispered into Aiden’s ear, “Have fun darling, you deserve it. And don’t forget, I wan’t ALL the details later.”

Black smiled at her as she waved at him and trudged off.

A small golden bell above the door chimed as the door swung open and Aiden entered along with Will in tow. The café was sparsely filled, as it was expected to be. All eyes turned to see who entered and then remained fixed on the taller of the two men. Aiden noticed the stares and felt a tinge of jealousy within him. What was there to be jealous of he wondered. He knew next to nothing about this guy; other than the fact that he should be shooting for some major Hollywood movie rather than sipping coffee with a person as boring as himself. Aiden wondered if movie stars and models looked this hot from close but then thinking about the ones he had actually met face to face, he came to the conclusion that they did not.

Aiden settled onto one of the cushioned sofas glad that they were available and Black settled down next to him. Black sensed a hue of confidence arising in the Alchemist that was not there earlier. He left it to the boy to initiate the conversation now.

Aiden paused a few moments enraptured by the beauty seated next to him. In the lights of the café, his features were clearly visible. The chiseled cheek bones, the strong muscular jaw, the soft pink lips, the dense black hair, the perfect complexion and his severe green eyes. This guy was the complete looks package and Aiden wondered if he could ever be in a relationship with a person of such beauty. “He maybe a complete idiot inside” Aiden reminded himself but still wondered why Will was interested in him.

“So Will, What do you do? I mean you know that I am an engineering student and all. How old are you first of all?”

“Why, how old do I look?”

“I don’t know, 24, 25 years old?”

Black chuckled at this reply thinking his actual age was the number supplied by Aiden multiplied by at least 40. “I’m 27,” he decided and stated the same to Aiden.

A young boy who looked to be about 16 interrupted them. “What will you both have?” the young boy smiled a little too much at Will who immediately interpreted from his mind that this young waiter had just quarreled with his friend, a brunette looking scornfully at him, as to who would serve the hot man candy. Apparently the curly haired brunette had lost.

“I’ll have an Iced Eskimo,” quoted Aiden.

“Make that two.” Will smiled at Aiden.

“Anything else?” the young waiter asked, eager to stay on and talk a bit more. His eyes were still focused on Will. Aiden lifted his eyebrows thinking that the young waiter could not possibly be any more vulgar in ogling at his companion.

“No that will be all, thank you.” Will read Aiden thoughts and quickly dismissed the waiter who went back with a disappointed look.

“So Will, is your name short for William or is it just Will?”

“No it’s just Will. Will Black that is.”

“Will Black? So you don’t mind me calling you Black?”

“Not at all. In fact many do call me Black.”

“No just kidding. I’ll call you Will itself.”

“Suti yourself.”

“And Mr. Will, what do you do? You already know I am an engineering student.”

Scient Abilities and referring to Aiden’s thought patterns allowed Black to come up with a reply to this one. “I am a social worker.”

Aiden raised his eye brows at his reply. Black had just chosen a profession from the alchemist’s mind which the alchemist really looked up to.

“No kidding. Social worker?”

“Well sort of. My grandfather left me in charge of this really huge retirement home and I take care of that.”

“I thought you would probably be a model or something,” and for some strange reason, Aiden himself was blushing after saying that. “So what kind of work does it require?”

“Taking care of the premises, the facilities, medical care, sometimes seeking sponsors and donations and in general, to just keep the place running.”

“Really cool. You’ll have to take me there sometime.”

Black replied without flinching, “Definitely. Any time you want.” He also recognized the fact that Aiden was genuinely interested and he would have to make arrangements for the necessary. Aiden now looked at Will in a totally different light.

“So Aiden, how old are you and what’s you full name.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Aiden Writer. That’s my full name. Just turned 21 this March.”

The discussion soon shifted to various topics ranging from studies, weather, eating interests and sports. Black conveniently quoted that he played the sports Aiden did changing a few to not make it sound totally rigged. “No kidding!” Aiden had burst out when he heard Will loved tennis and swimming. “I love tennis and swimming myself!” Throughout Black searched for an opportunity to somehow seduce the Alchemist and break him. The cat and mouse games were tiring him out more than any of the strongest Internecine Ability spells but he was aware of the fact, that anything happening would have to be totally consensual and even the slightest of resistances from the Alchemist would spoil everything. If things went a little too awry and the Alchemist got unbridled control of his powers, even he could be annihilated.

Aiden on his part was really enjoying himself, really liking this new find. Not only was he 10 times a regulation hottie, he really cared about people and was great to converse with too. Somewhere along the way Aiden once more got entranced by his looks. Shifting a little to adjust his nether regions which would put him in a really messy situation in this café, he suddenly realized that the two had been chattering away since almost 40 minutes. He would have to get back soon. Unless he found other ways to spend the night with…

Black understood the line of thought and at once picked up that the frat rooms were no place for him and Aiden to have a mating session. Maybe he could do the boy on the beach itself. These was no moon and it was totally dark. No one would notice. But then the boy’s thoughts shifted once more. The boy wanted this to be more than a one night stand. Black felt dark rage rising inside him as he perused the thought of a relationship cruising in the boy’s mind. He had no time for childish games. But Aiden’s next few words caught him completely off guard.

“Tell me Will, why are you interested in me?”

Black searched Aiden’s mind but could not find a reply.

“Why do you ask that?”

“I mean, hot like you, does not hang out with plain like me, unless for a very good reason.”

Black would have to resolve this question on his own. He took a deep breath.

“You know, back at the bar, I just got a glimpse of you and was suddenly deeply attracted. I saw the melancholy on your face and immediately knew that I wanted to see that face smiling. And when you were leaving from the bar, I knew that I wanted to go along with you and get out of that stuffy place. And in fact, I made an excellent choice.”

Aiden just looked at him blankly, a slight smile on his face. Black could confirm his mind was blank too. In fact it was serene and calm.

“You’re beautiful Aiden. And you attract me in more ways than billions of people can. And I just had to be with you.”

Aiden stared at Will not knowing what to say. Then he smiled and let his breath out. He had been holding it in and was not even aware of it.

“Ok, I have to get back to my frat now, it’s getting pretty late.” Aiden arose from his seat. Black was confused. What the fuck had he just said? Was he going to bang the Alchemist tonight? Was the Alchemist angry or upset with him? Did he never want to see him again or something? Or worse, had his mission failed? Why was he not being able to read the boy’s thoughts anymore?

“Can I see you again tomorrow?” asked Aiden in a timid voice.

Black took Aiden’s phone number when Aiden asked for his stating he would call him tomorrow. Aiden insisted on paying for the coffee that he had had. Black would not get to treat the boy with the money he had pilfered from the long haired fat man before he entered the disco.

Outside the café the Black shook hands with Aiden awkwardly. Then he took a step closing the distance between them and firmly planted his lips on the boy’s. He pulled away 15 seconds later.

Aiden had just experienced the most mind-blowing kiss of his life.

The dark seraph walked away, promising to give him a call tomorrow.

~~~

The troglodyte sorcerer advanced cautiously. It had taken him many days to complete his journey to reach Immaculata, the capital city of the Kingdom of light. But he was certain that the news he carried would certainly grab the interest of the ruler. He was even certain that he would be handsomely rewarded.

The elephantine golden gates swung open slowly as he was allowed entrance into the Emperor’s chamber. The troglodyte gazed all around, his one eye open with wonder at the grandeur of the Emperor’s court. Sturdy edifices of spotless white marble with gold linings held up a ceiling which was too high to fathom. Azure fabrics swooped down as if from the sky and touched almost all the way to the ground. Courtiers in the most opulent fabrics absorbed the lowly troglodyte with interest. And towards the end, in the centre of this magnificent hall, elevated 20 feet from the marbled floor stood a throne rising high into the air. On it was seated the Emperor Witenhoem, who once used to be the guardian of the city of Immaculata. He was still more fondly known as the Keeper of the Light, White.

The troglodyte approached the throne his head bowed till he neared the steps leading to the throne and genuflected, bowing in reverence.

“Lift your head and speak please,” a deep velvety male voice called out. The troglodyte raised it’s head and drank in the sight of the Emperor with his one eye. Seated on the throne was a handsome man, his face radiating in the power he possessed, his prevailing body rested upon a robe of white tuft, and he wore robes of the same pure white himself.

“My ruler, this humble servant of yours has stumbled upon a discovery that will pique your interest. It is with the news of this discovery that I arrive here.”

“Pray, inform us. What is this discovery you speak of?”

The troglodyte paused, knowing this was going to have a dramatic effect. “The discovery of the presence of the Alchemist my Lord.”

Immediately hundreds of voices started talking all at once. Every courtier started talking at the same time. The ruler raised his hand to thwart the hubbub. Instantly silence filled the hall.

“And what of the Alchemist?”

“He thrives on the material plane my lord, his powers concealed in a human body. As of now he is 21 years if age and possesses no knowledge of his capabilities.”

At once the Keeper of the light rose and unfurled his great pear wings stretching to more than 15 meters across. The troglodyte realized that these were the legendary white wings that the Emperor was seated on which had seemed like soft white tuft which he had assumed to be a robe at first glance.

The stentorian voice White boomed throughout the gathering, “If what you say is true, them I myself will descend to the material plane and find the alchemist. I will entreat him to lend us the use of his powers to defeat the Kingdom of the void.”

Two days of affluent comfort later, the troglodyte would return to his runnels, with riches enough for his 5 future generations to fritter.