19 years old.

It's been a year since Taylor moved out of his parents' house. Since then, he started to act like a man. He made his own decisions and he lived with the results. He played along with what life had to offer him; he worked when he had to and he pulled the trigger when had to, but he also slept when given the opportunity. He lived as any human should; unburdened by indecision.

But he was still young and life had a lot more to offer him.

He saved a few peaches and bought a martial technique. The Flame Fist Resolution. He bought it because he happened to have what the seller was looking for; also this martial technique spanned three cultivation levels. If Taylor was going to make the gamble on a technique outside of his inherited cultivation style, he thought he should at least make the attempt count. If it worked, he would be set for the future, if not, he would just have to spend a little more time collecting peaches to experiment further.

It took a while for Taylor to learn what was required for the technique, but he managed to accomplish it, and it worked. Taylor saw the flame appear on his fist and he almost shed a tear; it was beautiful. His hope wasn't meaningless and he could walk farther down his cultivation path.

But even after another year passed, his cultivation energy had yet to make any progress.

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20 years old.

The humiliation Taylor felt that day in the sewer was still fresh for him. Every day he felt the urge to get stronger. He had no desire to ever feel that powerless.

So he worked and did the best he could. He bought a few more peach trees and he learned how to cultivate the soil. The work was peaceful and it allowed him to grow his collection of martial techniques.

But he was still in debt to the Demon Heart vampires, so his hands continued to be soiled further in blood.

He also made every opportunity to see Sylvie when she was available. He didn't want to admit it but he loved the girl. He often asked himself; how much would I sacrifice for this girl? And as the days passed, he found himself more and more willing to do what it takes to keep her in his life. But he very much didn't like the idea; if he could avoid this feeling he would.

Unfortunately, people don't get to decide their emotions. In a world of technology and increasing control over the elements of life and the means to continue it, emotions are one of the few things people have to keep us grounded. Taylor was reminded every day that he was an animal; he was born of the earth and he would die on the earth. And he had no wish to escape it; as he saw it, life and death was a beautiful thing.

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21 years old.

Taylor went back to school. His cultivation refused to progress so he thought he would walk forward in another way.

Sylvie convinced him to aim for the Philosophy Department and join a few of her classes.

“There is power in ideas and therefor power in their representation. Language and symbolism is the life force of any witchcraft and a necessary tool for any witch. Philosophy will teach you how to speak and it will teach you how to apply your will. It is a useful for skill for anyone, even the commoners. As for whether anything will get in that thick skull of yours is up to the heavens.” Sylvie explained previously.

Sylvie was about to earn her undergraduate degree and she would be moving onto her masters before finishing school. Her needs for this knowledge didn't require a doctorate. For her, the masters degree was the foundation, and after that, it was up to her to decide what direction her ideas would go moving forward. Also, there were other finer points to master in the art of witchcraft.

It was a lot of work but she was happy that Taylor would be keeping her company. This boy had really grown on her for some reason. When she met him that day to drink, he was exactly what he was looking for. He was a man and he tried to take her like she expected a man to; he was very blunt that night and Taylor might not remember it, but the emotions involved were very raw. So what could she do? She allowed the emotions to engulf her. And in the morning she craved more, so much more; so she played the marred beauty and escaped, hoping he would chase her.

But he didn't. It took over a week for not even a call; it was a text!

She was ready to say no right there for all that hesitation and the wait she had to suffer. But the embers from that night were still burning and she very much wanted the emotions to engulf her again. So she said yes; she went on a date with him. And she thought… My god is Taylor boring! He talked about meaningless things for over an hour! All while we ate fast food!

Her disappointment was immeasurable. While we were walking home I asked him what he intended, and he basically said, ‘I don’t know,’ like an idiot! But I'm not going to lie, I was kind of turned on when he got beat up. I was even more turned on when he walked it off. He didn't just leave in humiliation right there. Nope. My man followed through and walked me home. And that kiss… I didn't realize it then, but that kiss… I loved that kiss. It was happiness and completion. It was acceptance and dedication. It told me what a life with Taylor would be like. It was a home.

So what could she do? She followed through with what Taylor said that night. “I just want to see where this goes.” He said that day. And Sylvie felt the same; she very much wanted to see where this would go.

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22 years old.

Taylor's life continued at a regular pace. For some reason he felt that… things were great. His life was the best that it could be. Other than his cultivation energy not progressing, his life was awesome. At this point, Taylor didn't really care if it progressed. At this point, his life became less about him and more about Sylvie. At this point Taylor began to think, It's not just my life anymore.

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23 years old.

Taylor became very dedicated to his philosophy classes. When he first started taking them, he thought that most of the things that were being taught were tedious and unnecessary, and he disagreed with so much of it. But there were a few ideas that connected with him. It was those small ideas among the other bullshit that made it worth it for him. So he continued taking classes. It was now his third year and he felt that he grew as a person, or that he grew as a human being. After he reached this point and he looked at the world, read the news, saw what people were concerned about, he very much wanted to ask them; is this the way you want to live? Did people not realize the choices they had? Did they not want more? It was a passing thought that Taylor deliberately avoided. He knew that history led the world here and it would take history to lead them out; so he kept it out of his mind. It would only make a mess of the place.

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24 years old.

Taylor graduated. But he continued to take random classes. He just wanted to spend more time with Sylvie.

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25 years old.

Taylor and Sylvie began to go on low-risk adventures. At first they were just touring the world. But then they began looking for history. When they found it, they always tried to take a piece to remember it by. Not the event, but what led them there.

As they travelled they made connections with innkeepers, tour guides, the passersby, fellow travellers, and random drinking buddies.

They also made small connections to a few possible secrets. As for whether they bothered to unravel any of these mysteries; that would be up to the future to decide.

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26 years old.

Sylvie got her masters and left school to pursue other things. Taylor and she bought a house to stay at. They lived like newlyweds without responsibilities. They humped like bunnies and did anything according to any whim or fancy that happened to occur to them that day.

Sylvie tried to teach Taylor some witchcraft but it was a fruitless effort. He was a cultivator and he had to follow through with that path, even though his progress was limited.

They continued to travel. Their adventures becoming a little more high-risk. And sometimes the rewards were worth it.

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27 years old.

Taylor and Sylvie's love… how can it be said? It became more… honest.

Arguing became a common occurrence. The people they grew to be began to conflict. It was like two sharp-edged objects grinding against each other. They grew to be people who didn't fit in each others' lives. But Taylor didn't want Sylvie to go. And Sylvie didn't want to go. So they did what they could; they tried to force it to fit. As for whether the edges will round out and they can settle into each others' lives… that would take effort, a lot of effort.

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28 years old.

“Let's get married.” Taylor says.

“God damn. What took you so long?” Sylvie responds.

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29 years old.

“I'm pregnant.” Sylvie says.

“Fuck.” Taylor responds.

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30 years old.

“Well now that you're here, kid. You're stuck with me. So put up with it as best you can. I'm rooting for you.” Taylor says with a smile.

“You, your mom and me. Let's see where this thing goes.” Taylor says, ready for anything.