A day before entering elven territory I spot 5 heat signatures 200 meters from her off to the side and the bad news is that their direction of movement is towards her. I immediately unpack my AMR and start shifting the soil underneath me for a pillar to put the bipod on, otherwise I will not be able to use the weapon at all. I am 400 meters away from them, so my accuracy should be good enough from the few tests I have done. I hold my finger near the trigger but I will not fire unless she is in danger.

The 5 people, beastkin with no mana signatures, are dressed in dirty cloth and hide armor and their weapons are the following: bow, 1 sword, 3 clubs. She lets them surround her with the archer at her back while I hold myself back from facepalming as I need to keep to focus on the situation. Fuck, that archer is a constant threat... I need to eliminate him but she will know I am here and that will complicate things. I decide I will fire as soon as he starts to draw the bowstring.

They have a conversation with her, during which she most likely demonstrates she has no desire to fight... They rush at her with the bowman knocking an arrow but not drawing it as they most likely want her unharmed. She starts casting, and lighting from her staff strikes one of the men with a club. The bandits are obviously surprised and scared, though I can see that the man is still alive for now. As the bandits see that she takes no further actions, as I bet any normal mage would have killed them all, they decide to attack yet again. The bowman starts to draw his bow, he fails to draw it as he now has a 20mm hole in his body. Aelynthi is distracted due to my shot is what allows the sword wielding man to slash at her. His slash failed to go through her robe but knocked Aelynthi off balance while my second shot is ready to be fired at the swordsman. The two clubmen decide to make a run for it after the death of the swordsman. They run 10 and 20 meters before suffering the same fate as the others. I do not forget about the electrocuted man on the ground and finish him off.

At this moment I realise that Aelynthi has shortened the distance between us by 100m and is yelling the same word as the night I stole her robe. Within a minute I am tackled to the ground and hit with fists on my chest by a crying Aelynthi. After 10 minutes of getting pummeled by her she calms down enough to use telepathy and says the word "Bastard". From our interactions I can deduce the meaning of the elvish word she keeps repeating and this only confirms my suspicion.

"Comon lets get you to the village." This triggers another few minutes of pummeling.

"Why do you want me to leave so much?"

"I have my reasons." They involve making rank 3 artifacts, setting up a fortress, rank 4 artifacts and indirect world domination.

"You do not trust me, is that it?" Yes, it is exactly that, when you see that I can make rank 4 artifacts and threaten countries, what will you do? Will I have to point my gun at you?

"Then why care about my safety? Why did you follow me? Why save me again? I know you improved my equipment, but you did it like an asshole, a damn asshole that cares about me."

Damn it. Of course I care about you, we spent almost 2 months together, from the time we patrolled the forest, to the cave and our journey outside. We may have started off rough with you being a bitch, then you beating me up everyday, hell you still beat me up but now I kinda deserve it. After that we transitioned towards me being an asshole. Does that make us even?...

On the positive side of things I enjoy the way you smile, the way your ears twitch following your emotions. Your naivety and kindness with intelligence on top. Yup, definitely not saying that.

"Who will I tease then?" The pummeling resumes, I close my eyes and wait for it to stop. Ah, I will definitely visit you in the future but right now I need strength, so I do not lose my freedom nor my life.

Aelynthi does something unexpected, she kisses me, my eyes snap open to be met with hers. Dammit she is going all out! I already know what she will say.

"I am not leaving you. I will never leave you." Clever girl, manipulating me with emotions!

"I love you." I see it in her eyes, they say you will not get rid of me that easily.

"You are only doing this to annoy me, aren't you?"

"No."

I roll her onto her back as I am on all fours on top her, face to face "What if I take you here and now?"

Aelynthi feigns surprise: "Your thing actually works?" ...

"What if I find another woman?"

Aelynthi knees my groin and adds: "I will beat you up, if I like her I will ask her to help me beat you up."

Damn this girl. "If I become an enemy of your kingdom."

Aelynthi smirks and says: "I will sell you out in a heartbeat. Even if I have to get married to some old geezer, lose my freedom to study magic and lose the opportunity annoy you." I can not understand if this is sarcasm or not. My mind spins to understand...

*Slap* Okay, I understand, I think?

"I can be an idiot sometimes"

Aelynthi smirks: "Sometimes?" Okay, she is now fighting me at my own game. I think I broke her.

"Do you love me or hate me?"

"What is the difference?" Want to play, alright!

I kiss her back, now it is her turn to be surprised. We break the kiss after a minute or so.

"I plan to return home, it is not as simple as it sounds, I do not know if you can come with."

She processes what I just said, then smiles and proceeds to kiss me back more passionately. After another minute passes.

"I was your first kiss?"

Aelynthi pinches me on the arm magically through the armor.

"I will take that as a yes." I get another pinch for that. Where do girls train to pinch?

"It was my first also." She starts to blush and looks away.

"A romantic?"

Aelynthi turns back towards me: "Your language it is more complex than the language of the humans here, it is comparable to elvish, is it of your home?"

"I speak 3 languages and know how to say bastard in elvish."

Aelynthi is really surprised, thinks for a moment and says: "If I tell my mother that you are a scholar, a dragon's student and a rank 2 enchanter she might consider marrying me off to you, but if she finds out you are human and have stolen my heart... a dragon will not be enough to protect you."

"Does your mother have you on a leash?"

Aelynthi shakes her head and says: "My mother wants what is best for me, but has little choice in the current circumstances. The proposing party is a rank 3 mage with a high rank within the elven mage association. My father died 4 years ago in the war with humans. The war has passed but has left my mother with the crown until my brother becomes of age to be crowned the new king." They are using her moment of weakness caused by her father's death to seize more power and her. No wonder she ran away. Now I also know why a dragon may not be enough to protect me from her mother, humans killed her husband and attacked her kingdom.

"So, within a few years you can run away from me back into royalty?"

Aelynthi pinches me as she says: "No, drag you back to meet my mother. Are you worried about me leaving or betraying you?" I am worried about a lot of things, that is low on the list, but yes I am worried. I have trust issues and I do not like sad ends.

"Won't your mother kill me?"

Aelynthi smirks and says "How will she kill the father of her grandchild?" Okay elves and humans can have children, good to know. Wait, do I count as a human of this land? Are the children fertile? Do mages and non mages differ? Will I be able to fix the infertility problem with my knowledge?

As I am lost in thoughts, Aelynthi interrupts: "We elves have a ritual called soul binding, couples often times do such a thing, it binds the life of two as one." Does she want to go through such a thing? Does she not trust me completely as well? How will it affect my soul? I am not from this world, do I have a similar soul to humans here? How are humans affected? I am again taken out of my thoughts by Aelynthi.

"You do not want?"

"It is not that I do not want to. I do not like the sound of soul magic, as I can not see the soul. I do not know how my soul may react to such a thing. I " As my explanation continues Aelynthi visible saddens. I stop.

"I am from a different world, who knows what may occur."

Aelynthi shows anger and attempts to push me away: "Do not spout lies!" I read about situations like this, I know the solution. I lean down kiss her, as a response she bites my lip and she bites my lip again. I must persevere! I am kneed in the groin a few times. This continues a few seconds until she calms down. She looks at me with teary eyes and asks: "Another world?"

"Yes, you can ask Kathorrunth, as I have shared my secret she will not deny."

"Kathorrunth knows? Why?"

"She was the one that found me, better said I found her cave." I smirk and add "How did you think an unworthy human became the student of a dragon?"

"No soul binding?" She looks downcast.

"Why do you wish to soul bond so much?"

"My mother says that if you give yourself to a man, give yourself fully." Dammit girl, wasn't your mother afraid that with your naivety you will soul bind yourself to a con man? She pinches me, it's almost as if she reads my thoughts. Wait, can she read my thoughts?

"Our inner mana has been in contact for some time, I can feel your emotions. It is also why I came to believe that you do not lie about being from another world. What other secrets do you have?"

"You want to know my secrets." She nods. "Do you know why I have so many secrets?" She shakes her head. I smirk "It attracts women and keeps them interested in me" I get bitten on the nose.

Aelynthi playfully says: "I will find out all of your secrets and share them with all women so not one will be interested in you." We left the main topic, back to it.

"Why can't I feel your emotions?"

Aelynthi smirks and says "Idiot." Yup, that explains it. I do feel something but I need to concentrate to feel it and I do not understand it at all.

"The answer is men are idiots when it comes to emotions? Or just me?" Or I may just be having a harder time feeling hers due to my lack of experience doing such a thing.

Aelynthi laughs and smiles but does not answer. Back to the topic at hand, give herself completely to me? Is this translated properly?

I put my hand to my heart and show a painful expression "What have you done with my heart? It is missing."

Aelynthi smiles and answers: "I have stolen it and locked it up." Interesting, she understands the metaphor and the symbolism of the heart.

I continue to stare into her eyes. I feel strange feelings inside of me... Why did she have to complicate things so much? I can not bring myself to say no...

"Why do you love me?"

"Do I need a reason?" I continue to look into her eyes.

Aelynthi: "You saved my life twice if not three times. You care for me even though I have been a nuisance to you... I have never met a person towards whom I had similar feelings."

I sigh. The future is uncertain and dangerous. I have promised to myself in the past to live without regrets and I feel like I will regret by telling her no.

"Please explain to me what is soul binding."

Aelynthi brightens up and starts talking: "An elf can bind his soul to another person. With his soul bound his life will depend on the other. If the other dies he has 1 year to say his goodbyes before following the other into death and the other will always know his location and emotional state" Well, this sounds to have been made for lovers. When I concentrate on what I feel from her, all I get is positive emotions and no sense of malice. This does not seem to be a lie judging from this. Having a healthy amount of paranoia is good for preserving lives, even if it shows in my decisions related to trusting people close to me. I believe it is mostly due to being alone on a whole planet filled with unknowns. I decide to test out the emotional link.

"So you want to have children with me?" I concentrate on the link and I feel happiness and bashfulness from her. I did not expect anything else...

"You do not?" Now I feel sadness and hope?

"Maybe after building a safe home. If we do this will you still be fun to tease?" I feel happiness and expectation, then I feel pain in my arm and happiness with bashfulness from the emotional link. Why does she look angry while she feels those things? Oh my god this information can answer the ultimate question in the universe: ‘What do women think?’ This is a key to advancing our civilization to the next level and... my thoughs are interrupted by another pinch.

"Are you testing out my motive using the emotional link we have?" I fell sadness and... pity? Pity? She pities me?

I nod. "I am willing to bind our souls. How does this work?" She kisses me and I feel happiness from her.

"I perform the ritual and you accept me the same way I accept you." It is consent based?

"I have to say I accept or something else?"

A"You may accept in any manner of ways but for it to work you must accept me into the same role as will be said by me."

"What role do you wish?"

"As your lover!"

"Alright."

Aelynthi: '····························································································'

I feel something very strange but I see no mana movement around us. She seems to have finished and is looking at me, I feel... love?

"Aelynthi, I accept you as my lover, nothing more."

Something strange happens...