I shouldn’t have worried. Kalli was fireproof after all. However, that didn’t stop me from panicking when she spontaneously combusted. It wasn’t the friendly kind of fire either. There were green flames everywhere and they hurt!

The fear that Kalli was in trouble inside that fireball overrode my fear so I scooped her up and ran around looking for anything I could use to put her out.

Why didn’t we explore the suite when we got here? This place is too big!

I thought out loud in my panic. Kalli was much calmer than I was. Could you put me down? I need to figure this out.

When I didn’t immediately find what I was looking for, I targeted the nearest object, which was similar to a bear skin rug, and transformed it into a pool.

Item:

Plastic Pool (Edited)

Components

Water, Plastic

Item Rank:

F

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Murphy

A geyser of steam rose from the shallow pool as I dropped Kalli in it. She yelped and I felt her pain as her bottom smacked the hard floor of the shallow pool which wasn’t enough to douse the flame.

I stood there in shock as Kalli slowly climbed to her feet and pouted at me through the raging inferno. That hurt!

All I could do was stare at the phenomenon. While I was used to Kalli being on fire, it felt different. It was something else. Something I felt the first time I saw her relic awaken. The flames felt alive.

Are you okay? Can you control it?

Kalli slowly waved her arms around, inspecting the new flame that danced with her before gasping and pointing to something behind me. She screamed, forgetting to use mate chat. “Melvin, the bed!”

I spun to find the bed in flames which was filling the room with smoke. Pointing at the bed, I did the only thing I could think of.

DELETE

The fire had spread to a nearby nightstand and a curtain.

DELETE

DELETE

I ran around the room DELETING anything that smoldered before turning back to Kalli. She was watching me from the pool, wearing the green flame as one would a cloak.

Can you turn it off?

Huh? Kalli gaped at me. Oh, the fire. Right. Let me try. I think this will…right. Yep. That worked.

I watched in awe as the flame receded into the pendant. Kalli reached up to gently touch the ruby for a moment and then she noticed and rushed over to me. Mel! You’re burnt.

Ow! That hurts!

I squealed when the adrenaline left and the pain kicked in. We both looked down at my arms which were already healing. I poured some mana on it to quicken the process.

Kalli ran her finger over my angry red skin and whispered, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that.”

I shook my head, also speaking out loud. “Don’t worry about it. I was just worried that your relic might be cursed or something. Why did it do that, anyway?”

She shrugged, reverting to mate chat. Well, you were talking about it so I decided to feed it some mana. I guess it liked it because the next thing I knew I was covered in Luna Fire.

Luna Fire?

Kalli giggled and walked over to the window. I had conveniently deleted the curtain and Luna was visible in the night sky. Yeah. I call it Luna Fire because it’s green like Luna.

I followed her gaze up to Luna. It was far away but I could still remember the replica of Celestea Castle where the gods lived. And the apparatus that filled one of the rooms. I only turned when I felt Kalli’s eyes boring a hole in the side of my head.

What?

She only replied after thinking about it for a moment. I need you to take me there.

I looked back up at the planet in the sky.

Why?

Kalli shrugged. I don’t know. Something about Luna is calling me the same way this relic did. I can’t explain it. It’s just a feeling I have.

That brought up another question. If Kalli was feeling things about relics and planets, why wasn’t I sharing those feelings? Were there some parts of us that we still didn’t share?

I’ll take you but the only way I know of getting there is through the basement in the castle. It will have to be when we go home.

She nodded and rested her head on my shoulder. So, lover boy, where are we going to sleep tonight?

The room was a mess. The bed was gone, the only trace of it ever having been there was the ashen shadow left behind by the fire. The smell of smoke was overwhelming even though the room had some kind of magical air conditioning.

In the end, I had to get creative. Just like the Queen Suite back home, we discovered another room with an in-ground bath. All it took was a little creativity, and I was able to edit a hammock big enough for two and strung it between two pillars over the water.

Kalli climbed in after me and kissed me on the cheek. This reminds me of the time we slept together in the dungeon. Do you remember?

I smiled and kissed her back.

Of course, I do. That was the day you taught me how to poop in a dungeon.

She scowled at me. Really, Melvin? That is what you choose to remember?

Not only that. I also remember how much I love having you next to me.

Kalli smiled and nestled in closer. Me too.

After a fun-filled night of making out in our dreams, we were startled by a scream.

SPLASH

I got twisted in the hammock and Kalli plummeted a few feet into the warm water of the bath. She struggled so much that water splashed everywhere, including on me. Then suddenly, I got a steam bath as the girl ignited once again and the top layer of water was vaporized.

Ow! Hot hot hot!

Kalli reigned in the green flames. Sorry, Mel. I sort of overreacted. Who thought it was a good idea to place a hammock over a pool of water?

“Hello?” A voice called from the main room. “Are the two of you decent in there?”

“Yes!” Kalli shouted back. “We’re decent.”

A man wearing a black suit with a bowtie bowed as he entered the room. “Good morning young miss. Might I inquire as to what happened in the bedroom? Was there a fire?”

Kalli’s face reddened as she apologized. “I am so sorry about that. Something happened unexpectedly with my magic and I sort of caught fire. We can pay for the bed if necessary.”

“I assure you that won’t be necessary, my lady.” The man said in a dull voice. “Assuming nobody was injured, there shouldn’t be any problem. Lady Maya has instructed me to summon the two of you for breakfast. Please make yourselves ready and I will escort you there.”

So much for breakfast in bed. I sighed.

Kalli looked up and saw that I was still imprisoned in the twisted-up hammock. I am not getting back in that thing!

Fair enough.

DELETE

SPLASH

I came crashing down on Kalli as the hammock I was tangled in vanished without a trace. She kicked me in the stomach as she struggled to surface. We both emerged gasping at the same time.

The man in the suit smirked. “Well then, I will be waiting outside when you are ready.”

We found him in the hall after we made ourselves presentable. Kalli was still annoyed with me. I can’t believe you did that!

Sorry! I was all knotted up in that thing and it was the only way to get out.

She stuck her tongue out at me. You could have, I don’t know, asked me to move out of the way first or something?

Oh…

As we walked in silence, I decided to inspect the man in the suit.

Name

Wallace Penderskew

Class

Concierge

Level

4

Affection Level

Studious

I grinned at Wallace and asked, “Would you like to be awakened?”

The concierge shook his head mournfully and replied. “I’m afraid not, Master Murphy. We have been instructed to stay away from your mana. Until you get that MTD taken care of in any case.”

“You know about that?” I gasped, looking at Kalli in alarm.

“I’m afraid everybody does, My Lord,” Wallace said in his matter-of-fact tone. “What with Miss Scuawk hospitalized and all.”

“She’s in the hospital?” I echoed as the news kept getting worse.

I was beginning to lose my appetite. Kalli attempted to comfort me by wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mel. I am sure they have a top-notch hospital here. I mean, it’s the high house after all.”

The good news was that Kalli was no longer angry at me. I decided to take that as a win.

“Good morning, sleepy heads.” Maya chirped as we entered the dining hall. “I was going to let the two of you sleep in but when I heard there had been a fire, I decided to have Wallace wake you. I trust you slept well?”

Kalli answered before I could come up with anything. “We slept well, thank you. Your hospitality is most kind.”

Maya smiled in response before motioning to a pair of chairs next to her. “I wasn’t sure what the two of you like, so I had the chefs prepare a little of everything.”

She wasn’t joking. The long table was lined with every sort of dish I could think of and some that I couldn’t. Picking up something that looked like chicken, I asked, “What’s this?”

My question earned me a smirk from Maya. “Can’t you just inspect it? Very well, that is what we call Thunderbird. It’s especially good when battered in rueberry paste and deep-fried. Now, I get to ask a question. What do you know about our father?”

I had been about to take a bite of the Thunderbird when she asked. “I know nothing about him. I was hoping you could tell me something. Do you think we have the same father? Isn’t there a chance we’re cousins or long-lost relatives separated by generations?”

Maya took a bite of blue toast with pink jelly as she thought about it. “That is true. There is the possibility that we have different fathers but let me ask you. Did your mother get pregnant with you at a young age? Did your father disappear before you were born and never come back? This seems to be the story that every M Class person has. That’s what we call the family with the M Bloodline.”

“How many of us are there?” I asked, realizing Maya wasn’t just talking about me, her, and Kiki.

She gave me a knowing smile as she replied. “There are twenty-three of us on Gaia, not counting you and Kiki. I estimate there are hundreds of them spread across the universe. There are rumors from the other realms of brothers and sisters who fight among themselves to garner father’s favor.”

“His favor?” I asked, taking a bite of something that I hoped was bacon. “So some of us have met him? And there are so many here on Gaia. Will I meet any of them?”

She nodded absently as she continued to eat. “Yes, yes. You will meet them. Not all reside in the high house but those who are here would like to meet you as well. Many are significantly older than you, so be prepared for that. We have an accord here on Gaia, so please be warned that hostile action between siblings is expressly forbidden. All shenanigans must be taken off-world.”

Kalli set her fork down. “Are there people here who might want to hurt Melvin?”

Maya shook her head. “Heavens no. As I said, many of our family here are quite old and quite content to just enjoy their endeavors without engaging in acts of aggression.”

“How old is old?” I asked, wondering if my mom had hooked up with a wrinkled grandpa. “Dad would have to be even older than them, right?”

Maya chuckled at my question. “Well, our best guess would make him at least one thousand years old. I asked my mother once before she passed and all she would tell me was that he didn’t look old. However, that could be an illusion or perhaps he has some kind of longevity magic. Then again, none of our siblings look their age either, so there’s that.”

“When can I meet them? I asked, eager to question the rest of the family.

“Tonight,” Maya replied. “First, we need to sort out this MTD.”