When I finally woke up, I found myself groggily shifting around, feeling a small needle-like pain in my head.

  The sensations that registered next were rather interesting. Part of my body felt slimy, while others were dried. Moving at all on the bed registered more wetness.

  Umara was locked against my body like a second skin, and looking at her, the memories started surfacing.

  I let out a long breath, my head dropping to the blanket. I instantly regretted it, my hair getting damp with… stuff.

  I felt almost dizzy as I pushed myself up, as if still in a drunken stupor. It felt like I needed something but wasn’t sure what, even though I could guess.

  I got off the bed before picking up Umara, both of us still nude. With her I went to the bathroom where a large bath, styled more like a hot tub, was waiting.

  I kicked on the warm water and set us down inside as it quickly filled, Umara laying against my chest and beginning to stir.

  After settling myself, I muttered absentmindedly.

  “40 hours of continuous sex…”

  It all felt like a dream. I had exactly zero gaps in my memory of it all. The experience had been laser engraved into my brain. I couldn’t possibly forget any of it.

  I whisked a cigar into my hand, lighting it and taking deep puffs of it. It did little to wash away the hangover I was having though, that needle-like pain still present.

  Nearly two straight days of sex had drained both of us, yet it was because of our powerful bodies that we were able to persist for so long. That and a few pairs of cigars. I’m sure we were both horribly dehydrated with how much fluid we had both expelled and we hadn’t eaten since the wedding.

  The bath water eventually reached a good level, Umara finally waking and silently turning her head up toward mine. She breathed into my neck for a few seconds before flipping around and giving me a kiss. My body reacted to hers accordingly, and as she sat down on top of me, I suddenly felt that pain in my head vanish, replaced by reinvigoration.

  We were there for an hour, eventually cleaning up and leaving the bath. We went to the kitchen to make food, interrupting ourselves a few times with more baby-making.

  It would hurt whenever we stopped for too long. I could tell that both of us were still drunk on whatever it was that Inception had done to us. More than that, somehow, I had a feeling that physiologically we had both become addicted to it.

  But we had to eat, had to at least give ourselves sustenance so we didn’t collapse. Whenever I felt our mouths get drier, I knew we needed water. Whenever we got tired, we needed food. After every session, I’d try to get the sheets washed so we weren’t rolling around in fluids.

  We barely spoke to each other. There were few words to be said, at least until we came down from whatever high we were on.

  Our honeymoon started the minute we left the wedding reception, and today was our second day as a married couple. Yet, short of sustaining our basic necessities, it was filled with nothing but sex and rest.

  The following days weren’t much better. For the first week, I didn’t even look at my Aerial. It was quite amazing how focused on Umara I was, that I’d completely cut myself off from my information channels.

  Anything could be happening. Anarchy could have resurfaced, or a Sovereign could be attacking the Maginot Line. The Third Claw could have made their moves or perhaps Sector 4 had messed up during an installation of the teleportation arrays and blew our plans to steal the Dragon corpses.

  So many things could have gone awry. So long as I cut myself off, I lacked any and all control over what was happening. It was completely against everything I had spent years building and preparing for.

  Yet, for the entire week, I simply didn’t give a damn.

  It was only after that week that we finally started to recover ourselves. It was like we had regained our sanity, finally just beginning to turn ourselves away from the hedonism of a newlywed couple and doing anything else other than trying to get Umara pregnant.

  We had to wean ourselves off. From an hour of rest between each session to two, then three, then five, we gradually drew out how often we abstained. It was difficult, primarily because of the pain in our heads. We really were addicted. Inception had rewired us completely into perpetual states of horny.

  But by the end of the second week, we were able to start getting past it. It was also then that I started catching up on the happenings of the world.

  Thankfully, I hadn’t had anything to worry about.

  No moves had been made, no Sovereigns or Kings had attacked, and all was right with my plans. Several people were pissed that we had not only disappeared from the wedding without so much as a goodbye, but that we didn’t have the decency to respond to calls or messages. Shockingly, Talexia was one of the few people that hadn’t sent any messages. It almost scared me.

  Polly was not one of those, however, and her annoyance was made plenty known across a few dozen messages.

  I just chuckled after reading them all, putting down my Aerial once more. With nothing urgent having happened, there was no reason for me to respond, even though I made sure to start reading everything.

  It was December 28th that Umara and I finally spent a bit of time separately. I went to my workshop while she went to the study. We both needed to clean back up on things, make ourselves sharp again before we ended our honeymoon.

  It couldn’t last forever unfortunately, and both of us were very busy people normally. Especially me. I was sure that both enemies and allies knew of our marriage by now and I’d have to give indication that I was back in order to prevent any petty plots from brewing.

  The status quo had to be maintained. My abnormal disappearance couldn’t last long.

  Plus, Christmas was coming and we had a decision to make.

  In my shop I combed over some enchantments and arrays I had been working on. Work on my SEER Knife continued, but more importantly, I was still expanding on the concepts of my new line of Programmed Magic. What I was simply referring to as Programs were becoming an increasingly important part of my arsenal. From things like camouflage to sensors, these Programs were absolutes in this world without competition. I was the sole owner of such magic, courtesy of the Mantle of Wisdom.

  Not only that, but even now I continued to receive reports from the island of Continuance on the Anomaly. Even there, study on the Anomaly was a top secret, shrouded by all the other projects ongoing such as those attempting to reverse engineer the Automatons and their cores.

  The Citadel, once nothing but ruins and a ghostly nightmare, had turned into a developed town with soldiers, researchers, and their families all living there. It had long been cleared of threats and locked down with specially designed tools, preventing any Shades and Shrikes from lingering Death Shrines from infiltrating the place.

  It was a gold mine of information, and not just technological. There was history there, information that would point toward not just the development of the Mantle, but a timeline of the world and the Scourge’s invasion.

  The only issue was communication. It was still currently impossible to establish instant communications between the island and the mainland. All information and reports came from daily Orb deliveries via plane. Currently, our best communication devices could talk 500 miles over the horizon. But the island was four times the distance away, so until more advancements were made, or until I somehow managed to get a satellite in orbit, data drops would have to do.

  Still, information on the Anomaly was giving me more ideas on how to crack Mana-Vigor Transmutation. I was already capable of programming both Mana and Vigor with Psyka, and the applications with such were endless. But the Mantle was not only centuries ahead of the Kingdom in enchanting technology, but their tech had been created by a civilization of Summoners. Regardless of whether they had broken the Great Barrier, I couldn’t possibly match their collective intellectual might. That meant their tech was beyond me, until such time that I both grew stronger and went over to their ruined territory to collect data myself.

  To do so, advancing my technology and understandings of Psyka was paramount. I also worked on my advancement formation. Authority 9 couldn’t come fast enough.

  I buckled down in my workshop, multitasking and getting my body back into the groove of production.

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  It was after half a day though that I heard the door open, barefoot steps tapping across the floor. A pair of arms went around my body, Umara pressing against me.

  I felt her bare chest through my shirt, her hands moving around seductively.

  “I’m getting that itch again, dear.”

  “My, we really did doom ourselves.”

  “Like you didn’t start getting hard as soon as I walked into the room.”

  “That’s why I said ‘we’.”

  I turned around, inviting her in. The two of us started getting a bit frisky, the heat rising and our composure fading.

  At some point though, I suddenly asked a question.

  “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to stay here for Christmas.”

  “You mean, not go to my mother’s? Or not host at our estate despite her wanting us to for the second year in a row?”

  “Yeah. Just you and me, here, alone for a Christmas. First one as a married couple.”

  “But, what about your tree? You got it and your estate all decorated. I thought you were looking forward to hosting?”

  My head tilted a bit, recalling our old conversations about the topic.

  “Oh yeah, I guess I was. I’d like to sit around the fireplace and put presents under the tree.”

  “Hard to do that from here, don’t you think?”

  She asked with a smile, our hips still moving.

  I chuckled and shrugged.

  “Alright, never mind then. There’s always next year.”

  “And the year after.”

  “We should probably leave tonight, head back and get things prepared. I’ll send some messages. Might be short notice, but oh well.”

  “My mother won’t be happy.”

  “I think she will be. I have a cozier house. Also, she’ll be able to get away from the family, because I am not inviting everyone. Immediate family and friends only. I want a relaxing Christmas.”

  “And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  The two of us smiled at each other and kissed, focusing back on our activities.

  ……

  …

  The next day came, Umara and I heading back to the estate after over two weeks of absence.

  The honeymoon hadn’t been as long as I had once dreamed it to be, but it was enough. It wasn’t like we wouldn’t have time for each other day to day.

  As soon as we walked into the estate, we were greeted by our core group of friends, who seemed to have taken it upon themselves to remain within the estate. Feiden and Faey were still training together, and after the wedding, seemed closer than ever. Vetsmon hadn’t yet left, so he and Tana were together. Shadowbane and Blackblood were there, because God forbid they spent time in their own palace at the center of the city.

  The rest of the Desert Eagles like Jaya, Aki, Kwon, Song, Katta, and Ponteck were all present. With the Christmas spirit in full swing within the Whetted City, they were all festive and joyful, especially since they had my estate to themselves, with its unlimited amenities and alcohol, courtesy of my unending wealth.

  But they were still sharp, and as soon as they saw Umara and I, they knew what had transpired during our honeymoon. It was obvious, of course, but it seemed neither of us were able to hide the Inception well. Still active and urging us toward each other all hours of the day, anyone with an Aura sharp enough would be able to get hints of it, especially if they knew what to look for.

  It embarrassed Umara to no end when she got pulled away by the ladies. Then I got dragged away by the guys, receiving way too many pats on the chest, back, and shoulders. The knights around me frequently forgot that I was still a Summoner, their hands a bit too heavy for my fragile self.

  After a brief 3 questions and more pats on the body, I was let go to walk the estate. I scanned around for any and all anomalies that may have been left behind by guests at the wedding. Probably a task best done right after they left, but I hadn’t cared that much.

  Erhan already had agents scan every square inch of every brick while I was gone, and everything came back completely clean. Sure enough, after my own walkthrough, I found nothing out of the ordinary.

  Might be some time before I could completely trust the place again, but I wasn’t too concerned. Not even a compromised estate could pierce the veil of my lockdown. None on this planet could comprehend the layers of paranoid security and protocols I had in place for both myself and my work.

  Within the day, Christmas preparations were made. Erhan had already prepared most of everything since he had been working under the assumption that I’d return. That meant Talexia was also prepared and able to bring herself to the estate.

  Everyone gathered, and we spent the days leading into the holiday getting back into the social groove. The estate was decorated even further, my own custom decorations like Christmas lights and ornaments being hung through every room.

  Sooner rather than later, Christmas itself came.

  It was unfortunate that this world had an undeveloped media industry. Magical devices were still only just getting into the hands of ordinary people, and thus they needed time to realize their potential. Stage plays were still popular and people were stuck in the mindset that you still couldn’t bring visual media to so many people beyond the stands.

  I unfortunately had no time to develop it myself though. That meant there were no Christmas movies to watch. Sure, it was possible for me to recreate the movies I had seen myself. I could remake them near perfectly and throw them on an Orb for everyone to watch, but that would also expose otherworldly elements to those I still hadn’t given the truth to, not to mention the language barrier.

  It was unfortunate, but maybe when I had children, I could teach them the language and then play the movies as they grew up.

  Dreams for the future.

  It was the night of the last day of the year, celebrations across the Whetted City lighting up the city as midnight approached.

  On the other hand, Umara and I lounged on some couches with the rest of our friends and family, the large fireplace warming the living area as everyone huddled under blankets.

  The world was without mainstream movies, but it was not without broadcasts. Above the fireplace sat a large screen being projected with Psyka, my own tech. On it was a live stream of the central plaza of the Whetted City, showing tens of thousands of people all huddling together for the countdown and fireworks.

  The broadcast was being streamed to a small amount of people. It normally wouldn’t be profitable, but the Raven Chief had wanted it to happen, so it was paid for. Those within the city, therefore, were able to tune in and watch.

  We chattered amongst ourselves while watching and eating snacks. On the nearby Christmas tree were several more ornaments, one for each of the people in the room. They had all come up with their own personal ornaments, with widely varying designs. My only rule was that it wouldn’t be too heavy to actually hang.

  With the main lights off and the hung lights glowing softly, the mood was just right. I glanced over at Polly, who had brought her husband. The two were also cuddled under a thick furred blanket, mimicking most of the couples.

  The windows across the walls showed the snowfall outside as well as some of the glowing lights from the main city. We weren’t completely detached so we could still see other nearby houses, mansions, and their lively decorations.

  It was a wonderful night that I don’t think could have been any better than it was.

  I swirled a glass of wine in my hand, taking a sip before letting Umara grab the glass from me. She took her own, and I glanced at Polly again, something stirring in my gut.

  The timing was perfect. As soon as I looked at her with an odd feeling, both of our Aerials started beeping in audible alarm. We both looked at each other before quickly going through the messages we had received.

  It was amazing how fast the smile on my face vanished.

  “Well fuck me sideways.”

  “What happened?”

  Umara looked at me worriedly, everyone turning their attention and going silent.

  I sighed, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples.

  “The Sovereign beyond our frontlines just got active. Massive blizzards within 50 miles are attempting to erase our eyes in the sky.”

  “Is it attacking?”

  “Not yet. But who knows how long that’ll last. The main issue is, several hundred thousand monsters just went invisible, and more are on the move. Based on our ground sensors, we’re about to get sieged.”

  “So, what’s our move?”

  I opened my eyes, glancing around at everyone and letting out a long breath.

  In my fingers appeared a cigar, which I lit and took a puff of before sharpening up.

  “We’re deploying. Vacation is over. Erhan, can you spin up a jet?”

  “Already on it, sir.”

  My head butler moved quickly, Umara and I standing as he left. The others moved with us, everyone getting active.

  I sent out pertinent messages before speaking.

  “My Desert Eagles need to come with me to the airfield. Vetsmon, I won’t stop you if you want to tag along.”

  “What better way to celebrate the Lord than by slaughtering monsters? Of course I’m in.”

  “Mm. Then…”

  I looked back toward Talexia, Ikhor, and Faey. They were the only odd ones out.

  Talexia spoke first.

  “Do you need a Marshal, John?”

  “We shouldn’t. We already have one out there, and I just recalled the other. You’re free to hang here for your Christmas.”

  “I hardly think I am. Bring me with you. If the Sovereign moves on you, I’ll at least be there.”

  I stared at her for a second in silence, before smiling and shrugging.

  “You’re free to follow, but only to sightsee. It’s the same Sovereign as last time, and if it’s going to be anything like the Treehouse, we have some time before the Sovereign moves on the Line. Weeks at worst, months at best. They want to try and whittle us down, use numbers against us, anything to weaken us before they attack. Right now, it’s all about defense, and Marshals won’t have many big moves to make.”

  “Hm, very well. It’s a good thing I keep my gear on me.”

  “So do I!”

  Faey waved, making me smile.

  “You can come, but you stick with your mother. You won’t be working during this battle.”

  “Aww.”

  “Don’t look at me like that. We’re about to muster the full might of the Line across dozens of miles of battlefield. This is going to be a nightmare, not playtime like it was during the excursion.”

  She went silent and nodded, all of us heading out of the estate.

  We were soon in the air, and I scrolled through available intelligence the whole ride there.

  Then, not long before landing, I brought up the time, showing everyone.

  “Happy New Year, guys.”

  “Yayy…”

  They all gave wry cheers, breaking into laughs moments after.

  Like them, I had a feeling that this was just the start of a very long year.