Uninvited Guest

Bolin glares at the unknown man before saying, "Are you a watchdog or something? Why come here?" The man only smirks while looking around the inner courtyard with amusement. He then tilts his head and looks back at Bolin saying, "You don't have staff here? How do you keep such a large estate clean?"

I silently look between the two; not really knowing what to say or do. Another power struggle of some sort was now happening. Was this unknown man trying to feel Bolin out? Was Bolin hiding his shadow powers?

That can't be right, he's used his shadow powers several times in front of others. I don't understand what's happening right now or why Bolin is being so... docile. That wasn't like him, at all.

So the real question is... who is this man and why was Bolin being so cautious around him?

Bolin glares at the man with silver hair while saying, "You seem to be really bored to come here and wonder about my estate and how it's kept clean. Do you really have nothing better to do? Maybe go track down the insane bastard with the hero complex."

The man gives Bolin a knowing smile before saying, "If I stay with you two, it won't take long to see him again. Why chase him down when he'll come to me?" His eyes slide over to me as his smile grows.

"Are you truly from another world? Your power is... different. How do you cultivate?" He asks looking me over again with curiosity. Bolin grinds his teeth in annoyance, stepping closer to try and block his prying eyes but the man doesn't seem to care.

I weigh the pros and cons and decide to play nice. If Bolin was being cautious, then there had to be a good reason. I nod my head and say, "Yes, I'm from another world but my power is different because it's magic. Where I'm from, you're born with it. It's a part of you."

The man blinks before seriously saying, "Cultivation becomes a part of you as well." I shake my head and say, "It's not the same thing." The man looks at me with a frown and argues, "How so?" I lift my hand, calling my magic to me.

The golden light flows from my palm, twisting up above us before taking on the form of butterfly koi. They swim above us in an infinity pattern as I say, "My magic is a part of me. It's alive and lives with every beat of my heart. It's passed down through blood inheritance. I understand that cultivation runs in families here as well but not in the same way. It's hard to explain something you have no way of understanding."

"You have to pull from outside sources in order to cultivate, I can do the same with things called ley lines, but I don't need to do that in order to grow stronger. My magic awakens in my blood and as long as I practice using it, I grow stronger. The magic comes from within me, not from outside of me."

The man tilts his head, listening and then thinking. He slowly nods his head and says, "That does indeed sound different. Some are gifted in cultivation but even then, we have to be able to pull the power essence into our bodies, changing ourselves to become more powerful. Magic... I wonder if it can be taught to someone like me."

I blink in surprise as the magical koi burst into small glitters of light before falling away and disappearing. I give him a wry smile as I say, "I have no idea if your world can control magic or not, but I definitely wouldn't teach someone I don't know."

Technically, there were ley lines here. Theoretically, there could be beings here that can do magic. It might just be that they are hidden or few in number. One thing was certain, I wasn't about to teach this man who I know nothing about.

The man blinks a few times before saying with a serious look on his face, "I'll call you Master." I nearly choke on my own spit as Bolin instantly places himself between us both and says, "Okay, enough playing. Please leave, Deity."

Deity? This is what they were mistaking me for when I first got here?

The man waves Bolin off and says, "I want to learn Magic. I don't care what you do in your free time as long as you teach me." My eye twitches as Bolin practically growls out, "Leave while I'm asking nicely."

The man 'tuts' at Bolin before saying, "Think about it, wouldn't it be better to have me on your side? I'm not the only Deity here. The delusional hero will look for more. What would you do if several were to show up to cause problems or try 'save the world' by attacking you two."

Bolin sighs with annoyance before saying, "Even if they did, I would take care of it. I don't need or want your help." The man looks like he's going to pout as he walks over to the table outside and plops down with a 'humph'.

He crosses his arms and says, "Then I will stay here until you agree." I blink several times in surprise, not really expecting this kind of behavior from a "Deity". He was acting like a child... And why was he negotiating with Bolin when I'm the one with the magic!?

Wasn't this a little backward!?

Bolin's anger hangs in the air, making the already cold air colder. He glares at the man and says, "Do you really want to fight with me?" The Deity shrugs his shoulders and says, "I don't wish to fight with either of you but if you insist, I will have no option but to."

I reach out and lightly grab Bolin's hand. Bolin turns to look down at me with a questioning gaze. Even though the anger in his eyes subsided when he turned to look at me, I can still feel it hanging in the air around us.

I clear my throat and throw up a small bubble of privacy. The Deity's eyebrows shoot up as he watches with wide eyes, but he doesn't say or do anything as I turn to face Bolin and say, "He doesn't seem to be on Weimin's side."

Bolin sighs and says, "That has nothing to do with it." I tilt my head a little and ask, "Then what is it? Why are you so cautious around him?" Bolin stares down at me, suddenly silent. I narrow my eyes but wait. Was he really not going to tell me?

Nothing?

Suddenly, I feel a wall between us. A large, impossibly tall wall.

Staring up into his dark eyes, I realize that he wasn't willing to open up to me. My heart suddenly hurts, it feels as if someone's squeezing it, but I keep a straight face.

Well, I wasn't expecting this. Not after everything that happened...

Was it that he couldn't tell me, or that he didn't want to?