A World of Fantasy

We arrived in a room similar to the one we just left, but already I felt a difference. I feel a stirring inside of my chest, and I stumbled from a new weight being pressed down on me.

"Eli!" Cici yelped as she caught me before I could fall.

"Holy shit... what is this?" I asked, my head beginning to spin.

"What do you feel?" She asked me, supporting my weight much easier now.

"Uh.. I feel... heavy. Like my limbs weigh a ton. And my head is going in circles." I told her as she began to walk me forward, and I noticed how she began to pull me forward without any issues now, "I didn't know you were so strong."

She gave me a soft smile.

"I started regenerating mana the moment we got back. Once I had enough, I activated my physical enhancement. It sacrifices speed and stealth, but improved my strength. Hmm... actually, it is possible that your body is reacting to the mana in the air, since you've never experienced it before. It could be... it could be the framework! Maybe it's trying to connect to you!" She rushed out the last part, sounding positively excited.

I was doing my best to pay attention to her, but my brain was not working at full capacity currently. I felt us begin to ascend a flight of stairs, and she was pretty much dragging me up them, yet all the while being very gentle and delicate. I felt a buzzing in my ears, and then, I got the shcck of a fucking of a life time.

[Initialization process has begun. Please stand by.]

"Woah, what the hell?" I asked, as I both heard a voice in my head, as well as saw them across my vision.

"What's wrong?" Cici asked me with concern.

"I uh... I think I'm being connect to your system thingy. Says the Initialization process has begun." I answered, and she squealed in delight, squeezing close to her.

"It worked! I'm so happy! Just you wait, soon, you'll be as good as new!" She said with happy excitement.

We reached the top of the stairs case, and Cici placed her hand upon the top. This time, however, I caught a faint translucent energy transfer from her hand to the exit, and it shimmered before it began to disappear.

"Nifty." I muttered, although I wasn't exactly sure what the hell I was seeing.

Bright light soon blinded me, causing me to grunt as we exited the stairs, and I felt soft ground underneath my feet. Once my eyes adjusted to the harsh light, all I could do was blink.

"This definitely looks like a fantasy world alright..." I mumbled, my eyes locked on the tall, purple and blue leafed trees all around me, and the grass underneath my feet of the same color.

Cici breathed in a huge lung full of air, before turning to me and smiling.

"Well... here we are. Nagalise... my home world." She said, but trailed off as she looked towards the distance.

I stared in the same distance, but all I saw was multicolored foliage. She caught my eye, and gave me a weak nod in that direction.

"That's where I came from." She said, taking another breath, "My village is just a short walk over that way."

"Do you want to go and check it out?" I asked, and she paused, then looked at me.

"I mean... kinda... but the whole point of bringing you here was to connect you to the Framework." She said, and I walked up to her, and gently rested my right hand on hed cheek.

"That's true, but it seems like I have to wait anyways. Besides, I want to help you, Cici. I want to be there for you in anyway I can." I said, and she began to tear up as she placed her hand over mine.

"I'm scared Eli... I'm so scared." She said, trembling. I wrapped her up in my arms and held her close.

"I know sweetheart, but that's why we go together. I'll be right there beside you." I whispered into her ear.

"You're right... you make me feel safe." She said, nuzzling my chest.

The fact that a weak nothing like me could make her feel that way... and the fact that she meant the words she said had my eyes stinging. Is this what real connection, and real love was truly like? I was with Rachel for over 10 years, and yet she never made me feel like this. I never felt as wanted and cared for as I did right now.

"Cici, I-" I said, and then pain like nothing i experienced ever before it lanced through my body and mind, "AGH!"

"ELI!" Cici yelled as she grabbed me, helping to the ground as I fell, and resting my head in her lap. Despite the pain, it was a very nice place to be.

My head was pounding, and it felt as if magma was flowing through my veins. I screamed as I felt like my insides were melting, and a voice rang out through my mind.

[Framework Entity Detected]

[Caution: Extreme mana deprivation detected]

[Starting Integration]

[Time remaining.... error. Please stand by]

The pain lessoned after that, and I took several deep breaths.

"What... the hell?" I croaked, and Cici began to pat my face.

"Eli?? Please, tell me you're okay." She said, her voice panicked.

I reached up and put a hand over one of hers.

"I think so... I just got some weird messages once the pain started." I said.

"Weird?" She asked, and I told her what the Framework messages had said, and she gasped.

"H-how?" She asked, and I raised an eyebrow.

"How what?" I replied, and she looked at me with worry before she spoke again.

"It makes sense... but how..." She said, and then looked at me sharply, "Eli, if someone with mana gets too low on mana, their body begins to break down. They grow weak, their body stops listening to them, their bones and muscles deteriorate, and slowly... they wither away until they die." She said, and I froze, my eyes widening at the realization.

"That's... that's..." I said, my voice shaking, "That's all of my symptoms... everything I've dealt with for so long..."

"And I'm sure of it... the Framework doesn't control your mana, as you can have it without being integrated, but it does help you keep track of it, as well as providing you with skills that you can use with your mana. I was told that our mana is connected from our hearts and it flows through our veins. Something unique for those born under the Framework. A lot of us have basic uses for mana, like creating magic light, or a small spark of fire. So... if your body has mana, but no way to replenish it..." She said, trailing off.

"Then I'd just shrivel up and die... and this word... Framework entity..."

Then I remembered how my parents had told me I was adopted, and that I just showed up out of nowhere. Does that mean...?

"Cici... I think I'm originally from this world." I said, pieces beginning to fall into place.

"That's what I'm thinking. But... how are you alive?" She asked, and quickly explained further when she saw the strange look on my face, "No! I'm happy you're alive! But... mana deprivation usually kills someone within a week. And you said you were 25."

That made me pause for a minute. She would definitely know better than I did. If what she was saying was true, then yeah, I should be dead. I looked down at myself, and surprise entered my voice.

"Holy..." I said, and that caused Cici to look as well, and ahe began to tear up.

"Oh Eli..." She said, watching as my shriveled body slowly began to fill out.

I could no longer so my veins sticking out like unsightly lines running along my limbs. My arms and legs, while still small, actually were beginning to get some definition to them, and when I felt my chest, I was surprised at how much force I had to apply to feel my ribs.

I moved to stand, my body feeling both heavier and lighter than it had in a while, and while Cici helped, we both were surprised at how easy it was, and I actually think I got up with most of my own strength.

"It's already working..." Cici said, her voice cracking as she watched me stand on my own two feet.

I was floored, and as I flexed my hands, I blinked in surprise. I bent my knees, feeling how easy the movement was. I even did a little hop. I jogged around the small clearing we were in for about 10 seconds, and Cici just smiled at me with teary eyes. I stopped in front of her, and looked down at myself again.

"It... it doesn't hurt." I said, feeling a cascade of moisture running down my face, and I laughed, "I'm not in pain... I can move."

Cici wrapped her arms around me tightly, and the move didn't even hurt. Where before, my bones would have cracked and popped, now, I felt more solid than I ever had in my whole life. I couldn't stop the flow of tears. When was the last time I didn't feel constant pain? Never... this was a miracle.

"I'm so glad!" Cici sobbed, rubbing her face into my neck.

I owned this woman so much. She came into my life, made me happy, gave me the love I'd missed for so long... then I find out she's some beautiful cat girl from another world, and yet, her feelings for me didn't change. They intensified, and I now found myself not just loving Cici as my friend and companion, but as much more.

"I am too... I don't have to leave you... and I never will." I mumbled into her ear, and she leaned up off of my chest to claim my lips in a deep kiss.

I found myself with much more energy, and a new found sense of passion filling me as the kiss deepened, and I wrapped my arms around the back of her head as I pulled her closer. Our tongues intermingled for a short time, and I found that she had a tongue made of pure silk. I always did find it strange how even as a cat, Cici did not have a rough tongue like most cats tended to have.

Our kiss broke after a while, and we both stared into each other's eyes, affection dancing between them. After a while of just standing there, enjoying each other's presence, she looked off into the distance again, where her village was suppose to be. I rubbed her back.

"Do you want to go?" I asked, and she stood there hesitantly for a moment, before nodding.

"I... I have to know." She said, and I nodded back.

So, with our hands interlocked, Cici took the lead, and we trudged through the forest. Neither of us were truly prepared for what we'd find.