The next year was manly uneventful in that I worked on my house and finished it, taught Genis, and Raine a few meals that they could make and eat for them selves. Much to our surprise Genis and I found out that Raine actually could cook a few meals before I started teaching her. After I had taught them both the full extend of my culinary knowledge I began teaching both of them simple combat styles and worked up to the more complex styles such as wielding two swords at once. During this time I also forged myself a bastard sword and a suit of dragon skin armor. However the new years celebration was something to be hold since they had fireworks and did not know that they could use the technology for other things.
After the first year and even during the first year Raine and Genis showed an extreme amount of friendliness towards me, Raine more than Genis something that I wasn't able to understand completely until one day. "So you want to give Genis a father?" I asked.
"That's right." Raine replied walking over to the bench in the sparing room that I had made.
"Well I won't be able to be his father or give him one, but I can give him an older brother." I replied as I walked over to the bench myself.
"Well that's better than nothing. When would you be able to do that?" Raine asked as she sat down.
"So this sparing with me, trying to learn everything about earth, teaching me everything you know, its just a ploy so you can be with me isn't it?" I said as I put the wooden sword that I was using for this particular sparing session back on the rack.
"What do you mean?" Raine asked trying to sound innocent.
"A nineteen year old body can be very cruel to its inhabitant can it not?"
"Huh, what do you mean by that?"
"At your age your body has gone awol in its production of hormones and causes you to have feelings that you would otherwise not want to have. The same thing happened to me but I learned how to control my feelings that I did not want to feel." I replied sitting down next to Raine.
"So how did you do that?" Raine asked looking over at me.
"I meditated and drove the thoughts from my mind. Since when do you wear perfume while sparing?" I replied sniffing the air.
"But I want these feelings so what should I do about them?" Raine asked as she leaned towards me so that I was able to see down her shirt.
"Well than we should get married before you go any further."
"Ok when will that happen?"
"You name the time and day I'll take care of the rest."
"Ok." Raine replied looking down at the floor in concentration. "How about midnight in three days?" Raine said as she stood up.
"The waning crescent moon I could think of no better time." I said as I started walking towards the door.
"That sounds great."
"Oh uh what are the wedding customs in this world?" I asked as I started walking towards the door.
"I'll teach you them be at my house at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Very well my love." I whispered into Raine's ear as she walked past me and out the door. "I've been wondering when you'd make your move." I then closed the door before she could answer. She then ran home and locked herself in her room. Genis then came to my house and pounded on the door. "Who is it?" I asked in the highest pitched voice I could muster. I then opened the door to see a angrier then hell Genis.
"It's me." Genis stated in the most angry yet quiet voice he could use since he was just starting to enter puberty and his voice was therefore cracking.
"You wondering what I did to your sister." I said letting Genis in.
"Yes." Genis asked as he walked in.
"I did nothing but make one of her dreams come true, and it's not the one were she travels around the world studying all of the worlds ruins."
"Then which one did you make come true?"
"To give you a gift beyond value."
"And what is that?"
"Someone you can look up to, like a father figure." I replied showing him the door. "In three days you will know what I mean so just have patience." I said as Genis walked out the door and off to his and Raine's house. I as I shut the door I silently cast a communication spell so that I could speak to Raine secretly. "Raine, Genis is a little mad right now if he asks about what's going to happen in three days tell it's a secret, and nothing more."
"Why should I not tell him?" Raine asked as she to used the spell to talk back to me.
"I just told him he would find out in three days that's all he needs to know."
"Very well then I won't tell anything but what if he finds out?"
"If you don't tell him and I don't either how would he learn what we're doing?"
"I talk in my sleep if I'm really excited about something, and I think this will be one of those times."
"So sleep in a different room then him."
"I do but you should know our kind has really good hearing."
"Ok why don't you sleep at my house then, oh wait he would figure something out than."
"This could be a problem then."
"Does Genis know when you go through your woman cycle?"
"That was random."
"Well if Genis doesn't know then you clam that you are having a woman thing and that he needs to stay with Lloyd at Dirk's house."
"That's a good plan, but there's a problem with it."
"What's that problem?"
"I don't know when I have my woman cycle."
"Oh yeah about that I'll explain when our soul are bond to one another."
"Well Genis just got here so lets continue this discussion tomorrow in person."
"Very well my love." I said as I terminated the spell and got to work making myself some dinner. The next day I met with Raine and we discussed the different things that we would have to do so that the wedding would go off without a hitch (no pun intended). In all it took us all three days to get everything arranged. At the ceremony everyone that we had invited had come including some that we were surprised to see.
Before wedding began everyone except the bride and groom was milling around in the field that surrounded the wedding dais. The wedding dais was a large slab of stone that was exactly 125 feet to a side and six feet thick laid on the ground with a set of stairs in the middle of each side. On the dais were two tents sitting in the corners diagonally across from each other in I sat waiting, in the other Raine.
As the ceremony began a quartet playing flutes played a very lively tune that was the signal that Raine should leave her tent and take her place in the center of the dais and as the song came to it's end I stood up and began moving towards the flap that acted as a door. When Raine came to the center and stopped the song ended and the second song began a song that was equally lively. With the beginning of this song I stepped forth from my tent and walked forward to meet Raine in the center of the dais.
Raine was wearing the traditional wedding robes of silver clothe with violet trim, topped with a vale of a translucent white clothe. While I was clad in my armor as the traditions stated. As the second song came to its end Raine and myself linked arms and began the wedding dance as the third and final song began. At the end of the wedding dance the two of us came together in a hug.
"You seem troubled is something wrong?" Raine whispered into my ear as she rested her head against my shoulder.
"What do you mean?" I whispered back into her ear.
"You have a dagger in your pocket." She whispered.
"That's not a dagger, I'm just thinking of what happens when we get home." I whispered back into her ear.
"Oh." Raine replied in a whisper.
At this point a priest of Martel came out to the center of the dais, as every one else climbed the stairs so that they too were on the dais. "Ladies and gentlemen we are gathered here tonight to join these two in the holy ritual of marriage. Now in this ritual the souls of those to be married shall be bond to one another for all eternity. Do any here have a reason why these two should not be bond in wedlock?" This question was met by utter silence for the time that he waited for any to speak, and then one man coughed but that was it. "Very well than let the ritual begin."
With these words all the people of the village arrayed themselves along the edges of the dais with women on two sides that shared a common angle and the men on the other two sides. Men on the sides with my tent, and the women on the sides with Raine's tent. The women the began to sing-chanting, "Shal kalek no euth ke shan toeuth naien." While the men began sing-chanting, "Soeuth keliek no keuth su ieo kenio teliuth kolieth." As this was going on the runic circle, in the center of which Raine and I were standing, began to glow an eerie blue-green color. At that time the same runes began to appear on our skin and burn into our skin a process that were I not an angel would hurt quite a bit, and it was due to my not wavering that Raine was able to endure the pain of the process. After the villagers had repeated the song-chant twelve times they stopped and the runes disappeared from our skin.
The villagers now began walking forward towards us and the priest stepped out from the crowd along with Genis, and walked directly to Raine and me. "I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride." The priest said. I then lifted Raine's vale and gave her a good long passionate French kiss.
After that everyone just milled around and talked to me and Raine giving us words of encouragement and advice as to how to keep the marriage last a long time. It took about two hours for the wedding to finally come to an end, and we were finally able to go home.
"Now Genis we need you to stay with Lloyd tonight so that we can be along, together." I said to Genis as the three of us were walking home.
"Ok, hey Lloyd wait up for me." Genis said and he ran off to catch up with Lloyd.
"Now that we have the house to our selves lets have some fun." I said to Raine as I opened the door to my house.
"What kind of fun are you thinking of?" Raine asked as she shut the door.
"Well half elves aren't truly mature until they become angels and only when they have the right kind of key crest." I said as we walked into the bed room
"What do you mean by truly mature, and key crest? You have a really big bed." Raine said walking over to my king sized mattress and sitting down on it.
"Well I'll tell you tomorrow. For now it's is our wedding night and thus the time for us to consummate this marriage." I said as I took of my armor robe.
"You mean you want me to let you take me?" Raine asked looking at me.
"That's what you wanted when you said you wanted Genis to have a father figure." I said taking of my boots.
"So how do you do it?" Raine asked as she began to get undressed.
"Well to my knowledge it's simple but I haven't ever done it myself, but I did walk in on a couple doing what we are going to do. Plus it's in our genetic code as part of our survival instinct." I said as I removed my shirt.
"What is that thing on your chest?" Raine asked stopping midway through unbuttoning her dress, and looking at me.
"You mean my amulet, I never tae this off." I replied quite puzzled.
"No I know what that is I mean that gemstone in the middle of the metal ring." She answered.
"Oh this it's my cruxis crystal." I said pointing at the small exsphere like object embedded in my chest. "It because of this that I didn't feel the pain of the soul binding earlier." At this point Raine was standing and walking over to me.
"Is this inscription angelic?" Raine asked as she ran her hand across the surface of the key crest.
"Yes it is wait do you not have a cruxis crystal of your own?" I asked looking down at my new bride.
"No. Why?" Raine asked looking back up at me.
"Because we can not be together if you don't have one and even if you had one we wouldn't be able to have children until it reached maturity. Even then it would take a while for the right circumstances to come along for us to be able to have kids." I said as I walked over to the bed and sat down.
"So wear do we get a cruxis crystal, oh wait there's one in the temple of Martel." Raine said walking over to the bed and sitting down next to me.
"No that one won't work it is for the chosen and will therefore reject your body. I do know of another way to get a cruxis crystal. But it will take until dawn for me to return is that ok my love?" I asked looking over at Raine who had the most innocently hopeful look on her face.
"Yes it is, but you only have until dawn." Raine replied in an upbeat tone.
"Very well I shall not fail in your request so long as I can." I said as I leaned over and kissed Raine on the cheek. I then stood up and unveiled my wings that were made of some kind of sapphire colored energy, and turned into this same kind of energy took the shape of a ball, and flew through the ceiling.
I arrived in Deris Kharlan only milliseconds latter more specifically in the cruxis crystal storage dump. I heard a noise over to my right and looked over to see a security camera looking straight at me. "Shit, I thought they might have something like that." I said to myself in English. Moments latter a group of angels came in through a door about half way up one of the walls. They quickly began flying straight down at me.
"Kaleak kothilek no euth." I incanted as I preformed the somatic part of the incantation thus gathering a ball of violet hot plasma and firing it at the lead angel plasmafying him instantly the other two fell back behind two stacks of exsphere containment boxes.
"Come peacefully and we may let you live." One of the angels said from behind the boxes.
"What am I charged with?" I spat back.
"The crime of stealing a precious article that belongs to lord Yggdrassil." The angel answered.
"Well then bring this Yggdrassil person here so I can talk to him myself." I said as I silently incanted another spell in case they brought reinforcements.
"Very well he is on his way." The other angel replied. The three of us wait not but a few minutes for Yggdrassil to arrive.
"Where is the thief?" Yggdrassil demanded of one of the angels.
"He is down there sir, but he is powerful enough to vaporize us so you may wish to proceed with caution." The angel replied pointing down in my direction.
"That you Yggdrassil?" I asked looking up at the person flying down towards me.
"Yes and now you will die!" Yggdrassil screamed while throwing one of the biggest fireballs I had ever seen at me.
I quickly throw up a shield spell and blocked his attack with ease deflecting it into the security camera, the camera stood no chance. At this point the two angels that were cowering behind the stacks of boxes promptly left the room and closed the door. "I'm disappointed Mithos you were so much more powerful during the war." I said as I flew out from some boxes behind my would be assailant.
"Who are you?" Yggdrassil demanded as he cast another spell with the intend of killing me, but failing.
"My my aren't we violent these days. The last time we met you were but a wee lad that wanted nothing more then to save his sister and I think you still do." I answered as I flew around evading spell after spell after spell.
"YOU STILL HAVEN'T ANSWERED MY QUESTION!" Yggdrassil screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Why I believe I have, but if you can't see the answer that I have given you then I shall tell it to you straight. My name is Henry Schaefer." I said appearing right in front of his nose.
"What, but you, how, you left, why?" Yggdrassil said looking at me with an extremely confused continence.
"I came back and not of my own accord I might add." I replied flying back slightly and folding my arms.
"Then why are you here? In the cruxis crystal storage dump that is." Yggdrassil asked.
"I got married about three hours ago, to another half-elf, but she is yet to have developed into true maturity. So I came here to get her a cruxis crystal." I replied flying over to an undamaged exsphere box.
"Why did you not tell me you know that I would give you one without hesitation." Yggdrassil replied flying over to where I was.
"Well I do know that, but I would rather that you not make it obvious to the rest of Cruxis or the diseignens for that matter." I said as I took a cruxis crystal from the box, "Has this crystal been used?"
"No but you'll also need a key crest." Yggdrassil said.
"Yeah where are those?" I asked putting the crystal in my pocket.
"They are in another building down the street."
"So how am I going to get one?"
"I take you prisoner and put you in one of the holding cells. After that I get a key crest and send it to you by way of magic, then you go back to which ever world your bride is in." Yggdrassil said.
"How long will that take." I asked.
"About thirty minutes, why?"
"I need to be home in ten."
"Oh"
"I'll just leave now, you claim that in the fight you vaporized me and hit the amulet at the same time."
"How will you get a key crest then?"
"There's a dwarf that lives near the village that I now live in and I will ask him to make me one." I replied as I began to focus the energy necessary to teleport back to the room where Raine was waiting.
"Very well fair well until we meet again" Yggdrassil said as the ball of light I was faded away.
"What took you so long?" Raine asked worry plainly apparent in her voice.
"I had a little run in with Mithos and was held up by that and even though I got a crystal we will have to wait until Dirk can make you a key crest." I said as I took the crystal out of my pocket, and walked over to the bed sitting down next to Raine.
"What do you mean by crystal and key crest?" Raine asked looking over at me.
"I'll explain latter today, but for now let us sleep." I said standing up and offering Raine my hand to help her get up so she could finish getting undressed. The two of us finished getting undressed and climbed into bed and fell quickly into a deep slumber rapped in each others arms. At about noon we awoke to the pleasant sight of the other's face. We got up and dressed quickly into our everyday clothes, and while I made us something to eat I explained what cruxis crystals, exspheres, and key crests are and how they work.
"I need to go see Dirk and get him to make a key crest for that cruxis crystal that I got for you. Oh by the way where do you think Genis is?" I said as I walked to the door after finishing my food.
"He's probably still at Dirks house with Lloyd." Raine replied.
"All right I'll see you latter." I said as I gave Raine a kiss on the cheek. I then walked out the door and went to Dirk's house as fast as I could. When I got there I saw Genis and Lloyd talking to each other. I walked past them and into Dirk's house, as I did this I noticed that both of the little kiddies had very confused looks on their faces.
"Dirk I need you to make me a key crest as fast as you can." I said as I walked into the forge that was his living room.
"Why do you need a key crest?" Dirk said as he turned around to look at me.
"I recently acquired an exsphere that does not have a key crest and would like to be able to use it." I replied walking closer to him.
"Don't you already have an exsphere with a key crest equipped?" Dirk asked
"This exsphere is not for me to use." I replied.
"Well then who's it for." Dirk asked.
"If you must know before you agree to make it. It is for Raine." I replied in a voice quiet enough that Genis would not be able to hear, but Dirk would.
"Ok I can have it done in an hour, and it'll cost twenty gald in materials." Dirk replied.
"Very well I shall wait outside, and don't tell Lloyd." I said as I turned around to leave.
"Alright." Dirk replied walking over to the forge.
As I walked out I saw that Lloyd and Genis telling one another their theories as to why I was here. "You know I can here you don't you." As I said this both of them jumped and looked at me.
"You can but how we were talking low enough that you shouldn't have been able to?" Genis asked confused.
"I have really good ears." I replied smugly as I walked over to them.
"Ok but why are you here, and not at home with Raine?" Lloyd asked as I walked up to the two younglings.
"Well Raine is asleep and I'm picking up a gift that I had Dirk make for her." I replied sitting down next to them.
"So why aren't you leaving now?" Genis asked.
"Dirk hasn't been able to finish it completely. So it should take an hour for the gift to be finished. Until then how about a game?" I explained looking at my young brother-in-law.
"What game?" Lloyd asked looking at me.
"How about Mow?" I said as I pulled a deck of cards from my pocket.
"Alright." Both of them said in unison.
We played Mow for the next hour. By the end of it we were having to stand on our heads and do a jig to place a card if there wasn't something more obscene to do.
"Henry it's done." Dirk said leaning out the door.
"Alright." I said as I stood up. I then walked over to Dirk and he gave me the key crest. "Thank you, here's you payment." I said as I took the key crest and handed Dirk thirty gald.
"But this is-"
"Keep the change." I interrupted Dirk as he was going to give me back the extra ten gald. I then went back how and was met by an overly excited Raine.
"Did you got the key crest?" Raine asked getting up and running over to me as I walked in through the door.
"Yes but now comes the hard part getting you to become an angel." I said walking over and picking up the cruxis crystal and putting it into the key crest.
"What do you mean hard part?" Raine asked looking at me with a very confused look on her face.
"Well now that we have the crystal and a proper key crest you still need to become an angel and to do that we have two choices. We can either go on an overly long quest to put you in mortal danger and almost certain death, or we can have you spar with me and push you beyond any kind of limit that you put upon yourself before. Which would you prefer?" I said looking at her holding the crystal and crest in my hand.
"I say we spar." Raine replied looking at me.
"Then lets get ready for the training." I said and then started walking over towards the training room that we would be using.
"Wait what about the crystal?" Raine asked as she followed me.
"I'll put on you after all we don't want it to be visible for everyone to see now do we." I said as I walked into the changing room followed by Raine.
"So we going to change in front of each other?" Raine asked as we walked into the room.
"We are married it's not a sin for us to see one another naked is it and besides we slept nude last night and we were rapped in each others arms then. This time we are only going to change into sparring gear and I'll be putting a cruxis crystal on that all." I said as I got undressed and began putting on my sparring clothes.
"Ok but where are you going to put the crystal on me?" Raine asked as she got undressed.
"I think I'll put on your waist in the front right above your special place." I said as I walked over to her as she took off her pants. I knelt down and put the crystal right between her legs on her pelvis.
"Whoa that's cold." Raine said a little startled by the coldness of the crystal.
"Don't worry it won't ever be cold ever again once it warms up that is." I replied as I stood up and looked her in the eyes, she made the cutest face I'd ever seen her make. At the onset of this face that she made I couldn't hold back and grabbed her and pulled her into a deep passionate kiss that she quickly embraced and the only reason we broke the lip lock was the need for air. "Come now we need to make you like me as soon as possible." I said after looking into Raine's eyes and handing her, her sparring outfit.
After Raine had gotten dressed we went into the training room and began sparring. Throughout the match I kept edging Raine on and making her push herself harder and harder. It took not but one and a half hours for my desired result to occur.
"ARRRGGH, this pain what is it?" Raine barely managed to ask as she fell to the floor great anguish as she began to render her wings coming out of her back.
"Don't worry it's just the angel transformation, in other words you are just experiencing the first step of turning into an angel the pain will pass within the night. Right now you should get something to eat you will need your strength for tonight." I said helping her get up, we then walked into the changing room. Raine was in so much pain that she had to have me change her clothes for her, after I had changed both of us I carried Raine into our bed room and laid her down on the bed. I then went into the kitchen and began making some food for the two of us.
"Henry how do I get down?" Raine asked as she flew into the kitchen looking quite concerned by the fact that she was unable to return to the ground.
"It's simple just think down and you should be able to get back to the ground." I said as I flew up to her catching her as she fell after thinking down. "I guess tomorrow I'll teach you how to fly just try not to think about being airborne until I teach how to control your flight tomorrow." I continued as I carried her back down to the ground. After that we ate dinner in silence, and cleaned up.