by Mills, H. C.
Oh. Huh. My gaze flicks down to hers. They look delicious.
Without knowing how, when, or exactly why, I close the distance and lightly press my lips against hers.
They’re warm and soft, so much softer than a guy’s, and her breath tastes intoxicatingly sweet.
The mere feel of her lips sends waves of heat crashing through my body.
It’s a soft, sweet kiss, laden with meaning that I currently can’t express through words. Objective meaning.
‘You’re important to me, too. I care for you and will protect you, no matter what. Man, your lips feel good.’
For a split second, Kaitlynn freezes up. Then she moans softly and melts into the kiss, deepening it.
That little moan breaks something inside of me. The emotions welling up take a turn in a new direction. The heat within me moves south, and by mutual agreement, our kiss quickly turns hungry, then needy, as we begin to express emotions I was only vaguely aware existed.
I wake up with an armful of Kaitlynn. At first, I just smile down at her face, not really thinking much of it, since this isn’t altogether that unusual a situation by now.
Then, I am hit by a rush of blurry memories.
My smile freezes.
Oh, shit. Okay, calm down, Emma. You’re still fully clothed at least, this time.
I carefully extract myself from Kaitlynn’s sleeping form. She makes light noises of protest but doesn’t wake.
I stealthily remove myself from the scene of the crime, passing through the thankfully empty living room into my own, where I start to pace.
Holy shit, what happened last night? I remember tears and confessions, some dancing, and then...
I touch my lips. They’re swollen and sensitive.
We made out. A crash of butterflies erupts in my stomach at the thought, making me a little queasy. We made out a lot, judging by the state of my lips.
At least I’m pretty confident it was just making out, as my uniform is still buttoned up, and I don’t feel sore anywhere else.
I frown. Actually, I seem to remember some gro—yup, I definitely remember groping. Oh god. I made out with a girl—with Kaitlynn—and I liked it!
My hands are shaking, and I have a sudden bout of vertigo. I kneel down on the floor and start taking deep, steadying breaths.
[Say, Emma,] Suri chimes. [Is everything all right?]
I nearly jump out of my skin. “Ah! Geez, woman. Don’t scare me like that.”
[Right. I’ll endeavour to warn you before I speak in the future.]
I huff out a breath. “Fine fine, I’m just a little on edge, sorry.”
[I can tell. Your flow of Lavi is completely erratic. What’s the matter? I would think you had a lovely night.]
“Look, it’s complicated, all right?” I say with a sigh. “You know what, ehm, being gay means?”
[Even if I hadn’t before, I would now. What about it?]
“Well, it’s... there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just unusual,” I explain lamely. “And I have nothing against people who are gay, I’m just not one of them.”
[Mmm.]
“No, really.”
[Oh, I’m sure you’re right, Emma, I just don’t see why this is so important to you.]
“It’s not!” I protest. “I wouldn’t care if I was gay, it’s just that I’m not!”
[I see. And how come you’re so sure?]
I deflate and brush some stray, unkempt locks out of my face. “I don’t really want to get into that right now. Just trust me when I say I am.”
[Very well. If you don’t think it’s pertinent for me to know, I’ll trust your judgement. However, you seem to be under a dangerous illusion, which I will need to rectify.]
I raise a brow. “Really? And what’s that?”
[You seem to believe you’re still operating under the laws of the Entropic Realm.]
“Huh? What do you mean?”
[The Fourth Law, Emma. I told you about it ages ago. Don’t you remember?]
“The Fourth Law?” I mutter. “What does that—”
My eyes widen as I recall what it was.
Yin and Yang... attract.
I shoot upright. “You have got to be kidding me.”
End of Book Two
Want to make sure you don't miss the release of the next book, or fancy a glance at Emma's notes? Read on!
DEAR READER
Thank you for picking up my work and taking the time to read it.
If you’d like to keep me in the business of writing, please leave a review on Amazon.
If your head is still completely in the Realm of Crystals and you need to talk about it with someone—me, for example—you can always join my Discord server with this link: https://discord.gg/jGx5EvR
Alternatively—or additionally—if you want to be sure you never miss a release, go to http://www.hcmillsofficial.com and sign up for my mailing list. All you have to do is fill in your e-mail address at the bottom of the page!
At the end of the previous book, I directed the truly impatient ones among you to the original webnovel this story was conceived at, ‘I Am Going To Die (In This Game-Like Dimension)’.
However, at this point, I consider the changes I’ve made to the end of Book Two too large to recommend picking up where the webnovel continues the story.
But rest assured, Book Three will be here before you know it.
Disclaimer:
This page was written on the Fourth of May in the year 2021, and these previous points are pretty much only relevant if it’s still the 21st century and I’m still around. If not, I guess my progeny—assuming I’ve produced any—might still appreciate the continued proliferation of my legacy, so feel free to leave a review or join the mailing list anyway.
Either way, I hope I’ve managed to transport you to another world for a little while, and that you enjoyed it more than Emma did, at the very least.
Sincerely,
H.C. Mills
EMMA’S NOTES
The Laws of Being
(Because screw physics, apparently)
FIRST LAW: All are One
SECOND LAW: All are Yin or Yang
THIRD LAW: All are quantified
FOURTH LAW: Yin and Yang attract
Types of Matter
AETHER: At first glance, looks and feels like air—breathable and everything—but it’s not. Air is a mixture of gasses found in Earth’s atmosphere, while Aether is apparently a ‘nigh-omnipresent medium for energies to travel through.’
ASTREUM: Super-Heated Aether turns into Astreum, which glows orange and expands rapidly when Heated further. Totally rad.
BOREUM: Super-Cooled Aether turns into Boreum, which at first presents as a blue-glowing vapour, but can turn solid in the blink of an eye. Scary stuff.
GREYSTEEL: A metal-like substance with a Toughness of 70. Can be forged into weapons.
HYDRUM: Analogous to water, but more viscous. The only big difference is that it’s friggin’ breathable since it contains Lavi, which is all we really breathe for. Still weird.
SOLITH: The stuff rocks and stone are made of in the Realm of Crystals, but that doesn’t include crystals! Speaking of...
Types of Crystals
ENERGY CRYSTALS: In a sense, all crystals here are ‘energy’ crystals, but by these, I specifically mean the ten types of energy derived from Yin and Yang Qi. These are unstable—relatively speaking—in the sense that they can explode if brought into contact with their Yin-Yang opposite energy type.
LAVI CRYSTALS: Made of pure Lavi, the really big ones are even a good source of Lavi.
QI CRYSTALS: Made of either pure Yin or pure Yang Qi. Qi Pearls are an example of these.
FOCUS CRYSTALS: These are artificial, made of at least both types of Qi, somehow, with the opposite type captured in the centre.
OTHER TYPES: I’m still not sure what the crystal trident or our eye-crystals are made of, but I’m sure I’ll find out someday.
Types of Energy
YIN AND YANG QI: Described as the purest and therefore most potent types of energy in the Realm. All other energies are apparently derived from these.
LAVI: Analogous to life-force, floats around in Aether like green flecks, stream around inside the body in flows. Supposedly formed by the combination of Yin and Yang Qi.
COLD & HEAT: This Yin-Yang pair governs this Realm’s equivalent of temperature. Too much Heat can damage Lavi and reduce Strength and Toughness, the effects of too much Cold are as of yet unknown.
ELECTRIC & VIBRATION ENERGY: This Yin-Yang pair covers internal and external signalling, in a sense. They seem to have a somewhat similar paralysing effect when applied in a great enough dose.
TOXIC & RADIATION ENERGY: Definitely the nastiest Yin-Yang pair. Also the only types of energy that can be given different Purposes, which range from benign to deadly. I should probably make a separate list for those...
INERTIAL & KINETIC ENERGY: A Yin-Yang pair of energies that have to do with acceleration. Positive and Negative Inertial Energy respectively make accelerating harder and easier, while Positive and Negative Kinetic Energy respectively speed things up and slow them down.
SPATIAL & GRAVITATIONAL ENERGY: The final, and most mysterious Yin-Yang energy pair. We don’t know much about these yet, but they sound very promising.
Purposes
TOXIC ENERGY: The regular variant is magenta-coloured, and very dangerous to unadapted lifeforms, causing a lot of damage to Lavi, and reducing Strength and Agility.
ACID (TOXIC): This Purpose turns the Toxic Energy an obnoxious bubble-gun pink, and causes it to bite through flesh and vegetation at an alarming rate. Our trigot-leather outfits appear to be quite resistant, thankfully.
ADDLING (TOXIC): Seems to act much like alcohol, in the sense that it makes you do stupid, regretful things...
DREAMCLOUD (TOXIC): Makes people more open to suggestion, at higher doses, causes them to fall asleep. Looks like small, lilac tendrils.
DETOXIFYING (RADIATION): Seemingly made just to counter and remove Toxic Energy. Found in Blue Angels.
PURIFYING (RADIATION): A pure white form of Radiation, first encountered in the First Trial’s oasis. It’s a very handy Purpose, that causes any kind of energy that’s over the Tolerance Limit to be removed.
RESTORING (RADIATION): A healthy pink glow that stimulates Lavi into restoring wounds faster. Has its limits though, poor Alec...
Lavi-based Skills
RESPIRATION: A low-grade Skill based on taking control over inhaled Lavi, to facilitate its intake. Has the downside of increasing the intake of other present energies as well. Toxic Energy, for example...
BREATH CONTROL: A medium-grade Skill obtained by evolving the Respiration Skill. It takes things further by allowing the user to maintain control over the Lavi in their breath, and use it to direct their exhale for various purposes.
MEDITATION: A low-grade Skill that decreases resting Lavi Consumption by slowing down bodily functions, dimming sensations in the process.
TELEPATHY: A low-grade Skill that involves hooking a tether made of Lavi into a distant being, and then making use of this Realm’s crazy objective meaning to relay messages along the tether.
BOOST PHYSICAL: A medium-grade Skill that burns Lavi as fuel for a boost in Strength and Agility. The first mode burns 10 Lavi per minute and works for six seconds per activation, the second mode burns 5 Lavi per minute for a slightly smaller boost, but remains active until turned off.
EXCHANGE LAVI: A medium-grade Skill with unknown working and effects.
LAVI FONT: A medium-grade Skill that allows the user to twist their Lavi flows into a Lavi-producing spiral in their stomach.
Yin-Qi-based Skills
COLD VISION: A low-grade Skill that does exactly what it says it does.
BOREUM MANIPULATION: A medium-grade Skill I could probably do some really cool stuff with if I ever get around to taking it...
LIGHTNING MANIPULATION: Alec’s Skill of choice, lets him turn Yin Qi into Electric Energy and shoot it as arcs of lightning.
ELECTROCEPTION: A medium-grade Skill that allows for the detection of Electric Energy somehow.
BOOST REFLEXES: A medium-grade Skill similar to Boost Physical, except it requires Electric Energy rather than Lavi, and focuses on Agility rather than Strength.
INFUSE: A modular, medium-grade Skill for the handling of Toxic Energy with various kinds of Purposes. Unlike other Skills, it’s levelled by adding new Purposes to one’s repertoire.
INCREASE INERTIA: A medium-grade Skill that creates a field of Positive Inertial Energy that makes accelerating things inside of it a lot harder.
DECREASE INERTIA: A high-grade Skill that creates a field of Negative Inertial Energy that does the exact opposite.
DISTORT SPACE: A top-grade Skill that I really, really want.
Yang-Qi-based Skills
HEAT VISION: Do I really need to explain?
ASTREUM MANIPULATION: A medium-grade Skill which allows for the creation of rapidly expanding Astreum, to be aimed at whatever the wielder wishes to hit. Like oversized frogs.
AMPLIFY: A low-grade Skill that makes use of Vibration Energy to enhance existing vibrations. Can be used to amplify one’s voice, but also to vibrate a weapon or projectile and hurt one’s enemy.
WAVE MANIPULATION: A medium-grade Skill with a more direct use of Vibration Energy: projecting the stuff as stunning shockwaves.
TREMORSENSE: A medium-grade Skill that allows for the detection of even minute vibrations, and apparently even make a kind of echolocation-y sense of them. Especially useful under-Hydrum, where sounds carry much farther.
RADIATE: A modular, medium-grade Skill that allows the user to apply Radiation Energy with various Purposes. Levelled by adding additional Purposes.
INCREASE MOMENTUM: A medium-grade Skill that uses Positive Kinetic Energy to provide things with a sudden burst of movement. First level applies only to the self, second to other things held in one’s hand, like spears.
DECREASE INERTIA: A medium-grade Skill that uses Negative Kinetic Energy to bring things to a sudden stop.
People of interest
ALEC: Still annoying, but growing on me, I guess. His discipline has gotten a lot better, but at times he still needs some... let’s call it ‘guidance.’
ARTIE: Sexist prick. Also, my boss. Well, former boss, I guess.
BORIS: Big guy that got Jacob kicked out of Bruce’s gang and replaced him. Had Boost Physical. Killed by Alec.
BRUCE (AKA MEATHEAD): Former self-styled king of the jungle, 100% beef. Now missing his right hand, courtesy of yours truly. Kidnapped Kaitlynn and tried to trade her for Stardrops. Currently in the council’s ‘protective custody,’ whatever that means.
CAROL-ANNE: Kind of a bitch, wore glasses without a prescription. Didn’t deserve to die like that though, sucked dry by a Dreamcloud Flower... still, nice of her to leave behind her Yang Qi Pearl.
DAVE: My rock. Great mind for strategy, keeps far better notes than these. His hair has gotten a lot better when he levelled up, no longer as frizzy, though he still just keeps it in a ponytail. Oh well. Babysteps.
DENISE (AKA THICC MISTY): Kaitlynn’s friend, drooled over Josh, but didn’t make it to Hub Two. Poor girl...
EMMA: That’s you, dumbass! If you forgot who this is, then you’re in deep shit. Don’t trust anyone. Especially Suri. That bitch is up to something...
JACOB (AKA EMO-KID): A good kid. Gay, apparently. Still somehow got a crush on me, though that might also have something to do with what Suri just revealed to me...
JOSH: My former fellow expert hotdog distributor. Had the most stunning pale blue eyes. Died in my arms in Hub One.
KAI: Kaitlynn’s Personal Guide System. Very chatty, apparently. Doesn’t come off as all that smart for an artificial ‘intelligence.’
KAITLYNN: Ehm... No comment at this time.
LILY: One of the council’s enforcers, clearly bottle-blonde hair, cool tattoo-sl
eeves on her arms.
LUKE (AKA LEGO-ASS): The biggest douche that ever canoed. Hobbies included riding his Vespa and hitting on girls, poorly. Couldn’t take a joke either. Almost killed Kaitlynn, got stabbed in the throat for his troubles, by yours truly.
MANNY: Guy I used to work with at the hotdog stand. Called in sick the day we got portalled, causing Josh to be called in instead. Probably thanking his lucky stars right now.
REBECCA: Chair of the council. Didn’t trust her at first, but she’s the real deal. Seems to be planning to stay behind in Hub Two no matter the outcome of the lottery. Takes a real captain to go down with the ship.
ROSE: Dave’s Personal Guide System. Also possibly Suri’s arch-nemesis?
SAMUEL: Council’s secretary. Probably should’ve communicated with him better, ’cause it seems like Bruce got him to believe his bullshit...
SARGE: Alec’s Personal Guide System, sounds hilarious. Heh, ‘Spaghetti arms.’
SHERLOCK: Never learned his real name, don’t really care either. Got pushed off a tree by Alec after he tried to make our ears bleed with Amplify.
STEVE: Good ol’ Steve. Former security guard at the Con, current head enforcer of the council. Could give Bruce a run for his money when it comes to muscles. Makes me wonder what his Strength is...
SURI: My Personal Guide System. Kind of aloof, hard to get a read on where I stand with her, but she seems invested in my survival, at least.
WESLEY (AKA WEASEL): Creepy little guy that enjoyed throwing stuff at people. Like his shoes. Got his head bashed in by Dave. Good riddance.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Once again, this book wouldn’t be what it is if not for the tireless help of my writing group, Edo Kant, Jered Vroon, and Myron Plugge. Thanks for providing me with the endless critique and encouragement that continues to drive me to improve my writing.
Amongst their many points of feedback, was the suggestion to give the tables in this novel a truly unique style. While part of me wants to cry at the thought of how much extra work that ended up being, I’m still very happy with the result, so thanks to Marleen van der Fluit for helping to make it a reality and for designing the Status Bar as well.