The Terror of Aflein.

  It was unavoidable when discussing the story of the Void Prince. Xyn knew this and didn't bother to hide it. It was pointless. Even if he kept mum, Drazal would certainly publish it sooner or later, and Ana would find out that way.

  The Void Prince didn't lie about it. Instead, he skimmed over the matter- well, he attempted to. The Sun Maiden was having none of it and, with a fresh frown on her face, had him reverse course.

  Xyn sighed. "I may have embellished my good apple status. Yes, in truth, I was a villain all along."

  "What happened?" she asked, seriously.

  Xyn looked towards his cards. None matched, which was the point of the game. He glanced up and set his sights on Ana on the opposite end of the bed. They had relocated five minutes ago at his suggestion to play on the mattress. The Sun Maiden had quirked a brow and lip but followed him into the bedroom. That playful smile was nowhere to be seen, and now a frown filled her face.

  He averted his gaze. "A lot of things. No one died, though."

  "Really?" Ana asked, hopeful.

  Xyn had the Truth Stone glow blue. "Yep, no one died. I destroyed the cityscape, but not one person died that day. It took me a second to gather myself after the first building came down, but I was fast enough. So many Void Shifts. I drained half of my mana in that initial three seconds."

  Ana sighed in relief. Xyn's claim that he had destroyed a city had her thinking the worst.

  "The automatons, the golems I mentioned before, registered me as the cause and attacked. I destroyed them and then went with the flow. I had long considered being a villain and wished to try it out."

  "And? How well did that work out for you?"

  "Not well. Turns out, I'm not villain material. I battled several waves of psionics and automatons before losing the will to fight."

  "A Telepath's doing?"

  "No. Fighting them was pointless. Between waves, one of my duplicates left the battlefield. The remaining one feigned mana exhaustion and was subdued and sent to the White Pyramid, a special prison meant to suppress psionic powers."

  "And did it?"

  "Not on me. I spent a week in that place before being transmigrated to Machaeverosa."

  Xyn wanted to jump into his time in the Realm of Realms, but Ana's next question pulled him back.

  "Were you not transmigrated, what would you have done?"

  The Void Prince glanced at his cards. They were poor. Three draws hadn't improved their standings. "I...don't know."

  Ana showed a sad look. She didn't question the answer and took it for what it was. The five of hearts she drew was what she needed, and she made two fans of matching colours.

  "So, you arrived in Machaeverosa, what then?"

  Her question revived the Void Prince. His mood picked up, and his words began flowing from his lips. Vanta constructs appeared atop the bed and gave life to his account. They were the cherry on top of an already marvellous cake. Ana was awed throughout his retelling.

  "And I thought my time in Machaeverosa was eventful. You've gone through a lot. No, more than that, you've done much, Xyn."

  Ana's opinion of the psionic opposite her rose in real-time. She had sensed he was capable, but his account told her that she had been underestimating him, greatly. Her eyes narrowed as a now familiar light made the rounds. Competence was attractive, after all.

  "...the golden pillar led to a battlefield, nay, a slaughter. At the centre was a living flame; her movements were hypnotic. I found myself paralysed."

  "Yes, with lust. I remember well," Ana's teeth and cards became fans.

  "I guess you were there. Well, that brings us to the present. Now, to go back in time. The multiverse. There were nuggets of knowledge here and there, but you should know the basics."

  "Lay it on me." Ana's attention zipped up from her cards to the blank-faced Xyn. "Again, you do it."

  "Those are my words, Sun Vixen," Xyn sighed, fresh from his reset.

  "Don't besmirch my title. It's Sun Maiden."

  "In your home world, sure, in this one, it fits poorly. Am I that fun to tease?"

  "Yes."

  Xyn sighed before shaking his head. "Have your fun while you can. I'll adapt. Before long, your wiles won't affect me at all."

  "That sounds like a challenge," she said with narrowed eyes.

  "Maybe it is. Do your worst. I'll do my best."

  "Mmm..." Dangerous and forbidden thoughts crossed Ana's mind over the next few seconds before she dismissed them with a blink. "You mentioned the basics of the multiverse. Continue, fill me up."

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Xyn's lips made a line and lingered as such for a long second before parting. The Void Prince recounted everything he had learned thus far about the multiverse and the various powers making it up. He kept his explanations substantive but light, sweeping over the broad points and only diving into the details upon request. There was a lot to take in, but Ana was willing and able.

  "Fascinating," was the Elementalist's summary after nearly a minute of silent processing.

  "Agree. And that's likely only the tip of the iceberg."

  "Mm," Ana claimed her latest victory before looking at Xyn. He was as handsome as ever. His black holes threatened to swallow her whole, and the Sun Maiden welcomed the experience. "Let's leave it at the tip for now. I'm overloaded. Some fresh air is needed. Moving my body should help too," she said, doing a simple stretch.

  She retreated from the bed and turned toward the entrance. Her body swayed in that direction, but stopped before the door. A triangle with a thick base. She felt Xyn draw the shape on her backside with his gaze. Ana smiled. "Come along. You said we'd do a show and tell of our abilities, right? Let's do that."

  "Sure."

  ***

  Ana was first on the chopping block. Or rather, she had volunteered herself.

  Her powers could be divided into two: her Flame Elementalist powers and her Charms. The former was straightforward. She could conjure golden flames. Their shape and temperature were hers to decide. Ana demonstrated her mastery over the Sacred Element.

  "It's not just my summoned flames that I can control. All flames within a certain range can be brought under my command."

  "I saw that," Xyn said, remembering the Salamander's fireball being forcefully repurposed.

  The Flame Elementalist nodded. "Flame Summoning, Flame Control, and finally, Flame Harvest. My third ability allows me to draw flames into myself."

  "I saw that too. You used your sword."

  "I did, but it's not necessary. Justice, the name of my sword, is enchanted to be a storage for my Flame Harvest ability. I can store five times my mana output."

  "Permanently?"

  "Nope. The enchantment lasts for five minutes. Less, actually. The energy I stored earlier is long dispersed."

  Ana proved her words, summoning her sword and showcasing the golden blade, free from the shine it had radiated earlier.

  The Sun Maiden spent a few minutes demonstrating the variety of her Elementalist powers, setting fires and then extinguishing them. The clearing was black and ash-grey by the end. Her Charms were next on the menu.

  She had nine.

  For perception, she had Shroud of Paranoia and Vision of Hegdal. The former needed no explanation. The latter allowed her a passive omnidirectional perception as well as an active astral-projection-like ability. Xyn had asked about what "Hegdal" meant. Ana explained that it was a fictional creature said to have a thousand eyes and cursed never to blink by an ancient witch.

  For offence, she had Goldo's Rings. These were the ten gold energy rings. They expelled force. The more lined up at once, the greater the produced force. Distance played a part in their potency. The further away from her, the weaker they became. Beyond two metres, they lost their usefulness in high-level combat. According to Ana, it was her weakest Charm.

  For defence, she had the White Lotus. The white-tinted energy was a second skin to her. She could shape it to her will and usually let it hug her voluptuous figure. At times, she would have it assume its flower-shaped shield form. In this state, it was at its sturdiest.

  For mobility, she had Flickering Flames. It was a swiftness enchantment that allowed her short bursts of high-hypersonic speed.

  For resistance, she had Youthful Vigour and Eternal Mind. The former was what allowed her to eat many times her body weight and stay healthy, while also preventing corruption and corrosion. Eternal Mind was her mental defence system, preventing mind manipulation and the like.

  For storage, she had Hidden Satchel. It was the size of a small house and was mostly empty. Clothes and the monster cores Ana had picked up lay within.

  Warrior's Spirit, her aura ability, acted as the glue to tie all of the above Charms together. The transparent energy elevated the individual enhancements into what they were, far greater.

  Following her explanation and demonstration of her Charms, Ana went through her inventory. Combat-wise, it amounted to her sword, scabbard and armour.

  "Not much," Xyn commented from his bench. "The sword's fine, but that armour might as well be mundane. What enchantment is it running? I can't tell."

  "It's a self-repairing enchantment. It will fix itself when damaged. The material is siphoned from my storage space."

  "Nifty."

  "It is. Though I've never had to use it." Ana switched to her sundress in a flash and approached Xyn. Orange hues coloured her as she strode over.

  "That's it? Nothing more to show?"

  "Nope. Well, nothing besides Supernova. Want to see that?"

  "Guess not."

  The Flame Elementalist plopped down on the bench beside Xyn and glanced his way. "Your turn. Show and tell. Please and thank you."

  The Void Prince nodded, then disappeared before reappearing where Ana once was.

  He showed a peace sign and started his show and tell. "Just like you, my powerset can be divided into two: Void magic and duplication magic. Both are large umbrellas, allowing for various applications. I'll start with Void magic. It's easier to explain."

  Xyn proceeded to explain Void Sense.

  "Lack of colour and roaming sight, but it has my perception beat at discretion. I can't sense it at all. Impressive."

  The Void Prince received the compliment with a subtle smile. He was just getting started, after all. While only the prince of the Void, he was the king of versatility.

  Vanta and Endera were delved into next, as well as their various applications. Xyn's explanations were straightforward, but his demonstrations were anything but. He went the extra mile, adding a sense of showmanship worthy of a magician.

  The Accel Bullet demonstration was a light show that saw trees explode into splinters, many of which ended up being set alight by the projectile's fiery tail.

  Xyn used the opposite approach when showcasing Void Cut: Crescent Wave, emphasising his precision and artistry. The barks of trees were his canvas. He carved out various artworks. A sword, a flower, a flame and a cupcake. They were simple but beautiful, and also costly. He viewed it as worthwhile, taking in Ana's reaction.

  Needless to say, his fellow transmigrator was impressed. By the artworks and everything shown so far. She had high expectations of Xyn, yet even those were easily surpassed. Her blue oceans were amidst an unending sparkle.

  Void Cut: Blade Storm was the last demonstration. Unlike the other Void techniques, this one required Black and White.

  "What happens when Void Cuts collide?" Xyn asked, playing up his voice and doing exaggerated gestures to match. "The answer: Blade Storm."

  "Oh."

  Feeding off Ana's cheer, Xyn performed the unison strike. Two silver crescents rushed toward each other at an angle. Colliding, the space-rending energy became string-like and wrapped around each to form a ball.

  The happening was lightning-quick. As was the explosion that followed afterwards. Dozens of silver crescents shot out in every direction, travelling five metres before being ironed out by reality.

  "Whoa~"

  "Deadly, random and has a short range. It's like a grenade."

  "That's really cool."

  "Yeah, it is. It's a pain to use in the heat of battle. Getting the timing right is a hassle."

  "Show it to me again."

  Xyn obliged, and the environment suffered for it. Several times over. Following a few more requests, Ana asked about the specifics of his abilities and techniques.

  The dimensions of his Soul Shroud, how much Vanta and Endera he could summon at once, and his mana reserves and regeneration, Xyn answered each question without reservation while letting the Truth Stone roll around his palms and knuckles.

  "That was Void magic. Now, for my duplication magic."