The sight was familiar but it was an old one that she had not seen for some time. Sitting up, the jungle around her was alive with magic and creatures. Dyani stood up and brushed off the dirt that had gathered on her skin and clothes. It was her uniform, which was odd. Normally she appeared with what the Goddess had given her. Shrugging off the thought, the woman turned in circles to gain a better sense of surroundings. For the first time, she had no obvious direction to move in. The jungle was thicker in this space and the tower was unseen.

  Twigs snapped under foot and tugged at her clothes as she passed. It had been hours and the scenery had not changed in the slightest. Sweat was thick on her brow and her clothes damp. This was not exactly how she would have wanted to spend a vacation, even if whatever happened to her was not one. After wandering for hours in this place and nothing had changed, Dyani was getting fed up. Stopping for a moment, she closed her eyes and allowed her senses to spread out. It was a newer technique that the Earth Magic professor had been working with her on. Instead of connecting with the ley lines learning to connect with the Earth. It was a long time before she felt another sense of magic besides the nature around her as well as her own. Dyani sunk to her knees, gasping for breath as the energy and magic seeped away from her. She had stretched out her magic a lot further than she had practiced before.

  There was a bundle of magic gathering nearby and Dyani turned to see the surprised face of the Goddess.

  "Dyani? How did you end up so far away?"

  Dyani huffed in frustration as she ruffled her hair. Tension bled out of her body as the Goddess checked her over.

  "I do not know but I've been wandering around for a long time."

  "I would say so. You're filthy."

  Dyani glared, "You don't say?"

  The Goddess flapped her hand, "Don't get snippy, dear. I didn't mean harm in that statement. Let's get you back to the tower and into a bath."

  A strong grip of magic flexed around her and Dyani gasped as they were transported into a familiar room. The smell of the place was enough to soothe her frazzled nerves and she ignored the Goddess in favor of running to the bathing room. Shaking her head, the Goddess left the girl to her own devices.

  It was some time later when a freshly bathed Dyani joined her in the study. There was a sigh of relief as her sore body sunk down into the plush chair with a hot cup of cider in her hands. The silence was deafening but the older immortal would give her emissary a moment to gather her wits. It was the least that she could do when the impending conversation would be a rough one on the girl.

  "Would you be able to fill me in on what is happening?"

  The Goddess sighed, despite knowing that this question was coming. "There are many aspects to our world that you are not familiar with yet. It is not your fault that you are unaware, it is just that there has not been a lot of time to teach you the nuances. That being said, there is something that we need to speak about."

  Dyani sat the cup down to give her full attention to the Goddess.

  "When you came into this world, you came in as an adult. Therefore, things that teenagers and those in puberty go through were forgotten. It was a simple oversight but it is one that I plan to take full advantage of to help you in the future."

  There was a time where they didn't talk, leaving thoughts to simmer and debate on how to continue forward. Dyani brushed her fingers through her hair and took the time to braid the semi-damp strands. There was a sigh and the Goddess stood up.

  "I think I should start at the beginning." She paused to glance at Dyani before pacing back and forth. "When a magical child is growing, they go through small magical growths as well. When they reach a certain age where their puberty begins to show more prominent growth, there is a special event that occurs that signals the start of the growth of the magical and physical body into adult. We have called it the First."

  Dyani raised an eyebrow at the simple name but kept quiet. The Goddess gained a light blush before smiling to herself in amusement.

  "The First is when a child reaches sexual maturity. In essence, it is the first orgasm."

  Dyani snorted, not expecting it to be that blunt or simple. The Goddess gave her a knowing smile.

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  "Usually this is done with the teenager on their own, although some families have long standing tradition of doing rituals. This would increase their potential for recessive abilities to manifest. I was quite impressed when they realized this and began developing traditions around that knowledge. Needless to say that it was learned that having another to aid in the First would lead to the pair having a bond as well as an extreme rapid core growth. There was a catch, the two that did so would have to be compatible for it to work. The closer their magics are able to resonate with one another, the stronger the bond and the deeper the magic. Finding that compatibility that early on is difficult and uncommon."

  "Compatible magic. That is what Britt and I share to a degree."

  "That is correct and also where this conversation is leading. What do you remember?"

  Dyani flushed a bright red and coughed lightly. The Goddess nodded, "Ah, you do remember that at least."

  "What does this have to do with the First? I am an adult. I've had my fill of sexual experiences since I was a teenager."

  The Goddess smirked and held up a finger, "Ah, but you were not magical then. You are now. Tell me, Dyani. Have you done anything resulting in an orgasm since you stepped into our world?"

  Dyani choked on her drink and her cheeks gained a dark red tint.

  "I will take that as a no, then. Since you were not sexually active during the time in which you gained magic, you therefore were considered - for all intents and purposes - pre-pubescent. You were not sexually active and then you engaged in a sexual act to which awakened your magic. This is the First, despite being an adult already."

  "So Britt and I," Dyani trailed off with her hair covering her face in embarrassment.

  "You two have been connected through your already growing bond and compatibility. In order to give you the magical growth that comes with the First, I needed to forge a deeper bond between you both. Think of it as a soul mate but not one that you must be with. Just that you will be connected with one another on a level that is deeper than a regular marriage bond would have."

  "We're married!?" Dyani yelped in shock.

  The Goddess sighed, "No. You are not married, you have a bond that is like soul mates without the toxic dependency. Both of you share a connection that ensures that you remain balanced with your magic. You have much ahead of you, Dyani. I have many plans for you and that requires you to have more magic than most should. It comes with a price. All magic comes with a price."

  "So you made me pay this price in order to make me stronger?"

  The Goddess sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose at Dyani's sharp tone. "Yes and no. I gave you a gift as a price. You will go through many core expansions and growths. In doing so, you paid the price of requiring grounders for your magic. You will always have Britt to help you with your magic and your life if you choose. It's a good thing and you both were on your way to having that sort of bond with another. I just sped it up."

  Dyani huffed and set her cup down with a sharp slam. It rattled dangerously before sitting calmly. It was far from what Dyani was feeling but staring at the calm liquid helped soothed her own emotions.

  "I understand why you did it but I wish you would have given me the choice. It is one thing to be intimate with someone through choice but it is another to be attached to them for the rest of your life."

  Dyani strode from the room, ignoring the Goddess' call. Her skirt nipped at her ankles as she walked and Dyani let them take her to where ever they automatically guided her. It was a while of wandering before Dyani found herself within the Garden. No surprise to her that she naturally would seek refuge in this beautiful place. It calmed her soul in a way that no other place did. With the creatures and the plants around, it was hard to not feel comfort. The stone was cold under her palms as she sat on a carved bench. There was a fountain nearby with strange creatures, though cute. Some were a fluffy variety that she wanted to cuddle while a couple made her eye them warily. Dyani made a mental note to look up more magical creatures when she had the chance.

  A shuffle of fabric next to her had Dyani stiffening.

  "I apologize if I have offended you or made you feel like I took advantage. I do try my best to see to your best interest."

  Dyani scoffed, "Sometimes the best interest can be harmful as well. The nonmagical humans have a saying that the road to hell is paved with best intentions."

  There was a long silence between them. The Goddess stood up after the sky around them shifted into darker colors for the evening. It had been hours since Dyani's comment and they both had much to think on. Just as the Goddess turned to leave the woman to her thoughts for the rest of the night, Dyani stopped her.

  "You mentioned grounders. I hadn't caught it at first because I was so shocked and furious about the situation with Britt. Now, I want to know what you meant with having grounders."

  The silver hair of the deity shifted as the woman looked over at Dyani. There was an upturn of her lips. Eyes sparkled with magic despite the dark that they were plunged into. Dyani shifted nervously at the look and braced herself.

  "There is so much that you must still learn, dear one. I want you to sit on that and think about what you've learned about my Blessed. Come to me in a few days when you do some research."

  The Goddess of Magic walked from the Gardens and disappeared into the large tower. Dyani groaned and stood up. They had been sitting there so long that she needed to attend to her comforts. First things first would be finding her chambers to relieve herself and change into more comfortable clothing. Then, she would hunt down something to eat. Only after those things were done would she nestle herself into research mode. With that plan in mind, Dyani returned to the tower with confidence to prove the Goddess that Dyani was not one to mess with when it came to learning. She would know exactly everything she could learn from the large, ancient repository on bonds and grounders. Nothing could hold her back now. At least, not until Dyani could understand why she was within the Goddess' realm in the first place while her body was left behind.