Chapter 566
When Ben came down from his gods realm, he did it earlier than usual thanks to Myriad informing him that Thera had woken up, with her sleep being a little more restless than hed hoped.
Hey, youre up early.
Mmh, I could say the same about you, She muttered against his chest. Couldnt sleep either?
I got a heads up that you woke up. Feeling okay?
Ugh, no. I think it might take a day or two.
Well then, weve just gotta distract you. What do you want to get up to today? The worlds our oyster.
...You know one thing we never do that I wouldnt mind trying?
What?
Nothing. We never just take a day to lounge in bed and do nothing. I want to relax and not move until tomorrow comes.
Ha, well I might have to step out to get us something to eat at some point then.
Okay, well leave for meals but other than that I just want to lounge and relax.
Alright, if thats what you have your heart set on then thats what well do.
With a plan for a lazy day firmly in place, Ben was content to lay back and close his eyes, relaxing in a way it felt like he hadnt managed to in years.
It was a bit dull and boring, but it was also something he hadnt allowed himself to indulge in for such a long time that he was fine with being bored for the day as it gave both his mind and body a long-needed break.
While he was managing to be content with it though, the one whod suggested they do as much was fidgeting and shuffling, leaving him to crack both an eye and a smile.
You sure you wouldnt feel better doing something, Thera?
I dont know, She groaned. I dont want to go out. I want to stay here and relax, but I also need something to distract me. Im sorry Im being a pain.
You arent being a pain Thera, I get it. You need a distraction but dont want to go to do anything? Leave it to me, I can think of something.
And that something requires a small favour. Hey Myriad, you around?
Can you do me a favour and go hang out in Nare or Heloris realm for a bit? I want to borrow yours.
The god asked in surprise. The idea that a mortal would want to borrow a gods realm felt inherently ridiculous, but then, there werent many whod even be able to do anything with it if they could. Given all Ben was capable of though, the request felt less surprising after giving it a little thought.
Youre the best buddy, Ill make you something tasty tonight when I come up.
His god left with that, creating space for Ben to do something without breaking any pesky rules as he quickly merged his mind into his girlfriends and through that connection brought her up with him to the now-empty realm, getting to enjoy her surprise as a result.
What just happened? She asked, seeing they were suddenly somewhere else but not immediately putting together where.
Myriads realm, minus the god himself so nobody gets grumpy up here.
The answer seemed to shock her for a second before she seemed to snap out of it and muttered to herself.
I guess thats one way to distract me.
Ha, were just getting started. Being up here offers me some potential that I dont have down below, He told her as he focused on her eyes. Thera, I love you and I want you to know and understand a bit more about me too, but thats got a few minor difficulties to it.
I think I understand you pretty well by this point, Ben.
Well, yeah, but theres some things that you kind of just need to experience and thats not really possible when the first part of my life ended up left behind in a different universe. I dont have the mana or the magics to replicate everything the way Id want to back on the world, but now that I have a new handy skill
He trailed off as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders before holding out the other, and with a bit of strain on his mind, used his actualization to bring forth the biggest thing hed yet created. An entire, fully furnished house.
Not just any house though, but his house. The one hed lived in and grew up in back on Earth, recreated in perfect detail thanks to both his memories and his power.
He knew hed feel a bit of an emotional response to doing it, but he hadnt been prepared for how strong it had ended up being. Having it there in front of him like that forced a lot of memories to the front of his thoughts. Still, he did his best to keep it from touching his face as he led her forward.
So Thera, this was my home.
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He could see her shock from the corner of his eye as he led her inside, opening the door to what was by and large a fairly normal house, at least from his perspective, one that spoke of a pretty regular middle-class existence.
With two floors to explore, Ben was ready to let Thera go wild with her exploring and would have been happy to follow along and either explain or show off anything that didnt exist on their current world, but she took it slow, staring at family photos that lined the halls.
These must have been expensive to have made, She absentmindedly commented, not knowing what else to say about scenes of the family Ben would never see again, only to get a small chuckle in return.
Getting photos printed was actually shockingly cheap, anyone could do it without a second thought if they wanted to, He explained as she was focused on one in particular. What do you think? Wasnt I a little sweetheart?
This is you? She couldnt help but ask. Shed never seen Ben when he was young before and assumed the boy she'd been looking at had to have been his brother. Knowing the truth only made her look closer. You were such a cute kid.
And now Im such a cute adult, He said with a smile. But come on, theres plenty more to see about my good old-fashioned human lifestyle.
He gently took her hand and led her around, letting her linger when she wanted to if something caught her eye, with it being less directed at the tech like hed expected, instead going towards the bits that related to his family. Shed known theyd always be important to Ben but even if hed gotten better at handling the loss in his years since coming to the world, she still held back on asking too much.
That didnt mean she didnt want to know though, and with the opportunity before her, she was happy to take advantage.
From pictures of his younger brother Mark at various sporting events leading to Ben talking about the more physical activities of the world to old photos of his parents wedding getting him to tell her a bit about human marriage customs before moving on to different holidays, with her obvious interest in it all leading him to pull out a photo album, letting her see even more snippets of a human life before they ended up in his old living room, sitting on the couch in front of the television.
With an effort of will, he made the TV turn on to show off some of the cartoons from his childhood, subtitling them with worldspeak for Theras convenience while he ignored the growing strain that doing all of that was placing on his mind.
So this is where you got the idea for the projector you made?
Kind of. You could call the projector one of the steps in my planets history leading up to a TV so I had just used what Id already known about them back when I first made it. I should actually revisit that project sometime now that I think about it. Since Id be able to just materialize a roll of film in one go, theres actually a lot Id be able to create pretty easily.
Ha, youre insane.
Nope, Im powerful, big difference, He told her with a grin before actualizing something new again that he hadnt yet been able to recreate down on the world. A bowl of ice cream.
He watched as Thera took a cautious bite before her eyes lit up and enjoyed what he saw as she started eating more.
And you can even make food up here? Your new skill is a little too handy.
Handy, but not all-powerful. You get the taste and sensation of eating as long as I properly construct the properties of what I want to make, but it wont actually sate you like real food. Try to live off anything I make up here and youll starve, but it does let me share a few of the tastes I cant replicate down below and its easy to eat as much as you want without getting full or sick.
He made more with those words, things he hadnt been able to recreate for one reason or another, from sodas to fruits of all sorts to meals hed simply never managed to replicate the flavours of with the ingredients he had around, letting the two snack and enjoy, even if he could tell through it all that there was something on Theras thoughts from the way she kept sneak glances at him and the subtle changes in her expression.
Thera, if you want to tell me something you can, He said with a laugh before rubbing her head. Im even more shockingly powerful up here than normal.
Minus the growing headache Im not going to mention.
Mmh, well, theres something I want to see, but I know its going to make you uncomfortable, She admitted, knowing that hed keep pushing since shed done too poor of a job hiding her thoughts.
Just tell me, its fine.
...I want to see what your family was like.
It felt like such a horrible thing to ask of him, but she was curious. She loved Ben and she knew how important they were to him, but till that point, shed only seen the drawings hed made of them and the pictures theyd looked at earlier. She wanted more though, she wanted a real sense for those people shed never be able to meet, even if she felt bad the moment she asked it.
Okay, sure.
For his part, Ben didnt mind and took her hand, letting the TV turn off to ease some of the burden on his mind before he led her to the kitchen to see a scene hed gotten to witness a million times before.
Like any weekend, his father was in the kitchen cooking breakfast, wearing the same kiss the cook apron Ben had recreated on the world for himself as his mother moved beside him to make tea, giving his dad a peck on the cheek before moving to the table to talk to his brother, with Mark eating while he went on about school and sports and friends.
It was a simple, domestic scene that hed gotten to live through a thousand times before from a world where he didnt have any major concerns. A world that he didnt need to worry about being invaded, nor one where he felt constantly in danger.
It was a scene that felt most representative of his existence before ending up on that new planet, but as when hed recreated his home before his eyes, he hadnt been prepared enough for it to hurt.
Stop, Thera told him. Im sorry, I shouldnt have asked for this.
It was exactly what shed wanted to see and had given her a sense of what Bens family was like. They seemed just as warm and loving as he was, but a quick glance his way had made it clear that it was hurting him to see, with the scene lingering only a moment longer before the three faded away, leaving the kitchen empty again.
Putting him through that only left her feeling worse, but he wrapped her in his arms to try to reassure her.
Dont worry, this is fine and Im fine. Heck, this is basically the sort of thing I wanted you to see when I thought of this. My family matters to me, but I want you to know more about them because you matter to me too.
Ben, you obviously werent fine.
I was just a little less prepared than I thought Id be, He told her, waving off her concern. Seeing his family like that had hurt, knowing none of it was real and having memories of what was lost dragged to the surface, but by that point, it had been years since hed died. Even if he hurt a bit, it wasnt that hard to deal with.
Thera seemed less than reassured though, so with an effort of will he changed the area one last time, getting rid of the house and creating a stage for them to stand on as he held out his hand.
You know, there really isnt too much space in our hotel, is there? I should get us a bigger one next time, but for now, while were up here we have more than enough space to dance for a bit, dont you think?
That managed to win him a smile.
Alright, She told him, trying to be more positive since it was clear he was doing the same. You do need every bit of practice you can get after all.
Hey, Ive been improving. Kind of sort of.
She laughed as she took his hand and from there to two enjoyed a day of dancing for that small part of their vacation.
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