Robin meditated inside their humble house’s garden and practiced her sensory breathing techniques. Her mana diffused into the space around her, thinly spreading across every surface and reaching in all directions. The further the mana stretched, the weaker her connection became. Robin focused, straining her mind to hold onto every tendril, fighting to process as much information as possible.

Just outside of their front door, she felt her mana conform, bend, shudder, and shift. Only one being had ever made her mana react in such a way. She focused on the door, feeling the vibrations in the earth and the waves in the air that fluttered as the person turned the key and pressed into their house. An outline formed in her mind as her mana poked and prodded, silently gathering information.

“See anything you like?” Jack chuckled, pressing through the house and out the back sliding door into the garden where Robin sat beside the gurgling pool-waterfall that Jack had constructed.

Robin focused her energy to swirl and gather around Jack’s groin and ass with the cheekiest of grins. “A few things,” she jeered, standing from her meditation, and flinging herself into Jack’s arms. She hugged and inhaled his scent and then reached her arms down, squeezing each of his cheeks as hard as she could muster. “I missed you today.” Robin admitted. “I don’t like when I don’t see you all day. It’s too long.”

Jack hugged back and lifted Robin from the ground, teasing her legs to wrap around his waist while he moved one hand to cup around her slightly grass-covered butt, while the other reached up to brush back the hair from her face. He gazed into her eyes for a few long moments before turning his lips to a smile and kissing her gently at first and then with the passion of a raging fire. He had also missed her. They rarely spent time apart. Somehow, ten hours felt much longer than it was. Time was funny that way.

Robin reached around and tore Jack’s shirt from his body ripping it without care and then dug her nails into his flesh as she seductively bit into his neck. She traced her fingers through the trickles of blood that dripped down Jack’s back and then raised her red fingers to her mouth where she feasted on the delicacy. “I missed your taste,” she said without the slightest hint of innocence, eyes glancing down past his abdomen.

“You better watch out,” Jack chuckled, “or you might evolve into a vampire next.”

Robin grunted, biting again into Jack’s shoulder, teasing his skin with her teeth. She knew that she couldn’t harm him. Jack had to lower his defenses for his skin to break so easily and his blood to flow. She felt a warmth inside her. Not a lustful warmth, but the eternal flame of unbridled love. He was defenseless with her. He shared everything with her. He trusted her more than he trusted himself. And she loved knowing that. She loved the power she had over him just as much as she loved the power he had over her. And then, she reached her hand down, guiding it between where their bodies touched, groaning.

She especially loved what Jack did next.

“I needed that,” Robin panted. Her hair was a mess. Sweat soaked her body. She ached. She felt weak. So weak that she could barely lift an arm. Her legs trembled. Her body melted into the ground in pure unbridled ecstasy.

“Things are going to be busy for a while,” Jack said sometime later.

“I know,” Robin agreed, tracing her finger along Jack’s chest.

“I don’t want you to feel like, like we’ve forgotten your evolution. This is just something I have to do. Something that needs to be done. Before,” Jack paused to breathe, “before we can leave.”

Robin hushed him, feeling his fears rise at the thought of leaving his family and his world behind. “We’re family. Your siblings said so. Your parents said so. They are my family now too. Neither of us feel great about leaving. So, we’re going to do all we can. You don’t have to convince me. I’m here. I’m with you. I’ll always be with you.”

Jack wrapped his arm around Robin and pulled her onto him, kissing her again gently as her hair fell all over his face.

Robin lifted her head, pecking Jack’s chin, his cheek, his nose, his forehead, his ears, and then she pressed herself onto her knees, straddling his prone body. She looked at his face, his chest, his arms, and then back to his face. “I have a request,” Robin said boldly.

“Ask away,” Jack added, lifting his hand to her waistline.

“I want to see the old you. You are so young right now. I want to,” Robin rocked her hips, “I want to have you all the ways I remember.”

“How old?” Jack had no reason not to oblige.

“I want to feel your white beard. I want to play with your silver locks. I want to see the wrinkles in your eyes when you smile and when you finish. The slightly crazy you. Like when you were still chopping the forest.”

“You were still a green little thing then.”

Robin blushed.

“But look at you now,” Jack grinned, pinching Robin’s side.

“I’ve blossomed,” she smirked.

“That you have.”

“So?” Robin pushed a hand into Jack’s stomach, prodding him to action.

Jack obliged. Hairs sprouted from his chin and stretched from his scalp until his beard was long and thick and his locks were voluptuous and free. The hairs faded from black to red to white and silver as Robin stroked her hand through the familiar locks. Jack’s skin darkened, freckled, and hardened like leather beneath the sun. Cracks appeared on his face, wrinkles that shifted as he emoted.

“Yes,” Robin said, “that’s exactly what I wanted.”

That night, Robin slept like the most pleased logs, gently floating down a river, while basking in the warmth of the sun with the angelic tweets of birds signing the most magical of lullabies. And, she dreamt the most wonderful of dreams. She danced around a field of green with her hands holding her outstretched belly, feeling the life that grew within her. Jack watched as she twirled. Every so often, their eyes would meet and Robin felt complete and utter fulfillment. She needed nothing more. She wanted nothing more. And, when she woke, she was not sad at the loss of the dream. No, instead, she was filled with joy. One day, she knew that that dream would be a reality. One day she would feel such joy. One day, she would carry Jack’s child.

“Morning,” Jack greeted Robin with the scent of sizzling bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, eggs, and a blender filled with a mixed-fruit smoothie.

“Good morning,” Robin buzzed, kissing Jack’s cheek before taking a seat at the breakfast feast.

Jack poured the smoothie into two glasses and finished serving the food while Robin grabbed two plates, silverware, and a handful of napkins, setting the table just as she’d learned on the internet.

“Nervous for today?” Jack asked.

“Not a bit,” Robin smiled. “Are you?”

“Not anymore,” Jack said, smiling.

“You succeeded?!” Robin exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“You didn’t give me the chance!” Jack defended himself. “If I recall, once I got home, there wasn’t much time for talking.”

“But, still! That’s amazing. I knew you’d be able to do it. Tell me. Tell me all about it.”

“I have to say, I think Nicholas was the perfect volunteer. We tried dozens of mana-meditation techniques. He stuck with each of them, practicing every day and night as I’d instructed. I tried to carve mana through his body, to create his mana-reserve.” Jack chuckled, thinking of Nicholas’ scrunched face trying to hold back his howls of agony. “He was a trooper, that’s for sure. Never complained. Always asked to keep going. I think he wanted this more than we did. And then, I felt something. I still don’t know exactly how to describe it. I don’t even know if it was my doing or if I was just an observer.”

Robin listened with intense excitement.

Jack shoveled a few forkfuls of food into his mouth, chewing and savoring the explosion of flavor.

“So?!” Robin pressed, impatiently.

“There was a surge of energy which came from nowhere at all. Nicholas shouted. Hell, even I shouted. He became a player. And not only that, but his mana was well above that of the average players on Earth. On top of all that, he started with four skills. Two of the meditation techniques I’d taught him, and two skills, Structural Engineering, and Architecture. I don’t even have them! Not sure how,” Jack lingered on the thought. He’d built countless structures and designed infinite buildings. Somehow, neither of those skills had ever been generated. “And then, with a little guidance, I managed to teach him basic ground manipulation. He’ll be digging and filling holes in no time.”

“That’s amazing!” Robin said. “Did you get any new skills? Anything related to teaching or player creation or mana manipulation or—”

Jack shook his head. “Nothing for me.” There was a twinkle in his eye as he said it. He could feel that a new skill had started to form.