Chương 8: Episode Two Hundred and Fifty-Two: Domains

"Who even created this?" The question slipped out before I could stop it, and I really hoped Betty hadn't.

"Those…" The Cat cut his own sentence off, but mentally I finished it without any doubt. The Fates. I let out a sigh. They had something to do with this, which meant it worked on Fate magic. I had Fate magic, which was something, I hoped. Though, with how much magic and energy it had taken just to figure out what even might be important, this could be a slow process.

"Betty, can you show up where we need to if I get some of these?" I finally asked, after trying to match one of the items to an address. Warmth pulsed under my hand, but it didn't feel as solid as some of her confirmations used to.

"We'll test it out." I patted the wooden counter, before I turned to look at the Cat. He still leaned over the tablet as I tried to get it to make sense. If we used the items listed, we could refresh some of the empty spaces. Though, actually getting an idea of how much was missing would be a good start as well. I needed to check out the storage room, but not right this moment. I didn't think I could take another reminder of how far we had to go.

The Cat shook his head at the tablet, and tried to swipe it with a paw.

"Is this why you didn't use it much?" I asked, watching him trying to use it.

"It was frustrating." He nodded, then looked up at me.

"Still is." The truth in that statement hung in the air. Without the book, though, we didn't have many options.

"We'll figure it out, but you said something about learning about domains…?" I let the sentence trail off, since I didn't know what to ask. The Cat's tail trailed across the counter, and he stepped away from the tablet. He then glanced at Indigo, then back at me. Indigo glared at him out of the corner of her eye. Finally, he huffed when no one said anything.

"Indigo, I need to speak with Sable without you here. This is something that isn't for the dragons." She froze as he spoke her name, but then she slowly nodded.

"Lady Twilight said sometimes dragon magic is only for dragons… and Sable. This is like that, but for Fey Lords."

"Yes," he said, almost sounding relieved.

"Each of us have our private magic." She pointed at the screen.

"Can I stay here?" I opened my mouth, then closed it and nodded.

"Yeah, we can head up to the living room."

"That would be appropriate, given what we need to discuss," said the Cat. He jumped off the counter and padded to the stairs.

"Have fun studying," I said, as I followed. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. She chirped twice.

"You too!" By the time I entered the living room, the Cat had claimed a spot on the couch. This room wasn't as large as it had been, but the changes were good. Instead of the massive dining room table, the windows sat closer to the couches. The ceiling remained the same starry clouds, floating between the beams.

"Lady Twilight once told you this room felt like your magic, not like the normal shop," he said carefully.

"She wasn't exactly correct. This was the confirmation, in a way, of a solid connection between you and Betty."

"Connection?" I asked, thinking of the sensation within my chest. Yet, that wasn't all that came to mind. The red espresso machine that had morphed into a knight to defeat the cold book popped up, too.

"You are bonded, much like a domain is bonded to its Lord, but unlike with our kind, you and the shop aren't one twinned being." The Cat glanced up at the clouds.

"You are your domain? Meaning you are the Towering Forest, as much as anything else?" I asked, thinking of the shield that decorated his workshop, and the massive tree that had almost crushed the tiny sapling.

"I exist beyond the Towering Forest, or I could not stand here," The Cat responded, but then nodded once to himself and his fur shimmered. Nothing else happened.

"Was something supposed to happen?" I asked.

"Do you still see my cat form?" he suddenly asked.

"Yes?" I said, confused. He closed his eyes before reaching out with a paw. He touched my hand, and everything shifted. Part of me sat on the couch, but another part of me heard conversations from others. Leaves crunched, and a breeze ruffled my branches. Someone giggled in a clearing. Light footsteps touched my edges, as multiple lives approached hesitantly from the portal. My children were home. The connection suddenly cut off, and I sat on the couch in the living room.

"Holy smokes…" There wasn't anything else I could say. The Cat stared at me before he turned to look out the window. The scene outside had shifted at some point. Instead of a winter scene with a forest of evergreens, leafy trees with bright sunlight took over, almost touching the glass.

"You were, you are, everywhere at once," I finally said.

"Yes. While I have several forms, my domain, my land, is me. It is my soul." The leaves outside the window shifted in a breeze.

"Even now, I can feel those who walk my lands, and the connections to each of my children."

"Betty isn't my soul," I whispered.

"No, she isn't." He faced me, whiskers twitching.

"But she is domain-like, and you are her heart, her Lady." I swallowed hard.

"You feel those who rest on the floors, you can communicate with them, and you want nothing but the best for the shop." His tail swept across the couch.

"All of that is like a Lord with a domain. Plus, the shop can use your magic to sustain itself."

"That's one of the first things we need to solve," I said, rubbing the center of my chest.

"How can I feed Betty on a regular basis?"

"Magical items, connections to magical worlds, and crossing tasks off the list were what worked for me." His head lowered.

"My connection to my domain had been limited, and those bonds were a part of it as well."

"The first three, we can do," I said, patting the back of the couch.

"Betty can use my magic if needed, but it will make it harder to figure out how to accomplish tasks that need to be done."

"That's why I'm here, to teach you how to restrict the magic that Betty can take," said the Cat.

"You need to be the one in control."

"Betty needs to eat," I argued.

"I need to make sure that Betty is taken care of. Look at how much she does for me. How can I not feed her?"

"Right now, Betty's energy levels are low, from the binding process. That's why the connection between the two of you is so strained. There is an imbalance, but lowering your magic to the shop's levels is dangerous for you. Not to mention, the shop has a larger capacity for magic than you do. Much larger."

"It doesn't need to be equal, just comparable," I said. The Cat glared at me for interrupting, but I needed this to be a conversation, not a lecture.

"Betty, can you show me a representation of your energy levels?" The Cat blinked at me as a gem formed next to my leg on the couch. I picked it up carefully, then started to laugh.