The Lightning Mage

57 | The Proposal, Part I

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As she walked towards her apartment, Lyn could already hear excited footsteps approaching from the other end of the door. And so, she was not surprised to enter the apartment with Cydney pouncing on her.

"You're back!" squealed the petite woman, who had somehow managed to wrap her arms and legs around Lyn.

Lyn staggered from the sudden increase in weight. She would have hugged Cydney back if not for the bag she was holding. "Careful, Cinna, or you'll ruin the cake."

"Cake? What cake?" Cydney hopped off Lyn's body as fast as she had hopped on. Her eyes glinted with joy when she spotted the signature logo on the bag. "You bought Lady C!"

"I sure did." Lyn winked as she closed the door and made her way towards the kitchen. "Millie has some family events for the next few days, and so we ended the team meeting early today. And I thought that I could drop by Lady C on my way home."

The moment Lyn took out the crepe cake slices onto a plate, Cydney devoured half a slice within seconds. Her face lit up as she gushed, "This is so good! Did you wait very long in line?"

"It was alright," Lyn said, a stupidly wide smile plastered on her face. She was definitely going to buy way more desserts from now on; anything for Cydney's precious reactions.

"You're the best." Cydney gave her a quick peck on the cheeks before skipping towards the couch.

Lyn's heart soared to the sky as she floated behind Cydney. Soon, they settled on the seat together, with Cydney leaning against Lyn's arms as she continued to gobble up the cake.

"How's your day at work, Lemon?"

Lyn laughed. "Are you really using this nickname?"

"Of course," Cydney replied with a chuckle. "So how's work?"

"It's alright, I guess." Lyn leaned back on the couch and stretched her body. "Millie is not here, so we're just prepping for commissions now until she's back. We're booked for back-to-back commissions next week and there's quite a lot of prep work to be done, but other than that, nothing too exciting." She raised her eyebrows and looked around the room dramatically. "What about you? I see you made a mess again."

Indeed, Cydney had created a windstorm around the apartment; dozens of books were opened and sprawled on the floor, connected by pieces of scribbled papers and torn notes. This was now a regular occurrence every time Lyn left for work.

An embarrassed flush painted Cydney's face. Putting the now-empty plate down on the coffee table, she snuggled towards Lyn and laid her head on her arm. "Sorry Lyn, I promise I will clean it up before dinner. I was just... reading up on a bunch of books on magic theory."

Lyn frowned. "Magic? Cinna..."

"I know, I know, I'm not doing magic, Lyn, just reading up on it," Cydney assured her as she tugged on Lyn's shirt and pulled her body closer. "I wanted to see if there's a way I can make myself be able to use magic. I don't mean the kind I was using, but the kind you use, or everyone uses. I..."

She gulped and continued, "I sort of remember how it felt like when I opened the portal, and I have a theory. I think that, in order to work the portals, the person being transported needs to have an affinity for both worlds. But any one of us only has an affinity to one of the worlds, and so that's why it's been so difficult to cross the portals. To travel across the worlds freely, I think, maybe, both worlds need to accept me, or else a huge sacrifice is needed. Does that make sense?"

"Hmm." Lyn tilted her head. "I think so?"

"I don't know. It's just a theory, it's silly."

"No, it's not silly at all. It's a possible theory, and you should explore it." Lyn sat up, holding Cydney's hands and staring into her eyes earnestly. "I know you said you wanted to stay in this world, but I also know you don't mean it. If you want to learn more about ways to get back home, I support you. I support you in anything you do."