Guided by Fate (Fiz-Bun Fluff)

Chapter 19

"The world was formed long ago by unknown beings. After creating the world, they left for us small shards of their power. Through careful training, we were able to harness small fragments of of the power for incredible feats: Light with no fire, travel without motion, nearly anything we wanted.
"But these shards of power took their toll on their users. Before we understood, people were dying in hundreds every month. Until a solution was proposed: dilute the shards. Break them down into their basic forms and then, only then, would we be able to access them without the powerful recoil we had been being destroyed by.
However, we did not possess the skill or talent to dilute the magic.
"Not until Tayo arrived. Cloaked in light, she helped us dilute and separate the power into magic - an extension of one's natural power - and then incorporate it into our very essence. This way, when the shards inevitably were exhausted of their power, we would still have our natural magic, passed down through generations.
"Through our magic, we prospered. We could build in days what previously took us weeks or months. We could do labor meant for ten men. Our magic was more powerful than the shard's influence, and far safer. The only downsides were simple, harmless mutations, leading to greater diversity in our world."

Fiz smiled and nudged me playfully.

"It says that there's a large time gap between this image, and the fall of the Ancients," I noted.

"This was about the Ancients? I didn't realize they had multiple types of magic like we do," Fiz said. "But where's the rest of the story?"

"What do you mean?"

"What led to their fall?" She asked.

"Maybe it's downstairs," I said, gesturing to the spiral staircase. The opening had been roped off. Fiz looked around as she approached it, smiling playfully at me.

"Let's see~!" She smiled, slipping under the rope and scampering downstairs. I followed quietly. I caught up with her just in time to see her stumble slightly. She recovered and turned to me, smiling, just before I stumbled slightly too. We stepped off the staircase, looking around the darker room.

It It some time for my vision to adjust, but in the lower light, I could see that the room below was a mirror image - inverted, with the same pattern on the ceiling as was on the floor, only with one change - the staircase simply stopped at the roof. Maybe that threshold was where we stumbled

"There's more paintings," Fiz said, pointing at the murals on the walls. I walked up to them, but there were no labels or plaques.

"I can't make anything out..."

Fiz stepped closer, looking at the bizarre shapes and colors. It looked strange - people in odd outfits, their arms raised to a sun, painted black. There were tall, spindly people with too many limbs, strange head shapes and other twisted figures.

Fiz suddenly yelped and yanked me back. The position that I had been standing at was being circled by a pair of hands made from black... something. They grasped on nothing before fading, like a shadow in the light.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks Fiz. We need light, right?" I asked, drawing my sword. A purple light flared in the darkness and I pulled Fiz away as a dart whizzed past me, striking the stone wall.

"It's the same dart as before," I gasped. "Who are you!"

"You really have me the slip yesterday, my clever man~" A voice hummed in the darkness. "But you made it here anyway, so it doesn't matter~"

"You didn't answer our question! Who are you!" Fiz called out, grabbing her staff.

"I wasn't talking to you, Fizition. Why don't you just hush up?"

"How do you know my name?" She glared into the darkness.

"Why don't you be a good girl and obey?"

Another purple light flared, and Fiz dropped her staff.

"Fiz? Are you okay?"

"She's perfectly fine, handsome~"

"I am perfectly fine. Mistress says so," Fiz said sleepily, her eyes glazed over and shimmering with a purple film.

"Show yourself!"

"To you, my love? Gladly♡"

~~~~~
That's right! The antagonist is horny!

Yeah I doubt anyone is surprised. Really, evil love interest? Seemed obvious.