There was a small problem that Clive had.
Clive was an artificial. Many of the townsfolk had been mystical creatures such as fae folk, nymphs, vampires, werewolves, and anything else, but he had been constructed by his father, Klein, out of multiple experiments and tests, his body was infused with whatever magic he had tossed into him, making him a living and breathing human.
From when he was a little child, he immersed himself into the diversity and the richness of their culture, the birthing ceremonies and the initiation ceremonies intriguing him immensely. However, there was one ceremony in particular that he held a unrivaled curiosity about.
The Matching ceremony, created to promote love and harmony between all species, encouraging connection of its peoples in a social, but also emotional aspect. At the age of 18, the young adult would be immediately be matched to their other half, their Soulmate, as some humans liked to call it. Unfortunately, with all the romance, connecting with your other half was more than a fairy tale.
The choice of the pair was absolute. No amount of protesting would get you anywhere. Which meant, if you were stuck with someone, you were stuck for good. The Matching was known for its excellent matching and high compatibility rates, however, a darker indication was used to determine a mate.
The feelings of lust, a deep craving, a need would consume the mind of both until they met. Binding the souls together in a fulfilling ceremony would in the end, complete the ritual. The never-ending need to be with said mate was there for those who resisted the pull. Even the strongest of people would eventually succumb.
But for the years he had been alive, Clive had experienced no such emotion. Granted, it would occur when he reached the age of Matching, however he felt no desires before that. He had no pounding in his heart, no happiness to light up his soul. And that all came down to the problem he would be forever stuck with.
He was an artificial. Born to breathe and live and speak, but not yet old enough to fully develop tangible emotions. And he craved that. Needed it.
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Artificial Love (mxm)
Romance(mxm warning. May contain mature subject matters) Clive, a 17 year old teenager, is 2 weeks away from his 18th birthday. He lives in Stanton, a small town with townsfolk that are decidedly not human. From when he was young, special traditions and ce...
