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We hauled what we had into an empty compartment on the backseat of the truck. I thought maybe that was it with the chores, and was midway into clambering onto my seat, only to then see Dad heading away in the complete opposite direction.

I knew that direction. It was also a rare direction to take at that. Now farmers buying from farmers ain\'t exactly anything new, but Dad was usually the independent type, small-time, sure, but independent. He doesn\'t ask for help, unless he first exhausted all other options.

So when I saw him marching forward towards the large ranch on the hill, naturally, I couldn\'t help but wonder as to why he would be.

"What did we lose? I asked, quickly catching up to him with a few large paces. 

"Harvest was bad while you were gone, I had to sell some horses," He said, plain and simple. "I am going to get them back now."

"Sold to him?" I said, nudging my head at the large estate right next to the large ranch. "I thought you didn\'t like him that much."

"But he likes our horses. He wanted to use them. He promised he\'ll hold onto them as long as he can once I have enough to get them back." 

I let out a sigh. "And he also thinks you like his tea."

"He does. I think he also brews them himself now ."

"Oh boy…"

"This might take a while," He gave me a glance, if I squint hard enough, it kinda looked like a supportive one. "You can wait a while."

And so I did. Lounging about the vast open space of the ranch, while Dad played nice with the owner, probably talking his ear off about the history of some new fancy paintings he\'s recently imported over from France or something.

But once I got there, I was at a total loss. After what I\'ve heard, the things he said… I wasn\'t sure what was the right way to even process any of that. 

Half of me wanted nothing more but to be shut in a room and contemplate it for hours on end, the rest of me didn\'t dare touch those dangerous thoughts even with gloves and a hazmat suit. 

In any case, this wasn\'t the proper place to mull it over, what with the moos and neighs, and oinks of barnyard animals constantly in the air. 

So, I didn\'t think. I found a nice tree next to the cattle, waved at the cows frolicking nearby, and settled myself nicely down, phone in hand, and took to the internet for a desperate escapade from the dark recesses from within. 

Sadly, the reception this far out of modern civilization left much to be desired. Choppy, blurry pixels made up most of my display, but I didn\'t mind it. I could still see her face as clear as day.

Not even the shittiest quality feed possible could do a dent in detracting from her beauty. Those yellow-white pixels, I can easily fill in the gap with my mind, see her long blond hair crisp and sharp, the dimples in her smile, the lively glow in her hazel eyes.

Amanda had been live for almost an hour now. Almost twenty-thousand in the audience just to listen to her talk. The entire stream just consisted of her swiveling in her chair, arms wrapped around her knees in a large black baggy sweatshirt that looked suspiciously like the one I owned, rambling randomly about whatever came to mind. 

I\'ve never tuned into a just chatting-only stream before, I never got the appeal of it… that was until I dropped into hers, now I\'m on board and full steam ahead. Listening to her talk, interacting with her chat, it was like she was really here with me. I could easily just close my eyes, and let the sound of her soft, soothing voice drift me through the hours. 

"Is it true that you have a boyfriend?" 

My eyes fluttered open, and I saw Amanda staring through the screen, a whimsical smile in the blur of pixels.

"Is that really a question worth putting in a donation? It\'s not like I\'m holding the answer hostage or anything! C\'mon guys, it\'s not even a secret. Go get your money back, here." 

For a while, she was silent… clicking and clacking her mouse presumably tending to a refund. When she had done, she briefly turned back to the chat, and once more, her lips curved upwards. 

"You didn\'t answer the question…" She read out, muttering, chuckling. Her eyes drifted back to the camera, a tender gaze staring back at me. "Yes, I do. And I love him. I love him so much you guys don\'t even know. I love him so much, I could cry. He\'s everything I could ever want, and everything I didn\'t even know I wanted. Sure, he\'s an idiot sometimes… but he\'s my idiot, my lovable idiot, and I wouldn\'t give him up for the world. There, does that answer your question?" 

I nearly closed the stream, very nearly. I didn\'t expect her to suddenly spout out a love confession on stream. So brazen, so boldly… there was a bit of red mixing in with the pixels on where her cheeks were. I can empathize, I could feel the red on my cheeks too… and there was a buzz in my chest, a good buzz, a happy buzz… the kind I\'m sure she was feeling as well, miles and miles away from one another.

The chat was an influx of a million words, going by so fast, I could barely catch any. A lot of them were supportive in nature, lots of heart emojis being thrown away, some were feigning heartbreak, a few were actually genuinely heartbroken. But for the most part, her audience wished her the best, while simultaneously cursing the lucky guy, whoever he was.

<<Is he watching the stream now?>> I saw one guy say. 

"No, he doesn\'t watch my streams, he\'s not into these things," Amanda answered, catching the same question being asked. "But I mean if he is watching right now, ooo, yeah, I think I might just die of embarrassment, so it\'s a good thing he doesn\'t." 

Yeah, it\'s a good thing indeed… as far as you know, that is. 

<<What\'s his name?>>

"His name?" She gave another sly smile. "Sorry, but madly in love and being outright mad are two very different things. I\'m not gonna throw him to the wolves, you think I want him lynched? If you all need to mention him, call him \'My Beloved\', it\'s the only name I\'ll acknowledge from you guys. I see your nicknames there, very funny guys, hilarious." 

Yeah, I see those nicknames too. I don\'t think I mind being called \'OmegaChad Bro\' that much. Sounds pretty cool, actually.

There was a noise, a loud bellowing voice dripping with pretentiousness sounding in the plains. I looked up, and dad strolled in accompanied by a short, stubby owner of the ranch, doing his best to reach his arm over Dad\'s shoulder.

"Now, they ain\'t exactly as good as the ones you sold me, but they get the job done just as well! Price is a little high, sure, but for your circumstances, it is a good bargain, don\'t you think?" 

He laughed a hearty laugh, one that Dad didn\'t care to share. 

"Anyway go pick your picks, once you\'ve decided, I\'ll have \'em transported to your property in a couple of days," The man tried to pat him on his back, ended up having to settle with a clumsy tap on the elbow. "Still like peppermint, right? I\'ll go get you some, be back in a bit." 

Leaving, the rancher caught sight of me beneath the tree, and tipped his hat. I gave a polite wave, and the moment he was out of sight, I got back up, and marched straight for the tall, sullen figure in silence… and judging by that silence, doesn\'t take a genius to know what happened.

"No horses?" I asked.

"Not our horses," He muttered, and slowly headed for the stables. "I thought he would keep them, he didn\'t." 

"Why am I not surprised?" 

"It\'s fine, he is well within his rights, his horses would do just as fine," He made a turn, and I followed, and the sound of hooves hitting the dirt drew ever closer. "If you have any suggestions, feel free to say." 

Unsurprisingly, I didn\'t. Trenching deeper and deeper into the stables, the selections provided just blended into the same average choice no matter what we chose. So I left the decision up to him, and instead, I decided to pick up where we left off prior.

"You said you\'re a summon, a construct of their magic…" 

"I\'m concentrating," He spoke out, eyeing a brown stallion to our left. "Can this wait?"

"Not unless you want to send me on an existential crisis," I said. "Because if you are what you said you really are, then you shouldn\'t even be alive," I continued on, the thought of it growing heavier every second. "Your summoners are dead, the magic is gone - you should be gone, right? That\'s how the process works. So how do you still exist? Hell, how do I exist? Sammy?"

Strangely enough, he didn\'t think the question was as pressing a matter as I did. He moved onto the next breed, answering half-heartedly. 

"When the entire realm had heard that a hero has finally been summoned, that also includes your mother. It goes without saying, but she didn\'t much appreciate this show of rebellion. Ten magi were present in my summoning, their magic equally divided. She hunted them down, one by one, and with each death, I grew feebler. In time, it came down to a sole Magus, Hoimiall, the most powerful of the ten. He had the foresight, he knew what would happen upon my re-existence… so as soon as I was summoned, he placed me and himself into hiding, against the wishes of the other magi. So long as he lived, I couldn\'t disappear. And so for years, we hid… we just hid. While your mother continued her conquest." 

The way he spoke about his past, he sounded so completely detached. Like he was talking about someone else, and not him. Every \'I\' a different person. 

"But he died eventually, didn\'t he?" 

"Yes," He answered, moving on again. "Eventually, he did. There is no hiding from Terestra. It was only a matter of time." 

"So the question still stands," I said. "How are you alive?" 

Still indifferent, still far from the moment, he spoke. "I was chosen." 

"Chosen?"

"The suffering, the anguish, the pleads of their people in the realm had gone on for long enough, they heard their cries, and they finally listened." 

Dad stopped in his tracks. A tall, broad horse stared back into his gaze, its blue eyes mirroring his. He reached his hand out, and gently glided it across its nose. With a soft neigh, the horse pressed back against his palms. 

He chose one.

"And so the Seven Divines looked down upon realm, and seeking an end to Terestra\'s reign, had ultimately decided on a champion to deliver their righteous judgment."