Another day passed, but they finally were getting close to their goal. The magic in the area was more powerful than ever, and there were no other creatures around. It was clear they had stepped into the domain of whatever being they were looking for resided.

  The closer they got to the immense presence, the more the area around them shifted and changed. From forest, to half jungle, to mountainous, it was like an amalgamation of areas all in one. Though it wasn’t in illusion, it was magically altered, with powerful magic at that.

  A few minutes later they stepped into a large alcove with what seemed to be a lake on the right side. In the center was an ominous artifact. Both of their eyes widened upon seeing it, “A genie’s lamp?” Ardonis asked incredulously. They had read about genies in multiple classes. Divine beings of great power that were sealed away because of fearful and jealous gods who didn’t want to see them as equals. Only able to use their power in the form of wishes for greedy mortals. The lamp was as much of a prison as it was a home. As that is where all of their power was contained within and keeping the seal active.

  The two looked at each other, then back at the lamp, taking cautious steps forward toward it. It was a pinkish-gold color and had a polished sheen to it. It was clear why the area was so screwed up, the ambient magic of the genie was the cause. Although their power was said to be sealed, Ardonis doubted that meant they couldn’t use it at all outside of wishes. The genie could very well just be hiding and waiting, as a divine being couldn’t hide from another divine being.

  Right as Ardonis was about to pick up the lamp, an explosion of a pinkish-gold cloud surrounded it and he quickly stepped back. Floating in the air above it was a beautiful genie who had a wispy tail and wore nothing but a bra and a near transparent pinkish gold ribbon that flowed down her upper arms and across her back. With the same color bracers and necklace. Her skin was a bluish pink and her long hair was bright pink.

  “So that nasty goddess has finally sent two underlings to kill me off for good? Well good luck, my power may be restricted, but I won’t go down without taking at least one of you with me,” she said, her voice like silk, even in an angry tone.

  Ardonis shook himself, “What?”

  “Don’t try and play dumb, there is no other reason why two godlings would be here. My only question is why she sent two godlings instead. Not even she can circumvent the restriction rules of the multiverse.”

  “Uhm, pardon, miss genie,” Lucy said, “We aren’t here for any other reason than investigating the power source of the forest. By the adventurer’s guild. Honestly, we are far more surprised at seeing a genie and not a minor god.”

  “Lies, there’s no way that goddess wouldn’t have-”

  “It’s the truth,” Ardonis interrupted, taking a step forward. “It is true that the goddess is the one who sent us down here, but she didn’t give us any information outside of what we researched ourselves. You’re a powerful genie, I can sense that much. That also means you can sense the truth in our words. And to further this, my name is Ardonis Clearweave, and this is Lucy Heartso.”

  “Perhaps I did misjudge you then, you must know how much power a name holds to a genie…” she trailed off, her posture becoming less aggressive.

  He nodded, “We truly don’t mean you any harm, in fact, we are suspicious of the goddess ourselves. Though your inclination towards her supports it.”

  “So it is that you have been fooled by the goddess into thinking she is kind and benevolent. You couldn’t be farther from the truth, she is the one who betrayed me and sealed me within this lamp. She was scared that I would surpass her in power. I had, and still have the potential to after all,” she said proudly before slumping her shoulders. “You will have to earn my trust a bit more for my name, but I can say that you have started off on the right track.”

  “Then let me start off by trying to free you,” Ardonis said. “The magic flowing through the lamp, the seals, all of it is oddly familiar. With a bit of help from my fiancé, we could potentially free you.”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Her eyes widened before she chuckled, “I have tried breaking out for thousands of years, and you think two young whelps like yourselves have a chance? Do not misunderstand, I appreciate the gesture greatly, but so much time has passed that I doubt anyone can break me out.”

  “If you do, then you can join this handsome man’s harem,” Lucy said with a smile.

  “Didn’t we just get through talking about this not that long ago?” he asked, staring at her blankly.

  “It doesn’t mean I’m just going to stop asking as a test,” she said with a teasing giggle.

  He sighed and rolled his eyes, “Please ignore her miss genie and don’t take anything she says seriously. Something in her head broke one day and now she’s stuck on wanting to be in a harem.”

  “That is a rude thing to say about your fiancé, and no nothing broke, I just see you as worthy enough of having one,” she retorted.

  A moment later, a pleasant sound reached their ears and they looked over to see the genie was giggling, “You two are seriously different than any visitors I’ve had. Whether they were mortals or gods. So why not? If you manage to break me out of this prison, master, I will gladly join your harem.”

  Ardonis shook his head in disbelief, “Are you sure? I mean, I take such things very seriously and don’t want someone to be in the harem unless we both have mutual feelings for each other.”

  That made her smile wider as she leaned on a hand while floating in the air. “After that response I’m certain. We won’t be anything official, per your own request, but I’ll still consider myself as such until that time comes. If for no other reason than to mess with you.”

  He sighed again but took another step toward the lamp, kneeling down and gently picking it up to get a better look at it. He enhanced his eyes with a bit of mana and saw the intricate sigils and runes that made up the seals. He personally liked to call it “mana vision”. After spending a few minutes inspecting each of the seals all around the lamp he nodded. “I think I can get rid of the seals without accidentally hurting you.”

  “If It means a bit of pain, then I’ll gladly take it to be free, so don’t worry about that,” the genie said.

  Ardonis made note of that, but would rather not hurt her if at all possible. “Lucy come over here for a second and place this sigil on the ground,” he traced an arcane sigil in the air with a finger without looking up and she nodded. It looked close to a star only with two of the lines being vertical with an additional one that made a circle around it. Once that was done, he set it down on there and knelt down to begin his work.

  It was slow, but he was able to erase the seals one by one by very carefully using his own magic and knowledge of sealing magic. Each one took a good chunk of his mana, and he would need to rest for the second half. But the genie was amazed that he was able to do it at all. “How is he even doing it?” she asked Lucy quietly as they waited on the side.

  Lucy giggled, “That’s Ardonis for you, he’s a genius when it comes to magic. Well, all except for arcane and healing, but I have the first of those covered for him. Even then, for not being attuned to them, he certainly has them down better than our peers. Honestly, I feel dumb for not pursuing him sooner. No one was more studious at the academy than he was. It’s probably why he can pull these things off.”

  A few minutes later he sighed, “I’m gonna have to take a break for an hour, my mana is completely drained, and I barely even got through a quarter of them.”

  The genie smiled, “The fact that you can do it at all is the most insane thing I could imagine. Not to get you down or anything, but I truly do think that they have also significantly weakened over time. For as much as I hate that damned goddess, she made a prison that not even she herself could break me out of.”

  Ardonis laughed as he leaned against the wall, listening to the sound of the waves, “I don’t doubt that for even a moment and I am in total agreement. I mean, there is no other way someone like me, especially with this restriction, should be able to do anything at all to it. Time as well as your own efforts have probably weakened it to this point where all it takes is someone like me.”

  “It also helps that you know what those seals are,” Lucy giggled. “I remember a couple of those from class. This may be rude to ask Miss Genie, but how long ago was it that you were imprisoned?”

  She chuckled dryly, “Around forty- maybe fifty thousand years give or take.”

  “If you are worried that such information will hinder me looking at you as a possible love interest and harem prospect, don’t,” Ardonis said. “We are immortals, aren’t we? I already knew that I was most likely going to have at least one or two wives who were going to be much older than me. At the time, it was more of a thought on if I ever went down that road.”

  “It… truly doesn’t bother you?” she asked.

  “As long as it doesn’t bother you that I’m only one hundred and twenty,” he said with a smile.

  She laughed, “Well I can’t deny that the thought of being with someone so much younger ever crossed my mind. Not even back before this happened when I did think of romance. But even by immortal standards you are an adult, so I have no issues.”