"I'll do it now!"

  Jeanne was determined to get this done as soon as possible.

  "I don't want to wait. I've waited long enough."

  Jeanne had been living in her own tragic life for so long.

  "If it's just pain, I don't care. I'll overcome it. It won't be more than the pain of being looked down by your family. If you're sure that your plan will work, then I will trust you and go through with the procedure."

  Thea could see the decisiveness in Jeanne's eyes. The determination.

  "Fine. But you get rested first. It'll take me a few days to ready the spells we'll need."

  "...thank you."

  "Don't thank me. Janna's the one who saved you."

  "Thank you, to both of you."

  Jeanne bowed her head to Thea and Janna.

  "Hey, don't bow to us. We're friends now, so there's no need to thank us like this."

  Thea quickly forced her back to a sitting posture.

  "But still..."

  "I don't like people bowing their heads to me."

  "Alright. I won't do it again."

  Jeanne moved her body forward towards Thea. Her arms circled around Thea's waist.

  "...why are you hugging me?"

  "I don't know. I just felt so happy that I did it unknowingly."

  There was a bright and exultant smile on Jeanne's face as she hugged Thea.

  "You don't understand how much this means to me."

  "I can understand. Struggling for most of your life to finally gain a chance at a better life? Trust me, we can understand what you're feeling right now."

  Thea gently stroked Jeanne's head. Thea herself didn't even realize that her hand moved on it's own.

  "And don't you worry, the future will present even more opportunities."

  Jeanne let go and went back to resting in the bed. Everyone left the room to let her rest and do their own tasks. Janna went to make dinner, since it was already evening. Thea went to her lab to prepare a few things for Bokle's visit the next day. Leaf was able to sneak back in the room to chat with Jeanne about the Zatiax Empire. Though Jeanne only told her about the beautiful parts of it, hiding the cruelty of the king since Leaf was a twelve year old girl.

  The next morning, Bokle came to meet with Thea about the magic steel experiments.

  "Did ya not sleep last night?"

  Bokle asked Thea. She had dark bags under her eyes. It stood out from her milky white skin.

  "You could say that."

  Last night, Jeanne was sleeping in Janna's room. So Janna went to sleep in Thea's room instead. Janna is the type of person to move a lot in her sleep. And she clings onto Thea during her sleep. This made it impossible for Thea to sleep quietly.

  She had gotten used to it during her academy days and could actually sleep through. But it had been so long since Janna had slept on her bed with her that she had forgotten how to tolerate Janna's sleeping pattern.

  "What exactly do ya do here? Some of these things...I've never even seen them."

  Bokle looked around in Thea's lab. There were tools and equipment that were too alien for him. That was because Thea had based them on modern day Earth's scientific equipment. Though it wasn't as advanced as twenty-first century technology.

  "I'll explain everything to you."

  "What do ya wanna do with all this stuff?"

  Bokle asked.

  "Hmm? I just want to make stuff that helps people in some way or another. Even if it just lets a person make a small little happy memory."

  "Ya some kind of people pleasing person?"

  "No, I won't bend backwards for other people to please them. But if my stuff can let them experience something magical then it's great, especially for little children."

  "Ah, so ya just want people to be happy?"

  "Yeah. If I can think of it, then I can probably make it happen. That's my motto."

  "Pretty na?ve. The worl-"

  "The world's a cruel place? Is that what you're going to say?"

  Thea cut him off.

  "Exactly, ya're not gonna find a person that ain't not happy. Everybody is down in life in this world. Everywhere ya look, there's gonna be suffering and shit."

  "That's why I settled in this place. In the middle of the continent. I'm gonna build a city around my orphanage that welcomes everyone and is a symbol of peace to the whole continent."

  "Pretty big ambitions."

  "It's fine to have some dreams, no?"

  "I guess."

  "What about you?"

  "I don't really have any dream."

  "Is that before or after you were forced out of your home?"

  "..."

  Bokle stood still without saying a word. But it told Thea more than words.

  "You've lost all hope for the future, haven't you?"

  "Are ya telling me there's hope still?"

  "Of course."

  "Hmph, ya're bright future won't come true. This world is doomed."

  "Because of the wars?"

  "That, of course is one reason. But people don't know how to treat other people anymore. They've forgotten. They look at their neighbors like they're enemies. Fights break out over the smallest disputes and people die because of unfounded rumors. How are ya supposed to feel like the future is worth looking forward to?"

  Bokle had a lot of doubts about the future.

  "You only have to trust in me."

  "Hmph, what will trusting you get me?"

  "I'll give you a place worth calling home. One that you won't ever be forced out of."

  "I'll work for you, but I won't believe for a second that the future ya're talking about will come true."

  "We'll see about that. Before you do your experiments, I have to test you on your knowledge and show you the stuff I have."

  Thus began Bokle's test.

  The technology of this world was rudimentary at best. Most things that could be called advanced were powered by mana stones that were mined. The western kingdom of Elseya was the most advanced in this aspect. They used mana stones to power trains that travelled over its large land mass.

  However, it was not as advanced as one might think. The train was only able to work because mages would draw power from the mana stones and use it to move the wheels. The technology was actually quite bad in this world.

  Most of it was based on past experiments. For example, with the healing potion the books only said that a few ingredients needed to be mixed in and some temperature for some amount of time. There was no understanding of the chemical reactions that take place.

  Bokle had some understanding of metals combining into alloys. But he didn't understand that things were made of cells and particles further down. Such things were beyond his search.

  "This is gonna take a long time..."

  Thea sighed. It wasn't easy to teach someone things that wouldn't make sense to them. But she needed it to be done.

  "Sorry, this all seems so...nonsensical to me. But how do you know all this?"

  "Hmm, just call me a genius."

  It was from the education she receive on Earth, but Bokle didn't need to know that.

  "You said you're good with handling metals?"

  "My family is one of the best metalworkers in the world."

  "Great! Then I have something I want you to make for me."

  Thea searched in the lab for a dozen seconds to find a piece of paper. She handed it to Bokle to look.

  "What be this?"

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  "A camera."

  "This looks nothing like a camera. Are ya sure this ain't somethin' else?"

  The camera that existed in this world, like the one that was given to Sophily when she was tasked to capture pictures of the hero, were huge things. It was a cube with the sides being two adult hands in length.

  "This is the future I was talking about. Can you build it or no?"

  "I don't know. I'm gonna need tools that I've never used before. Some of these joints need better connecting points...this spot will need a bigger gear instead...maybe don't need a gear at all...how does this even..."

  Bokle immediately started to point out the design's flaws and came up with changes.

  "This glass piece. Is it important?"

  Bokle pointed to a lens. Camera's typically had a lens to focus the light onto a sensor.

  "Absolutely. Without it, the camera won't function."

  "Hmm...ya got any way to make it? This part stumps me."

  "Oh, I have a sample."

  Thea searched through her stuff to find a magnifying glass. She had used many weeks to make it. Most of the time was spent on getting a person to make a smooth metal mold for the molten glass to sit it while it cooled.

  "This is too big to fit?"

  There was no way the magnifying glass could fit in the handheld camera that Thea designed.

  "Yeah, I know. That's why I need a smaller version of it that also curved on both sides."

  "Haa~this is a lot of work."

  Bokle sighed. Thea was handing him most of the work.

  "But you seem to be enjoying it."

  However, Bokle had a slight smile that was visible to Thea.

  "Heh, I won't deny it. This challenge does make me a bit excited."

  "You know. In the future I imagine, this is only a small part of it. Everyone will have this in their home."

  "Everyone? What about the Crown Whale Crystal that's needed here?"

  Bokle pointed at a spot on the paper where the word 'crystal' was written. Bokle had assumed that it was the Crown Whale Crystal that was used as the core of a camera.

  "That's not gonna use Crown Whale Crystals."

  "What's it gonna use then?"

  Thea looked at the side of her table where there was a chest. She went to it and opened it. Inside were a long of small beads of materials. She took out a small grey diamond shaped crystal.

  "It's gonna use this."

  She handed it to Bokle.

  "A used mana stone? Even if ya cut it into a shape, it's not gonna work."

  Bokle was confused. What Thea handed him was a mana stone that was already spent. It had no mana in it anymore, so it was deemed worthless and thrown away.

  "As you know, mana stones slowly gather mana from the air."

  "But that takes centuries."

  "I know. But the little bit of mana is enough for using as the core of the camera. I've developed a method to inscribe simple spells onto a used mana stone."

  "What? But that's impossible...did you actually do it?"

  "The ancient magic kingdom already had something that could inscribe spells. Look at this."

  Thea held up her magic bag. On it's leather were a few gems that glowed.

  "It was even more advanced than what I have. It's able to use spatial without a magic user."

  "You're right. And you've succeeded in recreating it...ya're a genius!"

  The biggest problem with inscribing magic words on anything was that magic always needed the will of beings to function. A doll for example, couldn't cast any magic by itself. It needed a person to will it from behind, so that it would look like the doll cast the magic. But it was actually the person casting it.

  Magic words were only influenced by sentient beings. However, there were alternative symbols that did the same thing but didn't require the will part. It was natural law of the world.

  Accessing this things was extremely difficult. It required the person inscribing them to have deep understanding of it. So not everyone could do it.

  Each alternative word was difficult to learn and use. It would only be Thea right now that could use it in this world. But once it was inscribed on to the mana stones, anybody could use it by activating its function.

  "Right now, I need three mana stones to do different tasks, but in the future it could be down to a single stone. And it could have tons of other functions."

  "Wow, amazing!"

  Bokle was feeling excited to learn about this. To him, it felt like he was witnessing the start of a great invention and he loved it.

  "Are you looking forward to the future a bit more now?"

  "Hmph, ya're not gonna buy me in on yar future....but yar equipment and this mana stone thingy looks...interesting."

  Bokle denied his excitement, even though the smile from before was obvious.

  "That's good enough then. Welcome, partner."

  Thea and Bokle shook hands and sealed the deal with their partnership. Thea would give the ideas, and they would come up with ways to make them reality.

  "I've got one more thing I want done fast."

  "How fast?"

  "In less than twenty days. But this one is much simpler."

  Thea showed Bokle a design.

  "Ohh, this is looks fun. Alright. I'll get the boys working on it fast."

  Thea stared at Bokle. There was a moment of silence.

  "...tell me about your dream."

  "I'm not doin' that! Just because I liked the things ya showed me!"

  Thea tried to push her luck. But Bokle walked away, angry face and stamping his feet. It looked a bit cute, so Thea chuckled slightly.

  ---

  While Thea and Bokle were in their discussion, Janna was dealing with another situation. A catastrophically dangerous emergency.

  "The seal?!"

  "What's wrong?"

  She was doing her daily training with Rennet. They were at the outskirts of the forest. Around a five minute running distance away from the village. She was swinging her sword at Rennet when she noticed something amiss.

  "The seal...is gone!"

  Horror filled her gorgeous face.

  "The seal? What are you talking about?"

  "Thea's seal! The one that keeps me from transforming into a dragon!"

  "From that time in the forest?"

  "Yeah. But now it's gone! Hurry! Find Thea! I can feel my body changing already. I'll lose control any moment now."

  Janna's voice was full of urgency and desperation.

  "What happens then?!"

  Rennet asked. He could feel the stress in the air.

  "I'll have the power of a real dragon but I'll have lost my mind from the transformation and I'll...attack everything in sight. Including everyone in the village."

  "Shit!"

  Realizing the danger, Rennet ran with all his speed. This was one of the scariest moments that Rennet had come face to face in his life. He remembered how Janna after transforming on their first time meeting was almost able to overpower him. And that was when she was mid transformation.

  With a complete transformation, he wouldn't stand a chance against even the pinky toe amount of power of a dragon. No, not even a eye lash amount of power.

  Dragons were just that powerful. Classified as the strongest naturally born creatures in the world by the adventurers' guild, they could rule over all the creatures on the planet with their power. Thankfully, there were only a dozen or so of them around. And they were loafs that liked to sleep and slack off.

  Rennet had to find Thea immediately. She had controlled Janna before when she went berserk. So she was the only one who could possible help now.

  He reached the orphanage and explained to her the situation. It was terribly urgent. They rushed to where Janna was last.

  Now it was like the weather after a spring rain, there was a fog covering the area. The temperature had dropped by some. Inside, Thea felt a highly dense draconic energy.

  They started walking forwards together.

  "Ugh...Thea...I'm feeling dizzy."

  "You go back, Rennet. This is too much for you to handle."

  "Ugh...damn it."

  There was an immense pressure on his mind from the air. It screamed that walking even a step forward was suicide. It was like his bear's instinct from his blood was sending out an alarm.

  Rennet felt terrible for abandoning his student. He felt powerless in the fact that he couldn't be of any help to Janna.

  He cursed himself, but there was nothing he could do as he watched Thea walk forward with no effort.

  He could do nothing but walk back to a spot that was safe. He prayed Thea would save his disciple.

  Thea slowly approached the center of the area. The fog was much thicker. Her outstretched hand couldn't even be seen anymore. It was as if the draconic mana was so thick that it was distorting her senses and the space. It seemed impossible to find Janna in this visibility.

  "Janna!"

  Thea called out to Janna. But there was no response.

  "Janna! Where are you?"

  Again, no response. Thea just kept walking forward. For some reason, in the back of her mind it felt like she had walked for hours already. But there was no way that was true. It had only been a second or two ago that she left Rennet.

  But something in the back of her mind told her that time and space weren't what she thought it was.

  "Janna!"

  Thea cast a spell and stretched her mana out. Mana sense, a beginner level magic spell. Using the mana in the body to feel the surroundings. It was an easy magic spell that mages had no trouble learning. The effectiveness of it depended on the mana sensitivity and control of the mage.

  But Thea couldn't use this magic spell. Or rather, she could but the drawback for her was too much. Thea couldn't control her mana sensitivity and her overall mana control was terrible. She had been born in this world with too high of a mana sensitivity. And she has always struggled to use a low amount of mana or keep her mana flow in check.

  Any magic spell that she did would either get canceled because she used too much mana and get overloaded and explode. That's why Thea only uses spells that don't limit the input of mana.

  Things like fire magic were perfect, but also barrier spells that depended on initial mana input amount.

  Thea used mana sense on the whole area. She could feel everything around herself. The grass, the dirt under the grass, the stones in the dirt. Even the worms that were crawling underground.

  Immediately, blood burst from her mouth. It was too much information for her brain to handle and there was a toll on the body. But she now knew Janna's location through the thick layers of fog.

  With her eyes red from the drawback and her vision blurry, Thea walked towards the location of Janna. With each step, the fog got heavier. In front of her eyes, the fog twisted itself and a dragon like figure appeared.

  "Foolish mortal. You dare meddle in the affairs of me, a dragon?! TURN BACK NOW!"

  The fuzzy fog dragon with azure blue eyes shouted. Its words reverberated inside of Thea's head. It was an overbearing presence. Almost as if a real dragon was in front of her. Thea kept taking steps forward. But each step took longer and longer.

  "I gave you a chance to turn back but you ignored it."

  The fog dragon's azure colored eye flashed. A pressure more overbearing than before fell on Thea. It was ten times more immense than before.

  "Haa...barrier..."

  Thea cast a barrier spell. But unlike the ones from before, this was a more advanced barrier. The ones she cast before were smooth and like a thin film. They were a three star and below magic spell called magic barrier. This one was a bunch of triangles in the shape of a barrier. It was stronger than the barrier that Thea cast before. It was called advanced barrier spell.

  "...useless..."

  But the barrier was worthless. The dragon's power was a different kind of attack. It wasn't stopped by the barrier. Thea fell to the floor and she could feel her insides wanting to spill out.

  "Are you regretting it now?"

  The dragon figure floating in front of her said.

  "HAHA! The galls to disrupt my ceremony. How could a foolish mortal like you understand the desires of a majestic being like myself? Do you even know what's happening? Should I tell you? Actually, it would be a waste of time, not that it matters, to tell a human destined for death."

  The dragon didn't think that it needed to tell Thea about its plan.

  "NO! You're not worthy to know even if you live!"

  It held out its claw and the pressure on Thea increased.

  "HNG!"

  The pain was immeasurable now. Thea was feeling her grasp on her consciousness fading.

  "...must hurry."

  "What did you say?"

  "I said...a mighty dragon would tell everyone...of its great plan..."

  Thea was just barely able to meek out the words.

  "Hmm, really? A mighty dragon would?"

  The fog dragon pondered. It lifted the pressure on Thea a bit, allowing Thea to breath for a moment.

  "...yes...I've met other...dragons...they did."

  "Oh, I see! Borgoth always says to not hide something from others. Well then, listen carefully. Pathetic mortal. Using this dragon and human blood descendant of mine, I will descent onto your world. My reign on your world will be long and glorious, for I have been planning this out for-"

  "Tell me more next time."

  The dragon's slow explanation of the plan was cut short by Thea's sentence seething with fury.

  "Next time?"

  It understood Thea's words and knew Thea was doing something.

  "Next time we meet. I'll have my payback."

  "WHAT DID YO-"

  But it was too late. Thea had succeeded in doing something about the dragon.

  "WAAAA!"

  The dragon twisted and disappeared into the fog. With the dragon gone, the pressure on Thea's very being was gone. Janna was laying a few steps in front of her so she made her way to Janna quickly.

  "Janna! Wake up, Janna!"

  Janna lay on the ground with a blue orb floating above her. Inside of the orb was a light blue color.

  "Ugh, T?"

  "You're awake!"

  Thea hugged Janna. She never felt so relieved as now. She didn't know how to live without Janna alive.

  "What happened?"

  "No, I'll tell you later. The seal's more important!"

  "The seal?!"

  Janna was confused. Thea pointed at the floating light blue orb.

  "ABSORB IT!"

  "YES! YES!"

  Janna shook awake. She saw the orb in the air and stretched out her hand to touch it. As if it was a ghost, the orb went into Janna's body. Janna checked to see the seal was in place and the two felt relief.

  "So what happened, Thea? The seal suddenly disappeared."

  "The spell was damaged during your fight with Jeanne. It took some time, but I successfully repaired it and averted the crisis."

  Thea didn't want to tell Janna that the seal was actually broken from the inside by a dragon that was trying to take over her body.

  "So I'm fine now?"

  "For now. I'm gonna have to strengthen the sealing effects of it. Your dragon blood became much stronger since your awakening and the seal wasn't able to handle it. This was my fault for not being aware."

  "No, no. It's not your fault, Thea. I should have felt it first."

  "Don't be dumb. It's my spell, how could you feel it?"

  "I'm just glad nobody got hurt."

  "I'm happy to see you safe."

  The two hugged for a long moment.

  "....uhm, what's all this fog though?"

  Janna looked around her.

  "It's all that dragon energy it-I mean, you released."

  "It?"

  "The seal. It contains your energy, remember? But it's actually your power. Haha."

  Thea was almost caught.