"Hey! Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!" Erik shouted, holding out the pen and journal in front of him in a pathetic attempt to shield himself.

"Would it have mattered?" Talia tilted her head behind Ill.

"Absolutely! A real-life, fucking dragon! I've read about dragons in books, but I never thought I'd actually see one!" Erik stammered, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and awe. "Besides, he definitely doesn't seem to like me that much."

"Ill is still an infant, and he's very protective of me," Talia replied nonchalantly, stepping up to the dragon and patting his neck. "He's unlikely to harm you."

"Unlikely is not the same as never."

"Ill is also a precious member of my household," Talia continued, "During the winter, he'll be able to keep us warm with his flames, and during the summer, he can help with manual labor."

Erik, still eyeing the dragon warily, looked to Talia for reassurance. "Well... since we've found him, can you help me now?"

"Of course. I was headed to the village anyway, so you can accompany Ill and I."

The dragon growled softly at Erik, as if warning him not to do anything stupid.

Talia led the way, with the dragon flying just above her head, while Erik followed close behind. The village came into view soon enough, nestled at the foot of a small mountain range. The buildings were a mix of stone and wood, with thatched roofs to protect against the elements. The streets were dirt, with livestock wandering freely and children playing games in the street.

As they approached the village, people began to take notice of their arrival. Some stopped what they were doing to stare at the strange procession, while others hurried over to greet them. Talia seemed to be well-known and well-liked in the village, as people called out her name and clasped her hands in greeting. Erik, on the other hand, felt like a freak attraction, with people staring at his waistcloth.

Finally, they entered a small clothing shop, leaving Ill to patiently wait outside.

"Ah, Talia, good to see you! Is this your new... friend?" the shopkeeper asked with a raised eyebrow, gesturing toward Erik.

"Of sorts, Geritara. He's in need of some clothes, if you can assist with that. Erik's from another world."

Geritara blinked, clearly taken aback. "Another one so soon? The last Traveler passed away only a few years ago. I thought it had to be at least ten years before another arrives."

"Well, it seems the gods have a sense of humor," Talia replied with a small smile. "Erik, this is Geritara. He runs the shop."

"Hey, what did you mean the last Traveler passed a few years ago?" Erik completely ignored Geritara. "Are you saying Travelers- people like me- come and go very often?"

Talia glanced at Geritara, who shrugged. "It's true. It's not an uncommon occurrence. The gods have their reasons for sending them to different worlds. Some say it's to learn, some say it's to teach. It's been like this for as long as anyone can remember."

"Hold on!" Erik began to panic, grabbing his pen and twirling it between his fingers. "Is that why no one's too bothered by my appearance? You guys are expecting me to die soon?"

"Er... when you put it that way, it makes us sound like bad people," Geritara awkwardly replied. "But, that's only due to the fact that Travelers usually aren't able to defeat the Demon King."

Erik paused his fidgeting. A strange calmness washed over him.

"Right, so then I'll never fight the Demon King."

"Well, that's not necessarily true," Talia interjected gently. "There have been Travelers who have managed to defeat the Demon King in the past. It's not impossible for you to do the same, Erik."

"Wait, he's been defeated before? Then that means he just keeps coming back? What kind of world is this? Dammit Osiris, you mother–"

Talia emotionlessly smacked Erik's face with a hard slap, causing him to yelp in surprise. Erik stared at her, hurt in his eyes.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Whenever I would spiral, my father and mother would smack me just like that to get me out of my head and calm me down," Talia replied, as if it were a normal occurrence. "Did it work?"

"That's- actually, yeah, it did." Erik winced, rubbing his reddening cheek. "Thanks, Talia. I guess I'll... try not to think about it."

Geritara clasped his hands together. "Shall we get to dressing you up, Erik?"

----------------------------------------

Moments later, Erik stood in front of a mirror, wearing a pair of dark pants and a long-sleeved gray shirt. His new clothes fit him perfectly, and he even had a pair of leather boots. He turned this way and that, examining himself in the mirror.

"So, what do you think?" Talia asked, leaning against the doorframe. "The clothes look good on you."

"Better than being naked," Erik replied with a shrug, "but it still feels weird. I mean, I've never worn clothes like these before." He adjusted the collar of his shirt, feeling self-conscious. "It's not that I don't like them or anything. It's just... different."

They walked back to the front of the store, where Geritara was trying to light the end of a cigarette with a matchstick.

"I'll cover the cost of your new clothes since you helped me track down Illyanth," Talia nodded back toward Erik, dropping a couple of silver coins on the wood in front of Geritara. "Need a flame?"

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"Ah, if you would," Geritara smiled gratefully.

Talia's eyes glowed and with an outstretched finger, a flame blossomed from the tip. Erik watched in awe as she passed the lit matchstick to Geritara, who breathed out a cloud of smoke and smiled his thanks. The young woman glanced at Erik, her expression unreadable.

"Holy crap, using magic to light a cigarette is way better than using a lighter!"

"Lighter?" Talia tilted her head. Geritara followed suit.

Erik blinked. "Yeah, a lighter. It's a tool used to light cigarettes. It creates a flame. But, uh, I guess you don't need that here, since you can just use magic."

"A tool that can create a flame? How easily can this lighter produce fire?" Geritara seemed interested.

With a vexed face, Erik pulled out his journal and pen, opening it to a blank page. "Well, this is roughly what a lighter looks like," he said, sketching a crude drawing of one. "It's about this long and this wide, made of metal or plastic. You flip a wheel on the top to expose a small flint or a piece of steel, and then you press a button or pull a trigger to create a spark that ignites whatever you want to light. It's useful for starting fires, cooking food, lighting cigarettes..."

There was a sudden pull on his pen. Erik glanced at it, feeling an urge to tap the drawing with the tip of his pen. As he did, a flash of silver burst through the room, and the three of them found themselves staring at an actual, physical lighter.

Geritara took the lighter from him, his eyes wide with wonder. "This is incredible!" he exclaimed, flipping it open and closed, watching the wheel spark each time. Talia stared at Erik, clear surprise for the first time on her face.

"How did you do that?" She whispered. "When I first saw you, I didn't detect a single trace of magic within you."

"I'm not sure," Erik admitted. "I just tapped my pen on the drawing and then bam–"

Erik's legs suddenly buckled, causing him to slam his forehead on the table with a bam.

"Are you alright?" Geritara exclaimed, whereas Talia narrowed her eyes.

"I-I think so," Erik stammered, rubbing his head. "Just a little dizzy. I think I might've hit it a bit too hard..."

"It's very faint, but I detect traces of magic from you, Erik Park," Talia whispered, her expression thoughtful. "But it's different from anything I've ever felt from a Traveler. It's... the weakest magic I've ever sensed."

Erik's confidence slipped away from him. "Well, I can just grow stronger and grow my magic power, right?"

Talia and Geritara shared an uncomfortable glance. "It's possible," the young shopkeeper admitted with a sigh, "but it is also possible that you weren't born with a natural affinity for magic." He smiled kindly at Erik. "Don't worry, though. Even if you aren't destined to become a great Traveler, there are still many ways for you to make a name for yourself in this world."

The words were meant to comfort, but they only served to make Erik feel more depressed. At least he wasn't wearing rags anymore.

"Hold on, let's come back to what happened earlier. You just conjured a foreign item from your world," Talia said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Can you conjure anything else?"

"Well..." Erik hesitated, still in a sad mood. "What are some daily issues that you guys struggle with?"

Talia and Geritara exchanged glances again. "Food shortages, disease, crime, political turmoil..." Talia listed.

"Something simple that I can draw." Erik flatly clarified.

"Well, we could use more lantern oil," Talia said, glancing around the dimly lit room. "Or maybe some stronger locks for our doors."

"Lantern oil? You guys don't have electricity in this world?" Erik asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Electricity?" Talia raised an eyebrow. "You mean, like lightning spells? How is that related to lantern oil?"

Instead of replying, Erik got to work, sketching out what he knew was a handheld flashlight. As soon as he finished, he tapped on the drawing with his pen. The same flash of silver light erupted, and just like the lighter, a flashlight appeared on the counter.

Talia and Geritara's eyes widened in amazement. "This is incredible, Erik! It's perfect!" Geritara exclaimed, taking the flashlight and examining it. "What exactly does it do?"

"It emits a bright light to provide illumination," Erik explained, feeling a bit more proud of himself. "You just need to turn it on by clicking the switch on top."

Talia picked up the flashlight and examined it carefully, then turned it on. "This is incredible, Erik. We've never seen anything like it." She held it up, shining the light around the dimly lit room, revealing every corner and cranny. "This will make it so much easier to see at night and keep our belongings safe. And this doesn't require magic at all?"

"Well, it requires batteries–" Erik suddenly crumpled to the ground, feeling a wave of dizziness.

"Goodness! Are you okay?" Geritara rushed to his side. Talia seemed unbothered, continuing to play with the flashlight.

Erik sat up, rubbing his head. "Ugh... maybe conjuring things takes a lot of energy." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to steady himself.

Talia put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Take your time, Erik. We're not in a hurry. Why don't you tell us more about your world? How do people live there? What kind of technology do they have?"

"Ugh, chill out! Let me catch my breath!" Erik panted, still feeling lightheaded. As he regained his composure, he began to tell them about his world. "Okay, well, in my world, we have a lot of advanced technology. We have electricity, cars, computers, cell phones..." He trailed off, realizing how foreign the concepts must sound to them.

Even though they had no clue what he was talking about, both Talia and Geritara were enraptured by his words. Erik tried to explain it as simply as he could.

"So in your world, people can carry around these small devices that allow them to communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world?" Geritara asked, clearly fascinated.

"Yeah, they're very common. In fact, now that I think about it, how do you guys communicate with each other around the world?"

Geritara scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, we have messenger pigeons, but they can only carry a small amount of information, and it takes a long time for them to get anywhere. Sometimes, important messages are carried by caravans, but that's not always reliable." He paused, looking pensive. "We also have some magical methods, but those are usually reserved for emergencies or those who can afford them."

"Frankly, if what you described could be mass-produced, it'd be very beneficial for this world," Talia murmured. "With the technology from your world, wouldn't killing the Demon King be much simpler?"

"But imagine the costs needed to reproduce the items! Sure, Erik could simply draw and conjure, but we've seen his poor mana pool. It'd take years to supply the rest of the world."

Despite the unintended insult, Erik had an idea. "Wait... what if I could produce these items using materials in this world? I'm sure you guys have similar metals, plastics, and even ways of creating electricity that we could use." He thought for a moment, a wicked grin spreading on his face. "I could sell it for so much money..."

Talia's eyes gleamed with excitement. "That's a brilliant idea, Erik! We could start a business, you and me. We'd share the profits, of course, but think of how much we could accomplish together! We could bring your technology to this world and help defeat the Demon King!"

"Yeah, that too, but imagine the empire I could be running," Erik had a greedy grin on his face, "I'd be the richest man in the world, and people would be begging to be a part of it. I could even hire an army to take down the Demon King myself!"

Geritara, sensing that the two in front of him were going down a questionable path, began to back away nervously. "Uh, well, I hope the best of luck to you two!"

He was ignored as Talia and Erik exited his shop with devilish smiles on their faces.