We reached our destination. The horses, which had been galloping, came to a halt. The knights who were driving got off. They opened the doors, and both Tem and I disembarked. The knight closed the coach door. Claire leaned closer to the window on the door, wearing a bright smile, and waved goodbye. Tem and I eagerly waved back

"We've arrived," I declared, taking a deep breath as we stood in front of the hospital. While I felt a sense of relief at returning, and the hope that this visit could aid Grace's illness, Tem appeared frightened. He scurried behind me, resembling a frightened puppy. Thoughts of Jill weighed heavily on his mind, with her stern and intimidating demeanor

"Don't worry, Tem, that scary lady won't harm you," I assured him, offering a reassuring smile to make him feel better.

"Who's this scary lady you're talking about?" a voice echoed behind Tem and me. We both stiffened in surprise and terror. Slowly, our heads turned to face the voice. There she was, Jill Amos, her sharp eyes glaring through her glasses. In her right hand, she held a clipboard and a pen clipped to the side. Tem and I couldn't find any words; we were rendered speechless.

"Are you deaf? Didn't I ask you a question?" She demanded, her expression nothing short of intimidating.

"S-Scary? W-who might that be… I don’t know," I stammered, struggling to make an excuse. My eyes darted around, and my shoulders shrugged. I tried to signal Tem for help, but he was already ten meters away, hiding behind a pillar near the gate, peering out like a startled cat. I couldn't blame him; I might have done the same thing.

Jill sighed at the sight, rubbing her forehead in annoyance. "If you're not busy, the old man is looking for you," she said, placing her left hand on her waist.

"Yes, ma'am!" I exclaimed in a panic, standing stiff and straight as a pillar, sweat dripping down my forehead. "W-we were about to do that."

Jill walked away with strict, purposeful steps, her long legs carrying her swiftly. As she passed by the pillar where Tem was hiding, she stopped for a moment, her sharp eyes scanning the pillar in an attempt to see Tem. Frightened, Tem quickly pulled his head back, pressed himself against the pillar, and held his breath. However, Jill still managed to catch a glimpse of him. Ignoring the situation, she continued walking toward the hospital, acting as if this encounter was wasting her precious time.

After Jill had left, I walked over to Tem to check on him. I approached the pillar where he had been hiding and took a peek. There was Tem, sweating profusely, his knees trembling, and his back pressed firmly against the pillar, with his legs slightly bent.

"Is she gone now, Sir Aaron?" Tem asked, his voice trembling as he faced me.

"Well, she's gone for now, at least. And stop calling me Sir Aaron," I replied.

I nodded my head upward, signaling to Tem to stand up, and we proceeded to walk toward Vigil's house. Upon arriving, Tem stopped. "Is this the place, Sir Aaron?" Tem inquired, his eyebrows raised in confusion as to why we were at this old and seemingly abandoned house.

I walked closer to the door, and Tem followed closely. I knocked on the door. "Hey! I'm here now!" I called out. There was no immediate response. I knocked again, and still, there was no answer. I knocked a third time, and finally, we heard something. It was a thumping sound, much like a door closing heavily.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Vigil's voice echoed from within the house.

As he walked towards the front door, we could hear his footsteps and the creaking of the wooden floors. The locks made a sound, and the doorknob rotated as the door opened. “Who dares disturb my work!?” Vigil exclaimed. He was wearing some kind of goggles that made him unable to see anything clearly.

Tem quickly moved in front of me, his eyes as sharp as daggers, and he touched his dual knives, seemingly prepared to fight. Seeing this, I immediately pulled Tem by the shirt and tapped his head to calm him down.

"Don't worry, he's a friend," I assured Tem.

"Are you sure, Sir Aaron? Because he looks dangerous to me," Tem responded, his eyebrows raised in doubt. To be fair, the first time I had seen Vigil, he didn't give me a good impression.

"Don't worry... he's not so bad," I replied with a smile. Tem then relaxed his stance and looked at me. "Okay, Sir Aaron, I believe you."

Vigil took off his goggles, squinting at the sight of sunlight as if he hadn't seen it for days. He rubbed his eyes and then looked at us. “Oh… it’s you!” Vigil exclaimed in excitement. He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. “Come in! Come in!” he said, as though excited to show me something.

Both Tem and I entered the house, and Tem was visibly surprised, just as I was when I first visited. The house was clean on the inside, although it did have some dust in places, it was still cleaner than most. After all, what house doesn't have a little dust here and there?

We headed to the living room and settled into our seats. Vigil's eyes remained fixed on Tem. "So, who's this friend of yours?" he inquired. I proceeded to share our story, introducing Tem, explaining his background, and describing the ways he had assisted me. I decided to leave out the part about him trying to snatch my belongings; there was no reason to bring that up.

Vigil couldn't seem to take his eyes off Tem. "Interesting, an Elf in the kingdom... though your hair isn't long, it's just enough to conceal the tips of your pointed ears. If people found out you were here, you'd become quite a sensation. By the way, Aaron—"

"What do you mean by 'sensation,' Mr. Vigil?" Tem interrupted out of curiosity.

Vigil leaned in slightly, as if he was sharing a secret. "Let's just say, Humans and Elves share quite a history. It's best to keep those ears hidden, my friend. We don't want to attract any unnecessary attention." He said this as if he held some special knowledge.

Tem, without any hesitation, nodded in agreement. It was surprising how quickly he transitioned from perceiving Vigil as a potential threat to trusting him. My reassurance seemed to have a calming effect on him. What an understanding boy.

Vigil, feeling the need to stretch his limbs, got up. "Sitting for so long is making me tired. Come with me," he beckoned as he strolled towards the kitchen. Tem and I exchanged glances, then stood and followed him. As we entered the kitchen, we spotted a table adorned with an assortment of food and ingredients.

"Help me move this," Vigil said, pointing to the table. The three of us stood at each corner, lifting the table and sliding it aside. Beneath it, we uncovered a hatch. Underground hatches seemed to be a common theme in this world. This one had probably caused the thumping sound earlier. Vigil knelt down, grasped the hatch, which was quite large, considering the room's size, and pulled it open. Underneath, we found a flight of stairs. Vigil went first, and Tem and I followed.

The stairwell led us into a well-lit corridor. As we moved forward, the walls illuminated our path, the lights dimming after we passed. We continued for a few moments until we reached a metal door, a sturdy one, reinforced with silver metals and sporting a vault spindle in the center. Vigil turned the spindle, and it made a satisfying click. Pushing the heavy door open produced a metallic echo that reverberated through the area. "Ahh..." Vigil sighed, stepping through. He turned to face us, raising his arm and puffing out his chest with pride. "Welcome to my workplace," he declared.

The lights above flickered to life, revealing a vast room approximately 30 meters in both height and width. Rows of tables lined the center, laden with metal tools, unknown contraptions and an array of power spheres. On the walls hung gloves, goggles, and various writings that seemed to resemble mathematical problems. Math and magic—an uncommon combination in my world.

Tem and I entered with a sense of wonder. Our eyes darted left and right, taking in the incredible sight above and below us. Vigil, however, stood there with an enormous, prideful grin on his face. He seemed like a child showing off his prized possession to other kids, something unique and unmatched.

"This is my pride and joy in life, my laboratory where I create what others cannot," Vigil proclaimed with immense pride.

"Well, this is... something," I replied with awe as I looked around.

"Whoa!" Tem exclaimed excitedly as he dashed towards a strange contraption. "What is this?" he inquired, leaning closer to the contraption, his hands slowly extending towards it.

"Don't!" Vigil yelled, his arms raised in a warning gesture towards Tem. Tem immediately withdrew his hands and stood up straight. "Don't touch anything," Vigil firmly stated.

"There are things here that might... you know... blow up the whole city block, so don't touch anything that I'm not aware of," Vigil explained.

"Sounds like an important rule. It would've been great if you told us before entering this place," I said with a touch of sarcasm.

Vigil shrugged off my comment like it was nothing and turned around. "Yeah... yeah... my bad. Anyway, come over here," he said, directing our attention.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

As we approached, Vigil cleared some items off a table he wanted to show us. Something was concealed under a blanket. Vigil then began to unveil it, revealing a peculiar power sphere. "Meet my latest creation. The power sphere that can measure what it's not supposed to, which is natural essence. Named, 'Deity Observer of Determining Omnipotence'... D.O.D.O for short," Vigil proudly introduced, his eyes wide, chest puffed out, and palms pointing toward the sphere, which was perched on top of a wooden tripod.

I was truly amazed by what I saw. Finally, something that could potentially confirm my abilities and perhaps provide a way to help Grace. But there was one undeniable truth: Vigil wasn't great at naming things. What kind of name was that? DODO? I glanced at Tem and noticed his cheeks puffing up, his eyes starting to water. He was clearly struggling to stifle his laughter. It seemed I wasn't the only one who found the name ridiculous.

Vigil observed Tem's expression and asked, "Why are you making that face, kid?" Tem turned his face away, unable to maintain a straight face. The idea of someone appearing so intelligent and stern yet being so bad at naming things was just too funny. And the fact that Vigil had said the name with such pride made it even more comical. I discreetly nudged Tem with my elbow to refocus him. "He's just overwhelmed by your invention," I told Vigil, attempting to cover for Tem.

"Huh, is that so?" Vigil replied with a hint of doubt, unconvinced by my explanation.

Tem eventually turned around to face Vigil. But before he did, he mustered all his inner strength to keep from laughing at anything. "Yes, I was deeply overwhelmed by the invention. Something so amazing was... well, yeah, it's great," Tem replied, although he wasn't entirely sure what the contraption was or what it could do. He stood straight but still found it hard to make direct eye contact with Vigil.

"So, again, the contraption is what I call 'D.O.D.O. and it—" "BUHAHAHAHA! What kind of name is that?" Tem erupted into laughter, falling to the ground and shedding tears from his cheeks. "What? W-what did you say about the name?!" Vigil retorted, teeth grinding in annoyance and a hint of embarrassment as his cheeks turned slightly red. "If I may inform you, this name was approved by my brilliant daughter!"

Hearing this information, I genuinely smiled. I couldn’t believe Jill was involved in the contraption names. “How did you get Nurse Jill involved in this issue anyway?” I asked Vigil with a soft smile.

“Wait. Y-you’re the father of Nurse J-jill?” Tem said, sweating and stuttering his words. He slowly stood up, and no noise could be heard from him again.

“Oh ho… What’s this? Is it…” Vigil closed his eyes, “sniff, sniff,” he sniffed the air, acting like something smelled. He opened his eyes and faced Tem with lips curled into a twisted grin. “Is this… fear I smell?”

“W-what? F-fear? Who? What do you mean, good sir?” Tem said, shrugging his shoulders and avoiding eye contact.

“HAHAHAH! Are you really scared of that child, child? Well, of course, she is scary, but she could never scare m—”

“Since when did you get here, Nurse Jill?” I interrupted.

And in an instant, both Tem and Vigil hid behind my back. But when they looked at the door, no one was there. I laughed so hard that my stomach started to hurt. Tem pouted and playfully punched me, and Vigil stood and clicked his tongue in annoyance. After this, the three of us stopped our shenanigans, and Vigil walked closer to the DODO and explained how to use it. “This sphere, when turned on, will be so sensitive that it will light up slowly. The reason it does this is because we are here. Normal spheres would measure the magical capacity of a person, the DODO would measure something that’s not supposed to be measured… Natural essence. Since humans aren’t created by magic but are born naturally, I theorized that it would probably measure even if we never touched it by increasing the frequency of the Power Sphere.” Vigil turned on the contraption using the switch found at one of the legs of the tripod. And surely, it glowed slightly.

“Wow,” both Tem and I exclaimed.

“By increasing the DODO’s frequency, some exploded, and it was on the 8th try that it actually worked,” Vigil continued.

“8th? Aren’t Power Spheres expensive?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Yeah, about 2 platinum coins. I have 50 spheres,” Vigil replied nonchalantly.

Tem, hearing this, raised his hands in front of him immediately, with his palms facing him, and started counting his fingers. "2 platinum coins? That's like... this many apples!" Tem exclaimed as he showed us his hands.

“Are you really okay with this? You broke 7 power spheres for my sake,” I asked Vigil.

Vigil looked at me and smiled, his hands on his hips. “Let me tell you something, child,” he said as he grabbed a chair and sat on it. “Success will never come if we don’t make any sacrifices. Those 7 spheres that broke, I would never consider them as failures. I just found 7 ways that the contraption wouldn’t work.”

I could never understand this kind of mindset. Back in my world, in my parents' eyes, a mistake was just that - a mistake. There was no gray area. We were very poor, and one mistake meant punishment. It was either sleeping outside the house or going without food for a day. These were some of the reasons why I left my parents after high school and went to university. But hearing what Vigil said, it gave me a new perspective on 'mistakes.' Perhaps I was simply uneducated about reality. After all, parents are the first teachers, and unfortunately, mine weren't very good at it.

"Place your hand on the DODO," Vigil said as he pointed at the sphere. Then he grabbed Tem, and both of them stayed behind me, about 10 feet away.

I looked at my hands and clenched them. Slowly, I reached out to the sphere. As my fingers got closer, the dim lights started glowing. When my middle finger touched the power sphere, it shone, emitting a bright white light. It was a mesmerizing sight that even amazed Vigil. The three of us watched this captivating light. It was bright, yet it didn't hurt our eyes. Slowly, my palms and fingers wrapped around the sphere. The light was soothing and warm, bringing tears to my eyes, offering Tem a warm hug, and making Vigil fall to his knees. But suddenly, the light slowly dimmed. Some of us returned to normal. Vigil shook his head, and Tem opened and closed his eyes rapidly. Yet I remained entranced, still staring at the now dimmed light. "What was that? It felt nostalgic, like a—"

"A warm hug," Tem told Vigil as they both looked at each other with raised brows.

Vigil stood up, feeling puzzled, and Tem walked towards me. "Did you feel it too, Sir Aaron?" Tem asked. As he reached his arm out to tap my back, he stopped.

"Am I not good enough? Was I the problem? Please don't hurt me," I whispered. While they felt happy, I, too, did. But as the light dimmed, I didn't return to normal. No, I felt... lonely. The dimmed light slowly changed its color from a white dimming light to a dark, ominous one.

"S-sir Aaron? Are you—" Tem stopped his words as he sensed something different from me. His eyes widened in fear as he looked at me, unable to look away. My body was emanating an energy that brought fear to the child warrior.

"Aaron is here no longer, child," my body said.

And after uttering those words, my body fell to the ground with a heavy thud, like a lifeless ragdoll thrown aside. Tem snapped out of his fear, and Vigil ran towards my body in concern. But I woke up immediately after, took a deep breath, and sat up with my hands on my chest. "W-what happened? Was I out?"

“what the hell was that?” Vigil said as his eyes fixed on me, filled with concern and confusion.

The three of us stood up, and Tem patted my back to brush off the dust. Vigil then stared at the Sphere, now in its dormant state. “So, how was it? Is everything okay now?” I asked Vigil.

“Y-yeah, everything is okay now… What was that?” Vigil asked, eyes squinting in confusion. Then the three of us glanced at the sphere. “Well… Whatever that was, at least it worked,” Vigil continued.

“it did?” Tem asked Vigil.

“IT DID!!” Vigil yelled in excitement.

He then grabbed Tem and spun him in the air like a child holding a doll. Tem got excited and yelled, “IT WORKED!!” Both were happy with the result, yet I was lost in thought. What was that? it felt as like… bad memories. Vigil put Tem down and walked towards a drawer with skipping steps. He pulled out something from the drawer that was covered in a small handkerchief. He showed it to us and slowly uncovered the item. It was a ring, a golden ring. I was amazed by how shiny it looked. It was like newly polished gold, crafted by a master. It was beautiful.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Vigil asked as the three of us stared at the ring.

“Yes, it is,” I replied, entranced.

Vigil explained that the ring was a magic tool. Magic tools are used by people to utilize other types of magic, even if they don’t have the capacity or the knowledge to use that kind of magic. For example, if you mainly use water magic but you want to use fire, then you can employ a magic tool that's imbued with fire magic. However, it isn't easy to power a magic tool because you need a person to imbue a special metal with their specific magic to use it. Without that, it’s basically a waste of space.

“But, if this ring is a magic tool, how am I gonna use it?” I asked Vigil.

“Simple, you just need to wear it on your ring finger and imbue it with magic. Just like the DODO, this ring can utilize your natural essence… probably.”

“Probably?”

“Well… this is the first time I’m testing this item.”

“Is it safe?”

“Yeah, about 99% of the time. Only 1 in 10,000 people experience Magic tool overflow, which results in a loss of magic in the body. This can shut down the body, leaving you paralyzed for the rest of your life. Or, in most cases, you might just feel a slight tingle.”

“WHAT?!”

Vigil shrugged at my words and whistled, ignoring my words with an annoying face. If he was serious about this magic tool, it seemed like a pretty risky task. But I didn't want anyone to get hurt or worse just because I didn't give it a try. So, I inserted the ring on my left ring finger.

"Now what?" I asked Vigil.

"Now you imbue it," he replied.

"Sorry, but telling me to imbue something doesn't exactly teach me how to do it," I said.

Vigil proceeded to explain to me how to imbue the ring with magic. He described it as being as simple as pouring water from a cup, but also emphasized that, just like overfilling a cup with too much water, this could cause problems if not done right.

I nodded my head and took a deep breath. This was his first test of this item. Of course, he couldn't test it on his own; he didn't possess the same power as me. Both Tem and Vigil took multiple steps back. Vigil put on his goggles and handed Tem a spare. "Here," he said. Tem grabbed the goggles and put them on. "Thanks," Tem replied.

"Make sure you don't lose that; it was my daughter's when she was a kid," Vigil warned. Tem, upon hearing this, Tem nodded frantically, making Vigil smile in amusement.

"Here goes," I said. I closed my eyes and focused on the ring. As I concentrated, Vigil whispered some advice. "Imagine you're pouring water on the ring. Also, make sure not to over-pour it. Picture yourself pouring it slowly so the ring doesn't..."

"I understand. Let me focus."

"Oh, my apologies... I tend to get excited during tests like these," Vigil replied.

I focused intently on the ring, visualizing the pouring process. Slowly, I tilted the imaginary cup, careful not to spill. As I concentrated, the ring began to glow, emitting a soft light. Vigil clenched his fist, and Tem watched with furrowed brows. Then something peculiar happened. The ring's glow faded, and its texture transformed. What was once a smooth gold-like material had shifted to silver, now adorned with multiple lines.

I slowly opened my eyes and gazed at the ring adorning my finger. Raising it above my head, the soft silver glow danced off its surface. I turned to show it to Vigil. "Is it done?" I asked him. Vigil took my left hand and closely inspected the ring. "Hmmm... Yes," he affirmed. Excitement filled him, and he removed his goggles, dropping them onto the floor.

He strode to a nearby table, placed both hands on it, clenched his fists, and looked up, taking a deep breath. "IT WORKED!" he bellowed with exhilaration. He then whispered to himself, "Finally... I have proof that the stories are real, I am fullfilled." With tears in his eyes.

I clenched my fist and turned to Vigil. "How am I going to save Grace with this?" I inquired. Vigil proceeded to explain how this magic tool functioned. The ring will serve as a generator for Grace, compensating for her loss of Natural Essence. "There's one more thing that astounds me," Vigil added, gazing at the ring on his hand. "After a magical tool is created, the lines signify their expiration dates. One line represents 10 years. But this ring has more than 20 lines," he continued. "How did you pour this much essence into this tiny thing without destroying it?” I just nodded and smiled. I mean, it is my first time after all. Vigil sighed and proceeded to explain what the lines represent. One line represents 10 years as an expiration date, but that 10-year span means nothing if it's used immediately, which is called active magic tools. In the case of the ring, it is a channeling magic tool, which means it's not for one-time use. The individual lines gradually shrink every time it's used. For example, active magic tools are like fireballs – one-time use items, while a channeling tool is akin to lighting a torch. It has a lifespan and is not as effective for direct attacks most of the time but can still be used for that purpose.

After our little science experiment with Vigil, Tem returned the goggles he had borrowed. His hands were trembling as if he held something more valuable than life itself. It was adorable to see this side of him. I had met a couple of other elves, but none of them had quite the same attitude as him.

The three of us went upstairs and walked outside the house. I looked at Vigil, and he looked at me. I smiled at him with gratitude. "Thank you for all your hard work," I said. Vigil smiled and gazed ahead, clearly fulfilled with the results of his efforts.

The three of us headed out to the Hospital.

End of chapter