30 minutes ago…

The grand Maester of the Ruytsian Kingdom, walked to his personal tower, one of the most prestigious in the entire kingdom. 

Recently his fame and prestige went through the roof when his magical research about mana crystals, made another breakthrough, his great contribution of almost making them have the rudimentary instincts of animals provided the kingdom with a new arsenal of weaponry that they could deter their enemies against. 

But aside from some experimental weapons made using this new type of mana crystals, there was no immediate plan of use to his crystals, though as fascinating as they may be, they were lacking something, or so said his superior, the only one above him in terms of knowledge, magical studies, and status. He wanted to refute him, but he knew that his crystals had no substance at this stage of development.

Mana crystals, magical orbs found in locations overflowing with mana, which is the energy of the world, we're a resource that every nation fought for. Especially in this era where magi tech was appearing in great numbers. His research essentially began as a way they as in his nation could secure the safety of their crystals even if it was stolen. His job was to encode or imprint the crystals with a unique signature that only they could access to the energy stored in the crystals, but as he, the head researcher of this project delved deeper into the characteristics of mana crystals, he was fascinated by it.

To his amazement he found that mana crystals could be imprinted with actual spells, this first discovery which was 60 years ago distinguished him among his peers, and propelled him into prestige, for the next 30-50 years he researched the limit the process of imbuing spells on mana crystals, establishing his nation as one of the leading experts in magi tech, as well as being one of the strongest in the world. These days even commoners had access to simple magi tech such as stove tops powered by a mana crystal imbued with a simple fire spell.

Though he might have not been the one to make all the magi tech, they all relied on his magic crystals. But he wasn't satisfied or even ready to end his career as a researcher, and set his sights on a revolutionary idea that came to him when his granddaughter who was playing with a magi tech toy, uttered "Why can't he speak with me grandpa?" she asked so innocently.

"Because it isn't alive," he replied casually while he was reading some book. It was one of his relaxation days, where he spent time with his family, or what was left of it.

"Then can't you make him alive?" she asked with wonder in her eyes, not knowing the absurd thing she said.

"It's impossible, animating inanimate objects is something achievable, but making them alive like us is something not even the gods could do." the revolutionary idea hadn't occurred to him at the time, as he was barely paying attention to their conversation.

"Then you do it," she said without a worry, looking at him with bright eyes.

He quieted for a moment not sure how to respond to such a thing.

"For something to be alive, it has to have a soul, which inanimate objects such as mana crystal and your toy, don't have." this time he looked at her, waiting for the expected response he suspected he will get.

"Then give my toy a soul, so that he can speak with me," she said while smiling at him with a smug look as if her answer was a revelation.

"HAHAHA," he just laughed, not taking her answer seriously.

"Why are you laughing?" she asked innocently, walking to where he sat, and asking him as she clutched her puppy-looking toy.

Pulling her up to his lap, he took the toy from her hands, opening its chest, he popped out the mana crystal powering it. Holding it in front of her eyes, "This here is the source of energy your toy uses to walk, there is nothing in here that could make it alive." he explained as his hand glowed, showing the projection of the exact spell imbued in the mana crystal that he was holding. 

He watched as she played with the projection of the spell, one where complex lines and runes intersected each other to form a ball of spinning hearts. It wasn't that the spell's actual shape was that of a heart, it was just him playing with the projection to entertain his granddaughter, eventually as he played with her more, he began to project her puppy toy, making it jump and sprint on the air around her, and she began to chase after it while laughing.

This projection spell was a recently developed one, able to project whatever the user desires, it was intended for illusion-type use, but they still haven't found a way to give it colors. More than that it was taxing on the mind thanks to all the details needed to maintain it like he was doing now, and it was energy taxing as well, able to only be used a few times by the average mages.

But to him it was worth it to use, seeing as his granddaughter was smiling so happily, moreover, he was no average mage, he was one of the highest-level mages in the kingdom, and the spell's energy use was insignificant in his eyes.

He changed the projections, from various toys, to animals, soldiers, mages, and all kinds of shapes, entertaining his granddaughter since this was the only few days he gets to spend time with her. He had duties he had to attend to most of the year, and as he suspected she was probably lonely, given the fact she asked him if her toy could speak with her.

"Sigh.. should I retire now? I could probably advance my research on the uses of mana crystals, but at this point, it's not worth it." He had a regretful expression on his face. Because he was obsessed with his research, his daughter rarely ever saw him, now she won't even call him father preferring to use his title, he didn't want to repeat the same mistake with his granddaughter.

At night as he was sleeping in his bed, he looked at the ceiling, a thousand thoughts crossing his mind every second, but today one thought kept reappearing in his mind.

Like an itch, it tingled his mind, refusing to leave, 'Can't you make him alive?' that sentence repeated in his mind, again and again, until it was the only thing he could think of, he felt like he was on the edge of grasping something, something revolutionary, yet it was elusive.

'Why can't I make him alive,..... yes why can't I?... because it's a ridiculous and impossible thing…..but is it really?' two sides of him were clashing in his mind, one having thoughts others would call blasphemous, the other skeptical and unbelieving.

It was that time 13 years ago that the seed formed in his mind, and today will decide if his revolutionary idea is achievable or not.