Part 2: Untwisted Fate

 

"Are you crave to me now?" Erika kneaded soundly the back of my dress, each tingle fluttered a loosening nervous strain. My scattered ventilation calmed down, I felt becoming still and let this affection expanded as broader as I could swim. I didn't care about the awkwardness from three girls at the other seat. "There, there."

My tears were about to emerge but I tied up. Like always. Never showed the nuisance to anyone. I didn't want it to be.

While I drifted to this euphoria offering, my renura lu for this time felt somewhat unusual. I remembered every single thing and it didn't disappear like always. I seemed not to need to update my journal.

<So, I'm born in a magic world and this is not my world.> I knew right away without any further inquisitory. <Where am I, exactly? Alchemy potions only? Solarpunk like one of Erika's favourite novels? Future of steam advancement that I heard in history class?>

Everything I had learned before introduced a form of a ball. The image was so fluidly immersed to my core, I could advance almost. I was late to grasp its relieved points as it vanished out of thin air. However, one matter I noted was the colour. Pink. No. Red...purple-pink. It was kind had redness but not a thick red. More to the pink like an orchid or sigrap. A chromatic animal that shifted to star ball when in dangers and could glow in the darkness. Seeing sigrap reminded me of gummy, cloud, cotton sugar.

It was strange because that memory was so long-distance even further before the debt crisis. I felt like a baby once more. Was it because of how Erika's smell grabbed me to Mom? The emotion and touch given by Erika wasn't a cousin related. It was much deeper and complex. Like... Like... <Haha...> Like having my own daughter.

"Are you done, Siqura?" Erika was about to raise her arms. "This kind embarrassing."

"Just a little longer." I pushed in.

"W-Wait? Are you sniffing me? Stop it! You're been looney now."

I also recalled something that I forget. A long and long time ago. My life. I realized I was transported into a foreign land. Or was it a different whole world?

Magic land. This was where I was living. The magic knowledge had grown into an arsenal of my history.

Did I reborn? No. It didn't make sense since many holes in my head had replaced with a different type of worlds.

Where did it start?

I had encountered that muscled man behind the school, a few seconds later I ended in a different world without noticing it. In the world made of blueprint technology. Its knowledge felt so advanced and superior to magic yet had a medieval vibe, undeveloped land. As if the nature of the blueprint was stored hidden. In the aforementioned land, I fell sick and was removed into another strange place.

Steampunk land I presumed. It was almost similar to the {A Tale of Two Stupid Nations} book that given by Erika. Gears and black smokes were everywhere. Wasteland. Wars that never stopped. A world full of drastic change and unresolved laws. That was right. That world where I found the undead exactly. Not here or others. I remembered my first magic after struck by the bad luck of sneaky trap. It was designed to kill anyone who found the secret and tried to escape.

Soon after, when I heard my mother was hospitalised, I grasped that place was no good. My heart pounded for a cleaner hospital and I was transported into the rune...or hero world. But wasn't alchemy hospital had a perfect chance?

Until the school trip, there was a giant rock that dropped from the sky and about to destroy the trip. It was like meteor spell that I forget its name. Was that why the trunk collapsed on the train? But if someone did to stop the train, then perhaps it was same as the meteor. With the world of heroes, someone might cast the spell of Superweapon Magic. It was in the Tenth Tier.

However, no one was killed after the train stopped. Maybe it was for another reason.

Each piece that I wrote in the journal had mixed, combined, revised together, gave me a full picture of what was happening. Each step induced me closer to authenticity.

Urgh. My head hurt so much, I didn't sure what to react anymore. Why my life altered like this after I could retire with the glory of money? Ah. If not for the Ercient Ghaunom, I might have no chance like this. In one-of-millionth chance, I was chosen to somehow enter the hero world and met him.

Wait a minute? What if I stayed in the magic world until the debt's date arrived? In that cave, I used magic to escape from the trap. But if it was my original world, I was sure it had magic nullified area like a sabotage-type spell. Without magic, I should already die at the bottom of the corrupted hole, without anyone unearthed me.

<Did I survived because of the world skipping around?>

This strange phenomena of moving many different worlds had saved my life, many times actually. And now, it brought me to the time before I and Ainari died by the hand of that undead. But it wasn't the same one with the undead in that ore mine. In the mine, it felt like a minion or summoned entity such as my Shudovo. On the other hand, that one came across at the hotel had white bones and active sparkling ruby-eyes. It was alive to me and had its own control as I heard it spoke to me.

Plomunic. Infection. Why they all had the same name and same signs when someone infected? Did be in different worlds had something to do with it? This somehow seemed like a chosen hero. Or I might hit some magician's experiment.

No. That was impossible. I needed to talk to that muscled man again. Perhaps, I would meet him again. Since he looked like a college student, I had to find where he went. Nevertheless, did he existed in this world?

Hold. I could do whatever I wanted later. But forthwith, I had to save myself and Ainari from been killed by the undead.

As I commenced to gather my outlook and hugged Erika who her heart growing louder, I saw a clouded sky blinking and then one thunder stormed to the earth at the next mountain. I raced to the window to see that strange red thunder that I knew. That was a laser-type spell. And I saw in a split moment, gigantic magic circles. It was the same red mana that sabotaged my spigen. What was he doing there?

"Siqura!" Erika called me in a hurry but I was sure she tried to warn me not to put my head out of the window. "Hey, Siqura. Siqura! Siqura!"

I strained my eyes to peer through a large distance as trees sped to the right and a shower snowflakes pierced down on the super-fast train, I noticed a person was floating with wings of Eagelin. I was sure, the thundering laser was part of a magic spell. But red mana? Or was it a normal colour for the spell? The laser-type spell was known as the modern type. It was developed to reduce mana usage by using only intense heat without flame. Of course, very indestructible attack and perfect accuracy. No spells could stop the attack as far as my own knowledge.

"Stop daydreaming!" Erika shook me. "You're going to fall."

More importantly, I wondered if the undead going to attack Ainari again. I had a thought, the undead probably was going to erase me to retain the secret.

She looked at me, stopping her hand from eating the orange. "Have a problem?"

I avoided her glance. She said it was rude but her face was still scary.

Promptly, I had to think a way for me and her to survive. I memorised Ainari was a fairy race even now she wasn't. Her weakness of the race remained the same. She had the fastest wings but very feeble body. Why she saved me at that time? To repent her guilty after what she did to me?

Either way, even she was a big...professional bully in the academy, I wasn't her. That was why I would save her. All my hatred would be put aside. Besides, he readied to apologize before got killed. I could ask her to teach me one of her special spells as payment for her wrongdoing. If I ended in the magic world in the future, though.

Without warning, the train braked and pushed me onto Ainari's laps. Ah. Why I forget this?

* * *

Fenorica tapped her palm to the piece of uneven wood. A green spark employed and morphed together with the wood then converted it into a smooth rod shape. It was the transmutation. The white glove with a small square symbol at the back was transmuter, some sort converter device. Energy, molecule, material...anything. Except for death and loss age. It was widespread law in this world. Couldn't revive death or revert to a younger self.

I didn't remember or perceive how its process running other than before I regained my memory. It seemed when I forget who I was, everything fluently entered into my mind as if I was living here since I was born without any effort.

Now that I was in my real self, everything I saw became a new thing to explore. Since I reminded myself about the engine before, the plan methods about it already inside my head. Of course, this engine didn't exist in the magic world. We used a ship and a few magic spells to travel at a long distance. My part-time experience about that involved fixing the spell and repair only outer layer of the ship like building a house's roof.

It was amazing how years of experience could be transmuted into this world's knowledge. Like learned only one subject but mastered two subjects that wholly different.

"Are you sure it's going to be fine?" said the captain, frightened if I tore something. He persisted pacing back and forward, didn't able to take a pleasant peace.

"Ah... Hm." I nodded then inspecting the rod's shape discreetly. "I used to work...at the garage for the heavy engine." It tasted weird when I seated it into my mouth.

"How a damned piece of transmuted-wood fixes everything?" said one of the mechanics, snuffled a jerk at me.

"Is it my fault?" Fenorica's eyes released shaking-tears.

"No." The mechanic flinched. "I meant...your transmutation is excellent as a disciple of one of the best alchemists in the world, Ercient Ghaunom The Aether Alchemist." He gave a full title to calm down her.

He was correct. Ercient was one of the well-known alchemists. He had been given the special certification by alchemist scholar world, The Aether Alchemist as someone who discovered a formula to convert aether energy into something else.

"Siqura, are you sure you can do this?" Erika looked like she aspired to hammer me a sense. "If something break, paying a ransom is not enough."

<We, Erika? Why you put yourself in?> "Thanks, Erika. You're the best my chil ― friend I had." I was almost said, {child}. A good feeling I got from her didn't sink up till now.

"Don't full of yourself." The mechanic cut my bonding time with Erika, he barked at me, composing a deafening scene. "The wood will split if you set inside the massive engine before two seconds. We better wait for an expert than a will to a girl who playing mechanic. Go home."

After had been ignored by many people, when someone hoped me to save their train, how I couldn't feel good. Sure, I would show him what I could do from the skills I learned for life. I had already fixed a clock, bed, roof, trinket, burner... All for getting cheap stuff for home.

The captain extracted the mechanic away before someone else hear this. In this world, mechanical works had a small demand than an alchemical job. Because most transports in the world used aether-type energy than eufbauna, the fresh leaves-fuel that cooked under alchemical technique. Clean resource but slow than aether. Because aether was so expensive, it would take years to adapt for all transportation. Soon, all mechanics would be displaced by alchemists.

"Siqura, shouldn't you take a rest for a minute before arranging this?"

Several days had passed and I still didn't rid shades under my eyes. But what she said was valid, I could feel the tiredness didn't fly comfortably. Having Erika here, revived me a lot to recapture some alertness to begin the process.

"It seems the esegua will arrive soon," said Fenorica complained to herself after left the public phone. Their communication technology had a bit backward than the blueprint world. No cellphone existed here. "Maybe I should follow Master."

In the magic world, we had postmen who used high tier of a fly-type spell. But now, I wished they had some sort of telegram spell at least. Better, like a mobile phone spell.

The mechanic replaced the glass tank with others after the captain managed to push them off, prevented from the passengers heard anything and worried. Like as if the train was going to explode. The mechanics then filled the green fuel into the tank, I watched the fuel level raising a bit by bit. It created a liquid boiling sound.

"Different world..."

"Hm?"

"Sorry, Erika. I talk to myself."

The damaged-engine reminded me of the date that part-time. It was the worst memory, I stopped thinking. A debt destroyed a person life. And I would never borrow or make myself involved in such thing again even I had to eat my own flesh to alive and turned into a vampire. It was a magic joke. I was too excited about this wilderness.

Once the captain surveyed the sides and gave me the permission I had been idling for, I leaned on the roller and propelled it into the beneath of the engine. Every component displayed and linked like in a steam train. Except for the fuel, didn't pollute or destroy the air.

The connector was at the centre, next to the ignitor where it stirred the fuel and the connector's task was to spread the converted-energy to the wheels in the whole train.

In the magic world, my boss taught me about this piece of the puzzle in the making of the spell regarding the core of the ship. Its name was also {connector}. It made me queried if it was a coincidence to have the same name with different variants.

Plucked out the old connector, the five fragments once a single important main became nothing but a collection of useless scraps. With my fingertip, I fondled slot container to recreate the same shape. The knife spigen cut the wooden rod to match it. Like making a skeleton key. That was why I didn't ask Fenorica to transmute a metal. It was going to be tough to trim for such precise chore. Even with her transmutation skill.

After several attempts, at last, I was done dealing with the connector. It slewed into the gap splendidly gist without an accident.

"Captain!" I drove myself out.

"Y-Yes? Did you break something? No. Don't tell me. I need to exercise first. One two. One two." He did a squat, still owning a hard time to breath. One of captain responsibility was to protect all passengers during the ride. He couldn't let someone questionable fix the train and expected it would be exceptional.

"How long before we reach the station at a full speed?"

"In this poor weather?" He sniffed. "Four hours if nothing blocking our way. But the blow might heave the marmath off the rails, I needed to use a deliberate setting. So, six hours at my best estimate and craft. Um? Why...are you...asking this?" His face suddenly went white.

What was this? It didn't change. We succeeded two hours in the previous timeline which was six if I added the retardation of the specialist mechanic and still was even after I adjusted the engine. The storm would stop during the night, so that was how the train beat the station with only two hours after the mechanic came.

Was there anything else I could perform?

"Then, I would set several ideas to make the train unable to go out of the roadway if you could secure within one hour."

"Is that possible? Do you understand, girl? This is not a doll. Don't make fun of Myrid Aladus."

"I learned from the specialist."

"How I could trust that?"

"Just examine it after I have done, Captain." I laid down to the roller. "It would be more dangerous if we rode through the storm like this."

This could be done. If not, the connector would break. It was simply a wood after all.

<I need to make the connector never break for about one hour.>

"{Sicrony: Gangon}," I cast the spell in a whispering tone. I couldn't let anyone acknowledge my magic. The knife fluctuated in a green stream, the glows flew to the connector, illuminating other components in a few seconds. Next, I applied evoker knowledge taught by Evana to gain the effect's strength. Hardening Armor presented the caster wearing the armour of mana. It was oppressive. But the movement division inside the spell what made the person could walk with zero weight. I erased that part which possible thanks to this evoker ability.

If I was in the previous self, I would never know about the battlemage's unique speciality was the duration of the supportive spell. It could be stretched up to one day based on the spell.

Since I was only highschool girl, the speciality wasn't able to reach even one hour.

Therefore, with a combination of evoker golden rule, I increased the duration by using mana supposed to be inside of those {zero weight} parts and thus it matured longer. Using math formulas I had some from the day I was still this world native, I calculated how many mana points I ought to append to generate a total one-hour duration.

In the alchemy world, math was an expensive talent and people paid a lot of money for someone who became a cashier, accountant, and math-related job. So far, mathematician and alchemist had same high-rate payment.

For instance, there was a math formula to estimate when the fruit dropped from the tree based on the date of the seed planted, the water volume, and the soil condition. All this math what supply the alchemy to its scope than simply potions and drugs. This world surpassed the alchemy subject from my magic world.

I turned my head toward the back of the train and used, Fodem. Since it signified a bomb for gravity, I handled the fuse and the {target location} parts and replaced with the attraction component from Notera Annom(Pathfinder Light) and some of the mechanism from Shudovo{Psuedo Soul}. Both were First Tier of Magic Spell. I chopped these parts after cast them and placed together into the Fodem. For momentarily, I named it {Never Go Out of The Trail Again}. Why I even bothered?

This was a racial bonus of Inome, Inomern. Ability to cast multiple spells at once from one same spigen source. Under Evana's guide, my limit increased to three spells when before the training, I could only use two at a time. Like the time when I utilised Gangon and Fodem to open the huge boulder, so I could escape from that nightmare underground base. It looked like a place to nurture a colony of undeads.

Notably, the opportunity was given by Evana, a real Grandmaster of Earth as she proclaimed had mastered the Hombirel of Seventh Tier Magic Spell. Generally known as moderate area effect spell but could create disturbing quake growing from the earth and swallow fifty huge and powerful regenerative trolls. Almost threatful as myth dragon.

The train began creaking when the spell was placed under the centre point of the train. A new spell was constructed at the spot, rooted the train's body toward the earth firmly, the pathfinder assisted to find the direction of the railway, and then the Shudovo spell aimed to bind the wheels onto the pathfinder so if there was a broken track on the way ― since the storm made hard to see the roadway ― the train would accompany it as if there was an inconspicuous track.

I did a closing observation with the technique of rune combining to test bug problem from the logic conditional phase. If the storm decided to flip the train, the spell would strengthen the binding impact by mustered more mana from the resource. It was measured to detect how far the train about to spring to the air.

Erika put her handkerchief to my sweaty forehead after I exited from the crampiness under of the train. This wasn't my first time doing this kind rushing task. I glad I did it.

"Please give it a go...captain."

The captain climbed into the driver seat and ignited the engine. The tank bubbling from the bottom, it bloomed with grass and root smelling smokes under the train and the funnel. The entire train excited resounding a sudden back and forward when the connector did its role.

"It's work?" I uttered unconsciously.

"Hah?!" Erika covered her mouth upon startled. "<A-A-Are you sure this going to be alright?>"

"<Um...maybe?>" I felt terribly sorry for the captain. My confidence started backsliding.

"<Hey, Siqura! Are you forget we are going to be at inside too?>"

"What are you waiting?" The captain peeked through the shutter. "It's better than waiting for the storm to hit first. Get in."

I stared disbelieve. Formerly, I had a common knowledge like everybody else, doing usual things at a convenience valuation. But now, <I...> I dismantled the lengthy research years of those spells only in short minutes with assist not my experience of part-times, but the living in different worlds. Afterwards, I merged them like it was a small matter. Where the old Siqura had gone?

A mixture of some general knowledge of blueprint, steam, rune, and alchemy became absolutely invaluable when my magic heightened the work of an enormous number of people. I was sure, Evana going to be overwhelmed when I informed her I built a modified spell in just a few minutes...seconds. Truly, I did unconsciously in an instant when I recalled my multiple memories.

"How about you?" asked Erika to Fenorica who watching at the spring butterfly. It was snowy but it didn't mean winter here. We're currently on the top mountain that separated us via Avicenna Island. Thin air, low visibility. That was why it demanded time for the specialist to hike and rage the hill.

"I will remain here for the esegua. Nice work on the train. Should I recommend you to my master?"

"Ah...thanks but...I'm fine for now."

"Don't mind me."

"Let's go, Siqura." Erika grabbed my hand.

"Hm."

The train safely arrived through the snowstorm as the night had dived in after about one hour. We came early six hours from what I anticipated. Good. The first hurdle I was able to dive through, immediately I had to quick for changing the room placement.

At the street when Erika got distracted last time, the shady woman wasn't there. Probably, she was going to open the stall at the later night. If I wanted to see her and ask about the sandglass, I had to remember the welcoming time.

The captain in his gimcrack stomps rushed toward me before I could budge from the train. He uprooted me in flaring eyebrows when he said the expert mechanic wanted to grill me.

The specialist man tossed to me the wooden connector. Its enchantment had dissolved, thus split into several pieces. "What manner of trick do you practice with this one item? Did you realize a hundred lives are mounting with you? Even no one perished, this part is the most sensitive components in the engine. What are you going to do if it crumbled during the ride? They didn't teach any mechanic at the school because it took a long training to be able to mess the partition directly without knocking other sensitive parts."

<W-What? That is not secret at all! My boss lied to me.>

Benseling appeared beside me and yanked my arm. He hawked at the specialist, his relaxing character switched into a conservative stance. He planned to use alchemy if the man did any suspicious endeavour.

"Oh?" The specialist turned to Benseling without the same opinion. "Are you his teacher? Do you know what your student did? She ―"

"― let's go." Benseling pushed me away and rushed to leave the uproar.

I followed him, glancing back. Why he wore like my dad? Was he in a disguise? But he didn't have any trait or feel as with my father. After for a while, Benseling dragged me into the hidden alley.

"Who is he?" I asked after Benseling stopped and gave a big relief. This was the first time I saw him this anxious. He was one of the agents under the king. Being fearful wasn't something rare for him. So why he acted like this for one ordinary man?

"You will appreciate once you graduated. Just for now, Siqura. Just for now. Don't go to that man. Never."

"Is he my father?"

"This again?" Benseling returned to her carefree posture, freeing the tension on his eyes. "Of course, not. I told you, I saw your father burned in that explosion."

"Then..."

"So, hot. How about a drink?" He flapped toward his neck. "I'm want to get a drink. I will get some."

"W-Wait..."

He fled from my question and ran into the student crowd.

All of sudden, I missed him. <Dad.>

Having unexplained situation, I obeyed to the crowd, opened to join Erika's group once more.

The sequence events remained the same, Erika attempted to roaming shops around the town even before we arrived on the island. I wondered why she behaved so weirdly. I meant what so eyes catching in the haircut saloon? Or about a park fulled of concentrated men playing a game of blind chess? Did she too hyper and overreact due to the school trip?

I arrested Erika and insisted her into the cable car area. At the edge of the hill, many iron-rods spread between the land and the massive island. Same as before, all I could see was green plants even on the building's wall. It had pure air.

Awaiting my turn in the student line, we finally entered one of these pulley-transports. I considered that as winning since I could pick a safe room today.

<Why?>

Halvenzo seemed to receive about the idiot who fixing the engine. Which meant, I got a nice lecture and confined inside the lobby area as the number of students decreased. Benseling attempted to soothe her down but it didn't work.

Thanks to this tiny adventure, everything I did today had zero development advantage. Erika signed up with the same student as before while Onyeka with Thlesy. As if the world had granted a believable impression about my destiny in this timeline, would always in the same room with Ainari.

It helped me a lot to save her from been killed. However...

After Halvenzo's presentation alleviated, "How many and where?" I cut through Ainari who just about to get the last room. She disliked my action but didn't revert against me. We're in the same room after all.

"Pardon?" The hotel manager was blinking several times.

"The available rooms what I implied to ask."

"Um...three. Two at the upstairs and..." He flipped through the keys behind, on the board. "Those what we have now."

"Rooms on this floor too."

"Ah...about those... They are quite an expensive suite and definitely not part of your ―"

"― I will pay for the remaining!" I placed five hundred-notes.

"Well, oh!" He smiled with golden-coin eyes. "If you paid the amount, then what I could speak more. Welcome to Avicenna Island."

"Wait a minute!" Ainari slapped the counter's board. "Even she has a new room, I'm still going upstairs."

<W-Why nonsense she discoursed? Did she apprehend she was going to die?>

If the string of fate declared she was going to die anyway, would this be the end? Then, why I returned to the train if I should die at that moment? This might be a chance. To proof, I had pride as a human being. Even as Kingdom's Betrayer.

There, she went with the key to the upstairs without holding for a minute.

The shivery blood of Ainari had never forgotten once by this stiff hand of mine.

<Dad. What I should do now? You always told me to be nice to other people.>

And I did a good job to not making more worst than possessing the title. I protected my father's pride to extend of some people motivated to believe my father wasn't what the king encouraging about.

He was a hero. And even now. I could never be one but at least, I could still save a person life.

How did I suppose to make Ainari's change her mind? Give money? Threaten her? I should drag her forcefully. Perhaps, she would be more obedience. After lifting her body last time, I knew she was weak without her followers.

Think. <Think a real idea please.> If not, she was going to upstairs and I would regret this for my entire life.

Could I convince her somehow?

"You can be in the room likewise," I said to her. "I will settle for everything."

"What are you imagining? You can go ahead so I could have a whole room for myself."

It didn't get through. I didn't know how to convince a person. I was never ever good with talking other than receiving an order or any part-time related.

Looked like, I had no other way than using my secret trump card.

I paid full rent for the suite and started to follow her to upstairs. This was wasted but I had no choice.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't have enough money without cutting cost." I lied surely. No one really knew about my large amount of wealthy other than Erika and close family members like Uncle Daizon and her wife, Aunt Lizera. Maybe, also the person in the shark loan. Although, as far I could retain, Dasprain Unolk Society was supposed to exist in the magic world, not in a hero world.

"Here." Ainari relinquished me the key to the room.

"Why I had to do this?" I replicated as in the last timeline to confirm whether it was same or not.

"Because someone's luggage seems smaller."

This meant we're going to die if we stayed but in this room. I still had time considering it occurred during a few minutes before dawn. It was night but not yet over midnight.

I carefully clutched the key and inserted it into the door. "Here. It clear, my master." I tried adding variation to see if I could change her reply.

"Well done, my servant." She entered first without any different answer than last time.

I had to give all my best to change her death.

I sat on my bed, watching the blank ceiling. Ainari stared at me once in a while to see what I was doing. I ignored her.

About five to six minutes, eventually she walked into the bathroom while provided notification to not uncover her bags. She absorbed inside the tub, singing a song that I couldn't comprehend. I was not a music girl.

Furthermore, having a ridiculous nightmare was a normal occurrence during the debt days. Each day, I couldn't really sleep well to skip the night. There wasn't a long relief moment for me to maintain my sight or mental care. And if this continued, I knew I would break.

To make me capable to relax my body and my unstoppable heart, I learnt this spell, "{Siclony: Exos Beluna}." Second Tier, Sleep Radiance. It was the only purpose for having it occupied my limited spigen's spell reservation.

No matter a rat or hyperactive Halvenzo stayed in this room for 30 minutes, they would fall to the enticement. The influence was dull, thus took a long time. The smaller the room, the better. So, I pointed the knife spigen inside the bathroom. She might trust me I wouldn't dare to do anything, thus didn't lock the door.

A misty kind layer was spread throughout the bathroom, my eyesight was blurry as if when someone felt sleepy. I quickly whirled my head back before it socked me. I was tired and this spell was very persuasive for my state.

Even Ainari still full alert, our body from heat to cold when bathing had a genuine sign to ascertain how long would it take for the spell to slipping into her blood circulation and exposed to irresistible for closing eyes.

I endured peeking inside the tub, making sure she didn't get drown. Though, she dropped to sleep about one minute without sank into the water tub. Put a blanket into my nose, I hauled her out of the high radiation zone.

Grabbed nightwear she had prepared prior, I harnessed her into Ainari's princess-alike body. She really had a refined posture than me. My hands had a rough texture after scrubbed many plates. And I had few muscles in my shoulders after moved a lot of heavy stuff.

But at least, I could bring Ainari out without any doubting. Next, I embedded her cold jacket to cover her body. I couldn't let her out with such skinny clothes. Even I despised her, I didn't want to do this. It had nothing to do with being good or not.

Now I recollected it, Ainari had cut my uniform during gym glass, I had to wear tracksuit all day. If she chose another day to create such humiliation, I might be stuck in the shower, who knew until when. There was some thoughtful part from Ainari.

<Hah... What I'm saying?>

Like she cared.

Boosted her into my back, I seized her bags and mine with one hand. My other hand had to become a chair for Ainari. Then made a way to the counter, I took out the key. Of course, there was no refund but it was cheap if not to grow as a carcass.

After a slight while, a man that was dead on the foot stairs in the previous timeline was behind me. He proceeded to the next counter as it had five people handle the front of the hotel.

"Lucky, someone just checks out, sir."

"Ah...good. I forget to reserve beforehand. Catch up with the storm you know."

Glasses, checker shirt, brown pant, and a suitcase with a lot of exam paper exposed a bit out of the folder, I could assume he was a teacher...or might be a professor for the university. He had that kind of vibe.

He produced the money and picked the key that I just contracted out. I had a strong-bad response. When I decided to address him, my voice went stuck. Like a strange cord sloped me back. I couldn't twist his fate. Regardless I wanted to chase and overpower him to not rent a room for tonight...something prevented me.

It was a strange emotion because I felt I had been controlled by somebody. There was a theory about time dominating spell. Of course, there was no actual proof if we could bend time. But there was a famous term of {Untwisted Fate} that even we could bend time, there was no way to change some particular fate. And I encountered this meaning for the first time of my life.

Somehow, I still wished to cast Exos Beluna into his room and moved him into my room. Yet, I couldn't again. The more I pushed forward, the more I lost my mind about what I was doing.

This felt like an opposite of renura lu where I couldn't remember what I want for a short amount of time. Losing my memory about the professor, I started to look around the suite, searching the building carefully to not wake up her. Of course, I recalled about him later, but after he was found dead.

The suite was quite impressive before I fully entered inside. There was a unique type of smell or flavour that looking forward to my stay here. The wall and ceiling had painted in red...kind of the crimson sun colour. It made the room as if a princess boudoir. There was only one huge roofed bed here. All glowing stones had nice containers that produced bright and dainty entertainment.

I didn't grieve for this room at the cost of the extraordinary price.

Elevated Ainari into the bed, I took off her jacket and pulled the blanket into her body. I got a feeling she would be very afraid after woke up in an unfamiliar room all of sudden. I would.

* * *

Accordingly, I departed from the room and quested around the night-stores to browse some puppets. Erika had once said, Ainari loved stuffed animals, her room filled with those. Hopefully, what I about to spend could simmer her down.

After ventured several stores, Erika proclaimed me from nearby. She seemed had been hunting me since I and Ainari wasn't on upstairs.

"Buy ―"

"― look like, some girlish still in you. Do you like that?"

I stared at the stuffed penguin. "I think..."

It had short legs and small feet. At the back and until shoulders were clothed in the black glossy dye, creating a tight moisture touch. Its chest had been devised white included in the face region. Its eyes revolted in blazing contacts, made from marbles. It smiled.

"No." I didn't find anything cute or fun about it. Perhaps, I already lost my feminineness appeal. "I'm buying for Ainari," I said, sighing.

"Ainari, huh?" Erika didn't appear surprised, began picking and dropping the stuffed animals. "How about that one?" She pulled my hand toward the other shelf.

"What?" I grabbed the girl-shape doll. It had pitched ink around its eyes, the hair part had black and white continuously repeated until to the root. Its one-hand moulded to the back while holding a knife. It smiled too but with the triangle-teeth showing at the front.

"Hahaha!" Erika buried her face, attempting to suppress her laugh. It didn't work.

"This is...very cute." I strived to act more ladylike, acted with a gracious smile. "It...amazing?"

"Haha...uh." Erika turned to me. "That is a joke."

Since Erika recommended this, Ainari might like this.

"Siqura."

I grabbed another different face of a same-type doll and walked to the cashier who offered a smile of someone when received a high salary. "I want to purchase this."

"Siqura, I'm kidding. It's seriously a gag."

The cashier calculated everything in a split second without an abacus. I recalled some memory when I was still a resident of this world, so my brain had secure some of the math skill. I found out the balance didn't pay enough to the total of the price.

"It's a discount. There are not many customers buy these. I'm glad someone finally took a liking. No one really understands how cute this doll."

Good. If I proceeded with this route, I might become back to a normal girl.

"Haah... I'm guilty side?" Erika hoisted her arms. "Anyway, where is your room? When I go just now, there is a man come out of the room. Wait...don't tell me?"

"W-What are you thinking? Of course, not. All debt is gone. I don't need money anymore."

"Sorry, sorry."

We stepped out of the store and encountered Onyeka and Thlesy who approached from a different direction, also searching for me and Ainari.

While I lied about the agreement of us to rent a better room, Erika and Thlesy seized my arms, screamed we should do a meeting about the plan for tomorrow in my room. Expensive opportunity. We bought a few snacks and grabbed take-out dinners buffet restaurant which already in the cost before went to the suite. The only premise here was never bringing the food out of the hotel.

The reason we couldn't in the last timeline because the restaurant didn't ready for business between three in the morning until daybreak. They obliged to brush up several things to make sure the food lingering fresh between the mealtime. There were also other restaurants around, those required our pocket money. Although, I heard from one of my co-worker in the past said they did this to make sure other restaurants had their profits as well. If not, the buffet would open 24 hours a day.

"Oh!" Erika sprung her head up toward a nice tone rhythm splashed thoughtfully into the room. Why one or two colours could execute the experience expensively and precious?

"Hoh!" Thlesy pushed the door to the massive bathroom, observing what was inside. I could hear she was expressing nonstop to the adornment.

I and Onyeka set leaf-bags on the table for two. We moved it next to the bed so it could become four.

"How much this cost?" Thlesy closed the bathroom, noticing red-waves design ran in the centre of all walls. At the below of waves had been tinted darker.

"Six hundred." Five, if Ainari didn't stubborn to proceed upstairs.

"S-S-Six hundred?" Thlesy shook her head, her hand evaded from attaining any farther. "No way. A normal room already expensive, this is like a high-class..." She turned to abeyant Ainari. All dolls already arranged around her. Thlesy was giggling too after seeing the dolls.

I nodded after demonstrating my result for being more lady-alike. If I kept it this way, I would be returned to society in no time. But, I had to work for the kingdom after graduation. Would I be housemaid in the castle? Or become a royal knight like Benseling? Perhaps, a special team like my father?

Well, it wouldn't hurt. Possibly, I should buy one of the dolls for myself.

Without Ainari in the discussion about tomorrow plan, everything became more smoothly. Onyeka and Thlesy would make a little group with Ainari while I and Erika would go to the medical centre and the aquarium.

But I gave up and said that Erika should go with Ainari instead. I would drop with Benseling to the museum. The last timeline when I left out, Benseling called me and suggested we should go together. Perhaps, he had been nice to me but that event didn't happen after this discussion was over. So, it was like I told them a future result.

Erika agreed with others, we decided to meet up near the carmath station to visit restaurant around before recovering to the hotel. Of course, we couldn't ride one, that was why we had to separate up.

Thlesy had been rolling next to the Ainari while relocated one of the dolls to Ainari's chest. She would see that doll upon first wake up. Erika lazily sat on the bed, almost collapsed asleep.

Even I invited them to stay, they felt simply because we had an expensive room that didn't mean they should disturb us. So they were about to leave once it hooked midnight. During that time, Ainari screamed all of sudden as if having a nightmare, she cursed a couple of times before dragged all her bags into Erika's room.

I was left alone. "What did I do wrong?" I picked the doll, thinking, perhaps I should choose the stuffed animals rather. At least, Ainari didn't pick our last room since I already delivered the key back to the hotel.

I wasted a few minutes in the room by practising the evoker technique or homework given by Evana. To earn the training more yielding, I cast Shudovo into all the dolls and commanded them to distract me while I maintained Annom with oblivion duration. As long I managed the channelling concentration, the mana light would be there floating in front of me. As for preventing the mana consumed at a great rate, I manipulated with evoker technique to break mana point into fraction as smaller as possible, thus tiny brightness but long stability.

The doll beside me jumped into my arm and poked my neck with its knife toy. One was on my left leg, attempted to tear off my shoe which impossible since it was part of the dress. It and some of the dolls pulled my legs off the bed instead. Of course, I let it do what it was trying to obey my command. Other dolls were running on top me, closing my eyes, and smacking my nose.

Yet, the light remained in its location without any slight change. That was why it was a waste of time. However, homework was deemed to be tedious, therefore I had to. If I ached to receive powerful spells to survive.

Pseudo Soul wasn't as true as it could be. In blueprint world, I cherished during the class the teacher said about the possibility of artificial intelligence. That was also the same theory in my magic world about the pseudo soul which when talking about the soul, it meant intelligence too. Whole life exactly. Like homunculus.

There was another spell high-tier from Shudovo called Shulonro. Second Tier. It was Bond Soul spell that increased its performance and capability depend on how potent the relationship with the person I tried to present it imitate.

This wasn't a battlemage arsenal but a summoner. I learnt this because when I used to cause the soul reflecting my father, it had a very shocking outcome. Agile and flexible with its revolver. That was adequate to prove how durable the bond with my father. I crossed the exam many times each year thanks to this specific spell. Of course, when I in pitch, I used battlemage support spells to strengthen the human-size doll. It became unstoppable. Thought, I failed when dealing with defence-type and long-range spells. Something was hard to deal against that Mana Firino.

"Stop." As soon I said that all dolls froze. "Step back." They moved back without any other motion. This how it looked like for a low-level pseudo soul.

I discarded the effect, then shouted, "{Siclony: Shulonro.}" The spirit of what it seemed entered into the doll. The ghost-like body meshed together with the doll in blue radiance. It created a tiny of my transparent father at the outer of the doll.

With Welno, I recast the same spell to individually doll. Then, I ordered them to fight each other. When the doll fired the ghost revolver, a small mana bolt was automatically cast by using my spigen. My father could cast Splimer Mana, but definitely not me. It was the Third Tier and ridiculously hard. Third Tier Of Magic Spells had known as Job Spells. Only people who faithful to the career that they tried to pursue would sacrifice their time to dedicate into the necessary spells.

As I wished for the doctor before, I might be learning some after graduation. Since it broke by what Benseling told me, I didn't sure what I had to pursue anymore.

"Do I need to prepare for an exam after all this?" I said this as I recalled about incoming few months for the exam of this year. It would work if I teleported back to the magic world. If not, I was forced to learn alchemy which impossible at that short amount of time. I would fail miserably.

Despite so, I improved the Trafen Mana used by the Shulonro. Usually, I needed spigen workbench that existed in the library's booth known as Spigen Dobaflun. Basically, a spigen specifically for construction and addition of new spells to the personal device.

However, with the evoker technique, I could do straightforwardly as plentiful as I had mana to spend. I poked into the Trafen Mana spell, carefully dismantle every symbol into the paper. I drew the number inside the magic circle due to habit to block anyone from peering into my spell and exploring for a weak point. It always happened a few weeks before the exam since it was hard to pass with talent and skill only.

All basic tiers ― first, second, and third ― had six magic circles. Thus, six papers.

Next, I cut the paper into several pieces and experimented by combine with other spells. This continued for a while, testing over and over, recovering my mana, and proceeding again.

I was so mindful with the work that I forget about the time when the undead was about to come. I managed to create a modified version of Trafen Mana. When the doll fired into my Mana Firino, the bolt dashed to the side instead of flying through forward and get destroyed by the shield. I also built a formula for predicting where the target will move the Mana Firino.

When I checked my time, the bolt attacked my body, I collapsed due to the trance part that I chopped from Exos Beluna. Of course, it was strengthened several times. In exchange for all these powerful adjustment and addition, the Trafen Mana was costing five mana points despite still within Second Tier.

To make more sense, I slaughtered the original magic system. "I'm a genius..." I said that as I dropped to knockout.

That was when I woke and saw how close the time for the undead.

I quickly squished all those papers and dolls into my bag and deposited beneath the bed. Then, I began leaving. As my hand barely hit the door, someone did first. A flush of heat caused my mind stopped, forgetting to breathe.

Was it the undead?

My eyes went wide, I hurried to turn off the light. That person still tapped on the door after no response I gave him.

Crawling to the door, I climbed and attempted to peek through the glass hole.

Dammit. I forget about Ainari want to apologize. I remembered the time and it was close to the time when the undead appeared.

<This is wrong!> I unbolted the door and clutched her arm. I suspended once more.

"W-What is that?" Ainari's head directed up.

That was weird. The sound of gunpowder was so loud that I could hear even inside my room. Yet, no one came to see what befell.

I examined the watch again. It passed the time when Ainari should die.

Did someone else die in exchange for Ainari?

From far, we heard the sound of papers falling and a gunshot right in this floor. It was the voice of that professor. Why I forget that too? We both dodged down immediately, sneaking into the room.

This all happened because I fell into sleep.

When I was about to close the door slowly, I heard the scream of a girl. The dread girl shouted help at the distance, no one appeared to open one of those hope-doors.

If my father was here, he could use Salvolin of Fifth Tier Magic Spell, and then dashed with bullet-like flying speed to grab the girl. He tried to teach me before but I was too spoiled with my father's fame and rich to do any hard work. Now I had to crawl like a dog to survive. No servant would cook me delicious food. Neither, cleaned wardrobe.

My heart was pounding, urging me to step outside. Because I was dead in the last timeline, the girl might be a person who would receive my fate soon. I knew, changing the past was impossible.

The girl voice suddenly ducked, I imagined she dropped. Right in front of this very door. I hear the crooking bone coming here.

<Somebody who strong enough. Please save the girl for me unable to and helpless against his untold power. Someone. Please please please!>

".....hhhHHAAARGH!" My prayer was answered immediately by someone who pushed the man out out the way.

I flipped the door open. Ainari tried to stop me but I nodded to refuse her.

"Oh, you." Fenorica grabbed the little girl and gave it to me. "Take care of her."

Caught her, I slowly peeked outside as Fenorica ran toward Ercient. He was the one who rushed against the undead.

"Damn!" Ercient used transmutation at a large scale, many spikes were growing out of the ground and pierced into the undead. Wall, block, tower... Yet, his bones were too unbreakable even without the flame.

"What's now, Master?"

"Give me that thing."

Fenorica unzipped her strap bag and tossed a purple object toward him. Ercient grabbed the object and did transmutation again.

I examined it as hard as I could. It seemed familiar.

The spikes that merged out from the ground and the hotel's walls grew faster than before. It appeared creating strange static sound to the undead's body.

"What was that?" The undead attempted to raise but his body felt heavy too me. "Purple void?"

"This? Philosopher stone," Ercient said as he stepped closer with his cane and the purple crystal. Each transmutation had a combination of the crystal.

No. It was the famous philosopher stone if it was here. However, if it was in a blueprint world, that was purple void.

<The three laws.>

The famous, the Equivalent Exchange.

The Darzah's Personality.

The 4th Dimension is A Depth of Time.

All of these laws were from alchemy. The first one created a transmutation. The second one created chemistry. And the last one had created the philosopher stone.

And the purple void had somehow a same function to the third law. It made me pounding about this similarity. Why blueprint world and alchemy world related? No. It was related to my magic world too like with rune and steam.

<I didn't understand.>

Did someone cast a powerful spell that made me ended in an alternate world? More importantly, why I remembered everything now after long weeks?

The undead started to flash his flame as Ercient moving closer.

"Wait! Don't come near." I yelled a warning.

Ercient stopped in an unexpected, the undead promptly burst the flame during the unsettling. He knocked the cane off the hand, another spike unable to raise.

However, Ercient used his glove transmuter against the purple void. It made the undead became slower. He quickly stepped back before the undead burned him alive.

"This is bad, aren't?" said the undead. "I suppose to kill every witness. But at the same time, I was ordered to not kill Ercient Ghaunom. How should I end this mission?"

"Who your master? Your king? Your handler?"

"Well, I guess I can kill them later." The undead's bones dropped, "Have a nice day, Ercient," and everything dismissed into ashes. "I will back. Hahaha!"

"Wait! Who are you? Damn!" Ercient kicked the ashed bones.

"Is he gone?" asked Fenorica.

"Probably. After I'm so close." Ercient took a breath. "How about the book that the professor is talking about?"

Fenorica shook her head. "I think, that undead already destroyed the book. But why he said he had been ordered to not kill Master? Usually, it's opposite."

"Who knows? Having brain-loose enemies are unexceptional for my circumstance. They will be dead nevertheless. Let's advance back for now."

Ercient and Fenorica then walked away from the scene of strange walls had been creeping by many spikes, naturally exposed out. He didn't even try to review on me or the fainted little girl.

But at least momentarily, if I somehow in deep trouble again with the undead, I knew who could fight him. Ainari began to confuse and surprise in many ways. We're just simply breaking the tension and waiting until the sunrise. I took care of the little girl, Aminder, until her father came. He was in a bartender suit like Aminder's uniform but in green.