January 12, 1640

Undisclosed Location

Magical Research Department, Facility 1

“Show me,” an eager Lee spoke.

Looking out toward an open plain, he stood beside Dr. Holden along with several other MRD researchers. Wearing protective gear and sheltered behind a bunker about half a mile from the test site, they glued their eyes to the blank monitor in front of them and the converter behind it. Wires connected to the converter stretched out of the room, snaking toward the boxy object in the distance.

Dr. Holden pressed a key on his laptop, initiating the experiment. A countdown timer mounted overhead began ticking, numbers announced by a monotone female voice. A curious blue glow emerged, surrounding the boxy object as it channeled energy from a magic gem within. As energy was siphoned from the magic gem, a gauge on the monitor crept up.

“100 watts… 200… 500… 1200! 3 kilowatts, 5!” A scientist read the numbers on the monitor aloud.

The blue glow in the distance soon dissipated, with the readings on the monitor falling to a corresponding degree.

“Any signs of radiation?” Dr. Holden asked one of his subordinates.

Looking at a Geiger counter, she responded, “Nothing at all. The source of the energy does not match any other energy generation sources we know of.”

Lee, unsure of the significance of these readings, walked up to Dr. Holden, asking him questions while the experiment died down. “So Doctor, does this mean we have a new source of clean energy?”

“Indeed, although we’ll have to run further tests. The implications of this experiment though… are groundbreaking. The fact that we can convert magical energy to electricity seems to suggest a relation between the two.”

“Then does that mean we can convert electricity into magical energy?” Lee wondered.

“That’s precisely what we hope to find out in our next experiment. Mister President, please put your safety goggles back on,” Dr. Holden said as he returned to his computer. “Are the preparations ready?” He asked a nearby researcher.

“They are, sir.”

“Excellent. Let us proceed,” he said, fastening his own goggles before pressing a key on his laptop.

The energy that was transferred away from the magic gem was returned to it seamlessly. Lee looked at the researchers to gauge their expressions. Evidently, they were unsurprised at what they assumed to be an expected event.

“Martin, feed the gem with five kilowatts,” Dr. Holden said.

A researcher fiddled with his laptop, adjusting the input value to 5,000 watts, which were fed to the magic gem over the course of several minutes. With anxious anticipation, hearts began to beat as the mana detector remained silent.

“Hmm…” Dr. Holden analyzed the Mirishian device. “That doesn’t seem right,” he said, staring at the blank screen.

“Is it on?” Lee offered.

Dr. Holden gave a nervous smile as he inspected the buttons on the device. “Ah, it appears it wasn’t on.” He flicked the switch, causing the device to spark to life and give a faint blip, which quickly grew into a reading corresponding to the mana signature of the device within the box. Another signature, placed equidistant from the observers and near the original sample, designated the energy of a standard magic gem. Compared to the electrified sample, the reference outputted less magical energy.

“Well… that’s certainly fascinating,” Holden remarked.

“What is?”

Holden explained, “This discovery may have some interesting applications, once we figure out how to use magic. In particular, I believe that we could incorporate magic into our machines and devices one day, much like the Parpaldians, Muans, and Mirishians. It may take a while for independent development to occur, especially with only Rodenius and nearby island nations offering magical assistance,” he hinted.

Lee followed along. “I see. I’ll move that up with the State Department. We’re getting along well with Mu so far. Are there any Muan products that you’d like to reverse engineer?”

Holden rubbed his chin. “Any product with magic operating in tandem with machines is fine. I would prefer to see any devices related to energy though, perhaps any engines? Or any weapons you can procure?”

“I’ll see what I can do, Doctor.”

“Excellent,” Holden said with glee, clasping his hands together. “Now, if you’ll please join us for the next experiment,” he gestured toward the door. “I think you’ll be quite impressed with this one.”

Lee raised an eyebrow, wondering what Holden could possibly have in store. His thoughts gravitated to the application of actual magic. Perhaps a researcher figured out how to connect to magic and cast spells? He smiled as his inner child thought wildly about magic.

——

They approached a vast blue expanse — a body of water that used to be known as the Atlantic Ocean. Now, it was an incomprehensibly large, unnamed ocean. Teeming with sea monsters and aquatic life, with no land in sight nor detected by surveying systems, it was truly a barrier — a frontier.

“I wonder what we could find across…”

“I wonder the same thing as well, Mister President. One of my friends in NASA says there’s more land, but something is interfering with our satellites so we cannot get a closer look over the region. Quite mysterious.”

Lee hummed in response. “Strange. So what are we going to see here?” He asked, pushing away tangential speculation.

“We learned how to use runes. By etching a series of runes onto an object, we can imbue it with magical properties. With precision lasers, we are able to cram more runes into smaller objects, effectively writing entire magical programs. We still haven’t been able to comb through the books so far, but we have been able to test our theories on rune programming. Consider this basic water rune,” he said, showing him a bucket with large etchings of alien logograms along the wooden exterior. “When inscribed on a bucket and activated via magic gem, it produces water out of nothing.” Holden held a magic gem and touched the runes with it. “Even we can use magic, as long as it’s with runes.”

The empty bucket slowly filled with clean water. Once it was halfway filled, Holden pulled the magic gem away, causing the appearance of water to cease.

President Lee nodded. “Goodness, something like this would have been a blessing back on Earth…”

“It is a blessing we can make use of now, fortunately.” He placed another bucket on a table in front of them. “This spell heavily depends on the nearby presence of water, and is thus more effective near oceans than it is in the desert. These spells are also affected by the quality and quantity of the runes. High quality carvings, such as those created by lasers, appear to cast spells much more efficiently. The reasoning behind this continues to elude us, but it works.”

He produced a metal bucket with a multitude of small runes on its surface. This time, when he placed the magic gem on the surface, the bucket filled up almost instantly, even overflowing before Holden rapidly pulled his hand away.

“Well that’s certainly… something.”

“Indeed it is. I never thought I’d see magic in my life even though I’ve always had a fascination for it, but here we are,” he said with a genuine, excited smile. “I want to thank you again, Mister President, for nominating me to this position.”

“Anything for an old friend.” Lee took a glance at his watch. “Excuse me, I had an appointment with my wife. We’re going to enjoy some Qua Toynian food!” With a hurry, he bade farewell to the MRD staff.

“Send her my regards!” Holden waved to him.

——

Holy Mirishial Empire

Ancient Arms Department

An enthusiastic Baeluno scanned the artifacts buried deep within the mountain complex. Sections of walkways stretched to the depths below, arranged neatly around massive hangars, two of which contained a weapon that even the tales of old couldn’t describe in detail — the Pal Chimera. He gawked in wonder, stopping to stare at the technological marvels that his country had managed to acquire.

“How…?” He said, unable to speak further due to his immense shock.

Director Parpe ushered the young man along. “These were left behind by the Sorcerers after they teleported their nation to safety. You can review the details later in our library. For now, we must focus on the task at hand.”

“I see. What would that be?”

“We’ve already copied the books you’ve brought, but now we need someone to direct the distribution of this material and help connect this hard science to magic that we can understand.”

“I understand. Well,” he said, looking down at the majestic machines below, “Do know that you have my utmost gratitude for allowing me into this facility, Director.”

“You should send your thanks to Director Freeman for referring you. Advanced scientific knowledge is something we’re lacking, and the resources you brought home have been paramount in overcoming that obstacle.”

“Thank you,” he said once more. “So, what exactly will I be doing here?”

Parpe paused to rekindle his memory. “For now, it is imperative that you master the scientific contents outlined in these books. I want you to work with several professors I’ve invited from the empire’s academies in order to develop a class suitable for the rest of my department. They’ll be waiting in a conference room up ahead.”

Baeluno suppressed a frown; he was slightly dismayed at the fact that he wouldn’t be working on any of the secret projects that the interviewers had enticed him with. “So, I won’t be working on anything?”

Hirkane looked at him with a sympathetic expression. “I understand that you might be disappointed. Trust me, the time for your participation will come. For now though, we must focus on our foundation — our base. Once the groundwork has been completed, you could bring the rest of your office into the fold. By that time, the Ravernal Empire’s return will be announced to the public.”

“The Ravernal Empire is returning soon?” He asked with a frightened tone. “How soon?”

“Oh, I was under the impression that all the department and office heads were informed?” Hirkane asked, inwardly kicking himself for revealing sensitive information.

“Ah, I did receive some mail, but haven’t yet opened it. Perhaps the announcement was there.”

Hirkane calmed down, breathing a small sigh of relief. “Right. Their estimated time of return is about fifteen years, although it could be sooner or later,” he spoke with a degree of calmness that stirred up curiosity within Baeluno.

“Fifteen years?” He repeated, looking down in slight horror as he fought to maintain control over the beating of his heart. It felt like his stomach dropped, and he felt like he was heating up from the emotions from this news. “That is… very soon.”

“It is, which is why — once again — it is important to get this program up and running. You may wish to appoint a replacement to take your place as director. You might not be able to return to the Development Office for a while, especially not with the threat of the Ravernals looming over our heads.”

Baeluno sighed. Although he was frustrated that he was kidnapped from his position as director, he understood the gravity of the situation. The threat posed by the Ravernal Empire is too great to be diminished by one man’s ego. “I’ll submit a referral to my department,” he sighed resignedly. He looked up, seeing the conference room in front of him. “Director, is there any confidential information that I can’t say?”

“No. We’ve already initiated them into our work here. The only issue you may face; I’d say that would be their stubbornness. I know a few of them have demonstrated themselves as magic supremacists… It might be hard to open their minds to these scientific studies.”

“That’s… unfortunate.”

“Ready?”

Baeluno nodded.

The duo entered the conference room, finding themselves in the presence of several prominent sages. Many of the professors were also higher-level mages, boasting magical abilities at the pinnacle of their respective races.

“Professors, please meet Officer Baeluno. Seeing that he’s the director of the Development Office, I assume some of you may have crossed paths before.”

“Ah, yes, Baeluno! I remember you. It’s great to see how far you’ve gone,” an old elf said.

Baeluno returned the greeting. “Thank you, Professor Arca. It’s good to see you again.”

Several more introductions were exchanged before work finally began. Sifting through available topics, they arranged the books in order of difficulty and progression, then grouped them by subject.

Hirkane, satisfied with the progress being made, removed himself from the academics. “Alright, everyone. If you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to. Baeluno, send me the schedules that you’ve developed once you’re done analyzing these materials. If there is anything missing, contact Ministers Phiam and Liage directly. Hopefully, they can get the things you need from the Americans.”

“Understood, Director.”

Hirkane left the room, breathing yet another sigh of relief. It felt reassuring to know that they now had a strong likelihood of developing sufficient defenses and unlocking Ravernal knowledge in time. Still, he also felt like there was not enough time left. “A race against the Ravernals,” he muttered to himself, cursing the fact that their return coincided with his lifetime. His curses against the Ravernals quickly transformed into prayers for himself and the rest of Elysia. “I pray that we’re doing enough.”