Rae sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers lightly brushing the polished wood of the nightstand. The Queen's permission to access all the dungeons in the kingdom was a significant step forward. Yet, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that her fire magic issue was going to become a bigger obstacle than she'd anticipated. Fire magic was essential as offensive magic, and without it functioning properly, conquering dungeons would be far more difficult.
Why did her fire magic circles collapse every time she invoked them? Rae's thoughts drifted back to a conversation with Liza, the artificial intelligence embedded within her mind. Liza had mentioned something about a new energy brewing inside her—a mysterious force Rae barely understood.
"Liza," Rae said aloud, her voice steady, "can you explain this new energy inside me again? I need to understand."
Liza's voice, calm and analytical, replied in her mind. "The energy is primarily composed of electrons you carried over from your previous world. These electrons have taken on new characteristics and now function similarly to the mana of this world."
Rae furrowed her brow. "I thought they dissipated into this world when I became a vampire."
"They didn't dissipate," Liza clarified. "Instead, they escaped to a finite space outside of the dimension we currently reside in."
"A pocket dimension?" Rae's curiosity sparked. "You're saying they fled to a pocket dimension within our universe? Are there many of these pocket dimensions?"
"I cannot determine the exact number, but their existence is certain."
Rae leaned back, piecing together the puzzle. "So they disappeared when Trina made me a vampire, and they returned when I became a Vampire Queen. That must mean Trina used some ability to access a pocket dimension during the transformation." Her voice grew quieter as her thoughts trailed off. "If that's true, I should be able to access it too. But how?"
Trina had always been a mystery, and Rae found herself wishing she were here to explain everything. Perhaps Trina had gone back to the demon world? The other vampires should have found her by now.
Rae shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside. She needed to focus. If these so-called "mana electrons" were interfering with her fire magic, perhaps she could find a way to harness them instead. But would the spirits that powered fire magic accept this energy?
"How do I access these electrons, Liza?" Rae asked.
"I don't have a direct answer," Liza admitted. "But I've observed that they react whenever you attempt to use fire magic or light magic."
"Light magic?" Rae's eyes widened. "I haven't used light magic since my duel with Trina. Does that mean my light magic is also unstable?"
To test her theory, Rae conjured a simple light magic circle. To her surprise, the spell worked flawlessly. She frowned, confused. "Liza, why does light magic work, but fire magic doesn't? Aren't the electrons affecting both?"
"The electrons are amplifying your light magic," Liza explained. "But they're condensing your fire magic."
Rae tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That explains why my light magic felt stronger than usual. But why condense fire magic? If these electrons are still fundamentally electrons, maybe I can conduct them away."
She set to work, crafting a new fire magic circle. This time, she added a symbol designed to channel the electrons elsewhere. The moment she activated the spell, the results were catastrophic.
A deafening explosion rocked the room, and Rae felt herself being pulled into a familiar abyss of endless darkness. But then, something changed. A blinding light engulfed her, overwhelming her senses.
As the light began to fade, Rae found herself standing in what appeared to be the interior of a castle. The first thing she saw was a woman with crimson hair—Trina. Rae's breath hitched. "Is this the past?" she murmured.
Before she could gather her thoughts, the blinding light returned, followed by a series of vivid, disjointed visions. She saw five figures: a dark-skinned male elf, a spider-like woman, a hairy human man, a human woman, and an unnaturally attractive not-quite-human woman.
The light flared again, revealing a man with striking features resembling the not-quite-human woman, and then Trina with a girl who had Red hair streaked with purple highlights and black, angel-like wings with crimson edges. Rae's heart raced. "A celestial? No… Celestials are supposed to have white wings," she whispered.
When the light finally receded, Rae found herself back in her room, lying on her bed. Eleanor and the foreign princess stood on either side of her, their faces etched with concern.
"Are you alright, my lady?" Eleanor asked, her voice trembling slightly. "A large bolt of lightning struck you. I found you unconscious and brought you here."
Rae offered a weak smile. "Don't worry, Eleanor. It was just a magical experiment gone wrong."
Eleanor frowned. "You shouldn't be so reckless, my lady. Even if you're… hard to kill, you shouldn't treat your life so carelessly."
"Okay, Eleanor. I understand. Sorry for worrying you."
Eleanor sighed, visibly relieved. "Do you need anything?"
"No, I'm fine. Thank you."
With a respectful nod, Eleanor and the princess left the room, leaving Rae alone with her thoughts.
She stared at the ceiling, replaying the visions in her mind. "Was that the past… or the future?" she murmured. "If it's the future, what does it all mean?"
Rae clenched her fists. Obsessing over the visions wouldn't bring her answers. All she could do was grow stronger. In time, the truth would reveal itself.