The peaceful sounds of the river were suddenly broken by a sharp whack! Something flat and solid hit the back of my neck, making my vision blur for a moment as I leaned forward in surprise.
"Your Majesty!" Anita shouted in alarm.
I blinked, trying to refocus. The object flipped through the air and landed on a mossy patch nearby. It was a foldable tablet-like device, my original Personal Quantum Computer.
Before I could react, I heard frantic voices from the trees.
"Kai! I told you not to let Cronos pull random stuff from your Quantum Vault! What if it was something embarrassing?!" John said, clearly annoyed.
"Seriously, Kai? You let a Shiba Inu choose what to pull out?" Laguna added, arms crossed.
Kai stood near her active Quantum Vault, a hovering black-hole-like orb spinning slowly beside her. "He is still in training! Cronos is supposed to grab emergency items. It was just an accident, okay?!"
Cronos barked and wagged his tail innocently.
"Accident or not, he threw Patricia's PQC at her head! What if she passed out, or worse?!" John exclaimed.
"Yeah! That could have caused a concussion!" Laguna agreed.
"She is fine! Besides, it is her original PQC. Maybe it was meant to be returned to her this way," Kai said, trying to defend herself.
John rolled his eyes. "You are the most unpredictable technomancer I have ever met."
"You say that like it is a bad thing," Kai replied with a grin.
Then, in a flash of colored light, yellow, magenta, and green, Kai, Cronos, John, and Laguna transformed into glowing orbs and vanished.
I rubbed the back of my neck and slowly got to my feet. "Are you okay, Your Majesty?" Anita asked, looking worried.
"Yeah. Just give me a second."
My eyes turned pitch black, and my irises lit up bright red. I activated Blitz Mode. Time seemed to slow as I sped toward the grove, my movement too fast to see. But when I arrived, it was empty. No trace of anyone.
Back beside Anita, I spotted the PQC at her feet. I knelt beside it, running my fingers gently across its smooth, black surface. Even after all this time, it still looked brand new.
I smiled.
"By the way," Anita asked, holding the PQC carefully, "how can you use Technomancy without a Personal Quantum Computer? Could I learn that too? Then I could give this back to you, Your Majesty."
I smiled and lightly tapped the device in her hands.
"That PQC you are holding? I believe it is a spare unit from the Quantum Knights Guild. Do not worry. I will personally handle the payment with Ban-Ban once I return to the Guild, so it can be officially registered under your name."
"Now, if you are the original creator of a Smart Contract Ability, or SCA, you do not need a PQC to use it. SCAs can also be passed down through bloodlines. Like Celestial Mode 1 created by Solana, or Blitz Mode, which I designed myself."
Anita nodded with interest.
"If you are not related to the creator," I added, "you can still use the ability, but only if you own the official SCA NFT and store it in your PQC. Plus, you will need to pay cryptocurrency each time you use it."
"So it is not really free magic," she said.
"Exactly. And only the original creator can use an SCA at full power. Borrowers cannot unlock the full potential. Creating an SCA is also dangerous. It could destroy your Astral body permanently. We call that True Death."
"What?! I have been using the Transmutation SCA without paying? Does that mean I am related to the creator?!"
"No. I know who created the Transmutation SCA. That PQC already had the crypto and NFT preloaded. It is set to auto-approve usage, so you have been using it with no problem."
"Lucky me," she murmured.
She thought for a second, then asked, "But earlier, when you used Blitz Mode, you were not holding a PQC. What tech were you using?"
"My body," I answered. "It acted as the PQC. Your body is an advanced piece of tech on its own, if you know how to use it."
"Whoa. That is amazing."
"One last question! If I borrow an SCA, do I still need Mana?"
"Yes. Even if you are borrowing it, you will need both Mana and cryptocurrency to activate an SCA."
"You are incredible, Queen Kali! I hope you never get tired of me asking questions."
"Here is a bonus tip. Listening to binaural beats can boost your SCA's power during use."
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
As we walked near the river, a strange humming sound filled the air. A glowing portal opened in front of us.
Quickly, I pulled Anita behind a nearby tree.
A naked figure stepped through the portal, her form barely visible in the swirling light. She whispered a Smart Contract call, and in a flash of energy, clothes appeared on her body.
"Oh, my goodness! A Technomancer!" I gasped.
"Who is she?" Anita asked quietly.
I narrowed my eyes. "That is the Anonymous Girl in a Blue Hoodie."
"Is she dangerous, Queen Kali?"
"I am not sure yet. She once damaged my gear, and my husband thinks she is a threat. Worst of all, I saw her hurt my friend Zetris."
Suddenly, Anita pulled out a bow.
She fired an arrow straight at the girl.
"ANITA, NO!"
The girl vanished and reappeared right in front of Anita, holding a Kris blade.
"Do not you dare hurt her!" I shouted.
My Blitz Mode activated instantly. My eyes turned black. My irises burned red.
I lunged forward and threw a punch.
She blocked it with her Kris, using just one hand. She did not even flinch.
The real fight had begun.