That evening, during our family tea in the tranquil garden gazebo, the contrast between my two worlds had never been sharper. I sat with Lyra on my lap as she attempted to feed me a piece of imaginary cake from her toy tea set, her happy babbles a perfect counterpoint to the revolutionary, world-altering thoughts churning in my mind. My father sat across from us, the setting sun glinting off his silver hair as he read through grim reports from the northern border. My mother worked on a piece of intricate embroidery, her hands moving with a practiced grace that belied the steel in her spine. This was the peace I was fighting to protect.
"Papa," I said, my voice cutting through the quiet hum of the evening, "when can I test my project?"
My father looked up from his papers, his face etched with the expression of a man who had been dreading this very question. "Alarion, what you've built… Patricia's reports and Master Aldric's notes suggest it's unlike anything that's ever been attempted. We need to be very, very careful."
"Tomorrow night," my mother said decisively, not even looking up from her needlework. Her voice held no room for argument. "After dinner. The servants will have retired, and we can ensure complete privacy in the lower courtyards."
The next evening, the air in the workshop was thick with anticipation. My entire team had gathered in the specially prepared testing area. Additional layers of shimmering, translucent magical barriers had been erected around the perimeter, humming with contained power. Bob stood near the edge of the testing zone, his arms crossed over his massive chest, his expression unreadable. I knew that his water dragon, Aquarius, was on high alert, ready to unleash a deluge at the first sign of catastrophic failure.
I approached Mark I where it stood gleaming on its armature. It was a masterpiece of mithral and blue platinum, its polished surfaces reflecting the flickering torchlight like a suit of captured starlight. Months of work, priceless materials, and a revolutionary fusion of two worlds' knowledge had all led to this single moment.
"Tes," I thought, my heart beginning to hammer against my ribs, "initiate startup sequence."
"Acknowledged, Master. Beginning system activation."
A low thrum vibrated through the floor plates. The circular power core in the chest flared to life, shifting from inert crystal to a swirling vortex of azure radiance that bathed the workshop in its ethereal blue light. I began to don the armor, piece by piece. The click-hiss of each component locking into place was a deeply satisfying sound. The moment the chest plate settled against my torso, I felt the power flowing through me not a jarring shock, but a warm, energizing current that made every nerve ending tingle with potential.
The helmet came last. As it sealed around my head, the world outside went silent for a fraction of a second before the suit's audio receptors came online. My vision was instantly enhanced with a heads-up display that Tes projected directly into my visual field. I could see energy signatures in the air, a structural analysis of the workshop walls, and a small, pulsing indicator in the corner of my sight that represented Kaelus's emotional state currently a mix of curiosity and anxiety.
"System fully operational, Master," Tes's voice reported, clear and crisp inside the helmet. "All functions nominal. Ready for flight testing."
I flexed my fingers experimentally. The gauntlets moved with perfect, thought-synced precision, and small arcs of blue energy danced between my fingertips. "Time for the real test," I announced, my voice carrying a slight metallic undertone from the helmet's external speaker. I activated the flight systems. Magical thrusters built into the boots and back of the armor came online, not with a roar, but with a deep, powerful hum.
The sensation was incredible like being lifted by invisible hands guided by pure will. Slowly, carefully, I rose into the air. One foot off the ground, then two, then five. The armor's stabilization systems kept me perfectly balanced as I hovered in the center of the workshop, defying gravity with casual ease.
"It's working," I breathed, the sound loud in the confines of my helmet. I could hear my mother let out a soft gasp.
Through the workshop's large, reinforced windows, the night sky was a velvet canvas pricked with diamond-like stars, calling to me. "I'm going outside," I announced.
"Young Master, no " Patricia started, her voice sharp with alarm, but I was already moving.
I angled the thrusters and shot through the open hangar doors like a steel bolt from a crossbow. The sensation of true flight was indescribable, a violent, exhilarating rush that stole the breath from my lungs. This wasn't the gentle floating I could achieve with conventional magic, this was controlled, ferocious power that responded to my every thought. I rocketed upward, a streak of blue light tearing a hole in the darkness, leaving a shimmering azure trail in my wake.
Below me, the castle grew smaller, its familiar courtyards and towers becoming a glowing map laid out against the dark earth. I could see the pinpricks of light that were the guards, pointing and shouting, no doubt wondering what sort of sapphire comet had just been launched from the ducal workshop.
I pushed the suit higher, faster, climbing toward the heavens. The armor responded flawlessly, allowing me to perform maneuvers my old world's military fighter jets would have struggled with. I executed a perfect aileron roll, the world spinning around me in a dizzying, beautiful blur of stars and ground. I banked hard, the suit's internal dampeners negating the crushing G-forces, and climbed in a supersonic ascent that left the sounds of the world far behind.
For the first time in either of my lives, I felt truly, absolutely free. Unbound from the earth, unbound from the limitations of my child's body, unbound from the fears that had haunted my past.
But the real test was yet to come. High above the clouds, I leveled off and extended my hand toward a distant, uninhabited mountain peak miles away. I channeled mana through the armor's amplification systems, intending to cast a simple energy bolt.
Instead of the simple spell I had envisioned, the armor focused and magnified the energy into a concentrated, coherent beam of pure destructive force that lit up the night sky. The beam crossed the distance in an instant, striking the mountain peak with a silent, blinding flash. A moment later, the sound reached me a low, thunderous boom that vibrated through the suit's chassis. I could see a new, glowing crater where the peak had once been.
"Incredible," I whispered. "Tes, power output analysis?"
"That attack registered as equivalent to a Rank 7 destruction spell, Master. Achieved with minimal mana expenditure from your personal reserves."
Rank 7 magic, cast as easily as breathing. The implications were staggering. This was proof of concept. If I could build one suit, I could build more. I could revolutionize warfare itself. This was the birth of Magitech.
As I began my graceful descent, I saw a crowd had gathered in the castle courtyard below. Landing with barely a whisper of sound, I found Patricia, Bob, Master Aldric, and about a dozen castle guards all staring at me with expressions ranging from slack-jawed amazement to outright terror.
I retracted the helmet with a hiss of pneumatics, revealing my grinning nine-year-old face. "I think we can call the first test a success."
Patricia shook her head slowly, her usual composure completely shattered. "Young Master," she whispered, "what you just accomplished… it should be impossible."
"Not impossible," I corrected her, my heart still pounding with exhilaration. "Just unprecedented. And this is only the beginning."
As I began removing the armor, carefully shutting down each system, I saw Kaelus moving toward me with obvious distress. Through our bond, I could feel his frantic panic at my sudden, violent departure into the night sky. "Don't worry, buddy," I whispered, gently stroking his smooth, warm surface. "I'm not going anywhere without you."
The dungeon core continued to pulse in its containment unit, a steady reminder that this first success was just the beginning. Tomorrow, I would begin work on improving the design. Mark I had proven that Magitech was possible. Now I needed to prove it could protect everything I held dear.