Serum

“I’m here for you…”

“Trust me…”

“Ugh...”

Words echoed in Pandora’s mind as she woke up, her mind gradually becoming lucid enough to open her eyes. 

Through her mildly blurry vision she could see the ceiling of the car, and underneath her mattress she could feel the rough terrain they were driving on. 

But as if realizing she had waken up, the car came to a stop. 

Dirk, who was driving, didn’t look back even as everything went silent. 

In the passenger seat beside him, Pandora could see Exos laying there asleep. His breathing was shallow and unhurried, his head tilted oddly against the window. 

A while passed, and Dirk eventually spoke. 

“Are you okay?”

“...Yea.”

She responded after a moment, taking a few more seconds to process everything that had happened. 

The epic failure of their mission to capture the Key Artifact of Earth. 

The fact that it was now in possession of another person and unable to be separated from them without destroying it, opening up a slew of potential issues in the future regarding trusting that person and making sure they still followed along with her plans...

Making enemies with Umangot, and for all intents and purposes, the entire Dwarven Haven.

And then…

Dirk’s words of support, which had hit her harder than all the other things combined. 

When Pandora looked up and saw the side of Dirk’s face, she felt her emotions stir out of control. 

When was the last time she had heard those words?

In fact, it was more appropriate to ask if she had ever heard them at all.

Now, not only did those words come to her, but they came from the last person she ever thought they’d come from. 

Dirk was the most reliable person in her life. She trusted in his ability blindly, trusted that if he said he would do something, then he would do it. She trusted that he wasn’t like her who was capable of using people like mere tools to eventually discard them. She trusted in who he was as a person and who he had become in this new life. There was nobody that she trusted more, because she had a deeper relationship with him than anyone else. 

But she knew that he didn’t trust her in the same way. There was still a barrier between them, one that he had created and one that she didn’t believe would come down anytime soon, if ever. 

But in that moment, when she was overtaken with hysteria after that cataclysmic screw up, he had given her what she didn’t even know she needed. 

Something she never had. Something that, if anything, had been taken away from her and crushed throughout her lives. 

Trust that stemmed from something more than just predictability. True trust, and someone who would support her physically and mentally when she needed it. Someone that would give her security when she was vulnerable. 

Even now she could barely process it. It was almost like she didn’t want to believe that she was actually given someone else’s trust, that Dirk had actually reached out to support her. And more than that, she wasn’t able to deny that it was real. Their connection didn’t allow her to. 

The failure, she could push through. It would take some time, but her hysteria would die down and let her mind settle. It had happened before and she knew she would settle, even if it didn't seem like it in the moment.

But that? Dirk’s words had hit her like a brick, and her mind shut down. 

Now, she wasn’t sure what to do. The only thing her mind could focus on were the emotions that fluctuated wildly, leaving her in an odd state of happiness and fear. 

To Dirk though, Pandora’s face was blank as she just stared at him. She didn’t say anything else, so he didn’t either. 

He wanted to know what had happened, and he also needed to know what their next steps were. They had managed to escape soundly, through no small effort on Dirk’s part. 

But he didn’t want to interrupt whatever she was going through. So for a while, they sat in silence. 

“H-Hey…”

Pandora suddenly stuttered, breaking the silence. Dirk turned back in response, seeing what he could only describe as a weird, wriggling smile.

“D-Did you mean what you said? I can trust you?”

“Yes?”

“And you’ll support me, even if I fail?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yea.”

“Like, really?”

“Yes...”

“I seriously can?”

“...Mhmm.”

“Hehehe…”

She started giggling oddly, reaching out and grabbing Dirk’s arm. 

Feeling her pull him, he could only climb out of his seat and tumble onto the back mattress. 

After that, Pandora latched onto him, placing her face awfully close to his. That smile never left. If anything, it became just a bit more delirious.

“I’ll trust you, Dirk. We’ll trust each other. We’ll help each other. I’ll rely on your strength to help me through our journey. It’ll be different from before. I’ll do my best not to fail ever again, but if it happens, I’ll wait for you to help me. Will you be there when I need you?”

“...Yes, I’ll be there.”

Dirk answered back, but he couldn’t help but feel weird about this whole situation. 

He had offered her what was given to him by figures like his mother. He was empathetic to her plight, realizing that the two weren’t much different, and that she needed help. 

So he gave her his support. But this was not how he expected her to take it. He expected her to be a bit… cooler about it, not this emotional mess she was coming off as. 

But he also knew she was being vulnerable, and he knew how difficult that was for people like them. So he didn’t betray it. When she calmed to her baseline, they could return to some form of normalcy. 

Meanwhile, Pandora continued to giggle, clutching Dirk’s body as if overwhelmed by some form of happiness. It lasted quite a while, and never once did she let go. 

But after many minutes of laying there, Dirk finally sensed her calming down. Her hurried breathing slowed while she pulled away and looked straight at him. 

She stared at him, her pupils going from dilated to a bit more restrained. That’s when he was finally able to sense that familiar aura, one of scheming and calculation, as well as confidence and assertiveness. 

But there was a glimmer of something more now, especially when she looked at him. Dirk couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but he could tell that their relationship would be a bit different from now on. 

What he didn’t expect, though, was her next action. 

Out of nowhere, her face dove down, planting her lips on his. 

It was quick, soft, Dirk not even able to react before she pulled away slowly and muttered. 

“...I’m never going to betray you, Dirk. Even if you don’t understand why, just know that. Because if not for your clear hesitation, I’d be giving you a lot more than just a kiss right now.”

Her blood red eyes gazed into his soul, and Dirk didn’t deny what she said about his hesitation. 

However, her words spurred something inside him that he didn’t think would come unless he didn’t want it. His body warmed, his heart quickening ever so slightly, beating with a bit more force and vigor. 

Even Pandora seemed a bit surprised by his reactions, but she only gave him a tempting smile before pulling away. 

“I need to cool off.”

She muttered before climbing through the car and exiting, stepping outside. 

Dirk took a few seconds before shaking his head and joining her. 

He slipped out the top hatch of the car, feeling a cool breeze hit his skin as soon as he did so. 

Then, Spyte suddenly appeared in front of him, her cat form gazing at him with amused eyes unbefitting a cat. 

*Flick*

[Ow.]

She recoiled from his flick, her paw brushing her head as if it really hurt. 

Dirk smirked before looking over, seeing Pandora stretching her body and taking several deep breaths. 

When she turned back toward him with a sharp glint in her eye, he knew she had really come back this time. 

“How long since the battle?”

“About 38 hours.”

“I was asleep for that long?”

“You and Exos both, yes. In fact, he hasn’t shown any signs of waking up yet.”

“Well, bonding with another soul isn’t an easy process. I’m not surprised.”

She looked toward the passenger window, seeing Exos’ figure and giving him an indifferent stare. 

What happened had happened, and there were no undoing things. Pandora accepted it, though she still wasn’t happy in the slightest. Her gaze contained unconcealed hatred.

She let out a sharp breath before closing her eyes. 

“Whatever. Despite everything, our plans remain unchanged. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to step foot into a dwarven city for quite some time, though that doesn’t mean business can’t conclude. I’ll have to make some calls, because it won’t be long before our railways connect and supply lines open. But all that doesn’t mean we can’t also proceed to our next objective.”

“Where is that?”

“The territory of the Elves, the Otherworld. It’s a rather paradisical place I think you’ll like. Of course, that’s all depending on if they’ve been overrun with monsters. I doubt they’ve fared as well as the Dwarves, so we’ll have to go in expecting trouble. Then again, trouble gives us the leeway to move as we please, so it’s not that unwelcome.”

Pandora bit her thumb with a smile, causing Dirk to smirk a bit. 

That was the Pandora he knew, taking advantage of chaos in order to get what she wanted. Perhaps only with her methods was it possible to do the insane things she did. Although Dirk didn’t like the insanity, he had to give respect to the results. 

After all, despite how things ended with the Key Artifact on that dwarven battlefield, it was only because of her direction that they were even able to get the chance to capture it at all. It would have been outright impossible if they had to do it alone. 

But, that also made Dirk think about how they would deal with things for the next Key Artifact. Would they have to borrow someone’s strength again? That surely wouldn’t end as well, not unless they got more powerful. 

Well, all their issues could be solved with power. Remembering that, Dirk decided that he would use more of his time to train his magic. He couldn’t train his body any further until his Mana Heart caught up, so that was his greatest priority. 

“But first, we should stop by Horizon.”

Pandora suddenly spoke again, climbing back into the car. Dirk followed her in confusion. 

“Why?”

“Well, I know you probably want to see your family. I can’t exactly be as high profile there with the Emperor around and all, but that doesn’t mean we can’t pop in for a bit and say hi. I also want to know the situation. And in the best case, I intend to acquire a more advanced mode of transportation.”

“...What are you cooking in that brain of yours?”

Dirk looked at her oddly, feeling another scheme brewing that would no doubt get them into trouble. 

She just smiled and shrugged. 

“Just trust me. It’s for the greater good. And I doubt they’re using it for anything worthwhile. It’s really just a big paperweight that they use to show off.”

“...”

Dirk went silent. He had a feeling he knew what she was trying to do. 

Did he agree with it? Not really. But if he was being honest with himself, he also didn’t enjoy being cramped inside this car all the time. Especially not now since Exos joined their group. 

“We’re really making enemies with everyone, huh?”

“It was bound to happen. Now let’s get going. Use this free time to advance your magic.”

Pandora pushed him into the back seat while taking the wheel, speeding off along the road they were on. 

In his escape, Dirk had taken some roads away from the stronghold, so they weren’t in the middle of nowhere. In fact, they could drive to the Dwarven Capital in a day or so if they wished. 

So Pandora found her way back onto a regular trail. However, her path deviated a bit at some point, her destination unknown. 

Dirk didn’t mind, just focusing on his magic. 

Like that, a week passed. 

……

…

The Mana Heart Technique. 

In the beginning stages, it had its user create mini hearts for each element, each mini heart being an equal mix of the element alongside its specialty attribute. 

Up until Tier 4, the entire cultivation process was the creation and strengthening of these mini hearts. But, going beyond Tier 4 required one to truly comprehend the significance of the Mana Heart. 

The Mana Heart Technique, according to its creator, was made for those with several attributes. It was best used by those with the legendary 4 attributes, but realistically, it was used by those with 3 attributes. 

The fact that it could even be created with such obscene prerequisites at all was a testament to its capabilities and quality. 

However, it was equally difficult. Before, Dirk hadn’t had much difficulty advancing at all. He just needed to condense and store mana of various types. It required him to have basic understandings of his elements, but nothing beyond that since his Pure Soul could compensate greatly. He had basically brute forced his way to Tier 4. 

But all that stopped at soon as he was forced to move past that. 

Tier 5 could only be reached by combining all the mini hearts into the one true Mana Heart. But this wasn’t simply shoving all those mana pools together and expecting them to get along. 

Instead, it required one to learn how to shift from one element to another. In practice, it required Dirk to learn how to turn Earth Mana into Metal Mana, Metal Mana into Fire Mana, Fire Mana into Lightning mana, Lightning Mana into Dark Mana, Dark Mana into Earth Mana, and every combination in between. 

In the end, his Mana Heart would be able to shift into any element he desired. It would be one singular massive mana pool, doing away with individual pools that could limit his options during battle. 

What this implied was that all Mana was the same, that every element stemmed from the same source, and that they all had similarities that would allow them to turn into one another. And Dirk would need to comprehend all of this through the magical world of the Mana Dimension. 

However, there were two glaring issues that Dirk didn’t know if he was able to reconcile. 

First was how each element had its own Source. The Source was literally the source of an element and all its mana throughout the world, and the fact that there were multiple sources meant that each was different. They shouldn’t be the same thing and shouldn’t be able to become each other. So either Dirk was misunderstanding something, or the Mana Heart technique was useless past this point. 

Second was how Dirk’s Dark Mana heart wasn’t sourced from atmospheric mana, but from actual Source Mana. How this would affect his Mana Heart, he didn’t know, but it would likely force him to improvise a bit. 

Creation of the Mana Heart would make him a Tier 5, and the speed at which he did so entirely relied on his comprehensions. It could be fast or slow, happening all at once or gradually over several months. He naturally didn’t want to take so long to do so, but he had a feeling this wasn’t something he would be able to conquer in a short few weeks either. 

Luckily, there was a lot of guidance for each of the elements within the Mana Heart Technique texts. Dozens of pages, each with deeply complex runic formations that caused the surrounding mana to fluctuate just by being exposed. 

And as always, Dirk’s first order of business was tracing all these runes. 

He and Spyte spent just about every waking hour doing this, and there was a good reason for it beyond having all the runes archived in his mind. 

Being able to recall all the runes exactly as they were written in the book allowed Dirk to utilize them while in the Mana Dimension. That Dimension, which brought forth the greatest attunement to the elements, could allow him to comprehend the runes much faster. 

And this all compounded with his Pure Soul, resulting in shockingly fast speeds. At times, Dirk felt like he was reading a regular book while going through the runes. Of course, each runic page brought forth amounts of data that eclipsed normal books in every way. 

So at this point, Dirk’s most valuable resource was time. And he got quite a bit of it thanks to Pandora who drove the entire way to their destination.