PKOTA) Chapter 2 Part 5 (Patreon)

“This is…” I picked up the gem and looked at it. It was a transparent light blue color about two inches long. The strange thing about it was that, for some reason, when I held it in my hand, I could feel that there was something more to this gem. It was not like holding a rock or any kind of gem. This made me feel that there was some kind of lingering power within it.

Why I felt this way, I do not know, but it seemed familiar in a sense but not. I know for a fact that since I can remember, I have not had any run-ins with any slimes or gems like this. Hell, I haven’t even held a diamond before.

“A gem?” Hank looked at the gem in my hand curiously. Even Momo had walked over to take a look at it.

“It’s got a strange feeling to it. Here, tell me if you sense anything from it.” I handed the gem to Hank.

I watched as Hank turned it around in his hand before shaking his head. “No. I don’t feel anything. Just feels like a gem you would see in a store some place. Momo, what do you think?”

Hank handed the gem to Momo, who held it in her hand for a few seconds before passing it back to me and shaking her head. “I don’t feel anything either.”

“Strange…” I titled my head to the side. I could feel something from it. While faint, it was there. “I will investigate it a bit more than since I can feel something from it. I also need to go upstairs and grab all the books that have things about slimes and magic in them.”

““What for?”” Hank and Momo both spoke up at the same time. They were definitely father and daughter. Even their expressions were the same.

“Well, slimes are a fantasy type monster. But from what I can remember slimes are not born but created by mana and their environment.” I explained lightly. I could not remember everything but this much I did remember.

“Are you saying magic has appeared in our world?” Hank seemed a little taken aback, which makes sense. I mean, it was a crazy idea.

“Well, if this was the case, then it would explain how a slime got into a sealed water tank.”

“Now that you mention it.” Hank did not seem to have an answer for that.

“It would also explain why many animals are also mutating.” If I was right, then everything would fit. It was a crazy idea but if it was true, then even this gem might have some kind of magical properties. In a way, I was kind of excited.

While I know it was very unrealistic, it was the only theory that made sense for the sudden change. I mean, a slime just does not appear out of nowhere, right? The water tank was fairly new and had air-tight seals on it. There would be no way for the slime to sneak in. And this water tank did not have any hoses leading outside or anything like that. It was one that fed from a spigot on the front. You could connect a hose to it, but since it was only used for emergencies, the spigot was capped off.

Now, I did fill this almost three weeks ago when it started to get warm, but that was way before any slimes appeared, and I have multiple tanks that were all filled at the same time. So, by chance, slimes did breed or formed in some weird manner that had nothing to do with magic. It did not make sense for it to appear in one tank but not the others.

Of course, this is all my own assumptions, so I have no idea if anything I am thinking is true or not. It could just be a freak thing like a single slime egg had been in the water the entire time or something along those lines.

But that does not explain the gem that appeared after killing the slime. It was not like the slime core, which also melted along with the slime. This was a gem, a slender diamond-shaped object. Basically, two skinny triangles attached end to end.

With my thoughts running wild, I went upstairs and to my room, where I had a bookshelf filled with fantasy novels. As someone who loved the sword and felt like she had been born in the wrong era, I had many fantasy novels.

The upstairs was very hot. I was already drenched in sweat just going from the first floor to the second floor and it was still early. When I reached my room, I began moving all the books onto the bed. I even had some books on magic, which I picked out of interest. There were a few on alchemy as well. You can say my hobbies were a little strange for a teen girl.

Not that I ever cared what others thought of me, to begin with. Nor did many try to pick on me. I can only say that I loved what I loved. And this new thought I had in my mind that magic had appeared in our world was really something I hoped was true. A world where magic and swords crossed. Just the thought of it made my blood boil! Whether or not the books I have will be of any use is another story. Even if nothing is of help, at least I have something to kill time with while I wait out my days in the basement.