Laguna sat at his desk, his eyes fixed on the blue orb that pulsed with the rhythm of a heartbeat. Blueprints and sketches surrounded him. They showed designs for devices that were still in progress. But this time, he felt more confident than ever.
"If I can control the power of this orb… I can surpass the limits of the human body," he muttered under his breath.
He grabbed a new sheet of blueprints and began to draw a different design than before. Not a bracelet. But a glove.
"A bracelet won't do. I need something that fits my body's mana flow. It should channel the orb's power in a direct manner—like a glove."
His thoughts drifted to the legendary gloves used in the Ra-Seru stories he had read. Gloves that were not just tools, but extensions of the user's body and soul.
"Okay... time to test it out," Laguna muttered.
With great enthusiasm, he got to work. He picked Electric Wolf leather for the glove. It has soft fibers from the Magi-Thread plant that can channel mana. He put a blue orb on the back of his hand. It had a light metal frame called Silverlite. This frame was a result of his magical fusion.
Laguna stitched it with alchemical thread. He also carved small runes inside the glove using a magic needle. The runes linked to the orb. They drew mana from it and funneled it into the wearer's body.
After hours of non-stop work, he finally looked at his work. The glove looked magnificent—a silvery color with a soft blue glow from the orb.
"Time to test it out..."
He put on the glove and stood in the middle of the room. Raising his right hand, Laguna tried to absorb mana from the orb.
At first, everything progressed smoothly. The blue light emitted a gentle glow.
But suddenly—
VRRRRMMMM!
The mana aura exploded! The gauntlet sparked with the intensity of uncontrolled lightning. The runes embedded in it began to break.
"No! The mana is too strong! I can't control it—"
BOOM!
A small explosion sounded. Laguna was thrown back and fell onto the bed. A thin layer of smoke rose from the gauntlet, which had suffered partial burns.
"Ugh... "I rushed my decision," he sighed as he stared at the partially charred gauntlet. "This orb... holds too much mana. I need a balancing circuit."
He paused for a moment, then sat down with careful movements and picked up a pen. He began to redraw his design.
"Alright. This isn't the end. I'll make another version. Failing once doesn't mean losing."
And behind the smoke, a small smile appeared on his face. It wasn't a disappointed smile. It was the smile of a true inventor who had just learned a valuable lesson from his creation.
Days passed.
Laguna never gave up.
Small explosions echoed from his room. Smoke, sparks of mana, and the smell of burning metal became part of the daily routine. Blueprints were scattered on the floor. Broken components piled up in the corners. But Laguna's eyes still shone—with passion, hope, and obsession.
Every night he patched his gauntlet, tinkered with the orb, and adjusted the flow of mana.
But no matter how meticulous he worked—the results were always the same. Failure. Explosion. Frustration.
One quiet night, the world outside was still. The moon emitted a gentle glow. Leon opened his son's door.
He stood still in the doorway.
The room was no longer a room. It was a workshop. A battlefield. Every wall was stained black. The wooden table had burn marks on one section. The floor cracked from the pressure of uncontrolled mana.
Leon walked in and patted Laguna on the shoulder. Laguna was staring at the new blueprints. Dark circles marked his tired eyes.
"Don't push yourself too hard, son," Leon said in a gentle tone.
Laguna didn't look away. His hand was still holding the pen, drawing a new pattern.
"a little bit more, Dad. I'm sure... a few more tries will work."
Leon looked at him with feeling, then said, "If you need help, tell Dad."
Laguna finally turned his head, his eyes shining despite his dirty and worn face. "Really, Dad? Then... may I enter the family storage room?"
Leon paused for a moment. He looked at his son, who never gave up. Then he nodded. "Okay, if it will help you."
Laguna rushed to follow his father out of the room. He wore tattered and stained clothes.
As they strolled down the long corridor, Leon asked, "Is this your first time in the storage room?"
"That's right, Father. Unlike my other brothers, who always get rewards for entering the family vault, the incident in Veredale yesterday... was my first contribution. I was lucky because Sis Lina helped me out that time. If not, I might have..."
Laguna lowered his head.
Leon patted his shoulder again. "Calm down, son. Luck isn't chance. It comes from hard work, determination, and a strong will to keep going. The harder you work, the more luck you'll get."
They stopped in front of a large door adorned with magical symbols that emitted a faint glow.
Leon placed his hand in front of the door. He whispered in an ancient language. Light flowed from the symbols, then... click. The door opened with a gradual motion.
"Come in," Leon said. "Like your brothers, choose one Legendary-grade item as a sign of adulthood at 17. You can also choose one reward of Epic grade or lower for your achievements in Veredale Village."
Laguna, eyes sparkling like a child in a toy store, looked around the room full of magical items.
But then he turned to his father and asked, "Can I exchange one Legendary item… for five Epic items?"
Leon stared at him, deep in thought, then chuckled with a gentle sound. "Very well, if that is what you wish."
Laguna nodded with enthusiasm and stepped into the family vault. This was where the Ashfords' fates were once decided. Maybe here, he would find the key to his own success.
Laguna strolled through the spacious storage room. The lighting crystals on the walls cast a soft glow throughout the space. Each shelf held magical items that radiated different auras of power. But, despite the many tempting Legendary-grade items, Laguna only shook his head slowly.
"All the Legendary-grade items here are useless to me," he muttered. His eyes moved with haste, scanning each item with the gaze of a magical engineer, not a warrior. "It seems that trading one Legendary item for five Epic items is the best decision."
He smiled in satisfaction and began to choose.
First, he picked up Crystal Veins, a translucent blue crystal core that glowed from within. This crystal channels mana with great precision. It's ideal for making magical tools.
Second, Soulwire is a magical wire, fine as hair. It channels the user's emotions into the tool. This strengthens the bond between the tool and its owner.
Third, Darksteel Mesh is a silvery-black woven metal. It is very light but also strong. This material resists magical attacks and can handle extreme physical pressure.
Fourth, there's Thunderbird Feather Thread. It's a thread made from the energy of a Thunderbird's feathers. It gives magical tools resistance to electric elements and allows for light regeneration.
Fifth, the Mana Flow Regulator is a small, round stone. It helps control and balance mana flow. This prevents magic explosions caused by too much energy.
As he was about to leave the room, his eyes fell on a small lantern in the corner of the bottom shelf. The lantern was simple, but emitted a soft, rhythmic pulse of light.
"Mana Lantern... Laguna smiled with a hint of amusement and grabbed the lantern immediately."
After collecting all the items, he went out and showed them all to Leon.
Leon looked at the five Epic items and one Rare lantern, then nodded. "Good choice, Laguna. You are indeed different."
Once the storage room was closed, Leon patted his son's back. He walked away, offering him gentle words of encouragement. "Prove your greatness, son! Silence them with the tool you created." Laguna smiled and returned to his room.
Laguna entered his room and set his items on the cluttered work desk. It was covered in scribbles, oil stains, and burn marks. He sat down, donning protective gloves and magical goggles.
He started by weaving Crystal Veins into the glove's main frame. This frame was made from pieces of Darksteel Mesh he had shaped before. He used a light heater and precision tweezers to melt the mesh inside. This created a cavity for embedding the crystal in the center of the palm. The crystal fused with the metal, and a soft blue spark appeared. This spark showed a stable magical reaction, signaling early success.
He carefully placed the Soulwire, an artificial nerve, along the hand and fingers. He used magical tweezers to weave the wire into grooves in the mesh. He had carved these grooves before. This created a deep emotional bond between the user and the glove. He stitched each intersection of the wire together. He used Thunderbird Feather Thread, which glowed softly like warm embers.
The stitching process required intense concentration. Each stitch made the glove's magic stronger. It also helped the glove adapt better to lightning. Laguna sweated, but not from the heat. It was the mental strain of keeping the mana flow steady that got to him.
After he finished the internal network system, he began preparing to install the Mana Flow Regulator. A round socket was carved into the back of his hand. They used a micromagic engraving tool for this. It's a small, pen-like tool with a mana-infused diamond tip. The placement of the regulator stone was crucial. One mistake could cause the mana to flow in an uncontrolled manner, ruining the whole system.
He held his breath as he plugged the regulator into the socket. Then, he activated a balancing seal around it. Magic lines spread from the small stone, forming a star pattern that bloomed slowly.
After the final fusion, he took off his protective gloves. He took great care as he put on the magical gloves he had made.
The final step was to fuse the orb that the Phoenix Wraith had refined with the glove's core. Laguna placed the orb in the center of the glove's backhand. He then embedded it in a detailed crystal coating. This coating acted as both a conductor and a shield.
The glove began to emit a faint glow. The blue orb responded with a faster pulse, as if welcoming the new body it was about to inhabit.
Laguna placed it on his right hand with a careful movement. Warmth immediately spread from his wrist to his shoulder. The mana from the orb flowed through the small runes on the glove, toward his body's meridaians.
"This is… amazing…" he whispered.
Laguna clenched his fist.
The runes on the glove glowed, and the orb merged completely. No longer an external object—it was now a part of him.
Laguna stood, staring at his reflection in the mirror. On his right hand, the glove looked like an extension of his own soul. The blue aura flowed with a calm yet deadly presence.