Engineering Hope: A Pact Forged in Fire

Throughout my life, I’ve worked with robots and machines. As a child, my best “friend” was Bob, the round vacuum cleaner that would zoom around the house. After Bob "died," I told my mother my dream was to create more "Bobs" for everyone. Once I entered college, I learned not only engineering but also how to build machines and even prosthetics.

The prosthetics in this new world weren’t much different from those I was familiar with in my past life, but replacing human flesh with a piece of metal without a doctor or anesthesia would certainly be a challenge.

“I need a knife and your alcohol,” I said, pointing to the drink in the soldier’s hand.

“What? Are you seriously thinking about doing this, Mai?” Rafar asked, crossing his arms.

“For years, I worked with doctors to create prosthetics, so I have some basic medical knowledge,” I said, washing my hands with the alcohol and grabbing the knife. “I never thought I’d need to use what I learned in a battle.”

“You… worked?” Rafar raised an eyebrow. Oops! I had just made a serious slip.

“Doing charity… at church,” I mumbled, imagining he wouldn’t be easily convinced, but the opposite happened. “I’ll need fire to sterilize the knife.”

“No problem,” Rafar said, snapping his fingers, and a bright flame sprang from them. Incredible! “I understand what you’re trying to do, but I still can’t believe it will work.”

Rafar kept a doubtful expression, as did the soldier. I looked at Sir Henri, writhing in pain. He was in his final moments. If I didn’t act quickly, he’d be lost.

I sighed. I had to find a way to convince them, no matter what. I took my fiancé's sword, which was embedded in the ground, and handed it to Rafar. Its sharp blade easily cut his finger, drawing blood. I took the blood with my right thumb. His gaze held a myriad of questions, as if searching for a reason behind my actions.

“If I fail, and Sir Henri dies, you must take my life,” I said, looking deep into his eyes.

“What are you saying? Are you crazy to ask me something like that?”

I bit my left thumb, joining it with his blood before running it along the katana’s blade. It shimmered with a bluish glow in response. His eyes turned icy.

“We have a deal,” I said, moving toward my patient.

Every action I took required time, and that time was precious for Sir Henri’s life. I had to save him, no matter what! I couldn't let my emotions take control of me. Rafar and I had a pact, sealed in blood. This pact was the most powerful among the realms, and there was no escaping it. Even if there were, I would never accept not saving the life of someone who needed my help.

I had seen this procedure many times with the medical interns who applied our prosthetics to their patients. Kenji, my childhood friend, often tried to tell me about these moments in his career as a doctor, but I rarely paid attention. But now was not the time for regrets—it was time to act!

I started by giving Sir Henri some alcohol to drink. It would help numb the pain. With a deep and precise cut, I used a pair of tweezers that the soldier found along with the prosthetics and began the process of removing the bullet and bone fragments.

I started to tremble slightly, but I had to stay in control. Sir Henri’s life—and my own—depended on my self-control. Taking a deep breath, I continued the procedure. Henri groaned and moaned, and I worked quickly to minimize blood loss.

After extracting everything, I covered the wound with an alcohol compress. “It’ll sting, but it’s to keep you alive,” I whispered to him, trying to reassure him.

He grunted in pain. Now came the most complex part: attaching the new prosthetic. I had seen this procedure numerous times in college due to our hospital projects, but doing something you’ve only watched is incredibly challenging. I instructed the soldier to hold one of the prosthetic's rods while I aligned it with the intact part of the shoulder. I screwed the prosthetic in place, each twist accompanied by a calming breath. Even with trembling hands, I didn’t hesitate.

“Tell Gertrude… her old man died with honor,” he asked in a weak voice.

“You’ll have the chance to tell her yourself. The surgery was a success,” I said, my face sweating and my arm shaking. I looked at the sky; it was already dark. I noticed Rafar had been behind me the entire time, watching with admiration.

“The surgery went well. We’ll need to change the bandages frequently, and…” Before I could finish, everything went white, and I collapsed into my fiancé’s arms.

“Mai! Mai!”