Chapter 49

As Zoth trained his heroes to tap into their full potential, I was on a completely different adventure.

"Wow!" I muttered, completely baffled by the sight before me—a gigantic dinosaur head, its jaws wide open as if frozen mid-roar.

Mama and Papa had taken me to a place called a "museum," where these enormous skeletons were common.

"Isn't it big, Aleena?" Papa asked with a grin.

I turned to him, nodding enthusiastically, but my excitement was mixed with awe. It wasn't just the size of the creatures that startled me—it was the fact that these colossal beasts had existed in a world devoid of magic.

How did such a massive beast live without magic? I thought. And how is its skeleton still intact after all this time?

My mind buzzed with questions as I flitted from one astonishing display to another. Everything here was so fascinating.

Then I saw it—a skeleton so massive it seemed to tower like a small building.

"That's the skeleton of a T. rex," Papa explained. "It was the apex predator of the entire world millions of years ago."

I stared in awe, drawn to its sharp teeth and enormous frame. Without realizing it, I stepped closer, reaching out to touch it, but a sign below caught my eye: Do Not Touch.

I pouted. "You meany!"

Mama laughed and scooped me up into her arms, planting a kiss on my forehead. Papa chuckled as well, clearly amused by my sulking.

We wandered further into the museum, marveling at relics of the past, but a thought struck me as I gazed at the dinosaur skeletons.

If these are real skeletons… I should be able to reanimate them, right?

My fingers twitched as I considered testing my power, but I stopped myself. No… doing it in public might cause chaos.

With a sigh, I lowered my hand and followed Mama and Papa to the next exhibit.

As we admired more ancient artifacts, Papa's phone suddenly buzzed.

"Ahem… Yes?" he answered. "Right now? I'm… a bit busy." He glanced at us. "Hm? You say it's necessary? Fine..."

Hanging up, he sighed. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Don't worry, dear, it's your job," Mama reassured him with a warm smile.

Papa nodded but looked at me with a playful grin. "Ah, my little princess, it seems Papa has to leave. Stay with Mama and protect her, okay?"

"Yes!" I shouted, raising my arms triumphantly before hugging Mama tightly.

Papa smiled one last time before walking out of the museum, his presence disappearing almost immediately.

I turned my attention back to the towering skeletons, my mind racing. If I reanimate them, would they rampage? Or would they follow my orders?

I recalled a rule of reanimation: for it to obey its creator, the reanimated creature must be younger than the one who brought it back.

Am I older than this dinosaur? I wondered. How much is a million years, anyway?

Curiosity brimming, I turned to Mama and asked, "Mama, what's a million?"

She paused, thinking of a way to explain. "You can count to ten, right?"

I looked at my fingers, grinning with childlike excitement. "Yes!"

"If you count to ten ten times, you get a hundred. You know that, right?"

I took a moment to process, then nodded, sticking out my tongue. "Uh-huh!"

"Now, if you count to a hundred ten times, you get a thousand."

It was simple but fascinating. Learning numbers beyond single digits felt like uncovering a whole new world.

"Now…" Mama continued, her tone serious but playful, "bear with me here, okay?"

I straightened up, alert.

"A thousand times a thousand is a million," she said, smiling.

I blinked, struggling to comprehend such a large number.

What kind of goddess am I if I can't even do simple math in this world? I thought, mocking myself internally.

Mama knelt and asked, "So, Aleena, how many zeroes are there in a million?"

I hesitated, then guessed, "Four?"

Mama hugged me, laughing. "So close, my cutie! It's six!"

Internally, I groaned. And I call myself good at math? I'm better off as a joke at this point.

But her explanation sparked another thought. If a million is just a one followed by six zeroes, then what about eternity?

I tried converting "eternity" into numbers, only to realize how absurdly small a million seemed in comparison.

An eternity isn't just bigger than a million; it's too big for me to handle.

I sighed, slumping slightly. Yeah… I'm a clown.

Mama, noticing my thoughtful expression, ruffled my hair. "What's wrong, my little genius?"

I smiled up at her, deciding to keep my musings to myself for now. There was plenty of time to think about eternities and reanimated dinosaurs later. For now, I was content to explore the wonders of this strange, magical world with her.