The glass clinked and clattered as the old, feeble- looking man slowly worked, his hands shaky and weak. The mundane process was interrupted by the slip of his hand, dropping a glass bottle onto the floor. The sound reverberated across the empty shop as the bottle refused to break. In the end, it just rolled to his feet in silence. He sighed, picking up the bottle and throwing it into the trash. It may not have shattered, but he couldn’t risk the quality of the bottles he made, not if he valued his life. Just as he was about to reach for another bottle, his door slammed open.
He turned, thinking it was them. He was surprised to find a skinny young man instead, clutching his stomach as he grabbed the frame of the entrance. For a second, the man had thought the boy had been stabbed, his eyes were scrunched up in pain and his mouth was in a grimace. He couldn’t help but want to help the boy, seeing as their face reminded him of his grandson. He abandoned his work, rushing to the front and trying to give the poor young man some help. “Are you ok? What happened… What?”
Elliot had been standing in the entrance, so the old man was unable to see his back. Only then did he understand why the boy didn’t enter. A sword with a blade almost as tall as the boy himself, with a handle that went a foot above his head, was attached to his back. In such a tiny door frame as his, the handle would have simply broken through the door. What kind of person was this young man, the old man thought.
“Please… I can repay you… Please, give me some food.” The boy’s eyes widened in determination as he said those words, and in his eyes there was something the old man couldn’t believe. Two eyes that shone like the sun, with golden irises and flecks of green intertwined. He’d never seen pupils of gold like that, and that wasn’t even the most important part. Lining the outskirts of his eyes, etched into the very connective tissue. A magic circle, one only given to those of high standing and power.
The boy had the circle of growth, the “Enneagram” Etched directly into both his eyes. The old man was so entranced by the spectacle of it all that he barely registered what the boy said. Only until he realized the situation did he finally understand. The boy holding his stomach wasn’t stabbed, or even hurt. No, they were hungry… His shock made way to amusement as he processed the whole debacle. “Hah! Of course, my boy. Let me get you something to eat.” The old man moved away to gather his things, instead reaching for the dried meat and cheese in his cold storage.
He didn’t understand why the boy went to an alchemist's shop to eat, but he wouldn’t pass up this opportunity. As people are, people will be, and one couldn’t deny the old wizard his curiosity. Eyes were always off limits when it came to rituals, since one wrong move could disfigure and contort the delicate mana in the face, instantly killing the individual. The process was also much more difficult and painful for the recipient. An almost impossible task combined with an almost impossible pain. This boy had somehow done such a thing twice, on both eyes.
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Damn… what the hell did that transformation do to him. Elliot took his sword and stabbed it in front of the entrance, leaving it there to avoid any collateral damage. His stomach was threatening to riot as he made his way inside the cozy little restaurant. Although it looked rather peculiar on the inside, it had been the first place people had pointed him to when he had asked for help. He wondered if the place was really as tasty as… Hey!
The old man had come back with food, but it wasn’t the great meal he had expected. It was nothing but dried meat and cheese, and although he had instantly grabbed the first edible thing in front of him and scarfed it down, he felt disapointe- “Oh, gods… that’s good.” He unconsciously let out, tearing through the food like a hot knife through butter. It was quite a spectacle for the old wizard, expecting the one in front of him to have been more graceful.
The boy looked as if he’d never experienced a hardship in his life. His body was too thin, and his hands looked as if they had never handled a blade… But the fact he could carry such a massive sword proved that he had to at least be capable. As the old wizard considered the boy’s past, Elliot had already taken half the plate given to him. His body didn’t seem to stop taking in the nourishment, and as he consumed more and more he felt something hot inside him growing hotter, as if he was just shoveling fuel into a flame.
“Gah… Hah… Water…” He took his canteen out and tore it open, pouring the water down his throat. His burning body suddenly felt as if it was quelled, and in his relief he sighed, releasing an intense smoke from his mouth. The wizard watched entranced, How could someone revive like that with food, so easily? As the boy ate, his eyes glowed yellow, electric. The boy’s long hair, which had been thin and lifeless, almost exploded with vigor now. It looked like the mane of a wolf, long and wild with an incredible pride.
It was those eyes, it had to be.
Elliot gave the old man a weird look before shrugging and turning away. He didn’t care about the old man’s stare, he was just too exhausted to. After a while, his hunger settled. It wasn’t full, but he no longer felt the gnawing feeling of his stomach cramping up. Turning to the old man, Elliot smiled gratefully. “Thank you, my stomach was threatening to kill me if I didn’t put something in it. How can I repay you?” He had to repay the man somehow. Even if he’d only been given basic necessities.
He couldn’t help but be a bit off-put by them, though. The old man put a hand on his chin, staring through Elliot as he carefully considered their options. “If… You don’t mind my rudeness, could you tell me how you obtained those eyes?” Elliot raised an eyebrow at the question. “...My mom?” The old man paused a bit at the answer, before laughing. “If you don’t want to tell me then that’s fine by me, boy. I was just a bit curious.” Elliot was confused, were his eyes different? Did something happen to them? He recalled the terrible itching due to the metamorphosis and gasped.
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He stood from the table abruptly, suddenly panicked. “Wait, old man, can you spare me a mirror?” The alchemist frowned, before walking to the counter. He grabbed the mirror and seemingly handed it to Elliot before moving it out of range just in time. “I wasn’t trained under alchemy for forty years just to be called an ‘old man’, boy.” Elliot grinned at the old man’s show. A man without pride was never a good one. “Sorry, mister alchemist. I guess this isn’t a restaurant, then?” The alchemist flinched, before sighing, handing the mirror over.
He wasn’t born yesterday, and his intelligence and wisdom were both over 800. It wasn’t hard for him to realize what had happened to have people lead the boy here. “No, boy. This is an alchemical shop. I experiment with herbs and minerals, as well as… rituals.” Elliot’s curiosity was piqued. “Really? What do rituals do- Fuck! Who the hell is this!?” Who the hell was he looking at!? His soft features were completely gone, replaced by sharp, cold eyes and a face that looked like it belonged to a killer.
At least, it would have been the case if he had looked just a bit older. He bared his teeth at the hand mirror, checking to see if he hadn’t just turned into some demon. As he checked his hair for horns, he realized just how unmanageable and large it had gotten. The most terrifying thing on him, though, were his eyes. “Damnit… ” They’re new golden color would have looked great on any other guy if it hadn’t been for the terrifying evil-looking rituals adorning the pupils. The terrifying ritual was there, though, and on his cold face in particular, it looked completely demonic.
The skill had subtly changed his face… Guess he had the answer for the old man. “Hey old ma- …Mister alchemist. I think I just got these a moment ago. They came with my class.” The old man looked shock, and honestly, Elliot felt the same way. Not a single class he’d seen had affected the person using it, at least, not to such an extent. “A class!? A class gave you those eyes!? That’s outrageous! Amazing!” Personal boundaries no longer being a thing, apperantly, the man leaned forward and grabbed Elliot’s face.
He almost decided to go against the man, but relented. Why would he refuse his saviour something so trivial? “Amazing… That is why the inking is so incredible. It’s as if the mana came from inside rather than out… Could this be done again?” Elliot finally decided enough was enough when the man looked about ready to pull an eye out for study. He grabbed an arm, pulling it from his eye. “Hey, old man. Watch where your putting those fingers.”
As if a switch flipped, the alchemist’s curious face turned into one of horror. “Ah! I apologize…” With a troubled face, they messed with their collar, probably out of habit. “My skills have a tendency to… take control away from me. Feel free to bat me away if I get too close… And don’t call me an old man, boy.” Elliot frowned, remembering the times as a kid where his sword skill would turn him into a raving mad psychopath.
He assumed it was a rare side effect of “Talent of the insane”. Turns out, he’d have to worry about a lot of sickos in the future. This man didn’t seem to be too bad, though. Sighing, he pulled his hair out of the way, giving them a clearer look of his eyes without having to be manhandled. “Don’t worry about it. So, why does an alchemist want my eyes?
Do they make a goud soup or something?” He grinned at the alchemists horrified expression. “Heavens no! I’m an alchemist and a ritualist. I’m not interested in the eye, i’m interested in the process!” He walked back to the counter, taking a paper and pen from the back. “You said you had a class, is that correct? Would you mind telling me a bit about it? Oh, i’ll definitely repay you for any information.”
Reward? Would the old man give him some food to go? That was quite a nice exchange. Elliot watched as the man sat in front of him, seemingly ready to write down every word he said. This was… a bit overbearing. His eyes were so bright with curiousity that Elliot had to look away. “Hey, uh… Would you mind if i just wrote down what i knew, instead?” He really didn’t want to say the description of the lonely prince out loud… The skills were even more deppressing. The alchemist seemed a bit dissapointed, but handed him the paper.
“So, you could write. It seems you grew up in a good family.” The words made his chest tighten up a bit. “Yeah, it was a good family… I really miss them.” It had only been a day away from his mother, but it wasn’t the same mother he knew. And his sister… The alchemist nodded solemnly, as if he understood. Elliot smiled. With age came plenty of experiences, he wondered just what the old man went through in his life. A life completely separated from his own.
Groaning in effort, the old alchemist shakily stood back up, sliding the paper towards him. “I’ll leave you to your own devices, write what you think is acceptable and come to me. I’ll have something prepared.” The old man went to another room, leaving Elliot alone. He wasn’t about to laze off, though. Opening the status screen, he meticulously wrote down what he could. From the last few years with Elizabeth, he had found out that people can also learn their skills names and uses from the church. The man had given him free food, of course he’d give him everything he had.
However, he’d leave out anything unrelated to the class, including his occupation as a royal. By the time he’d finished, most of the page was filled. He had even put some extra bits in there that the descriptions didn’t mention, like how the damn metamorphosis was useless until activated, and hurt like hell when it did. In the end, once Elliot was satisfied with the amount of work he’d put into the paper, he pushed it away from him. A job well done! He leaned back on the chair and relaxed, waiting for the old man to come back. At least, that’s he had expected to happen.
“Oh, looks like someone didn’t hear the news. Quite a pretty one too.” A knife, almost too big to even be called that, sunk itself deep into the table in front of Elliot, right in the middle of the paper he’d put so much work in. “This shop is purely for decoration only. At least, until we’re done with it.” The big man with a scar on his right eye said, his smug grin showing his crooked teeth. Two more were behind him, one just as big and ugly, while another looked thin, and meek. Whatever type of threat they were trying to give Elliot, it went right past his head.
He was seeing too much red to actually hear what happened.