Mia woke up a little earlier than she usually did. She didn’t remember falling asleep but she did remember eating dinner somewhere.

After going to the bathroom and washing up, bath included, she went down the stairs of her house. It was still very early but most of the women in the house were already awake. Her mothers and grand-aunt were preparing breakfast. She could also hear her father exercising at the back of the house.

“Woke up earlier today. Are you alright?” Marry asked Mia as she was passing.

“Yes. Just hungry. When is breakfast?”

“Soon, but there is something else for you. Come with me.”

“Ok.” Mia said, following her mother.

“These are pills, an alchemist made them for you. Gulp them whole, all of them. You can eat after that.” Marry said as she gave Mia a glass vial with around 10 purple pills the size of cherry.

“What is alchemy?” Mia asked as she took the vial. She had some idea of what alchemy might be but she never once saw anything related to alchemy anywhere. The Healer guild was also the alchemy guild but there was nothing about alchemy even when looking at things related to the guild.

“You should ask your master. The alchemist who made it knows him.” Marry said as Mia began to gulp down the pills. Unlike normal pills, these ones would be consumed the moment they hit Mia’s stomach so she could just use all of them at once.

Several minutes later everyone in the house was awake and eating together. Nobody said a word when Mia just ate like normal, something that not even her noticed. Marry was the only one who had some idea on how much Mia was at the mercy of her power.

Mia’s day continued like normal, for the most part. She wasn’t hungry all the time anymore but she still couldn’t use her powers as she wished so the physical training part of the day was pretty much as much exercise as her body could take, which wasn’t much.

As soon as the classes ended she was called by her Master.

“I am here, Master!” Mia said as she entered the Principal’s office.

“Hello.” Her master said back.

“Hi, nice to meet you.” Frank said to Mia. She looked at the strange man inquisitively.

“Who is he?”

“A random alchemist I found on the side of the road once. Don’t pay him any mind.” Her master said nonchalantly.

“Brother! Why do you disparage me so much? Girl, my name is Frank, I am the best alchemist in the world and brother of the wife of your master.” Frank declared.

“So you are the brother of aunt Hita? Should I call you uncle Frank? Also, you look very young, if it’s because of alchemy, you should sell it. People will die for whatever it is. Also, what is alchemy? Never saw anything related to it, can you…”

“Mia, slow down a little.” Her master said as he touched her shoulder to get her attention. Frank just looked at the girl like he found an oasis after being lost in the desert.

“No problem. It’s healthy for a kid to be this curious, most just accept things. Yes, you may call me uncle Frank. No, I can’t sell anything until I finish helping you, not that I would sell that. In extreme basic terms, alchemy is the art of magically cooking stuff to make magical stuff, like those pills you ate today. I took a bunch of materials, cooked all of them in a specific way and then condensed them to make those pills.” Frank explained.

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“Thanks, it took me a while to understand that the pills are what made me not feel hungry anymore. Is that why I am here?” Mia asked.

“Yes and no.” Her master said.

“I was informed that you can’t use your power very well after you awoke to death mana so I have to examine you more closely so I can prepare something to help you.” Frank said.

“Just sit and cultivate like normal, don’t activate your powers though.” Her master explained. Mia did just that. After around 10 minutes Frank spoke up.

“I see the problem now. Who taught you your cultivation technique?” He asked.

“Nobody really. I was given a cultivation manual for every type of cultivation and kind of just stitched them together.” Mia explained. Frank was astonished upon hearing that.

“Aren’t you a little genius? You managed to make something perfect for you but the problem right now is that your body changed and you are still trying to do what you were doing before.”

“What do you mean?” Mia asked.

“Yeah, what do you mean?” Her master asked.

“Aspect bodies usually only appear after you reach the core stage, right? At that point your mana pathways are completely formed and naturally at that. You just awakened your aspect body very suddenly, right? All the pathways that you should have naturally formed as you cultivated for your body, soul and mind were formed forcibly and you can’t even sense them because of that.” Frank explained. Mia took a minute or two to process what the man said.

“Wait, so the reason why I can’t use my cultivation is because I can’t move my mana to where it needs to go?”

“Yes. If you were ‘normal’ like before, just flooding your body, soul and mind with mana like before and moving it around would do the trick but the new pathways can’t just be flooded, you need to actively send mana to some of them as they are dead ends that don't connect to other parts of you.”

“Why did nobody see that?” Maximillian asked.

“Because it isn’t something that other people can see, feel, hear, etc… Normally. I made a potion that allows me to see the mana pathways of others and I can see the parts that she isn’t using. Someone good can usually sense a part of another person but not even the best can see the whole like I am now.”

“Uncle Frank, your eyes are bleeding.”

“No problem, I can grow another one in a few minutes.”

“Wait a moment! How do I cultivate now if I can’t make an infinite loop out of my body, soul and mind?” Mia asked.

“That is for later. Now that Frank here saw what he needs to prepare, you should go back home and meditate so you can find all these new pathways you didn’t know you had before. After we map it out we can make a new cultivation technique for you.”

“Also, starting tomorrow you are to eat only one of those pills after you wake up.” Frank said.

“Ok. Thanks Master, thanks uncle Frank. I will do my best so nobody will hurt you. Bye.” Mia said happily before leaving.

“Ain’t she a ray of sun in this dark times?” Frank asked Maximillian.

“Frank, I see it on your face, no! If I didn’t need you alive I would kill you right now just because of your face.”

“But she would make a very good alchemist! I super compressed the pills and nothing happened to her! Can’t you see her potential?”

“Frank, I am her master and I will not allow you to corrupt her!”

“I just want to teach her alchemy. What is the worst thing that can happen?”

“You…” Maximillian was going to say something but he stopped for a moment to truly think what would happen if she allowed the madman to teach Mia alchemy. Breathing really deeply he analyzed everything he knew about Mia and Frank and calculated what would probably happen. Once he finished, he had a smile on his face. “You know what, Frank? Ok, you can teach her alchemy.”

“Wait, really? I thought I would have to bribe you somehow.”

“Yes, but let’s make things clear. I am her master and you will be just her teacher. Call yourself her master even once and nothing will save you from what will come.”

“Why that?”

“I can guarantee that Hita will choose to use her name to defend Mia in your place in a heartbeat. You have to remember that anyone deemed your apprentice will be hunted and killed no matter what.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Now, go make your pills, potions or whatever before I strangle you.”