Thin sheets of clouds, illuminated by the ample starlight, covered the skies of Anthor City. The day had come to an end, giving way to a thriving nightlife. The shops that lined the roads each lit their outdoor lamps, bringing color and warmth to the otherwise pale night.

Anthor Royal Palace, positioned in its rightful place at the city’s center, shone brighter and more brilliantly than any other building. Its high peaks threatened to pierce the misty pillows in the sky above, while lights sparkled within the palace’s windows and archways like fireflies collected on a silvery tree. With such a massive kingdom, the activities within the palace were always lively, no matter the time of day.

In the depths of the royal palace, two men walked with through a hallway. Their echoing steps kept them company within the silence. On either side, dim lanterns flickered along the stone walls, while shadows clung to the corners and crevices like devious ghosts.

“This hallway sounds so empty, are you sure we’re going the right way, Bobo?”

Prince Marlow was being steered forward by his personal guardsman, Bobo, who had his two hands placed on either side of the prince’s shoulders.

“Yes, yes. We were here just a couple days ago, don’t you remember?”

Bobo let out his umpteenth sigh. Dealing with the prince’s fleeting memory was a feat in of itself.

“Of course I remember! I was just testing you. In fact, I’ve been counting the steps this entire time!”

“Oh really?”

“Yes! The door to the advisor’s study room is right… here!”

Prince Marlow stopped abruptly and faced the wall to his right.

“How’s that? I’m pretty talented, aren’t I?”

“You didn’t even confirm if you were correct.”

Although Bobo knew that the prince was facing a wall, he still gave him a strange gaze. That’s because the advisor’s door was just a couple more steps forward! Was it genius or was it blind luck?

“I don’t need to confirm anything! Lady fate pushes me toward my destiny and has never led me astray!”

“Your lady fate literally made you blind.”

“Don’t speak ill of my lady!”

Bobo shook his head and nudged the prince a few more steps to the side.

“Well you were correct, just this time. Let’s go talk to the advisor before you walk into a wall.”

“Pfft! Of course I am correct!”

Prince Marlow walked forward, slamming his face against the closed door.

“O-Ow…”

Bobo opened the door and pulled the prince inside. Although he managed to swallow his laughter, a smirk hung on his lips as he relished in the prince’s newfound handicap.

“Advisor Karbone! Are you here?!”

Prince Marlow arrogantly called out. Seeing this, Bobo took a passive step away from the prince and kneeled onto one leg. He could occasionally be disrespectful to Prince Marlow, but he wouldn’t dream of doing the same to the frightening elder that sat in the center of the dark room.

Advisor Karbone’s robes were sleek black with crimson designs interwoven throughout. If one were to give a simple glance, the designs would almost seem like flowing blood.

“Boy, you dare interrupt me again?!”

Advisor Karbone whirled around with a snarl. His face was like aged oak, and his lengthy white eyebrows were bent inward like protruding feathers. Faced with the elder’s audible wrath, Prince Marlow fearlessly stared in a random direction as if he held a modicum of authority.

“Yes! I’m back! You old grasshopper, you have to help me!”

“Bah!”

Advisor Karbone stamped his foot on the ground in frustration as he stared back at his work, which comprised of multitudes of formation markings that were etched into the floor and walls. Murky red energy flowed through the markings like disconnected lightning.

“I already told you, boy. I can’t cure your blindness with alchemy. I was so close to figuring this out too… now leave me!”

“Wait, you don’t have to do any alchemy for me! There’s this miracle alchemist in the city-“

Advisor Karbone interrupted with an aggressive huff of air.

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not possible. Miracle alchemist? Just a fraud. Do you really think there’s an alchemist greater than myself within these city walls?”

“But I’m telling the truth-“

“Get out of here, damn it! You’ve already ruined hours of my precious research with your interruption. If it were anyone else, their head would roll!”

Prince Marlow’s shoulders slumped down in dejection.

“Ugh, where was I? Right, the energy deficiency over the past few days is affecting the formation’s power conversion… just what is going on down there? Those bastards better not be slacking off…”

Advisor Karbone returned to his work with a string of mumbles.

“L-Let’s go, Bobo.”

Bobo stood up from the floor, but instead of leading Prince Marlow through the exit—he let out a light cough and spoke out.

“Advisor Karbone, Prince Marlow speaks the truth…”

The ancient being stood stock-still, before turning around with a frigid gaze.

“You would risk your life to second this buffoon?”

“Y-Yes, the miracle alchemist exists. He claimed that he could cure Prince Marlow’s blindness if he wished and… he developed a cure for Twilight Fel.”

A pause of silence hung in the air. Prince Marlow’s ears perked up in hope, but also in fear that his servant might meet an early end. Bobo let out a steady stream of breath, unsure if he’ll live to see tomorrow.

“A cure? For Twilight Fel? Impossible! Only an ancient monster could perform reverse composition on a toxin like that, let alone develop a real cure for it.”

“I-It’s true. The alchemy shop, Herbs and Cauldrons, has skyrocketed in popularity due to this news. On our way back to the palace, the prince and I learned that the cure is called Daybreak Remedy.”

Bobo slunk back a step after he finished his piece. Meanwhile, Advisor Karbone scoffed and flipped his wispy beard with a hand.

“Daybreak Remedy? What an annoying name…”

Advisor Karbone glanced over his shoulder with a strange gaze. He inspected his work with a displeased expression.

“Wait… if less people are sent to the outskirts, then less people are acquired. That explains the energy output! That bastard—this alchemist must be stopped!”

“Advisor Karbone, does this mean you’ll help me convince the alchemist to cure my blindness?”

Prince Marlow quipped with a voice full of expectations.

“Yes, yes. Good prince, of course I will. Thank you for bringing this pest to my attention. However, it would be even better if I could charge him to improve the… yes, yes. We’ll arrange for him to be brought to the palace tomorrow.”

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“Eh?! Why tomorrow? Let’s bring him in tonight so he can cure me!”

Advisor Karbone let out an annoyed grunt.

“I’m busy tonight! If he’s curing Twilight Fel like you said, then he must have naturally acquired a strong backing within the kingdom’s council of elders. Also, there’s a strong chance that this alchemist maintains a high position within the alchemy association if he is really that talented.”

He clicked his tongue in thought.

“This will be a public affair. We’ll have to declare that it is illegal to distribute a cure that hasn’t been vetted by me. Only King Anthor has the authority to bring the alchemist in since I would face pushback from both the council of elders and the alchemist’s association. The king will be returning to the palace tomorrow along with your sister, so wait patiently until then.”

Prince Marlow shivered the moment his sister was mentioned. Before he could say another word, Bobo was already guiding him by the shoulders out toward the exit.

“Let us go, Prince Marlow. You must be presentable tomorrow for your family’s return.”

“R-Right. Although, I wish that monster would never return home…”

“It’s because of your foolishness that Princess Ling is being forced to come back. If you hadn’t tried acquiring your lady fate-“

“Not another word about my lady fate!”

“Of course, Prince Marlow.”

----

The next day, inside the main room of Herbs and Cauldrons, a heavyset woman was red in the cheeks with excitement. Hot air escaped her lips as she brought a marble-sized orb close to her face.

“Are you sure this pill can really reverse my old eyes?”

Shopkeep Tomio squinted through her thick spectacle lens’ at the woman across the way. She could barely make out the outline of a gorgeous beauty, but that was the extent of it.

“Of course! Something as simple as this. You can even take the pill right now! No need to wait.”

Elsie tweeted with a lilting tone. In response, Shopkeep Tomio popped the pill in her mouth, eyes glowing with anticipation.

Without any suspense—the effects were immediate.

“The world is so…”

Shopkeep Tomio removed her glasses and blinked with her large eyes.

“Everything is so beautiful!”

“Isn’t it?”

Elsie curtsied in front of the woman before holding out her hand.

“That’ll be 15 low-rank spirit shards!”

“15… low-rank spirit shards? T-That’s it?”

“Of course! The price of the materials used for this simple pill only add up to 10 spirit shards and if we factor in-“

Shopkeep Tomio withdrew a high-rank spirit shard and shoved it into Elsie’s outstretched hand.

“Please, don’t say anymore. Just take this. What you’ve done for me is worth way more than a paltry 15 low-rank spirit shards!”

“Wait! Let me get your change!”

“No! I refuse! Keep the spirit shard, I can’t rest otherwise!”

Shopkeep Tomio hobbled out of the store as Elsie let out a dejected sigh.

“Yet another overpaying customer…”

If she added up all the extra spirit shards that their humble alchemy shop acquired over the last week, Elsie was easily sitting on a nest egg of at least 2000 high-rank spirit shards, and business was only ramping up.

“Is this what it means to be rewarded by good intentions?”

Elsie blinked, and the illusion that housed Shopkeep Tomio’s transaction faded away. The angelic girl sat, perched upon a countertop, watching as the main room became increasingly packed with customers.

The moment a customer entered the doorway, they were immediately trapped within a complex illusion formation crafted by Elsie herself. Such a method was not originally necessary, but disorder in the form of public brawls had come swiftly to Herbs and Cauldrons after being open for a mere two days.

“Lemma, these are the orders for those five customers in the back!”

“Right away, Lady Elsie!”

Elsie smiled as she watched Lemma run back and forth across the floor, delivering pills, elixirs, and remedies where needed. In her spare time, Lemma would learn from both Sans and Elder Hoplin, and a fast learner she was.

“Speaking of which, I wonder how his progress is coming.”

She hopped off the counter and entered the backroom, just in time to see Sans aggressively smash one stone down a top another. A sharp clack rung throughout the room.

“Come on! Was I wrong again?”

Sans removed the upper stone, revealing motes of burnt dust.

“Ugh, how frustrating.”

He tossed the stone away in frustration at the sight of the ashes. Elder Hoplin stooped over, thoughtfully retrieving the stone and inspecting it.

“Young lad, I don’t think it’s possible to recreate higher tier minerals by forcefully fusing lower combinations in such a manner. Theoretically it is, but as you said when you first came up with the theory; it’s a relation of energy and pressure. How much energy do you think is required to elevate a mineral to another tier?”

Elder Hoplin shook his head and continued.

“If you ask me, you’re better off just finding a rare materials merchant on a different floor and buying them. Rarely will one find tenth floor materials on the first floor. You have to have a direct supplier, otherwise it’s hopeless. Even alchemist associations don’t often hold this level of rarity until floor seven.”

“But the core components of these two materials are the same… it should work. Hoplin, I simply don’t have the luxury of time that you’re imagining.”

Sans let out a sigh and slumped back in his chair. He stared at the vial of blood in his hands, which occasionally pulsed with a murky blue aura. The source of the blood was drawn from his own body, such that he can use it as a sample to test various cures for Heaven’s Tears.

Elsie stepped further into the room and clicked her tongue.

“Do you perhaps know how that detestable woman was able to acquire Heaven’s Tears? Even if she had the recipe to create it, it would have been impossible unless she were a grandmaster alchemist with access to the tenth floor.”

“Well… she had a lot of money. I don’t know who her source was, but she certainly didn’t make the toxin on her own. ”

Before additional suggestions could be made, Lemma burst into the room.

“L-Lady Elsie, the royal guard is here!”

Sans and Elsie shared a look, both thinking about the recent encounter with Prince Marlow. Sans shrugged his shoulders and scoffed.

“Is that idiot back? I guess we should find out.”

Sans led the way while Elsie, Lemma, and Elder Holpin all followed behind.

They exited the store and were met with a platoon of soldiers, each standing with backs straight as spears in a line formation. At the head of the platoon was a man in decorative armor. The man’s shiny helmet was nestled within the crook of his arm, while his rugged face characterized his no-nonsense bravado.

“I am Commander Ramon. On behalf of the king, I invite the miracle alchemist with an opportunity to win the king’s favor and settle a dispute. Who here is the miracle alchemist?”

Elsie held out an arm, preventing Sans from stepping forward. She called out to the guard with a peculiar gaze.

“I am the alchemist’s master. What sort of opportunity are you suggesting? As you can see, we are very busy.“

The woman gestured to the meandering line of impatient customers, each of them burying a growing contempt for the royal guard due to wasting time.

“Is it master or husband?”

Elder Hoplin grumbled in the back as Elsie spoke.

“Young lady, I called it an opportunity out of kindness. The Royal Advisor has declared your alchemist’s practice of the trade to be unsanctioned. The development and distribution of Daybreak Remedy has not been cleared by the authorities.”

Ramon then turned his steely gaze toward Elder Hoplin.

“I thought I recognized you, Elder Alchemist Hoplin. I should have known that you would be behind the Daybreak Remedy pill. This can be considered an infraction against the kingdom’s treaty with the association! Did you think you could run rampant and hide behind the association while the king was away?“

Elder Hoplin scratched the side of his cheek with a hesitant chuckle.

“Actually, I did not create it. The honor belongs to this young man.”

He pointed to Sans with a thumb, who stared at Ramon with a pensive gaze.

“I don’t need to hear these lies. Look at this boy. I wager he hasn’t even lived two decades, let alone performed miracles of alchemy. Just how long did it take the royal advisor to become an exalted alchemist? Just how many centuries do you think he’s lived?”

Ramon gave a dark chuckle and waved his gauntlet covered hand through the air.

“Enough of this, take away the elder and bring him to-”

“Wait.”

Sans called out. He pushed Elsie’s arm out of the way and stepped forward.

“I’ll go with you to see this king, but I request that the royal advisor must be present.”

Ramon squinted one eye in bewilderment.

“Boy, stop trying to cover for-“

“I’m not covering for anyone. I invented Daybreak Remedy on my own. If you don’t believe me then take a look.”

Before everyone, Sans flipped his hand in the air, setting the space in front of him ablaze with an icy-blue fire. Material after material flew through the air and directly into the flames, which soon took the shape of a cauldron. Within seconds, the materials were refined simultaneously in front of the entire crowd, causing a wave of gasps and astonishment to fill the air.

“I-Impossible…”

Although Ramon wasn’t an alchemist himself, he had certainly seen plenty of them in action. None of them were capable of performing alchemy without a dedicated cauldron.

“What are you doing? I thought you didn’t want to get closer to the king.”

Elsie whispered by Sans’ side.

“I don’t particularly, but I had an idea. If the royal advisor is some powerful alchemist, then he must have access to rare ingredients. Don’t you think?”

Sans clenched his fist, simultaneously extinguishing the flames and catching the pill in his hand.

“You’re suggesting… I see!”

Elsie revealed a bright smile, her gaze landing upon Ramon who was still dumbstruck at Sans’ performance.

“Commander Rammy, my servant and I accept your opportunity to see the king. Of course, under the condition that the royal advisor is there.”

“R-Rammy?”

The commander shook himself awake and squared his shoulders, composing himself.

“It seems I made an error in my judgement. Young man, you are certainly talented and I apologize for my previous disrespect.”

Sans cocked his head to the side.

Does my display of mastery really deserve such a turn in attitude?

Elsie turned to Elder Hoplin and Lemma, both of which wore conflicted expressions, brought about from uncertainty toward the future.

“Here, Lemma. Take this.”

Elsie tossed a scroll over.

“This is the sale of business contract? Why are you giving this to me?”

“Hmpf. Do you remember the last line of the contract?”

Lemma nodded and her eyes shifted uneasily as she stowed the contract away. She was currently in the presence of the royal guard and wasn’t about to read the contract out loud.

“Good, I suspect that day may soon arrive. At that time, the alchemist’s association will likely regain control over laws and regulations within this kingdom. You won’t have the illusion formation to assist you anymore, so be sure to set the customers straight if they get out of hand.”

Elsie glanced at Elder Hoplin, who averted his eyes.

“Thanks for saving me, earlier… with the situation.”

He mumbled, regret and shame hung in his every word.

“I didn’t save anyone, you saved yourself. Good luck with Hara and take care of Lemma.”

Each of them were able to sense the goodbye within her voice.

Both Lemma and Elder Hoplin knew that Sans and Elsie wouldn’t linger within Anthor City forever, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t hope for these pleasant days to continue. Days of research, days filled with the frustration and excitement of progress, and days spent together doing what they loved most—alchemy.

Elsie enveloped Sans’ hand between her own, leading him away. A blissful smile hung on her lips as they walked toward the contingent of royal guards, fully prepared to face whatever may come.