Disorganized footsteps sounded in the hall. They were occasionally interrupted by the abrupt staccato of a wooden cane, courtesy of Advisor Karbone. Sans followed behind the elderly man, his eyes taking in the various ornamental displays that lined the walls.

“As you can see from the lack of servants, no one is allowed on this floor. For good reason, as not everyone in the palace shares an open mind like we do. Oh, we’re here.”

Advisor Karbone stopped before a looming wooden door. A lattice of chains was stretched across its surface, but with a snap of his fingers the chains were instantly undone. The door swung open, revealing an energetic environment within.

“After you.”

The elder stepped to the side, allowing Sans to enter first.

This is…

Sans glanced around the room, taking note of every detail. Tables lined the walls, and before each table was a solemn alchemist committing their full concentration. At the center of the room, there was a tall and wide capsule of pink liquid. If he looked closely at the capsule, he could vaguely make out a humanoid shadow curled within.

They’re creating more Twilight Fel.

Not every alchemist was successful in the creation process, as shown by the disposed vials that were filled with black sludge. Roaming about the room was a sharp eyed elder donned in white alchemist robes.

He’s that Elder Alchemist… what was his name again?

“Elder Binks has been facilitating much of the Twilight Fel production. With his help, we’ve been able to refine and improve the recipe over the last decade or so.”

Advisor Karbone gestured toward the man and beckoned him over. Seeing Karbone, Elder Binks came forward without hesitation. The haughty look in eyes couldn’t be concealed as he gazed at Sans.

“Elder Binks, this is Sans. He’s come to help us improve the recipe.”

“Hmpf. What good can come of this? I know you discovered a cure for Twilight Fel, but surely that was out of pure luck. I don’t think-“

“Binks!”

Karbone’s tone turned sharper than a knife.

“Sans said he could cure the prince’s eyesight, a feat that no one here could accomplish. Guess what?”

He fiercely eyed the alchemist, who averted his gaze with a grumble.

“What?”

“He has already cured the prince. Sans kept his word, and now he has suggested that he can improve Twilight Fel. Do you still think him incapable?”

Elder Binks simmered in place, but over time his expression grew increasingly heated. He spun back around and glared at Sans as if he had killed his firstborn child.

“I can already tell what he’s planning! He’s going to linger around until one of us, who have real experience, finally makes a breakthrough. Then he’s going to insert himself in and take all the credit!”

“On the contrary… I will be doing it without any of you.”

Sans crossed his arms over his chest and cast Elder Binks a condescending gaze.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Look at them. Go on and take a look.”

He pointed toward the other alchemists in the room.

“Not a single one of them wants me here, but it goes both ways. I don’t want to work with them either. I alone am enough to improve the formula in just a couple days’ time. I will ask for Karbone to stay for supervision, but I will also require an assistant.”

Elder Binks scoffed upon hearing Sans’ intent.

“I can assure you, not a single alchemist here wants to be your assistant. Not only is that degrading to the integrity of-“

“Ah.”

Sans held up a halting hand, just as a knock came from the door.

“My assistant has arrived.”

He opened the door, and Chenbo stepped inside with an apologetic look.

“I hurried as fast as I could, forgive me Advisor Karbone.”

He kneeled before the advisor and kept his head down.

“Nonsense boy. Actually, you arrived just in time! Sans here has declared you his assistant, so I will be expecting good results. Should I hear that you have impeded his efforts… death will be your lightest punishment. Is that understood?”

Karbone’s eyes glowed with a deathly chill.

“Of course, my lord. Our honored guest will only receive my full effort.”

“Good, good. Up off the floor.”

The advisor then turned to Elder Binks with a shrug.

“Elder…”

“You can’t be serious?”

Elder Binks stared at Karbone with all the injustice in the world but was met with an unmoved expression.

“F-Fine then! You’ll see, in a couple of days just how much of a fraud this young man truly is! I refuse to believe that his superficial brush with alchemy exceeds my vast wealth of knowledge!”

Sans stepped aside from the door, inviting the elder alchemist out the room. Elder Binks curled his upper lip in resentment before marching through the door.

“Let’s go. All of you, out here with me. We’re taking a break for a few days. Party, have some fun. Go spend time with your families, whatever it is you desire. Leave this foolish boy alone with his experiments.”

One by one, the alchemists in the room halted production and shuffled out the door. After the last one was gone, Sans slammed the door shut behind them.

“Are you sure lad? You’ve proven that you’re more capable than those bumbling idiots, but still… their help could have been useful?”

Karbone couldn’t help but stare at the closed door with a hint of pity, but in the end he simply shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll get better results this way. Now then...”

Sans strode around the center of the room with his hands clasped behind his back. He assumed the visage of an aged mystic, but in reality, he was only mimicking the eccentric Doctor Lazure within his memories.

“Um, as you can see. We start here with the process…”

Advisor Karbone made his way toward one of the vacant alchemist tables.

“No need. I’ve already seen everything. It’s not far off from my recreation of Twilight Fel, albeit I was missing a certain key ingredient.”

Sans fixated his gaze on the massive capsule in the center of the room. He could sense there was a creature inside, and from the way Chenbo stole glances—he didn’t need to imagine who it was.

“Yes, yes. This is the Twilight Fox that we take blood essence from. It’s a careful balance of how much we can take as we don’t want to jeopardize its lifespan. Although now that she’s older we can take even more, which is great! Even though her mother is under our control, it’s still a risk whenever-“

“What is her name?”

Sans interrupted the elder, still maintaining his arrogant demeanor.

“Huh? Er, her name? Don’t think we ever gave her one. Perhaps her mother did once upon a time, but she has no use for a name as we keep her in a forced slumber. However, we could always name her if…”

Karbone’s voice continued to babble on incessantly, but Sans was focused on something else entirely.

‘It’s nice to meet you, Sans.’

A small voice surfaced within his mind. It was an odd connection, but somehow Sans felt as if he could reach out to her without speaking. Almost as if an invisible bridge had been created between the two, a fragile bridge that could snap to pieces at any moment.

You must be Lyra?

Sans never forgot her name, rather he simply wanted Karbone to view her as more than a rare ingredient. Sadly, from the way Karbone spoke about her, it didn’t seem like he cared.

“…But if you really wanted to give her a nickname you could. Otherwise, we’ll have to hunt down Eosa, and who knows where that terrifying beast could be hiding.”

‘My Chenbo has told me all about you. You’re all he ever talks about.’

Although Sans couldn’t see her body, nor was she even supposed to be awake, he still felt a peculiar sensation as if she were smiling through her words alone.

Can you hear us outside the capsule?

‘No. My body is asleep, but my consciousness is not. My mother said it is due to my unique trait, an awakened soul. It’s rare to awaken the soul. Not even she has done it!’

Sans pressed his tongue against the back of his teeth.

We’ll speak more in just a moment.

He had a sinking feeling that her awakening was likely due to the circumstances of her environment. It was her way of adapting to the world around her, which was a natural marvel on its own. He let out a sigh before turning to Advisor Karbone.

“Improving the recipe will happen in two phases. Each phase, I will ask for compensation, but we can talk about that later.”

The moment he started speaking of improvement, he had immediately captured Karbone’s undivided attention. The old man crept closer with a delighted smile.

“Please, continue.”

“The first phase will be focused on replicating the Twilight Fox’s blood essence.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Sans paused for a moment, already expecting a flurry of questions.

“Pardon? Why would we replicate the blood essence? We have a perfectly live Twilight Fox here, already in our possession. Let’s also not forget that she’s fairly young. She’ll see many years before giving out.”

“But what then?”

Sans stood impassively with squared shoulders. He gave Karbone a neutral, but challenging glance.

“You mean… after she dies?”

“Yes, what will you do once she dies? You are only predicting her life expectancy, but have you ever studied a Twilight Fox in perpetual captivity? Not to mention the constant draw from her blood essence, did you not think her life span wouldn’t be vastly shortened?”

“I…”

The ancient advisor shifted eyes from side to side in thought. At the same time, Chenbo took a hesitant step forward, capturing Sans’ attention. From the horrified expression plastered across his pale face, it was easy to see what Chenbo’s thoughts were.

I think I gave Chenbo a scare.

‘Don’t bully my Chenbo!’

Sans stifled a laugh and at the same time he lightly shook his head. Fortunately, Chenbo saw his signal and he took a deep breath, collecting himself.

“Sir Alchemist… how long do you wager she has to live?”

“I can’t say for certain. It could be at most a decade from now, or it could be a few decades. Only time could truly tell, but is that something you want to risk?”

Upon hearing Sans’ assessment, Karbone vigorously shook his head, his face wrought with concern and worry. It was incredible to see both Karbone and Chenbo care so much for the young fox’s health, but for two vastly different reasons.

“N-No, you’re right! Of course, you’re right! You’re such a brilliant young man. Thank you for opening these old eyes. Those buffoons would have never thought of this… incredible.”

Advisor Karbone’s voice turned to a scowling mumble toward the end. However in short time, he was back to a full face of smiles. He rubbed his gnarled hands eagerly as he stared at Sans, eyes brimming with expectation.

“I already trust you have a method for replicating the blood essence?”

“You are indeed correct.”

Sans gave him a nod of assurance.

“Let’s talk about the compensation. How about that?”

“Nonsense, we’ll discuss it later. The next phase of improvement is the extraction method of the ingredients. I don’t believe for a second that you guys have refined this recipe to its fullest potential. I aim to change that.”

“Perfect! Perfect! Where do we start?”

Sans revealed a confident smile before clicking his fingers together.

“We’ve already started.”

Wisps of azure flames sprung outward like fireflies as they swept throughout the room. Each time they passed a necessary ingredient; they would cradle it carefully before bringing it towards a partially formed cauldron of fire.

“What is this…?”

The azure blaze reflected in Advisor Karbone’s eyes as he watched Sans’ prodigal display of control.

“Don’t worry about nonsense. The first phase will be accomplished with an easy but lesser-known method. It is called Mimic Gelee. Fortunately, I have all the ingredients save for a couple. They are as follows…”

Sans casually listed off a handful of ingredients, which true to his word, were not at all rare in the slightest. Advisor Karbone stamped his cane on the ground in happiness before marching off to the exit.

“I’ll acquire these ingredients personally! Just hold tight, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

Before Sans could get in another word, the door was slammed shut with Karbone disappearing down the hall.

“Hah… exhausting.”

Sans commented out loud as Chenbo came to stand front and center.

“The lifespan thing. It was a joke right?”

Despite his attempt at maintain a neutral expression, Chenbo failed to hide the sorrow that painted his brows.

“Unfortunately, she really will suffer from a shorter life span.”

Sans gave a bitter expression. There was truly nothing he could do to fix decades of critical blood loss.

“But not to worry. Although it will be a shorter life, it won’t be as short as you’re imagining. I was lying to Karbone. Hundreds of years, if not a thousand. Tell me Chenbo, do you think you’ll live to be a thousand years old?”

He gave his friend a challenging smirk. Chenbo merely rolled his eyes before returning a similar look.

“Of course I will! I intend to be by her side forever!”

Sans gave a laugh before casting his eyes toward the pink capsule in the middle.

I think you won the lottery with Chenbo.

‘I did, didn’t I?’

So tell me, how did you meet Chenbo? How did you determine he’s the type of person you could trust? How did you know who I was apart from all the other alchemists?

Sans’ fingers twirled with spectacular blue flames as he refined material after material.

‘I can sense the soul, and yours is unlike anything I have ever seen. For Chenbo, his soul is gentle. I could tell the instant he stepped into this room that he was the one for me. Even just interacting with him puts me at ease. I know I will always be safe around my Chenbo, or at the very least he will try his best.’

Even though he’s not a Twilight Fox? As I understand, your race is native to the tenth floor. The moment you break free of this place, you’re going to gain strength at an inhuman rate. You’ll outpace him in a matter of months.

Materials continued to fly in and out of his cauldron of fire. At the same time, Chenbo had gone mute with a knowing smile. It seemed he already understood that Sans was communicating with Lyra.

‘My mother said the same thing, but I don’t care. I’ll be by his side until the day he dies. And when that day ends, so too will I.’

Sans bit his inner lip as he listened to the sweet voice.

Let’s hope that day doesn’t come any time soon.

----

It didn’t take long for Karbone to arrive with the missing ingredients. By then, Sans had already refined and prepared multiple batches of Mimic Gelee, each ready to be completed.

“Sir Alchemist, your efficiency… is unheard of.”

Karbone stared in awe and Sans funneled the last of the Mimic Gelee into a final vial. Each vial was full of a purple gelatinous substance.

“Now, if these vials of Mimic Gelee are placed near a concentration of blood essence, they’ll slowly assume the exact same composition. I’ve written down the method to recreate the Mimic Gelee, so as long as you maintain a single vial of blood essence—you’ll have an endless supply.”

“Brilliant!”

Karbone did an odd jig by stamping his feet. He laughed into the air as if he had just mastered a plan for world domination.

The downside to Mimic Gelee is that it will also absorb the energy from the blood essence. So although what I said is true, one day the vial of Twilight Fox blood will turn into simple, normal water.

Naturally, Sans was never going to mention that. By the time Advisor Karbone would learn the truth, Sans intended to be long gone.

“Let’s first put the Mimic Gelee aside and move on to phase two.”

“Yes, yes let’s!”

Sans glanced around the room once more before frowning.

The process is going to require a donation from Lyra. I don’t want Chenbo around for that.

He cleared his throat before nodding in Chenbo’s direction.

“Assistant, for this next phase I would like for you to stand watch outside.”

Chenbo pursed his lips and gave Sans a meaningful stare. His eyes briefly darted to Lyra’s capsule before he relented.

“I’ll be outside then…”

He exited the room, closing the door behind him. Karbone impatiently called out.

“Come now, what methods do you have in store for me?”

His eyes gleamed with intrigue as they fixated on Sans’ every action.

“We’ll start with the refining method…”

With efficiency and precision, Sans explained every detail of an enhanced Twilight Fel. All the while, he refused to take a single drop of blood essence from Lyra. After a certain point in the process, Sans displayed a series of refined materials with a thoughtful look.

“At this point, this is the best you can do while still masking the intensity with Twilight Fox blood essence. Any further than that, then it’ll be too easy to decipher. The body will be able to detect the addicting element, thereby making it easily curable.”

Karbone nodded in understanding. He was, after all, Twilight Fel’s creator.

“You’re absolutely correct, but there’s one thing you forgot.”

“Hmm? What’s that?”

Sans glanced at the man suspiciously.

“With Mimic Gelee, we can now use a more power blood essence! We’ll even have an infinite supply! With a stronger source, we’ll be able to mask the higher intensity, recreating Twilight Fel in its ultimate form!”

With an uncanny level of agility, Karbone sprung to his feet and appeared at the top of Lyra’s capsule. He procured a syringe made of crystal-like material, and his eyes shone with ruthlessness.

“We’ll just extract it from the heart!”

“Wait! Stop!”

Sans cried out just as Advisor Karbone reached into the pink liquid, ready to pierce Lyra’s heart with the thick syringe. Advisor Karbone froze in place and stared at Sans with a suspicious gaze.

“Excuse me? Why are you telling me to stop? We have the Mimic Gelee. All we need now is the strongest source of blood essence, and then I can be rid of this pitiful fox forever. Explain to me, why then?”

His eyes glowed something dangerous, but the old man was completely ignorant to the deadly threat lurking behind.

“Um…”

Sans opened his mouth to speak, but words failed to come forward. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at the shadowy silhouette taking form behind Karbone’s back. Two brilliant eyes seemed to penetrate through Sans’ soul as they bore their gaze on to him.

Eosa… She was here the whole time!

Terrifying claws elongated outward from Eosa’s slim hands, creeping ever closer to Advisor Karbone’s vulnerable neck. Sans let out a light cough in an attempt to clear his mind.

“The… You’re… You’re right, the heart’s blood essence is the most powerful source, but you forget about my compensation. For delivering you the Mimic Gelee, I demand to take away that Twilight Fox, and I need her in suitable condition. After all, if I’m to have use of her, she can’t be too greatly crippled.”

Sans explained with urgency, his eyes fixated on Eosa’s curling fingers.

“Huh… I forgot what it’s like to be young, distracted by such primal thoughts. Alright then, I won’t ruin your bed warmer. However, we’ve run into an issue. I want stronger blood essence, but you won’t let me have the heart’s blood. So what do you propose?”

“The bone marrow. We’ll take a portion of her bone marrow and drain it of all blood essence it provides. It’s a slightly more complicated process, but I guarantee it to be of similar strength.”

Sans suggested while keeping a neutral face, but internally he felt a pang of guilt for the poor fox. He had ways to recover Lyra’s bone marrow, but sadly the extraction process would be exponentially more painful.

Lyra, I’m sorry.

‘Hmm? What’s wrong?’

Her consciousness filtered in like a gentle stream.

You’re going to be in a lot of pain soon, but I promise you’ll survive.

‘Oh, don’t mind me. My body is asleep anyway, what’s a little pain?’

A coo of laughter followed her explanation, but for some reason it didn’t quell Sans’ unstable emotions—instead only making him more regretful.

“Bone marrow… yes… I see now! Sir Alchemist, you’re as brilliant as always. Not only are you preserving her life, but you’re also obtaining a superb sample! Just one thing, I do not know how to extract the bone marrow as I’ve never done such a thing. Although I know of it, I fear that if I make an attempt then I will ruin your toy.”

Sans breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Eosa’s shadowy figure dissipate into thin air. It seemed she was willing to risk it all for her child’s safety, but retreated upon knowing that Lyra would survive.

Or does Eosa simply trust me more than Karbone?

He waved his hand dismissively and beckoned the elder over.

“Don’t worry about that, just let me handle it. Prepare a set of vials to contain essence. They must be of the highest quality. One will be your backup in case something unfortunate happens, so keep it safe!”

Advisor Karbone let out a heartfelt laugh and clamored over.

“You are certainly going above and beyond! I shall thank you in advanced.”

He procured an additional vial, handing them both over to Sans.

“Don’t mention it…”

Sans muttered as he approached the capsule. Beside it were a series of steppingstones that allowed the alchemists to reach the open top, but Sans had no need to use them. He channeled a steady stream of energy over his body, which would act as protection from the pink medicinal bath that kept Lyra in an eternal slumber. The next moment, he jumped right in with a splash.

Lyra, I’ll try to make this quick.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll just be here.’

Sans could almost hear the smirk in her voice, despite her body being motionless.

I just need to seal off the zone around her leg, then an incision, then extract the marrow. I’ll have to control the flow with pure energy and funnel it into the vial. Should be… simple.

He floated beside her and reached out with his hands, grasping on to her body. Now that he was inside the pink liquid, he was able to see more clearly than before. Her petite body was bony, clearly lacking vital nutrients. She was curled into a ball with a peaceful look, but Sans was able to see rapid movements behind her eyelids.

Sans shifted himself toward her thigh, which was as thin as can be. He motioned with his hand, forcing the liquid away from her in a tiny ball. He held up two fingers side by side. A thin blade of energy coated his fingers, and without hesitation he pierced right though her skin and directly into her bone.

“Kyahhhh!”

A muffled scream shook the liquid around Sans. He flicked his eyes toward her and saw that she was still fast asleep, but her body continued to convulse as he proceeded to dig his fingers along the stretch of her leg.

I knew you could feel pain. You’ve been able to every time they withdrew blood, likely as a result of your soul awakening.

He didn’t receive a response, but he didn’t need one. He could feel every jerk and shudder that ran through her body. Fortunately, his task was almost over as he funneled the freshly extracted bone marrow into the two vials. The next moment, he wrapped her leg with a bandage.

It’s over. This medicinal bath will help you heal quickly.

‘Mmm…’

Lyra’s response was less energetic than before, but who could blame her. Sans reached the top of the capsule and pulled himself out. With a victorious smile, Sans revealed the two vials of bone marrow essence to Advisor Karbone.

“You did it lad! Here, take this.”

Karbone flipped his hand over, revealing a silver key with golden markings.

“This is the key to the bindings, but let’s ignore that for now. You want the fox healed, yes? Just let it sit in there. The medicines are of good quality.”

He tossed the key over to Sans, who deftly caught it out of the air.

“Now that this has been settled, I’d like to extend you another offer.”

Advisor Karbone grinned as he stepped closer.

“I’ve never seen a talent like you before, and I believe you and I could achieve great things together.”

His voice dropped a level lower.

“I’m working on something, you see, in my private study. You’re a brilliant young man, with a completely different perspective on the world. If you’re interested, then come along. But be warned, the only people who know about it are under contract, you would be the exception. So, it has to remain a secret between us… yes?”

Sans revealed a confident smile and gave Karbone a nod.

“Lead the way. Just as a reminder, you still owe me another form of compensation.”

Karbone let out a hollow laugh before rubbing his hands together.

“Yes, and I do believe I might have something of interest. Come along!”

The advisor gripped his cane and hunched over it before hobbling off toward the exit.

‘Sans?’

Lyra called out to him as he followed behind Karbone.

Yes?

He replied without turning back.

‘Don’t tell Chenbo, he doesn’t know.’

I won’t.