The Second Pillar: Sweet
Recipe: Blessed Jasmine Pears
“A dish that personifies sweetness, not just in taste but in the warmth it brings to those who share it.
The Blessed Jasmine Pears are a reminder that true sweetness isn’t always immediate.
The recipe begins with firm pears, their potential hidden beneath a tough exterior.
But with patience, they transform. The key lies in jasmine—its delicate fragrance infuses the fruit, coaxing out their hidden sweetness, much like the way time can soften a hardened heart.
The pears must be poached gently, allowing the jasmine to seep into every fiber, merging with the natural sugars.
It’s a process that takes time but yields a result that surprises—a sweetness that deepens with every bite. It is the balance of gentleness and patience that turns simple ingredients into something more.
It is a sweetness that surprises, not overpowering, but building with each taste until it becomes impossible to ignore.
Like those who have endured hardship, the sweetness here is not cloying or artificial; it is honest, a tribute to the resilience found in soft moments amid chaos.
This dish is for those who understand that true strength can be found in gentleness, in the ability to bring warmth to others even when surrounded by cold. A tribute to those who carry their own burdens yet still offer a smile to lighten the load of others.”
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As I read through the description of Blessed Jasmine Pears, I couldn’t help but see the parallels and I could see the threads connecting back to Jasmine—the second member of my party.
The part about the firm pears, their potential locked beneath a tough exterior. It felt like it was talking about her, about how she’d first come into the party.
Jasmine wasn’t there because she trusted me or believed in my strength. No, she had joined because of Elara.
Elara’s unyielding loyalty to me, even after I’d chosen the Blood Mage class, had worried Jasmine to the core.
She had always been the kind of person who couldn’t stand by if she thought her friend was in danger, and to her, I was that danger.
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So she forced her way into the party, to protect Elara from whatever she thought my character might become.
Always cautious, always skeptical, like she expected him to turn into some kind of monster at any moment.
But as the recipe described, with time, the bitterness gave way. The way the jasmine infused the pears, softening them and bringing out their hidden sweetness—it mirrored how Jasmine’s perspective of my Bloozerker changed.
Slowly, she began to see that one's character wasn’t defined by one's class. That it was more than just a dark class with a supposedly useless skill. She saw the person behind the reputation.
She started to warm up, bit by bit. It was gradual, like the process described in the recipe, but by the end, she wasn’t just there for Elara anymore. She was there for the progress, too.
I still remember the day she official decided to join the party until the end, to see me reach the final floor of the dungeon.
As I connected the dots, it became clear—Jasmine was the Second Pillar, the Pillar of Sweetness.
And her role? It was exactly as the recipe hinted—bringing warmth to others, even when surrounded by cold, referring to her role as a healer.
She had become indispensable to the party, her healing powers crucial to keeping me alive.
Blood Rage, demanded health sacrifices, pushing my character to the brink, using it's own life force to fuel his power. But it was Jasmine’s healing magic that kept him from going over the edge when the life steal wasn't enough.
Her warmth mending the wounds left by my reckless power, keeping the cold grip of death from pulling him under. She was the only one who could bring balance to his volatility.
https://i.imgur.com/tsbkSkZ.png [https://i.imgur.com/tsbkSkZ.png]
[Ambrosial Light]
[Ambrosial Light emits a soothing golden glow from the user’s hands, healing wounds and reducing fatigue. It mends cuts, bruises, and can stabilize more severe injuries, though it cannot regenerate limbs or cure fatal conditions. The skill’s warmth also eases pain, bringing comfort to the target. When activated, the skill releases a gentle, sweet aroma, adding a sense of calm and comfort to the healing process.]
[Usage: Ideal for wound healing, recovery, and providing comfort. Useful in stabilizing allies during battle or aiding recovery afterward.]
If Sour was Elara, and Sweet was Jasmine, then there was no doubt in my mind about who would be next. The Third Pillar, Salty—it could only be Arlo.
Salt might seem simple, but every good cook knows it’s the foundation of any recipe, the seasoning that makes other flavors shine. And that’s exactly what Arlo's role within the party was.
A wave of nostalgia washed over me. Even though they were just a characters I played with behind a screen, the bonds we formed and the adventures we shared felt as vivid and real as my time with Leon now.
It was a strange feeling, as if I had known those people in real life. I suppose that's the kind of impact a decade of gaming can leave on you.
I flipped the page with growing curiosity, eager to uncover what it might reveal about him.
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The Third Pillar: Salty
Recipe: Salted Bread with Herb Butter