What a curious fella. Damn, maybe I shoulda made my employment terms more reasonable, I really don't want to be responsible for keeping this shop running at my age, the shopkeep thought to himself. I didn't even know I had a royal silver worth of materials to sell in this shop.
Curiously flipping through the sheets of paper he had used to calculate the order cost, his eyes narrowed, losing the sense of mischief and mirth they had held previously, and instead became replaced with the cold, calculating gaze of a retired Grand Royal chemist, a man whose hands had once mixed potent concoctions that had brought death and destruction to hundreds of thousands at a time.
Moonlight Orchid petals? Essence of Emberwood? Shimmering Mistscale? Stormcrystal Powder? Voidroot Extract? And in these quantities?
The shopkeeper shook from head to toe, shellshocked, memories from another life flooding into his mind, memories that he had tried to suppress for decades. An entire army melting into nothingness, without even ashes to scatter in the wind after having Shadowfire unleashed onto its ranks. A once grand imperial capital disappearing, as if it was a drawing being erased with a cosmic eraser. And being taken in front of the Grand Royal Court to undergo extensive interrogation on the manifestation of Shadowfire.
And as the shopkeeper thought more, his calculating gaze was replaced with wide-eyed fear. Fear that made him want only to protect himself-- even if tracking down Kairos would have been the most sensible move and which was irrational considering that the purity Kairos could get his hands on of the ingredients was incomparable to what he used.
Darting around the shop undoing layers of seals for his most prized possession which was his only way out of the situation he had gotten himself into, the shopkeeper trembled as he extracted his retirement present from its hiding place underneath the floorboards-- the Scattering Memories potion, which he pretended to not take in front of the Court so he could remember the amount of casualties he had caused. Even if they come and Soul Search me, which I highly doubt they'll bother a Knight over, they'll see that I remember nothing about Shadowfire, and they'll assume I already took the Scattering Memories decades ago, and there's nothing else capable of making memories not able to be found through Soul Search.
Goddamnit, my plans for penance got fucked because of some kid.
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Having already arrived back to his house by now, Kairos lied in bed, blissfully unaware of the storm soon to stir as a result of him wanting to enact his 12-year-old revenge.
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How can I get the goods for cheaper? A royal silver is an insane sum of money man. Stealing the goods? Black markets? Wait, what about Prikan? He had the recipe in his house, he should be able to Fuck it, Prikan it is.
Waking up the next morning, Kairos all but skipped down to Prikan's house in happiness. Both individuals were full of mischievous joy-- both at the expense of the other.
"Boy, who told you to be so happy? At least your not bloodied and bruised this time around, but there's nothing good that happens when your happy" Prikan grumbled.
But thinking of the surprise he had planned for Kairos, he grinned devilishly internally.
Kairos, blissfully unaware of what Prikan had planned for him, sheepishly passed him the list of ingredients that he required.
Raising an eyebrow, Prikan scrutinized the list.
"What's this? You wanna sneak around with some poison instead of fighting?"
"I mean, you know I'm not the -"
"BAHWAHAH. Just messin with you kid. Sure, I should have this stuff down below the house. Go help yourself." It'll be the last chance you have to be so carefree, hahahah.
Kairos, ran down to the basement underneath Prikans house. A grand area that didn't match the humble, countryside exterior of the house, it was filled to the brim with shelves, cabinets, and workbenches. The air was heavy with the scent of various herbs, potions, and alchemical substances. The dim lighting from flickering candles cast eerie shadows across the room, adding an air of mystique to the surroundings.
As Kairos wandered through the maze-like arrangement of shelves, his eyes widened with wonder and excitement. He had been here once or twice before, but he was too young at the time to truly comprehend the scale of the collection. The basement held an astonishing collection of rare and exotic ingredients, some of which he had never even heard of before. There were jars of powdered moonlight orchid petals, emitting a soft luminescence that mesmerized him. Essence of emberwood was stored in intricately carved vials, radiating a faint coldness. Shimmering mistscale, resembling iridescent scales of mythical creatures, sparkled in glass containers.
Stormcrystal powder, a fine blue substance with a crackling energy, was carefully sealed in reinforced containers to prevent any mishaps. And there, tucked away in a secured compartment, was the prized voidroot extract—a dark, viscous liquid that seemed to absorb light around it.
Kairos couldn't help but marvel at the collection of ingredients, realizing the immense power they held when combined. Collecting them all, he trembled in anticipation of what he could do, his revenge only one step away from being realized at this point.
"Damn it, what is taking this kid so long downstairs. I guess I'll take the military summons to him."
But, at that same moment, Kairos finally came up the stairs, vials in his back pocket, grinning like a shark.
Damn, what was that concoction that he's so happy. Well, no matter now.
"Here's your military summons, Kairos. Your dad will be coming to take you with him to the royal capital academy."