The Dreamwalk was filled with various representations of dried meats that night. They tasted of almost nothing. As Theo sat, munching on a length of dried something, he reflected on his progress. Grinding experience in the dream realm was good, but he couldn’t push the realm far enough to allow experimentation with the [Soul Bloom]. Instead, he was left to face the progress he’d made in the past few days.

The alchemist’s [Drogramath Alchemy Core] was at 21, matching his [Drogramath Herbalist Core] for once. His personal level had not budged from 20, and seemed reluctant to gain anything but small percentages of experience. The [Tara’hek Core] just soaked experience, hurtling to 25 with little effort. His [Governance Core] was similar, hitting 22 the previous day.

Of all the cores, the easiest to level should have been the [Toru’aun Mage’s Core]. Theo held the idea that should have hit 10 in days, but the core had been stubborn. It was only level 2, and the alchemist was the one to blame. Focusing on too many other things had spread him thin, but that was no surprise. Alran would arrive in the morning, and Fenian the day after that. He’d been treading water for days.

Theo warded another rock with [Lesser Reveal], tossing it into a pile containing hundreds of the stones. His mind wanted to be annoyed with the laborious process, but the results were clear. Without the restrictions of mana or stamina, he was free to cast as many spells as he wanted. The alchemist could explore whatever fancy came to his mind without fear that he’d blow himself up. Experience rushed in like a tide, filling his [Toru’aun Mage’s Core] to the brim.

Honk.

Alex swam, kicking her little goose feet in the harbor of Broken Tusk. Theo had lost his concentration, stemming the endless tide of ships visiting the harbor. With a thought, he brought more. His mind had wandered away from the Dreamwalk. It had landed firmly on the challenge of extracting the hidden property of the [Soul Bloom]. The gosling swam over, and the alchemist scratched at her itching feathers for a while.

“We need to wake up before Alran gets to town,” Theo said. “Find the property on the flower, and make a potion.”

Alex honked a response, but there was some meaning there. She seemed concerned about something, but he couldn’t understand what the problem was. Thinking for a moment, he noticed the issue with his plan.

“Because finding a property… Even brewing an essence doesn’t mean we’ve got the answer,” Theo said. “I destroy the first sample, giving me 9 attempts at the potion.”

Another honk with concern.

The last time Theo used primal essences, he’d applied them together with a [Suffuse Potion]. With a thought, he summoned a table and a scatter of equipment. He shook a vial of pink [Primal Healing]. The powder clumped near the bottom, only freed after vigorous shaking. Without experimentation, he had drawn few conclusions to the function of primal essences. They were used with the [Suffuse Potion] to bind properties together, creating an entirely new potion. But could they be used alone?

The first experiment was a failure. Mixing a unit of the powder with a unit of [Enchanted Water] yielded nothing but an explosion. The dried meats, summoned by Tresk, scattered and fell into the harbor. Theo stretched his willpower of the dream realm, feeling for cracks in his authority here. It pushed back against his intent to discover something new within the realm. He pushed harder, but the Dreamwalk was firm on this. There wasn’t enough information in the real world to simulate the action, leaving him to guess.

Theo spent his time forming theories and warding various objects. The Dreamwalk had no problem with his experimenting with the effects of wards on different materials, which seemed unfair. He’d never put them on anything but rocks. Why wouldn’t it push back against that? Thinking of the realm like a living thing with its own decision making wasn’t a pleasant thought. But it made sense.

“Checklist for tomorrow,” Theo said, sensing dawn nearby. “Cure Xol’sa. Figure out how to mix primals with water.”

“Get some more of that wolf meat,” Tresk said. She appeared from the shadow cast by the mound of rocks. The Marshling took a bite of a sausage. “I’m addicted.”

“It doesn’t taste like much,” Theo said. “Not in the Dreamwalk.”

That didn’t stop her from eating another entire sausage as they waited for dawn to come. In an instant, the realm faded, and they were waking up in their beds. Theo studied himself for any adverse effects before shrugging. He felt as rested as he ever had, even after staying up far past his bedtime. The motivation for leaving the physical world for his dream realm was one of practicality. If he spent more time there, he’d grind more experience. But the limiting nature of the Dreamwalk often caused problems.

The next problem came as a series of angry knocks from downstairs. Rushing downstairs to see what the problem was, the alchemist found Alise. She looked angry, but not at him.

“Alran is already here. Arrived before dawn,” she said.

Alex came waddling up behind Theo, honking back at Alise.

“No worries,” Theo said. He tapped his foot as his thoughts fell into place.

The alchemist checked his inventory, finding everything he needed to figure out Xol’sa’s problem. He had enough reagents sitting in there to test the function of primal essences as well. Tresk appeared behind him, her gaze drifting from side-to-side as though she expected an attack.

“Alise, find Aarok and bring him into our meeting room in the town hall. Just me, you, and Aarok. Tresk, could you buy breakfast for everyone from Xam’s and have it delivered to the room?”

“Sure,” Tresk said with a shrug.

“Right. I’m going to take care of some things. I’ll be there in five minutes,” Theo said, tucking Alex under his arm.

“You’re taking her?” Tresk groaned. “I wanted some time with D’Goose.”

“Fine,” Theo said, handing Alex over. “Five minutes.”

Without another word, Theo vanished from the spot. He held onto the [Tero’gal Dreampassage] ability in his mind. He passed over the placid oceans of shadow, then found his feet firmly on the ground of Tero’gal. Counting up, he only reached 12 before a mental request filled his mind. Cold washed over the realm for only a moment, then Benton stepped through his archway. It vanished in a moment, and the god seemed in good spirits.

“Why are you the only one to visit me?” Theo asked, making his way to his work table.

Benton looked only moderately upset about that statement. “I brought scones.”

“Yeah, alright. You’re my new best friend,” Theo said, removing two chairs from his inventory and setting them near his work table.

“I’ll make the tea,” Benton said, scampering off to the cottage.

The bear-god let out a low whistle when Theo withdrew the [Soul Bloom] from his inventory. He placed it on the table and felt the magic of the thing radiate through Tero’gal. The kettle bubbled nearby, filling the air with a faintly earthy smell. It was too dull to enjoy, and lacking whatever Xam used as sugar.

“It’s nice to have company while I’m here,” Theo said, gesturing to the empty, floating island.

“Yeah. At least you have me. Old, reliable Benton.”

“Don’t make me suspicious,” Theo said, sighing.

“Hah! Then a trade. There’s a new war kicking off in the heavens. Guess who started it? Another mortal,” Benton said. “Chased an Aspirant into the heavens. Been fighting his way through the Prime Realms for a while. We’re taking bets on how long he lasts.”

That would be Fenian. Theo let his thoughts swirl around the Elf. He’d chased someone into the realms, but that should have been impossible. Uz’Xulven was bending the rules, allowing him to shift between realities. But why? Who would Fenian hate enough to chase into such a dangerous situation? Questions without answers were better left by the wayside.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Thank you,” Theo said, patting the god on the shoulder. “Pretty sure I know the Elf you’re talking about.”

“Really? Think he’ll make it? I could use some insider information.”

“He’ll make it. Without a doubt,” Theo said. “What is an Aspirant, though?”

“Someone who can ascend, but hasn’t,” Benton said.

“King Karasan,” Theo said. “Do you know who is backing the Aspirant?”

“Nope. No one does. That’s why it’s so exciting!”

Theo wouldn’t disagree with that. But he had to wonder how long their fight would go on for. Time moved strangely in the realms, but he didn’t know if that meant it moved that way for other mortals. It was, as always, too confusing to care about. Not when he had a job to do.

The alchemist followed the instructions he was given about the [Soul Bloom]. He ground it up, lit it on fire, caught the smoke, then applied his [Reagent Deconstruction] ability on the fumes. A system message flashed into his vision, and he cocked his head.

[Property Discovered]!

You’ve discovered the secret property of the [Soul Bloom] spirit plant! [Soul] property discovered.

“[Soul]... That’s not the property I was expecting,” Theo said, his brow knitting tightly.

“You know, I’ve been researching the way Drogramath does alchemy,” Benton said. The bear-god prepared tea for them, setting cups out and arranging scones. “And that seems like a weird property. Doesn’t look like it fits.”

“You’re right,” Theo said, tapping his fingers on the table. “So we’re looking at using a [Suffuse Potion] to bind the [Soul] property to another.”

“Well, let’s see what other properties you have.”

That wasn’t a short list. Theo listed all his available properties while nursing his tea and nibbling on his scone. It was delicious, tasting something like a berry-filled pastry. But the flavors were muted, as was the scent. [Healing], [Rejuvenation], [Regenerate], and [Cure Ailment] were prime candidates. Four properties with nine attempts seemed like a surefire way to get the job done, but the alchemist wasn’t sure.

When he attempted to extract the primal version of the [Soul Bloom], laying a sample out on the table, his intuition was proven right. The spirit plant was like nothing he’d worked with before. Instead of being a passive thing on the table, the flower fought back against his will. They clashed there in Tero’gal, and the flower came out on top. It burst into flames, sending sparks of blue mana flying in all directions. The bear-god yelped, pitching backwards on his chair and tumbling to the ground.

“8 attempts,” Theo said, letting out a steadying breath.

Theo thought better than to continue with the experiment without a break. Benton had some words of wisdom, and the pair chatted about clashing willpowers for a while. The [Soul Bloom] had some amount of will. It wasn’t a kind of sentience, as though it could make decisions, but there was something behind those green petals.

“Alright, so you’re familiar with clashes of will,” Benton said, rubbing his hands together.

“I am.”

“But you’re failing to realize what your realm is all about,” Benton said. “You’re still a baby, crying for your mommy, but this place is yours. You just need to claim it.”

Theo wandered, listening as the bear-god followed closely behind him. He found his way to the island’s edge and peered over. A twitch of his mental focus, and the image of clouds faded to show Tresk ordering food at Xam’s. That was easy enough to do. Even sending messages to his golems seemed without effort, but it was controlling them that was the hard part. Just having them rest in the back of his mind was a constant drain on his will. Thinking about it as a subconscious process that ran through his mind all day brought the concept into a clear light.

“This reminds me of controlling my constructs,” Theo said.

“Perfect!” Benton said. “What constructs? Artifice-links, or what?”

“Golems. I guess it’s more of soul-binding,” Theo said.

“Yeah, makes sense with the Tara’hek. The Toora shaman do something similar. You use a [Monster Core], right? Yeah, thought so. Have you tried to use a core that was higher than your level?”

“Nope.”

“Good. Cause let me explain what you’re doing. [Monster Cores] are proto-cores, right? If there’s something in your chest—like a web around your cores—that’s your soul. Take a flicker of that idea, just the smallest glimpse, and that’s a monster’s soul. Not a reflection, but the smallest shard of a soul… When you make a golem, you’re dominating the soul of a monster.”

“With my willpower,” Theo said. “Which is why it’s hard to keep so many of them on a leash.”

“Exactly. But guess what? Think of your realm as a big soul,” Benton said, shrugging. “Not actually the way it is, but close enough for our purposes. Take your willpower, tap into the power of the realm, and there ya go.”

Theo thought for a long moment. Long enough for his perception of time to fade, rendering the image below in real-time for only a blink. He gained control of the realm once again and nodded to himself. This made as much sense as anything. He moved, setting another [Soul Bloom] on the scorched table and concentrating.

When he reached out with [Reagent Deconstruction] this time, he didn’t just think about gaining the property of the flower. He thought about dominating it with his will. Forcing it to break down through sheer determination. Something flickered when he reached out to the realm, but it was distant. By the time he’d grasped his fingers around Tero’gal, the reagent exploded again.

“Maybe I was wrong,” Benton said, hiding near the wheat field.

“I was there,” Theo said, watching as an ember burned into his robe. “I could feel it. As you suggested. 7 more tries.”

But the alchemist wouldn’t take each attempt. This time, when he reached out to the realm around him, he found it easy to grasp. Tero’gal understood his intentions this time. He worked with him, forcing itself into a twin-domination of the flower. They pushed together against the green flower, forcing it to produce the primal essence he needed so desperately. A brief battle of wills and the flower went up in smoke. Benton shouted again, but the explosion didn’t follow. Only a pile of green powder remained on the table.

“You did it?” Benton asked.

“Don’t be surprised. It was your idea.”

The resulting primal essence was as expected, but Theo inspected it anyway.

[Primal Soul]

[Primal Essence]

Legendary

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Alignment Effects:

Reduces the chance of volatile reaction while bonding.

1 Unit (powder)

The primal representation of the [Soul] property.

Then came the difficult decision of which other property to bind it to first. Something within him tried to whisper advice, but he was deaf to it. The realm of Tero’gal interfered with Drogramath’s power, fizzling it out to nothingness. Pressing forward, the alchemist selected the first property to bind. He extracted [Primal Healing] from a [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], pushing aside his desire to test primal extraction on refined essences. A quick combination of [Primal Healing] with [Primal Soul] yielded an explosion.

Benton wasn’t the fearless god Theo might have thought. Hidden behind the cottage this time, the bear-god peered out with fearful eyes. “Is that going to happen every time?”

Theo grunted his response. He was too focused on the reality of the situation. “5 more tries.”

The next primal to test was [Primal Rejuvenation]. Theo extracted the powdered essence from a [Spriggan Heart], finding the object to have no objections to his actions. He performed the same task on another [Soul Bloom], draining his will to extract the precious powder. He stumbled, falling back before powerful hands caught him. Benton offered a sheepish smile.

“Bit taxing, isn’t it?”

Theo steadied himself, trying not to sway on the spot. A deep breath, and he was ready to mix the primals. Benton ran for it. Swirling like a bottle maelstrom, the essences mixed then bound in the [Suffuse Potion]. But the mixture continued to swirl. The granuals inside chased each other ceaselessly, unable to bind completely. Another muted whisper from his core.

“What’s happening?” Theo asked, flicking his finger against the glass.

“You’re the expert,” Benton said.

Theo waited for a while, not letting time slip away from him. He watched the reaction within, and came to a simple conclusion. “It’s a slow reaction. This is going to take hours to complete.”

“Have you seen that before?”

“No.”

Trying the next two properties, [Cure Ailment] and [Regeneration] brought explosive results. Theo crossed those off his list. His intuition said the potion he brewed, the one still reacting on the table, wasn’t what he needed. He tapped his foot on the soft grass and chewed at his fingernails. Benton was saying something, perhaps words of encouragement, when an idea came to mind. Something lingering deep in his subconscious. Something that made him wonder if the memories were his own.

Without hesitation, the alchemist withdrew a vial of [Troll’s Blood] from his inventory. Benton feigned gagging, but Theo focused his mind on the first property of the substance. [Searing Regeneration]. Holding his hand over the vial of blood, the alchemist focused on his [Reagent Deconstruction] skill. A plume of fetid-smelling smoke left behind a vial of powder. It glowed like embers, shifting between pale gray and searing red.

“That’s nasty,” Benton said.

“Agreed. It’s my least favorite reagent,” Theo said, preparing another [Suffuse Potion]. He added a unit of [Primal Soul], [Primal Searing Regeneration], and watched.

The potion swirled together, much like the combination of [Primal Soul], and [Primal Rejuvenation]. The particulate danced, but refused to bind. Something in Theo’s mind told him this would take hours, if not days. He checked the real world, finding Tresk leaving Xam’s tavern. There were hours left in his trip, leaving him alone with the bear-god.

“Wanna help me practice my magic?” Theo asked.

“Oh! I like magic,” Benton said. “I’ve decided I don’t like alchemy, though.”