Cedric had been surprised by the number of newcomers, but he was disappointed by their capabilities. Most people he saw were weaker than their group. He was walking through the hallways, glancing into the occasional open door as he traversed the caverns of the mountain. Steven said he had a room near the end of the hallway, though he didn’t know which one. Since they had arrived yesterday, Cedric had seen several new people. He had seen some people training and noticed how different they were. They were strong and fast, but not as extreme as someone like Brigid or Sam. Steven was the smartest person he knew, and he felt more comfortable talking to the man now.

It turned out that he was going to be a bit lucky in his search as he saw Steven stepping out of a room. Cedric couldn’t tell what Steven was thinking, but he looked strangely angry.

“Hi, what’s wrong?”

Cedric spoke while walking up to him but was too loud, and several people turned towards them. Thankfully, Steven had noticed him too and nodded to Cedric before answering.

“Nothing. What do you want?”

There was a tinge of annoyance to his voice, though Steven didn’t let it show on his face. After considering his reaction, Cedric decided to ask his question anyway. If he was annoyed, it would only get worse if Cedric didn’t have something important to ask.

“Well, I figured you could tell me why these people are so different.”

His words seemed to make Steven stand a bit straighter, and his head looked around at the people. There was an obvious sense of confidence as Steven replied.

“You could’ve said weak, but yes, I have my theories. I think they have received a diluted version of the elixir.”

Steven sounded like he was sure of his answer, though Cedric didn’t understand what he meant. Cedric was not particularly smart, nor had he studied much. There were plenty of things he didn’t know but didn’t feel like he should reveal that fact. He managed to find the confidence somewhere and asked Steven what he meant.

“What does ‘dilute’ mean, and why is it important?”

He struggled when he tried pronouncing the new word, but imagined that it would be good enough. He could gather a little from the context, however, the exact meaning was beyond what he knew.

“It just means that they got a less pure version. As for why it's important, it means that we are going to be the strongest for a while.”

Cedric nodded along, contemplating what Steven was telling him. Even if he wasn’t the brightest, he understood that the elixir he received probably wasn’t pure either. Could he get the original elixir? Maybe if Sir L allowed him to, the old man seemed to have authority here. If not, he might be able to ask the doctors about it. He was going to meet with some of the doctors tonight anyways. Apparently, they wanted to run some more tests on him.

For now, he was walking with Steven to the training grounds. The lessons had changed since they left. There was going to be an announcement today as well, and he wasn’t sure if he was excited or afraid. It had been near impossible to sleep last night, the images and sounds kept him awake. That probably wouldn’t change for a while, and he wasn’t sure if he could run off to another battle. Sir L had seemed nice, and he would have more experience. Cedric would ask him about his thoughts and trying the pure elixir.

Cedric didn’t talk much with Steven, though they did walk together until they got to the training grounds. From there the two of them joined the other three who were standing closer to the front. It was easy to see them as Brigid was still the tallest of the bunch. There was a large crowd congregating before a slightly raised platform. There were several people standing on it, the general positioned at the center of the group. Normally, Cedric would avoid a crowd like that, but he had a group to stick to now. With the other four around him, he didn’t feel nearly as bothered by the crowd.

The whole place slowly filled up with people, and more were constantly pouring in. Cedric even saw Sir L take a place at one end of the platform. Cedric kept his hands together behind his back, standing in the same way as the knights by the stage. Nobody else did, but he still felt like he needed to do it. Once everyone had filled the inside of the mountain, the general stepped forward and began speaking.

“Yesterday we tested the efficacy of the elixir and have proven the strength of Larkin. In doing so we managed to kill many chanters without suffering any injuries among our people. This is what Larkin has been waiting for. Now, is the time to reclaim our homelands, the war to end all others has begun. Everyone in this room is part of an elite force, comprised of those that truly resonated with the holy elixir. There are enough of you around that we may begin our reclamation. The border city of Gorn will be the first city we strike. The reclamation will begin in seven nights.”

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He paused letting the people react as they wanted. Most reacted without hesitation, raising their hands and cheering; however, Cedric kept his mouth shut. He raised his arms, but nothing came from his mouth. His throat felt dry as he remembered the burning bodies. He shook his head violently, but the images would not vanish. The general wasn’t done speaking though, and Cedric realized that Sam was pushing him forward. He had been zoning out and stumbled forward at her push. He started listening to the general again trying to understand what was happening.

“These twenty people had been sent on missions of vital importance, each group managing to kill chanters without any injuries. They will be the leaders of your fights, and the strongest force we have produced thus far. Each of them could kill a handful of chanters unaided. They are the pride and strength of Larkin.”

Cedric stared out over the crowd. He wasn’t on the raised platform and instead had been put into a line in front of the stage. Hundreds of people were cheering for them and stared at them with envious gazes. The looks and cheers didn’t make him feel better. Despite being the treatment that he had hoped for, he still didn’t feel like a hero. He didn’t think he would ever feel like that, but he couldn’t leave either. The kingdom had been what saved him, and he couldn’t just leave without repaying them. Plus, they were right.

Chanters were dangerous and Elpis was filled with them. Cedric could easily imagine how risky that was. The royal family couldn’t just leave them alone. They were heretics who had access to too much power, and their magic could kill people so easily. He needed to make sure that they were defeated, that was the only way to stop more situations like the one at the caravan.

The rest of the announcements went by in a blur, and Cedric had lost the ability to focus on it. His mind kept wandering to the impending battle and what that would mean for him. He had missed a good portion of the plans for the next few days but could follow what the others were doing. He wasn’t that worried about it and sought out Sir L.

Cedric found him leaning against one of the walls, another old man standing next to him. They were dressed similarly; the only difference was that the new man was bald. They looked like relatives, and Cedric approached them slowly. The angled stone on the ground would have made walking hard, but he had grown used to it already. Plus, he had stopped wearing shoes, and his bare feet found better grip. When Sir L saw him, he waved Cedric over.

“How much of that did you actually listen to?”

Sir L’s question wasn’t unexpected, as the man had needed to repeat many of his instructions to Cedric and had learned about his problems. Cedric only shrugged awkwardly, trying to change the subject to something else. He didn’t really know how to answer that question appropriately and decided to ask about getting a new elixir.

“Um, I wanted to ask you about the elixir. I heard that the original elixir would make me stronger, could I try it?”

Sir L’s eyes narrowed as Cedric spoke, and by then Cedric felt sweat building in his palms. Even if the old man didn’t look angry, his appraising eyes were extremely intense. Thinking quickly, Cedric wondered if he should change the subject again, but couldn’t think of what to say. Thankfully, Sir L broke the silence.

“I don’t know where you heard a thing like that, but there is a reason we don’t just give people the pure elixir.”

It turned out that Steven was right, and they had also received a diluted form of the elixir. Despite his words, it seemed like Sir L was paying more attention to the man beside him rather than Cedric. The old man next to his instructor, gave Cedric an appraising look himself before giving him the smallest of nods.

“This is the boy you were talking about, right? I say we let him do it if he is so eager, then I see no reason to refuse.”

Cedric found himself growing excited at the prospect. With the confirmation given, the man led Cedric to a different place. Several people looked at him strangely, though no one commented. Eventually, Cedric was taken to one of the rooms within the mountain. Sir L went with them, and Cedric considered asking about the sickening feeling he had but didn’t want to talk about it in front of others. The past week had shown Cedric that Sir L was trustworthy, but he knew nothing of this other man.

Entering the room, he was surprised by the cleanliness of the place. The stone in the room was flat, making walking on it easy. Once inside, he saw the black-haired doctor working with devices that he had never seen before. It was a complex system of glass tubes and bottles, a fire at one end of the device. Cedric didn’t bother trying to understand what was happening. Instead, he focused on the doctor, who looked at them as they entered. Her eyes crawled over Cedric, and he couldn’t help but feel like she was checking him out. He knew that was not the case for several reasons, but he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

“What can I do for the three of you?”

She was looking at Cedric, but it was clear that the question was not meant for him. The unnamed old man was the one who answered, giving the doctor a rundown of Cedric’s request. Somehow, her gaze grew more intense, but she seemed eager to do it. She didn’t hesitate in grabbing an injector and filling it with a single drop of a new liquid. It was red like blood and was clearly a deeper shade than what he had received thus far. He couldn’t help but be excited, and oddly felt a desire to snatch it from her. It was like he was hungry for it.

She didn’t even try to do it herself and handed the device to Cedric. When his hands curled around the injector, he found that it felt strangely warm. For a second, he thought that it would burn his hand, but eventually, the heat stopped increasing. Slowly, Cedric pushed the needle into his skin. The needle actually couldn’t manage it anymore, and he had to tear off a piece of his skin with his other hand, before using the device. The drop entered his body, and the heat increased as it surged through his body. It felt like he was bathing in a fire. Now more than ever he truly felt like he was being reforged, the heat from the elixir acting as the fire of a forge. His vision became blurry, and then the pain started.