The sun was bright, shining through the thick canopy of the forest, bathing the camp in golden light. It was a new day—unfortunately for Sukiro, that meant yet another round of torturous training.
Elijah was already up, brimming with energy and mischief. With a villainous smirk curling on his lips, he conjured a sphere of hovering water using his water magic, ready to drench his unsuspecting victim awake.
With a swift motion, he flung open the tent's curtains.
But Sukiro was nowhere to be seen.
"You looking for me, Elijah?" came a calm, smug voice from behind.
Elijah turned, startled, the hovering water still floating beside him.
Sukiro stood behind him, arms folded, eyes closed, fingers resting thoughtfully against his chin.
"You're a fool to think I'd fall for the same trick again," Sukiro said coolly.
Elijah grunted, his teeth grinding in frustration. "You think you're so smart."
Sukiro smirked. "What's there to think? I'm not dumb like you, you know."
"Oh really?" Elijah snarled.
"Yeah. You thought those cheap tricks would work on me? You must be joking." Sukiro laughed, smugness radiating from him.
Suddenly, Elijah shouted, "What's that on that tree?!"
Without hesitation, Sukiro turned his head.
SPLASH!
An ice-cold wave of water crashed down onto him.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"
The peace of the camp shattered in an instant.
"You bastard! How could you?!" Sukiro screamed, soaked to the bone as Sebastian held him back, his messy morning hair flopping with every struggle.
Elijah shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't do anything. Maybe it was a giant bird pooping on you. Who knows?"
"You think you're some kind of smart ass, huh?!" Sukiro shouted, fighting Sebastian's sleepy grip.
"What's there to think now?" Elijah mocked, looking Sukiro dead in the eyes. "I'm not dumb like you, you know."
"You are—!" Sukiro growled.
"Now, now," came a soft but commanding voice, interrupting the chaos.
Sapphire stood with her arms folded, tall and composed. "It's just morning. Save your energy for the training ahead, Sukiro."
"Tch," Sukiro grunted, ceasing his struggle as Sebastian finally let go. "Fine. Just because I want to eat breakfast," he muttered, pouting like a sulking child.
Sapphire gave a gentle smile. "Okay then, let's get breakfast ready. We'll need the energy for the long day ahead."
As the group gathered around for breakfast, the tension slowly faded—until Sukiro, his face half-filled with food, asked a dangerous question.
"So, whose training do I have today?" he mumbled through mouthfuls.
Klaus adjusted his glasses with pride. "Today is the day you learn the power of Alchemy, Sukiro."
Sukiro's face dropped instantly into a frown of pure disappointment.
"Alchemy? Seriously? I have to learn numbers and stuff now?" he whined.
The entire party froze. Forks halfway to mouths. Chewing stopped. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Sebastian sighed, "Well, here we go…"
Elijah muttered, "He said the magic words."
Sirius nodded, "Well, now we wait."
Sapphire whispered, "Klaus is about to start."
Klaus's glasses darkened, and a heavy aura settled around him. He hadn't even looked up from his plate yet.
Sukiro blinked. "Aren't you guys eating?"
Klaus finally spoke, his voice cold. "Sukiro…"
He paused.
"Alchemy isn't just about numbers and calculations."
The air grew colder.
"You see, this illusion crafted by society—that alchemists are weak, that alchemy is only about calculations and numbers—is nothing but a lie."
He raised his head, eyes now burning with intensity.
"Any alchemist can wipe the floor with anyone from another class with ease."
The table remained silent.
Sukiro let out a nervous chuckle. "Y-Yeah, that's true. It's just… Elijah who told me that alchemists are nothing but calculation and all."
Elijah choked on his food, gasping for breath. "Wh-When did I say that?!"
Klaus slowly turned to face him, a smile far too wide spreading across his face.
"Wait—wait, Klaus, he's setting me up!" Elijah panicked, backing away. "You have to believe me!"
Klaus rose from his seat—only to sit back down beside Elijah, grabbing his collar and staring deep into his soul.
"Me and you are going to have a small chat, Elijah. Don't worry," he said with a sickeningly sweet tone, dragging the now-resigned water mage away.
Elijah didn't even struggle. He simply let himself be taken, glaring
at Sukiro the entire time, betrayed and defeated.
---
Later… Elijah's dead body was found in the field.
"The training of an alchemist is a hard one, Sukiro! Are you ready?" Klaus said with excitement.
Sukiro smiled. "Yea, I am!"
Klaus grinned. "Well, let's not waste any time now!"
"Let's start with the basics—potion making and identification of ingredients!"
"Now, let me show you how to make Strength Potions."
"First, we take the blood of any monster—but make sure it's a predator. The stronger the predator, the stronger the potion."
"Then we add the strengthening herbs, some monster claws or any item dropped by it, and a bit of metals—gold works the best."
"The final step is adding mana. This is crucial to combine everything and allow the mana to flow through it."
"And that's how you make a Strength Potion. Pretty easy, right?"
"Yea, that was surprisingly easy," Sukiro said, amused.
Klaus beamed. "Now you can make one."
Sukiro repeated the ingredients in his head. Just some monster blood, strengthening herbs, any monster-related item dropped from it, and some metal…
On his very first try, Sukiro crafted the potion—leaving Klaus in shock.
"On your first try? That's amazing, Sukiro!" he yelled, excited.
"Even I took three tries for it!"
Sukiro smiled. "It was easy, so it wasn't that hard."
"Well, you passed your first test very fast. Then now—we have to move on to the next!"
"And what's that?" Sukiro questioned.
"An alchemist needs his brain now, doesn't he? But don't worry—it's just a maze," Klaus said with no tension in his voice.
"So this is the maze, huh? Doesn't look that tough…" Sukiro thought.
Suddenly—a tiger leapt at him.
The maze was filled with traps, misleads, and not to mention—dangerous animals.
Every step was a challenge filled with who knew what—poison? Darts? Why not both???
Sukiro crossed through the traps—dodging some and getting caught in others.
Animals jumped at him, forcing him to fight back with every ounce of strength.
And finally—after five grueling hours—he saw the exit and stumbled through it.
"Well done, Sukiro! You made it out in just five hours!" Klaus said, optimistic.
"You didn't tell me there were animals! Traps! And near-death experiences in there!!" Sukiro yelled, angry.
"Well, well—it's an alchemist's job to figure out where there's a trap or a monster now."
"You could've warned me!" Sukiro snapped.
"But where's the fun in that now?" Klaus smirked.
"Good though, Sukiro—you did it! In just five hours!" he smiled.
"Yeah, whatever…" Sukiro grunted.
"Well, let's move on to the next training now!"
Once again, they stood in the open fields, the wind blowing softly around them.
"This training is very simple—and a precaution, just in case," Klaus said, looking very nerdy.
"Precaution? How?" Sukiro asked, puzzled.
Klaus smiled. "You're going to get splashed or drink this Weakening Potion. Then train with some common exercises like push-ups, squats, and running."
"This Weakening Potion—how much does it affect me?" Sukiro asked, curious.
"It's a low-level potion, but it will still have quite an effect," Klaus said, handing him the potion.
Sukiro took it in hand. "Well… here goes nothing," he thought.
He popped the lid off—more suited for wine than potions—and drank it in one go.
"The hell is this disgusting taste!?" he shouted, tongue hanging from his mouth, gasping for air.
"It's horrible! Its taste is so horribly disgusting!" he cried, his eyes watering.
"You could've just splashed it on yourself," Klaus shrugged.
"Yeah, thanks for telling me now, genius!" Sukiro yelled.
"But I already told you before?"
"So what do I do nowwwwww? Why do I feel dizzy? I can't see anything clearly… it feels like my body is giving upppp…"
"Yeah, that's the Weakening Potion kicking in and taking effect," Klaus said calmly.
"For now, let's just focus on the basics—200 push-ups, 200 squats, and a 2-kilometre run."
"That'sssss nottttt commonnn, mannn… Howw am I supposeddd to do thattt…" Sukiro slurred, struggling to stay upright.
"Well, that's for you to figure out!" Klaus shrugged.
"Now, let's begin, shall we?" He smiled.
"First, let's start with push-ups!"
"Iii will tryy myy besttt…." Sukiro said, trying to balance on the ground.
He dropped to the ground, hands barely able to support his weight.
"This feels weird… My body isn't responding… That Weakening Potion is the real deal," he thought.
"1…, 2… 5…, 10…., 20.., 40.., 80…, 100.."
He collapsed—his hands burning, muscles unresponsive.
"I can'tt movee, Klaus," he groaned, lying flat on the ground.
"Giving up is not the Emerald's way, Sukiro—and it isn't an option," Klaus said while mixing potions.
"You have to get up. You don't have a choice."
Sukiro sighed. "Damn it… Whatever, man!" he grunted.
"110…, 120…, 140…, 180…" he continued—dropping again and again, but never giving up.
"198…, 199…, 200!" His body gave out and collapsed.
"There—are you satisfied now?" he groaned.
"Yes. But you do remember we still have more, right?" Klaus said, still focused on his potions.
"Give me an hour and I will do it all," Sukiro grinned, sitting up.
Klaus looked over and smiled. "Okay then. You have an hour."
Sukiro smirked.
"10…, 50…, 100…" He fell down, but continued relentlessly. "110…, 150…, 200.."
"Welll the—there goes that.." he smiled. "I've used up half an hour for it—meaning I have another half an hour to run 2 kilometres…" he panted, gasping for breath.
He stood up. "No time to rest right now…"
He started running. And running. Falling—but always getting back up to his feet.
And finally, he did it—he ran the full 2 kilometres.
"Well done, Sukiro," Klaus clapped. "You did it. You completed your training for today! That's impressive!" Klaus smiled.
"Here—drink this. It should make you feel better," he said, handing over a potion.
Sukiro grabbed it and gulped it down in one shot.
"What'ss—this? It doesn't taste horrible?"
"This potion is used to restore energy and mana. Even your body is repaired by it," Klaus explained.
"That seems to be true. I do feel better now!" Sukiro said, amazed.
"That's the power of Alchemy, Sukiro!" Klaus grinned.
"Yeah, I guess
it's not that bad, huh…" Sukiro said, looking at his hands as energy surged through them.
"That's it for today, kiddo. Let's head back now," Klaus said, happily.
Sukiro and Klaus made their way back to the camp, walking slowly beneath the setting sun. The wind had calmed, and the scent of woodsmoke drifted through the air. Just as they reached the firepit, a cheerful voice rang out.
"You both are back! And just in time, dinner is almost done!" Sapphire chimes happily, waving her spatula like a commander rallying her troops.
"Clean up, Sukiro, and by then dinner will be ready, ok?" She says pointing her spatula at him.
"yea mam, I will clean up!" Sukiro nodded, heading off to the small spring nearby.
Sapphire chuckles
As the warm water cascaded down his skin, his mind drifted off into thoughts.
"These people... they took me in as one of their own. They teach me, make me delicious food... why? Are all people like this? Is everyone here like this?"
"I have to grow stronger in order to protect them. In order for them to be happy. For Sapphire, Sebastian, Sirius, Klaus... even grumpy Elijah."
He stepped out, the cold breeze meeting his damp skin as he towel-dried his long hair. The faint glow of the campfire led him back, and he arrived just as the others began to gather.
"That's some good timing, Sukiro," Sebastian smiles, gesturing to the spot beside him. "Come, sit down."
Sukiro took the seat beside him. "How was the training?"
Rather than answer, Sukiro dug into the food before him, eating rapidly.
"Guess someone worked up an appetite," Sapphire chuckles, amused.
"Oh really, who?" Sukiro asks cluelessly.
The camp fell silent for a moment, then erupted into laughter. Even Sebastian let out a soft smile, and Elijah smirks in the corner.
"Kid, you are a funny one, aren't you?" Sirius says, laughing.
"Come on, Sirius, he's going to ask who's that now," Klaus laughs, holding his stomach.
"It's ok, Sukiro," Sapphire chuckles, her voice gentle. "Let's make sure you eat up perfectly, ok?"
The camp was filled with laughter and happiness. The night was alight with flames, and smiles danced on everyone's faces. It was a moment of peace, a flicker of warmth in a dangerous world.
Sukiro sat quietly, eating among his new fam
ily, his resolve stronger than ever.