The warehouse smelled like dust and old timber. Kael stood at the work table, organizing supplies by lamplight. He looked up as Raze entered.
"How did it go?"
"She's interested. Wants details in two days. Threatened to burn me if I disappoint her."
"So about as well as expected." Kael gestured to a chair. "Sit. We need to talk about your plan for tonight."
Raze sat. "You don't approve."
"Of course I don't approve. You want to rob a noble. Tonight. While I'm trying to recruit a dangerous experimental subject." Kael ran his hand through his hair. "This is insane."
"It's necessary. I need those skill cores." Raze pulled out a rough map he'd sketched from memory. "Lord Marcus Thornwell. Minor noble. Takes bribes from the Syndicate to look the other way. He collects skill cores as a hobby. Has at least half a dozen in his personal vault."
Kael examined the map. "How do you know this?"
"Because I pay attention. I research." The lie came easily now. "I've been watching patterns. Following money. Thornwell's collection is well known among certain circles. He likes to brag about it."
"And the vault location?"
"Second floor. Eastern wing. Behind a painting of his grandfather." Raze pointed to the map. "Guards change shifts at midnight. Fifteen minute window of minimal security."
"This is too detailed. No one knows this much about a noble's private security from just 'paying attention.'"
Raze met his eyes. "Do you want to know how I know, or do you want me to succeed?"
Kael stared at him for a long moment. Then sighed. "I want you to succeed. But Raze, this is dangerous. If you're caught..."
"I won't be caught. And I need this. My combat ability is terrible. D rank Agility. F rank Perception. Against Adept rank Syndicate enforcers, I'm dead in seconds." Raze tapped the map. "Combat Reflex will fix my Perception problem. Let me actually see attacks coming. React in time."
"What about your core? Absorbing a skill core with a fragmented cultivation base..."
"Has nothing to do with mana," Raze interrupted. "Skill cores bypass normal cultivation. They imprint directly onto your body's muscle memory and neural pathways. That's why they're so valuable. No training required. Instant ability."
Kael blinked. "How do you know that?"
"Medical texts. Alchemical journals. The same research that told me about the Mercurian experiments." Raze kept his voice steady. "I've been reading everything I can find. You know that."
"Right. Your reading." Kael didn't sound convinced but didn't press. "Fine. Let's say you succeed. You get Combat Reflex. That helps your Perception. What about your other weaknesses?"
Raze hesitated. This was the part Kael wouldn't like.
"There are two other cores I want. If they're there. If I can get them without too much extra risk."
"Two others?"
"Scarlet Leap. High speed burst movement. Lets you close distances instantly or create space. Perfect for someone with low Agility." Raze met Kael's eyes. "And Instant Transmission. Short range teleportation. Ten to fifteen feet. Cooldown between uses. Ultimate escape and repositioning tool."
Kael's expression shifted from concern to alarm. "You want to absorb three skill cores in one night?"
"If possible."
"Raze, even though skill cores don't strain mana, absorbing multiple cores in quick succession puts enormous stress on your body. Your nervous system has to integrate completely new movement patterns. Three at once..." Kael shook his head. "That's how people end up with permanent neural damage. Paralysis. Or their body rejects the skills entirely and they're left worse than before."
"I know the risks."
"Do you? Because you're talking about this very casually for someone discussing potential paralysis."
Raze leaned forward. "In combination, those three skills would make me nearly untouchable. Combat Reflex lets me see the attack. Scarlet Leap lets me close distance or evade. Instant Transmission is the ultimate panic button. The synergy is perfect. Each one covers gaps the others leave."
"Synergy doesn't matter if you're dead or paralyzed."
"And perfect safety doesn't matter if the Syndicate kills me because I'm too weak to contribute." Raze's voice hardened. "I'm going into that textile mill in less than a week. Against Adept rank enforcers. Probably multiple Expert rank overseers. With my current abilities, I'm a liability. Dead weight that you and Aslan and Mariabel have to protect. These skills change that. Make me an asset instead of a burden."
Kael opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"You've already decided," he said quietly.
"Yes."
"Nothing I say will change your mind."
"No."
Kael sat heavily. "You're going to get yourself killed. You know that, right?"
"Maybe. But I'll be useful first." Raze stood. "I leave at eleven. Should be back by two or three in the morning. If I'm not back by dawn..."
"Don't finish that sentence." Kael stood as well. "Just... be careful. Please."
"I will."
"And Raze?" Kael's expression was serious. "If there are extra cores. Ones you don't need. Bring them back."
Raze paused. "For you?"
"I'm an alchemist. Not a fighter. But if we're raiding the Syndicate, I should be able to defend myself." Kael's jaw set. "I won't be dead weight either."
Raze smiled. "Any preferences?"
"Something practical. Enhancement based. I don't need fancy teleportation. Just the ability to not die immediately if someone attacks me."
"I'll see what I can find."
They stood in silence for a moment. Two people preparing for dangerous night ahead.
"I'm meeting Aslan at eight," Kael said. "Abandoned warehouse district. If things go well, he'll be here when you get back. If things go badly..."
"They won't. You're good at this. At helping people." Raze moved toward the door. "Aslan needs help. You're offering it. That's all that matters."
"I hope you're right."
"I am. Trust me."
Raze left before Kael could argue further.
The afternoon was fading to evening. He had hours before the heist. Time to prepare. Rest. Mentally rehearse every step.
Time to pray this worked.
‐‐‐
The abandoned warehouse district smelled like rot and rust. Kael navigated carefully through broken buildings and collapsed walls. His Perception guided him. Looking for signs of habitation in a place meant to be empty.
There.
Disturbed dust. A trail through the debris. Fresh enough to be recent.
He followed it to a building that had partially collapsed years ago. Three walls standing. The fourth open to the elements. Inside, darkness.
Kael pulled out a small light charm. Let it glow softly.
The interior came into focus. A makeshift living space. Bedroll. Stolen food wrapped in cloth. Three books stacked carefully on a crate.
Someone educated. Someone trying to maintain humanity despite circumstances.
"You're looking for me."
The voice came from behind. Kael spun.
A young man stood in the doorway. Raze's age. Thin. Too thin. Hollow cheeks and shadows under his eyes.
But those eyes. Silver. Glowing faintly in the dim light. Unnatural and haunting.
"Yes," Kael said carefully. "My name is Kael. I'm an alchemist. I'm here to help you."
Aslan's laugh was bitter. Broken. "No one can help me."
"I can try."
"People who try to help me end up dead." Aslan didn't move from the doorway. Keeping distance. "You should leave. Before something bad happens."
"I'm not leaving." Kael kept his voice steady. Calm. "I know what you are. What was done to you. And I think I can provide a solution."
Aslan froze at that word. Solution.
"You know what I am?" His voice dropped to barely a whisper.
"You're a Mercurian. An experimental subject. One of five hundred children used in alchemical experiments five years ago." Kael took a careful step forward. "They told everyone all the subjects died. But you didn't. You survived. You became what they were trying to create."
"I'm a monster." The words came out flat. Dead. "I kill people. I can't control it. When the silver comes..." Aslan's hands clenched. "I stop being me. I become something else. Something that only knows violence."
"You're not a monster. You're a victim who was turned into a weapon." Kael pulled his notebook from his coat. "The experiments flooded your body with energy bound to Mercury compounds. When your adrenaline spikes, that energy erupts. Makes you incredibly strong. Incredibly fast. Removes your ability to feel pain or fear. But it also removes your ability to think. To choose."
Aslan stared at the notebook. "How do you know all this?"
"Because I'm an alchemist who specializes in mana corruption. I've been studying similar conditions. Black Cough. Blight transformation. Mercurian modification is just another form of uncontrolled energy binding." Kael opened the notebook. Showed pages covered in formulas and diagrams. "And what can be bound can be regulated."
"Regulated?" Hope flickered in those silver eyes. Dangerous hope. "You mean..."
"I mean controlled. Stabilized. Let you access the strength without losing yourself." Kael took another step forward. "It's theoretically possible. Difficult. Complex. But possible."
Aslan's whole body trembled. "You really think you can cure me?"
"I think I can try. With time and resources." Kael met his eyes. "But I need your help first."
The hope died. Replaced by suspicion. "Of course. There's always a cost."
"Not a cost. An exchange. A job that could provide the resources I need to develop your cure." Kael explained quickly. The Syndicate. The poisoned children. The planned raid. "We need your strength. Your abilities. Even if they're difficult to control."
Aslan backed away. His silver eyes flickering with emotion. "Children are dying?"
"Forty three confirmed cases. All Black Cough. All caused by the Syndicate's mana extraction operation."
"Children." Aslan's voice cracked. "Like the ones I killed. The other experimental subjects."
"Those deaths weren't your fault. You were twelve years old. Scared. In pain. You didn't choose to kill them."
"I still did it. I still remember their faces. Their screams." Aslan's hands went to his head. "Every night I see them. Every night I remember."
"Then use that guilt. Channel it." Kael's voice turned firm. "Help me save these children. Give their deaths meaning by preventing more. Be the weapon that protects instead of destroys."
Aslan looked at him. Those silver eyes searching. Looking for lies. For manipulation. For the catch.
Kael met his gaze steadily. Let him see the truth.
"If I lose control during the raid," Aslan said quietly. "If I hurt innocents..."
"You won't. Because I'll make sure you don't." Kael pulled a vial from his pocket. Dark blue liquid. "Mercurian sedative. Prototype. I made it based on my understanding of your condition. If you start to transform uncontrollably, this should stop it. Knock you unconscious before the silver fully takes over."
Aslan stared at the vial like it was a holy relic. "You actually made something for me? Before even meeting me?"
"I made something for Mercurians. Plural. Because I hoped you weren't the only one who survived. Because I refuse to believe five hundred children died for nothing." Kael held out the vial. "This is yours. Keep it. Use it if you need it. It's proof that I'm serious. That I'm not just using you."
Slowly. Carefully. Aslan reached out and took the vial. His hands shook.
"Why?" The word came out strangled. "Why help me? Why risk your life for a monster you've never met?"
"Because I had a brother once. He died from a disease I couldn't cure. I watched him suffer for months while healers told me there was nothing they could do." Kael's voice went quiet. Hard. "I became an alchemist to make sure that never happened again. To be the person who finds solutions when everyone else gives up. You're not a monster, Aslan. You're someone who needs help. That's enough."
Silence fell between them. The ruins around them creaked in the wind.
Then Aslan stepped forward. Extended his hand.
"I'll help. I'll fight. I'll do whatever you need." His silver eyes were determined now. Fierce. "But if I hurt innocents. If I lose control and become a danger..."
"We stop you. Together. I promise." Kael shook his hand. Aslan's grip was careful. Controlled. The grip of someone afraid of his own strength.
"When do we start?"
"Come back to my warehouse. Meet my partner. We're gathering allies. Planning the raid. It'll take a few days." Kael released his hand. "Are you alright with that? Being around people?"
"I've been alone for five years. Hiding. Afraid of myself." Aslan looked at the vial in his hand. Then back at Kael. "Maybe it's time to try being human again."
They left the ruins together. Two broken people choosing to fight.
Behind them, Aslan's makeshift home sat empty. The books. The stolen food. The evidence of a lonely, desperate existence.
He wouldn't need it anymore.