That day, the Blue Pharmacy was shut closed. Inside the small building, in the inner room where Naaza usually did all her potion making—also her bedroom—sat two individuals: Naaza herself and Orion.
Naaza sat quietly on the edge of the bed, staring at the small crimson flask in Orion's hand.
It looked like blood. It even smelled like blood, though she could be wrong; first impressions could distort judgment.
Thick. Dark red. Almost glowing faintly when it caught the light. By no means did this look like a potion to her, and that was coming from a seasoned potioner.
She swallowed hard, hesitant to just gulp down the substance. However, she had to.
"You're sure about this?" she asked for what was probably the fifth time.
Orion turned the flask slightly in his fingers. "Sure is a strong word."
Naaza's ears drooped lower, if that was even possible. "That does not comfort me."
"My intent was never to comfort you, my good lady. I'm not that kind of man." Orion waved his hand as if claiming something noble.
That did not impress Naaza. If anything, she was now more tense.
He scratched his cheek. "Look, it works on me every time. Cuts, broken bones, internal damage. A single sip and I'm fine."
"Yes," she said slowly. "But you have never tested it on… missing limbs."
"That," Orion admitted, "is indeed new territory."
"And why even bother buying my potions if you have something like this?" She narrowed her eyes.
"Because it's limited."
Naaza expected more information about the substance she was about to ingest, but Orion shut his mouth at that.
How was he supposed to explain that he only had limited charges until he visited a Site of Grace? It used to be two charges; now it was three since he leveled up. He could use the flask up to three times.
Naaza stared at the flask again. "And you are not entirely certain?"
He shrugged honestly. "Nope."
"…Ah, almost forgot. I'm the test subject," she said sarcastically.
"…When you say it like that, I sound evil."
"You do."
"Hey… beggars can't be choosers." Orion shrugged.
She gave him a hard stare that clearly asked, Did you just call me a beggar?
He sighed. "I would never give you something dangerous. At worst, it won't work."
Naaza looked unconvinced. "It looks like I am about to drink someone."
"That's just the color," Orion said quickly. "Probably." He looked away.
"Probably?"
"Hey, who cares what it looks, smells, or tastes like? The important thing is that it heals you. Now quit second-guessing and gulp it down."
She gave him a very flat look.
Her prosthetic arm had already been removed. The empty sleeve of her clothes hung softly at her side. The old scar where her arm had once been was visible. Clean. Healed. But incomplete.
Naaza took a deep breath.
"If this works…" she whispered.
Orion held the flask out carefully. "If this works, you won't need that prosthetic again. You can sell the damn thing to pay off most of your debt. And after that, I still have an opportunity for you to earn more money if you decide to work with me."
Her fingers trembled as she took it. That did sound like a dream. A very enticing dream—and those were often deadly in Orario.
She lifted it closer to her nose.
"…It even smells strange."
"Medicinal," Orion said quickly. "Very… medicinal."
"It smells like iron."
"…That's also medicinal."
Naaza hesitated one final time. "Are you absolutely certain I should drink half?"
"A single sip is enough to heal me completely," Orion explained. "But since this is a whole arm… let's not be stingy. Take two sips. Another if that doesn't seem to work."
She stared at him. "You are very calm for someone experimenting on me."
"Wouldn't you be if the experiment wasn't on you?" Orion asked with a raised eyebrow.
Naaza cursed under her breath. The boy was indeed right. And the way he honestly admitted it further infuriated her.
She let out a small, nervous sigh and let the matter go.
Then she closed her eyes and took the first sip.
Her face immediately twisted.
"That is disgusting!"
"Hey, I never said it tasted good!" It indeed tasted bitter.
She forced herself to take another sip. Then another. After reaching roughly half the flask, she lowered it, breathing hard.
"…Nothing is happening."
Orion leaned forward slightly. "Give it a moment." The effects on him were immediate, but on others it could take time. At least, that's what he thought.
For a few seconds, nothing changed.
Naaza opened one eye. "See? I told you—"
She stopped. Her breathing hitched.
"…It's warm."
"Warm? I'm pretty sure the weather today is on the colder side."
"My body… it feels hot."
Orion stood up fully. "Oh…"
The warmth spread quickly. A faint red glow shimmered across her skin for a second before fading.
Her shoulder twitched.
They both froze.
Orion pressed his lips together tightly. Oi, quit those strange jolts, you're making me worry. He wanted to grumble but stayed silent. He just prayed he hadn't sent a fluffy waifu to an early grave.
The scar where her arm had once been began to move.
Naaza gasped. "It's—"
The skin rippled.
Then something pushed outward. Slowly. Painfully. But undeniably.
New flesh began to form. Bone extending first, thin and white before being wrapped in muscle. Veins threading into place. Skin knitting together as if invisible hands were sewing her back into wholeness.
Naaza clenched her teeth. "It hurts—!"
"Do you want me to stop it?!" Orion asked, completely unsure how he would do that.
"Can you?!" she asked quickly.
"Ah… no." Orion ruffled his hair awkwardly.
"Fuck you."
The process continued. Slow but unstoppable.
Within minutes, an entire arm rested at her side. It looked like a baby's arm—not in size but in composition. Pure white, thin skin without blemishes. So new that faint veins were visible beneath the surface, slowly carrying blood to the new limb.
Silence filled the room.
Naaza stared at it in disbelief. She was exhausted. Her breathing was heavy. Sweat covered her forehead. She looked completely drained.
However, the disbelief and joy on her face were as real as gods walking the earth.
Orion looked elated too. His eyes shone with the possibilities this opened for him. Money was no longer a concern. If anything, the real concern now was attracting too much attention.
"…Can you move it?" Orion whispered.
She focused.
Nothing happened at first.
Then her fingers twitched.
She gasped.
"I—I can feel it."
Tears began falling down her cheeks.
"I can feel it…"
She tried to lift it. It barely moved.
"Wh-why is it so hard?" she stuttered.
"That's normal," Orion said gently. "You haven't had it in years. It'll take practice for your brain to remember how to use that limb again."
She nodded weakly, still staring at her hand as if it might disappear.
"It worked," she breathed.
Orion exhaled deeply, only now realizing how tense he had been. "Yup, it worked." He smiled widely.
Naaza looked up at him, tears still falling, but now she was smiling.
"…You are insane."
"I can't argue with that."
"But," she continued softly, "thank you."
He scratched his head awkwardly. "Nah… if anything, I should be thanking you. Because of you, now we know this thing can heal people. Just think how many people we can help with this…" Orion grinned.
She gave a small laugh through her tears. "And I remember you saying something about an opportunity to earn money. Let's talk about that."
Even in this situation, she didn't let the chance to make quick cash slip away.
xXx
A/N: Took the entire chapter on this, man! But I still wanted to write this well. Hope I did a good job at it.
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