Morning light slipped through the broken roof, painting soft golden lines across the small house.
Keal woke before sunrise, as always.
He quietly grabbed his herb basket and stepped outside. Cool air brushed his face as he walked toward the forest. The world was silent except for birds and the crunch of leaves under his feet.
If I learn faster… I can protect Liora.
If I grow stronger… no one will ever touch this home again.
He tightened his grip on the basket and began collecting herbs.
Inside the house, Arion sat cross-legged on the floor.
His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping. He could feel faint spiritual energy in the air — weak, scattered… yet peaceful.
This quiet life… I had forgotten it existed, he thought.
He slowly opened his eyes as Keal entered with a basket full of herbs.
"Arion!" Liora ran behind him happily. "Brother brought many today!"
Arion smiled faintly.
"Good," he said. "Then today… we begin properly."
The First Lesson
Keal placed the basket down.
"I brought everything you told me yesterday," he said. "Blue root, silver leaf, red stem…"
Arion nodded.
"Sit," he said calmly.
Liora instantly sat beside Keal, eyes shining with excitement.
Arion picked up a small blue herb and held it between his fingers.
"Alchemy," he began slowly, "is not just mixing herbs. It is understanding life inside them."
He drew four lines on the floor with a small stick.
"There are four things every alchemist must master."
Keal leaned forward. Liora copied him seriously.
Arion tapped the first line.
"Refining."
"This removes impurities from herbs," he said. "Every plant carries dirt, poison, or useless essence. If you don't refine it… your medicine becomes weak or dangerous."
He snapped his fingers softly. A tiny flame appeared above his palm.
Liora's eyes widened.
"Fire…!"
Arion gave a small smile.
"For low-level pills, normal fire is enough. Like the one you use for cooking."
The flame dimmed.
"But for high-level pills…"
his voice turned softer,
"you need soul flame. Fire born from your own spirit."
Keal listened without blinking.
Arion tapped the second line.
"Fusion."
"After refining," he continued, "you combine herbs carefully. Too fast — they clash. Too slow — they lose power."
He crushed two herbs together between his fingers. A faint green glow appeared.
Keal's jaw dropped.
Arion tapped the third line.
"Condensation."
"This shapes the medicine," he said. "Turning raw essence into a pill."
The glowing liquid gathered into a small sphere in his palm.
Liora whispered, "It's like magic…"
Arion chuckled quietly.
"No. This is discipline."
Finally, he tapped the fourth line.
"Completion."
"This stabilizes the pill," he said. "If you fail here… everything explodes or turns useless."
He closed his hand.
When he opened it again —
a small, smooth pill rested in his palm.
Keal stared at it in shock.
"You… you didn't even use a furnace," he said.
Arion handed him the pill.
"Third-level healing pill," Arion said calmly.
Keal froze.
Third level… without tools…
His heart pounded.
"If you're injured this badly," Keal asked , "how strong were you before?"
Arion leaned back against the wall.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"When healthy?" he said.
He looked at the sky through the broken roof.
"I could make the highest-level pills."
Liora tilted her head.
"Highest level… is ten?" my mom told.
Arion suddenly laughed.
A deep, genuine laugh.
"Ten?" he repeated. "No."
Keal and Liora blinked.
Arion looked at them both.
"In this world," he said slowly,
"there is no fixed highest level."
He paused.
"But the pills I could make…"
his eyes darkened slightly with old memories,
"…stood at the peak of all realms."
Silence filled the house.
Keal clenched the pill in his hand.
If I learn from him…
Maybe I really can become both…
He looked at Arion with burning determination.
"Teach me," Keal said. "Everything."
Arion's Thoughts
Arion watched the boy's eyes.
So much fire. So much pain.
This child…
may reach heights even I couldn't.
He nodded once.
"Then from today," Arion said,
"your real training begins."
Liora raised her hand suddenly.
"I will learn too!" she said proudly.
Keal laughed softly.
Arion smiled.
"Good," he said. "Both of you… will need strength for what is coming."