Atheline stared in shock.
"How did we miss that?"
The alchemist looked uncomfortable.
"Because it isn't ordinary corruption."
"What is it?"
"We thought it was a stabilizer."
His expression hardened.
The alchemist continued.
"It binds to the user's Aether channels. That's partly why the potion provides such a dramatic increase. It forces the body to draw more Aether than it naturally should."
Lilith stood beside Atheline.
"And afterward?"
"Most traces disappear." The alchemist hesitated. "A residue remains."
Atheline felt something unpleasant settle in his stomach.
"Where?"
"The core."
Silence filled the room. The potion hadn't merely strengthened people, it marked them, changed them and connected them to something.
He remembered the Death Core.
"Lesser vessels."
Lilith looked toward him.
He repeated Klaith's words.
"Too much contaminated by lesser vessels." Understanding appeared in her eyes. "The potion users."
"Some of them."
He nodded.
"Maybe not all."
