Whenever she refined pills, Lara would pour her entire mind and soul into the process.
Three to five days straight without eating or drinking, not moving an inch from her spot.
If the refinement succeeded, she would rejoice like a child.
If it failed, she would cry as if she had lost her parents.
Alex stood silently behind her, watching the furnace alongside her.
As the fierce flames continued to heat it, the cauldron's body turned a deep red. From the lid at the top, a tantalizing medicinal fragrance wafted out, refreshing the mind and soothing the soul.
Just as the scent grew purer and richer, right at the moment when even Alex thought the refinement was about to succeed, there was a sudden poof.
The raging flames beneath the cauldron extinguished.
The furnace instantly lost its heat, rapidly cooling on contact with the air.
Everything happened far too fast. No time to salvage it.
In the blink of an eye, the intoxicating fragrance turned into a foul, bitter stench.
