Back in the Room
Rudra stepped inside and locked the door behind him. Near the Surya Cauldron, ten bottles of E-rank serum sat in a neat row. 'Thank goodness Aunty Naina is a nurse,' Rudra thought, letting out a sigh of relief. 'If she hadn't kept these spare glass bottles around, it would have been impossible to store the serum properly.'
[Focus, Rudra,] Genesis's voice echoed in his mind. [Before we can sell these, we need to transfer the bulk liquid into smaller, standardized doses. Tell me… do you have any money?]
'Yes, I have some savings,' Rudra replied instantly. 'Aunty gave me a small gift for my last birthday.'
[How much exactly?]
Rudra knelt by his bed and pulled out a small wooden box hidden beneath the floorboards. He quickly counted the coins stashed inside. 'Two hundred Vells.'
[That is sufficient for now,] Genesis noted. [We need to purchase a large quantity of small, medical-grade vials. Go.]
'Understood.'
Just as Rudra reached for the door handle to head to the market, a knock on door startled him. He paused, checked that the cauldron was covered, and opened the door. Dhruv was standing there, leaning casually against the doorframe.
"Dhruv? What are you doing here?" Rudra asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Nothing much," Dhruv said with a shrug. "You've been acting like a hermit lately, so I thought I'd check on you. Shizu mentioned she saw you heading this way."
"Oh. Well, come in," Rudra offered.
"No, I can't come," Dhruv replied, shaking his head. "A few of us are heading down to the village market. I thought I'd ask if you wanted to get some fresh air and join us."
Immediately, Genesis spoke up in Rudra's mind. [Do not go. You must stay here to monitor the cooling process of the next batch. Ask Dhruv to buy the bottles for us.]
Rudra pivoted quickly. "Actually, Dhruv… since you're already heading to the market, could you do me a huge favor? I need a specific type of small glass vial. I can pay you the two hundred Vells now, and if it costs more, Aunty Naina said she would cover the rest later."
Dhruv raised an eyebrow, looking suspicious. "For Aunty Naina? Is she asking you to do her tasks?"
"Yes," Rudra lied smoothly, keeping his face neutral. "They're for the hospital wing. I'm still not feeling a hundred percent, so she told me to stay put and find someone reliable to help."
Dhruv's expression softened at the mention of the hospital. "Alright, fine. I can do that. How many bottles are we talking about?"
Rudra hesitated for a second, "Just… one thousand."
Dhruv paused, blinking in total shock. "One thousand? Is she planning to create cure for whole village by tomorrow? ...Alright, whatever. I'll get them."
Rudra handed him the two hundred Vells.
"I'll be quick," Dhruv said, pocketing the money. "The others are waiting."
The door closed, and the room fell silent again.
The Second Brew – Beyond Limits
Rudra looked at the Surya Cauldron.
'One thousand bottles… Serum… Better quality…'
Just thinking about it filled his chest with a strange heat. Without wasting a second, he stepped forward.
This time, his steps were steady. His hands didn't tremble. His mind was calm. His heart focused.
'I can do this.'
He lit the fire. Not too strong. Not too weak. Perfectly steady.
[Good,] Genesis said. [Your heat control has improved significantly.]
Rudra inhaled deeply. "I look forward to your continued guidance," he whispered.
[Always.]
Step 1 – Clearwater Leaf
Rudra picked up six Clearwater Leaves.- Each leaf looked purer than before, like moonlight frozen in water. He added them one by one into the Cauldron.
Ssshhh… ssshhh…
Steam rose controlled white ribbons dancing in the air. The liquid slowly formed its base.
[Remember. Clearwater Leaf forms the foundation. A mistake here ruins everything.]
Rudra gently adjusted the flame, exactly as Genesis had taught him. The liquid remained stable.
Step 2 – Blueleaf Grass
Now came the test of patience. Fifty Blueleaf Grass sticks.
Rudra lined them up carefully. 'should take things slowly to avoid mistakes.'
He added the first. Pause.
Second. Pause.
Third.
The liquid deepened into a rich blue. Mana threads appeared inside the Cauldron, weaving together like a glowing web of light.
[Perfect,] Genesis murmured. [With this quantity, slow pacing is crucial.]
After all fifty sticks, the liquid became thicker, yet calm. Rudra's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Step 3 – Mistflower
Mistflower more quantity, more danger.
This time, Rudra didn't crush them over the Cauldron. He held the twenty flowers in his palms first, activating them using his own body heat. Their essence melted into the air, sweet and heavy.
[Smart,] Genesis noted. [You avoided direct heat.]
Rudra let the essence drip drop by drop. A thin fog formed above the liquid, swirling like morning mist. The mana flow smoothed out instantly.
Step 4 – Soft Mana Moss
The storage layer. Rudra pressed sixty Soft Mana Moss clumps carefully, removing the excess moisture before adding them slowly.
The liquid gained depth, turning dark and reflective like a deep, silent lake. The mana settled at the bottom.
[Most fail here. But you're in control.]
Rudra's breathing stayed even. His heart steady.
Step 5 – Glowroot
Rudra picked up four Glowroots. Only their tips touched the rim. A blue glow spread through the mixture. The liquid turned crystal-clear.
Keep calm. Breadth.
'So far… perfect.'
Final Step – Ember Seed
Rudra opened his bag. Inside layed several Ember Seeds. He took just one. Yet it felt heavier than the world.
The seed pulsed gently against his skin alive.
"Genesis…" Rudra whispered. "If something goes wrong-"
[Listen.] Genesis's voice turned heavy. [This step will test your limits. Fear will cause an explosion. Control will make history.]
Rudra closed his eyes. [I won't ruin.]
He dropped the Ember Seed into the Cauldron.
BOOOOOM-
A deafening roar tore through the small room.
Flames surged upward like a waking beast, and a violent wave of mana pressure exploded outward, slamming into the walls. The air itself trembled, growing so dense it was hard to breathe. Inside the Surya Cauldron, the liquid spun, twisting into a volatile vortex of pure, chaotic energy.
Rudra's hair whipped around his face in the sudden, burning draft. "What!"
[FOCUS!] Genesis shouted, the voice striking Rudra's mind like a physical thunderclap. [Reduce the heat! Stir left to right!]
Rudra clenched his teeth, his jaw aching from the sheer atmospheric pressure pressing down on him. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he forced the fire beneath the heavy metal to halve its intensity. He grabbed the stirring rod, his muscles screaming in protest as he fought the current.
Left… right… left… right…
His veins burned as if liquid fire had been injected into his bloodstream. The mana pushed back against his physical strength, heavy and suffocating, but he anchored his feet to the floor.
'I won't stop,' he encourage himself, his eyes locked on the swirling vortex.
Slowly, agonizingly, the chaos began to submit. The explosive turbulence ceased, smoothing out into a steady, rhythmic swirl. Inside the heavy iron belly of the cauldron, the liquid began to glow a profound, deep blue, layered with soft, radiant traces of gold.
The room fell dead silent. Only a faint, residual hum remained, vibrating in the scorched air.
[DONE,] Genesis declared, his voice carrying the heavy weight of absolute certainty. [Serum is SUCCESSFUL.]
Rudra collapsed backward, his spine hitting the wall as he slid down to the floor. He was utterly exhausted, his chest heaving with ragged gasps, yet a strained smile broke across his face.
He forced himself back up and leaned over the cauldron. The serum glowed. It was deeper, stronger, and vastly different from his first attempt. It felt remarkably alive, yet perfectly calm, as if the raw mana had finally accepted its new form after resisting creation itself. The room smelled faintly of scorched herbs and the sharp, ozone tang of discharged mana.
"It worked," the words escaped his lips before he could stop them, breathless and fragile. "We actually did it."
[Yes,] Genesis replied, his tone echoing with profound satisfaction. [A complete success. And this is only the beginning.]
A short, breathless laugh left Rudra's throat. He leaned his weight against the edge of the wooden table, the crushing pressure on his shoulders easing just a fraction.
'Only the beginning,' Rudra thought bitterly, the memory of the mana backlash still raw in his nerves. 'Yeah… just the beginning.'
His smile faded instantly into a grimace.
[I swear… for a moment, it felt like my heart was about to jump straight into my mouth,] Rudra projected his thoughts angrily toward the Genesis. [You just sit there calmly saying, "Control the heat." Try doing it yourself someday. Sitting around and giving instructions is easy.]
[Hey, hey, calm down,] Genesis interrupted, unbothered. [Why are you getting so angry all of a sudden?]
Rudra let out a sharp breath, his jaw tightening.
[Do you even realize what it felt like? Standing against mana at that intensity… I genuinely thought I was going to be erased.]
[Yes you were going to be finished but you have to thank me because i put a protective shield in front of your body, only because of the sheild were you able to stand and create the potion but if I had not put that shield then you were as good as gone.] Rudra shockingly said [You can do that?] Genesis replied [If I had nothing then you can't do anything because you have no power, no money, no reputation, no background you have to thank fate for having me to choose you as my master.] Rudra arrogantly questioned [When I said you have to choose me as your master? You yourself choose me as my master and now you are complaining?]
For a brief moment, there was absolute silence in his mind.
Then-
[Hahahahahaha!]
The sudden laughter rang loudly inside his skull, unrestrained and merciless.
[Ok ok let it be we will talk on this later but you were so excited about becoming a chemist. So what happened now? Looks like the kid got scared. Haha…]
Rudra's face flushed red with indignation. His fingers curled into tight fists against the table's edge.
[Stop laughing. When exactly did you tell me that being a chemist was this dangerous?]
[Oh?] Genesis mused, the dark amusement still coloring his tone. [What did you expect? Did you think other professions are easy? If you believed that, then this was bound to happen sooner or later. Hahahaha! By the way… you didn't wet your pants out of fear, did you?]
That was the last straw.
Rudra spun around sharply and stormed toward the door, his footsteps heavy with frustration. He didn't project another word as he reached for the iron handle.
[Alright, alright, sorry,] Genesis said, his voice sobering. [But this time, part of the blame is yours too. Did you seriously think you could make a Rank S serum without consequences? Nothing in this world comes easily. The sooner you understand it … the better it will be for you.]
Rudra ignored her words and swung the door open.
Warm light flooded into the dim room from outside. Rudra's momentum died the second the evening light hit his face.
The sky had changed while he had been trapped inside. The bright, white daylight was entirely gone, replaced by deep, bruising shades of orange and violet.
"What…?" Rudra whispered, blinking against the glare. "It's already evening?"
His heart skipped a beat. Only one hour remained before sunset.
'Genesis… how long were we inside?'
[Approximately six hours.]
"What?! six hours?!"
Rudra ran a frantic hand through his hair, a new kind of panic tightening his chest. 'I was supposed to send both serum samples to Aunty Naina. She must be waiting.'
His breathing grew shallow as he looked back at the massive cauldron. 'What do I do now? I have to fill up this much bottles how could I do this alone?
Knowing that standing still was not an option, Rudra turned and broke into a fast walk, heading straight toward the garden. Dhruv still hadn't returned with the empty bottles.
'I have to find him myself,' he decided.
[Hmm,] was Genesis's only, cryptic response.
The Garden
The Garden that is isolated from the rest of the orphanage grounds, a place defined by its heavy, suffocating stillness. Unlike the lively training halls filled with the sharp shouts of combat and the echoing thuds of sparring matches, this forgotten corner only silence.
This was the sanctuary for the children who could not properly channel their mana.
Some sat beneath old trees, staring blankly at their empty palms. Some traced meaningless lines into the dirt with sticks. Others closed their eyes tightly, trying and failing to sense the flow of mana within their bodies.
Rudra's rushed pace naturally slowed as he entered the garden, his eyes unconsciously scanning the shadowed area.
'They're just like me,' he thought, a bitter taste rising in the back of his throat. ' The world has quietly given up on these children .'
His pace quickened again. There was no time to waste wallowing in pity. He had a thousand empty bottles to fill, two crucial serum samples to deliver to Aunty Naina, and countless lives potentially tied to his success. But to do any of that, he needed to find Dhruv.
"Dhruv!" His voice echoed faintly through the stagnant air of the garden.
There was no immediate response. Only scattered, hollow laughter from a distance and the weak, crackling sounds of a few students nearby making unstable mana attempts answered his call.
Rudra walked toward a small stone bench where a younger boy was sitting alone, tracing patterns in the dirt with a stick. "Hey," Rudra asked, stopping beside him. "Have you seen Dhruv?"