In between the Kingdom of Valkyria and the Barkkeon Empire is a massive lake that can be mistaken as a sea.
Heart Lake.
One would think that such a place would be filled with boats traveling between nations for trade, travel or fishing. But in reality, Heart Lake is completely empty and devoid of life. No boat nor fishes swim through this lake.
Of course, it was not always like this. Before the age of chaos, the lake was filled with life, with boats coming in from the kingdom and the empire, and aquatic wildlife only native to the lake that fascinated many. During the golden age of the empire, a great observatory that also served as both a research and trade center was built in the middle of the lake known as 'Dragon's Eye'.
But that was all in the past. Now there is nothing. No boat that crosses, no fish that swims, and the great observatory was now at the bottom of the lake.
After the age of chaos, the lake suddenly gained a strange power.
For unknown reasons, anything that sets foot in the lake, from ships, people or objects will sink.
Even the birds diving in to catch prey or fish that swam in the surface, will sink down deeper into the lake.
Because of this, maritime trade between the kingdom and the empire completely grounded to a complete halt.
The only thing left is a still and unmoving lake waiting for its next victim to drag to its depths.
Or at least that's what Vor told me.
Vor and Roland are currently in a row boat in the middle of Heart Lake. With Roland shaking while his hands grasp on the oars of the boat. Vor meanwhile gazes at the water surface with her usual emotionless face.
"U-umm... A-a-are you sure this is safe? Y-you just told me that anything that crosses the lake s-sinks down to its abyss..."
"You asked why this lake is empty, no? You were paddling quite well before I told you."
"T-that's because I didn't know that this lake is a plot for horror story..."
Before we got here, Vor turned a fallen tree into a boat with her magic and told me to row the boat while she focuses her attention on something else.
After a while of rowing, the awkward silence that is inevitable when two quiet people are alone and placed in a confined space with nothing to do, starts to settle in. In an attempt to break the awkward silence, I decided to ask why the lake was so empty even though it was in the middle of the continent and right in between two of the biggest nations.
It worked in breaking the silence, but now I'm too scared to keep rowing the boat any further.
Vor moves her eyes and looks at me with the same cold expression before talking.
"There is no need to be frightened. I am taking measures to ensure we do not sink to the bottom of the lake."
"R-really?"
"We have not sunken yet, no?"
That's true... We're probably at the middle of the lake by now... But if what she said was true then how?
Vor closes her eyes before explaining...
"Ripples."
"Huh?"
"One of my sisters told me during her visits. She discovered that what causes the 'sinking' to occur in Heart Lake, is the ripples in the water."
Vor pulls out a small apple from the suitcase and casually throws it in the water. The apple that would usually float in most bodies of water, immediately sinks down the moment it made contact with water's surface as it made ripples around it.
"The reason why our boat did not sink down like that apple is because I was manipulating the water around us."
I bring the oar of the boat down to the water, only to notice it did not create any ripples in the water.
"Is this Magic? I didn't know magic could be used like this..."
Vor looks at me seemingly curious, I think?
"Child. How do you think magic works?"
"Umm, I guess you wave your hand and stuff appear like fire and wind. Kind of like how waving a wand works in alchemy."
Vor narrows her eyes. Though she remains expressionless, I could tell that she was displeased with my answer. With a sigh Vor explains.
"One cannot simply wave their hands and expect flames or such to appear. One must first connect their magic roots to the point of origin of where they wish to extract the flames from. To do so, one must have deep knowledge regarding heat and ignition to understand how they can connect themselves. Then they must gather and effectively move the source or grab a portion of it to use. After which they must manipulate the flames to fire out in a straight line and effectively spread it out to ensure the flame does not die. As for wind..."
Vor continues on with her rambling, moving on to wind then water then light. It looks like I hit a nerve with her with the answer I gave her.
"S-so! What you're trying to explain... Is that magic can manipulate those elements... While alchemy can create them... right?"
Vor realizing that she was rambling coughs a bit before nodding her head at me in confirmation.
"In short... Yes. It is a bit more complicated than that, and a bit summarized... But that answer is correct."
Vor with her expression unchanging, closes her eyes and lightly lowers her head, hiding her face behind her hat.
Her face doesn't really show any emotions, but I can still tell that she's embarrassed. Is this what happens when you get to know someone better?
Vor lightly coughs before changing the subject.
"Anyways... Once we do arrive in the empire, be sure to not mention my identity as a witch to others."
"W-will anything happen if I do?"
"The reputation of witches differ from each nation. In the empire they are regarded as powerful magic users and are feared and respected. The empire has made many attempts to bring the witches to their side, offering money, power, and anything they desire."
That doesn't sound too bad...
"... If that does not convince them, then they will use threats, perhaps even torture if they caught one."
"Eh?! But you said that the witches were well respected in the empire!"
"Respected and feared, is what I said. The empire is afraid of a witch that joins the ranks of any other nation."
"A-are witches that strong that they would resort to torture if they don't join the empire?"
"There are indeed some witches that are strong enough to bend the knees of kingdoms, such as the Witch King of the past. But most of my sisters do not have such power, but we do have much knowledge with magic, which is something many nations would like to have and can drastically change a nation's development."
That makes sense... If I was a king, I would probably want to have a walking encyclopedia about magic with me, and be afraid of any other nations that have their own.
"A-are witches not allowed to help kingdoms?"
"Most of my sisters value their individualism and freedom. Most of us do not prefer to serve a master or a single nation. I suppose it's in our nature as witches."
"H-has there ever been a witch that worked for a single nation?"
"...In the past… there was one. But that is a story for another time..."
Vor's eyes become darker and colder as if she is remembering something.
Maybe I picked the wrong topic...
"Ah! A-are witches not allowed to help anyone then?!"
Vor snaps out of her broody look and focuses her attention on my question.
"No, many of my sisters choose to help humanity. But it is usually done indirectly."
"I-indirectly?"
Vor opens the briefcase and pulls out a book. It was the book about alchemy recipes I saw last night.
"I created this to better organize my thoughts and to help me remember… But one day a merchant I knew, wanted me to give him a copy of my notes as a way of payment…"
Vor hands me the book and I flip through its many pages. The book was as thick as a textbook and filled with various recipes for alchemy and the descriptions of ingredients used in it. The book goes fully in depth about the effects and properties of alchemy. It was clear a lot of work was put in to it and whoever made this put a lot of time and effort to create it, and had a lot of passion for alchemy.
"Y-you really like alchemy…"
"...I do not particularly enjoy it. I am merely knowledgeable at it."
"Eh?! Then why would you put this much effort in it then?"
"It was simply to be more efficient in my research. I am not exactly passionate, in alchemy."
"B-but this must have taken so long to write… Even if it was all just notes…"
"I had many years to practice my craft in alchemy and research it"
"H-how long did it take to make this?"
"…I believe it was about… 100 years or so of my notes."
"You're that old?!!"
The air suddenly felt heavier and much more threatening as if its threatening to crush me. Vor's expression was as expressionless as ever, but the gaze she gave was much colder than she ever gave me.
"…Sorry, I shouldn't have spoken my mind…"
Remind me to not bring up Vor's age in front of her.
Vor sighs as the air around suddenly relaxes again as she continues speaking.
"As I was saying. I did not write those notes because of some passion for alchemy. I never had any enjoyment in it. I only wrote it for practical reasons. And it just so happens that many others benefited from my research."
Is it really possible to put this much effort, to spend this much time on something you don't care about…?
"…You really don't like alchemy?"
"…Child, imagine yourself walking a path up a mountain. At first it is difficult, the path is unfamiliar and you do not know where it will lead. It is tiring and you might slip on the way and get lost. But, if you persist, then you will eventually reach the top and see its beautiful views.
Then you do it again. This time you are more prepared and knowledgeable. The path is now familiar and you have an idea on where it leads. You are more energetic and you do not slip as much nor get lost. Then you reach the top and be fulfilled that you have mastered the path.
… But eventually… if you keep walking that path… Then you will know the path and where it will lead. You do not feel tired nor do you slip and get lost, because you already know everything about the path. Then once again you reach the top and see the same view you have seen over 100 times and feel nothing.
That is what alchemy is to me. A path I have crossed countless times…"
…I see… She's seen everything, done everything there is in alchemy. That there's nothing left to find. She already found the best paths on alchemy… This book is just the culmination of the countless times she crossed those paths and the perfect paths she found.
"T-then have you ever thought of trying to take a… detour on that path?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I-if alchemy is a path up a mountain that you know everything about… T-then why not try straying away from the path and making a new one?"
"If you mean to say, find new ingredients to create new alchemic recipes. Then indeed it is a new path, but it is still the same path and process."
"N-no I don't mean finding new elements and stuff, but going back to the path you already explored and trying a different route."
"What do you mean?"
"W-well… What about… Instead of using fairy dust to make air… You use hellfire wings and lake tears instead?"
"…"
Vor sets down her briefcase and opens it. Out floats two containers filled with crushed hellfire wings and lake tears, and a metal twisted wand. The containers opened and several grains of the hellfire wings and lake tears float towards the tip of the wand.
"If we were to practice that theory… Then this will happen."
The wand moves on Vor's command and nothing comes out.
"Mixing fire and water will result in nothing, or hot water if you have a higher amount of lake tears rather than hellfire wings on your wand."
"W-well, yes, but if you…"
I grab and tear off a small piece of the wooden boat and crushed it between my palms until it became wooden dust. I then grabbed the wand and container full of hellfire wings.
"? What are you...?"
I slightly dabbed the wand inside the container of hellfire wings before inserting the wooden dust into the wand by hand.
"Roland?"
I then grabbed the container of lake tears and dabbed the wand inside, before standing up and aiming the wand to the sky.
"?!, Wait!"
Vor quickly stands up, prepared to stop whatever was coming.
With a wave of the wand, huge amounts of steam start to burst out of the wand, shaking the boat with its might. The steam circles around above us on Vor's command.
"I-if you treat it like your boiling water… You can create steam like that."
Vor's expressionless face reveals a slight frown.
"That was dangerous, what if you flooded the whole boat or burned it? What if I couldn't react in time? What would have happened if you were wrong?"
"Ah… Yeah, I guess that would have ended pretty badly… But at least I solved your question."
"That was reckless."
"Y-yeah, but I made it to the top of the mountain, right?"
Vor looks up to the steam cloud circling overhead, and sighs as she lets it spread and dissipate.
"I suppose you did…"
Did she just smile? The hat is in the way but I swear she just did.
Vor looks back at Roland. Her face was expressionless but seemed more rejuvenated.
"But perhaps you were a bit too reckless."
"?"
Vor points down to the boat slowly sinking down to the abyss.
"Your little stunt broke my concentration."
"...."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"