Chapter 123
"Wait, aren't you going to test out the powers you just gained?" she asked, watching him with raised eyebrows. Gray shrugged, "Well, I have another potion I need to complete, so I'll be testing both of them after I'm done." His focus returned to the task at hand, leaving Rachel to shake her head with a smile. Watching him work was one of her favorite pastimes, and she couldn't help but admire the dedication and precision he poured into every potion he created.
Rachel leaned back, content to simply observe as Gray delved deeper into his work. His unwavering determination and ability to prioritize made him stand apart, a quality she admired. The air in the room grew silent except for the faint clinks of glass and the quiet hum of concentration, encapsulating the moment in a peaceful yet profound stillness.
-scene change-
Inside, Gray could be seen mixing different kinds of vials with absolute focus, carefully combining various liquids. Suddenly, he stopped. His focused gray eyes turned dull, and the vial he was holding slipped from his grasp. His consciousness began to seep deep within him as memories surfaced. These were not the memories of Gray Knight but of a much older Gray Snape. His tall stature was visible even in the dark of the night, with dark raven-colored hair streaked with red. He was staring into a night sky littered with stars, painting an unmatched masterpiece. Beside him stood Hermione, equally aged, as they both gazed at the celestial beauty.
"I can't believe we graduated from Hogwarts," Hermione said, turning her head towards Gray, who smiled and replied, "Yeah, it's finally over." She sighed nostalgically. "I'm going to miss this big castle," she added before standing abruptly. "Well, it's time to move to another chapter of our lives." Hermione sighed again. "Well, we could—just suggesting—we could become professors at Hogwarts," she said, making Gray chuckle. "But we just graduated. Are you sure you want to return so soon?" he asked, causing Hermione to retract her statement. "I guess not. Oh! How about we travel the world—see both the human and magical realms?" she suggested excitedly. To her surprise, Gray responded, "Then how about we travel the world as my fiancée?"
The moment he said this, Hermione turned around to see Gray on one knee, holding a diamond ring. She was taken aback as she looked at him, his face holding the same big smile he wore when he was truly content. Tears and laughter escaped her as she repeated, "Yes, you big idiot, yes!" She hugged him tightly, and after breaking the embrace, Gray slid the ring onto her finger. For the next ten minutes, they simply held each other. This was the vision Gray Knight was experiencing as his consciousness began to slip. Rachel, sensing the disturbance, rushed in and saw Gray standing over broken vials. What shocked her most was his white snow-colored hair darkening, streaked with red.
Immediately, Rachel placed her hand on his forehead, using her domain to peer into his dream. She saw the same vision but, despite frowning, maintained her focus. Her intent wasn't to pull him out but to jolt him awake, and she succeeded. As Gray began to stir, his hair returned to normal. Rachel steadied him, gently massaging his back. "Gray—" she began, but he cut her off. "I know, I'm on it," he said, pushing her aside and immediately getting to work. He pulled out an old recipe, muttering, "I knew something was keeping the Merlin lunatic at bay—something they feared." Rachel listened intently as Gray explained, "Once I achieved my domain and remade my physical body, I sensed an ancient will, like mine but different, very very different, it was tained with hatred, i have never seen such hatred before, so I prepared a recipe to counter it." Smiling, Rachel remarked, "You always think ahead, don't you?" Gray returned the smile. "I have to. I have too much to lose."
Gray worked tirelessly, concocting, brewing, and preparing until the potion was finally complete. Without hesitation, he consumed it but not before verifying its status:
[ Name: Soulshield Elixir ]
[ Grade: Demi grade ]
[ Description: Crafted with a Level 12 Potion-Creation skill, this potion is a masterpiece of protection, designed to shield the consumer's mind and soul from any form of interference or manipulation. The potion is created using Astralveil Dew, Obsidian Lotus Essence, Sanctified Phoenix Tears, Ethereal Shadowroot Extract, Soulstone Dust, and Voidbloom Nectar. These ingredients harmonize to form an unbreakable barrier against external influence.
Upon consumption, the user gains immunity to telepathic intrusion, memory manipulation, psychic attacks, and soul-targeting abilities. The potion permanently reinforces the consumer's mental and spiritual defenses, rendering them impervious to curses, possession, and corruption. Additionally, it allows the user to detect and repel hostile energies aimed at their mind or soul. This potion represents the apex of defensive alchemy, providing unmatched protection to both the mind and spirit. ]
[ Deterioration-Rate: 100%, the freshness of the potions ]
As Gray drank the potion, his mind, previously clouded and noisy, became astonishingly clear. He turned to Rachel and said, "Read my mind." She tried but chuckled in response. "There's nothing. I can't even sense your mind, let alone your emotions," she said. Gray's enthusiasm dampened as he asked, "Does this mean I'll have to communicate with words—tell you how I feel?" Rachel laughed softly. "Is that what you're worried about?" she asked, and he nodded. She sighed, stepping closer to hold his face. "Even if I can't read your emotions, I can still read your face. You don't have a problem expressing yourself, Gray." She paused, looking at him intently before continuing, "You saw it, didn't you?" Gray noticed her expression and sighed. "Yes, I saw the memories of your proposal," she admitted.
"My proposal? Mine?" Gray scoffed, shaking his head. "See? You don't have a problem expressing your emotions when you want to," Rachel said with a smile. Gray turned away, his thoughts swirling, as he began cleaning up the remnants of his earlier work.
-scene change-
still in Pangea, which was in great disturbance as reality fractured around it, standing in the middle of the distance were Gray and Rachel. Rachel was busy holding Pangea from collapsing while Gray was repeatedly refining potions. Just this action alone was destabilizing reality while the time stream was a mess, but he didn't care. No, in fact, he seemed extremely excited as he continued with the brewing, which took hours and hours to refine. When he was done, Gray was left with an extremely violent green liquid that he didn't even hesitate to consume.
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A/N guess what the last potion he made was?