"Hahh…" Arian rubbed his face with exhaustion. He looked down at the measly silver coins in his palm, recounting them as he planned out a budget for this week.

He only had 14 silvers and the daily meal fee costed 2 of them. If he only had to worry about food, he could just barely get by, but with the provided materials scarce, he would be unable to purchase more and would have to venture out to the forest.

If he stuck to the outskirts of the forest he would be able to avoid monsters with a bit of luck. If he was unlucky... Well, he might have to hide a monster carcass and rid himself of beast blood before returning. Very troublesome.

Usually, the pay would be more sufficient but the fact that he didn't have a soul manifestation apparently lowered his worth by a large margin. He was often ridiculed by his fellow apothecaries for such prejudice, but was unable to retort since that would only give him a brutal beating.

Arian was (physically) weaker than most since the food he was provided with was less in quantity, barely shedding the scrap label. He was an easy (looking) target for his healthy peers who had tougher statures.

As Arian walked through the beautiful PIAD (Phirenae Imperial Apothecary Department) courtyard, he overheard a hushed gossiping session between two of his colleagues.

"I heard the higher realm's ruler is visiting the lower realm!"

"Yes, yes! He's staying in the imperial palace from what I've gathered!"

"People say he's incredibly handsome. Apparently he has golden eyes!"

Arian, who was intially indifferent, perked up at the mention of the golden eyes this person supposedly had. If he remembered correctly, Kaidyn had golden eyes... Well, he might've remembered wrong since it's been so long since he'd last seen him.

Ari shook his head and passed through the gates that the guards had opened upon noticing him.

He headed towards the forest bordering the capital, carrying a waist pouch. He crouched near a bit of shrubbery and pulled a few herbs from the ground, careful to preserve their roots.

As he scoured the edges of the forest, he happened upon a white rabbit dashing past him. It startled him as it weaved beneath his feet.

Thwack!

Suddenly, an arrow shot cleanly through its skull, instantly killing it.

What impressive marksmanship!

Arian marveled at the precise arrow before noticing a man approaching him. "Ah! Did you catch this?" He looked up at the man with sparkling eyes.

The man didn't answer, simply staring intently at him. He finally gave a gruff nod before walking around him and picking the animal up by the ears.

Ari continued speaking, unperturbed from the man's curt response. "What's your name? I'm Arian." He was the first person that didn't immediately mistreat him upon seeing his unique silver hair and blue eyes, so he was eager to talk to him.

"Kaidyn." He said plainly before turning and giving Arian a peculiar look.

"Oh!" Ari widened his eyes in surprise upon seeing the distinct golden eyes of the man. Was it him? His heart pounded against his chest, his hands a bit clammy. But the man didn't seem to recognize him and he was a bit hesitant to confirm his speculations.

Are you my childhood friend? He wanted to ask, but he only inquired, "Are you the higher realm's king?"

It was a bit rude, but he had no idea how to treat this man. He didn't seem unreasonable enough to care anyway.

"Yes." Kaidyn, unbothered by Arian's familiar tone, walked away.

Ari, stunned, stood in place for a while. When he finally came back to himself, the man was already gone, so he just resumed his herb picking.

With a pouch full of herbs, he returned to the apothecary department building and walked through the halls, the sun low in the sky.

He reached a small door with a rusty handle and pulled out a key, unlocking the knob with difficulty. He made sure to use a cloth to open the door so that his hands didn't pick up the rusting metal and risk contaminating the herbs.

Beyond the door was his workshop, a quaint room.

It was spotless due to Lucian cleaning it regularly to prevent any complications with the remedies he prepared. A wide desk sat in front of a large window with a plethora of supplies organized neatly on the surface.

Arian immediately got to work. He had no time to dawdle since he had a weekly quota to meet.

As he grinded the materials, his soul energy naturally infused into the herbs.

Soul energy is the energy that an individual's soul vessel produces constantly and it's what is used to manifest the soul. Since Arian didn't have a soul manifestation, he could manipulate and utilize his soul energy more flexibly.

One of the ways he used his soul energy was to enhance his remedies' effectiveness. Additionally, he added a calming effect for the symptoms inflicted by corrupted soul energy.

When the soul manifestation is regularly used, the soul vessel gradually deteriorates, in turn, corrupting the soul energy.

Corrupted soul energy could cause discomfort, pain, and even insanity when severe, so to prevent corruption, soul apothecary remedies that utilized soul herbs were consumed to maintain the soul vessel.

Arian's soul remedies were actually widely coveted by many as they were said to be the best in the Thaelia kingdom. But of course, no one knows that he's the one who makes them. All the credit goes to Edward Gwendall, one of the top imperial apothecaries. He sells the remedies for 15 gold each and exploits the earnings, leaving Arian with less than 1%.

With such outrageous treatment, one would usually escape. If Ari could leave he would, but he's tethered to the place under the prospect of staying alive.

People without a soul manifestation are usually executed at the age of 18, but Arian was able to survive by showing his abilities to Edward, who was the PIAD head, and promising him all the credit.

Ari dried the herbs with his soul energy and then grinded them. Then he mixed in a milky sap and added a berry juice. With the mixture complete, he poured it into a small jar and screwed it shut.

As he followed his routine mechanically, his mind wandered, continuously circling back to the beautiful golden eyes he saw in the forest.

No matter what he did, he couldn't stop himself from becoming hopeful. Hopeful that maybe, just maybe, that man was him. And if he was, maybe he remembered him.

But at the time, the man seemed too indifferent. Such a thought made Arian's heart involuntarily sink.

Shaking off the disheartening thoughts, he worked until late into the night, finally making 3 and a half batches before heading to bed.

He could barely keep his eyes open as he sauntered down the hallway, walking to his living quarters with heavy footsteps.

Through his grogginess, an ominous shadow caught his eye, making him jump slightly, but when he looked again, it wasn't there.

He must've been so sleep deprived that he was seeing minor hallucinations. Thinking that was the most probable explanation, Arian disregarded his wariness and fumbled to unlock the entrance to his room.

When he finally reached his bed, he slumped onto the creaky mattress and wiggled under the covers, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

"Ari! Look! Look!" A small boy with eyes shimmering like gold lifted his hands and swayed them around exaggeratedly. The wind flowed with his arms, kicking up leaves and twirling them every which way.

"Oooh! That's so cool! Can I do that?!" A white haired child with a scrawny figure jumped up and down with sparkling eyes.

The yellow eyed boy looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his head enthusiastically. "Yeah. I'll teach you." He gave a wide grin.

* * *

Arian carried the herbs he gathered that morning, reminiscing about the dream he had last night.

It was one of the many cherished memories he kept within his heart, and as he recalled it, he suddenly felt the urge to pick up the wind.

Pausing a distance away from the city, Ari looked around before sneakily kicking his foot, sending a gust of wind forward.

He hadn't done it in a while, but he felt utterly refreshed as the breeze moved with his will. Suddenly getting an idea, he jumped into the air and focused the energy on his feet. It had been so long since he last tried flying that it made him a bit nervous, but it only took a few moments of adjusting before he began dancing across the sky.

He walked in the air, making a platform with the atmosphere, did a few flips, and lifted himself up to a bird's eye view. As the wind whooshed past his hair, he let out a laugh, a broad smile on his face.

He hadn't felt such joy in forever and the exhilarating feeling was incredible.

Finally, after getting his fun, Arian slowly drifted back to the ground and resumed walking as if nothing happened.

Sweat trickled past his brow. He hadn't exerted such precise control over his energy often, so it sucked the brain power out of him. But on the other hand, his soul energy itself was far from exhausted.

As if excited by the sudden freedom, adrenaline pumped through him and his soul vessel seemed to buzz with life. He had to take a few deep breaths to hold back the energy seeping through his finger tips.

Ari kept a nonchalant expression as he passed the gate, mentally preparing himself for another exhausting session. Just as he reached the edge of the courtyard, he heard his name being called…

"Hey! Arden!"

…Close enough.

"Yes?" Arian turned to a young man with tousled brown hair approaching him from behind.

It was Edward's assistant.

"Sir Gwendall wants you in his office." He said shortly before walking away without waiting for an answer.

Hearing that, Arian had an uneasy feeling as he made his way to the dreaded destination.

He knew it well. That good premonitions were usually wrong, but ominous ones were right nearly 100% of the time…

Eventually, he reached a grand, double-doored entrance and knocked on it. "It's Arian Flurren, Sir."

"Come in."

Ari apprehensively stepped into the vast space and quietly waited for the man to address him.

"Your quota is being raised." Edward skipped the formalities and spoke bluntly. He didn't even look up from the papers in front of him.

See? What did he say?

"Eh?" Arian was a bit dumbstruck. He already had to make 25 batches a week and each had 8 different types of remedies, accounting to 200 products in total. He could barely finish 3 batches a day and now he had to make more?

"Demand is high. It's been raised to 30. It's in effect immediately, so do make sure to reach it by the end of the week. Dismissed."

Like assistant, like master. They both don't wait for a response and just say whatever they want.

"Huh? But I can barely make 3 a day! I'm gonna die of overwork at this poi-"

"Dismissed." He interrupted.

Arian clamped his mouth shut. He might risk getting killed if he didn't comply so he just left the room, inwardly furious. He maintained a calm facade, but if you looked closely, small sparks could be seen at his fingertips.

He just wanted to strike that greedy asswipe with a nice bolt of lightning, and maybe even set the place on fire for good measure.

Of course, he had no intention of indulging in such violent acts, but it was a nice thought.

With no way to vent his anger, Arian had recently created an effective outlet for his frustrations. He knew he had to meet the quota, but with his current headspace, working efficiently was out of the question. And so, he made his way to the forest.

It was a perfect day for a monster massacre.

Ari ventured deeper into the thickets of trees, scanning his surroundings. Suddenly, a huge black panther with purple electricity coursing through its fur pounced from behind, but before it could land so much as a hair on him, it was flung to the side, brutally crushed against the ground by a tremendous force.

"…"

Hey! That was my prey!!

Arian was speechless as he stared at the monster reduced to mush. Then, a presence that he hadn't sensed before, appeared abruptly as a man exited the nearby brush. A man with golden eyes…

• • •