"The king has arrived."
Kaidyn was pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of his assistant's voice.
"Let him in."
When the entrance opened, he stared intently at the pudgy man tottering through the doorway.
The king bowed his head and greeted Kaidyn politely. "Greetings, Your Highness. What can I help you with?"
It was a strikingly insincere greeting. An undertone of annoyance could be sensed in his otherwise reverant tone, and it was getting on Kaidyn's nerves…
"You know, I admire ambition." He began to speak, his tone insipid. "But you must know, there is a fine line that separates ambition from brazenness." His speech was slow, dragging out his words in a leisurely yet domineering manner.
The king wore a look of confusion at the odd atmosphere, blinking up at him.
"When something is approached with enthusiasm and effort, it can be considered ambitious…" He paused. "But when this effort becomes even mildly excessive or bothersome, it turns into brazen foolishness."
Kaidyn looked upon the stubby individual who had begun to bow his head. "And I quite dislike brazen foolishness."
A silence hung in the air, the tension so thick, it could be sliced with a knife.
When Kaidyn didn't continue to speak, only glaring sharply, the king voiced cautiously.
"I understand. You will no longer be bothered. Please enjoy your time here and call upon me if anything else is needed."
"It's good that you know." Kaidyn nodded in slight approval. "You may go."
"Thank you." The words were timid, entirely unfit for a king.
Well, Kaidyn had done a bit of foul play, spreading his soul energy in subtle oppression. Someone like that king would never notice though.
Once the door had closed, Leonard spoke dully. "Anything else you request, Your Highness?"
"No. I'd like to be alone."
At his words, Leonard tactfully exited the office, his footsteps quiet as a mouse.
* * *
It's been exactly ten days since the king of the higher realm started staying in the lower realm, and the rumors were now circulating like wild fire.
Among all the rumors, one stood out: Kaidyn being a judge for the upcoming soul apothecary rankings event.
The soul apothecary rankings was a big competition that all qualified apothecaries participated in.
It was divided into the categories research and concoctions, and judges would decide their significance. The contestants would be ranked depending on how their submission was judged amongst their competitors.
Unfortunately, not everyone could participate and only those who recieved an admission through the mail would be able to join.
Of course, Arian never recieved that letter in the mail before, and he was always left to spectate.
So why was he getting a letter this year? Arian couldn't say.
He was nominated for the concoction category in some strange twist of fate…
Usually, all the apothecaries prepared for this competition year round in hopes of being nominated, but he hadn't done anything as he had no expectations. He never thought he would get chosen to participate after 6 years of nothing.
The event was being held in two months, which should have been enough time for Arian to come up with something, but with his schedule packed, it would be difficult to experiment with the few ideas he had jotted down in his notebook.
His nights were bound to be long with this substantial addition to his priorities…
Arian sat at his desk, an oil lamp casting a warm glow onto the rough paper spread out in front of him.
His quill scratched the pages with black ink, the sounds filling the night.
Arian's mind was racing, ideas flowing in and out of his thoughts. His hands were unable to keep up, leaving him with uneasiness as the fleeting insights were scrawled in messy handwriting.
With no exaggeration, Arian Flurren was a true genius. His imagination and reasoning worked together in a brilliant show of intelligence.
Even in a state of drowsiness, his mind was working, but the smell of vanilla filled the room, adding to his tired state.
It was frustrating that the scent made him drowsy and warm, slowing his thoughts. He had to stay alert, so he tapped his fingers loudly to give himself a rhythm.
Arian had begun to notice the distinct fragrances people gave off a long time ago and he had quickly accepted it without much thought. But now his own scent was a nuisance. How irritating…
His droopy eyelids only became heavier as time passed, until he fell asleep at his desk, forgetting to close the ajar window.
While Arian was asleep, a dark shadow abruptly appeared at the open window, pausing at the sight.
Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, the visitor was Kaidyn who was planning to check on Arian and make sure he went to bed if he was still awake. But the man in question was now dozing peacefully with his head on the desk.
As Kaidyn was caught off guard by the tranquil scene, a soft breeze ruffled his black hair, but all his attention was on the placid face, captivated.
Soft hair falling deftly over the smooth forehead. Long eyelashes casting shadows beneath the flickering flame's light. Pink lips slightly open, revealing white teeth.
"Mmh…"
Kaidyn was pulled out of his stupor by Arian's quiet grunt, prompting him to finally shuffle through the window cautiously, careful not to disturb Arian. Of course, it was pretty easy for him to stay entirely silent, but Kaidyn still approached gingerly.
He gently pried the quill out of Arian's delicate hands, picked him up from the chair, and laid him on the bed. He pulled up the raggedly thin covers, silently scowling as he internalized the crude treatment in his mind.
Finally, he put out the lamp before leaving through the window and securely locking it with his soul energy.
* * *
At dawn, the sun peeked over the horizon, shedding its yellow rays onto Arian's eyes. His eyelids fluttered open before he pushed himself up groggily.
For a while, he could only stare blankly at the golden sunlight, inadvertently reminded of those mesmerizing irises, but when his brain finally finished buffering, he belatedly noticed two strange details.
The first detail he observed was the faint smell of sandalwood lingering through the air.
It almost felt as if he was walking through a forest, dewy from a morning rain shower, subtly easing his subconscious dread. But the aroma soon dispersed, leaving a hollow feeling in his stomach.
The next detail he noticed was his location. He was in his bed and not at the desk.
He couldn't remember everything he did before he fell asleep, but Arian was a little astonished that he could close and lock the window, blow out the lamp, and climb into bed before falling asleep.
But, with a busy day ahead of him, he quickly dismissed it and proceeded with his routine.
With everything he had going on, it was going to be difficult to meet Kaidyn. Thinking so, his heart sunk with grief, but he knew he had to be resolute, heading to their regular meeting place with reluctant steps.
"I won't be able to meet you for a while…"
Arian's words sliced Kaidyn like a knife.
"Is it because of the competition?" Seeing him nod, Kaidyn's gaze became determined. "I'll help you."
"What?" Despite his dumbfounded tone, Arian's twisted stomach loosened.
"I'll mix the solutions, learn about the herbs and gather them, anything. I'm willing to help you." His tone was firm.
"But it might be considered cheating if I accept your assistance…"
"There are many apothecaries who have their dicsiples pitch in. If you're worried about the prejudice against you, I'll take care of it."
His reassurance was effective and Arian's hesitance was replaced with anticipation.
He could spend more time with Kaidyn and be able to teach someone his knowledge. He had always wanted to share his experience and this was a great opportunity.
Arian nodded, his voice eager as his hands grasped Kaidyn's. "Thank you! I'll be relying on you!"
Kaidyn ignored his fluttering heart and smiled. "I look forward to it."
* * *
To Arian's delight, Kaidyn was a quick learner. He only needed to be told something once and put it into practice a few times before it was easily committed to his memory.
With Kaidyn gathering the ingredients, Arian was able to complete his quota more efficiently. By being able to finish faster, he had more time to come up with a concoction for the competition.
- - -
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 tbsp of sundew flower nectar (recovery effect)
- 0.75 grams of mountain frosted mint leaves (invigorating effect)
- 1 1/4 cup of bell tree sap (base substance)
- 1/4 cup of fiery ice vine juice (relieving effect)
- 0.004 ounces of wyvern blood (reactive)
- 2/3 cup of sleepy shrub milk (stabilizer)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Dry mint leaves and grind, before gradually mixing in sundew flower nectar.
Combine bell tree sap and fiery ice vine juice before mixing moderately.
Add mint leaf and nectar mixture into the sap and vine juice mixture, and mix slowly, but thoroughly.
Infuse healing soul energy until the mixture turns into a dark forest green. Then, infuse soothing soul energy until mixture turns into a murky teal color.
Finally, add reactant after infusion of soul energy and let it sit for exactly 25 seconds before mixing in the stabilizer.
Finished concoction should be a tealish ocean blue. Keep in sterile container and make sure it is stored in luke warm temperatures. This is not for consumption and should only be applied externally on surface wounds.
- - -
With the generous supply of quality ingredients, courtesy of the higher realm's king, Arian was able to experiment to his heart's content and create a concoction he was particularly proud of under a month and a half.
Initially, Arian had been contemplating how to test the effectiveness, but Kaidyn had volunteered willingly, eagerly even.
Arian accepted it without much thought, but he was utterly shocked after Kaidyn made a scarily brutal slice on his shin, prompting him to go into a panic, before scolding the already droopy king sharply.
It was only after Arian felt his message was recieved that he poured the potion onto the wound, and the result was very satisfactory.
Seeing the great effects, Arian knew he had made a pretty incredible creation, but he didn't really understand just how incredible his creation actually was.
When Kaidyn had witnessed the deep wound that almost reached his bone heal rapidly, he was astonished to say the least. Then, when the relieving effect came, the lingering pain disappeared well.
Just when he thought it was done, he suddenly felt his accumulated fatigue wash away as easily as foamy soap under running water. He was left invigorated and comfortable, further stunning him.
In fact, he was so stunned that he could only open and close his mouth in a daze.
Arian, not understanding the monstrosity of his new potion, grinned happily. He merely deduced that it was a positive result, and after asking a few questions along with detailed observations, he identified a few areas that could be improved.
Standing up with genuine composure, Arian tried to walk back to the PIAD, but upon seeing Kaidyn in a strange daze, he placed his hand on top of the black head of hair, instantly snapping Kaidyn back.
While Arian wore a smug smile, Kaidyn struggled to keep a straight face and calm his racing heart.
Funnily, Kaidyn's shock lasted the entire time back, persisting until he fell asleep that night.
Luckily, it didn't transfer to his dreams, or else it would have been borderline pathological…
* * *
2 days until the competition…
"Ohhh! The healing is even faster this time! Letting it react longer enhances the effectiveness… Maybe less of the base will dilute the ingredients less… No, it might be too concentrated if I do that…" Arian mumbled excitedly as he passionately wrote down notes and possible improvements.
"I think it's good enough…" Kaidyn wore an awkward expression at the thought of this monstrous concoction becoming even better.
"Hmmm… I think so as well. I don't want to waste too much of your supplies and it's pretty effective as it is. Honestly, I can think of even more improvements just on the top of my head, but I still need to meet this week's quota and I hate seeing you hurt yourself like this everytime we test it." Arian nodded decisively his blue eyes clear and profound. "Then let's cease further revisions, for now…"
Kaidyn nodded with a smile, resisting the urge to sigh with relief. It honestly could get dangerous just with how it is now, but if it gets even better, possible ulterior motives might become extreme.
In the middle of Kaidyn's train of thought, a whiff of vanilla caught his attention.
He hated the fact that those bastards were going to recieve a potion full of Arian's soul energy… It made him involuntary boil with fury. But he knew that this competition was important to Arian, so he held his despise back for his sake.
• • •