Return of the Fallen Volume 9 Chapter 2
Zephris wore an astonished look. He had known his master for around two years now. The man had been mysterious and lived deeper in the Great Forest, away from everyone else. He never came to the village and remained secluded. The only people the old man ever met was Zephris and his father. So hearing such a goal from his master, a man who he thought wanted nothing to do with others, was really surprising.
“Master, you want to create peace through food. I thought you hated everyone. Isn’t that why you live so deep in the Great Forest?”
*Haa*
The old man sighed audibly.
“Hatred is such a waste of time. I don’t hate people, Instead, I hate their greed, their malice, and their obsessive demand to dominate and control all those they deem as lesser. I can not get rid of any of those things, I don’t have such power. What I can do however is to try and lessen such dangerous feelings. By providing enough food for everyone many wars will cease and many more shall be prevented.”
Zephris went silent as he thought over his master’s words.
“Master, can food do all of that? I mean back in my village, there are these two boys that live nearby. They’re brothers and yet they fight every day over any little thing. Even if they have the same stuff, they still end up at each other’s throats. It seems like even if they are equal in any regard, no matter what, they are going to fight.”
“Your point being?”
“Master, if those two who have the same things and still fight and are even brothers to boot, well, I don’t understand how food in everyone’s stomach stops the fighting. If even they can’t get along, how are others who aren’t even related, who aren’t even of the same people, and so on?”
The old cloaked man went quiet for a moment before being honest.
“If people fight even after they have everything they need, then we are all doomed. If we still find things to bicker about, to still claw at each other’s throats then I believe from the bottom of my heart that we as a whole don’t deserve this world or its miracles. At that point…There is no point.”
Zephris was still a small child but even he recognized how dark that last part was. He quickly tried to cheer his master up.
“Master that won’t happen. As long as we all have what we need even if fighting starts I’m sure we can find a way to work things out. After all, how can people fight if their stomachs are stuffed and they’re too fat to pick up a sword.”
An old wrinkled hand reached out and pressed atop Zephris’s head and rubbed it. The old man’s face was hidden beneath the cloak and his expression could not be seen but Zephris was sure he smiled at this moment.
“Right! enough about something that is far away, let’s come back from my dream. After my potion, your body has fully recovered, it’s time to get to work, we have lots to do and the day is already been stretched out long enough.”
The old man tossed a pair of leather gloves imbued with magic to Zephris. Zephris quickly put them on along with a specially made cloak from his master. The moment he wore these, several inscriptions glowed faintly on the surface before fading back into the clothes and gloves.
The old man grabbed several papers from the workbench and handed them to Zephris.
“I need every single one of these ingredients from the back. You know the deal, prep them accordingly, and set up the cauldron. Make sure you keep that heat perfectly otherwise it won’t be your father tearing your hide but me.”
Zephris nodded excitedly before rushing to the back of this small house. Even with a threat from his master, Zephris couldn’t help but feel giddy. Ever since his father brought him to this place two years ago, and he was introduced to his master’s profession, Zephris curiosity exploded.
Zephris rushed to the back of the wooden house. With a wave of his hand, a wooden door opened revealing a small storage room approximately 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 6 feet deep. The room was quite cold and had specks of frost along both the ceiling and floor. Along both walls of this tiny room were several shelves and drawers made from black stone.
Stepping inside this room, his head nearly touched the ceiling. His breath could be seen with each exhale and every inhale slightly stung his lungs.
The first time he came into this small storage room, he felt like his lung were on fire and he couldn’t take a deep breath in this place without almost passing out. After a few years though it only stung now.
Looking at the papers in his hand, Zephris memorized everything to a T and waved his hand once more. A soft breeze gathered around and with a thought, it flowed away from him. As this wind flew past certain drawers, one by one the ones he wished to open slid out, and inside were many ingredients neatly packed and preserved. Waving his hand once again, the wind carefully lifted these ingredients, and the wind perfectly severed and separated the exact amount needed.
Carrying the ingredients back to Zephris, the wind shut the drawers as it flowed and the young boy left the room. With a thought, it shut behind him and he returned to his master’s side.
As soon as he arrived, his master took note of the flying ingredients next to Zephris and mumbled something but was not surprised by this.
“Master, I’ll start right away.”
“No need to tell me every time, just get on with it.”
“Yes.”
A small space next to the cloaked master was cleared and Zephris waved his hand once more. All of the ingredients were laid out gently and organized before him and without another word, Zephris went straight to work.
Using his magic, he cut, ground, and spread things accordingly. While things were being lifted and moved and worked on with his magic, at the same time he picked up certain ingredients with his gloves and placed them into different test tubes. Then he opened a small drawer attached to the workbench and pulled out a small animal. A red frog with green dots covering its skin.
With a thought, a small blade of wind made a tiny cut along the frog’s lower back. The frog shrieked in pain but both Zephris and his master ignored its screams. Opening a small hole on the frog, the blade of wind made a second cut and removed a tiny piece of an organ. The frog promptly died painfully and afterward was simply tossed aside and into the garbage.
Zephris had gotten used to this. He did not like killing things but it was necessary. In his mind, it was no longer killing and simply work instead.
After removing the small green organ, Zephris split it open and drained it of its sludgy contents. Spreading the sludge thinly over a flat clear crystal, Zephris grabbed the edge of the clear crystal with his glove and filled the glove with power. The moment he did this, the glove lit up followed by the piece of flat crystal. Light shined upward and through the nasty sludge and once it did, the light revealed tiny hair-like worms that were hiding inside the sludge.
Without this special crystal and the light flowing through it, it would be almost impossible to find these hair-like worms with the naked eye alone. Grabbing a small set of tweezer-like tools, Zephris picked up several of these small worms and placed them inside more test tubes. He then took the tubes and put them in a magic tool that when powered spun the tubes at a dizzying speed for almost twenty minutes.
While this magic tool was spinning the test tubes at high speed, Zephris walked over to the biggest object in the room. A cauldron colored in brown with lines of gold running through it sat off to the side. Even though it was off to the side, its size was bigger than Zephris in every capacity, causing it to take up a large portion of the room.
Several vines hung down from the ceiling and were covered in a thin yet durable layer of ice. Waving his hand, the frosted vines stretched downward and coiled themselves around the cauldron and hoisted it from the ground. There was already a good-sized pit dug in the ground beneath the cauldron that had many black pieces of wood already sitting in it. They had been used before but could be used several more times before needing to be replaced.
With a snap of his fingers, the wood ignited and Zephris began controlling the flames with his thoughts alone. His master eyed the way Zephris used magic with ease and shuddered. He noticed his own reaction and quickly contained himself before walking over.
“Good, you’ve done well boy.”
“Master, is it time now, are you going to perform alchemy!?”
The eager expression Zephris wore made the old master feel a sense of pride. With a nod he ordered.
“Yes, now lower the cauldron and I shall begin.”
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