This also doesn’t work....
Lyra thought as she looked at the potion in her hand. It was blue in color, but its quality was not good, and her green eyes reflected a mix of frustration and disappointment.
All around her, broken potion bottles were scattered across the floor, some still holding small amounts of leftover liquid.
The small alchemy room was designed in a unique way, made solely for the purpose of alchemy. The walls and floor were all white, meant to maintain cleanliness and make every spilled stain immediately visible.
One side of the room was lined with empty equipment, neatly placed and waiting for use, while the other side was filled with shelves stacked with all sorts of potions. The remaining two walls each had a door, one leading outside and the other opening into a large garden, where every herb their family could manage to grow was carefully cultivated.
She threw the bottle in her hand onto the floor, the glass shattering instantly and spilling its contents. The liquid spread out only for a moment before being absorbed into the ground. The floor had been crafted to soak up all liquids and carry them to the garden soil, since potions always contained mana and could be used as fertilizer without negative effects.
Of course, it was not as if accidents never happened. When they did, they usually caused explosions, which the reinforced walls were built to withstand, or the creation of some harmful virus, which was also accounted for with protective measures.
The broken glass pieces, however, were nothing special. They were simply swept up and sent to the garbage.
Why is it not working..?
Lyra leaned back on her chair, strands of her violet hair falling forward even though her hair was tied neatly behind her head. She was dressed in a white lab coat inscribed with enchantments, strong enough to protect her from all manner of accidents, whether it was an explosion or a dangerous virus forming at the molecular level.
He said that it would work....
The "he" in her thoughts was none other than Ash.
I did everything perfectly..... the amount of herbs, the exact heat, everything... I even used the phoenix blood correctly.....
But it is still not forming properly....
Whether she used a drop of phoenix blood or not, if the potion failed, then it was useless. Failed potions were nothing more than unstable liquids that might or might not carry side effects, which was why they were always discarded.
There was a Universal Rule in Alchemy: a potion was only considered a success if it turned as transparent as water, showing that every element had fused and reacted in perfect balance.
Did he lie to me?
The thought made her chest tighten, though when she recalled the procedure, everything had seemed sound.
Then if he did not lie, are my skills the problem...?
Her expression became sullen thinking about it. She had always been compared with her mother from early childhood, whether it was about simple daily tasks, academics, or the subject of alchemy.
She was compared with her mother everywhere.
Her mother was a prodigy, and in fact, every single Saint that humanity currently had was a prodigy never seen before. That did not mean Lyra was not a prodigy herself, but there was still quite a gap that no one could ignore.
For example, even Ash and Ray were considered prodigies in everyone’s eyes, but no one compared them with the childhood versions of the Saints. The reason was simple; even the childhood versions of the Saints would pale in comparison with those two.
Then where did that leave Lyra? At the bottom?
I am not at the bottom...
A single tear escaped her eyes as all sorts of emotions rose from deep within her heart. She had never liked her mother because of this, because it always made her feel small, as if her existence was being weighed and judged like some kind of market value.
Even Saint Lydia had never directly compared her, yet she had also never stopped others when they did.
Lyra always felt overwhelmed by the vast status of her mother, so much so that she often wished she had been born into a normal family. She did not like this much attention, and she despised the constant criticism that came with it.
This led her to distance herself from others, spending most of her time with animals and nature, where everything was equal and no one judged her. She loved that world deeply, where silence and companionship came without expectations.
She was certain her awakening of the nature affinity and her rare summoner class were both related to the years she had spent in the wilds. Or perhaps it was the opposite, that she had always been drawn to nature and animals because those talents were destined to awaken in her.
That was why she had been so excited when Ash brought her an old parchment that contained the method of making the Resurrection Potion from ancient times. Most of the procedures written on it were even true.
She hoped to bring a groundbreaking change in the field of alchemy with that parchment, something that would finally allow her to escape the shadow of her mother. That was the root of her desperation.
But when she said she would include Ash’s name as well, giving him credit if the potion succeeded, Ash refused without hesitation. He said he knew nothing about alchemy, that he had only brought the parchment to her because he wanted to help a classmate.
He also said all sorts of strange things like.....don’t compare yourself with others.....I am incomparable, and even that I am more talented than anyone in alchemy....
As if he knew what I wanted to hear....
But...
She covered her face with both hands and thought, He thinks so highly of me, but I don’t believe I am that talented enough.....
I even wasted a drop of phoenix blood. It must have been incredibly valuable....
Even though she could acquire most ingredients without much effort, phoenix blood was different. It was rare, precious, and difficult to obtain. She was sure her mother had some, but she also knew Saint Lydia would never allow her to experiment with it.
I don’t know what to do....
And with that thought, she sat there quietly breaking.
***
This was easy...
Ash thought as he looked at the clear potion in his hands. He did not know whether it was luck or something else, but he had succeeded in a single try.
Though it was the most basic potion out there, one that could be easily made, it still gave him a sense of accomplishment.
Looks like I am quite talented in alchemy...
Ash thought with a faint smile, his morale rising at the small success.
His thoughts then drifted toward Lyra.
She must be breaking out a lot by now....
It was true. He had given her the recipe for the resurrection potion, but it was a false recipe and a false method. He had deceived her in such a way that the process did not feel wrong at all. On the contrary, it appeared flawless, almost as if it were the most perfect version of the procedure.
It had been difficult for Ash to devise something like that, but still, he succeeded. He was quite good at something like this, and with the knowledge of countless herbs and their properties stored in his mind, he had carefully altered the formula.
Most of the herbs were replaced with others that seemed similar in effect, yet those substitutes carried hidden properties. When combined with particular ingredients, they created problems that were hard to predict at first glance.
There was a very big reason Ash had gone this far.
I needed her to get confident in herself....
And to make that possible, Ash had created such a plan.
When Lyra will eventually notice the changes he had made and began correcting them one by one, she would end up succeeding in making the potion. That success would be entirely her own, and her confidence would soar.
She would not even feel guilty for accepting someone else’s help, since what Ash had given her was wrong, and what she achieved afterward would be proof of her own ability.
And in the novel, it was her own efforts, and Ash did not want to steal someone’s effort.
After all, Ash had once tried to make the resurrection potion for Elysia himself, but he had failed.
No matter how hard he tried, he simply did not have the skill for it. Because he wanted to prepare for any kind of emergency, he had pushed forward with the potion-making now, especially since he did not think Lyra and Ray would grow close enough for her to create something like this for him.
So, ensuring that things unfolded the way they were meant to, at least for the other characters, was something he could still do. And in the process, he could also gain the benefit of having a potion at hand.
Though if she breaks and gives up, it could also backfire...But I will believe in her. If she succeeds, it will be beneficial, and if not, I can always provide her with the actual formula.
Obtaining phoenix blood was no longer that difficult. If it had been a few months ago, it would have been impossible. But now that he could enter the dragon’s treasury, it was within his reach.
And now that actual phoenixes will soon be flying above our heads, there will be no need to worry much about it...
Ash thought with a small smile as he placed the finished potion aside and began working on another, this time something far more challenging than the previous one.
***