Chapter 6

    Unveiling the Ancient Chronicles 2

    Despite the pain on his body that had barely eased, the pain that would have most kids his age crying and fussing, Las forced himself up and staggered out of the room. He stopped at the wooden door that was left open, where the warm air wafted around the area, indicating the old woman was still there in her usual spot, letting the soft sunlight illuminate the thick book she held. It was a scene he was accustomed to, sitting at the foot of the bed, listening to stories until he unwittingly fell asleep.

    But today was different, with a ghost urging him on for a different purpose... to request medicinal ingredients lined up beside the bookshelf. Those were treasures that grandmother Gathia had collected over the years, making it difficult to ask for them outright.

    "Are you feeling better now, my dear?" Just the sound of his footsteps on the wooden floor was enough for the old woman to know who was at the door, without even needing to look.

    "I'm fine, but I have a favor to ask of you." Las appeared, looking somewhat uneasy. Dragoon flew past his head, buzzing around the room as if shopping, annoyingly inspecting the surroundings. Las wanted to protest but held back, knowing it would only make him seem crazy to others.

    "Here, here, and here too, Las!"

    Great, being so full of life, why did this ghost seem to be more troublesome than a kid? Las thought to himself, glancing sideways.

    "What do you need help with, dear? You can just tell me." the old woman said with a smile, closing her book and setting it aside. Las struggled to find the words, glancing towards the medicine cabinet.

    "Well... my teacher asked me to bring some ingredients." Las said faintly. The old woman's face flickered with surprise.

    "Are you talking about Sir Branford?" Gathia inquired.

    "Yes..." Las nodded, feeling guilty for lying.

    Gathia closed her eyes briefly, then stood up, patting Las's head gently before walking towards Dragoon, passing through his form as if he wasn't there. She picked up a small glass vial containing light purple powder, another with pale white spherical roots, and lastly, small triangular red leaves.

    "If it's for relieving your symptoms, I've prepared just the right thing. Magical powder from Gar bark, Water Roots, Taris leaves." Gathia explained, handing them over to Las effortlessly. Las was taken aback by how well his grandmother could read him. He then shot a glance at Dragoon who was equally surprised. Dragoon wore a big grin, it seemed those were all he needed. Las carefully stored them in his belt pouch.

    "However, I don't have the last ingredient for this medicine... Rem Grass. I'll give you some money to buy it from Uncle George's store."

    Las felt a chill run down his spine at the mention of Rem Grass, a rare herb known to grow in deep ravines that are full of life energy, the food of high-level mythical creatures like Griffins, making it quite expensive. Yet, Gathia seemed unconcerned, walking back to her desk to fetch some money. Meanwhile, Dragoon continued to scrutinize the ingredients before snapping his fingers.

    "We're not missing anything. My potion doesn't require such ingredients."

    "Huh?"

    Las exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this, causing Gathia to turn back with a scrutinizing gaze that made Las jump. The old lady was as perceptive as ever.

    "I'm just surprised... that you already have the last ingredient my teacher mentioned." Las awkwardly tried to buy time. Dragoon pointed towards a row of glass jars on the shelf, and Las quickly pointed in the same direction.

    "Tea leaves, is it?" Gathia looked as surprised as Las. He pointed without looking and then realized what he was pointing at. It was the tea leaves that his grandmother brewed every day. Replacing Rem Grass with dried tea leaves!?

    "Are you sure you remembered correctly, Las?" Gathia asked. Las wanted to say he wasn't sure either, but seeing Dragoon's confirmation, he had to believe it.

    "Yes, I'm sure."

    Once Las affirmed with confidence, Gathia was reassured. Seemed like his grandmother also trusted his instructor, Branford, the instructor from Arthuria... Las disliked that man's face to the point of hatred, and having to use his name to gain his grandmother’s trust made him even more upset.

    "Has the art of medicine advanced so much that I can't keep up anymore?" Gathia mumbled to herself. Las could only offer a wry smile, not wanting to explain that it wasn't a new technique but rather an ancient one, so old that the books from that era would have crumbled to dust by now.

    Having obtained all the needed ingredients, Las bid farewell to others as usual. Then, one boy and one ghost hurried away at the full speed their bodies could muster. Las didn't follow the normal path upon seeing that he was quite far from home, and without anyone recognizing him, he headed somewhere else. His destination was a secret spot he often used for playing hide and seek.

    At the edge of the forest, Las glanced around before slipping into the bush, soon entering a wider area within the sparse woods.

    "There shouldn't be anyone around here." Las muttered, glancing toward the center of the marked area. The wind rustled the leaves, making a calming sound, sounding like waves.

    In the middle lay a large, almost round, flat stone, resembling a pan. The morning light filtered through the swaying leaves above, casting down dancing shadows. Seeing this, the boy flopped down on the stone, sighing heavily that it sounded like a growl, indicating his fatigue and body pain. Sweat streamed down non-stop, forcing him to wipe his face repeatedly, until he suddenly sat bolt upright.

    "Wait, I forgot your furnace!" Las suddenly remembered the most important thing. Dragoon, as if just realizing, looked forward blankly and then clapped his hands with a snap.

    "That's right, that's right." he said, laughing happily. Las had almost gone crazy at the thought of the trouble he had gone through to haul himself out of the house to this place. If he had to go back, it would be the death of him. While he massaged his temples, he saw the man in the grey cloak, seemingly unbothered and drawing something on the ground… It was a magic circle…

    The circle had one main ring and three smaller outer rings that looked like three small stars orbiting a larger one. Dragoon added details to each ring before starting to inscribe strange characters that Las couldn't understand. Dragoon then placed some twigs and leaves as if he was about to start a fire... without a furnace?

    "What are you doing?" Las couldn't help but ask. The other turned with a smile, flicking his slender hand that protruded from the long cloak. In an instant, the leaves and twigs dried up completely.

    "A magic circle for rejuvenating physical energy, plus an enhancing fire circle. I haven't concocted a potion in a while, really missing the old times."

    With another snap of his fingers, the magic circle suddenly glowed. Las had never seen anything like it before. The chores the villagers struggled with, this guy was doing them effortlessly.

    "And how will you light the fire? Do you also have fire as a secondary element?" Las asked, curious. Dragoon turned to Las again, raising a finger.

    "I share the same element as you, and I've already told you, magic is the study of knowledge." As he finished speaking, a ring of water appeared above his finger.

    "Ah." Las watched as Dragoon intentionally showed off his power, slicing the water blob into a thin sheet like glass and then using it to concentrate sunlight onto a single point. Las felt the air was unusually dry at that moment, surely because of the man before him who was controlling the water in the air around them to light the fire easier.

    In no time, flames blazed within the magic circle, enhancing its glow.

    "Bring out the ingredients now." Dragoon commanded. Las hurriedly complied, though still not fully understanding what the other was up to, but Las could sense that his power and experience were far surpassing anyone he had ever encountered or heard of in his life.

    The young man flicked his wrist slightly, and the jar lids popped open. The ingredients lined up and spun into the center, compressing on his palms into a spherical shape.

    "That's...!" Las saw the sphere now enveloped in a thin layer of water on the outside, the mixture inside seemed to be moving, shifting as if being compressed and mixed.

    “Water is necessary for making every kind of medicine. The success rate depends not only on fire but also on water. Controlling the internal composition with the right amount of water can enhance the quality of the pill. I find it amusing that nowadays, only those with the fire element are recognized as apothecaries, when each element has its unique properties." Dragoon commented sarcastically, then smiled, throwing the water ball into the flames. Inside the blaze, the potion bubbled, and Dragoon swiftly retrieved it. It was still sizzling with smoke, but the surface of the potion was glossy like a pearl.

    "Done." the young ghost said, laughing as if enjoying a game, letting the pill spin around him to cool down. Meanwhile, his free hand swept water to erase the magic circle and extinguish the fire. "This is called water forging, a special technique for water elementalists." Dragoon explained. Las couldn't help but smile, feeling a new sense of hope.

    "I thought... to be an apothecary, one had to be a fire elementalist." Las said.

    "And now you see that's a misconception." Dragoon replied, putting the still-hot pill on Las’s hand, who had to juggle it to cool it down, making Dragoon chuckle.

    "I never realized water was so crucial. I need to practice more." Las said, laughing happily. But Dragoon became silent, his long hair flowing down his back as he gave Las a peculiar look, causing him to feel uneasy again.

    "Water is indeed important, but your base power isn't sufficient to even rush for training," Dragoon said with a confused look on his face.

    "What do you suggest I train in then?" Las retorted.

    "What do you think I am?" Dragoon asked.

    "A ghost." Las automatically responded. If not a ghost, then what?

    "Right. So why do I have to wait for you?" Dragoon nodded, then posed another question.

    "Because others can't see you." Las had to think before answering this time. But when he did, Dragoon didn't react much, simply unclasping his arms and pointing upwards.

    "Alright, then why can you see me?"

    As if it was the final question, Las hesitated, looking into the young man's eyes, then blinking rapidly. Seeing the boy's silence, Dragoon sighed and covered his face gently.

    "Las, your primary element is the same as mine, the Spirit element."

    Las froze, trying to comprehend what he had just heard, sitting motionless, his body unable to move, drenched in cold sweat... What is the Spirit element?

    "What’s with that face?"

    Dragoon approached, stopping right in front of Las, who had to look up.

    "Who exactly are you... How did you end up in that storeroom?"

    Las asked, waiting for the answer.

    "Hmph." Dragoon seemed displeased with the question or perhaps what he was about to say next. "After I died, that fool Rezan took my furnace and didn't take proper care of it."

    Las went pale upon hearing a name he never expected from the playful man before him.

    "Rezan you mentioned..."

    "My treacherous disciple."

    Las couldn't finish his question before being cut off by the astonishing answer, sending chills down his spine, daring not to ask further as the story seemed too big for a ten-year-old to grasp. He only hoped that Rezan wasn't the same person as the founder of this country, the God of Elixir, Rezan.