Lucas finished eating and pushed his tray slightly aside while Tom quietly gathered the dishes. The morning sunlight slipped into the room, cutting across the polished floor and the half-open case where the alchemical vials still waited. Lucas stood, stretching his back for a moment, and then motioned toward the large black case by the corner.
"Tom, come help me with this," he said.
"Yes, my lord."
Together they began to carefully arrange the destructive creations Lucas had spent days perfecting. Tom handled each one with trembling hands, terrified of dropping even one. The poison spheres, the explosive crystals, the pressurized Qi-reactive flasks...every single item radiated a cold, dangerous aura that made the young squire swallow nervously.
"Please be gentle with the blue one," Lucas reminded softly as he placed a thickly sealed cylinder into the padded section. "If it cracks even slightly, it will turn the entire case into smoke."
Tom froze mid-movement. "Smoke… my lord?"
