Lena Arkwell wasn't just any girl.
She was the gentle mage from Shin's hometown, the one who used to chase him barefoot through the fields when they were kids.
Back then, Shin was the quiet orphan boy, and Lena was the girl who gave him someone to come home to.
They weren't blood related, but they were family.
She had talent. A natural connection to mana. Her affinity for light magic was rare, something the professors whispered about.
But she feared it. She feared hurting people, feared losing control.
So while others exploded with spells and grace, Lena stayed small, soft, and safe.
In the game, if you stayed with her, encouraged her, chose her again and again... she'd bloom. She'd find courage. Her power would awaken in the final arc and she'd become a symbol of magic and light.
But only if you were Shin.
Right now?
She was staring at Jericho.
And the only Shin in Jericho was spelled with a different first letter.
Lena stood several feet from him, breath shallow, eyes wide. She looked like she was ready to bolt or blast him, and maybe both.
"Why are you here?!" she snapped, voice cracking from the pressure. "Why are you still here?! Were you following me?!"
Jericho's arms shot up instantly.
"N-no! I swear, I didn't even see you! I just... I'm just trying to live! I got suspended, okay?! I have nowhere to go and I know this place from the ga—I mean from... I just picked a place to camp, that's all!"
Lena's expression twisted. She stepped back, gripping her wand with both hands.
"You expect me to believe that? After what you did? You think I don't remember?!"
Jericho winced.
"I didn't do anything! I mean—I know he did. I know what it looked like, but it wasn't... I didn't want... I swear on my life, I haven't touched anyone, since, I haven't followed anyone, I just want to stay away from everything and not die in a bush. That's it. That's literally it."
Lena's voice shook.
"Don't come any closer. If you try anything, I'll scream. Shin is nearby. He'll come."
Jericho flinched. His face fell.
"...Oh. Great. That's exactly what I needed. Let the Golden Boy come and curb-stomp me again. Maybe that's better than starving."
He groaned suddenly, his hands flying to his gut. His stomach let out a growl so loud it might as well have roared.
Jericho doubled over slightly, groaning.
Lena blinked in confusion, then backed up again.
"Wh-what are you trying now?!"
"You need a drawing or something? I'm starving, alright?! I haven't eaten since I got kicked out and I fell in a stream trying to catch fish with my bare hands! I haven't done anything to you!"
And then it clicked.
Jericho froze.
Wait.
Jericho... was nearby? And Lena came alone?
Main quest. Chapter 1. Act 4.
After Shin saved Lena from Jericho, she would ask to meet him the next morning in the forest. If you chose to go, she'd thank you. She'd vanish for a bit, then return with a gift.
The Alchemia Scroll.
An unassuming artifact that looked like parchment. But it was the key to unlocking alchemy synthesis.
Not the cheap crafting stuff, the real stuff. World-altering magic. That scroll was the backbone of every single route in the game.
And this... this moment... was when it happened.
Jericho stayed completely still.
Lena was still talking, warning, threatening.
But he just stood there.
Then slowly, he straightened up. He softened his posture, lowered his arms, and blinked at her with wide, exhausted eyes. He looked pitiful.
Because he was.
"Look at me," he said, voice low. "Do I look dangerous to you right now? I have nothing. No power. No money. No food. No home. I'm soaked, starving, and I fell asleep in a pile of leaves."
He forced a small, sheepish smile.
"I'm not asking you to trust me. Honestly, I wouldn't either. But just... consider this: maybe I'm not the same guy who hurt you. Maybe I don't want anything to do with any of that."
He pointed behind him, toward the deeper part of the forest.
"I'll go that way. I won't follow you. I won't bother you. Just... please, don't attack me. Okay?"
Lena hesitated, watching Jericho carefully. He really looked like a mess.
Clothes damp and clinging to him, hair stuck to his forehead, dirt on his face, and dark bags under his eyes.
Had he really slept here? Through the rain?
She bit her lip, then let out a shaky breath.
"You're going... that way?"
Jericho nodded immediately.
"Straight through. I won't stray."
She tightened her grip on her wand but gave a reluctant nod.
"Fine. Just don't try anything. I'm going back to Shin, and if you follow me, I will scream."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Jericho muttered, bowing his head. "Thanks."
He turned and began walking. Not too fast to be suspicious, not too slow to be dramatic.
Lena watched him disappear between the trees. Then, still tense, she turned the opposite direction.
"I'll look for that gift another time," she whispered. "I don't feel safe anymore."
Meanwhile, Jericho speed-walked like his life depended on it.
Because it kind of did.
If the game was following its original progression, then this was the event. If he kept moving toward that direction, he should find it. The hidden altar. The scroll.
The Alchemia Scroll.
In the game, this item was the true core of the system. You could skip side quests, skip combat encounters, even lose battles, but you could not skip this scroll.
It was the branching point: either you got it from Lena if you were on her route, or you refused the invitation and found it yourself, if you were pursuing a different special character's route.
And the scroll? It was the reason the game wasn't called Swordman Tale or Demon Tale.
**Alchemia Tale. **Because this scroll was everything.
It gave the ability to craft, to synthesize, to enchant. With it, you could make potions, weapons, armor, accessories, scrolls, even enchanted food.
It was the only item in the game that let you create gear beyond the level cap.
It let you generate story items, alter events, and in some routes, even save dead characters.
It could create things that didn't exist yet.
Jericho slowed down.
He looked over his shoulder, toward where Lena had gone.
His chest ached a little.
She had been his favorite character.
Always by Shin's side. Loyal. Sweet. The first to support him. He chose her route most of the time. He crafted for her. He enchanted rings, necklaces, even made her a cloak with fire resistance because she hated hot weather events.
He had her as his profile picture on every platform. He even tried tagging the devs to make his own custom character real... so he could marry her in-game.
That was... a forgettable memory.
He pushed through one last wall of bushes, into a dark, quiet glade.
There it was.
An altar of stone, covered in moss and age. Floating just above it, an ancient scroll, bound in light.
It looked simple. Like old parchment.
But Jericho knew better.
This was the keystone of the entire story.
And there was traps, nor monsters not even Shin to stop him.
Just him, and the scroll.
He stepped forward and reached out.
His fingers brushed the surface, and the light pulsed.
He held it in his hands. Solid, warm.
This was it. The Alchemia Scroll.
This was the item Shin used to save the world. The one that let him craft legendary gear for every party member, cook recovery meals, synthesize relics, and survive every insane battle to come.
Jericho stared down at it.
"Okay, plan time," he whispered. "One: I go to Shin. Two: I apologize. Three: I give him this scroll as proof I mean it. Four: he accepts. Five: he lets me join the group. Six: I become the alchemy coach. Seven: I live a quiet life and maybe... date someone?"
He let out a breathless laugh.
"It's genius. It's perfect. Shin has to have this scroll. He can't progress without it. This is my way out. My redemption. My future."
He clutched the scroll to his chest.
Light bathed him from nowhere.
"This is it. This is my fate."
He paused.
Then smirked.
"...Blah. Who am I kidding?"
He unrolled the scroll.
And in that moment, it glowed. A pure light swallowed him whole.