Chapter 47: Deal with the Alchemist
Layer by layer, the engravings on the collar began to glow, lighting up like tiny hidden gems beneath the metallic surface as soon as they came into contact with the energy flow of the core Luna had brought.
The radiance spread slowly, as if the artifact were awakening, testing its first breath.It was almost like witnessing the birth of a small life.
And, in a way, it was. Necroplasmic energy had always stood out for its strange organic quality: it did not think, it did not feel, but it searched for a body to cling to, a host to nourish so it could continue to exist.
A parasitism that, paradoxically, was beneficial… as long as the host remained alive.Otherwise, the body became its own coffin.
The concept of "life" became blurry when analyzed through the lens of an Awakened.For a philosopher, it was a question with no definitive answer.
For a scientist, an unfinished process, always subjected to experimentation.
But for those who had crossed the frontier of human evolution, the truth was much more bare: existence was sustained by three pillars.
Plato had described it as the three parts of a whole, designated as logical, animic, and appetitive; that tripartite division of what is known as spirit, soul, and body, the first two being what gave essence to the will of an Awakened.
The spirit could be forged through continuous evolutions; it could become extremely powerful and at the same time terribly fragile depending on how the individual's thoughts were molded.
The soul could evolve if one had the talent for it, like Rebecca had done. It was interconnected with the spirit; therefore, one who mastered both aspects could not die.
The body was only the vessel that held everything together as a single entity. It could be replaced, but it could never remain unchanged if one replaced it.
If an Awakened who had cultivated the other two aspects decided to reconstruct their body, they would have a new vessel, but they would lose their muscle memory, their raw power, and everything obtained through it.
That was why the infection was so feared.
Those three aspects governed the existence of a person; unfortunately, what the infection did was isolate the first two aspects from the body and keep it in a constant evolution where the spirit and soul could see everything, but could not act.
Richard let the collar fall onto the table and exhaled slowly.
His fingers, pale from lack of sunlight, tapped against the armrest of the chair where he sat.He did not know if all that information was true… but if it was, it could only mean that within the core he held in his hands there might be an amalgamation of consciousnesses of different natures, trapped in a confined space until either the spirit or the soul gave up, causing its erasure from existence.
"A truly miserable life…" he murmured.
* * * *
Richard remained still at the edge of the window, receiving the soft and cold strike of the night wind that stirred his hair.
The blood moon in the sky had long since become a point of calm in his life.
He lifted his hand as if he could reach it with his fingers, but the sudden beating of wings pulled him back to reality.
Luna slid from the bed to his shoulder, sinking her claws without any intention of causing harm.
"What are you thinking about?"
Her small talons went from resting on the bed to seeking the warmth of his body. Each of her feathers felt like the edge of a blade; if he were not an Awakened, he would probably have been wounded just by touching one.
From a strange point of view, instead of pain, Richard could feel the warmth the raven was transmitting to him in that moment.
His hands slid through her sharp plumage, dark as the night that surrounded them.
"Sometimes I feel that if I didn't have company, I would think I'm still trapped in the same endless dream I was always in."
He closed his eyes for a moment before shutting the window, catching the faint sound of approaching footsteps.
Richard lifted his head, following the shadow that attempted to evade his senses.
That shadow — a unique trait possibly derived from a spying talent — moved through the darkness like an imperceptible stain.
"You can stop hiding."
He halted her instantly when the shadow tried to slip behind him in one last attempt to test her abilities. Although that was completely insane for someone who was barely a first-class Awakened.
The shadow froze the moment she heard Richard's voice.
For a few seconds she remained silent, hoping it had been a coincidence. But with time, her figure began to manifest from the depths of the dark room.
First came her hands, crawling out from the floor like a soul-devouring specter from old tales.
Then the rest of her body emerged. Her trench coat covered her from neck to toe, along with the mask that concealed her facial features — though her small frame made it easy to tell she was not a man.
The spy remained silent for a few more seconds after revealing herself.
It might have been the embarrassment of her prank failing, or maybe she was studying him. Though that would be hard to tell because of the mask she wore.
Richard was the one who broke the silence.
He lifted his gaze slightly toward her and spoke calmly.
"Then… did the Alchemist send you?"
The girl nodded without saying anything at first.
"Yes. He told me to be as careful as possible."
She crossed her arms, clearly irritated inside even if she tried not to show it.
"Although… the Alchemist didn't tell me your senses were that sharp."
Richard picked up on that faint, almost childlike tone behind the complaint. She was far too green for this kind of work, that much was obvious.
"You should be more careful next time."
He warned her while taking one of the necklaces he had been working on and tossed it to her gently. The gemstone emitted a soft glow when it landed in her palm.
She held it for a moment, puzzled, before looking back at him.
She stared at it for a few seconds, confused, before directing her eyes toward him again.
"What is this? The Alchemist told me you had something that could help him — not some random accessory."
Richard had to hold back the urge to sigh. He didn't know whether to laugh at her ignorance or cry over how casually she dismissed something that had taken him hours of precise work.
"Put it on and you'll see it's not just decoration."
His tone was direct, not bothering to explain further.
The girl hesitated for a moment, but eventually accepted it. Her small, delicate hands held the clasp, unfastened it, and then placed it around her neck.
The moment she did, energy began to flow. The change was almost immediate: a faint vibration, a tingling running through her core, as if something inside her had been unsealed. The gemstone reacted by glowing steadily, illuminating her neck with a soft, constant light.
She flinched and took a step back.
"W–What… what's happening?!"
She instinctively tried to remove the necklace, panic flaring in her eyes.
But she froze midway when warmth began spreading from her chest to every corner of her body. It felt like waking up after a deep, well-earned rest — the tension fading, exhaustion melting away.
Richard nodded in quiet satisfaction at the girl's reaction.
There was a special kind of pride in seeing someone else recognize his craft. Nothing compared to the feeling that all the time and effort he had poured into learning enchanting had actually been worth it.
Richard nodded in satisfaction. That small gesture was enough to betray the pride swelling in his chest. Seeing it work — and having someone else appreciate it — was better than any payment.
"Feels great, doesn't it? I don't make mediocre products."
He crossed his arms, this time actually enjoying the moment.
"You should take it to the Alchemist. The longer he keeps it on, the more time we'll gain before we get the flower."
The girl snapped back to reality at his voice and touched the necklace with a hint of shyness. For a second, she had looked mesmerized — like someone tasting something precious for the first time after living with empty hands.
She took the brooch and removed it carefully, but before putting it away she looked toward the table.
"Do you think you could give me the other one too?"
Richard frowned, almost offended.
"That one's for sale. The deal with the Alchemist was just helping him stretch out his remaining lifespan."
She nodded without complaint and reached into the small pouch at her waist. She pulled out bundles of bills and several gold coins that clinked softly as they fell into her hand.
"How much do you think it would take to buy it?"
The rich girl was trying to hit him with money. Though as far as Richard was concerned, all of that looked like napkin paper and scrap metal.
He didn't take the money.
"I don't trade for cash. I trade for infected cores."
She stared at him, confused for a moment.
"You want infected cores?"