He left the house carrying the Fire Potion and the Explorer Potion in the box, with the Mist Potion in his hand. After a short while, he arrived at a very large hall.
The hall was enormous, filled with trees everywhere, designed in a large circular shape, topped with the empire's emblem: a yellow flame with wavy decorations.
Eugene opened the door and entered, finding a large number of students already there. The interior resembled a magical village: seats arranged in circles, large windows at the top, and trees communicating with each other.
He looked at the students and said, "It seems I'm the last to arrive here!"
He went and sat in a seat next to Rin and Reem. Once seated, Alex made sure all the students were present, then stood from his chair and said:
– Alright, now that everyone is here, I will explain how to use the potion and its relation to your path.
Alex sighed and continued:
_ Once you drink the potion, it spreads through your blood and is absorbed by your organs and bones. Through this process, special cells associated with the potion you drank begin to appear, carrying the same biological, physical, chemical, and other properties.
All the students were attentive, especially Eugene, who wanted to follow the steps correctly so that nothing would happen to him as it did with his talent.
– Once inside your body, you will be able to sense the source of this energy everywhere.
He took a deep breath and continued:
– For example, if you drink the Fire Potion, you will start feeling heat in everything around you that possesses warmth. If you remain in a cold environment, you will feel pain and your powers will weaken as the cold intensifies.
And to keep the explanation brief…
He raised his finger, looking sharp and serious:
– I will ask you only one question.
All the students present focused on what he was going to say.
– Are you confident in your choice of potion?
He carefully observed the students, and being skilled in body language, quickly noticed that most were hesitant or uncertain.
He opened the drawer in the table, took out an egg-shaped clock, turned it, and sat back in his chair, saying:
I will give you forty-five minutes to decide what you want.
The students began gathering and discussing:
– Should I change my potion?
– I won't change it.
– It's a difficult choice, especially with so many options.
– For the talented ones, it's even harder, as most potions are strong and high-level.
Rin, Reem, and Eugene sat in a triangular formation.
– Should I change my potion? – Rin asked, looking at his potion.
Eugene looked at him and said:
– I don't know, choose what you want. What did you choose?
– The Joker Potion, the Darkness Potion, the Explorer Potion, the Blades… I chose the Blades.
Reem looked at him:
– Why did you choose the Blades?
Rin scratched his nose, his voice slightly low:
– So I can defend myself.
Eugene raised his eyebrow in surprise:
– What? Just for that reason!? Your whole life path depends on this choice!
Reem added:
– He's right. He should take something like the Joker for a wider range of growth.
– What are the Joker's abilities?
Reem looked at Eugene:
– I think it makes others laugh for a long time, store many things, and lie skillfully.
– And how are these abilities powerful?
– The potion itself isn't strong. What's strong is what aligns with the potion, especially since this potion somewhat resembles Rin.
– How does it resemble Rin? It's a potion about a Joker. How does it resemble Rin?
Their discussion intensified, their voices rising slightly, while Rin sat between them, listening.
"If I hadn't spoken, they wouldn't have argued," Rin whispered sadly, blaming himself.
A voice came from behind them:
– As for me, it's best that Rin chooses his potion himself; after all, he's the one who will use it, not you two.
Rin raised his head and turned to Eugene and Reem.
The girl was the same age as them, with blonde hair and blue eyes shining like diamonds, wearing elegant clothes: a simple light green dress with a gold chain.
Eugene asked:
– Who are you?
The girl smiled simply and said:
– My name is Melissa, Melissa Kanfu.
– Melissa Kung Fu? Who names their daughter Kung Fu?
Reem lightly hit his head:
– Stop mocking others! – her tone a bit irritated.
– Haha, don't worry. My father's name is similar to "Kung Fu." It's nothing to be upset about.
Melissa took a chair and sat next to them:
– As I said, it's best for Rin to choose his potion himself.
Reem and Eugene looked at Rin.
– She's right, you are the one who will drink it, not us – Reem added after Eugene – Sorry, we didn't mean to decide for you.
Rin felt nervous, forced a silly smile, beads of sweat forming.
"What should I choose? No, choose it for me, please" – Rin thought to himself. He was confused and tense, needing to pick the potion that would either throw him into the abyss or elevate him among the powerful.
Besides being anxious, he feared that Reem, Eugene, and Melissa would see his decision as intimidating or disturbing.
– I'll choose.
He was extremely tense, his hand trembling as he hovered over the potions, not knowing which to pick.
Tiiiing
Alex stood from his chair and said:
– Time's up. I will ask again: Are you sure the potion you chose is correct mentally, logically, and spiritually? – He looked at the students, and the number of skeptics and nervous ones had greatly decreased.
Rin's heartbeat raced; he now had to choose.
Boom
A loud explosion shook the place.
All eyes in the hall turned toward the source, where the door had been violently and quickly blown off.
Eugene clutched his chest, his heartbeat racing.
– I have a bad feeling!?
Narrator: Seems your instinct is right, Eugene.
– Stay in your places, no one moves! – Alex shouted loudly.
At that moment, a completely black creature rushed toward Alex.
In an instant, the creature appeared beside Alex. He glanced at it, then noticed something like tree roots just a few centimeters from his eyes.
Poof
Alex grabbed the tree trunk.
– It's solid and sharp! – Alex sweated.
He lifted his leg and kicked the creature forcefully, sending it flying into the wall.
All the students were in shock and terror, unable to think or focus, their eyes fixed on the spot where the creature hit.
Tiiiiiiippp
The alarm siren went off, and the guards rushed toward the hall.
As the siren rose…
The creature screamed in the middle of the mist, and as the mist vanished…
A massive body appeared, composed of bones and pitch-black material with intertwined tree branches. It had hollow, abyssal eyes, a long mouth full of fangs, and hands made of solid, sharp green roots.
– Waaaah! – a student screamed.
Upon hearing the screams, the rest of the students began realizing that an extremely dangerous monster stood before them.
Aaahhh
Screams and running feet filled the hall as students rushed toward the exit.
The creature's ears twitched, and it darted toward the students.
– Stop! – Alex aimed his gun at the monster.
Bang… Bang… Bang
He fired three bullets made of magical material at the creature.
But the creature reacted swiftly, dodging all shots with ease.
Aaaahhh
It screamed at Alex, pulling its body back and standing on all fours, preparing to charge…
Fwooo, Fwooo
A group of guards entered, their speed causing some students to collide with those behind them, making them all fall.
Aaahh
The guards raised their shiny white swords and spears, shouting as they charged toward the monster.
The creature moved its ears again, catching Alex's attention, and he began analyzing the type of monster. But before he could alert the guards…
The creature quickly shifted its body to stand on two feet, moved toward the guards, and extended long, solid roots from its hands, grabbing them all.
It jumped high, twisted its body, and landed hard, smashing the guards into the ground, breaking their bones and skulls.
Only one guard avoided the attack – in shock, with all his companions dead, his eyes tearing – the creature grabbed him.
In a terrifying moment for everyone, it devoured the guard in one bite.
Aaahhh
Rin vomited at the gruesome scene.
Bang
Alex fired a shot to the creature's left and used sand magic to form a barrier covering the area, then used sand again to form the words:
"Do not make any sound, this monster moves toward noise"
He wrote the same from the other side for the guards.
The guards entered slowly and quietly, avoiding noise – most students fainted from the sight of blood and corpses, while the rest froze in shock.
Eugene turned his eyes toward the monster, seeing a butterfly-shaped necklace three steps away.
His eyes widened, memories returning from his childhood, at home with his mother and Rin.
– Ah, what is this? – Eugene pointed with his small hand toward the wall, specifically at the necklace – shaped like a butterfly with strange symbols colored in red, glowing blue, light green, and gray.
Eugene's mother – with soft brown hair and green eyes – approached the wall, holding the necklace.
– You mean this? – she pointed to the necklace, smiling beautifully and gently.
Eugene nodded in agreement.
His mother, recalling memories, looking at a picture of Eugene and Rin as infants:
– Nine years ago, on a rainy stormy day, the doorbell rang. I went to open it, but no one was there, only two beautiful crying children.
She wondered who could leave two children at her door in such a storm.
She carried them inside and placed them on a bed: What should I do with them? I had never raised a child or taken care of one.
After the storm… no one came to take them, so I decided to raise them myself.
The children grew up over the years, becoming the best and most wonderful children in the world, for me, of course.
Eugene raised his eyebrow:
– Okay, that's a wonderful story, but what does it have to do with the necklace?
– Well, these two children are you and Rin, and the necklace was placed on your and Rin's necks.
She tried to give it to Rin, but he refused, saying it should be given to you.
Eugene's mother continued:
– I wanted to give it to you on your birthday, but it's okay to give it a little early, right?
Eugene returned from his memories as the monster reached the necklace, mere moments from destroying it.
– The necklace… it resembles the butterfly in the dream.
Eugene quickly moved toward the necklace, shocking everyone.
He reached it, picking it up, but it was almost too late; the monster's foot was just centimeters away.
Rin felt as if scalding water had been poured on him, his body shivered, his eyes widened seeing his friend and brother a hair away from death.
"Eugene will die, do I move? No, if I move, how do I save him? But he's my brother. I must go. No, I won't. No, I must go" – his heart and mind conflicted between moving to save him or staying and watching him die.
Ah… ah… ah
His breathing accelerated, sweat pouring, as if life slowed down immensely.
He looked at the potion he was holding: the Shadows Potion, the only one not destroyed in the attack.
In a moment of fear and tension, he opened the bottle and drank it completely.
The potion spread through his body with his blood, entered his bones, reached his heart and intestines, and new cells grew. He felt burning in his body from the sunlight, the opposite of darkness.
Alex realized what Rin had done and used the sand to cover sources of light entering the hall, making Rin feel power flowing through his veins.
He raised his hand, a dark-blue-tinged state emanating from it.
Ah… what is this?
Eugene felt as if a door had opened beneath him, and he was falling slowly.
Boom
The monster stepped on Eugene's spot.
– Eugennnn! – Reem screamed, thinking he was dead.
Aaah… what's happening?
The students turned to the source, seeing Eugene emerge from Rin's shadow, as if he had moved through the shadows.
Woof
All of Alex's sand moved toward the monster, taking advantage of its distraction by Reem's voice.
Bang…
Alex fired a bullet at the monster's skull, hitting the crystal, and once it shattered…
Aaahhh
The monster screamed terrifyingly, swelling and inflating until it exploded, spreading a sticky green substance everywhere.
Tick… tick…
Drops of blood fell on Eugene's face, his eyes widening in shock.
Banggghh
Rin's nose expelled a large amount of blood that had fallen on Eugene's shocked face.
Rin fell on Eugene, his expression shocking Eugene, mixed with blood…
End of Chapter
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