"How?"
Aeron looked around, finding himself on a busy street after walking behind Aira through a door in the hall.
Aira smiled. "Magic. Welcome to the hub of our planet's supernatural society—Xaran City."
"Vaar City..." Aeron repeated and turned around, only to see a giant shop with a floating board glowing with letters [ Verian Enterprise ].
"Is this?"
"Yep. This is my family's company. The other company is to do business in the normal world. This one is for doing business in the supernatural world. By the way, Verian is my family name."
"Cool."
Aira began walking. "Follow me. We are going to give you some power-ups."
"Power-ups? What kind?" Aeron asked, curious.
"Well, you won't be able to shoot fireballs if you are thinking that. It's just basic power up to your body."
Aeron followed Aira through the bustling street. Buildings rose high on both sides, some made of stone, others of metal that gleamed with faint runic light. People of different shapes and colors walked by. Some looked human. Some clearly were not. Horns. Wings. Strange eyes. Yet no one looked twice at him.
They reached a narrow shop tucked between two large guild buildings. A wooden sign hung above the door, floating gently as if suspended by air.
[ Elixerium ]
Aeron raised an eyebrow. "A magic potion shop?"
Aira nodded and pushed open the door. Inside, shelves lined every wall, holding vials of red, blue, green, silver, and colors Aeron had never seen before. The air smelled faintly sweet, like herbs after rain.
A short, old man with white eyes appeared from behind the counter. "Ah. Young Miss Aira. Welcome."
Aira smiled. "I need the newbie set."
The old man nodded and shuffled away. A minute later, he returned with a tray carrying three small bottles.
One red.
One blue.
One black.
Aeron pointed at the black one. "That looks dangerous."
"It is," Aira said casually. "But you need it."
The old man chuckled. "Most mortals pass out after drinking this set."
Aira paid without blinking. Aeron watched as she handed him the bag of potions.
She waved her hand, and the bag disappeared. Afterward, she took out one of the rings from her finger and grabbed Aeron's hand. "Do not lose this ring. You will be able to take things out from inside once you unlock your chakra points and acquire the ability to sense and absorb Mana."
Aeron looked at the ring. "Can't wait."
"Next, we are going to register you so you can get an ID card. Carry it with you in this ring all the time."
Afterward, Aira took him to a big building with a board of large letters floating in all four directions.
[ Xaran City Council ].
After getting his ID card, Aira led him to a room in the same building.
Private Assessment Room.
She snapped her finger and took out the bag of potions from the ring on Aeron's hand.
"It's time to take these babies." Aira smiled and opened the blue one first. "Drink it."
Aeron took the bottle and chugged it whole in one go.
Burp!
"I feel cold." Aeron blinked.
But after a second, prickly pain began surging throughout his body.
"It's starting, right?" Aira chuckled. "Don't worry. This potion is opening your chakra points. Endure it."
Aeron nodded and closed his eyes.
After a minute, the pain went away, and he began feeling light.
Moving arms and jumping, he felt like he was young and energetic, as if in his teens.
"Now drink this."
Aira gave him the red potion next.
"What does this do?" Aeron asked as he smelled it. It smelled kind of sweet and spicy.
"This will strengthen your foundation. This will give you more pain, but endure."
Aeron brought the red vial to his lips and drank it in one go, the same way he had with the blue one.
The taste hit him first. Sweet, then burning. Almost like swallowing molten sugar laced with pepper. His throat warmed, then heated, and then the warmth spread through his chest.
And then the pain arrived.
It struck like a pulse, deep in his bones. Not sharp, not stabbing, but heavy, crushing waves that rippled outward from his core. His muscles tightened, his veins throbbed, and a heat unlike anything he had ever felt crawled under his skin.
Aeron clenched his jaw, refusing to make a sound.
Aira watched him carefully. "It hurts more than the first one, right?"
Aeron's only response was a slow exhale through his nose. Sweat rolled down his temple, then down his neck. His fingers dug into his own palms, knuckles pale from pressure. His whole body trembled as the potion rewrote his internal structure.
His breathing grew heavier.
The pain surged again.
Aira tilted her head. "You can scream, you know. No one will hear you in this room."
Aeron shook his head, eyes shut tight. He grounded himself by focusing on his breath. In. Out. Again. The pain grew, crawled, twisted, and then pressed through his ribs like a boiling current.
His vision blurred.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Still, not a sound escaped him.
Aira's smile softened as she watched him. "You are something else."
Minutes passed. Sweat soaked through his shirt and dripped onto the floor. The trembling slowed. The pain ebbed. Aeron lifted his head, breathing hard, but his expression was oddly calm.
He wiped his forehead, and before he could reach his face, Aira wiped it with a handkerchief.
"Thanks." Aeron exhaled. "That… was intense."
Aira nodded approvingly. "And you took it better than most."
Aeron rotated his shoulders. His joints cracked lightly. He could feel the increased strength in his body.
Aira then handed him the third potion.
The black one.
Her smile turned playful.
"And now, the last one."
Aeron took it without hesitation. "I guess this will be even more intense."
"Don't drink yet. Listen carefully." Aira's expression turned somber. "This potion is commonly found. The recipe is very easy. It just contains an extremely potent magic pulse that will only do one thing."
Aeron blinked, curious. "What does it do?"
"It awakens your magic pulse. Every living being is attuned to a power of creation that has shaped everything. This air, the ground, the planet, the universe. Everything existing in this world has its foundation based on this power. But living beings, those sentient enough to attune with it, can stir this power and transform it into, for the lack of a better word, a gift."
"A gift?" Aeron raised his eyebrows. "Like a supernatural gift?"
"Yep. Your magic pulse will attune with the power of creation. All living beings acquire a gift when they awaken their magic pulse, which attunes with the power of creation, causing it to give you a supernatural gift."
"Interesting. So I'll get something cool. Can I drink it now?" Aeron asked, anticipative of the supernatural gift.
Aira smiled. "Yep. Chug it up and have fun."