"But this card is no ordinary one."
Aleister remarked, his fingers rubbing along the faintly glowing edge of the card.
"And why do you say that?" Raku raised an eyebrow, gesturing with his eyes for the great sage to continue his explanation.
"The 'blackening' here doesn't mean some kind of personality distortion where someone suddenly becomes three times stronger."
Aleister raised a finger and waved it, his lecturing expression paired with his mage robe giving him the air of an academic instructor. "Although I'm not as proficient in alchemy as I am in summoning, I still understand the basic theory. The 'blackening' here, Nigredo, is the first stage in the creation of the Philosopher's Stone."
He paused, as if organizing his thoughts so that his illiterate partner from another world could understand.
"The creation of the Philosopher's Stone consists of four stages: Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas, and finally Rubedo. Each stage represents a sublimation of both matter and spirit."
Aleister tapped the black crystal floating in the card artwork.
"The first stage of the Philosopher's Stone shown on this card, Nigredo, is clearly executed exceptionally well.
"That pure darkness is a perfect manifestation of matter breaking down and returning to chaos. This is not something an ordinary person can achieve, especially considering that boy Eldlich is still so young.
"That level of talent… even compared to me back then, it's not inferior."
"You're saying the Philosopher's Stone has four stages of creation?"
Raku frowned.
In his memory, the original Golden Land archetype only had [Eldlixir of Black Awakening], [Eldlixir of White Destiny], and [Eldlixir of Scarlet Sanguine].
There was no so-called yellow stage.
Black, white, red… the "yellow" in the middle was missing.
Was that why [Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord] existed as a Fusion Monster? Because the crucial Citrinitas stage was absent during the process, resulting in an incomplete Philosopher's Stone that could only manifest in that frenzied, unstable form?
"Looks like you've thought of something."
Aleister keenly caught the flicker in Raku's eyes, but he didn't press further. He curled his lips with a hint of amusement.
"It's nothing." Raku shook his head, forcefully suppressing his thoughts about deck construction and lore. "Let's eat first."
He looked at the steak on the table, still sizzling with oil, and his stomach growled in response. In the real world, he could only eat liquid food and spicy hot pot; now that he finally had a chance to enjoy proper food in a dream, he couldn't waste it.
"True enough. Thinking requires energy. Eat well."
Aleister shrugged and picked up his knife and fork again, elegantly cutting off a piece of beef and placing it into his mouth.
"Mm… steak with blueberry sauce really is excellent."
Raku swallowed, finally able to eat. He picked up his fork and stabbed toward the tempting steak.
However…
Just as the tip of his fork was about to touch the texture of the meat, the entire scene suddenly distorted like an old television with a poor signal.
Raku's fingers passed straight through the steak, as if through air.
His entire body began to turn transparent, and that familiar sensation of weightlessness returned.
"Oh come on-don't…!"
Before he could finish protesting the unfairness of fate, the tavern, the candlelight, and the steak all shattered into countless fragments of light, rapidly receding into the distance.
"Haah…"
Raku suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath.
What came into view was no longer the smoke-blackened wooden beams, but the familiar, glaringly white hospital ceiling.
Outside the window, the morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the white curtains, casting streaks of golden light onto the floor. The air carried a faint scent of disinfectant, along with the thunderous snoring of the old man in the next bed.
It was already daytime.
"Was that… a dream…"
Raku instinctively moved his fingers. The heaviness of his soul returning made his whole body feel like it was filled with lead.
He turned his head with some effort, looking toward the bedside table.
The Shaddoll deck case that Rikka had placed there the night before was still present, its black leather reflecting a cold sheen under the morning light.
And beside it was [Eldlixir of Black Awakening].
Not only that.
Raku felt something solid in his palm.
He pulled his hand out from under the blanket and opened it.
A wrinkled piece of yellowed parchment lay in his palm, inscribed with a series of complex runes in ancient ink that carried traces of magical energy.
That was the token Eldlich had given him.
"I really… brought it back?"
Raku stared blankly at the parchment in his hand, then looked at the card.
At that moment, the handle of the ward door turned softly with a click, and the door opened.
A fluffy silver-white head peeked in, with a messy tuft of hair sticking up.
It was Rikka, who had just finished washing up and returned.
"Big bro? You're awake? Did you sleep well last night? Did you have any strange dreams?"
...
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