Without any other shred of doubt, Amanises slapped the file on the table and clarified her option.
"I choose Sleepless." The firm tone of her voice paired with determination really shaped her character together.
Theodore pinched the steampunk goggles hanging from his neck, as if debating whether he should put them on or not.
Daly Simone, on the other hand, didn't add anything. She already felt that Evelyn's decision would be sleepless. Her spiritual intuition was never wrong.
Perhaps Corpse Collector would make a good substitute, but it had far too many weaknesses and Daly didn't feel like it suited her friend that much.
If you have trouble sleeping, why not avoid sleeping at all?
She actually wanted to hurry this process as much as she could, that's why a close eye was kept on the poor woman. But nonetheless, it's worth it.
Daly clapped her hands and spoke loudly. "What are you keeping her waiting for, eh? Bring on the ingredients!"
Theodore snapped out of his reverie with a jolt, nearly dropping the goggles had they not been held by a leather strap. "On it!"
He dashed out of the main Alchemy room to an adjacent annex. Sounds of loud scouring through the storage room could be heard.
Do they just have everything on hand? Amanises wanted to ask that question, but felt like it would be useless. Of course they have everything here. It's the main building after all! I feel stupid.
Not long after, holding a bunch of random stuff, and some vials containing strange liquid.
He arranged them one by one on the table.
"Pay attention now, my lady. This is the formula!" The enthusiastic Savant caught her attention.
Do I really need to know it if you're just gonna hand the already-made potion? No comment was added out loud.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat and placed a metal cup on the white desk. "Let's start!"
He lowered himself down to reach one of the desk's drawers, then pulled out a bottle of regular liquor.
Are you getting me drunk? Is this what they mean by potion?? Amanises was appalled but soon saw him taking out a measuring cup and pouring some of the liquor in. Stopping only when it reached the number 80.
"80 milliliters of hard liquor." While pouring, he picked up a vial. "10 drops of Ancient Well Water."
Next, he reached for a beautiful flower, picking its leaves and dropping them in the concoction. "3 Midnight Beauty Flower leaves..." He stopped and addressed Evelyn.
"My lady, do you like tea or coffee?"
What does that have to do with anything? "Hmm. Tea, I guess."
"Strong or weak?"
"Strong." She answered succinctly.
Theodore picked up 5 tea leaves and dropped them in, mixing them until it gained a strange color.
"Now, for the main ingredient." He reached towards a sealed wooden box on the table, unlocking it. Inside, was a pair of eyes stained with starlight, that seemed to stare into her very soul.
How creepy! There's no way I have to drink that!
Without paying any mind to Evelyn's silent protests, the Savant dropped the last ingredient in. Instantly, the potion changed its colour, turning pitch black. From it, foul odor began emanating, causing Amanises to pinch her nose in disgust.
I'm definitely not drinking that.
Theodore stepped away and covered his nose with one of his light blue sleeves. Daly didn't even move a muscle, already accustomed to foul smell. She threw a glance at Amanises, as if saying 'Come on, drink! Don't be shy!'
No-no way!
Trying to delay the inevitable, Amanises asked Daly while still holding her nose. "Once again, what am I supposed to do once I drink this? To not lose control, I mean."
She was anxious, if she were to lose control now in front of them after all the anticipation it would be drastic!
I wouldn't be able to see the disappointment, but I'll definitely be able to feel it in the afterlife!
"Enter Cogitation." Seeing that the woman was still confused, Daly began explaining. "Let go of all your thoughts for a second, enter a blank state. Then, imagine an ordinary object, focus on it with all your mind. Once that is done, move on to something that doesn't exist, imagine it in such a way, that it almost becomes real."
How am I supposed to imagine something that doesn't exist? Thinking for a bit. Maybe I could use something from the modern times? They technically don't exist in this world. But then she quickly brushed off the idea. No, Daly didn't specify this world, so I must think of something new entirely...
How hard!
Even though she was complaining, Amanises grasped the idea fairly quickly.
With the potion before her, she cupped it with both her hands and downed it in one go, like a shot of tequila. Instantly, the bitter taste of pitch black tea overshadowed the liquor, making it a strange taste.
But the taste was the least of her worries. I can smell colours! I can see voices!
Unknown ravings assaulted her mind, her vision turned completely black, swallowed by darkness. Small, insurmountable tiny sparkling stars filled the corners of her vision.
She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting go of every stray thought. The stars dimmed, until they completely disappeared.
In her mindscape an object appeared, it was Theodore's goggles. They were complicated enough to require more brain power, something which Amanises had to spare. Each detail was taken note of, each scratch on the glass lenses, each dark spot on the leather straps.
Once the object was clear in her mind, the next step was about to be taken.
The ravings became louder, demanding her whole attention, she could almost see that dark river in her vision, but she willed it away.
An object appeared. It couldn't be described, but if one had to use words it would look like a sphere that tries to turn itself inside out from the corners to the midpoint, made out of a material that could pass itself through.
Each detail of the object was finalized, its round corners, strange physics and lustrous material.
She felt the ravings receding bit by bit, until they disappeared completely. Well, not quite. Whispers were still there, but the brain could easily ignore them.
When she opened her eyes, they were pitch black, with only some stars still within. Each shadow present in the Alchemy room felt surreal. Like a low opacity layer on a bright painted canvas.
I can see through it. She quickly made note of her new condition. I feel much more rested than before, the colours are much more saturated and even my sense of smell has been enhanced. She flexed her arm tightly. My muscles too...Nice!
Bwap! Ugh!
Her head started ringing and throbbing. Ah, it hurts!
She could faintly hear the whispers getting closer, until it felt like they licked her ear. Moreover, she felt an indescribable sense of horror so she automatically left the Cogitation state.
With everything washed away, her strength dissipated and her knees buckled. Theodore and Daly dashed towards her in a heartbeat, catching the woman before she hit the ground.
A few moments of deliriousness passed, she regained her consciousness and immediately got up with their help.
That was—something. Yeah! That was definitely something!
Straightening up, she brushed dust particles off her dress while Daly asked from the side. "So? How was it?"
Amanises looked at her dead in the eyes and said. "Horrible."
Daly burst out laughing.
"Ahahaha! Ahaha! It's always like this! This is much more entertaining than talking to some dead people!"
Amanises wasn't amused at all. It really felt like she nearly died! How could someone be so cruel to laugh in her face?
Theodore, who was a bit more timid, gave a weak smile for comfort.
Amanises shook her head in dismay. She really wanted to head home and crash in her soft bed, despite not feeling the need to sleep.
Wiping away a tear off the corner of her eye, Daly ceased her laughter and spoke.
"Alright, now that you're a Beyonder we shall teach you all the basics and complicated stuff. Including this place."
Finally! I've been dying to know where the hell we are!
"Ahem, as I've mentioned before, this is the building arranged for the Backlund branch, but it's not actually placed in Backlund."
Huh? Invisible question marks hovered over Amanises's head. What is she talking about?
"More precisely, it's in the Spirit World part of Backlund!" She clarified with her raised pointer finger.
"Ooooh. I see. I don't get it." Her lips formed a thin line, looking unamused.
Daly shook her head. "Looks like I have to start from the very, very beginning."
That turned into a long conversation—about the Spirit World, Astral World, Astral Projection, Spirit Vision, Rituals and so on and so forth.
That much information formed an amalgamation in poor Amanises's head, she didn't even know where to begin understanding everything!
Fortunately, this was just a briefing.
"I know it all sounds complicated now! But you can always come to me for more detailed explanations! I'm here almost everyday and you need one week of coming here for mysticism lessons everyday."
"One week?"
"It might sound like a lot but it should be enough for you to get the gist of it!"
It actually sounds like too little. She commented inwardly. One week is enough for me to master all of this stuff?
It sounded surreal.
"That's only for the basics of mysticism. For your own potion that's all left to you." A sudden muffled voice was heard, echoing through the Alchemy room.
She couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from at first, before following Daly's gaze to a shadowy corner near the main door.
She focused her eyes and, sure enough, the intruder was seen. It was Crestet Cesimir, the captain.
Apparently, he had been there the entire time, making sure that the potion consumption went smoothly.
"A-ah! Sir!" Amanises got embarrassed to be caught off guard.
"Everything alright?"
"Yes, sir." She responded like a soldier on call.
The captain, wearing a dark windbreaker with the propped up collar nodded, turned around to face the entrance and made a sign for her to follow him.
His eyes curved slightly, but she couldn't guess his expression due to it being partly covered. He might be—smiling? She wasn't sure.
They both walked down another hall of the strange place, longer than the entrance hall. It was dark and illuminated by candles on the side of the walls.
"The Arcanists are spread all around the Northern Continent." He began explaining. "There's a branch in every single country and big city there is."
How big must a city be to need a separate branch? She wondered.
"We follow one singular leader, but we don't worship him as a deity." Amanises tilted her head as if asking: 'And why's that?'
Crestet Cesimir got the clue and continued. "I'm not sure why either, I never spoke to him directly. But one thing I can assure—" He stopped, letting the suspension hold the air.
His eyes narrowed. "He must be at least an archangel, or maybe an actual sequence 0."
S-sequence 0? That exists? Amanises only suspected the existence of a sequence 1 so far, so she was surprised to hear about something beyond that. Heh, they're called beyonders after that. Always expect them to go above and 'beyond'. She joked inwardly.
"We sometimes receive revelations accordingly, that's only when we are allowed to learn of His honorific name."
"When does one learn of it?"
The captain stopped in front of a smaller wooden door, it was still decorated with many symbols, but not as fancy as the other ones in the main hall. He grabbed the handle and said. "Once you reach Sequence 7."
The inside of the smaller room looked like a waiting room for an appointment. Or a recreation place.
Its walls were in a light brown colour, coated in fancy wallpaper, a small round glass coffee table, in the middle, surrounded by a black leather couch and armchairs facing each other.
Cesimir gestured, she took a seat on one of the soft armchairs and asked. "Tea I'm guessing?"
Amanises's eyes widened, disgust struck her. "I think I've had enough for today!"
A small chuckle was heard. "Alright, I'll bring a glass of water."
"Thank you."
He left to an adjacent room, peeking through the cracked door, it looked like a makeshift kitchen.
He came back holding a glass of water in one hand and a tray of snacks in the other, it included different kinds of chocolate, and biscuits.
Ignoring the snacks, she sipped on the water while waiting for him to continue his explanation.
"The explanation for the Sequence 7 requirement was that the abilities gained through it allow for safer self defense against mystical influences."
"Does knowing His honorific name cause us danger?"
"Precisely." He nodded. "Our leader is sought after by the churches and other secret organizations, both evil and good.
"Although both we and the churches have the same goal, that is to protect humans from the supernatural, our methods are different. That's what makes us enemies."
Amanises shrunk in her seat. "How unfortunate that we can't coexist."
"We are quite large in number and spread out along the continent, a demigod is assigned to each branch accordingly. Most are from the seer pathway, which makes them hard to track and get rid of, but easier to aid us.
"Sadly, most don't have honorific names yet and can only be contacted through a spirit messenger."
"How do I do that?" She sipped her water once more, fully focused on his explanation.
"It's only through a ritual but some have special means, I'll teach you some that I know of but don't expect immediate aid. After all, your survival depends solely on you."
"I understand. I'm not here to be handled like a child."
"Very good." He nodded in approval. "Daly will teach you the acting method next, that should allow you to digest your potion and avoid losing control that easily."
"Acting method?" He spoke about 'digestion', that's what Justice was talking about!
"That's right. The name of a potion tells us how to act accordingly. We can tap into that role and use our powers. That way, we become one with the potion."
I see, so that's why they're called 'sequences' . Each is a part of a grand 'play' that we must act. The higher (or lower in number) the sequence the harder the act itself. The final goal is to act as gods!
She finally understood it. So in the end, godhood is the grand goal.
But she was brought back to reality by her own thoughts. But that's not my goal. I don't need godhood for itself. Only if it allows me a way to go back home, or to find an equal exchange to ask Mr. Fool.
She nodded after the revelation. But Cesimir's voice deepened, he spoke in warning.
"But make sure to remember. This is only an act. If you lose yourself to the potion, you simply become its host."
"Does the potion have a will on its own?" She asked.
"Yes." Answered the captain briefly.
"How long do I have to act to trigger the 'digestion'?"
"It all depends on yourself and the sequence, of course. For Sequence 9 it can vary between 2 weeks up to two months." He leaned back and continued, his voice became clearer through the raised collar.
"I can offer you aid of the way I digested mine, however, this only serves as a base. Don't follow it strictly, otherwise you won't be able to find your own acting principles."
"Understood." She nodded eagerly. "What do I do after I digest it?"
"It all depends on your contribution. By that, I mean your activity on missions arranged by me or other superiors.
"Once enough contribution is achieved you can request the next sequence potion.
"I must mention that, for lower sequences 8 and 7 you can ask for the potion and it will come directly with the formula, for mid sequences 6 and 5 you can ask for the formula after a certain time and begin searching for the ingredients on your own."
Once her last drop of water was swallowed, the captain ended his introduction. "That should be all. Naturally, the Beyonder world holds many secrets, some that are dangerous just from knowing about them. Those secrets can be uncovered by yourself along your journey."
His eyes narrowed, but the tone of his voice was still warm. He was smiling.
"Lady Evelyn Dusk, I offer you a warm welcome to The Arcanists. We are now coworkers."
She remembered the time she was first employed for her job. Back then she was fresh out of university, with no experience whatsoever. But that was when it felt like she had her life by the horns. Able to guide it as she pleased.
Now that feeling returned.
I'm finally in charge of myself again!