Adui groaned, he had to pee, but he couldnt get up. A soft and comfortable warm bed sheet had imprisoned him in a warm and cozy embrace, and he could only break free from this imprisonment when dawn was finally upon him.

He shut his eyes, closed them forcefully, and tried to control his pee but alas, after a few seconds of struggle, he lost. He finally couldn't wait anymore.

He opened his eyes and turned his head towards the clock. It was 3:00 am. He groaned with frustration and removed the warm cover.

FUCK! Why the fuck is it so cold? He then grabbed his crutches from his bedside and pushed himself up on his feet. His room was shrouded with darkness, but as he was familiar with every inch and corner of his house, thus he didn't have any difficulty navigating his way to the toilet.

As the dam of his bladder was finally let loose, he achieved nirvana and he sighed with bliss, making a cloud of steam come out of his mouth in the process. He may not have been fully awake before, but seeing the cloud of condensation made him step out of his stupor.

The fuck? Did winter come early year? It is still March for fucks sake. For a normal person, the sudden decrease in temperature might have been an abnormal affair, something to discuss with a cup of tea.

But for a Mage like him, the sudden decrease in temperature is a very interesting phenomenon.

What could be the cause of such a sudden decrease? I have never heard or read about something like this happening in Laverdale of all places. I should investigate it.

As quickly as the idea of exploring this strange phenomenon came to him, as quickly it exited. A few hours from now, he had to go to work and start working on a pile of documents that had been collecting dust on his table for a week. He didn't have time to go searching for the source of the phenomena.

After relieving himself, he went to bed. Before lying down, he didn't forget to bring out extra sheets from his wardrobe because the temperature had decreased very drastically in a few minutes since he was up.

After covering himself in three layers of sheets, he fell asleep again…

The alarm clock on his bedside started blaring at 7:00 am exactly. Under the three layers of the sheet, he groaned, he didn't want to get up. It was too cold outside, the warmth and softness of his sheet were bewitching him to stay like this.

Although as tempting as that offer might be, his mentor and boss Gizelle is returning to Laverdale after a 2 month-long vacation. And he has to present in the shop when she comes back. Staying at home was not an option for him. At least not today.

In the end, he reinforced his resolve and threw the sheets off his body. He grabbed his clutches and pushed himself up on his feet.

Adui reached his full-sized mirror, staring at his thin frail body. He had sunken cheeks, black marks all around his eyes, and had olive color skin. He looked like a mess…

That morning, cold winds were blowing all over the town and some of them passed through his flesh making his bones shudder. On the other hand, he quite enjoyed cooking on his stove which provided warmth to his body.

After eating a sumptuous breakfast, he wore his fake left leg, grabbed his walking cane, and started heading to work. While walking to his workplace, he saw the whole town was affected by the sudden coldness. Homeless ones were making fire and every corner of the street and alleyway. The chimneys of all the households in the neighborhood were emitting smoke like there was no tomorrow.

The temperature had decreased significantly since last night. I wonder whether the temperature is being influenced by the mana of a high-ranking Mage. He had read somewhere that Mages who are Rank 25 or above could perform incredible feats.

One of the most fascinating feats that awakened ones could perform was being able to influence weather with their mana. The credibility of the book in which he read this information was questionable, after all, he found the book at a book fair in the town. But currently, this theory is the only one that could explain what is happening around the town.

When Adui finally reached Lady Gizelle’s Potion Emporium, he unlocked the shop and disabled all the security measures of the shop. The shop that he worked in was situated on the main street of Laverdale and is considered one of the best alchemist shops in the whole Gorgon kingdom. His boss owns the building at the backside of the shop, it serves the purpose of a warehouse to store all the ingredients. The back building also hosts some laboratories as well as an herb garden on the roof, making a haven for alchemists like him.

As the apprentice of Lady Gizelle Salvatore, his job was to take care of administrative decisions around the shop and warehouse. Like always he went around the warehouse to check the warehouse inventory and recheck the shop inventory. And finally, after tending herbs in the garden on the roof, he made his way to his office.

They have received a ton of orders in the past month and because of the absence of Lady Gizelle, most of the orders remained unfulfilled. Thus he had to go through these orders by the end of the day or he would blamed for everything. But there was no way he fill these orders as it would take a higher rank awakened one to fulfill them. That is why he had resigned himself to his faith and was ready to earful from the Lady. After all, this was not a new thing for him.

As he got into his office, he immediately started working on the orders. Soon the only sound that was reverberating from the compound of scribbling noises from his quill. A few minutes passed by and the back door of the warehouse was opened and someone walked in.

He didn't know who came in, but only employees of the shop had the access code to the backdoor, so he was not worried. Soon he started smelling the smell of Clemund leaves, his favorite tea. From the smell, he realized who had come in from the back door. And sure enough, a few minutes later a man in his late fifties enters his office with a huge cup of tea in his hands.

“I see you are working hard as always.” The man said while taking a seat opposite him. He then placed the cup in front of him. “I heard that the bitch is returning today? Is that true?”

He put down his papers and looked at the man. “That bitch has a name. And she is our boss.” He then picked up the cup and took a big sip of piping hot tea. “And yeah she is returning today.”

“She would be always a bitch for me. And why are you not referring to her by her proper name? Don't tell me you have a soft spot for that bitch.” The old man grunted. “If you do have a soft spot for her then we cannot be friends anymore.”

“I don't like Gizelle. She is a beautiful lady and all, but I. Do. Not. Have. Soft. Spot. For. Her. I would rather fuck a whore in the corner of Hollowing Alley than put my dick in her hole.”

“Now there is the man I am friends with…” the old man laughed, making Adui chuckle as well, “That reminds me, what the fuck is up with today’s weather. It is freezing out there.”

“I know, this morning I didn't even want to come to work. But as that bitch was coming back today, I had to. You know my fingers are getting cramps because of the cold. I do not know how I will pass the day.”

“I dont know about that, but I am sure you will manage,” Then the man slapped his leg and got up. “Now I should go back to work,” Ben said and then went back to the warehouse.

***

Finally, I am done. Adui then put the last stack of paper aside and stretched his body. It was almost lunchtime. Before heading for a long and deserving lunch break, he figured he should check on all the workers. He pushed himself up, grabbed his walking cane, and started his round to observe all the employees.

When he entered the main display area, most of the salespeople were busy showcasing their products to customers. Everyone looked busy and nothing was out of order.

He was about to turn around and go back, but then he stopped. There was something wrong with mana in his surroundings. It might be annoying at times, but Adui was overly sensitive to mana in the air. And sensing the change he got curious about what was happening. He then looked at the door of the shop and saw that a carriage had just stopped outside the shop.

There must be quite a hotshot riding that carriage. The amount of mana from surrounding being sucked in by the person riding the carriage was very large. He was not an expert, but if he had to guess then he would say that the person inside must be a Rank-8 or Rank-9 awakened one. A hotshot customer like this one deserved a warm welcome from him, and with great enthusiasm and a big smile on his face, he walked to the entrance to welcome the guest.

The carriage door flung open and a woman in her late early thirties came out. The woman was wearing a bodacious black gown that accented her breasts and her hourglass body. Her silky black hair was all imprisoned by a bun, but few strands of hair were free of such imprisonment bounced around her porcelain-like delicate face. And the red eyes of the woman gave her this elegant but deadly look that could make any man fall for her.

While limping his way to receive her, he saw her face and was instantly mesmerized by it. But then he started feeling that he knew this woman from somewhere. Unfazed by his smile, the woman simply entered the shop ignoring him. But by the time the woman entered the shop, he was about 100% sure that he had definitely seen the woman before. But for the love of God, he couldn't put a finger on where he recognized her from.

He followed the woman in when she spoke with a delicate voice “I hope no accident occurred in my absence” She spoke with a delicate voice but in a condescending way. Hearing the very familiar condescending tone, he immediately understood who this woman was.

“Lady Gizelle. It seems like you had a very pleasant holiday.” He replied in a respectful tone. DAMN! This bitch was able to ascend from Rank-6 to Rank-8. How the fuck did this happen? What kind of luck this fucking gold digger has. Also, did she find a treasure or something? How the hell was she able to change her appearance to such an extent?

“My travels were indeed very pleasant. Now back to the main question, what happened to the shop while I was gone?” she said while heading in the direction of her office. And he limped behind her and tried to keep up with speed.

“As per your instruction, we took only orders of the potions that I could expertly make. While we rejected all the other orders. As you were coming today, we started taking orders of all the potions again…. Your lab has been thoroughly cleaned and every material and herb that you might need is now fully restocked.” Gizelle then pushed open the door of her large office and walked to her table.

“On your desk, you will find the monthly report of our expenses and our purchase orders. As well there is a separate stack of papers are the orders that we have received since yesterday. I have vetted these orders based on their urgency and money. Please go through them and tell me which order we will be taking.” She then sat down on her chair and then kept staring at him with her emotionless face.

“I have an errand for you. I need you to go to my house. There is a very high-ranking Mage and his escort staying there. Meet them. They want some work done in our Gorgon kingdom. Go and see if you could help them with their task. If you can, then do it. If not, then never come back here.” Hearing this his brain stopped working for a second.

He then tried to say something but nothing came out of his mouth. This job was his life work. And he was having a very hard time digesting the fact that in a few hours, he may not have a job. Did I hear that right? Is this bitch saying that she would fire me? I would be fired if I couldn't complete the task. What kind of maniac does something like this?

He could let Gizelle get the satisfaction of seeing him nervous. So he remained calm and then cleared his throat. “I don't understand Madame. I thought you were quite happy with my work. I… out of a sudden… I don't understand.”

“For how many years have you been working here?”

“About 10 years Madame,” he replied immediately,

“And what is your rank after working as a Mage for 10 years?”

“Rank-4… But I am very close to ascending to Rank-5.”

“Doesn't matter. I am a Rank-9 Mage now. I can take better apprentice than you ever will be. Then why should I keep you.”

“I am very good at making potions. I am very thorough… and I take care of herb garden better than anyone.” his voice had started breaking by this time. He was very close to breaking up

“But all this doesn't change the fact that you are still a mere Rank-4 Mage. When you started working here, you were a Rank-2 Mage. Now after 10 years worth of work, you were only able to ascend twice. You are a worthless Mage Adui Hampshire.” Then she started looking at the stacks of papers on her desk. While he stood there motionless unable to comprehend what was happening.

“But you are right. You do work hard. And you are good at what your measly power could help you to achieve. That is why I am giving you this chance. Go to my house and talk to my new Master. If you are able to complete the task he gave you, I will let you stay. If not, then clear out all the stuff from your office Adui. Now go.” Then she started going through all the papers that were neatly kept on her desk.

***

Still, in shock about what had happened, Adui made his way to Lady Gizelle’s house on foot. His mind just kept rewinding and playing what happened in Gizelle’s office over and over again torturing him as he walked.

I have worked so hard for that bitch for all these years. She didn't even teach me anything. I learned everything by trial and error. She did provide me with all the material and lab equipment, but still, she didn't teach me anything. Now she is just throwing me away. He then groaned with frustration and kept walking.

As he got closer to her house, he started feeling that something was off. The temperature around in the neighboring area of her house was too cold. He couldn't tell for sure whether the temperature had decreased further since he had started walking, or whether this area is colder than the others. But the disturbance of mana in the air around her house leads him to believe that it might be the first case…

A knight stood in full-plated armor by the main gate of Gizelle’s house. It was standing tall at around 7 feet and 6 inches. He wasn't wearing any cloak and standing still like a statue by her gate even when the cold breeze went through him. Seeing the hulking figure of the knight, he got scared a little bit. But this was a task that he could back down from. So he reinforced his resolve and moved towards the gate.

Like staring at a kid, the knight looked down on him with his sharp gaze. “I was told by Lady Gizelle that her master has a task for me.” Still standing still, the knight didn't move at all. “My name is Adui Hampshire. I work for Lady Gizelle.” Those words did some magic on the knight and he opened the gate and let him enter the house.

As her apprentice, he had visited Lady Gizelle many times in past years. He was familiar with the layout of the house as if it was his. But today he could feel it in his bones. The familiar house that he used to come to was no more. Today this house had a certain eerie feeling around it. It was as if death itself had chosen this house to be its residence.