"Do you remember the day the East Ozwarth Wall collapsed five years ago?" 

Silence. 

The steam from the teacups wafting into the air. 

Drew cast his eyes over Jay's crestfallen expression. His usual calm and tranquil eyes were now wavering. Fear. Sadness. Confliction. All of those were evident. 

"Of course... how could anyone?" 

>>> 

The Ozwarth wall was a structure that had never collapsed since its construction three hundred years ago. However, on July 15th, 469 IE, the East Ozwarth Wall collapsed due to an invading beast horde that had been attracted to the city's Power Core.

On Kraus and most planets, the source of power for many advanced civilizations was the Power Core. Power Cores were areas of condensed Otrio created by a planet's Mother Core which is what allows life to exists on that planet. As a result, the energy contained in these cores were almost inexhaustible but to maintain the planetary boundaries and prevent overutilization of the core, most cities use multiple fuel sources, such as solar or wind power, instead of coal or oil as they became obsolete thanks to them being nonrenewable resources. Strangely enough, despite these cores being made of pure Otrio, Intergalactic Warriors are unable to absorb it. Why is that? It is simply because the Otrio concentrated in each Power Core is too much for an Intergalactic Warrior to handle. If one tried to absorb it with their body or another medium, regardless, it would mean instant death. Yet, strangely enough, beasts can absorb this energy without any drawbacks.  

No one knows the exact reason but there have been many theories. The most popular one being that the beasts are born through the same Otrio used to form the Power Core, creating physiques that are compatible to absorb that same energy while others. However, it's just a theory and no one knows the true reason behind it. Yet, one thing is certain, if beasts are able to absorb a Power Core or even absorb a fraction of the core's energy, their strength would increase by leaps and bounds. It's no surprise why so many beasts would flock to a single spot.

It was this very reason as to why the destruction of the East Ozwarth Wall occurred.   

The beast that led the invasion was SS-Rank dragon-type Fafnir, named after the infamous dragon in Norse mythology. Fafnir had been hiding away from Kraus for a little over thousand years, waiting for his power to reach its peak and the perfect moment to pluck the fruit away from the tree. The day of the invasion was when that fruit was ripe. Under Fafnir's lead, thousands of C-Rank and higher beasts stormed towards Ozwarth. It was also the same day when the Power Core was finished undergoing its replenishing period to restore the energy contained in it. The moment the core reached maximum capacity, the wall crumbled...

The rest was history. 

In the end, Fafnir and the rest of the beast horde vanished but at the cost of many lives. The casualties were just under 500,000. From that day onward, the destruction of the East Oswarth Wall would live in infamy. Today, the wall has been fully restored but parts of the city still remain in shambles.  

>>>

Senior Neilson let out a loud sigh before folding his hands together into a tight lattice. 

"His mother, my wife, worked as a Guardian at the wall." 

A Guardian! Drew screamed in his mind. One would have to be at least High B-Rank to qualify as one. 

But Drew's amazement didn't last long as he refocused his attention on the matter at hand. 

''She was one of the few surviving Guardians who protected the wall that day but something happened..." Jay said biting down hard on his lip. His sharp canine nearly drawing blood from it. "At first we didn't notice it.  She was fine at first but it was only after a few months where we began to realize her condition was deteriorating. Then, one day, she collapsed. Father was at work so my sister and I rushed her to the hospital."

Drew furrowed his brows, anticipating his next words. 

The next thing he knew, Jay's expression turned grim. 

"The hospital diagnosed her with Otrio Blood Poisoning."

>>>

Otrio Blood Poisoning was a rare illness caused by the intake of concentrated Otrio infused blood inside a beast's system. Usually, warriors are able to expel this blood with their own Otrio, however, after a certain concentration enters the body it becomes near impossible for the warrior's body to expel it completely. The infectious Otrio then contaminates the bloodstream and eats away at the warrior's body until their last drop of Otrio disappears. It was similar to cancer but on a different level. 

There are treatments that have been developed to slow down this process, such as blood transfusions or expulson, but it can only prolong life by a few years at most since it is difficult to filter and expel all of the contaminated blood in a warrior's system. Unfortunately, the medicines proclaimed to 'cure' it had such a slim chance at working that one might as well commit suicide. A warrior would be lucky if they could live for three more years but considering that Jay's mother was a Guardian, her dense Otrio and persistence allowed her to live a few more. After fighting the illness for so long, it would be normal to say that she does not have long to live, four to five months if she's lucky but this was just an estimate based on Drew's knowledge of the condition. 

>>>

"So she lived with this for five years. Her willpower is admirable." Drew smiled taking a sip of his tea. To be able to fight Otrio Blood Poisoning for this long was not something everyone could do. If an average person heard they possessed this condition, they would immediately request the hospital to administer a fast-acting poison to make death quick and painless.

Jay scoffed. 

"We tried to get her the best treatment but not even that could do much. We didn't want to resort to the 'cures', even though we could afford them, but even the one with the highest chance of working was not worth taking the risk." 

"That's not all," Senior Neilson added. "We also couldn't purchase it because the one who made it was Heartman. As you know, Crow Eye does not have a good relationship with the Heartman Foundation so buying that 'cure' from him would be the same as-" 

"Offering yourselves to Heartman because you would owe him a debt whether or not the 'cure' worked..." Drew stroking his chin. "thus, risk and politics were the reason as to why that was never an option to you." 

Senior Neilson nodded. 

"Precisely. Now that we've reached this point, we have no choice but to ask the Young Master for assistance despite the burden it will put on you. We know you've created the 'First Snow' which is already a groundbreaking regiment, even though it was partially through luck, but that luck is what we need..."

"In short, you want me to attempt to create a cure for Otrio Blood Poisoning." 

"Yes," Jay replied with a gloomy expression. "We know the risk we're taking by asking you this, but it's our last string of hope to save my mother. Plus, you're the only Alchemist we know without any conflict of interests with us who has the ability to do this-" 

"Despite the fact that I'm a Novice Alchemists?" 

The father and son nodded.

"We're sorry to burden you with our troubles!" They said unanimously, bowing their heads down at Drew. 

Drew was now faced with a decision. He could either reject or accept their proposal. If he rejected them, that would mean that this would be the last time that they two would see their precious family member alive. Furthermore, his relationship would turn sour with the Crow Eye and it would become harder for Drew to have access to certain things within the organization, he couldn't afford to lose them. Plus, his rejection would show that he doesn't have much sympathy for others and Senior Neilson and Jay would live spiting him since they were willing to give up their pride to tell him and save a family member. This was not a favorable option for him.

However, if he accepted, that would mean he would try to find a 'cure' to Otrio Blood Poisoning within four to five months, three ideally, which has a high enough success rate that Senior Neilson and Jay were willing to give it to her. This was an impossible feat for any novice alchemist but it would require Drew to have luck and make bold moves. Then again how did  'First Snow' succeed. It was thanks to both his luck and boldness. Furthermore, if the regiment succeeded, he would gain Senior Neilson and Jay's favor completely and another groundbreaking regiment that could rival Heartman. This was all hypothetical thus Drew knew he wouldn't be as lucky as he was with 'First Snow'. But if he failed, at least he failed trying. This wouldn't harm his relationship with Senior Neilson nor Jay but at least they would recognize that he did what he could. This was a Golden Opportunity for him.  

Thus, the answer was clear. 

"I will accept but I cannot guarantee that I will be able to succeed. Plus, if we want to even have a slim chance of being able to cure her, we'll need all the help possible. I already have a supplier but what I need is additional manpower. I need all the Alchemists you can gather, of course, they'll have to be reliable. Additionally, I need all data on Otrio Blood Poisoning from its origins down to existing cures. Don't miss a single detail." 

Jay's sullen expression changed to that of hope and joy. 

"Hey, you're forgetting this is Crow Eye! We're some of the best Information Gathers and Scouts you can find in the Orion Alliance! Please leave this task to us, Young Master." 

"Rest assured, we'll have all the information compiled by tonight. I'll send you what we have now." Senior Neilson chuckled forwarding a file to Drew's communication device. 

"Perfect," Drew smiled, confirming that he had received the file. There were hundreds of documents and videos in the file so he would take a look at them later. " I'll map out a general timeline by tomorrow. Meanwhile, contact my supplier, Ling Uenkram, with a list of ingredients. His information should be registered in the database. Tell him it was my order, he'll have them come as soon as possible."

"Understood." Senior Neilson nodded. 

"Jay, if it's not in the file, please send me your mother's information including her medical records over the past five years. Gerald, send me all the back routes to get to Yerburn directly from the Academy. I need to be more cautious these days after the scene I caused at the auction house. Is everyone clear?"

"Yes, Young Master!" 

>>>

After the meeting, Drew headed back to the dorms. His head hung low as he began to feel the burden of the task he was entrusted with. It was already a miracle on its own that he was able to create a guaranteed F-Rank breakthrough regiment but he couldn't say he could create another one. Not saying that he was terrible as Alchemy, he was definitely better than the average student at the Academy but he wasn't someone who could be on par with Heartman. He had received my praises from others yet he felt as if they were just 'empty words', trying to get on his good side.

Were they 'empty word'? He asked himself, lost in his thoughts, as he unlocked the door to his room.  

Then a sudden chill ran down Drew's spine. Feeling his instincts scream at him, Drew took a small hop back from the entryway. 

Boom. 

Dust kicked off the ground, flying out of the dorm room. From there, a strong gust of wind pushed Drew back a few steps. His combat boots digging into the ground as his heel touched the other end of the hallway. Small cracks formed but they weren't too noticeable. 

Thud. 

Something heavy fell on the ground. What followed was hysterical laughter. 

"Haha! Finally," A familiar voice cackled behind the dust cloud. "I finally broke through to Mid-E Rank! It's been five damn months!" 

As the dust cleared away, Drew recognized the figure shouting in the middle of the dorm room like a lunatic. It was Rider except his horn had skewered a pillow, the feathers falling out of it onto the ground. But it wasn't just Rider who looked like a mess, the entire dorm room did. The lamps on the desks had toppled over, the blankets on each of the beds had flown to one or the other ends of the room, clothes had fallen off their hangers, the window had open, even the lights were flickering. 

"Drew! Didn't realize you were there." Rider greeted with the impaled pillow swaying from side to side.

"Hello, Rider." Drew coughed using his Otrio to direct the dust out of the room.

Suddenly, Drew felt Rider's firm grip squeezing his shoulders. He could feel him trembling. 

"I need something, anything will do-" 

Without saying anything, Drew lifted the pillow off Rider's horn and shoved it into his chest.  

"Pretty sure, that'll do." He said, folding his arms together. 

Rider caught the pillow, turning around in his arms till his hand was cupped over the hole. "Much appreciated." 

Without further conversation, Rider condensed a sphere of Otrio in the palm of his hand. It was a faint silver which corresponded to the Life Attribute. Rider guided the sphere of silver Otrio into the hole in the pillow as if it were water. The silver Otrio filled in the hole before dissipating into the air. In an instant, the hole began the close. The fabric pulled itself back out of the hole, mending itself with an invisible needle. The feathers that had fallen out earlier were sucked back into it like a vacuum. It was almost as time-reversed on the pillow. 

"Hehe, can't believe my guess was correct!" Rider said proudly, rubbing his finger under his nose. "I can finally restore inanimate objects." 

"I don't think it's permanent though," Drew commented pointing at the pillow. The hole that had closed formed again. 

Shocked that his [Restoration] did not last very long, Rider scrambled to cover his hand over the pillow as feathers scattered over the ground. 

"My Otrio hasn't stabilized yet." He sighed with a crestfallen expression, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with the back of his hand. "I'm going to need some practice." 

"Well, you can always do that tomorrow. For now, let's work on cleaning up this mess before Elias comes back."

Rider chuckled nervously.  

"Right...UGH! Why does Elias act like our mom?!" 

Drew rolled his eyes and scoffed.  

"Not sure. It's probably just his nature. Plus, do you really think he'll kill us over this?" 

"What did you say?" A familiar voice came from the doorway. 

It was Elias with a mountain of records from the library in his arms. 

"HE DID IT!" Drew blurted, jabbing Rider in the eye with his finger. 

"Dammit, Drew! You traitor!" Rider screamed, bolting out of the room at top speed while covering his injured eye as Elias chased him from behind down the floor hall.

It was moments like these where Drew was reminded he was a teenager. He couldn't help but stifle a laugh.  

"Sometimes you gotta save your own ass!" 

"Screw you! I'm never trusting you again!"