Chapter 1: Prologue

The once continuous sounds of teachings and chatter that echoed through the once grand stone halls of the Eight Point Academy of the Alchemists that I have called home for the past half year and now in utter silence and the roof was now opened up like a cracked turtle shell exposing us to the smoky midnight sky.

My heart pounded as I raced through the labyrinth of corridors attempting to find someone, anyone left alive in this newfound hell weaving between the white-robed bodies of the young alchemical acolytes which were dyed a sickly reddish-black from their blood.

As I rushed past them I could feel the anger building within. Especially when I finally saw one of the perpetrators of this whole mess at the end of the hall a young man clad in a chainmail hauberk and colorful gold and red clothes saw my incoming rush and prepared to meet my apparent suicide charge with a smug look, a round shield, and heavy spear until I threw a glass flask from beneath my dirtied sky-blue robe which shattered upon his forehead covering him in a golden honey-like oil as I broke into a slide touching the ground conjuring thick vines to entangle and constrict his body not giving him any time to even think about moving.

I stood up adjusting my robe as I approached the man who squirmed even harder in his restraints as I approached him, he closed his eyes as the glass shards in his forehead was causing blood to trickle down into his eyes.

"Who sent you and why are you here?"

"Fuck you! Heartland bastard!" Yelled the soldier as he spat in my general direction.

I raised my hand gently to his cheek cupping his chin softly saying, "That oil isn't for show you know? I am assuming someone from the Continent knows about the legends of Oderi Fire, right?

His body quivered, "L-liar, Oderi Fire is hasn't been seen for over a half a century the last know alchemist–"

"--To make it was executed four hundred years ago during a civil war that happened under Emperor Octavian the III's reign when he struck down a rebellious alchemist sect that was planning on assassinating him and putting his corrupt nephew on the throne; and last of the pots of Oderi Fire were used to help subjugate a particularly large bandit state sixty years ago; but you see they never managed to find his memoirs, which so happened to have many of his recipes."

He opened his eyes in shock as I held my other hand over his face, "You see what made it so special is that these flames eat away not just at the body and virtually almost any other material, but also the soul. Now tell me, are you willing to take that chance?"

He started blubbering on after that, he only knew that the leader of his mercenary group promised them great treasures, including some alchemically enchanted armor and weaponry, and that was it.

The sobbing mess that was a soldier spilled his heart out even more, and that he had killed nobody he set to watch this corridor with his friend who left to hunt down some acolytes.

Like the ones his party had killed before he even arrived in the building.

Unfortunately, I believe him. Though he may have some use for the headmaster who could probably get a deep dive into his memories.

I snap my fingers and make the vines pull him over to a maid's closet and say with a sly grin before gagging him with a cleaning rag, "Just remember that I can light you up like a candle alright, so stay put."

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He nodded quickly as walked out of the room not knowing that was a lie, what I threw at him was an average stillness salve, which makes the body go into a paralyzed lock, but take a few minutes to really kick in. Besides if that really was Orderi Fire the entire island would be ablaze by now.

I started down toward the library, as it is one of the closest things next to my current position, and as I got closer I kept on hearing something. 

Singing.

It wasn't in any language I knew of, it didn't even sound like words at all, more a sweet yet hollow ode that like a songbird's dirge for the dead.

I paced faster and faster to the library to find someone from the academy to help, only to be met with a familiarly alien scene.

Farmland…

Farmland had sprouted from nowhere and had taken over once which once had been a grand library lined with thousands upon thousands of tomes.

I entered through the doors that were blasted off their hinges and slowly crept into this seemingly alternate dimension, which was dimly lit by the remaining chandeliers above. There were rolling hills lined with moss and stones that lead down to the flat plains where the land was tilled near a river. That led up to a humble thatch-roofed house that contained a small pumpkin patch up front…

A chill ran up my spine, this was my home. As if someone had picked it straight out of my memories. I slowly approached the house where the singing was coming from. I slowly took out a vial of the strongest acid I had and prepared for the worst as I rounded the house to see something horrible.

Dozens of people, both robe-wearing alchemists, and men similar to the one tied in the closet were crucified to the ground like scarecrows lined in perfect rows as a shadowy figure wove in between them humming that song.

The shadow creature's eyes and mouth glowed with an ominous pink fire that curled outwards from their half-crescent eyes and a slight smile.

I turn backward to escape the monster that had done this to all these men, only to meet it head-on.

Her body was now visible, eyes now dilated like moons, and a ghoulish smile beamed with delight as it had commanded a vine a flash to grab the vial in my hand and then picked me up lovingly with its tendrils saying a word that confirmed my worst fears and I could only wonder how my fate had come to this.

"Master!"

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