Determination

Under normal circumstances, such precious elixirs would be saved for life-or-death situations, used only when standing at the precipice between ascension and oblivion.

But these were not normal circumstances.

As they uncorked the bottles, the air around them shimmered, filled with the potent energy of herbs cultivated in the highest heavens and essences distilled from the very marrow of the world. The scent that wafted from the bottles was intoxicating, a mixture of fragrances that spoke of eternal spring and the primordial chaos from which all things were born.

They tilted their heads back, downing the contents in a single gulp. The effect was immediate and visible. Color returned to their faces in a rush, like the first blush of dawn breaking across a night sky. The visible wounds on their bodies began to close, flesh knitting together at a speed that would have seemed miraculous to mortal eyes.