The Alchemist III

Damien placed the flasks carefully on the table and glanced at Yumi.

"What about these?" he asked, his tone curious but calm.

Yumi's face fell as she stared at the potions.

"Th-those are… failures," she muttered, feeling embarrassed as the liquid inside twirled under the light.

'This visit was so sudden… I didn't have time to hide these.' she thought, her heart sinking.

Damien raised an eyebrow. "Failures? They look pretty good to me." He examined each flask.

"This one can treat infections, this one helps with burns, and this one… neutralizes poisons."

Yumi froze. Damien's assessment of the potions was precise, yet she had always considered them incomplete. "But the side effects…" she trailed off.

Damien frowned, slightly disappointed.

"Side effects? Really?"

"Yes!" Yumi said, her voice panicked.

"They're too dangerous!"

Damien remained calm. "Dangerous? The side effects are minimal at best. Mild skin irritation, maybe an upset stomach. That's nothing serious."

Yumi blinked in disbelief. 'How can he think that?'

Damien, however, was unfazed. His thoughts were clear.

'She's aiming for an unattainable level of perfection. Even the best potions have side effects.'

He turned to Troy and Edward, holding up one of the flasks. "You two, look at this. Do you think these so-called side effects are that bad?"

Troy and Edward exchanged glances before shaking their heads.

Edward felt a deep sense of regret—he had supported Yumi in her relentless pursuit of perfection, and now he realized how much time they had lost because of it.

Damien faced Yumi again, his voice firm but gentle. "Miss Yumi, your work is outstanding. The village needs these potions, and yet here they are, locked away. You're not protecting them; you're holding them back."

Yumi's voice trembled. "I… I can't risk their well-being."

Damien shook his head. "You're not risking anything. With the limited resources that you have there's no such thing as a perfect potion—just like there's no perfect person. By doing nothing, you're the one putting them at risk."

Her face twisted in discomfort, the weight of his words settling in. 'I've been holding back… doing nothing for the village while resources were wasted.'

Edward stepped forward, his voice gentle but urgent. "Yumi… for thirteen years since Derek passed, you've been working tirelessly. But your kindness has become a burden. You're hurting yourself and the village."

Yumi bit her lip as tears welled up. Edward continued, "Look at yourself. You're wasting away. Derek wouldn't have wanted this, and neither do we."

He paused, his eyes soft but resolute. "We aren't heartless. We appreciate your efforts, but you're not alone. We need you, just as much as we need these potions."

Edward hugged her gently, his embrace filled with warmth. "Please, stop punishing yourself. You're doing more harm than good."

*Sniff*

Yumi's tears started to flow, her shoulders shaking as the emotion overwhelmed her. Seeing this, Damien felt uncomfortable.

He glanced at Troy and Edward, who silently urged him to leave the room to give her some space. Edward guided Damien into another room, where they could talk privately.

In the quiet space, Edward began to explain.

"Derek… he was Yumi's father. I raised her as my own after he died. Her mother passed when Yumi was very young—not from monsters or starvation, but from an illness her father couldn't cure."

Edward's voice was heavy with emotion.

"Derek tried everything, but without enough materials, there was no way to save his wife. So, he dedicated himself to alchemy, hoping to prevent Yumi from facing the same fate. But in the end… it was alchemy that killed him."

Edward's eyes darkened as he continued.

"The cure is harder on people that were there when it broke out in the city now the cure is nothing but a shadow of itself and it took Derek… but there was nothing I could do. With his last breath, he asked me to protect Yumi… and I did."

Edward clenched his fists. "He didn't want her to hate alchemy. But Yumi found out eventually. Instead of hatred, she developed this… complex. She understands the good and bad of alchemy, but her sense of responsibility has twisted over time. She wants to do good, but she's holding herself back."

He sighed. "But today… all of that changes."

*******

*A few minutes later*

Yumi re-entered the room, wiping away the last of her tears. "I… I'm sorry everyone, for causing such a scene," she said with a small, shaky smile.

She looked at Damien, her eyes filled with determination.

"I'll do it. I'll try my best to help the village. I don't know if I can completely change, but… I'll try."

Damien smiled back, opening his inventory. He laid out most of the alchemy tools. "This is everything I've got. Make good use of it."

Edward scratched his head, surprised. "This is… quite a lot."

Damien chuckled. "It's all I have left. So, no pressure but I plan to go back for more tomorrow."

As Damien rested against the couch, Yumi smiled, but Troy interrupted. "Before we do anything… we need to clean this place up. It's filthy."

Yumi blushed, suddenly aware of her surroundings. Troy gave her a blunt look.

"And you need a bath. Seriously, you stink."

Yumi's face turned pale, and she sniffed herself in panic. "W-wait, what?!"

Troy wasn't done. "And from now on, you're doing basic exercises. You're too weak to even lift a proper alchemy flask."

Yumi protested weakly, "I can lift a cup!"

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Sure, but how much effort does that take?"

"N-not much…" she mumbled.

"And that's the problem," Troy said firmly.

"A simple cup should take zero effort."

Edward intervened. "We'll start slow. Maybe some light walks at night since Yumi can't handle the sun too well."

Yumi seemed deflated, but Damien spoke up, "You'll need proper nutrition."