The Price of Flames

"All right, I'm done," Priscilla announced, handing me four carefully labeled vials. Her movements were precise, but there was a hint of weariness in her usually sharp demeanor. "These four doses will work together to achieve the effect you're looking for. Space them out properly—rush it, and the entire process will fail."

I took the vials from her with both hands, feeling the weight of their significance. "Thank you for your help," I said earnestly.

"No need to mention it," she replied, scratching the back of her head in a rare show of casualness. "That recipe was absurdly complex. It took me longer than I expected, and, honestly, I still don't fully understand it. But," she added with a glimmer of enthusiasm, "it was fun. Genuinely challenging."

With that, Priscilla gave a short nod, muttered something about overdue experiments waiting for her attention, and left the room with the same air of efficiency she always carried.

"She won't leak anything," Rachel said as the door clicked shut behind her aunt. Her crimson eyes were steady as she met mine. "You can trust her. I'd stake my name on it."

I nodded, tucking the vials safely into a reinforced case. "I wasn't really worried. I trust you."

Rachel's expression softened into a warm smile, her earlier playful demeanor replaced by something quieter, more genuine. "Then why not involve me directly, Arthur? You know I could help."

I hesitated, meeting her gaze. Honesty was the only path forward here. "It's not that I doubt you. But I don't want too many people involved. The more we stack the deck, the greater the chance someone notices."

Her smile faltered for a moment, but she nodded in understanding. "I get it. Just… don't get hurt, okay?"

I stepped closer, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I won't, Rach," I said quietly.

For a moment, the world seemed to slow. Her warmth, her strength—it was grounding in a way few things were.

Tentatively, I reached out with Soul Resonance, letting the connection flow between us. The ethereal threads that bound us shimmered faintly in my mind's eye. Slowly, carefully, I stored the essence of her Gift, Saintess, in one of the two open slots still free in my soul.

The other slot remained filled with Nirvana Flames, a Gift I'd taken from Jack long ago. Its potential had lingered, untapped, a fire waiting to be unleashed.

Perhaps it was time.

Rachel didn't notice the subtle shift as I let her out of my arms. She smiled again, though there was an unspoken worry behind her eyes. "Just promise you'll come back in one piece."

"I promise," I said, my voice steady.

She held my gaze for a moment longer before stepping back, her usual confidence returning as she adjusted her hair with a playful flick. "Good. Don't make me regret letting you go alone."

As I turned to leave, the vials safely stowed and my resolve strengthened, I couldn't help but glance back at her. She waved, her smile lingering as I stepped through the doorway.

Time to return to the Tower of Alchemy. Time to see this through.

__________________________________________________________________________________

With a week remaining before Cecilia's arrival, I threw myself into work, the familiar rhythm of research and routine filling the hours. Every day was a delicate balance—focused on tasks that demanded my attention while keeping an eye on my surroundings. The Tower of Alchemy wasn't just a repository of knowledge. It was a labyrinth of secrets, ambition, and unspoken agendas. I intended to uncover every corner of it.

The quiet buzz of mana fields and the faint hum of alchemical equipment formed the constant backdrop of my days. Holographic interfaces glowed softly, displaying intricate diagrams of mana flows and alchemical reactions, their shifting forms mesmerizing and demanding all at once.

As I worked, my thoughts inevitably wandered back to the Nirvana Flames. The Gift sat within me, quiet but potent, like a fire waiting to ignite. I could feel its latent power, the potential to reshape and redefine—both creation and destruction distilled into its essence.

'Luna,' I reached out mentally, my thoughts tinged with curiosity and caution. 'How powerful would my use of Nirvana Flames be?'

Her response was immediate, crisp and sure. 'If you use it properly, even the Tower Master wouldn't sense it. You could do a lot with it, Arthur. More than you might think.'

I leaned back in my chair, letting her words settle over me like a fine mist. My fingers drummed absently against the edge of the desk as calculations churned in my mind. Jack's mastery of the Flames had been nothing short of extraordinary. Even at Integration-rank, he had wielded them with a precision that bordered on miraculous.

I recalled the story of how he had deactivated a decently powerful artifact—a piece of magical engineering so intricate it could have withstood conventional attempts to tamper with it. Yet Jack, with his Nirvana Flames, had rendered it useless, purifying its mana core without anyone noticing.

That version of Jack, however, was far weaker than I was now. I had surpassed him in mana rank, battle experience, and understanding of Gifts. Yet despite all my growth, I didn't hold the full power of the Nirvana Flames. What I possessed was an echo of Jack's Gift—a fragment of its original glory.

'And yet,' I thought, my gaze shifting to the softly glowing vials on the desk before me, 'even a fragment of the Flames might be enough.'

Luna's voice cut through my thoughts, her tone calm but insistent. 'The key isn't raw strength, Arthur. It's precision. If you can control it, there's very little it won't work on.'

Her words spiraled into a web of possibilities and risks. The Nirvana Flames weren't just another tool in my arsenal; they were a force of nature. A singular chance to act decisively, to purify or destroy with an efficiency that bordered on godlike.

But there was a cost.

The Flames would burn as long as I let them, consuming everything in their path until their task was complete. But once deactivated, they would vanish from my soul, irretrievable. I would lose the Gift forever, a sacrifice that could not be undone.

That was why I had hesitated. Why I hadn't dared to use them yet—not for the encryption device, not for the experimental artifacts I had encountered. The margin for error was razor-thin. The Flames required control, precision, and intent. Without all three, they would either fail to achieve their purpose or spiral out of control, consuming far more than I intended.

And when it came to technology rather than artifacts? The problem only deepened. The Flames thrived on the tangible—purifying corrupted mana cores, dismantling flawed enchantments, and erasing imperfections in physical constructs. But technology? Technology didn't play by the same rules. Its principles were less intuitive, its structure less tied to mana and more rooted in logic and circuitry.

I exhaled deeply, my breath a slow, deliberate release as the weight of my thoughts pressed down on me. The room around me felt smaller somehow, the shadows cast by the softly glowing mana crystals stretching longer than they should.

The Flames weren't just a weapon—they were a choice. A single-use solution to a problem I couldn't afford to face twice.

Yet, despite my caution, I couldn't ignore the growing certainty in my heart. The moment to use them was coming. The circumstances hadn't fully revealed themselves, but the path was becoming clearer with every step I took.

For now, they would remain dormant, a sword left sheathed. There was too much at stake to act rashly. If I was going to use the Nirvana Flames, it would be with absolute certainty. No missteps, no regrets.

The days passed in a haze of preparation and observation. The Tower of Alchemy revealed its secrets slowly, reluctantly, like a fortress unwilling to yield its treasures. I immersed myself in its rhythms, learning its patterns, understanding its currents. Each interaction, each detail, was another piece of the puzzle.

Luna remained a constant presence in my mind, her guidance and observations sharp as ever. 'You're close,' she said one evening, her voice like a flicker of light in the back of my consciousness. 'But close isn't enough. You need a way to ensure everything aligns.'

'I know,' I replied quietly, staring out of my window at the sprawling cityscape of Avalon. The lights of the city below glimmered like stars, their beauty stark against the shadowed sky. 'One mistake, and everything falls apart.'

'Then don't make a mistake,' Luna said simply. 'You don't get second chances with things like this.'

Her words stayed with me as I prepared for the coming days. The pieces were moving, the board shifting. Every choice I made now would ripple outward, shaping the outcome of this intricate game.

As the week drew closer to its end, I found myself standing at the precipice of something far greater than myself. The vials Priscilla had crafted were safely stored, their presence a reminder of the challenges ahead. The Tower of Alchemy loomed large, a labyrinth of power and ambition that I was determined to navigate.

Cecilia would arrive soon, her presence another variable in this delicate equation. Together, we would see this through.

But for now, I worked, watched, and waited. The Nirvana Flames stirred quietly within me, their potential a silent promise.

And when the moment came, I would be ready.