Affinities

When Alexander saw the old woman's smile, he got a shiver down his spine for some reason. He felt like a predator had locked its sights on him.

He turned his head towards Lillian, feeling slightly uncomfortable, Lillian looked at him too and talked to him in his head:

'She's strong, just a bit weaker than me, don't offend her.'

Alexander gulped at that, while he didn't know how strong Lillian was, he assumed she must be somewhat formidable considering the way she spoke about how weak his magic is.

Also, he hasn't seen any other talking familiars among the crowds of adventurers, that together with the fact that she wanted to disguise herself as a familiar must mean she is pretty special.

He relaxed slightly at the fact that she is stronger than the old woman and turned towards her asking:

"Hello, I'd like a visualisation potion if possible."

The old woman, Rose, Upon seeing that the boy had relaxed after exchanging a glance with the bird, had widened her smile even more.

She talked in a sweet, creepy voice:

"Sure thing! You two wait a moment for old Rose to grab it!"

With that, she went towards the back of the store where he assumed was some storage room.

Alexander looked at Lillian and told her with a slightly questioning voice:

'Didn't you say alchemists are quirky? She seems nice. She even gave you attention even though you have disguised as an ordinary bird.'

Lillian only gave him a tired look and said:

'Are you stupid? Why would someone of her standing care for an ordinary bird? There's something up, be on your guard.'

While Alexander thought that she was a bit paranoid, It never hurt to be careful, so he nodded his head lightly, looking towards the warehouse's direction while being slightly guarded.

The whole store was quiet, the only sound that you could hear was the clanging of potions and a happy hum from the old lady, after roughly 30 slow seconds passed, the old lady came out while still having a smile on her face, on her hand was a sea-blue potion with some green wisps.

The old lady placed the potion on the wooden counter and said with a cheery voice:

"Here you go, your visualisation potion~."

Alexander felt a bit weird at her tone, so he wanted to pay for it and leave the store quickly. When he was about to ask for the price, he paused because of what Lillian said in his mind:

'This isn't a regular potion, ask her why she gave you that.'

Alexander was slightly startled, and that showed on his face for a second, making the woman smile turn to something like a smirk.

He asked her:

"Um, Madame... Rose, This isn't the potion I asked you for, did you perhaps get the wrong one?"

She scoffed at his question, insisting with that smirk of hers and answered with a playful tone:

"Ho... It seems that little birdy over there knows it's stuff, this is a visualisation potion though. "

Both Lillian and Alexander were greatly startled when they heard that, Alexander tried assuming a neutral expression and responded with a slight lie:

"I'm not sure what you're talking about Madame Rose, I've seen the potion before, and this isn't it."

The old alchemist, Rose, had her expression turn slightly icy, she said: "Do not toy with me boy, this bird isn't normal." And with that, she tapped her normal-looking staff on the floor, making the whole room emit an aura as if he fell into an ice cavern.

The weather outside was sunny with around 30 degrees Celsius(86 Fahrenheit), but he could see a haze when he breathed out, some ice started to condense on his nose when Lillian interfered.

"Enough!" She shouted out loud, and the whole room slightly quaked. A high temperature and pressure affected the place, making the various furniture and appliances on the store start to emit smoke. The weird thing was that while he could see all of that, neither the temperature or the pressure affected him at all.

The old woman dropped her neutral expression to her previous playful one and said:

"Haha! You finally came out of your closet huh? Such intense heat, a normal grand magus won't be able to handle you at all!"

Lillian just glared intensely at the old woman while being on a state of alert and asked:

"So what? You think I won't burn this place down? Just give us the proper potion, and we'll be on our way."

The old woman smiled at Lillian words, giving a feeling that she's genuinely and said:

"Haha! I wonder which species you're from, nevermind! I was honest you know. That is the proper potion, it's even better! It allows the consumer to visualise more easily and adds a little show externally just in case the consumer gets confused. It's yours for free, on one term though."

Lillian can be very patient with Alexander, but that's because they're stuck together, their relationship must be good for both of their sakes. But now that some stranger is demanding stuff from her, her temper flared:

"Ha! you have demands? Be glad I'm not burning this place down to cinders! Come, Let's leave, we can get it elsewhere."

With that, both of them turned around towards the door but before they could walk 3 steps the old woman's voice was heard from behind them:

"You may be strong, but this is my home base. You think I can't injure you if I activate the defenses?"

Lillian turned around and glared the old woman more sharply, making the temperature start to flare again.

The old woman shrugged and said:

"Look, I don't want anything serious. I assume the potion is for the boy, yes? I just want him to consume it on the back of my store, I'll even protect him alongside with you while he does."

Lillian shouted: "Absolutely not If you-" But Alexander raised his hand to interrupt her, turning towards the old woman he asked:

"I'll do it. But first, you have to tell me what is it to you to see my affinities?"

The old woman smiled happily for getting it right, she gave Alexander a nod and said with her ever happy voice: "Curiosity!"

Alexander froze, he tilted his head slightly and asked with a confused voice: "Curiosity...?"

The old woman nodded twice and replied every happily:

"Yes, curiosity! You see, there is little excitement on my age. When I saw you walk in, I scanned that little bird of yours. The result I got for its strength is surprising, to say the least. You two are in some sort of contract right? It must have good reason to be in a contract with someone as weak and with little potential as you!"

Alexander nodded while still feeling a bit weird at her reasoning, Lillian was right when she said that alchemists are quirky, he thought.

As he was going to go through with it anyhow, he asked her something that bugged her:

"What do you mean that I have little potential?"

The old woman's smile receded slightly at his question. It was her turn to tilt her head questioningly, answering:

"Well? Do you not? Someone still being a beginner at your age is pretty bad. I can feel from your aura that you are at most somewhere between 18 and 20 years of age ."

It was Alexander's turn to laugh now, making the old woman give him a weird look. He stopped laughing and after looking at Lillian, seeing that she gave him a nod he answered:

"Madame Rose, I'm not sure what is considered normal. I learned how to use my magic 2 days ago though."

Rose widened her eyes slightly and said mumblingly with her head lowered: "2 days? But his aura is bordering apprentice-level. If that's true, he must have strong potential, that would explain why it contracted him."

She raised her and said with a smile:

"That confirms it! Now I want to see what your affinities are for sure! Come in on the back, I have protective arrays there, they're on my lab."

With that, she went towards the back door, disappearing from their sight.

Alexander and Lillian looked at each other, exchanging a nod with a look that said 'Be on your guard.'.

When Alexander walked through the door, he was astonished. The lab, as the old woman called it was amazing.

There were shelves with various colored glass potions that gave a strong magical presence. On a marble table, he could see various tools. For example, there was one that looked like a microscope but with circular glasses of various shapes surrounding it with something that looked like a crystal powering it.

On another table, there was another device that had metallic arms on one end and crystals on the other, he let his eye prowess do it's work and found out that it works by inserting wisps of mana on the crystals alongside your intent.

While he was gawking at the various equipment on her, the old woman was tapping her staff on a big glass cube, making inscriptions appear on it. When she was done with whatever she doing, she turned around and beckoned at Alexander:

"Come, boy, enter the isolation field."

Alexander looked at the now transparent glass cube and gave a hesitant look at Lilly, she nodded and flew to a chair prepared by the old woman near the cube.

Alexander, after gaining confirmation, exhaled lightly and started walking towards the cube with the potion in hand. When he was inside, he looked at Lillian to find out what to do next.

Lillian gave him a serious look and explained:

"It's simple, really. If it's anything like this hag said." She said while looking at Rose, gaining no response "Then all you have to do is consume the potion and sit down crossed leg. After that, you close your eyes and feel for the mana in the environment."

Alexander nodded and sat down as told, he downed the potion and started feeling for the mana around him with his eyes closed.

In the beginning, nothing happened so he started to get slightly anxious. That anxiety disappeared though when he started seeing various motes of light approaching him.

It started with the familiar fiery aura of the fire element. It approached him, making him feel warm and protected like a baby in its mother's embrace.

What came after was a blue mote of light, when it came near him, he felt a gentle yet strong aura like a storm, he assumed this water.

Then came a light brown mote of light. When it approached him, he felt a heavy, steady all-encompassing aura like the earth itself, the earth element.

After that one, came an ethereal green aura. It felt carefree and unrestrained like a passing gust of wind. The wind element.

When that was done, a white more of light approached. It had an aura that accepted and healed everything it touched, illuminating all darkness in its wake, he remembered the light element.

As if to refute the previous orb, a ball of darkness came next. It gave him a feeling of wanting to absorb every ray of light in existence, destroying everything in the process. The element of Darkness.

Before he even digested the previous feeling, a purple ball descended in binding speed. It gave a chaotic, numbing, destructive feeling while emitting a small buzzing like electricity. Lightning element.

When he regained his focus, another ball descended. This one was a transparent color, it gave a feeling that blended with its surrounding environment but also distorted it. The words space element came to him.

He took all those various sensations in, feeling amazing as if he was now whole, complete.

After an unknown amount of time, Alexander opened his eyes, a cacophony of elements surrounded him, alongside the now standing Rose alongside Lillian. Both having an incredulous expression on them.