It was ten o'clock at night, just an hour and a half after dinner had finished. Meanwhile, on the third floor, a certain someone was busy emptying and cleaning his bookshelf. A cloth mask covered Eddie's nose and mouth as he got on his knees and dusted the bookcase. Next to him were stacks of novels, from classics and contemporaries to romances and epic fantasies. Louis floated around the room as it waited for Eddie to finish.

"Are you done, Ed?"

"Almost."

"You've been cleaning that for hours now," it groaned. "Hurry up. I want to sleep."

"Sleep?" Eddie laughed. "You're a book. Books don't sleep. Scientifically you're not even alive."

"Whatever," it said, "I'm no ordinary book. When are you going to stop cleaning?"

"Just a few more minutes."

Eddie continued to brush the dust off the shelf. He made sure that every spot, corner, and edge was thoroughly cleaned. Sometimes he would use his cellphone's flashlight to illuminate the dark areas and reveal hidden dust piles for him to remove. Once he was done, he placed his feather duster on the floor and removed his cloth mask. He tossed it. With a wave of his hand, the mask zoomed into the bathroom and landed in the laundry basket. Louis swooped towards the bookshelf in an instant.

"What do you think you're doing?" Eddie said. "We're not done yet."

"Aw, what?" it whined.

"Look, it'll be quick. I won't ask you to do anything else tonight after this."

"Fine."

Louis half-opened itself and enveloped the area in golden light, sending Eddie to the library in a split second. Eddie glanced at his right. The novels that he had stacked on the bedroom floor were now resting on a nearby table. He turned his head as his eyes searched for Louis. It was nowhere to be found. Eddie huffed. He picked up a few novels, carried them in one arm, and walked towards the bookshelves. He put each novel back in its proper place, adjusting their positions so that their spines would be aligned.

He was about to walk back to the table when an idea popped into his mind. Perhaps it would be a good opportunity to practice his telekinesis. But what if there were other people inside? Eddie slinked between shelves as he scanned the library for other people, listening intently for sounds such as talking, breathing, or footsteps. He had covered most of the library when he heard a scratching sound—not the harsh kind, like a knife against wood, but something softer, like a pencil on paper. It was coming from his left. He glided towards that direction and peeked from behind a shelf.

It was Stella. It's just her, Eddie thought, breathing a sigh of relief. He observed her for a while. She was sitting at his favorite table, scribbling something on a notebook. Next to her notebook was an old parchment. Her hazel irises jumped between the parchment and the notebook as she wrote. After watching her for a moment, Eddie returned to the spot where Louis teleported him and lifted the rest of the novels.

The books followed him around the library like a flock of birds. He made slow, swinging movements with his right hand as he guided each volume to its proper spot on the shelf. Sometimes he would rearrange the other books if he felt the need to. First, by genre; second, by author name; third, by title; and if it were part of a series, then by order. He paid extra care to how deep each book was pushed into the rack; everything had to be aligned perfectly. Once he was done with that, he pulled out his phone and navigated to his notes. He had already prepared a list of books he would like to read next. It had only twenty items, which was half the size of his bi-annual reading target. Perhaps he could ask Stella for suggestions.

He glided between bookcases as he picked his next reads from the shelves, using similar slow hand motions like what he used to return his other books. This time, instead of them following him around, Louis took the initiative to teleport them to his room. Eddie then strolled back to where he last saw her. The fact that her pencil lay on the table instead of in her hand told him that she was done.

He called her name softly. "Stella?"

Stella was startled. She then looked up at him. "Oh, hi Eddie."

"Did I startle you?"

"A little. Did you just enter?"

"Actually, no. I was walking around for the past"—he glimpsed his phone—"ten minutes."

"Oh, I didn't hear you walking around."

"Really?" Nobody does, for some reason. He scratched the back of his neck. "So, whatcha up to?"

"Just writing the invisible text," Stella replied. "There's actually a lot of them."

"Oh, may I see?"

"Sure."

He walked towards her and stood at her side as he glimpsed what she had written. It was quite a lot—her notes were enough to fill three pages back-to-back. He noticed that she not only wrote what she had read from the ingredient list, but also listed them and added annotations to make it clear what the text was referring to. The added clues would greatly help them.

"So, did Giorgino tell you to give it to him when you're done?" he inquired.

"Oh, he didn't say anything," she replied.

"Hmm." He held his hand to his chin. "Do you mind if I take a picture of them?"

"I don't mind."

Eddie leaned a little over the table and flattened the pages. He positioned his phone, snapped some photographs, turned to the next pages, and snapped some more. After sending the pictures to his mentor, he placed his phone back in his pocket.

"Euh, by the way, do you have any book recommendations?" he asked.

"Ehm, I have a few," she answered. "Which genres do you read?"

"Anything but erotica."

"Okay. Ehm, you can try reading 'Night's Son and Sun's Daughter.' "

"I've never heard of it. What's it like?"

"It's a paranormal and fantasy romance, something to do with forbidden love. It's a good book. Your uncle wrote it."

"Oh, really?" He grew curious. "The only book I know my uncle wrote was 'Coffee Beans and Morning Musings.' I know he wrote others but I haven't checked them out."

"He's—I mean, was—a good author," she said. "You should really read them."

"I guess I will. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Good night."

"Good night to you too."

Eddie left her and returned to the center of the library, retrieving his smartphone as he walked. He searched for a list of his uncle's published works. Apparently, he had written eight novels throughout his life, and the last one was published posthumously. Just months after his death. Eddie checked the description for the book Stella recommended; it turned out to be the first book of a trilogy, its sequels titled "Dawn's Child and Dusk's Sister" and "Dark's End and Moon's Return." Sounds intriguing. Eddie navigated the library as he searched for all eight of his uncle's novels. Once he had collected them, Louis teleported him back to his bedroom.

Eddie kicked off his slippers and jumped onto his bed. He swung his arm as he shoved the books onto the shelf. It took him a bit longer than expected—it was quite hard to arrange them neatly, for his telekinetic hand-eye coordination still needed refinement.

Once he had finished organizing his bookcase, he cozied himself in bed and beckoned. The novel flew across the bedchamber and landed in his hand. He turned to the first page, his book resting on his lap, and began reading.

***

"I hate morning classes," Giorgino muttered under his breath. His string bag bounced on his back as he bolted towards the Gatekeeper base. He lifted his wrist and checked the time. It was 07:58 a.m.—the lesson with Master Grimelda was about to start in two minutes! He glimpsed the building in front of him. With a single thought, he opened the doors and ran through them. His eyes darted around as he searched for the classroom. The corridor. He took a left turn and sprinted down the hallway, careful to not bump into anything or anyone. The door was not far ahead. He jerked his head, opening the door, and barged through it.

Everyone else was present. They were standing next to their desks and wearing their laboratory coats, ready for the lesson to begin. Seven pairs of eyes pierced into his soul. Giorgino averted his classmates' gazes and made a short bow.

"Master Grimelda."

"Hurry up," she said, "we're about to start."

Giorgino nodded and made his way to the back of the classroom. His desk was at the corner furthest from the table, near the cupboard where all the lab coats were hung. He used his telekinesis to stow his bag as he reached for a coat and put it on, then faced forward as he buttoned it. Only a single potion sample, contained in a test tube, sat atop her table. Odd. Grimelda always displayed the potions that they were going to brew for the lesson, and previously she always had five or six samples sitting on her desk. Whatever they were going to brew that morning had to be time-consuming, difficult, or both.

Giorgino eyed the liquid more closely. It had a soft, golden glow surrounding it, so it was likely a health potion of some sort. Its color was a clear, salmon pink. He remembered seeing it in one of his textbooks, but he had forgotten the name.

Grimelda held up the test tube with one hand. "Can anyone in this room tell me what this is?"

A girl raised her hand.

"Yes, Cadence?"

"It's Mother's Elixir," she answered.

"That's correct," Grimelda said. "Do you know what it's used for?"

"Yes, Master. It's used to eliminate labor pains when a woman is giving birth."

"Excellent! Thank you, Cadence. Now, if you've read the eighth chapter of your ebook last night—like what I've told you to do—you'd know that elixirs serve other purposes besides removing moderate curses and diseases. One of their many functions includes being an anesthetic. Mother's Elixir is one of the most well-known examples of this, and for this class, I will task you with brewing one vial of it. The recipe is on page three-eighty-two of your handbook."

The students immediately reached for their bags and pulled out their ebooks—a Nitean ebook resembled a razor-thin notebook when closed, and a thin tablet when unfolded. Giorgino opened his ebook, browsed his digital library, and opened his potions handbook. He donned his gloves and goggles as he read it.

"Also," Grimelda added, "the first person to brew a perfect sample will receive no homework for the next two weeks."

Giorgino's ears perked up. No homework for two weeks? That was too big of an opportunity to pass up. The fact that he was tasked with brewing a panacea made the extra time even more valuable. He glanced at the other students. They all wanted the prize as much as he did. But I need it more. Giorgino returned his focus to his table and continued reading the instructions. Now was not the time for a careless mistake.

As Giorgino read the steps for brewing the potion, he realized why Mother's Elixir took longer than thirty minutes to brew—there were forty-five steps listed in the recipe, and five of them involved non-verbal spells. He groaned. Spellcasting was his least favorite part of brewing. It required complete concentration in order to yield the right results, and even a microsecond of musing could make things go awry. Not too long ago, one of his potions erupted without warning because his then-hungry self was too eager for dinner. He could not let stray thoughts hinder him this time.

After scrutinizing the recipe, he put on his goggles and gloves. It was time to start working. First, fill a conical flask with fifteen milliliters of distilled water. Second, add three petals of Cretan dittany to the flask. Third, cast a non-verbal extraction spell. Giorgino stared at the flask and grasped it with both hands. Extract, extract, he thought. A pale green pigment drained from the plant and colored the water. He glimpsed his ebook. The solution in his flask matched the illustration in his ebook. No errors so far. He continued brewing without uttering a word, sometimes glimpsing his ebook to make sure he executed each step correctly. Time passed more quickly as he absorbed himself in his work.

Thud, thud, thud. Giorgino looked up from his desk. Cadence was already making her way towards Grimelda's table. She's done? he exclaimed mentally. He was still on the forty-first step. He felt his heart sink to his stomach as he watched her stride towards Grimelda's desk. Cadence glanced at him. A smug half-smile stretched on her face once she noticed his dejected expression. Giorgino put his head down when he saw her handing over a vial of elixir. There goes my chance. Though he could eavesdrop on the conversation between Cadence and Grimelda, he decided to block out their voices for the time being. The thought of losing could botch his attempts at spellcasting.

He continued to brew the elixir. Though he had lost most of his motivation, he still did not leave room for error. The least he could do was provide a proper potion. After all, maybe he would be given a small reward if he managed to get it right the first time. It took him eight minutes to reach the forty-fifth step: gather the filtrate in a beaker and cast a non-verbal purification spell. Once he was done, he poured the filtrate into a vial. He cupped his hands around it. Purify, purify, he said in his head. White light emerged from his fingers and encircled the vial. Purify, purify, he chanted further. He purged his mind of all irrelevant thoughts. The elixir began glowing. It took a few more seconds of mental chanting for the potion to have a soft, golden aura.

Giorgino sighed. He was the second person to finish brewing. If only I was faster than her. He picked up the vial with both hands and trod towards Grimelda, and along the way, he glimpsed Cadence's desk. She was using a burette to pour a solution into a flask. He did a double-take. Wait, isn't that the seventh step?

Giorgino slowed his steps as he approached Grimelda's desk. He handed her the vial with both hands. After she had received it from him, Giorgino placed his hands behind his back and watched as she analyzed his sample. She dipped her pipette into the vial, extracted a few milliliters of Giorgino's sample, and dripped a few drops of it into some indicator solutions. Each of the solutions changed color, with precipitates forming in them. She shook each of them to see if the precipitates dissolved. Only one of them did.

Grimelda placed her pipette carefully on her desk, turned her face towards him, and smiled. She told him, "Congratulations, Giorgino, you are exempt from homework for the next two weeks."

Giorgino's mouth hung open. "Wait, really? But Cadence—"

"Cadence did not do a proper distillation on the thirty-ninth step," she answered him. "Anyway, brewing Mother's Elixir is the only task I've set for today's lesson. Since you've completed it, you're now dismissed."

"Oh, really? Th-thank you very much, Master," he said.

"You're welcome. Now pack your stuff and go."

His face lit up. Giorgino walked towards his desk, his legs feeling lighter than earlier. He glanced at Cadence. Disbelief painted her face as she realized that he had claimed the prize. He only smirked in return. Take that. Once he had reached his desk, he removed his goggles and gloves and then hung the coat in the cupboard. With a single stare, he folded his ebook, stuffed it into his string bag, and brought it into his hand. He slung his bag over his shoulders and made his way towards the door.

"Giorgino?"

He halted in front of the door. "Yes, Master?"

"Make sure to use your free time wisely, if you know what I mean," Grimelda said to him.

"I will, Master," he said, nodding. He made a slight bow. "Thank you."

The door opened. He marched out of the laboratory, walked down the corridor, and pumped his fist into the air. Yes! He made his way to the library as he got back to work.

***

The library was rather empty during that hour. When Giorgino entered it, there was no other person but a single librarian. Good, there's space. He strode towards the nearest table and placed his bag on its surface. All he needed to do next was look at the parchment, choose an ingredient to search for, and then acquire it. He dove his right arm into his bag. He felt his ebook, wallet, and a few other objects. His silver eyes widened when he realized something was missing.

The parchment. His heart skipped a beat when he did not feel it in his bag. He lifted his bag, turned it upside-down, and poured its contents onto the table. He dug through them. The parchment was nowhere to be found. A flurry of thoughts whizzed through his mind. Where was it? Where did he last see it? Did he drop it somewhere, or leave it in the lab? Before he could fully enter panic mode, a recent memory flashed before him: he gave it to Stella last meeting so that she could decipher the invisible text. Of course. That meant that she would likely return it to him the next time they met, which would be later in the evening. Giorgino glimpsed his phone and checked the time. It was still nine o'clock in the morning.

Giorgino opened his phone. He remembered taking a picture of the recipe before giving it to her, so it should be somewhere in his media library. Yet, when he browsed through it, there were no images of it to be found. He furrowed his brows—he was sure that he had snapped a photo of it. He then remembered that he had the idea of scanning or photographing the recipe, but he did not carry it out. He cursed at himself. Why didn't I do it? Sure, he could look at his list of possible ingredients and try to acquire them all, but that would be a waste of time. He might as well wait until the next lesson with the trio.

He stuffed his belongings back into his bag. Maybe he could ask Stella to send him a picture? He opened his phone and tried to check the time. What's the Earth city that they're staying in? France? Or is that the country? Wait, Paris is the city. According to his phone, it was still 4:00 a.m. there. They were probably asleep. If he sent her a message, the earliest reply he could get was likely a few hours after he had sent it. He shrugged. It was better to try. He turned on a setting on his phone that allowed inter-realm connections.

Ping. A notification lit up the top bit of his screen. A message from Eddie? Giorgino opened the text and read it: Hello Elder. Stella had finished transcribing the text, so I thought I could send you pictures of it so you wouldn't have to wait until our next lesson.

Succeeding the message was a series of images. About three back-to-back pages of notes appeared under his fingertips. "Eddie, you're a lifesaver!" Giorgino said, relieved. He reached for his ebook and stylus before copying Stella's notes into his digital notebook. Once done, he sent the images to the other Gatekeepers.

Instantly, he received a message from one of the masters: Thank you for the notes, Giorgino. Come to LM 404 so we can analyze them together.

The corners of his lips rose. At once, he packed his belongings and made his way to the room.

***

Giorgino knocked on the door of room LM 404. He opened it, entered, and then bowed. "Good morning, masters."

Two masters, both of them seated at one of the desks, looked up. "Greetings, Giorgino. Have a seat and help us."

Giorgino closed the door behind him and sat with the two masters. Both of them had their phones and computers set before them, multiple screens and windows being projected from their devices. The largest screen displayed images of the parchment while the other screens were full of notes. Giorgino retrieved his ebook from his bag and searched for his copy of Stella's notes.

"The bone of a free equine," one said, pointing at a screen. "That's the second ingredient. Equine is a fancier term for 'horse.' And free, so the horse must be wild instead of domesticated."

"Well what kind of horse?" said the second master. "There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of 'ordinary' horse species alone. We still have to take into account the unicorns and the pegasi."

"Well if you look at the additional notes I sent you, there's another clue that was written down," Giorgino informed. "The clue for the second ingredient is 'alicorn.' "

The two masters looked at him as though he had just brewed a perfect panacea. Giorgino did not know why it triggered such a reaction, for the clue he provided contained only one word.

"Alicorn? Of course!" the first master exclaimed. "Alicorn is another word for a horn of a unicorn, which is a natural remedy. Unfortunately, getting them will be hard; it's illegal to farm unicorns for alicorn."

"Then we can just go to the forest and get it, right?" Giorgino asked.

"If you're lucky to even bump into one," said the first master. "Wild unicorn encounters are extremely rare. Legends say they only appear to women and, as you can see, the three of us are all men."

"Legends aren't always true," the second master huffed.

"Well, legends have to come from somewhere."

"Legends are legends and facts are facts. The fact is we need to acquire alicorn to save a girl from her curse and we have, what, less than two weeks? Giorgino, when's your next class?"

"It's, uh"—Giorgino glanced at his phone—"three hours from now."

"That should be enough time. Giorgino, pack your stuff and acquire alicorn. One horn should be enough. Once you're done, hand it to Master Grimelda's apprentice at the apothecary."

"Wait, I have to go there alone?"

"Well, we're all busy," said the first master. "Master Ipso and I have to analyze the clues you've sent so we can narrow down the list of ingredients, and everyone else has something to do."

"Oh, okay."

"Go now," said the second master, "and good luck."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Giorgino rose from his seat, packed his ebook, and exited LM 404. He dropped by a few rooms to gather equipment for his trip: ropes, to set the trap; berries, to lure the beast; and an anesthetic elixir, to make it numb. He then opened his phone and searched for the nearest unicorn habitat. It was forty-five minutes away by car. He could take a bus to the outskirts and walk from there. Even if he spent an hour in the forest, he would still have time left to make it to his next lesson.

Giorgino marched towards the bus stop in high spirits. Getting the horn of a unicorn. How hard can it be?

✧ ✧ ✧

So that's a snippet of what potion-brewing is like in my world! In case you were wondering, that lab scene was inspired by my chemistry practicals back in secondary school, hence the use of science-y terms 👩‍🔬

If you liked reading this chapter, please consider voting for it by pressing the star-shaped button on this chapter! And if you already have, thank you so much! 🥰