Elise clicked a button on the control panel. A faint hum filled the air as the glass tube began to drain, the glowing liquid within receding slowly. Miyu’s fragile body descended gently along with the fluid, her hair floating briefly before settling against her shoulders.
The glass rose with a quiet hiss, the containment seal breaking with a faint whoosh. Miyu’s limp body was now fully visible, her face pale but peaceful.
The oxygen mask clung to her face, and the faint rhythm of her shallow breathing could nearly be heard.
Elise crossed her arms, her gaze lingering on the girl.
“I don’t know what you think you’re up to. But… considering how much you clearly care for her… I suppose you mean well.”
Her fingers brushed against a nearby console, turning off the monitoring parameters for Miyu’s condition.
The soft beeps of the machines echoed faintly in the lab until they stopped.
Alister approached Miyu’s frail body, his footsteps echoing softly against the metallic floor.
He knelt beside her, cradling her upper body in his right arm. Her head leaned slightly against him, her face pale but carrying a faint warmth.
Her eyelids fluttered, and with a small gasp, they opened. Her soft voice barely carried above a whisper. “Alister… you came to visit me again?”
A weak smile formed on her lips, but it was followed by a cough that wracked her delicate body. She placed a hand against her chest, her expression grim. “Seems… the restricted blood flow is weakening my lungs.”
“T-take it easy, Miyu,” Alister said gently, his voice trembling with emotion. His free hand brushed a stray lock of her hair away from her face.
“I’ve finally come to save you.”
Miyu didn’t reply immediately, but her gaze searched his face. In his eyes, she saw a fierce look that was almost intense, like a flame that refused to be extinguished.
A faint, serene smile returned to her lips. “Go ahead then,” she whispered, trusting him completely.
Alister took a deep breath, his jaw tightening as he softly called out, “Inventory.”
A shimmering system window materialized beside him, and Alister plunged his hand into the window. To anyone without the ability to see the system interface, it appeared as though part of his hand had dissolved into a blur.
Golden lightning crackled faintly around his hand as he withdrew an item from its depths. In his grasp was a potion vial. The liquid inside shimmered like the cosmos. The faint hum of energy emanating from it seemed to vibrate with the very air around them.
Miyu’s tired eyes widened slightly at the sight of the potion. “That… looks expensive…”
“I hope you aren’t doing anything illegal,” she murmured, her voice barely audible.
Alister chuckled softly. “You dummy, making jokes at a time like this.”
“This is it, Miyu. The potion that will save you.”
Erika, standing a few steps back, narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of the strange potion in Alister’s hand. Her lips parted, and she mumbled under her breath, “What… is that?”
Before she could step forward, Elise placed a firm hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.
“I’m curious too,” Elise admitted, her gaze never leaving the glowing vial. “But let’s hold off for now. If that potion does what he intends, then we can ask our questions.”
Erika frowned but nodded after a moment of hesitation. “You’ve got a point, team leader. No use questioning it if it actually works,” she said, folding her arms but keeping her eyes trained on Alister and Miyu.
Alister, unaware of the brief exchange behind him, tilted the vial gently and brought its opening to Miyu’s lips.
His voice was soft as he spoke, “Drink this, Miyu.”
Miyu’s gaze flickered between the potion and Alister’s face. Trusting him completely, she parted her lips slightly, ready to drink the mysterious liquid.
Miyu obediently sipped the potion, her throat moving as she slowly gulped it down. When she finished, Alister tossed the empty vial aside with a clatter and gently wiped the remnants of the liquid from her lips with his thumb.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
Miyu blinked at him sleepily, her eyelids heavy. “I… I can’t really tell,” she murmured. “All I know is… I’m feeling a bit… sleepy.”
Alister frowned slightly, leaning closer. “Sleepy? Really? Do you not feel anything at-“
Before he could finish, Miyu’s eyes snapped open, glowing with an intense golden light. Her entire body began to radiate a brilliant aura, the sheer brightness forcing Alister to shield his face instinctively.
A powerful shockwave erupted from her.
BOOM!
It sent Alister flying backward. He landed with a grunt, sliding a few feet across the smooth floor.
“My lord!” Cinder called out, rushing to his side. She knelt, helping him to his feet.
“I’m fine,” Alister assured her, shaking off the impact as he steadied himself. His eyes were locked on Miyu, who now floated slightly above the ground, her body pulsating with a radiant
glow.
“What did you just give her?” Elise demanded. She and Erika had to shield their eyes with their arms to avoid being blinded by the intense glow.
“Some kind of power-up drug? Why is she glowing like that?”
Elise’s words hung in the air, unanswered, as the light around Miyu intensified further, filling
the entire room with its blinding brilliance.
In the distant corners of the sprawling lab, where other alchemists were immersed in their experiments, the sudden golden glow caught their attention.
“What in the world is that?”
“Is that… coming from the central chamber?”
“Could it be some kind of unstable experiment?”
“I didn’t hear about anything from the team leader about that being scheduled today.”
“That doesn’t look like any regular chemical reaction. The glow-it’s almost… alive.”
“It has to do with him, doesn’t it?”
“You think this is Alister’s doing?”
“That would be a logical conclusion, no?”
“Hey… why don’t we go check it out?”
“Good idea!”
Meanwhile, back with Alister, he had gotten a quest completion notification from the system.
[Congratulations to the player!]
[The quest: The Word of an Overlord!]
[The player has obtained the reward: Piece of Overlord’s broken Crown (?? – Rank).]
[The player now possesses 2/7 pieces.]