Seven Moonlight Petals.
A handful of Aveira Dust.
One Syrphid Slug.
Three different types of alchemical catalysts.
And the blood of a person.
These were the key ingredients needed to create a highly potent blood poison.
Though the list may seem short at a glance, each ingredient on it was extremely rare and difficult to acquire.
And the most elusive among them was the Syrphid Slug.
The trade of Syrphid Slugs was tightly regulated throughout the world due to their notorious use in human experiments.
Why? Because their numbing properties made these Slugs one of the perfect tools for those who wished to run tests on living subjects.
But Juliana had obtained all of them.
Every last ingredient on the list.
The Moonlight Petals and all the needed catalysts were already in Rexerd’s possession. But since his lab was funded by the Academy, he couldn’t just take whatever item he wished.
If he did, he had to show what experiment he conducted.
So, to avoid all that trouble, Juliana suggested creating a fire in the Alchemy Lab and reporting those items as burned.
As for the Aveira Dust, she thought about stealing it from the Academy’s Artificery but then decided against it.
So instead, she tracked down a black market seller, dug up some dirt on him, and blackmailed him by threatening to report his family to the police.
Yes, she used a poor man’s innocent family against him.
Only the man wasn’t so poor and his family was far from innocent either.
It was a long week. But she succeeded there as well, and only ended up paying one-third of the original price for her purchase.
And at last the Syrphid Slug…
That had been the hardest to acquire.
Not because of its rarity, but because the very act of obtaining one would risk putting her under scrutiny.
She had to find a way to empty out the Academy’s main clinic building, hide from the security cameras, and bypass a number combination lock.
A single misstep, a single uncounted variable in her plan, and she would’ve been caught by the Healers’ Society Head Instructor.
After that, getting expelled would’ve been the least of her concerns.
But in the end, she did it.
She executed all her plans perfectly.
Now, all that was left was the final ingredient.
Blood.
Not just any blood, but his blood.
Juliana’s grip tightened around the vial in her hand.
The crimson liquid inside gleamed under the dim lights of the Alchemy lab.
She had thought this would be the most difficult to get her hands on.
She thought that Samael would be too cautious, too meticulous, too damn impossible to trick.
She was almost ready to hurt him herself by some ‘accident’ and risk getting tormented by him.
Yet, in a humorous turn of events, Samael had given it to her himself.
He gave his blood-soaked vest to her by his own free will!
He practically handed her what she had been craving all her life — freedom!
A sharp breath left Juliana’s lips that almost sounded like a chuckle.
Oh, what a sweet sensation this was.
What a wonderful feeling to be this close to victory.
This wasn’t Juliana’s first time manipulating people to achieve her desired results. But this definitely had been personal.
And so, it was so damn satisfying.
Every other scheme, every other manipulation — it had been for survival, for leverage, for power. But this?
This was different.
This was her first step to revenge.
She allowed herself a small smile.
And right then, as she was watching Samael’s blood that was extracted into a vial swirl, a hand draped over her shoulders.
Juliana went rigid as Rexerd came to stand beside her.
His fingers barely brushed the curve of her neck, and it was enough to make her stomach churn in disgust.
“Now, now,” he uttered in a voice full of dark amusement. “You look positively giddy. Must be a rather special occasion.”
Juliana wanted to throw up, but instead, she put on a sweet expression and angled her body toward him.
“Of course. You know what today is,” she cooed before turning to fully face him. “By the way, you’re late. I’ve been waiting for fifteen minutes.”
Rexerd’s grin turned devilish as he leaned in. “Haven’t you heard? The fruit of patience is always sweet.”
But before his face could get any closer, Juliana gently cupped his cheeks and steered his head away, whispering warmly in his ear. “That may be true, but I don’t like to wait.”
Rexerd moved to pull her closer. “Neither do I.”
But just as quickly, Juliana pressed a hand against his chest and pushed him back.
“No, not yet,” she laughed and blushed, her nails grazing the fabric of his shirt. “Not until I’m free.”
Rexerd rolled his eyes with an amused scoff but let her go. “Oh, come on. We have everything now. Just one more step, and freedom will be yours.”
Juliana arched an eyebrow, adjusting her fur coat and slipping the vial of Samael’s blood into her purse. “So I assume you’ve concocted the poison?”
Rexerd smirked while leisurely walking up to the nearest wall. “Of course.”
The white-haired beauty looked around the nearly restored Alchemy Lab, her azure eyes taking in every small detail.
Then, she batted her lashes at him. “Where? I don’t see it.”
He chuckled again. “Oh, you sweet thing. Do you really think I’d leave something that illegal out in the open for anyone to find?”
She tilted her head. “Then where is it?”
“Patience, darling.” Rexerd smirked. “Have you heard of the Dimensional Chambers?”
Juliana blinked in confusion. What did that have to do with anything?
“Sure,” she replied nevertheless. “It is a legend about some rooms in the Academy that can move through space and are impossible to enter.”
Rexerd’s smirk widened. He pulled out a small knife from his pocket and dragged the blade over his thumb, making a small cut.
A single bead of blood welled up from the shallow wound.
“Every legend has a bit of truth in it,” he explained, pressing his thumb against the wall to make a symbol with his blood that resembled an inverted ‘G’ with a dot in the middle. “Dimensional Chambers exist. Each one is bound by a rune. If you know the right symbol, you can summon a chamber door anywhere on the Academy walls.”
As soon as his blood touched the stone, a faint ripple spread across the wall’s surface, like ink dispersing in water.
Then, as if reality itself had bent, the stone wall before them twisted and unfurled to reveal a narrow doorway that hadn’t been there before.
On the door was the same symbol Rexerd had just drawn earlier.
Juliana’s lips parted slightly in intrigue.
Rexerd smiled at her reaction and stepped aside, gesturing toward the door with a flourish. “After you, my dear.”
Juliana didn’t move immediately, her gaze flickering between the door and Rexerd.
“How very gentlemanly of you,” she murmured, dragging a single finger down his sleeve before stepping toward the door. “Or are you afraid there’s a trap inside?”
Rexerd stepped close to her again. “Oh, I’m always afraid. Just not of my own handiwork. And certainly not of you.”
Well, big mistake there.
Juliana let out a breathy little laugh before stepping past him and into the chamber.
The moment she crossed the door, the scent of aged parchment, bitter herbs, and something metallic filled her nose.
Floating motes of blue-green light illuminated the room, revealing rows of shelves lining the walls.
Strange alchemical equipment cluttered the room — glass vials brimming with shimmering liquids, arcane symbols carved into the stone floor, and towering bookshelves filled with texts in languages long forgotten.
There was a second door at the far end, leading to what she believed to be another room.
And at the center of it all, resting atop a large experiment table, was a chalice filled with some kind of thick, translucent liquid.
Juliana’s heart thrummed in her chest.
There it was.
Her freedom.
She couldn’t control herself anymore.
Finally, a soft, melodic laugh escaped her lips and her face brightened up with a genuine smile.
Rexerd wrapped his arms around her from behind, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder. “See? I started working on it yesterday when you told me you had the last ingredient. And after a long night of work, the result is right before you. All you need to do is add your master’s blood, drink it, and the BloodWorm that binds you to him will be destroyed.”
He let out a deep sigh, studying the chalice before them. His expression, usually so smug, held a flicker of something almost… hesitant.
“But you do understand, don’t you?” he asked, his fingers trailing along the rim of the chalice. “This won’t be painless. The agony will be… too much. And that mark on your chest that’s drawn from your master’s blood will burn. It’ll leave a scar.”
Juliana didn’t hesitate. “I don’t care. I’m ready to pay whatever price my freedom demands.”
Rexerd shook his head. “I’m just noticing this, but you’re a very determined young woman, aren’t you?”
She tilted her head and just giggled sweetly in response. “That’s why you like me, isn’t it?”
He laughed again, but something in his eyes sharpened. “Perhaps. But before we get to the main event, I have my own price to collect.”
Juliana stiffened — just slightly — but masked it well.
She had expected this.
Rexerd grazed his fingers against her waist. “I’ve been so patient with you, darling. Isn’t it time you reward me?”
Juliana didn’t flinch. Instead, she looked at him with apparent coyness. “Of course. But don’t you think such an occasion calls for a celebration first?”
Rexerd arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”
She pulled back slightly, reaching into her purse.
“A toast,” she mused, retrieving an expensive bottle of wine. “For our first time.”
His eyes flickered to the bottle. “And here I thought you weren’t the type to drink.”
“I’m in a good mood,” Juliana scoffed playfully and shrugged off her fur coat, letting it slip from her shoulders and pool onto the floor.
The dim lighting caught the smooth curve of her collarbone and the way her black tube top enchantingly hugged her figure.
She bit down on the cork and pulled it free with a soft pop. She then took a teasing sip from the bottle, letting the red liquid stain her tantalizing lips.
Then, she held it out to him.
Rexerd, clearly enjoying the sight, took the bottle from her fingers.
“To success,” he raised it in a mock salute before taking a big gulp.
But the moment he set the bottle aside, he paused.
…Something suddenly felt off.
A strange heat bloomed in his chest, spreading fast. Too fast.
His vision swayed.
His heart slammed erratically against his ribs with each beat.
His breath hitched.
His pupils dilated.
His body… felt heavy.
It all happened within seconds.
Slowly, he looked up at Juliana.
She was standing still, watching him. But her expression was no longer playful.
Without breaking eye contact, she turned her head and spat out the sip she had taken, letting the crimson liquid splash onto the stone floor.
Gone was the blush.
Gone was the coyness.
Her blue eyes, so often veiled in feigned innocence, now gleamed with cold indifference.
Rexerd’s fingers twitched. “You…?”
Juliana smiled.
It was the same smile he had always seen on her. Sweet. Amused.
Only now, it felt terrifyingly real.