The sun had risen over the horizon, sweeping away any remnant of darkness in the sky. Giorgino glanced at his phone as he jogged towards the apothecary. He still had thirty minutes left; he then slowed his movement to a saunter. As he strolled towards his destination, his telekinetic hand dove into his bag and reached for a banana. He ate it as he walked.

Giorgino reached the apothecary a short while later, and only a single security guard was seen standing inside the building at the time. He tossed the banana peel into the trashbin and walked through the entrance. Before he could reach the back of the apothecary, the security guard stopped him.

"We're closed for today."

"I have to go to the lab. I'm Elder Giorgino Alunnori. Master Grimelda asked me to help brew the panacea," Giorgino explained. He projected a screen from his phone to show the message she had sent him.

The guard scrutinized its contents. He then pressed his finger against the scanner, opening the door. "Head to PANACEA3. You're assigned to Sector Seven."

"Thank you."

Giorgino walked past the guard and headed towards the laboratory, passing through a mist of disinfectant as he headed to his destination. He recalled the directions. Walk straight, take the second left turn, and enter through the second door on the right. He kept his eyes peeled for signs. He was correct. His eyes looked through the glass windows to check if anybody was already in PANACEA3.

A whole crowd was already waiting inside the laboratory. Some already had gloves and goggles on, while others were still donning their lab coats. Giorgino glimpsed their faces. He gulped as he recognized some of his classmates and his alchemy instructor among the sea of faces. Please don't see me. He opened the door, quietly closed it behind him, and sidled towards the closet containing the coats.

As he prepared himself for his task, he scanned the room for his spot. Sector Seven. Where was Sector Seven? He could not see any signs that marked the sections. After he had worn his gloves, he strode towards one of the brewmasters. Giorgino could tell that he was a senior brewmaster from the badge sewn into his coat.

Before he could come near enough to ask a question, the senior brewmaster reached for a microphone. "Attention, all brew mages, please report to your respective sectors."

Fwshh. Walls of light split the laboratory into three parts, with each part marked by a floating signboard. Sector Seven was located at the opposite corner of the laboratory. Giorgino paced towards it. To his chagrin, all his classmates were assigned to the same area as he was. He angled his head and skulked towards the back of the section.

Another senior brewmaster stood at the frontmost desk. Giorgino glanced downward at his table to check what the ingredients were. There was a vial of glittery powder, a vial of red liquid, an electronic balance, a test tube, a pipette, and a spatula. Giorgino recognized the second object: the vampire blood that he withdrew from Master Scarlet's husband. A chill ran down his spine as he recalled his time in Parafiso, and he wondered if anybody else knew that he had to give his own blood to acquire the ingredient.

"Listen closely, everyone," the brewmaster began. "You might be wondering why you're all here when you're still in your third year. I don't know whether the Gatekeepers have told you or not, but there's a human girl who's under a very strong curse that can only be broken by a first-class panacea. She only has a week left before the curse becomes permanent, and since there aren't any available—and there won't be for the next two weeks—we had to resort to other measures.

"One of you managed to find a recipe for a panacea that can be brewed in three days. We don't know the success rate of the recipe since we've never used it before. That's why we've gathered everyone here today—the more batches we brew at once, the more likely we'll get a successful potion. We know many of you have never tried brewing a panacea, so we've broken the process into steps that each group will be in charge of.

"We're in Sector Seven, so our task is to mix vampire blood with aelie dust and cast a sabling spell on it. The instructions are shown on your desks, and I'll demonstrate them in front of you. Watch closely."

The brewmaster picked up his spatula and scooped some aelie dust with it. He inserted it into the test tube before weighing it with an electronic balance. After he was sure he had added the correct amount, he reached for his electronic pipette. He dipped it into the vial of vampire blood, extracted a certain volume of it, and dispensed it into the test tube. He shook the test tube before setting it on a stand. His hands encircled the container. A crimson-colored light flowed from his hands and engulfed the mixture. After a few seconds, it had turned black with a bluish tint.

"Remember, you must be very precise. A single drop can be the difference between a panacea and wasted resources," he said. "Now start."

Two conveyor belts appeared in front of each desk. One of them carried resources; the other one was for delivering the finished mixture. Giorgino read the instructions on his desk, paying special attention to the spell that was written. Spellcasting was his weakness, but he had no room for mistakes that day. A girl's life was at stake.

Giorgino picked up the spatula and carried out the first few steps. All was going well. He took a deep breath. He cupped his hands around the test tube and mentally uttered the incantation.

The liquid was freezing. It was not supposed to be freezing. Giorgino halted before it could solidify, sighing at his failed attempt; he had to start over. He discreetly disposed of the ingredients and tried once more. Sooner than later, it was time for him to cast the spell.

Giorgino tried again. This time, it was boiling. It was not supposed to be boiling either. He stopped. It was too late. Part of it had erupted, leaving a viscous stain on the desk. He cleaned up the mess and began the third attempt.

"Gino?" the brewmaster asked, his voice lowered.

Giorgino stopped. "Yes?"

"Are you having trouble with the spell?"

"Spellcasting is not my strong suit."

"It's pronounced this way." The brewmaster then whispered the incantation into his ear. "You should have no trouble now."

"Thank you."

Giorgino tried once more. After a third attempt, the liquid finally darkened. He placed the test tube on the conveyer belt and then glimpsed his peers. While he had only outputted a single sample, they were already on their fourth or fifth. Some of them cast condescending glances at him. Giorgino averted their gazes. He looked down, purging his mind of irrelevant thoughts, and resumed his task.

***

It was a sunny afternoon at La Défense. After finishing a meeting in the morning, Colette left her office to meet with Eddie and their guests for their midday meal, and they were now having their lunch at a restaurant not far from her workplace. Eddie reached for a glass and sipped some water as he ate and conversed.

"So your mom's office is around here?" Stella asked him.

Eddie nodded. "It's somewhere around there," he said, pointing. "She works at a law firm."

"Your mom's a lawyer?"

"She is."

"That's so cool. What about your dad?"

"He's a businessman."

"Does he also work near here?"

"Usually. He occasionally works at home, and other times he flies to another country for a meeting." Eddie shrugged. "That's why he's in New York right now."

"Wow," Stella breathed. "He sounds really busy."

Eddie had just taken a bite of his meal. He gave a short nod as he chewed.

"So your mom's name is Colette, right? What about your dad's name?" Jon asked.

Eddie swallowed before replying. "It's Antoine," he answered.

They continued to chat in between bites, talking mostly about their parents. Stella's mother was a housewife who used to do part-time work while her father was an investment banker. Meanwhile, Jon's father was an engineer and his mother was a nurse. When they were not talking about their mothers or fathers, they would instead talk about the food. Eddie was tucking into a portion of succulent duck confit, sprinkled with herbs and served with mashed potatoes. Its savory aroma prompted Jon to ask if he could taste his dish. After tasting it, he then expressed how he wished he had ordered the same meal. Eddie cut the tender meat with his knife and took another bite.

"... Damien de Bellefort."

Eddie's ears perked up upon hearing the name. He glanced at his right side. Letizia was the one who uttered it. Eddie angled his head as he paid closer attention to her conversation with the other adults.

"Damien de Bellefort, as in, the CEO of Lucide S.A.?" Colette asked.

Letizia flashed a smug smile. "Yes, my husband knows him."

Eddie shot a sharp look at her. To his luck, nobody noticed.

"Wow," Colette said to Letizia, "he must be a top-level person."

"He is. He's an investment banker at one of our best banks. When Damien de Bellefort visited Rome they had a meeting together."

"That's very interesting," José chimed in. "Are they close business partners or something similar?"

"I don't know for sure, but they are quite close. They used to call each other frequently to work on some projects."

"Wow. What's your husband's name?"

"Luciano Vincente. And yours?"

"Antoine Delacroix."

Eddie narrowed his eyes at Letizia as he finished his meal. Stella's father knew one of France's richest men? He did not think Letizia was lying about them knowing each other, but found it surprising that the two were close contacts. He knew a lot of people who were at the top, and Luciano Vincente was an unfamiliar name. Eddie observed the other adults. Seeds of doubt could be seen in Colette's and Celestine's eyes, while José was leaning towards belief.

Eddie felt the urge to glance at his wristwatch, but realized that there was no real need to. He, Jon, and Stella would not have any lesson that day. He stared into the distance as he wondered what his mentor was up to.

***

Giorgino peered at the pipette as he extracted vampire blood from a vial. He had to be extremely precise—a drop more or a drop less could spell the difference between success and failure. Once he had withdrawn the exact amount, he dispensed it into a test tube containing a magical chemical. He set the pipette on the table, held the test tube, and shook it. He cupped his hands around it and mentally chanted a spell. Crimson light flowed from his palm and engulfed the liquid, turning it a deep, iodine black. Giorgino placed the test tube on a conveyer belt and proceeded to repeat the process.

Giorgino had been working inside the laboratory since the morning. The only time he stepped out of the laboratory was at 11:30 a.m. to eat lunch, and he had to return an hour later to resume his work. He lost count of how many test tubes of liquid he had transformed; all he knew was that he had been doing so for about half a day. Though the job was repetitive, he did not mind it at all—he could have been placed with the alchemists, who were given the tougher task of duplicating the ingredients.

An announcement blared from the laboratory's loudspeakers: "Sector Seven, you are dismissed. Please return tomorrow by 7:30 a.m."

Giorgino breathed a sigh of relief. He walked to one corner of the laboratory to remove his goggles, gloves, and lab coat. He stored them before he reached for his bag and slung it across his shoulder. He then headed home.

The sun was already setting. Giorgino's telekinetic hand reached into his bag and fetched a bottle. He sipped water as soon as he left the apothecary, his parched tongue clamoring for every droplet. His mind went through his mental checklist: there was an alchemy paper due at midnight, a bioalchemy exam he had to study for, and a group presentation to prepare. Once he got home, he would shower, cook instant noodles, and work on his paper while eating. He should have enough time.

Giorgino placed his water bottle back in his bag and trod down the stairs to the portlinks. He passed through the turnstile, swiping his phone across the sensor, and proceeded to the platform. There was a long queue. Giorgino sighed. He entered the line, leaning his head to the side as he anticipated his turn.

***

Giorgino narrowed his eyes at his holographic computer screen. His essay needed a few thousand more words before he could submit it. He used telekinesis to type on the keyboard as he ate a bowl of instant noodles. He did not like eating while working, but he had no other option. His body was fatigued, and he needed the extra energy to power through his work.

A white-haired man entered the dining room, his right arm cradling a thin laptop. "Gino, whatcha eating?" he asked.

"Noodles," Giorgino replied, his eyes still glued to the screen. He slurped another mouthful. "I got a paper to submit by midnight."

The man sighed. "We have the finest ingredients in our kitchen, yet you chose to eat instant junk."

"I don't have time to cook."

"You have telekinesis."

"Look, I'm not a multitasker," Giorgino said, exasperated. He sighed. "Sorry, bro."

"It's fine. May I join you there?"

"Sure."

The man sat at the other end of the dining table. Giorgino glanced at him. His brother's laptop screen unrolled itself in a way that it was almost flat on the tabletop. He then reached for a stylus and wrote on the screen.

"Are you grading papers?" Giorgino asked.

His brother nodded.

"Is it for the class I'm in?"

"Yup."

"How well did I do?"

"I haven't graded it yet. I usually grade yours last," his brother told him.

Giorgino returned his gaze to his computer screen. The essay needed a few thousand more words. He slurped the last of his noodles, then raised the bowl to swallow every last drop of soup. With a flick of his finger, he sent the bowl to the kitchen counter. He reached for a glass of cold water and sipped.

"Whatcha working on?" his brother asked.

"An alchemy paper," Giorgino answered him.

"On what?"

"Something related to water."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, my brain's fried."

His brother looked at him with concern. "I think you need a break."

"I don't have time for breaks."

"But you need one."

"You think I don't know that?" Giorgino snapped. He then froze, realizing what he had done. "I'm sorry."

His brother put his stylus down. "You want to talk?"

"Sure."

His brother stood up and moved to the seat right next to Giorgino's. Giorgino rested his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. A pained groan escaped his lips.

"Stressed?" his brother asked.

"Beyond stressed. I feel like I'm going to die," he replied, sighing. "I don't know why I'm doing this. First I chose to be a brew mage, and then I decided to double major in light magic, and then Helene asked me to mentor a teenager and I accepted, and then I got a part-time job..."

Giorgino let out another sigh. His brother patted him on the back. "Just let it all out."

"I don't think I can handle this."

"Well, you can drop something if you can't handle it. Why not you drop your part-time job?"

"Already. I got fired."

His brother frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I can understand them. With all these things piling up, I didn't have enough time to work," Giorgino said. He sighed. "I keep on making mistakes."

"Everybody makes mistakes, Gino."

"But do they make my kind of mistakes? Everything that's happening is all my fault. First, I dated a girl because she was hot, and she turned out to be a sorceress who bewitched me."

"Well she bewitched you, so it's not your fault," his brother said.

"It is," Giorgino insisted. "Even after I found out she was a sorceress, I thought I could change her to become a better person. That didn't work. I broke up with her. She threatened to kill me if I told anyone that she used dark magic, so I didn't report her. Huge mistake. By the time I had the courage to tell someone, she disappeared.

"And then I started dating Gaia. Stupid me forgot that my crazy ex was still out there, so after I proposed to her, my ex found out and killed her. What's worse is that I'd always go out with Gaia to make sure that she'd be safe. That one day I decided to not be with her, she was murdered. Another mistake.

"And then I cleansed the ring on my own. I should've destroyed it or brought it to a cleanser, but no, I tried cleansing it on my own. I thought I could save money if I did. I thought I did. Turned out the curse was still there. Another mistake.

"And then I gave it to my student, who later gave it to his crush, and now a human girl's under a curse because of me. Another person is literally dying because of me. I just keep on making mistakes. My whole existence is one giant mistake."

"Gino, your existence is not a mistake."

"But it's a burden to everyone else," Giorgino said. "I just bring everyone down. Everyone around me is so perfect, and I'm not. I'm not perfect. I don't know how all of you do it. Grimelda has three full-time jobs and doesn't break a sweat. Mom is fifty-something yet she's still strong enough to guard the Tenebrare portal. You're only thirty years old yet you're the Assistant Head of Light Magic at the academy.

"Even my student is perfect! I don't know how, but Eddie just picks things up so easily. I have to change my lesson plan because he just blazes through everything. What took me days, he finishes in one lesson. And the thing is, he didn't even know magic existed until last year. I was born and raised with it. I don't tell him this, but every time I teach him, my self-esteem just goes downhill. A human with almost no prior exposure to magic is better than his Nitean mentor. It doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense."

"But Eddie wouldn't be that good if you weren't such a good teacher," his brother said, trying to cheer him up. "A student can only be as good as his mentor. You must've explained everything so well, he got it quickly."

"No, he's just that good. He figures things out on his own. He even controlled pure heat without me telling him how to. He probably doesn't even need me."

"Gino, you know that's not the case."

Giorgino sighed. He turned his head and looked at his brother in the eye. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you think I'm dumber than everyone else?"

His brother remained silent.

"Thanks bro."

"Gino—"

"Look, it's fine. I know light mages like you can't lie, but sometimes you also don't want to tell the truth."

"Gino, you're not stupid. That's for sure."

"Do you think I'm ugly?"

His brother sighed. "Okay, fine, you're less smart than a lot of people around you, and you're ugly too," he admitted, "but does not make you any less of a person."

"It makes me more worthless though."

"It does not."

"Then what does it make me?"

His brother exhaled. "Gino, look at me and listen."

Giorgino obeyed.

"You want to know why Helene chose you to be Eddie's mentor?"

"I know. She was looking for someone who had pyrokinesis, telekinesis, and electrokinesis. I was the only person who had mastered them all, so she had no choice."

"That's not the whole story," his brother revealed. "When Helene was looking for someone to mentor Eddie, a whole bunch of masters applied to be his mentor. They sent their applications to Grimelda with the hope of getting the role, and Helene checked all their résumés. Not a single one of them, like you said, possessed all three powers. Helene asked Grimelda if there was anybody who had mastered all three of them, and she directed her to you.

"Helene knew you were still an elder, so she was prepared to assign two masters to mentor Eddie instead. However, she didn't want to count you out just yet. She remembered how she had to mentor the first Realm Seekers on her own, though she had never taught anyone before. She wanted to test how you would do. That's why she was observing you when you and Eddie had your first lesson together."

"But the two of us were alone in the room," Giorgino recalled.

"Cameras exist, remember?" his brother reminded him. "Anyway, she was impressed by the way you taught him. However, she knew that you were still in school, so she got two masters to mentor Eddie instead. She observed them too. They were not bad, but you were better. You were more patient. You were more understanding. You were clearer with your instructions. You set better expectations. She sensed that you would form a bond with him, like how she formed a bond with the first Realm Seekers.

"Because of that, she chose you, an elder, to mentor Eddie. It's not because she didn't have a choice. She did. You were the better one."

"Really?"

"Really. I asked her myself," he said. He smiled. "So, next time you're feeling down, remember that the greatest human Gatekeeper of all time chose you to mentor a Realm Seeker over two masters."

Giorgino's brother lifted his hand off Giorgino's back. He then told him, "By the way, since you're busy with the panacea, you're exempt from all assignments and exams until further notice."

"Thanks, bro. I really needed that extra time to work on alchemy."

"I mean that for all subjects."

Giorgino dropped his jaw. "All subjects?" he exclaimed.

"You didn't know?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be stressing over this paper! I can't believe I just found out," Giorgino said. "You sure it's for all subjects?"

"All subjects."

"Not just Master Gilbert's 'Fundamental Theory of Light Magic' course?"

"All subjects, whether that be alchemy or economics or underwater basket weaving," Gilbert said, chuckling. He gave Giorgino a lighthearted shove. "Now get some rest. You need it."

Giorgino tossed his laptop, using his telekinesis to guide it to his bag, and raced towards his bedroom. He set the alarm on his phone as he lowered the room temperature and buried himself beneath a blanket. He then set his phone on his nightstand, lay on the bed, and closed his eyes.

"Gino."

"Yeah?"

"Didn't you just eat?"

Giorgino sat upright. "Oh yeah."

"Luckily I reminded you, or else all that food would be climbing back up your digestive system," Gilbert said. "Speaking of food, I'm planning to cook some homemade pasta later on. You want some?"

"I just had dinner."

"You had one tiny bowl of noodles. That's a snack, not dinner," Gilbert said. "Your body's been working hard. You better compensate it."

Giorgino kicked off his blanket. "Okay, then. I'll join you for dinner."

"That's more like it," his brother beamed.

Giorgino stood up and returned to the dining room. He sat at the dining table. While he waited for Gilbert to finish grading papers, he commanded the kitchen with his telekinesis. Drawers opened and shut themselves, jars of herbs and spices leaped from the shelves, and pots and pans marched towards the stoves. His stomach growled audibly.

Gilbert chuckled. "Told you."

Giorgino laughed. He clutched his stomach as he leaned against the back of his chair.

✧ ✧ ✧

In case you were wondering, this chapter—and Giorgino's character—was inspired by my stressful college days. I still am experiencing those stressful college days 😵 we could really use some anti-sleeping serums, don't you think?

If you liked this chapter, please don't forget to vote by pressing the star-shaped button on this chapter! A little vote can give me enough happiness and energy to power through many stressful days and assignments 😂