Hot air from the Athanor continued to heat the mixture, turning the laboratory into an oven. Shaan’s throat felt dry, and sweat streamed down his face without end, soaking the edge of the mask covering his mouth.

"I have to keep this machine running." Shaan cranked the handle connected to the stone wheel tasked with crushing the cluster of crystals with all his might. "I have to keep fighting."

He had lost track of how long he had been turning the crank. He couldn’t remember anymore. His arms ached, and exhaustion weighed heavily on every muscle in his body. The relentless heat only made things worse. Warm, humid air filled the laboratory, forcing him to gasp for breath.

At this point, he wanted nothing more than to stop. But he couldn’t. Everyone else still worked tirelessly around him. The thought of giving up never crossed his mind. Adrenaline surged through his veins and pushed his body forward, allowing him to ignore the fatigue little by little.

"Sir Shaan, wouldn’t you like to take a short break?" one of the couriers in a brown hat asked as he delivered another batch of crystals. Concern showed clearly on his face. "You look pale."

"Ah, that’s not necessary." Shaan shook his head. "I can still handle it, don’t worry."

With the last of his remaining strength, Shaan continued turning the crank. Suddenly, his vision began to blur. He shook his head repeatedly, trying to clear his sight, but the blur only grew worse. His breathing became heavier with every passing second. The room spun around him. Then his legs gave out. Shaan collapsed onto the floor and lost consciousness.

***

The sound of the door slowly opening instantly woke Shaan. Through the crack of the half-open door, he could see a pair of black boots standing in front of the door. Strangely, the owner of the boots just stood there silently for a moment before finally stepping into Shaan’s room, revealing their figure.

"Mr. Courier?" Shaan rubbed his eyes, a brief smile playing on his lips. "It’s been a long time since we last met. What exactly happened?

"Shaan, thank goodness you’re awake." Mr. Courier placed a tray with a cup on the table next to Shaan’s bed. "While you were in the lab, you suffered from severe dehydration due to the heat, and you haven’t fully recovered yet," he said, winking. "Sir Marshall told me to bring you to his room to rest."

"Oh... thank you in advance, but I think I’m feeling much better than before." Shaan slowly got out of bed and headed toward the door. "I have to get back to the lab now. They must—"

Mr. Courier immediately blocked Shaan’s path. His gaze was firm and sharp. "No. The Marshal has forbidden you from entering the lab until you’ve fully recovered."

"...But what about those crystals?" Shaan furrowed his brow, a look of confusion on his face. "Who’s going to destroy them if not me?"

"Don’t worry, one of the other Daemonists has taken over your task," Mr. Courier said. "All you need to do now is rest and regain your strength." He handed the cup he was carrying to Shaan. "Drink this potion. It will restore your energy quickly."

"...A-Alright." Shaan quickly drank the potion in a few gulps. "Thank you again, Mr. Courier."

"You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help, Shaan."

Silence instantly enveloped the place as Mr. Courier closed the door, leaving Shaan alone in the room. He could only stand there frozen, his head hanging limply.

’Damn, why has everything turned out so messed up?’

Shaan let out a long sigh and sat down on a nearby wooden chair. Shame gnawed at him from within. The events in the laboratory replayed over and over in his mind. Why couldn’t he keep up with the others? Why did he collapse at such a critical moment? The questions echoed endlessly inside his head, and each one made him feel even worse than before.

Those thoughts continued to echo inside Shaan’s mind, throwing his emotions into even greater turmoil. Frustration boiled inside him. He grabbed his hair and tugged at it in irritation, unable to ignore the fact that he had contributed nothing when everyone needed him most.

"Stupid... stupid." He tapped his forehead repeatedly and clenched his fists in anger. "I should have been able to endure it. So why did I...?"

Suddenly, Shaan stopped. A piece of photo paper had slipped out from the stack of books on the table. Curiosity immediately caught his attention. He reached out, carefully pulled out the photo, and examined it.

"Eh, wait... this is a photo of Dr. Marshal when he was younger." Shaan brought the photograph closer to his face and studied it carefully. "Yeah, that’s definitely Dr. Marshal. Even back then, his hair looked just as messy as it does now." His eyes shifted toward the man standing beside the younger Dr. Marshal. "But who is this man?"

Shaan kept observing the photo more closely without realizing that his bedroom door had actually opened. Someone was standing at the door, watching Shaan’s movements closely.

"Ahem!"

"Dr... Dr. Marshal?" Panic flashed across his face. He immediately shoved the photograph back into the pile of books. "S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I-I wasn’t trying to do something —"

Dr. Marshal simply smiled and walked toward him. "Relax." He waved a hand dismissively. "I don’t mind at all. "

"Alright..." Shaan lowered his head. "I’m sorry."

"Besides, that’s just an old photograph from my days at the Alchemy Academy." Dr. Marshal smiled. "I took it with one of my closest friends."

"Dr. Marshal, where is your friend now?"

Dr. Marshal shrugged.

"I have no idea. After I graduated from the academy, I got married and moved to another city. After that, I lost contact with him completely."

"Ah... I see."

"Wait a minute." Dr. Marshal scratched his head and laughed softly. "I came here to check on your condition, yet somehow I ended up talking about my past instead."

He shook his head with an amused smile.

"I’ve probably bored you enough already."

"Not at all." Shaan quickly shook his head. "I don’t mind listening to your stories, Dr. Marshal."

Then another thought crossed his mind. "By the way, what about the alchemical salt? Have you finished it yet?"

Dr. Marshal gently patted Shaan’s shoulder. "Almost. We only need a little more time."

Shaan let out a relieved sigh."Thank goodness. At least our plan will soon—"

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Sir Marshal, Sir Kael is looking for you." One of Dr. Marshal’s couriers spoke from the other side of the door. "He’s waiting in the living room. He says he needs to discuss something important with you."

"Alright. I’ll meet him after I finish checking on Shaan."

"I’m sorry, Sir Marshal, but he said the matter is urgent and can’t wait."

Dr. Marshal fell silent for a few moments before finally responding. "Very well. I’ll head there right away."

"I’ll pass this information on to Sir Kael," the courier said before turning around and leaving the room.

"Shaan, in that case, you should rest here until—"

"Dr. Marshall, I’m coming with you," said Shaan, trying to convince Dr. Marshall. "Look, I’m feeling much better now."

Dr. Marshall folded his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

"Sure." Shaan nodded without hesitation. "Come on, we have to hurry before Sir Kael comes looking for us."