The Alchemist
It is said that in the kingdom of light, the Tenmas were a royal family which descended from the King of Light and Queen of Dark
The King was a powerful leader, and yet he was graceful and kind to his subjects. A loyal king who would die for his kingdom if push came to shove. The Queen was the most beautiful in the land, her generosity and graciousness brought a smile to the faces of their citizens.
The King and Queen loved each other dearly, blessing each of their children with magical abilities. They say the King would only bless those whom had fared worse than death itself, forevermore.
The Queen blessed those with fates far kinder than the fate of those that befell against the holder of Light. The King’s power of Light was powerful, it was only right to bless it upon the unlucky soul of whoever had a fate worse than death itself
Generation to generation did dark magic arrive, not a single Tenma had been given the magical power of Light. It was both a miracle and a curse, for years and years of generations without a single hint of light brought the kingdom great confusion
If Kingdom of Light, why was there no light magic to be found in its royal family? That was a question nobody could answer. After all, generations passed and still not a sign of light magic anywhere.
Until Tsukasa was born.
Tsukasa sighed as he watched the birds from the only window in his tower, he was the only Tenma with light magic and the only Tenma who could heal so effectively. He was also the only Tenma with powers to create rather than destroy. He watched as a lonesome flower sprouted on the back of his hand, sighing. He made the flower disappear and it faded into glowing yellow particles.
He wondered why everybody was so adamant on keeping him locked up in this tower. They would only tell him it was for his safety
He could use the sword relatively well, he could heal himself, he was already 17! He was supposed to turn 18 soon. How come they still felt to protect him as if he was a child?
He usually spent his time painting, singing, acting, or talking with his siblings.
Bless their souls, they kept him sane.
He hatched a plan that day, he would sneak out just this once and take a little stroll at night.
It’s not as if he couldn’t take care of himself, he was more than capable of that. So, that was the plan.
He was to sneak out tonight.
Toya, Saki, and Kanade would’ve been worried if he had told them, he decided to keep it a secret. Between him and himself alone.
The night fell painstakingly slow as he let the rope he made fall down from the window, he secured one end right and tugged it hard before climbing down himself
The feeling of grass on Tsukasa,s feet was foreign. It felt nice. He danced around the grass for a few moments before deciding to explore a little bit more
He walked towards the opening of the forest, the elders had warned him to stay away from these forests
They say a “dangerous alchemist” lives here. They said this alchemist was not one to be trusted, having been banned from the kingdom completely
He walked deeper into the forest until he spotted a little cottage, the lights were on and he could see some fire flickering through the windows
He wanted to meet more people, he braced himself and walked towards the cottage before knocking on the door
He best one this was a rather stupid idea, he was well aware whoever lived in this cottage could very well kill him
“Who is it- Ah! Hello…?” A strange looking man opened the door, he looked rather confused as to who could’ve been knocking at his door at this hour
The man was tall, he was also rather on the skinnier side, he had purple hair with cyan streaks and yellow eyes, odd.
Tsukasa would’ve recognized he was most likely not a citizen of the Kingdom of Light. Nobody inside the kingdom would look or dress like that without the fear of being judged
”Ah! My name is Tsukasa, you see I am a bit far from my… Er… home! And it would be ever so gracious if I could stay the night- Ah! If it isn’t too much to ask!” Tsukasa fidgeted, he’s never talked to anyone he wasn’t already familiar with before so he was quite obviously nervous. It also didn’t help that he was asking for a pretty big favor from a stranger
”Fufufu~ Come in, I’m Rui. Rui Kamishiro.” Tsukasa thanked the stranger, who had now revealed himself to be known as Rui, and went inside the cottage
It was rather cozy, there was an upstairs and a basement so it seemed, Tsukasa was rather in awe of the place for he’s never seen anything like it before, outside of books that is
”Well… Since you’ve invited me in, shall I cook dinner?” Tsukasa was now painfully aware of how weird that must’ve sounded, a random stranger in the middle of the night intrudes upon your home and then offers to make dinner? Tsukasa would’ve found that suspicious
Either Rui didn’t mind or he simply didn’t think it was weird, he led Tsukasa to the quaint kitchen, it had all the equipment needed to make a basic meal.
”Pardon for the intrusion… I did not expect to be out this late” It wasn’t particularly a lie, he merely got distracted and went into the forest, that’s all! He hadn’t planned going in the forest at all!
He sighed as he got himself together, he needed full focus when he was cooking. Last time really did a number on him…
Rui found this stranger quite interesting, his blonde hair almost seemed to glow in the darkness and it seemed he didn’t go out much either
He was a bit skinny, not as skinny as Rui himself but skinnier than the normal, his posture was straight and he seemed to act formally. Rui could deduce he was most likely a noble.
Rui wasn’t the biggest fan of Nobles or Royals, they weren’t the biggest fan of him either. With his chaotic and dangerous alchemy, he could call destruction without much effort
That was why, he was banned from the Kingdom of Light in the first place, the Kingdom of Dark was where he was born and raised and yet he wished not to go home
The Kingdom of Dark was led by aristocrats who cared not for the betterment of their people by much more on their military’s power and status. They were known far and wide for their ruthless behavior and much less merciful punishments
Alchemy and Magic were frowned upon in the kingdom, Rui was fascinated by it but much less were the Ruler’s pleased. He was also outcasted and upon turning 15, thrown out with only scarce materials
He remembered the way Mizuki looked at him that day, the way their eyes faltered and tears streamed down their cheeks as they waved him goodbye.
Rui made a life for himself, selling his services to high end families for money. It actually worked, surprisingly well, in fact. He would usually roam around the Kingdom of Light when he had the time, that was before.
Now, at 17, Rui was seen as a threat after being found out to be doing business in selling elixirs and potions which could’ve been potent and brought harm the human body. He was berated by the lead knight on the dangers of using magic even though he made it rather clear it was alchemy
Some people really couldn’t tell the difference, could they? As much as Rui fought, they would not budge
It was in one of these arguments did Rui snap and simply left. He was now seen as a threat and disrespectful, how nice.
He was rather surprised when this noble hadn’t heard of him, or maybe he did and didn’t know it was actually him
”While I do love an audience, you’re going to continue staring at me like that or what?” While Tsukasa’s voice was loud, Rui didn’t mind, he only shook his head before continuing to read the book he had set in front of him
A little while later was a plate sent in front of him as well, some Roman meatloaf with t he side of boiled asparagus. Rui physically recoiled at the sight of vegetables on his plate. Then again, he didn’t ask Tsukasa to not put vegetables into his meal and he did have some around…
"What? Don't like veggies? How have you lived this long?!" Rui grimaced at the thought of eating vegetables, Tsukasa huffed and sat down the opposite side of him
"Well, can't force you to eat. It's fine, just leave it for me" That was when Rui had realized Tsukasa didn't make anything for himself, "Where is your food?" Tsukasa shook his head, "I'm not hungry, plus, I can't just barge into a stranger's house and eat their food. That's improper" Rui chuckled slightly, "So is barging into a stranger's house" It had been years since Rui felt a genuine smile and laugh, he doesn't know what this Tsukasa guy can do but he can sure make a guy smile.
"I suppose I owe you an explanation..." Rui only nodded as he picked apart the vegetables on his plate, he would rather die than actually eat it but it would be rude not to eat a meal cooked by somebody made especially for him, "I snuck out of my home." Rui nodded, he knew there was more to the story but Tsukasa could tell him when he felt ready
Tsukasa had bandages wrapped around his arms, Rui noted, he wondered what might've happened to him. "Oh! Uhm... Is the food good?" Rui noted the vegetables tasted... Decent? He couldn't feel the gross texture and he couldn't taste the disgusting dirt either. "It's good. You've made vegetables... Edible! Marvelous!" Tsukass laughed slightly, he was aware of his culinary expertise with how much time he had to himself
"Ah, I must leave early tomorrow..." Tsukasa looked out the window, he knew if the others found out he snuck out it would be danger for him
And don't get him started on them finding out he went into the forest and spent a night in a stranger home. "I apologize again... For the intrusion..." Tsukasa mumbled, Rui nodded. He couldn't read the expression on the other's face, he looked both guilty and regretful yet excited at the same time
"You may take my bed, I have a couch" Tsukasa looked visibly appalled at Rui stating he were to take the couch
"No! It's fine! I can take the couch, your room is your room and it's your bed!" Although Rui tried to reason with him, Tsukasa remained firm and stubborn
It ended with Tsukasa taking the couch, he had this smile on his face that just overflowed with pride. Rui usually didn't like overly-prideful people but Tsukasa might as well have been an exception. Many nobles who got lost in the forest would also have stayed at his home, except none of them were as nice as Tsukasa was. They usually were demanding, never paid him back, and usually acted as if they were above him
Tsukasa, however, acted with kindness and tried to pay Rui back in one way or another. He wouldn't let Rui sleep on the couch, he even cooked Rui a delicious dinner. The dinner Tsukasa cooked was probably the best Rui's ever had in his life
Rui looked up at the ceiling, slowly drifting off to sleep. Tsukasa slept on the couch, snuggly wrapped under a blanket.
He'd worry about consequences tomorrow.