Year 8 – Autumn, Lunaris Academy
The scent of iron and incense filled the laboratory halls of House Sanguis. Cauldrons hissed and glowed like tiny hearts, each one reflecting the ambition of its owner.
Ketsuraku adjusted his gloves and leaned over his cauldron. The crimson mixture inside pulsed with erratic light — part Blood Qi, part Void Qi, both refusing to mix peacefully.He exhaled slowly, channeling energy through his fingers, coaxing the two opposing rivers to flow as one.
"Alchemy," Professor Veyric had said earlier, "is patience given form. Impatience explodes. Literally."
Ketsuraku stirred once. The potion flared white, then settled into a deep, living red.Steam rose, carrying faint whispers — fragments of the red code that had once answered his will.
He smiled faintly. "So even creation bleeds."
He poured the result into a vial shaped like a tear. It shimmered, heartbeat for heartbeat, as though alive.
"Crimson Vial of Recovery," he murmured.
The System flickered before his eyes.
[Blood River Cultivation Interface Update]New Skill Unlocked:Alchemy (Beginner Lv.1)You can refine vitality-based potions and trade material essence for Astral Credits.Sub-Skill:Potion Appraisal — Detect purity and value of crafted goods.
He turned the vial over in his hand, smiling. "Let's see if the world still trades in miracles."
The Market of Petals
The academy's floating bazaar spiraled beneath Lunaris like a city of stars — an endless ring of merchants, artificers, and alchemists.Ketsuraku carried his small tray of vials through the crowds, crimson mist drifting from the fountain of spider lilies at the center.
He found an empty stall and set up his wares. For a long time, no one noticed him. Then a familiar voice — clear, confident, warm — cut through the noise.
"Selling unlicensed recovery vials? That's bold."
He froze. That voice. It struck a chord inside him — not recognition, exactly, but memory. A pulse in his soul answered it before his mind could.
He turned.She stood there in a red cloak, sunlight catching the faint silver sheen in her hair. Her eyes were bright, intelligent — and strangely familiar.
"Brave," she said, smiling faintly, "or stupid."
He forced a grin. "Depends who's buying."
"Then sell one to me. Two Astral Credits."
"Three."
"Two and a half."
He hesitated. For some reason, he couldn't lie to her. His heartbeat matched hers, rhythm for rhythm.
"Deal," he said softly. "You get the potion… and your name."
She blinked — surprised not by the words, but by the strange sense of déjà vu that rippled through her chest.
"Rosa," she said quietly. "Rosa Seraphiel. And you?"
"Ketsuraku Van Helsing."
For a moment, both just stared — something in the air between them whispering again.
The System glowed faintly behind his eyes.
[Soul Resonance Detected – Probability of Shared Past: 63%][New Trait Acquired: Silver Tongue (Lv.1)]Your words influence emotion and trade. Negotiation success rate +15%.
He blinked. "Guess that's a fair exchange."
Partnership of Fire
They spent hours trading beside the crimson fountain, Rosa showing him how to bargain properly — when to smile, when to let silence sell.Her laughter drew attention; his calm confidence sealed the deals.
By nightfall, they had sold everything. The two leaned on the rail overlooking the lower districts, the Blood Moon glowing above.
"Not bad for one day," Rosa said, counting coins."Luck," Ketsuraku replied."No," she said with a grin. "Instinct. Or maybe fate."
Their eyes met again — and for a heartbeat, they both remembered dying in a world that wasn't this one.A flash of blood, screams, two girls, and his hand reaching out—
Then it was gone.
She blinked and laughed it away. "Anyway, try not to blow yourself up next time."
He smiled faintly. "I'll consider it. Partner."
The System flickered once more:
[Skill Progression]Silver Tongue – 14% MasteryAlchemy – 37% MasteryNew Objective: "Expand Trade Network. Unlock Market Permit (Tier I)."
He looked at the vial in his hand, its last drop glowing faintly like memory.
"Some debts," he murmured, "are paid in coin. Others in time."
The crimson lilies swayed in the wind as the moonlight fell between them — and the River of Blood whispered quietly, unseen beneath the academy's floating shadow.