Whiskey, Code, and Chaos
The Celestara alchemy hall smelled like burnt sugar and bad decisions.Professor Vastel floated in front of the class, robe shimmering with containment wards that looked far too experienced.
"Today," he said, "we will be exploring emotional distillation — transmuting feeling into matter. In layman's terms… brewing with consequences."
Ayaka's tails twitched. "So, alcohol?"
"Alchemy," Vastel corrected. "Though the results may be… drinkable."
Lumiel raised a hand. "And if they're not?"
"Then you've invented poison and should take notes."
The professor glided away, leaving Lumiel, Ayaka, and Kuroha surrounded by crystal tubes and starlit glass cauldrons. The air hummed faintly with spell wards. Someone's brew in the corner was already trying to climb out of its flask.
Red Code Distillery
Lumiel spread his materials across the bench: star-wheat, dreamroot, fox-mint, and a fragment of bottled laughter stolen from last festival's fireworks.The Red Code pulsed quietly inside him, a heartbeat of divine script.
He raised his hand over the cauldron and whispered, "Let's make something happy."
Runes of crimson light bled into existence around him.Each glyph spun slowly, humming like musical notes.
One glowed gold, murmuring flavor: whiskey — smoky and warm, with an aftertaste of memory.Another burned sky-blue, vibrating with mood: elation — a joy that lifted the chest without emptying the mind.A third shimmered silver, promising energy: sustained, like dawn stretched through veins.A gentle green light carried healing: moderate, soothing fatigue and ache.And the final rune, a flicker of violet mischief, whispered side effect: minor dancing impulse.
Ayaka leaned close, eyes bright. "You're programming feelings."
"Brewing them," Lumiel corrected, concentrating. "Alchemy's just cooking with philosophy."
Kuroha yawned on the counter. "And likely with explosions."
The Song of Fermentation
He let the Nihility Fire bloom beneath the cauldron.It didn't burn — it sang.The Red Code reacted, each rune dancing to the rhythm, their glow merging into spirals of amber light.The scent that rose was incredible — honey and thunder, warmth and laughter.
Ayaka's ears flicked up. "If happiness had a smell, it's this.""Or a lawsuit waiting to happen," Kuroha added.
The mixture pulsed once, then settled — smooth, golden, alive.Tiny motes of light drifted above it, forming gentle script.
Celestara Spirit No. 1 — The Whiskey of Elation.
Testing Phase (Mildly Irresponsible)
They poured three small glasses.
Ayaka claimed hers first and downed it before Lumiel could object.She froze — then burst into a grin so radiant it made the lamps flicker."Oh stars— it tastes like a festival inside a thunderstorm! My whole soul feels fizzy!"
Kuroha sniffed his glass, then licked it delicately. "Tastes like optimism. Alarming."
Vastel drifted over, curious, and sipped a cautious mouthful.For a heartbeat, his ghost-pale face flushed a faint blue.
"Remarkable," he murmured. "I feel… moderately alive again."
Lumiel finally tried his own. The drink burned, not harshly but tenderly — like laughter warming his ribs.It healed the ache in his hands, sharpened his focus, and left behind a faint urge to dance for absolutely no reason.
Ayaka caught his wrist, giggling. "Don't resist it! You invented happiness!"
"Accidentally," he protested, though his smile betrayed him.
Alchemy of Emotion
When the last drop faded, the runes above the cauldron lingered — still glowing faintly.They weren't static symbols now, but music made visible.Each pulse carried emotion, as if the drink itself was still alive, humming gratitude into the air.
Lumiel traced one rune with his finger, and it rippled like silk.
"Emotion can be brewed," he whispered."The Code doesn't just shape matter… it shapes mood."
Vastel nodded approvingly. "True alchemy never separates heart from formula. You've distilled joy, Mister Valentine — not a bad start to enlightenment."
Ayaka leaned her chin on his shoulder. "So what are you naming it?"
He thought a moment, then smiled. "Whiskey of Elation. Something to heal the tired parts of people."
Kuroha flicked his tail. "And mildly compromise their dignity."
Entrepreneurial Aftermath
By evening, Daniel had already branded it.Posters appeared across Celestara before sunset:
Valentine Elixirs — Whiskey of Elation!Boost Energy. Heal Wounds. Dance Poorly.
Students lined up down the corridor. Professors pretended not to. Even the Headmistress ordered a "research sample."
Coins piled up on Lumiel's desk.
Ayaka clinked glasses with him. "Cheers to profitable mistakes."Kuroha sighed. "If the gods ever return, they'll sue us for copyright."
Reflection at Dusk
Later that night, when the laughter faded and the cauldrons cooled, a faint script of red light rose from the last drop left in his glass.
Creation should make hearts lighter.
The letters dissolved into starlight.
Lumiel raised his empty glass toward the mirror above his workbench and smiled softly.
"To the void that learned to smile back," he whispered.
From the shadows, Kuroha's low voice answered, amused and proud.
"And to the fool teaching it joy."
They toasted the silence, and for the first time, the Red Code itself seemed to hum approval.