The effect was immediate and almost catastrophic. Wovan’s weave fulfilled its purpose as a perfect catalyst, instantly merging with all the ingredients in his bowl, and the ether Arthur had to control suddenly jumped from 20 thousand to 280. The change was so drastic and unexpected that he almost lost control of the process at that very moment, a result that would have proved deadly for most humans in the city.

  Was it fair to put so many lives at risk to pursue power? Most would say no, but Arthur had passed the point of caring about such things the moment half the realm decided he needed to die. And besides, Arthur trusted himself not to fail. Was that the Dragon’s arrogance speaking or just plain old Arthur Ward?

  Nonetheless, Arthur was glad to see that Vira was setting up some magical protections around his room. He wasn’t certain how exactly adding Wovan’s weave had exponentially increased the ether he had to work with. It hadn’t drawn from his personal reserves or any of the ambient energy on Haadran, and the mythical item dissolving being the source of ether would have almost certainly provided far more explosive results.

  Whatever the case, Arthur was simply glad the elixir had more energy to work with. He wanted more of everything here. If there were a way Arthur could reliably dump 100 billion ether into his concoction, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

  The Strand of the Eternal was said to be able to weave reality itself. How would adding it to his elixir change things? The next few minutes were some of the most stressful in his life. There were several instances where his alchemy almost failed and others where the elixir's potency fluctuated randomly between extreme highs and lows. Thankfully, he wasn't faced with another sudden change that affected his control over the process, but handling such vast quantities of ether for so long was no easy task.

  Finally, when his mental reserves were running dangerously low and he was closing in on twenty minutes of extreme alchemy, things drew to a close. Arthur was positively drenched in sweat, and his body felt like it’d just been put through a triathlon, but it was done. Resting at the bottom of his elixir bowl was an unassuming black liquid that looked just like ordinary ink, no longer spewing noxious fumes. It was also significantly smaller than the sum of its parts, totalling no more than 200 millilitres.

  It was almost underwhelming, and a casual glance would suggest that he had failed. Arthur hadn’t, however, and it would take the people gathered outside his room a few seconds to realise that fact. The only reason why his latest creation had no presence to speak of was because it didn't exist. Well, to be more precise, it didn’t exist only in Haadran. While Arthur could perceive the elixir with his eyes and physically interact with it, its aura, magical signature and probably a dozen other things he wasn’t capable of sensing existed ‘elsewhere.’

  Now, Arthur was willing to bet a lot of money that ‘elsewhere’ constituted a similar number of realms to the number of missing components. After all, the weave that could bridge the gap between realities had gone into its creation. An elixir that existed across multiple realms was certainly a novel creation, but it also meant that somewhere out there in the multiverse, people were probably freaking out at the sudden appearance of such a powerful magical signature. Especially since it had no physical presence to speak of.

  Arthur felt something shift in his soul and click into place even as a wave of energy washed over him, soothing his aching body. Arthur grinned. He’d successfully made the trusty Ikea bowl into a true soul-bound item, which could only mean one thing. His elixir had come out at the Mythical grade. A quick use of Homunculus' Eye proved him right.

  Arthur had done it. The elixir couldn’t be any more perfect. There was no time to waste. Already, he could sense Vira bringing down the defences she’d put up. They’d be barging into his room any moment now, and while he trusted Maverick enough not to try and rob him, greed made monsters of good men. Would the rebel leader of humanity remain civil when he saw a Mythical elixir up for grabs? Arthur didn't think so.

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  He gave Wovan the go-ahead and watched in morbid fascination as all twelve of her bodies jumped into the bowl. He’d seen his soul splinter descend into a feeding frenzy before, but this was something else. It was almost like her twelve bodies had separated into different entities and were fighting over the elixir. The door to his room crashed open, and Arthur looked up in time to see Maverick charging at him, murderous rage in his eyes.

  He was thankfully saved from having to do anything because of Vira’s timely intervention, but the old lady didn’t look any happier to see him. “You should be flogged in the square for what you did today,” Maverick growled. “You’re a damn madman. Your alchemy put the whole city at risk. Even as we speak, we’ve got hordes of monsters hammering away at the east gate trying to get in. And what if your alchemy blew up? Without Vira here, you’d have taken out half the city.” Maverick shook his head in disgust. “Three Wyvern cores and some of the finest thread I’ve ever seen. You wasted some damn good ingredients and don’t even have anything to show for it.”

  “Are you done?” Arthur said coldly. “I can understand your anger, but let's not pretend there was any other way this could go. Would you have let me keep the thread if you knew of its existence? What would I have to give up to conduct alchemy in this city? Another year of service? You were never at risk anyway. Wovan was prepared to teleport the elixir far outside the city if I ever feared failure.”

  Arthur smiled. “And besides… who said I failed ?”

  Everyone's attention snapped to Wovan as she hissed loudly. It was the first sound she’d ever made if Arthur didn’t count the way she normally stomped her feet to get his attention. Her twelve bodies were bleeding profusely, almost melting. No, at second glance, they really were melting, forming a grey, viscous goo that settled at the bottom of his soulbound pot. The next second, Arthur was hit with a string of System notifications and a deep burning pain in his chest.

  The pain in Arthur’s chest spread to encompass his entire body. It ached something fierce, but worse was how wrong it felt. He felt like a prisoner in his own skin, like his soul didn’t belong in his current physical form. Arthur grimaced and sat down heavily on his bed. He’d much rather lie down, but the present company didn’t allow for such displays of weakness.

  “What's wrong?” Vira asked. “Is she dying ?”

  “No, she isn't.” It was Maverick who answered her question. He turned to stare at Arthur. "She’s evolving, isn’t she?”

  Arthur nodded.

  “You’re even more insane than I thought,” Maverick said, rubbing his temples. “You fed your pet spider, one linked to your very soul, an elixir made from some of the deadliest corrupted monsters this world has ever seen. You know what that means, right? That—"

  "If she succumbs, it'll affect you too," Vira finished off.

  "That's kind of the plan," Arthur replied. "Well, not exactly, but it is the basis of my plan."

  Arthur got to watch a myriad of expressions cross Maverick's face— surprise, shock, confusion, anger, before finally settling on a wary acceptance as he realised what Arthur was trying to do. The giant man ran a hand through his hair, looking like his centuries of life had finally caught up with him. "You seek to tame corruption," he said quietly. It wasn't a question, but Arthur answered as if it were.

  "I am an Originator, the progenitor of an entirely new species. Sometimes, it still feels a little unreal to me." Arthur glanced at what remained of Wovan. She'd dissolved into an oily grey goo that sat at the bottom of his alchemy bowl, but he wasn't too worried. He could feel her evolution beginning, the changes she was undergoing directly affecting his soul.

  "Wovan was created far more powerful than I could have predicted— than anyone could have predicted. I think it's time we started living up to the fear we inspire. Others have certainly tried it before me, but I've heard no names mentioned in the history books, no success stories told. I pioneered my species, and now I'll pioneer this field too."

  Maverick was staring at him like he was insane. Maybe he was?

  "Only a fool would dare kill me if I can conquer the very corruption that seeks to annihilate our entire realm." Arthur sighed. "The nobility in my realm hasn't always struck me as the wisest of decision makers, though. Only time will tell if my gambit succeeds."

  Vira smiled sadly at him. "I won't pretend I understand your situation, but it seems you truly weren't lying about those who want you dead if it drove you to such an extreme path, though something tells me you would've found yourself here eventually, no matter what happened in life. You do seem to be a man of extremes, Arthur Ward, or how did you put it— a pioneer, yes?"

  "I am no woman of God, but I pray you survive this." Vira walked towards the door, Maverick trailing behind her. "If you leave this room before dawn, we will assume you have succumbed to corruption and deal with you accordingly. We cannot help you now; no one can. Your life rests entirely on your shoulders."

  She looked back, staring at him as if he were a complex puzzle she didn't understand. "Tomorrow, we will reconvene here and see if you were a mad genius or a dead fool. Goodbye, and may fate favour you."

  The door to his room slammed shut, leaving him in an eerie silence.

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