Lukas wasn’t sure how long he’d spent reading and mastering the basics, but if he had to guess, it would be close to a week. At this point, his head was chock-full of information he had yet to use. That was going to change today, however. Today, Lukas planned on making his first potions, something he’d been holding off on, albeit barely.

  From the very first day, he’d wanted to delve into the lab and experiment with the cauldron, but he wasn’t foolish enough to believe he had the knowledge to avoid causing an explosion or something similar. As Lukas learned more, he found it increasingly difficult to resist the temptation of diving right in. By now, he had the foundational knowledge to give it a shot, but he lacked the self-confidence to pull the trigger.

  It was only after finishing the first shelf of books that he decided to attempt it. He’d already learned all he needed to; now it was up to him to make it work. This was something he was both excited and nervous about. He was excited because it was another piece of the puzzle he would conquer, something he'd been building up to for a while. He was nervous because he’d read that a failed concoction could be dangerous, ranging from delivering scalding burns to literally blowing up in one's face.

  Lukas wasn’t one to shy away from pain; his scars were proof enough of that. What he worried about was damaging the lab equipment. So, after going over all his notes so many times that he had them memorized, he made the attempt.

  Lukas would start with mana potions as they were generally considered the easiest for an alchemist to make, followed by health and stamina potions. He already had the required flower for the potion, a Mana tulip; in fact, he had around a dozen in his inventory from his time in the forest. All he needed were a few cuttings from one of the vines growing on the wall, and he’d have what he needed to begin.

  Entering the garden, Lukas pulled out a knife he’d found in the lab for cutting up ingredients and other herbs. Approaching the nearest wall, he found what he needed.

  Wesser Vine (Common) - A vine ,common throughout the world, most often used as a catalyst in potion-making, but also applicable in various other alchemical creations.

  Lukas cut a large segment of vine, knowing that while he didn’t need much for a single craft, he likely wouldn’t succeed on his first try. Even when he figured out the process, Lukas planned to make potion after potion until he had the process nailed down.

  After storing the vine and knife in his inventory, Lukas headed to the lab. Upon arriving, he took a seat on a stool at the central lab table. Everything he needed was already there: the cauldron, the mortar and pestle, and a flask containing distilled water.

  Now, Lukas had no idea where this dungeon came from, but that flask was just ridiculous. It looked like a standard hip flask that any drunk would carry, only this one was completely covered in what Lukas now recognized as inscriptions. The thin lines were a confusing mess, seemingly purposeless, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

  Despite its weight and ordinary feel, the flask could hold an untold amount of liquid. Lukas had no idea how much was actually in there and frankly didn’t want to find out for fear of flooding the entire dungeon. If forced to guess, he'd say it could hold more than an Olympic-sized swimming pool's worth of liquid.

  Shaking his head to clear the distracting thoughts, Lukas moved on to crafting. He pulled out the vine, knife, and his notes, setting everything on the table. Ready to start, Lukas unscrewed the cap from the flask and poured some of the distilled water into the cauldron. There was a rune on the cauldron that would heat the water to a boiling point, but Lukas needed to prepare the ingredients first.

  So, Lukas grabbed a Bunsen burner-like device and lit it. A hot blue flame emitted from it, beginning to lick at the bottom of the cauldron, heating it up. With that task completed, Lukas moved on to the next step.

  Grabbing the vine, Lukas began cutting it into properly sized pieces before setting them aside. Taking one of these pieces, he diced it even further, then tossed it into the mortar. From there, he ground it into a fine paste, all the while consulting his notes, despite having memorized them by that point.

  Once satisfied with the result, Lukas scraped the paste into a small bowl for later. He then cleaned out the mortar before pulling out one of the Mana Tulips from his inventory. Stuffing the flower, stem and all, into the mortar, Lukas started grinding it down as well.

  It was interesting to learn that a significant amount of the flower’s useful energy came from the stem, not just the petals or the main body.

  Soon enough, Lukas had a nice light blue paste that gave off a pleasant aroma reminiscent of chilled blueberries. Nodding in satisfaction, he took the mortar and scooped the blue paste into the now bubbling water. The reaction was almost immediate.

  Just like the regenerative pink flower, the Re’in Carnation, this blue paste dissolved nearly instantly, even faster, dispersing like powder in the distilled water. Lukas knew this was due to the distilled water itself.

  Basic potions like these required the water to be distilled, free from impurities that would hinder a clean mixture and reduce efficiency. For poisons and other higher-tier creations, however, the skill of the alchemist could counteract impurities and control the energies within the concoction.

  Lukas watched briefly as he saw the same strange wisps he’d observed when making the regenerative water. He quickly scribbled down some notes before moving to the next step. Snatching up the paste he had set aside, Lukas dumped it into the cauldron.

  The effect was immediate; the faintly blue water turned into a rich blue that began swirling around in the pot. The vines contained properties that pulled out those of other herbs and ingredients, then bound itself to them, making them more potent. The energies of the flowers or other ingredients would always resist as they were forcibly altered. This is where the alchemist's role became crucial.

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  For an alchemist, the name of the game was energy control. In the creation of a concoction, the energies naturally wanted different things. The goal was to use one's mana to prevent the energies of the main ingredient—in this case, a flower—from overpowering that of the catalyst. When overpowered, the energy from the catalyst would dissipate, resulting in a failed creation. The problem was that in every case ever recorded, the energy of the main ingredient overwhelmed that of the catalyst because the catalyst was inherently weaker and less potent. All the catalyst did was extract the stored energy from the ingredient, leaving the rest to the alchemist. Here, Lukas came into play, and while he wasn’t an alchemist yet, he understood the theory well enough to know his job.

  Placing his hands on the cauldron, Lukas covered two runes meant for infusing mana. With extreme concentration and his notes fresh in mind, he tried to infuse mana into the runes. But nothing happened.

  He kept trying, desperately hoping for some change, but there was none. After a few seconds, an intense smell of sweet blueberries wafted from the cauldron. It was then that Lukas knew he had failed. Scent was a significant indicator of deterioration. If you could smell the flower, it meant the energy of the main ingredient was overwhelming the catalyst, the scent being the escaped energy.

  Lukas just sighed and slumped in his stool, watching as the beautiful blue liquid turned a murky brown with an unpleasant odor. He stared at the failure, pondering what had gone wrong. Everything had gone perfectly until the time came to infuse mana. He had been completely unable to use his mana, but why?

  All the texts he'd read claimed that infusing mana was easy, almost instinctual, yet Lukas felt nothing. Based on what he'd read, he had figured it would come naturally and easily. He could feel the mana within him, but he couldn’t get it move. It was like a strange extra sense, and he could feel the mana running through veins in him, similar to how blood flowed.

  All Lukas could do was try again, so he picked up the cauldron and walked it over to the sink that matched the one in the bathroom. Dumping the contents, he rinsed out the cauldron and returned to his stool. Sitting back down, he filled the pot with more distilled water and went through the whole process again.

  A few minutes later, Lukas was sitting before another cauldron full of swirling deep blue liquid. Once more, he took notes before placing his hands on the respective runes. Again, he concentrated, feeling the mana that flowed through his body, imagining it flowing from his hands into the runes.

  But nothing happened, and again, Lukas was left with a failure.

  Lukas sat there frowning, wondering what he was doing wrong, or rather what he wasn’t doing. He clearly lacked control over his mana, having assumed it would be as straightforward as the books suggested. Closing his eyes, Lukas focused on the mana coursing through his body and over his skin. He tried moving it but to no avail. Then, an idea struck him.

  As a kid, Lukas and his best friend had taught themselves to wiggle their ears. Why? Because they were kids and had nothing better to do. Back then, he couldn’t feel anything when trying to wiggle his ears, no matter how hard he concentrated. It wasn’t until he used his hands to pull on his ears and mimic the motion, to understand what it should feel like, that he succeeded. After that, he knew how the muscles moved and quickly learned to control them.

  Lukas was momentarily lost in memories of better times, reminiscing about his childhood. He swiftly dismissed these thoughts, not wanting to dwell on the past right now. Besides, with his mind clearer, he really didn’t want to think about her.

  Shaking his head, Lukas refocused on the task at hand. He locked onto the mana, attempting to manipulate it somehow to get a feel for its movements. He didn’t know how long he sat there, but he was determined to figure this out before wasting more valuable herbs and ingredients.

  He tried various methods to affect this new part of himself, from moving parts of his body, poking and pinching all over, to experimenting with different breathing patterns. Lukas tried a great number of things, and after each failed attempt, he felt more like an idiot.

  After sitting on the stool like a dunce for far too long, Lukas finally had success when he nudged one of the mana veins with his mind. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd done it, and the sensation was very strange, but it was progress. It was almost as if he'd done it with his thoughts, but not by thinking them—he’d tried that. This was like taking a thought, condensing it into a ball, then throwing the ball at a power line.

  Again, the whole thing was bizarre, something not possible before the Stone of Rebirth.

  Anyway, it worked. When the ball of thought hit the power line of his mana, a reverberation passed through Lukas. It was extremely faint and barely noticeable; he only felt it because it was something he’d never felt before. But it gave him a sense of what he was dealing with.

  From then on, Lukas spent more time using thought to feel how his mana moved, and after what felt like an eternity, he made progress. He could faintly sense something within him that he could grab onto and push or pull. Excited by this new revelation, Lukas’ eyes snapped open, and he got to work.

  A few minutes later, he had a new batch roiling in his cauldron. Eager to see what his discovery could do, Lukas jumped straight in. Placing his hands on the runes, he acted on what he now understood to be his mana, and this time, things were different.

  An energy began to trickle out from Lukas, and the runes on the cauldron glowed faintly. A wide smile grew on Lukas’ lips as he felt the difference; it was as though he’d created a link with the cauldron and could use that link to control the energies within. There was just one problem.

  It quickly became clear that Lukas couldn’t supply enough mana; his control was still too weak. Within seconds, his third attempt at a concoction failed. With a sigh, Lukas bowed his head in disappointment. He’d approached this confidently, expecting that after all his studying, he'd master it quickly. Sure, he knew he might fail the first few attempts, but now it was evident he wouldn't be making anything anytime soon.

  Undeterred, Lukas lifted his head with determination. He scribbled down notes detailing what went wrong, why, and the feelings and sensations he’d experienced. Afterwards, he reviewed it all in his mind several times, trying to grasp everything.

  Not long after, Lukas was back to making more attempts. Each one failed spectacularly, and he hated wasting materials, but he didn't know how else to practice his mana use. With each subsequent craft, he found progress. The strength of his infusion grew as he became more adept at the feeling and process. He also got closer to a successful craft, with each attempt taking longer to fail.

  It was strange, like navigating a maze but returning to the start with every wrong turn or dead end, all while learning to use a new limb, as if an extra arm had been attached to him. It was frustrating to know what needed to be done but not have the precise or steady control to do it. It was like teaching a paraplegic to use their legs by making them square dance.

  All told, Lukas was having a rough go of it, and frustration was building. However, he didn't let his emotions sweep him away, knowing it wouldn't help. Instead, he focused on improving and getting it right. It was just a puzzle he hadn't solved yet, and with time, he would.