The Combat Alchemist

The day came far too soon for Lukas' liking. He'd spent the entire week leading up to the gathering trying to distract himself, whether that was by throwing himself into training, study, or alchemy. Even then, all he could think about was the dread and anxiety that came with having the attention of so many strangers on him. It was like he had a class presentation coming up, and every second that brought him closer to that moment intensified the feelings.

It was to the point that training had stalled out. He could hardly make it through a paragraph while reading, so studying was off the table. As for alchemy, the less said the better. Suffice to say he made no progress with his new mana webs, being unable to focus long enough to avoid having a concoction blow up in his face.

That morning, Akira had even ended training early when it became clear that Lukas wasn't all there. He was too distracted by the fast-approaching evening. Rather than get on Lukas' case about his inattentiveness, Akira told Lukas to relax for the rest of the day. It was surprising; it wasn't like Akira to let him off so easily, but he didn't argue in the slightest.

Of course, there was no relaxing done at all that day, and it passed in a hazy blur that seemed to stretch for an eternity and yet took no time at all. Sera was no help at all. It wasn't even that she teased him; she just didn't really know how to help him. The fact that she put her mischievous side away and was seriously trying to help made him feel a little better.

If there was one person in the entire world who sucked at consoling people, it was Sera. That was excluding Lukas, of course. Still, her attempts were heartening, and he was glad to have her as a friend, no matter how weird the god-mortal dynamic was.

When the time finally came, Akira met Lukas in the foyer of his guest house, and he was surprised by her appearance. It was one of the rare few times that he saw her outside of armor, and the first he'd seen her in a dress. It was an off-the-shoulder dress and showed off her powerful yet slender shoulders and arms. Made of some kind of silk, it was forest green and matched her eyes perfectly. Set against her gorgeous bronze skin, she almost resembled a tree and reminded Lukas of Calayis. It was like everything else that Lukas had come to associate with Akira: simple yet elegant, with a seemingly endless amount of grace and poise.

She naturally had no makeup, as she was an elf and wielded mana. She simply didn't need it, being one of the most gorgeous people Lukas had ever seen. Her silky black hair tumbled effortlessly down her shoulders, looking more like an onyx waterfall than anything.

When he'd first set eyes on her, Lukas' mind had briefly gone blank, not expecting to see her in such a getup. He even forgot about the party for the briefest of moments. That was until he remembered why she was there.

Still dumbstruck by Akira's appearance, Lukas was unable to speak as she looked him over with a resigned expression. "Let me guess, you didn't want to wear the clothes I gave you?"

Lukas was forced to gather himself, something that seemed to mollify Akira somewhat. "I— No, I didn't. I won't be taking off my armor. A warrior is always ready for a battle."

Off to the side, Sera gave him a silent, approving nod.

Akira simply sighed and clasped her hands before her. "I can't blame you for that. I like dressing up from time to time, but right now I'd rather wear my armor. Unfortunately, my mother would never allow that. At least you look good in it—presentable. I don't suppose the mask…?"

"It stays on," Lukas insisted resolutely.

Akira tilted her head slightly, as though considering him. "Do you think you'll ever take it off?"

Lukas let out a noncommittal grunt. "That's a conversation for another time."

Truthfully, Lukas wasn't sure how he felt about the mask. Most times he forgot he was even wearing it, and it was a surprise whenever someone brought it up, so it was never really something he thought about. As for the prospect of taking it off? He definitely preferred to keep it on. He wasn't overly attached to the thing in any way, nor did he have any particular reason to keep it on at this point. It mostly served as a buffer between him and everyone else, but he only really dealt with Akira and Kora. That being said, Lukas had been seen wearing the mask constantly for weeks now, never having taken it off in front of someone. Taking it off now would just be weird and awkward, and he didn't want to deal with that. So, the mask stayed on.

Before he knew it, Akira had led Lukas from his residence to the main lodge. Along the way, the grounds and the paths seemed desolate. During the entire walk, Lukas hadn't seen a single person. It was nice to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and talk with Akira without being interrupted by other people or worrying about their looks. It was also slightly unnerving to see the whole place deserted like that.

'Everyone must be off preparing for tonight,' he thought, unhelpfully. The moment the words crossed his mind, he was reminded of the upcoming evening, and a bolt of unease shot down into his stomach.

Grimacing, Lukas tried to force down the feelings as they drew closer to the lodge.

When they arrived, Lukas started toward the private residence of the main branch family, only to stop when he saw Akira head off in another direction. Rather than go up the large ornamental stairs, she turned and went down an ostentatious, yet rustic, hallway. It was filled with natural light that poured in through windows along one side of the hall.

Following her, the corridor reminded Lukas of hallways he'd find in schools back on Earth, only in that the hallway was wide and spacious. No school back home would have hallways filled with gorgeous paintings, sculptured alcoves, such fine design, and large oak double doors. At least, not the schools Lukas went to.

Lukas took in the scene for a moment before turning to Akira. "Where are we going?"

Leading him around a corner, she answered, "The event tonight is going to be held in the ballroom—"

"I'm sorry, you have a ballroom?"

"It's a big house," she smiled. "We have a lot of things. But as I was saying, we'll be in the ballroom. It has a few side rooms used for various things; we're headed to one of those rooms now."

"How come?" Lukas asked, looking at a sculpture of a vine monster made of stone in passing.

"My mother and a few others are taking care of some last-minute preparations there. It's also where we'll enter from later," she explained, before grabbing hold of his wrist with a grin. "Now come on, the sooner we get there, the more time we'll have to talk to my mother."

Before he could get another word in, Lukas was all but dragged through the halls, past residences, apartments, recreational rooms, and whatever else you might find in massive mansions. As they went, they passed a few groups of people—some faces Lukas recognized, others he didn't.

Their gazes were much more passive and less scrutinizing than he was used to, and none tried to stop them for a chat. Lukas chalked that up to them knowing what the night's gathering was about. It was nice, not having to deal with the probing stares. There were still whispers and gossip, though, and judging by what was said, a large event in the ballroom raised expectations and spurred on rumors and speculation.

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'Why did Kora have to make this a big deal?' he groaned internally. 'Why couldn't she have just sent out a letter?'

Eventually, they stopped before a set of double doors just like all the others they'd passed; the only difference was a slight gold trim along the door's features. Without knocking or hesitating, Akira swung the doors open, revealing a room you'd expect to find in a posh mansion back on Earth.

It was almost as large as a single-family home. Couches and armchairs were all over, some by a magical fireplace, others next to a large window that looked out on pristine gardens and a crystalline lake. There was a large dining table with over a dozen seats, and bookshelves where there weren't fancy paintings and busts of pretty elves. On the other side of the room was another set of wide double doors, these ones open and leading to what Lukas guessed was the ballroom. He couldn't see much of what was on the other side, but what he could make out was extremely fancy-looking.

Their unannounced entrance earned them a few looks, though none lingered for more than a moment. They were all too engrossed in their preparations and tasks to care about their arrival. People were coming and going, off to do God knows what. And honestly, seeing all the effort people were putting in made Lukas uneasy.

'What are they expecting from me?' he worried. 'Oh god, they don't think I'll be performing something or giving a speech, do they? Am I supposed to!? Oh, forget that, I'll run off into the forest before I give a speech.'

"Are you alright? You seem stiff," Akira asked, poking his arm and pulling him out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, frowning as he rubbed at his arm. "You need to cut your fingernails; they're sharp."

She rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh, let's just go talk to my mother."

They found Kora at the head of the dining table, surrounded by the largest group in the room. Whatever they were discussing must've been important, because everyone's attention was glued to Kora. That, or it was her position in the family that captivated them. No one wanted to disappoint the future matriarch, after all.

It wasn't until they were halfway across the large room that anyone noticed them—the person to notice, of course, being Kora. She fired off a few orders to some and dismissed the others, the crowd around her quickly dispersing not long after.

Leaving the table herself, she went to meet the two. "Akira, you look lovely, sweetheart. Your dress of choice is beautiful."

Akira inclined her head respectfully. "Thank you, Mother."

Kora then turned to Lukas and eyed him up and down. "I see the clothes we provided you weren't to your taste. Still, Aywin knew what he was doing when he made that armor, and you look dashing. It will do."

Lukas detected something in her voice. It wasn't quite displeasure… maybe disappointment? Whatever it was, he simply gave a nod in return.

"And how have you been over the last week? I hope you've been practicing those aura exercises."

"Some slight soul strain the day after—like a sore muscle—but it didn't last long. As for the exercises, I've been doing them daily, and they've given me some insights on how to better manipulate my aura."

Kora gave him a warm, motherly smile. "Excellent. We'll do more training tomorrow evening, then once a week after that—as we discussed."

"Not even going to ask how I'm doing?" Akira grumbled quietly, so only they could hear. "I swear it was like my soul was crushed by a boulder."

Kora smiled at her daughter's antics, watching as she rubbed her chest as though she had heartburn. "Akira, dear, how are you doing?"

"Besides having my soul feel like it was crushed by a boulder? Fine. Mostly watching as Lukas slowly devolves into a mental breakdown."

That earned Lukas a concerned look.

"I'm fine," he assured, "just nervous about this evening."

Kora nodded in sympathetic understanding. "I figured you would be, considering your personality, but you have nothing to worry about. Now, speaking of tonight, have you come to a decision regarding my offer?"

"I have," Lukas said.

"Ah, good. Let's go out on the balcony and talk; we'll have more privacy there," she said, waving them towards a set of delicate-looking french doors, left open to allow a fresh breeze to blow in.

Following her lead, Lukas and Akira stepped outside and onto the balcony. It looked out over the garden and lake, giving them a great view of some of the best features of the family grounds. Compared to the busy room they'd just come from, the place was free of any other people and silent besides the song of birds and the trickle of water from a small waterfall.

Coming out right behind the two, Kora shut the doors and indicated that they should join her by the balustrade.

"So, Lukas," Kora started, "what have you decided on?"

Glancing towards Akira, she jerked her head towards her mother, indicating that he should start talking. It wasn't exactly the encouragement he was looking for, but he got the words out.

He talked for almost five minutes straight, explaining his decision and why he'd chosen to go with that path. The only time he was interrupted was when Akira hopped in to help explain the backstory they had come up with. All the while, Kora was silent, taking in their words with a neutral expression and the occasional nod.

Lukas wasn't sure how she was taking the news, but he guessed that she had wanted him to accept the adoption. He knew very little about the politics of this world and politics in general. Just the thought of getting involved made him queasy, but he was pretty sure that joining the family would have been big for her in some way.

Once he was finished, Lukas watched Kora as she thought over what had been said, the rhythmic clicking of her nails on the balustrade the only clue to her feelings. Then, after a few more seconds, she slowly started nodding.

"That story could work," she finally said. "It would be hard to disprove. Lighthollow is an even bigger city than Pinewood, so you slipping by unnoticed won't be questioned. And anyone attempting to dig deeper into you won't find anything due to your supposed unimpressive origins. The only issue is my husband and son—they obviously don't know about you or our situation here. I'll have to send them a message as soon as possible to prepare them."

"You're going to tell them about Lukas', erm, condition?" Akira asked, throwing a glance at him.

"Condition?" Lukas sputtered indignantly.

"Of course not," Kora assured them. "It will take weeks for any message to reach them, and Lukas' condition, as you put it, is no small matter. I'll simply let them know we found a promising young seed and needed a backstory," she added with a grin at her daughter. "Your father is smart enough not to question me, and he'll take care of your brother."

"So, we're good then?" Lukas asked. "And you're not upset about the adoption thing?"

She smiled and spread her arms in an inviting gesture. "I respect your decision and your reasoning behind it. You're self-sufficient and self-reliant; of that, I'm well aware. Still, the offer stands should you wish to accept at a later date. As for the backstory you came up with, it will suffice."

"Great," Lukas sighed, feeling like he'd just finished a fight. "What now? And what about tonight? I'm not giving a speech or anything, right?"

Kora laughed. It was a perfect thing—mirthful and delighted—the kind of laugh you'd expect from a gentle queen.

"No, dear, you don't have to give a speech, but I will be showing you off. The whole family is curious, so I'll have you stand with me as I give them your story. From there, I'll guide you around and introduce you to various key members of the family, so get ready for a great deal of questions."

"Ugh," Lukas slumped, rubbing his face under the mask. "You're kidding. I have to talk to people."

Akira snickered by his side, and her mother's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Yes, Lukas, you will have to talk to some people; you can't avoid that. Don't worry about it too much—they won't ask anything in depth. Just give them some vague, roundabout answers, and they'll be satisfied so long as they get a sense of your strength and feel as though they come away with something."

Stepping away from the balustrade, she made for the closed door. "Now, there are a few things that need to be taken care of before the evening. I suggest you two hang around until we're ready to bring you out."

With that, she was gone, leaving Lukas and Akira alone out on the balcony.

"So," Akira said, turning back to Lukas, "what do you want to do for the next few hours?"