As the oppressive atmosphere thickened around him, Lucas lifted his eyes only slightly, meeting the Sage’s gaze for a fleeting heartbeat.
It was a mistake.
The moment their eyes met, Lucas felt as though something ancient had looked directly into his soul, peering through every layer of calm, seeing past his practiced restraint, unearthing thoughts he didn’t know were visible. The Sage’s gaze held no malice, no overt threat, yet it was so profoundly deep, so ancient in its weight, that it felt like the man was a mountain watching a blade of grass.
A chill raced down Lucas’s spine.
His instincts flared in silent alarm, and he instantly bowed his head low in deference, refusing to meet those piercing eyes again.
"Forgive me, Sage," Lucas said softly, his voice calm, yet entirely respectful. "I greet you humbly."
Then, unexpectedly, the Sage smiled.
There was no malice in it. No judgment. It was subtle, just a curve of the lips and a slight softening of his sharp eyes. The air seemed to loosen, the invisible grip on Lucas’s chest releasing ever so slightly.
"Come," the Sage said in a voice that was surprisingly warm and aged like fine timber. "Let us sit."
He motioned toward a secluded part of the chamber, where a pair of chairs sat by a small round table carved from a single slab of spiritwood. Lucas followed silently, lowering himself onto the opposite seat after the Sage had settled in.
"I have heard," the old man began slowly, his voice thoughtful and deliberate, "of the deeds you did yesterday."
Lucas’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his expression calm. "I only did what I believed was necessary, Sage."
The Sage gave a small, approving nod. "And that is why it caught my attention."
There was a pause. Not of awkwardness, but of weighing, measuring. The Sage studied him again, not with force this time, but with the sharp curiosity of someone who saw something valuable buried under layers of mystery.
Then, with fingers lightly drumming the armrest of his chair, he spoke again.
"I am working on something," he said, his voice dropping just a bit, like a whisper meant only for those who could understand its depth. "An artefact... a rare kind. If completed, it would allow the wielder to turn all the Qi in a designated area into their own reservoir, within limits, of course, but entirely under their control."
Lucas’s brows rose faintly, but his heart did not race. He was impressed, yes. It was no small ambition. Such a feat would redefine the battlefield, reshape cultivation tactics, and give terrifying authority to anyone capable of wielding it.
But surprised? No. Not at all.
After all, he wasn’t sitting with just anyone, he was seated across from a Sage Alchemist. A title that alone suggested miracles were possible.
And Lucas, even with the humble expression on his face, understood very well what kind of history could be made here.
With a slow and almost reverent motion, Sage Raph reached beneath the folds of his heavy robe and produced something wrapped in layers of deep violet silk. The fabric shimmered faintly with embedded runes, wards, no doubt, meant to contain whatever essence lay within.
Lucas watched with a quiet intensity. His eyes narrowed slightly as the Sage placed the bundle gently on the table between them, as though setting down something fragile... or dangerous.
The Sage unfolded the cloth layer by layer, and with each one peeled away, Lucas felt a subtle ripple of energy stir in the air. It was not violent, not even loud, but it was undeniably potent. By the time the last fold was drawn back, revealing the object within, Lucas could feel the very Qi around them responding, as if the artifact drew breath from the world itself.
It was a disc. Not large, perhaps the size of an open palm, but it pulsed with a faint silver light, almost like moonlight caught in stone. Carved into its surface were ancient glyphs Lucas didn’t immediately recognize, winding like rivers in a delicate spiral toward the center. There, nestled in a small socket, was a gem unlike anything he had seen, clouded, opalescent, and quietly alive with motion, like mist swirling behind glass.
"This," the Sage said softly, gazing at the artifact with a look equal parts pride and frustration, "is my latest creation. It is called the Core of Dominion."
Lucas remained silent, sensing that this moment wasn’t one that required questions, at least not yet.
The Sage leaned forward slightly. "It is designed to anchor itself to the ambient Qi in any environment. Once bound, the wielder becomes the singular authority over that Qi, directing it, suppressing it, manipulating it entirely to their will."
He paused, watching Lucas closely, searching for a reaction. But Lucas merely listened, his hands folded in his lap, his posture composed.
"But..." the Sage continued, voice lowering further, "there is a flaw. One I cannot solve. Upon activation, the Qi in the surrounding area turns violently unstable. It doesn’t just shift, it becomes turbulent, hostile. Like a storm caught in a bottle, raging without direction."
Lucas’s brows furrowed slightly, and he glanced at the disc, a flicker of understanding already forming, though incomplete.
"That instability," Sage Raph went on, "makes the artifact too dangerous to use. In theory, it should calm the Qi, not inflame it. The foundation is correct, the calculations, the engravings, the heart-stone, they all align. And yet..."
He leaned back and finally looked directly at Lucas again.
"I believe the flaw is not in the construction," he said. "But in the conceptual energy flow. And for that, I need a mind not burdened by the habits of my generation. I need a mind untouched by the rigidity of tradition. I need a mind still unclouded by years of alchemical dogma."
He gave a long, considering pause. Then:
"I need your mind, Lucas."
The silence between them deepened.
"You are young. Fresh. But you are not untested. You’ve already shown what your thinking can do, even under pressure. And brilliance... brilliance does not always wear the face of age."
The Sage gave him a small, meaningful smile.
"So, I am asking: will you help me solve the final puzzle?"