CHAPTER 98— Alchemy City(4)
"And this is the official Honor Room of GAA," Timl the student guide announced brightly, gesturing grandly as he led the trio inside.
Rowan, Sarina, and Ritvik stepped into a sprawling, vaulted gallery.
The room was lined with polished glass cases filled with glittering trophies, each bearing engraved names, alongside rows of framed photographs honoring students who had made groundbreaking contributions to the field of alchemy.
"Here, the academy preserves the legacy and records of every individual who pushed the boundaries of our craft," Timl explained cheerfully.
While Ritvik and Sarina browsed the exhibits, Rowan stood completely frozen before a particular trophy case. His thumb hovered over the polished glass, his eyes locked onto a single, deeply familiar name engraved on a gleaming plaque.
"This portrait over here depicts the fourteenth—"
"Most of these trophies have the exact same name on them," Rowan interrupted, his voice hollow.
Timl coughed awkwardly. "Ah, well, yes. Most of those major awards were swept consecutively by a single exceptional student. His name is... well, it's pretty hard to miss since it's practically plastered all over this wing." Timl pointed to a massive placard. "Alokik Sarvanathan."
Rowan felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
The name echoed loudly in his mind.
Alokik Sarvanathan. It was the exact name his older brother had written down in his letters—the brilliant close friend he had met during his time in Alchemy City.
"He was truly one of a kind," Timl continued, gazing fondly at a massive, framed portrait of Alokik receiving a grand gold medal. The plaque beneath it read: Presented to Alokik Sarvanathan for the invention of stable mana-cells.
Rowan stared at the face of the smiling brown-haired alchemist, his chest tightening. 'So this is the guy Bhaiya talked about.'
"And so—" Timl opened his mouth to resume his long-winded historical breakdown, but Rowan cut him off entirely.
"Where can I meet him?" Rowan blurted out, his eyes fixed on the portrait.
Timl blinked once, then twice, staring at Rowan as if he had just spoken in an alien tongue. "What?"
"I asked, where can I find him? Where is he right now?"
Timl nervously rubbed the back of his neck, his smile faltering under Rowan's intense gaze.
"Ah... I don't think you'll ever be able to meet him. You're... well, you're way too late for that."
"Why? Did he graduate and move to another territory?" Rowan pressed, his voice rising with agitation. 'I have to meet this Alokik guy. He is one of the only ones who might know the truth about what happened to Bhaiya!'
Then, Timl delivered an answer that hit Rowan like a physical blow.
"He's... no longer with us."
For a second, the words failed to register.
"What?"
"He's dead. Alokik Sarvanathan passed away."
The ground seemed to vanish beneath Rowan's feet. He shook his head numbly, his lips parting as he tried to speak, but no words came out. 'Dead? He's dead...?!'
"B-but how?!" Rowan stammered.
"Didn't I mention it earlier? Last year, when Al Salvador's successor attacked the GAA campus from the inside... Alokik was caught in the crossfire," Timl explained grimly. "Don't you watch the news?"
Rowan's thoughts spun out of control in a dizzying panic. 'That means... I can't meet him. He was literally my one of the few living lead to Bhaiya—'
"What else do you know about Alokik Sarvanathan?"
"What else do you know about Alokik Sarvanathan?"
Two simultaneous voices echoed identical questions across the quiet gallery.
Rowan blinked and turned his head toward the source of the second voice, only to find someone else doing the exact same thing.
Seraphine Ignis was staring right back at him with wide, shocked eyes. Both of them wore the exact same expression of profound disbelief.
Seraphine was standing a few paces away, accompanied by Selene, Marna, and their own assigned GAA student guide.
Timl looked back and forth between Seraphine's guide and the two students, sweat beading on his forehead. "Ah... I had no idea Alokik had such dedicated fans visiting from Grand Aetherion."
"Quiet, and answer the question," Seraphine snapped, quickly recovering her composure.
She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, shooting a sharp, suspicious glance at Rowan out of the corner of her eye. "Is there anything else worth knowing about this Alokik guy in this room?"
"Ugh... to be completely honest, not really," Timl explained nervously. "This is just the Honor Room for student awards and portraits."
"Are you featured in any of these frames?"
Seraphine demanded, raising an eyebrow.
"Um... cough. No."
"Then what the hell are you looking so cheerful about?"
Timl flushed, frantically tugging at his collar.
"Hey, um... it's a mandatory academy policy for student guides to maintain a welcoming smile at all times!"
"Ah, of course," Seraphine rolled her eyes. "Because your endless, empty smiling for no reason was starting to give me a migraine."
Ritvik stared at her with a deadpan expression. 'Great, now she even has problems with people's smile.'
"What are you glaring at me for?" Seraphine hissed, pivoting toward him.
"Who said I was glaring at you? My eyes were locked on the portrait," Ritvik replied flatly.
"Who was even talking to you, mutt?" She pointed an accusatory finger past him. "I'm asking your friend. Why are you staring at me like that?"
Indeed, Rowan was still staring directly at Seraphine, his mind racing.
Swallowing hard, Rowan finally spoke up, his voice tight. "Why are you looking for Alokik?"
"Is that any of your business?"
"I'm just curious."
"Then keep your curiosity to yourself."
Sensing the rapidly escalating tension, Timl raised his hands defensively. "Um, guys, let's calm down—"
"Shut up and tell me what else you know about Alokik Sarvanathan," Seraphine interrupted, glaring back at the guide.
Timl sighed in exhaustion. "Look, I don't know anything about him personally. How could a low-ranking average student like me know a top-tier genius?"
"So you're a low-ranking student?" Seraphine asked bluntly.
Timl winced. "Yeah, obviously. What did you expect? Why would GAA waste its top-tier minds escorting visitors around? The real top students are locked away in high-end labs running synthesis experiments or writing thesis papers. It's always slackers like me who get stuck pulling tour-guide duty."
Seraphine stared at him deadpan, while Timl let out a long, pathetic groan, rubbing his face. "Ugh... my facial muscles are cramping up from holding that fake smile for two hours straight."
"So you genuinely don't know anything useful about Alokik?" Seraphine pressed.
"Nope. If you want to know anything about him, you'd have to ask the faculty or the top-ranking seniors who worked alongside him."
Rowan lowered his head, listening to every word in heavy, brooding silence.
---
A short while later, Rowan, Sarina, and Ritvik sat together on a stone bench in the main courtyard, quietly sipping cold beverages.
Gulp... gulp... gulp...
"Ah... finally, some fresh air. I thought my brain was going to melt from that endless history lecture," Ritvik complained, crushing his empty can and tossing it cleanly into a nearby recycling bin.
"Even the aluminum cans here have that old man's face stamped on them. He honestly looks like a self-obsessed narcissist," Sarina remarked flatly before lifting her own drink to her lips.
Rowan, however, sat completely silent between them. He held his beverage can limply in one hand, slowly rubbing his thumb over the metal surface as he drifted deep into a dark trance.
Sarina watched him out of the corner of her eye, lowering her drink. "You've been unusually quiet today."
Rowan blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Huh? Oh... yeah."
"Normally you'd be bouncing around asking a million questions about every piece of tech we pass," Sarina noted, studying his face.
Rowan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well... you know."
"Is this because of that Alokik guy?" she asked directly.
Rowan dropped his hand, freezing. 'Did she pick up on it?'
He looked up into Sarina's calm, unreadable eyes. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking beneath her stoic expression.
"Um... yeah. I was hoping I could find him during this trip, but it turns out I can't anymore."
Sarina narrowed her eyes slightly, maintaining her composure before tilting her head toward Ritvik.
"Hey, Ritvik."
"Yeah?"
"Didn't you claim you had visited this campus before?"
"I mean... yeah, I was here years ago."
"Do you happen to know anyone in this city who might know something about this Alokik guy?"
Rowan's eyes widened in sudden shock. He snapped his head toward Sarina. 'Is she... trying to help me?'
"I mean... I don't know if my old contacts would know anything specific about him," Ritvik muttered defensively.
"Or were you just lying about ever visiting this city in the first place?" Sarina prodded smoothly.
"Hey! I never lie!"
"That's something that guys who has lied their whole life would say."
"Oh, that is it," Ritvik gritted his teeth, standing up abruptly. "Fine. Let's go. I'll personally drag you across the campus and prove I've been here before."
Rowan stared up as Ritvik stomped his foot on the pavement in righteous indignation.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Sarina asked, standing up and smoothing down her skirt. "Let's go."
Rowan stared at her, deeply bewildered by her sudden willingness to assist.
---
On the opposite side of the sprawling courtyard, Seraphine sat slumped between Selene and Marna on a shaded stone bench.
"Ugh... who am I even supposed to ask about this Alokik guy now?" Seraphine groaned, burying her face in her hands.
"What kind of backward academy is this, no one even knows anything about their own top student?"
She pressed her lips into a thin, frustrated line before turning to her friends. "Do either of you know anyone here who might have connections to the upper-year alchemists?"
"Nope," Selene and Marna replied in unison.
"Great..." Seraphine groaned, slouching further.
"Why don't you just ask Zephyr?" Marna suggested mildly. "He has an absurd web of connections everywhere he goes. I'm sure he's managed to befriend half the student body here by now."
"Ugh... that absolute menace only maintains connections with girls," Seraphine snapped.
"Still, shouldn't you try? He might actually be useful for once," Selene urged, standing up. "Come on, let's go find him."
"Where else would he be?" Seraphine muttered bitterly. "Probably flirting with local female students near the cafeteria or lurking outside the ladies' restroom like an absolute pervert. Lyren really needs to break his legs so he'll finally learn some boundaries—"
Seraphine abruptly cut herself off.
Walking straight toward them across the open stone path, holding a bag of local snacks with his signature playboy smirk, was none other than the exact nuisance they were discussing.
Seraphine locked eyes with her two best friends, a synchronized spark of realization flashing across their faces. They leaped off the bench in unison.
"ZEPHYR!!!"
---
CHAPTER ENDS