Chapter Text
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Arin stood in the middle of his cottage. The windows were dusty and coated in soot and the hardwood floor was worn from footsteps and dropped tools. It had been several years since he'd traveled out of the woods. His little work house was all he insisted he needed. Even visiting Holly had been out of the picture for a while. Not that Arin minded much. Human interaction just distracted him from his work. An alchemist needs as much concentration as possible.
On the shelves which lined each wall there were rows upon rows of glass containers, the contents of each varying greatly. In vials and beakers rest stagnant liquids and gasses in arrays of colors, and in dust coated jars sat small chunks of various metals and elements. The majority of the containers were labeled, though the labels seemed to be more commonly illegible than not. Whether each was due to poor handwriting, fingerprints, smudges, or just general deterioration, it was uncertain. Not surprisingly, it was often a mix of all four. Broken glass glistened beneath a few of the shelves, as Arin saw no real reason to make any attempt to clean it up. It was just him. He knew where things had fallen, and he knew how to make his way around the shards they had created.
Arin looked down at the sparkling glass. Then toward his desk covered in several different types of scientific instruments. Burners, beakers, and tubes, all interconnected in some way or another. Papers torn from miscellaneous notebooks strewn along the surface, some having fallen onto the floor and the chair at the head of the table. Drawers held smaller tools. Matches and strikers, corks and lids, labels, pencils, and brushes. Even knives and awls. Anything that he thought he may need, though none of it was organized. He'd tried to clean it once. But it didn't last long, and only ended up looking worse than before.
It wasn't that he didn't care. It was that he didn't think it mattered. Everyone who'd come by, telling tales of the fabled alchemist deep in the woods, was turned away. He didn't understand how anyone needed anyone else. Holly had been fine since her partner left. And wiccans were often perceived as only working in covens. If she could do it, Arin was sure he could too. But maintaining his facade of the stern solo alchemist was only easy when it didn't involve him actually trying to. Leaving the house a mess was simple. So was turning away the annoying strangers who had come to learn from him. That was just a part of his personality. It was the cold nights when he would stay up until the daybreak working in solitude that really got to him.
It was starting to get late, and Arin already knew that tonight was going to be one of those nights. After changing from his day-to-day tattered, stained, cloak and baggy pants into his equally messy nightwear, Arin sat himself down at his desk. Staring blankly at his notes, he gave up on trying to remember what he was attempting to alchemise next. He'd already memorized how to change any metal to gold, and now had a surplus of gold to work with. Even though he knew that he could easily make a living off of it all, Arin refused to head to town to sell any of it, so it had become his usual starting point for many spells. Arin pulled out a half sharpened pencil and a scrap of whatever parchment he had lying around and scrawled a number at the top.
"#393"
This was something he did every time. Mark the number of different formulas and spells that he had tested in order to create life. By his 400th formula, Arin hoped to successfully alchemise what he himself had only heard legends of. A human being.
Arin knew the chances of this were very slim. But he had confidence and willpower. He'd already created an amoeba at #86, a squid at #147, a tadpole (which managed to grow into a frog) at #203, a bat at #282, and a slightly deformed rabbit by #312. So he was already ahead of the game as far as he knew, having figured out the alchemy behind creating life. You must go as far back as you can. Back to the beginning. When it was just stardust. That's the same thing all life forms are made of. But only having seven more tests to make a human still didn't seem easy. He knew that he'd have to take every chance to work he got, even if it meant getting little to no sleep.
The stars glowed brighter out here than he'd ever seen in the town. His cottage was the only light for miles, Holly being the only other resident and being a few day's trek away. The pale blue and white of the moon shone through his window, dancing off the shelves of glass and catching on the prism hung from the ceiling. A beautiful rainbow crept its way across the floor and up the wall as Arin worked. It was nearly silent except for the crackle of fire and the boiling of various liquids.
And although it was the perfect picture of what Arin had hoped for... he craved the presence of another human.
This was the first time he admitted it to himself aloud. Being that there was no one around to listen but his creatures, he rarely said anything. It was all silent thoughts and written word. But as he lowered his arm from one of the many shelves, beaker in hand, Arin spoke for the first time in who knows how long. "Shit... they were right. All the wannabe apprentices were right. It really does get boring being the only one out here..." Immediately realizing what he'd said, Arin slammed the glass he was holding down onto the desk. The force of his anger caused it to shatter, sending more shards he wasn't going to clean up onto the ground. "Dammit, Arin. You knew that when you came out here. You've lied to yourself this long. Why not keep it up?" It felt good to say things out loud, so he didn't resit as he caught himself in a one person banter. "If everything goes right, and you work on it every day, you'll have a companion in a week! Calm down!"
After a little more back and forth, Arin realized that all he had to do was keep going exactly as he was. Just for a little bit longer. So after quickly wrapping up what little progress he had made tonight and scribbling down a few final notes, he went to sleep.
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Over the next few days, Arin made several promises to himself.
Once his human worked out... if his human worked out... he'd start trying. He'd get the cottage cleaned up, to start. Get the soot off the windows, the glass off the floor, and everything organized in the desk. Put legible labels on all of this samples, compile all his notes. Everything he knew he should've been doing all along.
And once he was done "trying", he'd keep "doing". Everything would have to stay clean. Whoever he ended up bringing into this world shouldn't be expected to clean up after him. Arin was creating a partner, not a slave. He'd treat his new creation as an equal, not like he would've treated any of the people who tried to force themselves onto him.
He promised to make sure that he didn't just create life for the hell of it. He had to appreciate every bit of it, and his partner had to be able to recognize that. There had to be care involved.
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"#399"
Today's number was now almost-legibly written across the top of a new page. Arin laughed. "Today's the day I need to have everything ready. Tomorrow, I can't make any mistakes." He knew the chances were slim. He knew he should stop getting his hopes up. But all he'd been able to think about for the past week was how close he was to not having to be alone anymore. Whoever he created needed to be perfect. Last night, he'd gone through notes #1-#397 figuring out what worked and what didn't. Today, he would just be testing it all. Making sure everything he thought would be good for his creation was actually going to be. Each note had its own set of issues, most often in the legibility of it. Smudges, poor handwriting, and simply forgetting to label things could end up being his downfall. Was thyme for luck or lust? Did you have to boil the first concoction for three minutes or three hours? Was the liquid in his diagram water, alcohol, or something different all together?
For several hours, Arin just sat and wrote the cleanest notes he had in his entire time as an alchemist. He tested all his burners, set a bucket outside for moonwater, gathered stones, and tried to clear off the long table he would use to bring his companion into the world. The windows were wiped down, letting more light in than when he'd first moved in, and the glass was swept off the floor. Everything had to be ready. All the jars and beakers and test tubes containing all his metals and samples were relabeled. The ones he would need for tomorrow were set aside. Just the minerals. The only way to make a human was to use pure star stuff. The most basic elements. Everything added afterwards was for extra personality. He took the advice Holly had given him years ago and began gathering key items.
Before Holly's partner had left, Holly used to keep in touch with Arin quite often. The two would make monthly trips to visit each other. Whenever he came by, Holly would tell him a part of her magic. Usually it involved herbs, stones, and energies, something Arin was quite familiar with. But never will he forget the last time they interacted. Her partner had just left, and she sat Arin down in front of her spell table. She'd never shown him her Book of Shadows before. It was always something very secretive for a wiccan. But she flipped through the pages until she found the one she wanted. Then just set it down and left, leaving Arin to read it on his own.
"For affection, beauty, and love: quartz, lavender, moonwater, sea salt, rose petals, and cinnamon. Use generously"
Arin encircled the long table with these ingredients. So much so that the room would smell of cinnamon for weeks.
Light shone through the windows in the back room as Arin set everything up. He laid out chunks of gold in the vague silhouette of a human, and next to them placed one of his cloaks so they could throw on some clothing right away. There was no real way to determine the sex of whatever life form you were creating. Fortunately, this didn't matter to him. He didn't need a lover, just a companion. If he ended up getting more than that, so be it, but he wasn't expecting anything. Arin chuckled to himself as he thought about it. There was a good chance that it wouldn't work, but he was desperate. No matter who had showed up to try to work with him, they were never going to be able to compare to the person he was trying to create for himself.
It wasn't easy to prepare for tomorrow. Between the alchemy, the organizing, the cleaning, and his own giddiness, Arin was overwhelmed. He knew that in order for everything to go right tomorrow, he had to try to get some rest. Instead of heading back to his room or even bothering to change, he slept on the ground right next to the table. There were no glass shards there to worry about, and he'd even mopped up all the dirt and dead bugs. Arin pulled his cloak over his head and used his arm as a pillow, curling his legs into his stomach. Sleep came easily, and he drifted off with a grin on his face.
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Arin sat straight up. Sunlight coming through the windows unobstructed by soot was abnormal at this point, so just that in itself was enough to wake him. It only took seconds for Arin to be up and scrambling for his notebook and pencil. "Damn. Today's the day. It has to be" he reassured himself. "I can do it. Just follow what I wrote yesterday."
Arin looked at his line of beakers, jars, and other containers. The samples each had their own specific purpose. Holly's spell was already surrounding the table, but everything else had to be mixed. As he pulled himself over to his work desk, he glanced at his notes. No herbs, no spices. All pure elements, just star stuff.
Then he wrote today's number at the top of a new page.
"#400"
In his neatest writing, he began making note of everything he did.
"Boil moonwater. Add carbon, hydrogen..."
Hours went by. Smoke filled the room again. It was silent. Just the sound of crackling fire and boiling liquids. Arin knew this would be the last day he had to deal with the deafening silence of solitude. It had been so long since he'd even heard another person's voice. All he could hope for was any form of functioning human. Male, female, magic, non-magic, whatever. It didn't matter. Just someone. Someone to fill the silence with laughter. Someone to cast a shadow other than his own when the light came through the windows. Someone.
Arin sighed as he worked. If he made any mistakes, something could go terribly wrong. But it didn't matter. His deformed rabbit was still good company. An imperfect human couldn't be that bad... could it? "God dammit if I mess this up... I need this. Me. Arin. A human being. A solo worker. I need another human being." He laughed for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Can you believe this? I need another human being?" He stopped, put down all his jars and beakers. All he could hear was his own breathing. Arin drug one hand across his face, covering his beard with soot. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. "I do. I need... someone else... someone to- fuck, Arin, don't get sappy. Get back to work." And he picked up right where he left off. In Arin's mind, he'd never said those things. He couldn't have. It didn't fit him.
Light danced through the window and bounced between the glass strewn all over the cottage. Even the kitchen had jars of various elements adorning every possible place. Right now, the house was just as messy as it had been before. But he cared. Arin cared so deeply about his soon-to-be new partner. The sweat from his hands left marks on the desk as he lifted his finished potion. All that was left to do was to apply the brightly colored liquid to the gold silhouette in the other room. Each drop fizzed as it hit its mark. The room heated up a few degrees and the windows filled with steam, washing away some of the soot that was made that morning. Arin knew that it would take a while to work, so he left to his room for a well needed rest.
What he didn't know, was that the rules that apply when making animals are not the same as those for humans. Humans need that extra something. Something he had not yet figured out.
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A few hours had passed, and Arin still couldn't get to sleep. He needed the rest badly, but his mind was all worked up, anxious, and gleeful. Tonight, it wouldn't just be Arin, the moon, and the boiling of various liquids. There would be no late night testing tonight, there would be no reason for it. He knew that the boiling and crackling of work could be replaced with laughter or chitchat.
And then there was a crash.
Arin jumped to his feet and ran to the other room. "Shit. The bottles!" he growled under his breath. He knew his creation had to have worked if things were being broken in the room he'd created it in. But now he was more worried about what he was going to be walking into. Arin's feet stuck to the cold floor with each forceful step he took, and his breathing became rapid. He was genuinely scared. Broken glass and lose materials was one thing. And the successful creation of a human was another. But the idea of putting the two together was a whole new level of unease. As Arin put his hand against the door, he prepared for whatever mess could be behind it. Blood, bones, and broken glass were the worst he could think of. Nothing too out of the ordinary for an alchemist who was friends with a wiccan. But that didn't make him any more comfortable with it. Arin shut his eyes, and pushed open the door.
And he was faced with a scene he never could've imagined.
Sunlight flooded in through the rippled window, broken jars and beakers littered the floor. The whole room seemed to glow with a blinding light. Before he was able to assess his new creation, his vision had to adjust to the shimmer of everything. Arin rubbed his eyes vigorously, attempting to better his vision, the only logical explanation for his blindness being the reflection of the sun on the glass. But it wasn't just that.
As he focused properly, Arin stood looking directly at the most beautiful yet eerie human being he had ever seen. At first, it was hard to see. The being was bent down messing with a bit of glass and wearing Arin's cloak. But as he stood, Arin noticed every little detail. He was slender and strong, but looked very gentle. His skin was soft and pale like the pink moonlight of a harvest moon. His eyes glistened in an inhuman way, as if opals sat where his eyes should've been. And his hair. More bizarre and elegant than any faerie Holly had ever drawn in her Book of Shadows. It billowed up in locks of curls, but no part other than that could've been described as hair. It was if a nebula had been affixed onto his head. It flowed lightly, no wind necessary, and sparkled like the night sky. An ethereal mix of blue and purple, with starry white flecks shining throughout it. He even had a small scruffy beard to match. He was made... of star stuff.
Arin stepped forward, careful not to stand on any of the thousands of glass shards covering the floor. As Arin stood in front of his new creation, he noticed that they were the same height. The being spoke before Arin was able to, and his voice was smooth and earthy. "I'm sorry. I broke all your things on accident... I... I-"
But Arin cut him off as he grabbed his hands. "Don't worry about it. I'm Arin. I brought you here. What is your name? And are you alright?" The being lifted his head to look into Arin's eyes. Arin was incredibly nervous, and honestly slightly scared. He didn't know why his creation wasn't fully human, and he didn't know what to do to fix it. But he knew that he'd made himself a promise. To care and make sure his partner knew he cared.
"I don't know my name. Do I have a name? Should I know my name? I don't know if I'm alright..." The being looked just as nervous as Arin felt, which was a definite relief for Arin. As his creation looked around rapidly and pulled away his hands, Arin smiled. He'd made this. This was his. And he was absolutely stunning.
In an attempt to calm them both down, Arin put his hand on his creation's shoulder and spoke very softly. "It's ok. It's your name, so you can make it up. And I think you're ok. Just... not what was expected. But that's more fun, isn't it?"
The being paused, then grinned a big goofy grin. His nebula hair swung lightly as he nodded his head. "Yeah. You're Arin. I'll be... I'll be Dan. Is that alright?"
Arin took his hand off the his partner's shoulder and ran his fingers through his own hair. He smiled and chuckled faintly. "Yes. Yes, Dan is very good. Dan? Will you stay and work with me?"
Dan's already sparkling eyes glistened with joy. "I would love to." The sunlight from the window reflected off the glass on the floor, creating an iridescent scene. Bits of light also glowed from behind Dan's nebula of curls, hitting parts of Arin's face. Everything was perfect.
As Arin lead his new partner over the mess and out of the room, he couldn't help but smile like a sugar-filled child. He held Dan's hand and brought him to the main room, then just stared at him for a bit. He smelled of lavender and cinnamon, and Arin was in love.