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“Nefres! You need to tell us the truth, why are you after that rock so bad you nearly ran into that temple??”
“I... I can’t...”
“Please, tell us so we can help you!”
“Why do you need the Philosopher’s Stone?..”
“I ... ugh... Fine. I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell Sapru.”
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It starts with an alchemist...
Nefres was born into a family with high expectations. He was talented, skilled with a blade, a poem, or horse, a boy of many skills. All of them finely tuned by his parents until they considered him to be perfect. But it wasn’t his desire. He wanted to be more than what he was shaped to be, to find his own destiny, but he didn’t have a path. Until, he found alchemy. A type of magic based in logic, in newfound science, something that clicked in his head. Throwing away everything he knew before, he dove headfirst into the study. And as all alchemists do, he began to research Immortality.
As he became an adult, Nefres moved away, someplace far from his family and their expectations and questions. To a place where he was not known, and he preferred it that way. A lone tower, abandoned by the previous owner, became his fortress. To the townspeople, he was known as cold, calculated, aloof. Never seen with anyone else, always busy with his own tasks. He funded his studies by selling medicines to the local healers and doctors, but never to patients directly, claiming to be too busy for such a task. The townsfolk avoid him, their own stories of who he is filling their minds. To them, he is a mirage. Beautiful, but uncatchable. And for a time, life continued this way. The alchemist in his tower, the townsfolk going about their day, peace in the village. And Nefres told himself he was happy with this, happy with being alone to pursue his studies.
But if he stayed alone his whole life, this story would end here.
One day, an orphan boy was left behind by his mentor, abandoned in a town he didn’t know. The townsfolk were kind enough to not chase him away, but not kind enough to take him in. He found shelter underneath an old building that everyone seemed to avoid. A tower. Then, the tower’s owner found him asleep hiding in the basement. He woke the boy up, determined to maintain his solitude, but the boy begged.
“Please, I have nowhere else to go. My mentor left me here, said I wasn’t needed anymore... I can work! I’m skilled! I just need somewhere to be safe.” The boy begged. And in his yellow eyes, Nefres found a spark, a drive to prove himself to be more than what others made him out to be. A drive that the alchemist himself shared. So, begrudgingly, Nefres gave the boy a chance.
Sapru turned out to be more than willing to please, seeking out praise by doing anything asked of him, and more. Nefres found himself often with the boy at his elbow, watching him work, determined to learn. He found that the boy had a distrust of people, claiming his mentor told him that he should be wary.
“But maybe you’re alright...” he would state after every time he dismissed other people. Nefres could tell how much the boy wanted to be seen as more than what he was before, and almost by accident, ended up teaching him. The townsfolk were surprised to see the loner alchemist with Sapru following him like a lost pup, but the gossip died down as they became accustomed to it.
“Mister Nefres, what are you even looking for, anyways?” Sapru asked often, always curious of the motives of his new mentor.
“Eternal life, perfection incarnate.” Nefres would always answer. “To be the one to find the solution for humanity’s ultimate problem.”
“And what problem is that?”
“Death.”
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“You adopted Sapru off the street?”
"It wasn’t my intention, I didn’t expect to actually like having him around.”
“I wondered why you’d have some random teen running around here. You treat him like a son more than an assistant”
“I suppose I do...”
“So... why did you need us here?”
“I’m getting there, be patient”
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Nefres and Sapru lived side by side, working together and slowly forming a routine. Nefres would send Sapru to run errands and deliver medicines, and Sapru would return with stories and energy that brought the cold alchemist joy, even when he didn’t realize it. Even when they seemed at odds, the two got along well, and formed a bond like family.
Nefres refused to acknowledge his care for the boy, but during a routine outing, a passing villager made a comment about him. Something negative he would usually ignore, but his new assistant didn’t let the comment pass. A small argument started, and as Nefres dragged his stubborn assistant back to the tower, a strange fondness formed in him. He had never had someone stand up for him in this way before. Even if Sapru broke down in tears after causing an argument, Nefres could only find it endearing.
Soon the boy began to learn more. Which herbs to find in the woods, how to mix simple potions, even how to haggle prices in the marketplace. Nefres found himself a mentor as Sapru took in every bit of knowledge he could, eager to please. Every bit of praise made Sapru beam, and made Nefres more fond of the boy.
Then, there was an accident...
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“You’ve been quiet for a moment, do you need a break?”
“This part is hard for me to tell, I apologize. I’ve... never shared it with anyone before.”
“Take your time then, okay?”
“I’ll get through it.”
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The day was unremarkable when it started. Nefres had sent Sapru to prepare some elixirs, a recipe he knew well at that point. He had been working diligently, and had done so successfully on his own before. But something had gone wrong. Perhaps a mislabelled item, or a vial not cleaned fully, or something in the incorrect spot... whatever the cause, it created a catastrophe. An explosion, rocking the very foundation of the tower itself, and worst of all, Sapru at the center of it. Nefres got to his side before the smoke even cleared, unable to see the extent of what happened.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...” was the last thing Sapru uttered before he lost consciousness. His wounds were severe, burns and glass marring his body. Nefres was thrown into a panic. He had never dealt with something to this degree, never fully bothered to learn healing, but he threw everything he had into the mix. The once-cold alchemist found himself distraught with fear and worry, praying to gods he didn’t believe in moments before to save the boy he had grown to love as family. Every last effort was not enough, though, as life left Sapru’s body.
But he was determined not to let go of the one thing he felt gave him purpose, the one person who believed in him.
In his lifetime pursuit of alchemy and in Immortality, Nefres had read the research of those who came before him. He was certainly not the first to attempt such a dangerous and hard ritual, and the others who had done so before left notes. Many found only failure, but some had found forbidden tactics to give life to those once dead. The cost was high, and the price to create immortality itself even higher. But ever diligent, Nefres had collected the journals and research on the topics. And now, filled with panic and stained with blood, Nefres turned to those forbidden documents, looking desperately for anything that could work. And within those dark pages, a ritual was outlined to bring back the dead. Desperate, Nefres set forth to complete the deed, abandoning reason and morality in favor of the person he had become so fond of. It took three days, three days to find the correct materials and prepare everything. The hardest part however...
Finding enough energy to substitute a human life.
Energy and matter are not created from nothing. An exchange of equivalent resources is required. I do not wish to disclose how those resources were required, but the sacrifice was made...
The ritual was arduous, with the sacrifice paying a high cost in order to complete the pact, but as Sapru’s body healed, he felt hope for the first time in days. His heart began to beat, his lungs to fill with air, his body warm again, but he didn’t wake up. Furious and fearful, Nefres studied every last detail of every ritual he could find to try and figure out the solution, but none came. Finally, delirious with lack of sleep and stress, Nefres made another sacrifice. This time, he gave part of his own soul to his assistant, using the same forbidden techniques without any idea if they would be successful as a last ditch effort to revive Sapru.
And he waited.
And waited...
And waited...
Nefres had given up, crying over the boy he had lost. The one thing he had found more purpose in than in his own research, the thing that made each day more bearable. Companionship, and the love of family who saw him for who he wanted to be. He had lost it all, failed to protect the one thing he had ever cared for.
“Nefres... why... are you crying?...” a voice so quiet at first he thought he was hallucinating. Desperately wiping the tears from his face, Nefres saw those eyes, and though the yellow was faded from one, the unmistakable eyes of Sapru looked back at him. A miracle.
It was another two days before either of them recovered from the ordeal. Sapru had no idea what had happened, remembering only the explosion. Nefres stowed away all of the forbidden research and cleaned the lab, removing all traces of what had happened there. He had his assistant back, that was all he needed.
It wasn’t perfect, however. The ritual was forbidden for a reason, and flawed. Nefres realized after a month that Sapru was weakening, the energy keeping him going was running out. He had feared it, and prepared. Another ritual restored the energy to him, given in the form of a special herbal tea, the taste disguised with sugar and honey, sweets that Sapru could never resist. Nefres knew that this fix was not permanent, that he needed something stronger in order to maintain the lifeforce of his assistant, and himself too. Now, more than ever, he needed the secret ingredient to Immortality. The item alchemists have searched for endlessly.
The Philosopher’s Stone. A source of power that would allow an alchemist endless energy, endless possibilities. And a fix to save Sapru for good.
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“Sapru... He still has no clue what you did, does he?..”
“You never told him?”
“Of course not, I didn’t want to scare him...”
“You were afraid he would be upset, or blame you and run away.”
“... yes... I will tell him once I fix this, but until I get that stone...”
“That’s why you hired us, to find it for you.”
“So... how did you find us anyways?”
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Sapru was the one who found you. He overheard a conversation about the grand adventurers Kanem and Erisyl, brave men who found treasures hidden away for centuries. Tales of your adventures had spread to our village, and the townsfolk gossiped as always. News spread, and soon more stories began to appear. I didn’t think much of it at first, until he suggested we ask you for help. I was hesitant at first... asking strangers to solve my problems for me and find something I needed. But I realized I wouldn’t stand a chance, I needed someone to go out there and find it. Or I’d lose him.
When we invited you here, I think Sapru was more excited to meet you than anything else. You saw how he ran to greet you, even if he pretends he could care less. He’s always wanted to see the world, and while I wanted him to be safe at the tower, I decided he should come with us anyways. Your research, Erisyl, helped us put the final pieces together on where the Stone was supposed to be hidden. And Kanem’s ability to get us where we needed by charming the locals helped tremendously. I had hope again, that maybe soon it would be over, that things could go back to normal.
When you came out of that temple, and said it was in your hands but you lost it... I wasn’t mad at you. All I could see though was Sapru, laying on the lab floor, the life draining from his eyes. I couldn’t handle it... My own negligence led me here, led to him being injured, dying... And being unable to bring him back properly led me here too, to relying on strangers to find that stone so I could finally put things back together... I thought I had lost that chance forever. That’s why I tried to run into the temple...
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“...”
“I see...”
“Well... maybe it wasn’t even the real Philosopher’s stone!”
“Kanem...”
“Listen, maybe it was a decoy. Or there is another stone out there. If it means saving Sapru’s life, we can find it.”
“You mean... you don’t think I'm a monster?”
“Why would we think that? He’s like a son to you, of course you are doing everything to save him.”
“Erisyl...”
“Yea! So, we won’t give up! Plus, I hate to leave an adventure unfinished! Don’t worry Nefres, we will find that stone and save you both!”
“Damn right we will! Oh, Nefres, please don’t tear up, I’m gonna cry too and no one wants to see that...”
“Sorry I... hah, thank you. Both of you...”
“I’m back! Sorry it took me so long- Eh? Nefres, stop crying! What happened while I was gone??”
“Nothing, Sapru, nothing.”
“Just making plans for the future!”
“The adventure isn’t over yet, after all!”