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âDeathâs not gonna take me until Iâm damn good and ready for it,â Alexander Roth declared. âAs a matter of fact, it wonât ever have me. Iâll have it when I decide itâs time. Thereâs too much I want to do, too many people I want to spend an eternity withââ He looked at Theresa. ââand too much I want to explore to just let my journey end, not until I decide itâs time to go to the after-world.â
He reached out, picking up a bottle. âSo, full disclosure, Iâll be drinking mine.â
âSo will I,â Theresa said, reaching for a bottle. âAnd Alex says that the elixirâs effects will be shared with Brutus.â
âBut, the rest of you should think carefully,â Alex said. âBaelin said that immortality comes with its own challenges. Itâs not a decision to be made lightly, but itâs one Iâve been thinking about for a long time. So Iâmââ
âWhat in all the hells?â Cedric suddenly shouted. âWhat, y-just made a potion that letâs yâlive forever? Back thâ hells up, that was thâ little project yâwas talkinâ about?â
âOh yeah,â Alex said. âI kept it under wraps for the most part. Baelin said that when a Proper Wizard is doing something like brewing an immortality serum, they tell as few people as possible. So yeah, I kinda kept it quiet.â
Drestraâs jaw was hanging open. âAnd you mean to justâŠgive us an immortality elixir?â
Alex looked at her in surprise. âYeah, why not? We all fought Uldar together. We earned this; I knew what I was going to do with Uldarâs divine essence, and Iâd be a real piece of shit if I didnât offer to share the spoils with everyone who fought the Ravener. I even have some extra essence left, in case any of you have loved ones you want to share immortality with. Understand, though, the supply is limited. After the divine essence is gone, if you want any immortality elixir for others you care about, youâre going to have to get your hands on more divine essence, or some golden apples, or the flames of a phoenix. Iâll happily brew it for you, though.â
âWait, back up, how did you manage to make an elixir so easily?â Drestraâs voice crackled. âThis just seems soâŠsudden.â
Alex smiled. âNot bragging but, I am a very good alchemist, but seriously, I couldnât have done it without Baelin: heâs the one with the experience.â He thought back to the long hours heâd spent with the chancellor in the lab while he was also in Thameland helping with the clean up, and running his businesses in Generasi. Being in multiple places at once really had its benefits.
âBaelin said that the method we used was one he learned from one of his cabal members. Apparently, if you absorb divine essenceâor divine breath, as it's called in some placesâyou grow closer to immortality and even gain unique powers based on the deific essence you take in.â
He tapped the side of the bottle of elixir he was holding. âWe modified that method, though, making sure we removed all traces of the poison inside Uldarâs body, and at the same time, we distilled his deific energy down to its most basic state. Long story short: this potion will make it so that youâll never die of old ageâbut thereâs a warning that Iâll have to give youâand youâll also have better senses, youâll be a lot tougher, heal quicker from non-fatal wounds, and your body will just be stronger all-around. Expect to catch colds a lot less.â
Alex laughed, raising a finger. âBut, about the ageing thing: from the moment you drink the elixir, you stop ageing. Which means anyone whoâs not fully grown when they drink it, will never grow up. I have some essence set aside for Selina, for her to choose whether she wants to use it or not when sheâs older, since thereâs no way sheâs touching it until sheâs finished growing. Baelin told me stories about immortals being trapped in the bodies of children; things never ended well in those stories.â
An eerie silence filled the room.
Finally, Hart blew out a breath. âSoâŠwe choose whether or not we wanna become immortal and who weâd want to be immortal with? Thatâs heavy. Real heavy.â
âWhich is why you donât have to make a choice right this second. Your elixirs will always bewaiting for you until you either drink them, or die. Thereâll always be time to make a firm decision,â Alex said soberly. âI want to give everyone a chance to think, to change their mind, to mull it over, and never feel pressured. Baelin warned me that eternal life has its downsides: youâll watch people you know and love grow old and die, over and over again. Others will target you, looking to steal the secrets of your eternal life. Itâs not for everybody, so even if you need decades to think about itâŠâ
He raised his own elixir. âThis stuff will reverse your ageing and regenerate your body to its peak of youth and health. You could sip it on your deathbed at the age of a hundred and be back in your twenties in a matter of seconds. Seriously, thereâs no downside to waiting. Only choose to take it now if youâre one hundred percent sure.â
Silence lay heavy in the room.
âThis isâŠa lot,â Merzhin said. âI might have something in mind, but I am sure most of us will need time to thinkââ
âOh, Iâm drinking mine right now!â Thundar snatched up his elixir and wrapped an arm around Drestraâs waist. âMy partnerâs going to live for thousands of years, Iâd be pretty shit if I left her behind. Besides, there are so many planes I want to see. So much travelling and adventure ahead of me. Lots of fights in front of me, and theyâll be a lot easier if Iâve got a stronger, tougher body thatâll never slow down. Yeah, an eternity sounds pretty nice. And besides, youâre part of my cabal, Alex. Couldnât exactly let you go on while your fearless cabal-leader withers, could I?â
Alex grinned at the smiling minotaur. âYouâre the best, my man.â
âI know,â Thundar replied.
Drestra was looking up at her partner, her reptilian eyes very large indeed. She stood on her tiptoes, lifted her veil and pulled him down for a kiss.
âYouâre sweet, Thundar,â she smiled, showing her rows of sharp teeth. âVery sweet. I knew I picked a good one in you.â
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She looked at Alex.
âAs for me, I think I will take the elixir. What you said about choosing death and not having death choose youâŠI really liked that and I think I want that for myself, especially if Iâm not alone. But, I wonât be drinking it today.â
The Sage of Thameland lifted a hand, flexing her fingers like a claw. âMy true form still has more than a thousand years to go before I'm fully grown. I donât want to stunt myself; when I am at the peak of my power, thatâs when Iâll drink my elixir. The Crymlynâs been flourishing since the war ended. Claygonâs Earth Tillers have made the swamps even more fertile, and thereâs less tension between the witches and the rest of the kingdom. Mother says weâre going to have a new age of prosperity, and I want to witness it for generations.â
âYes!â Thundar cried, lifting the Sage off the ground enthusiastically. âThundar and Drestra! One thousand years and going! What a life I live!â
She laughed, kissing him again.
Alex smiled warmly.
Prince Khalik cleared his throat.
âI also intend to drink the elixir,â he said. âI have told you what my plans are for the future, and I would very much like all the time in the world to see them come to fruition and beyond. I would also like to spend an eternity with Sinope. Dryads live as long as their trees do. And so, I too, will be drinking mine. Will Najyah share the effects as well?â
Alex nodded. âSheâs your familiar. Now, she wonât get as much power from it: blood familiars have a deeper connection to their masters, which is why Brutus will get so much more benefit. But, Najyah should live as long as you do and be tougher than she was before you took the elixir.â
âGlorious!â Prince Khalikâs eyes lit up as he stroked the eagleâs feathers. She nuzzled into his hand. âAs for SinopeâŠâ the prince continued. âI will have to discuss this with her.â
âOf course,â Alex said. âLike I said, sheâs your loved one. The potion will be available for her.â
âWonderful!â Prince Khalik went over to Alex and clapped him on the shoulder. âYou are an emperor among men!â
âKeep those compliments coming,â Alex laughed.
âDo not!â Isolde quickly jumped in. âIf I am going to spend eternity in this cabal, I would not have any of you any more smug than you already are. It would make eternal life feel like an endless march through the hells while I am wearing shoes made of broken glass!â
âOh, thanks, Isolde.â Alex rolled his eyes. âSo, I take it youâre planning on taking the elixir too?â
âOf course,â Isolde said. âOne day I might seek to see the after-worldâŠbut I want many lifetimes in this one to learn as much as I can. The mysteries of the world and the planes call to me, and I shall need time to learn their secrets.â
âAye, such a thing suits yâwell.â Cedric grinned at her, showing his gold tooth. âI could sees yâbecominâ some livinâ legend for millennia! As for me, thoughâŠâ He paused, looking at the elixir carefully. I dunno, I need time tâthink about all oâ this. Itâs a lot, anâ I dunno. I was a warrior just a few years ago, then I was a Hero, fightinâ tâkill the Ravener, anâ now thereâs statues goinâ up all over Thameland honourinâ us, anâ now youâre tellinâ me I could live forever, if I wanted.â
He sighed. âPart oâ me jusâ wants tâsay yes tâbe witâ Isolde forever anâ tâwatch mâ clan prosper. They been doinâ real good after all tâ rebuildinâ. Theyâre gonna bâ stronger than ever, Iâm thinkinâ, anâ I wanna see where theyâll bâ when thâ wee ones in thâ clan are all grey anâ havâ their own grandkidsâŠbut do I wanna see it while still walkinâ the world, while Iâm never changinâ? Iâm thinkinâ I needs tâbe doinâ some long thinkinâ before I accept.â
Isolde kissed Cedric on the cheek. âThat is one reason why I love you. You know when to think and when to act.â freeweÉnovel.cŃłm
He blushed. âAye, thanks.â He looked at Hart. âHow âbout you, big guy?â
Hart looked down at the elixir. âIâm going to think about it. All my life has been one big fight. First with the Ash Ravens, then as a Hero; fighting Ravener-spawn, demons, the hidden church, then the blasted Ravener. Now those fights are over, and I donât know what I wanna do with myself. Itâs been, uh, an adjustment. I think I want to live for a bit before I decide if I want to live forever. Iâll also want to see how things go with Tyris.â
âHow are things with you two?â Khalik asked.
Hart grinned. âSheâs passionate. Very passionate.â
Thundar shuddered.
The minotaur had told a story about what heâd seen when Tyris came back to the Research Castle after the final battle. Apparently, sheâd leapt on Hart like a serpent, shoved her tongue down his throat and dragged him off for what she called a âHeroâs welcome.â
âSo not much has changed there,â Thundar muttered.
âIâll make sure some divine essence is put aside then,â Alex said. âIn case things keep going well between you two, or if you just decide to do it.â
Alex turned to Bjorgrund, Merzhin and Grimloch.
âWhat about you three?â he asked.
âYes,â Grimloch rumbled.
Silence stretched on.
âThatâs it?â
âDoes there need to be anything else?â
âWell,â Alex said. âItâs a big decision.â
To that, Grimloch grinned. âYou told me that I could hunt, fight, grow stronger and kill forever. Decision made.â
Alex paused, wondering if maybe making the terrifying sharkman immortal was doing the world a disserviceâŠ
Before he could think about it further, Bjorgrund cleared his throat.
âIâm not quite fully grown yet, so I need time to think,â the young giant said. âAnd Iâll need to talk about it with my father. Life could change a lot. I think I need to learn more about my runes, about life andâŠhow to live.â
âSounds reasonable,â Alex said.
He turned to Merzhin.
âAnd you?â
The Saint paused before answering. âAnd here I thought I was the one who would be most sure, only to find myself the last one to answer.â His eyes were fixed on a bottle for a long time. âTruthfully, IâŠdo not think I want to live forever. I doubt Iâll change my mind either.â
He smiled thinly. âI am the last Saint of UldarâŠhis symbol glows on my stomach. And my life was Uldar. I grew up praying to him, learning how to serve him and serving him with every fibre of my being. Now I serve Thameland, butâŠI feel like something of a relic from the past.â
âWe might be able to find a way to alter your Mark,â Alex said. âItâd take time, but I have Keldaâs equipmentâŠitâs possible.â
Merzhin shook his head. âUnlike you, I have done things that I regret. Things in Uldarâs name. I do not think I want to forget them, for to do so would be to erase the mistakes of my past. Without those mistakes guiding me, I could end up being a worse man in the future.â
âI think youâre being too harsh on yourself,â Alex said softly.
âPerhaps. Perhaps not. But I will need time to learn. Once Thameland has been rebuilt, I think I shall go on a journey of my own. I wish to learn how to live and what life is before I decide whether to live forever. Though, likely not. I think I would like to live out my natural timeâexperience it for what it isâand then move on to what comes next. I do not fear it.â
Alex was about to say something, but the sheer amount of conviction in the Saintâs voice stopped him.
In the end, it was Merzhinâs decision.
And he would respect that, while keeping the door open if he changed his mind.
âThen thatâs it, then,â Alex said. âLooks like itâll be me, Theresa, Khalik, Thundar, Isolde and Grimloch taking it now. Drestraâs gonna wait, and the rest of youâŠwell, your elixir will be there for you, if you want it, like I said.â
He turned to his fiancee, his cabal-mates and Grimloch.
Then unstoppered his bottle.
The others took one and did the same.
Alex raised his elixir. âA toast. To life. Simply, to life.â
âTo life!â the others said.
They all paused for a moment.
Alex considered the future ahead of him; all the people he would meet, all the journeys he would take, and the wonders he would see and experience. He looked at Theresa, and she smiled at him.
And he would experience all of it with his best friend.
His best friend who, by the end of next summer, would be his wife.
âBy the Traveller, Iâm lucky,â he whispered.
And together, they drank the elixir.