A Fault That Can't Be Undone

Chapter One: Late Night Restock

Rui walked around his cottage, looking for ingredients to finish a potion. He had almost all the herbs for it. He was just missing one. Ethylite was all he needed. Twilight was slowly approaching, and Rui needed it done by tomorrow. He started at the dark blue sky, wondering if he should risk it for the herbs. It would be a cold fall night, some nights reaching -4° Celsius, but the potion was more important than some cold, so he threw on his coat and walked out. The freezing air hit his skin, making him shiver a bit. Rui walked on, pressing through the frigid night. If he could see it properly (he didn't have a flashlight), Ethylite would be in or around patches of poison ivy. Their bright blue colour gave it away from everything else.

"This better not be a mistake..." he muttered under his breath.

By now, he had passed the kingdom gates. Now, there weren't any poison ivy patches in the kingdom of Zatura, so he had to go out into the Unexplored Depths to harvest the Ethylite. Sometimes, he hated being the alchemist of the kingdom, but it was a nice experience overall. The knights seemed to treat him nicely as well. Rui walked deeper into the forest, looking around for the herb. As the night got colder, the more he began to regret going out. The potion could've waited for morning, but he wouldn't have enough time by then. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, he found a patch of poison ivy. Rui smiled, thinking he was finished for the night. What he didn't notice was the large fluffy mass right above the patch. This seemingly harmless creature was called a Zyctite, and it was known in the kingdom as the deadliest creature that thrived in the Unexplored Depths. A single bite from this 'animal' could get you hospitalized, or even killed.

"Don't they growl when threatened..?" Rui wondered aloud, "Whatever, I'll just be careful."

He, in fact, was not careful at all. The sudden movement while he was gathering the herb had startled the Zyctite, making it feel threatened. It let out a low growl, before making an ear-piercing scream that ran though the forest leaves. Rui jumped, falling into the patch of poison ivy. Its oils spread across his arms, making them painfully itch and sting. The scream also seemed to have attracted someone else.

"Rui!" A voice called.

"Tsukasa?!" Rui yelled back. He hadn't expected him to be out this late, either.

Tsukasa was a Knight of White for the kingdom of Zatura. Usually, when Rui saw him, he would be on duty near the kingdom borders during afternoons. He wasn't the type to stay up late.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Mizuki wanted me to sub for Len. Now, come on! Let's go!"

Tsukasa grabbed Rui's wrist and practically dragged him back to the kingdom. Once past the border, the creature seemed to leave them alone. Tsukasa panted, giving momentary glances at Rui.

"You shouldn't be out this late. You'll get in trouble." He sighed.

"I know, I just needed to grab something for a potion." Rui rubbed his head awkwardly. "Thanks for that just now."

"It's a Knight of White's duty to protect, no?" Tsukasa smiled and walked away.

When Tsukasa left, Rui got up off the ground and went inside his cottage. He didn't get any sleep that night due to needing to finish the potion. However, his efforts were in vain. The next morning, Rui went across the kingdom's village and soon arrived at a small house near the lake. He knocked on the door, and a little girl, about the age of 8 or 9, answered.

"Oh, hey there!" He said gently to the girl, "Is there a 'Shun Arata' in this household?"

"Shun was my brother." she said.

"Was? W-What do you mean, was?" Rui was starting to get worried.

"He died overnight. We tried everything to resuscitate him."

Rui was stunned. It was the 7th time it had happened this month.

"Oh... I'm sorry for your loss..."

He went back to his cottage, slammed the door shut, and threw the potion on the floor. The vial shattered, sending glass bits flying across the room as a light purple liquid seeped out.

"I'm a PATHETIC alchemist!"