The Nightshade Lotus is a prized treasure among shadow awakeneds despite being a mere rare-ranked plant. While it lacks the miraculous healing and spirit-altering properties of higher-ranked herbs, its value lies in one subtle effect: It temporarily increases the purity of a shadow core. This refinement is particularly coveted by threshold awakeneds at the edge of a milestone or class evolution, where even the slightest degree of increased core purity can mean the difference between triumph and failure.

  Professor Deamon Malveris.

  4th-year professor of the 5th academy.

  Ragnarok, year 2275.

  In a sector of perpetual daylight like sector 5, it was no surprise that there were very few shadow or lunar Awakeneds around. Even stellar awakened were a minority. The same applied to the natural resources that bloomed within the sector. They were few and far between. However, they weren’t nonexistent.

  Just like awakeneds, a few remained in the sector, individuals whose services and jobs were too important to let go or those who were simply unwilling to travel out of the sector despite the apparent scarcity of resources.

  Amongst the academy staff alone, there were about half a dozen shadow awakeneds, most popular of whom were Professor Jorendil Matabar and his ever-present nemesis, Master Lamarr. The two professors weren’t exactly enemies, but considering the fact that they were both at the peak of the advanced class, they almost always had to fight for the same resources, and that had borne a seed of rivalry and contempt between them.

  Professor Jorendil had been busy in his study researching the concept of dual affinities, a subject that had been dissected, discussed, and discarded many times as a pathless concept. The system had never granted such a class to anyone in the millennia of recorded history, and many scholars had deemed it impossible. Yet, just like many before him, Jorendil was fascinated with the concept of wielding not one but two different affinities, like fire and ice or shadow and light, simultaneously.

  Many had, of course, tried to create the concept, using a ton of techniques and experiments, such as fusing their bloodlines with another or merging affinities, but they had ultimately failed. The closest they had come to success was the case of champion Reiner Rivaldi, who had been born with a merge of his parents affinities rather than an actual dual core.

  The situation concerning his birth had been made public, and after reading through the research documents multiple times, Jorendil had drawn out a series of experiments he wanted to try out. For the last few years, he had worked tirelessly on each experiment, staining the vivarium with the blood of animals as all his experiments failed. With each fail, though, he got a new idea, and truly, Jorendil felt he was getting ever closer to solving this mystery.

  Unwilling to visit the vivarium that morning, Jorendil had decided to perform his experiments right there in his office, and things had been going splendidly until he was interrupted with news of Andrew Willowood.

  It had been fascinating to watch a mere child achieve something so substantial, but it had also sparked the fire of determination within him, and after Rahim returned with news of the Willowood family, he had returned to his office to continue his experiments.

  Carefully manipulating a blob of shadow essence, Jorendil grimaced at how brittle and sheer the energy was. Had this been the 3rd sector where shadow essence reigned supreme, Jorendil was positive the blob would have taken on a life of its own by now. Alas, he wasn’t in the 3rd sector, and he couldn’t leave either, at least not before reaching the Mythic class, which was thankfully only a few tiers away.

  Grimacing, he moved the semi-liquid blob of shadow closer to the shivering {Water Ifrit} on his table, watching the small creature closely as the shadows phased through its jelly-like flesh and into its spirit, latching onto its tiny pathways like octopus limbs.

  In his earlier experiments, Jorendil had tried infusing shadow essence directly into the creature's core after draining it halfway to try and achieve a balance. That method had been a drastic fail, and after several iterations of the same experiment, Jorendil had come to the conclusion that to achieve a perfect dual core, he needed to transform an entire half of the spirit first. He needed to convert half of this creature’s pathways to shadow and then work his way down to the core.

  This wasn’t a new idea, though; in fact, he had been working on it for nearly six months now, and although all his experiments so far had resulted in drastic fails, Jorendil wasn’t one to give up so easily, not when success meant marking his name in the annals of history and making the impossible a reality. If his students could do it, then so could he.

  The Ifrit twitched as the blob of shadow essence began converting its pathways, and Jorendil smiled in relief when the creature didn’t die right away. Channeling foreign essence into a creature was a very delicate process that required nearly all of his attention to avoid complications.

  However, when he was nearly halfway through, a sudden screech echoed in his mind, affecting his concentration and causing the shadow tendrils to go haywire. The Ifrit screeched in agony, but Jorendil barely paid it any mind. Rather, his attention was on {Shadow’s Wail}, the sensory skill that had been the source of the first screech.

  Like a beacon, the skill pulled his attention in a direction, tugging at his mind with a screech that was impossible to resist. Turning in the direction {Shadow’s Wail} indicated, his eyes widened, and he immediately phased into the shadows beneath his feet, rushing towards the treasure the skill had sensed.

  He phased through the shadow plane, avoiding patches of sunlight to avoid getting thrown out of the plane. Twisting uncomfortably, he jumped, dissolved, and dived, his entire attention aimed at the amphitheater for Awakened herbs and plants. Still, Master Lamarr beat him there, emerging out of the shadows only a second before he arrived.

  Without sparing her more than a glance, Jorendil turned his attention to the plant that had drawn his attention and gasped when he saw the rare-ranked plant that had been placed on the assessment table. It was the Nightshade Lotus, and for someone so close to his Mythic class evolution, Jorendil desperately needed it. Not because he wasn’t sure he could achieve the evolution on his own, but Jorendil would rather be certain than fail and become a half-step Mythic or even worse, suffer a spiritual limit before he could even make it halfway through.

  Surging forward, he shouted. “I need the lotus. I sensed it. I will buy it.”

  “I was here first. I will buy it.” Master Lamarr growled, looking at him askance and nailing him with a daring glare.

  Anger bubbled within Jorendil, and he scowled. “Woman, nobody cares about you.”

  “I—

  Before Lamarr could respond, a sudden pressure suddenly descended on the hall, pushing all the students to the floor and forcing Jorendil to buff himself with the power of his seals to avoid an embarrassing fate. Jorendil looked at the newcomer with a glare. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He shouldn’t be here at all! Mythics shouldn’t be competing with their juniors for treasures!

  Forcefully suppressing his growing anger, he asked. “Professor Daemon, what are you doing here?”

  Not even sparing him a glance, Professor Daemon floated forward and said to Gwendolyn, “The nightshade lotus. I sensed it. I’ve come to buy it. A student of mine needs it.”

  “Apologies, Professor Daemon, but I need it more.” Master Lamarr cut in, glaring at the demonically beautiful professor. “At this stage of my advancement, it is critical that I have it.”

  “Me too.” Jorendil admitted, hating himself for not being more forceful. “You know how it can be with approaching evolutions.”

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  “I do not care.” Professor Daemon replied curtly. “My student needs it, and I’ve come to get it. Neither of you are fated to have it.”

  “We would be if you were not here.” Jorendil gritted out, already hating the future that was unfolding. Professor Daemon was a jerk among jerks. He cared not for his peers, and Jorendil doubted he even cared for this supposed student of his, who most likely was a noble and didn’t have any core impurities to deal with in the first place.

  Before their argument could continue, Aodhán surprisingly rose to his feet, although he stopped halfway through when Professor Daemon turned to glare at him. Jorendil was very surprised to see that the boy could actually stand under this oppressive aura; however, Aodhán’s next words soon transformed his surprise to despair.

  “Dear esteemed professors, how about we make this an auction?”

  Well, it wasn’t exactly despair, just bone-deep disappointment and resignation. An auction was a terrible idea for him. He was rich, of course, but compared to a Mythic, he might as well be a pauper. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try, though. If he couldn’t get the plant for himself, he would make sure Professor Daemon wasted a fortune on it.

  ***

  The suggestion to make this an auction made Aodhán feel very merchanty, and when he noticed Professor Daemon's intrigued look, he pushed his worry aside and straightened his shoulders, repeating himself, “We should make this an auction; that way, whoever gets the lotus would have gotten it fair and square.”

  “Where is this fairness that you speak of? Is it in the room with us?” Master Lamarr muttered snidely, but Aodhán didn’t hear her. Professor Daemon, however, did, and he smiled, easing up a bit on his aura.

  “I think an auction is a brilliant idea.”

  Aodhán grinned and turned to look at Gwendolyn. Pointing to the nightshade lotus, he asked. “What is the current market value of the Nightshade Lotus?”

  Gwendolyn pursed her lips and consulted her notebook once again. This time she flipped through the pages for a few seconds before responding. “Because of its high value to shadow cultivators, the nightshade lotus is almost always sold at auctions rather than the pavilions, so it doesn’t have a current market price. It, however, does have a popular starting bid of 100 gold coins.”

  Aodhán’s eyes bulged, and his jaw nearly dropped in shock. He really needed to go and read up on the other functions of this plant because, what the actual fuck? 100 gold for a temporary increase in core purity was insane.

  The price gave Aodhán pause, and he wondered if he should be selling the plant and its fruit without knowing its use. He wasn’t afforded the opportunity to dwell much on the thought because Professor Jorendil suddenly shouted. “I’ll take it for 200 gold coins.”

  “250 gold coins.” Master Lamarr countered, but Professor Jorendil didn’t even let her finish before shouting again. “300 gold coins.”

  This continued for a few more seconds, with the bid having increased to 600 gold coins, before Professor Daemon finally spoke. “How about I bid 1000 gold coins so this farce can end?”

  Aodhán was stunned. The fact that a single plant could fetch him so much money was simply astounding. If he hadn’t been sure of the herb gatherer professor before, now he was certain. Unshakably and indubitably certain.

  Professor Daemon’s bid caused an eruption of gasps and whispers in the hall, and for a second, Aodhán believed they had reached the final bid. That belief shattered when Professor Jorendil glared daggers at Professor Daemon and shouted. “How about 1200?”

  Aodhán’s heart skipped multiple beats at once, and as another eruption of gasps echoed throughout the hall, he began to nurse the idea that he might be able to pay off his fine to the council faster than he had planned.

  Professor Daemon, however, didn’t seem much in the mood for games, and with his malevolent aura billowing about him, he turned his cold gaze to Professor Jorendil and said, “You do not want to test me, Jorendil. Let’s keep things civil, shan’t we?”

  Professor Jorendil hesitated, obviously feeling a little threatened, but he refused to back down. Straightening his shoulders, Professor Jorendil sneered. “Oh, I’m civil. But since you want the Lotus so badly and are willing to cheat us out of a fair deal, I only think it right that you pay a fortune for it.”

  Professor Daemon scowled, observing Professor Jorendil with a scathing glare until Gwendolyn said, “Are you making a counter bid, sir, or should we make a ruling?”

  “I am not making a counter bid.” Professor Daemon replied, his expression turning deeply malevolent. “I am making a final bid.” He glared at Professor Jorendil, and in a tone that caused Aodhán’s entire existence to shudder in fear, he added. “You do not want to test me, boy.”

  Without further ado, he turned his attention back to Gwendolyn and said, “I’ll take the plant for 1500 gold coins.”

  Aodhán glanced at Professor Jorendil, hoping the man would make a counter bid despite the dangerous situation. Alas, Professor Jorendil knew his limits, and although a vein pulsed angrily on his forehead, he kept his mouth shut.

  Gwendolyn glanced at the mute audience and said, “The nightshade lotus is going for 1500 gold coins. Any other offers?”

  When she got none, she said. “Going once, going twice, and…gone.”

  Aodhán breathed a sigh, simultaneously relieved and disappointed that Professor Jorendil hadn’t spoken up for one final bid. Perhaps he might have been able to push the bid to 2000 coins or even three thousand. Still, he had made far more than he had ever imagined he could, and he was absolutely giddy with excitement.

  Professor Daemon handed over a heavy coin pouch to Gwendolyn and waited for her to count the money before abruptly disappearing, taking his oppressive aura with him.

  Aodhán sighed in relief, only now realizing that he had burned nearly half his willpower pool to endure the man’s passive aura for so long. Professor Jorendil and Master Lamarr disappeared a moment after, and when Azul came to stand beside him, he said, “You have to tell me about this Nightshade Lotus plant.”

  She eyed him. “You’ve never heard of it?”

  “I have. I identified the plant, didn’t I? However, aside from the fact that it grants a temporary boost of core purity to shadow awakened, I have no idea why it would sell for such a large amount of money.”

  Azul shook her head, looking even more amazed. “I can’t believe this. You didn’t even know the value of what you were selling?”

  “Hey, I had you guys here. Besides, I deduced that it was very, very important.”

  “That’s the consequence of missing so many classes. You attended what? Two, three classes after the midterms?

  “Four.” Aodhán corrected, but he knew he truly had missed a lot of classes. He glanced at Gwendolyn, who was carefully packing each plant in transparent boxes, and said, “So, you’ll tell me later?”

  “I can tell you now.” Azul shrugged, but Aodhán shook his head.

  “No, my dear. I’m about to be very rich. Why don’t you explain it to me over a fancy group dinner?”

  Azul laughed, saying that she could definitely get down with that, and with a grin, Aodhán walked over to Gwendolyn, who shook her head when she saw him.

  “You’ve made away like a thief in the night, young man. That’s a lot of money for an hour of gathering.”

  Aodhán nodded, unable to suppress his grin. “I’m definitely thinking of pursuing a career in it since there’s so much money in it.”

  Gwendolyn laughed. “Well, it’s not always like this, but it’s a pretty lucrative business for the skilled and fortunate.” She placed the coin pouch Professor Daemon had given her on the table and then placed a smaller pouch beside it. “This is forty gold coins for the other plants.”

  Aodhán grimaced as he stared at the small pouch. It had been impressive before, but now that he had made 1500 for a single plant, it just seemed lacking. Common and uncommon ranked plants were great, but not nearly as useful as rare ranked plants, and that difference was obvious in their prices.

  Bowing in thanks, Aodhán took the coin pouches, keeping the smaller pouch for himself whilst placing the larger pouch with the 100 platinum coins principal Zatya had given him. With the latest addition, he now had 2500 gold coins, which meant he needed to gather another 2500 to settle his debt. Unsurprisingly, the fine didn’t weigh as heavily around his neck like it did earlier.

  He left the hall with a wide smile, chatting with Azul and Ursaz, and when they stepped out of the hall, he came in contact with Yurin and Daruk, who stared up at him with worried expressions. Knowing what the worry was, he excused himself from Azul and moved to brief both Yurin and Daruk on Andrew’s situation. He told them about his meeting with Andrew’s parents in Principal Zatya’s office and their decision to keep the skill quiet until Andrew was fine and back in his right senses.

  Daruk and Yurin were just as shocked as he had been when they heard about the effects of the skill and what Andrew had achieved. They discussed for a few more minutes, and after Aodhán finally eased their worry, he then launched into a narration of the things that had happened during the auction.

  Azul and Ursaz soon joined them then, offering their own perspective on the matter. Yurin groaned in envy, cursing himself for not offering the course while they all laughed.

  Aodhán took them to the cafeteria, where he ordered a tray of special dishes not on the free menu, eager to eat something different for the first time in a while. While they all ate and celebrated his win in the auction, Azul finally explained the function of the nightshade lotus, stating that the Mythic class evolution required a very high degree of core purity to complete and that many were unable to evolve into the Mythic class because their cores weren’t pure enough. Some even experienced a system-enforced limit if their cases were particularly severe.

  However, that wasn’t all the nightshade lotus did. Apparently, when processed into alchemical pills, the Lotus could grant a short burst of mental clarity within the origin plane. Ingesting enough of these pills could possibly grant a person the mental clarity required to gain a familiar.

  With such functions, Aodhán now understood why the plant was so expensive. Perhaps he could have made more from the auction had he known this earlier, but Aodhán didn’t regret it much. He had made away with more money than he could have imagined from one hour of herb gathering. He was content.

  After eating, Azul and Ursaz went their separate ways, while Aodhán, Daruk, and Yurin headed to the training hall to prepare for the exam on Awakened combat the next day. Since there wasn’t much to read about it, they used the time to train and duel, trying to inculcate some of the things Professor Alaric had always spoken of, especially during weapon training or the weaponless duels.

  The hours passed quickly, and before they knew it, night had fallen and the golden clouds of sunset bathed the sector in a golden hue.

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