"Come on!"
Chemicals danced around one another, never quite managing to come together. They faded into a murky gray while darkness slithered between the cracks.
"Work."
Cold and quiet it moved past the fickle light. Hiding. Waiting. Watching.
"Work."
For a second, the ominous glow of copper wires drenched the world in orange and yellow. Back and forth they drifted on the surface of a large water tank in the center of the forlorn laboratory. It wasn't the same, yet familiar enough to make the shadows shine brighter.
"Work!" He gritted his teeth and shook the beaker even harder. They still refused to react.
This was ridiculous! There was a solution to every problem. He just had to find it. Varian glared at his notes splattered across the workbench, trying to understand and strictly avoiding the growing pile of melted metal in the corner of his eyes. It had been months now. What was he missing? The paper crunched beneath his fingers as he remained none the wiser.
"Please!" A knot formed in his stomach. He wouldn't let him down. He could do it. There had to be a way.
Ruddiger scratched nervous over the tuning fork under the table. A different kind of storm was coming. It reminded him of an age of ice and whispering snow.
The alchemist gripped a pipette resting in a vial close to the flame. Nothing. Drop by drop he lost his faith as the mixture stayed the same. The bloody thing wouldn't change, no matter what. He had failed. Again.
"WHY!"
He lunged forward and hurled the flask against the wall.
Broken glass. Spilled liquid. A never-ending silence.
Dread seeped into his bones. He closed his eyes. He wasn't - He isn't… The door creaked and Varian spun around. He froze, not knowing what to do.
"Yeah right, he's totally fine," Eugene deadpanned and shot the princess behind him a look.
Ruddiger's ears perked up. Deliberately slow, the little animal weaseled out of its hideout. The mild pitter-patter of his feet echoed over the stone. Happily, he chirped and rubbed at the man's pant leg.
Not a threat. The boy exhaled shallow, while the color returned to his face. Gradually, his racing heart returned to normal. The gesture calmed him more than he wanted to admit. He licked his dry lips.
"Um, hi?" Varian greeted them too.