The attic door creaked quietly as Eddie left, like if unwilling to go. He walked across the narrow passageway the floorboards creaks underneath as he walked. As if sighing, the Welton Household hall filled him with warm light and the earthy smell of dirt. Sunlight from tall, mullioned windows cast a shadowy mosaic on the raw wooden planks. 

The passageway was filled with the aroma of dried lavender and rosemary and a faint metallic scent from the tower above. In alchemical experiments, his father produced extracts and lost himself in his studies. 

With a soft sigh, Eddie reached for his jacket, the brown wool warm and coarse against his skin, and turned to face the spiral staircase that curled upward like a tempting vine. 

Eddie paused and peered at the rune etched on the floor near the stairwell, its aqua glow beckoning. The rune, made by his elder brother Alfred, made the thousand-step ascent feel like a mere ten. Eddie was burdened by the prospect of wielding magic, something he had grudgingly abandoned. Instead, he prepared for the grueling climb.  

He inhaled and stepped up the first step of the stairs, echoing his footsteps through the tower's stone walls. As he climbed, the polished wood creaked gently. He walked with resolve, his legs burning with effort and his breath quickening in the silence. 

He felt the ascend to extend forever, a struggle that reflected the miles ahead. Eddie continued up the tower while the floorboards groaned and the wind moaned through his side windows. 

-o-

Eddie finally reached the top of the tower, his lungs burning and breath hitching in quick, ragged bursts as he crossed the threshold into the alchemist’s lab on top of the tower.

Soft light from the open window cast amusing shadows on the craggy stone walls. He was surrounded by the odours of crushed plants and boiling concoctions and the saline air from big windows with delicate wooden beams. This vantage position revealed the Hamlet of Weshaven, a seaside hamlet full with merchants and fishermen ready for their voyages. 

“Hey there, Eddie!” Mr. Welton said, looking up from his meticulous work with a casual air. 

Mr. Welton looked up from his desk, relaxed. Ageing grey hair fell in wild curls over his face, giving him a quirky genius look. On his nasal bridge, round glasses framed his bright blue eyes that gleamed with warmth and mischief. He looked like someone who had spent his life studying and working, wearing a basic collared shirt with rolled sleeves. Despite his age, his slender frame was nimble. 

“How is it possible for a young guy like you to be panting like you just ran a marathon, hmm? I meanwhile, just an old man in my seventies, breezing up and down these stairs like it's no big deal!"

Eddie rolled his eyes, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as he shot back,

“You’re totally cheating, Dad! You totally used that illusion rune Alfred whipped up to bypass all those stairs!”

“Touché!” His booming, contagious laughter filled the room and rattled the jars on their shelves. “But it’s all for the sake of speed, and efficiency!” 

“Right, what’s on the agenda today, Dad?” he asked, eyeing the neatly organised notes that laid out the day’s missions.

“Alright, we will need to get these raw materials processed,” Mr. Welton said, slipping on a pair of protective goggles as he approached the array of ingredients strewn across the workbench. “We’ve got to get them ready for brewing in the apothecary. Your mom's a bit understaffed today, and I could really use another set of hands around here.”

Eddie nodded, shaking off his lengthy sleep's fog. He joined his dad and used a wicked-looking knife to slice through the twisted roots. The boiling concoctions, clinking glass devices, and scent of plants and chemicals comforted him as he worked. 

Lab was busy. On another table, glass jars bubbled and steamed, their twisting tubes blazing like ancient monster veins in the faint light. Some bubbled with vibrant hues, while others lay in little glass vials with ethereal light. Eddie saw jars of dried dragon's blood, sparkling scales from mythological fish, and powdered gems on the walls and recalled his childhood ambitions of becoming a famous alchemist, which he had long abandoned.  

-o-

As Eddie and Mr. Welton toiled together, the harmonious symphony of slicing and grinding resonated through the lab, mingling with the bubbling and hissing of potions brewing in their cauldrons. 

“You know, Eddie,” Mr. Welton began, his hands steady as he measured out a vibrant powder, “You’re almost twenty now. Time zips by quicker than the potions I whip up in my cauldron.”

Eddie took a moment, his eyes drifting from the herbs he was chopping to the lab around him. “Sure, I suppose so. It seems like it was only yesterday that I was just a kid,"

“So,” Mr. Welton started, casting a sideways glance at his son, “Have you thought about the Sage’s Scholarship program yet?”

Eddie froze, the knife suspended in the air in a moment of suspense, poised above the root he was about to slice.

“Not really,” he said, giving a casual shrug. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for something like that.” It’s been tough to think about anything beyond today.”

His dad nodded, a look of deep contemplation crossing his features.

“It’s not merely a matter of age, son. Your potential is off the charts! If you don’t seize the moment during these years, you could end up letting amazing chances slip right through your fingers.”

“Once you hit twenty-five, the door to the Sage’s Scholarship program swings shut. You can no longer apply to one, think about it.”

“I get it, Dad. But I—”

“Hey, listen up,” Mr. Welton chimed in, his tone a mix of authority and warmth. “Your aunt Catherine is going to be pretty bummed if you don’t go for it. From the very beginning, she’s had your back, even when you doubted yourself. Imagine the incredible things you could accomplish.”

Eddie, hit by a sudden rush of memories, stopped his chopping and glanced up at his dad. 

“Oh, Mom mentioned about Catherine swinging by this week,” Eddie said, a spark of curiosity cutting through his usual indifference. “It’s been ages since Catherine crossed my mind. So, how’s she holding up?”

“Ah, Catherine.” Mr. Welton grinned, a spark of nostalgia dancing in his eyes, “Your aunt is a real piece of work! She’s a pretty impressive Alchemist all on her own. It’s amazing how much alchemical talent flows through the family, particularly with that Elven heritage of hers.”

“Yeah, remember her being amazing at that,” Eddie said, his mind wandering as he chopped the herbs with a casual flick of his wrist. “But I totally blanked on how much time has passed since we last met.” 

“Ah, those were the days,” Mr. Welton remarked, a touch of nostalgia colouring his words. “Hey, remember when Catherine used to drag you off on wild adventures through dungeons and ancient ruins? You were always so curious and had a fearless back in those days.” 

Eddie chuckled, a smile playing at the corners of his lips as he recalled those thrilling escapades with his aunt, sneaking into shadowy nooks where every moment was bursting with joy and wonder. 

“I can’t believe I ever had the energy to scramble up into those ancient ruins. What was I even thinking?”

“You were young, bursting with curiosity,” Mr. Welton said, a proud grin spreading across his face. “And it wasn’t just that; you were soaking up the wisdom from the greatest. Catherine was my Master before she set off on her own epic adventure. She taught me much of what I know today.”

“Hold on, you were her apprentice?” Eddie enquired, arching an eyebrow in curiosity. “You?” The legendary Mr. Welton?”

“Absolutely!” Mr. Welton laughed  “Before I became the legendary Mr. Welton,” his father continued, waving his hand as if brushing away a pesky fly. “I was just a kid, and Catherine was already stirring up quite the storm in the alchemical world. It’s incredible to consider just how gifted she truly is.”

Eddie felt a twist in his gut, a sharp reminder of how much he craved those wild connections and epic adventures. “I totally need to get in touch with her, write a letter or something.”

“Absolutely,” his dad cheered on. “Catherine would totally be stoked to hear from you. She’s always seen the greatness in you, even when you couldn’t see it yourself.”