Chapter 118: Memory Brew
Dante continued, "The location of the excursion will be disclosed only on the day it takes place, for safety reasons. Your professors will provide you with further information at that time. With that, we come to the end of today’s assembly. You are all free to return to your classes."
Students began to disperse, followed by Evelyn and others. As she walked outside the assembly hall, she glanced at Ivan and asked, "Are you aware of the locations of the excursion?"
"I can guess a few, but no, I don’t have a definite answer," Ivan replied.
"Will they be taking us somewhere within this Kingdom or to another?" Eve asked again.
"Some will be around the kingdom, but most are outside. The objective of this trip is for learning purposes, and should they decide to go to one of the places I have in mind, we might find some answers we’re looking for ourselves." He looked meaningfully at Evelyn.
Her eyebrows creased in confusion for a few seconds before her eyes widened as she understood what he meant.
She was about to speak, but he cut her off, "Not here, we’ll talk later."
Understanding the implications of discussing something sensitive within earshot of others, she simply nodded.
After some time, she asked, "So what will happen to those students who have now become staff? Will they remain as such until the term is over?"
Damien chimed in, "They’ll remain in that position until next month, when they’ll have a make-up exam. If they pass, they can regain their student status. But should they fail again, they’ll remain as staff until the end of this semester and repeat the year."
"Oh!" was all she managed to say, thinking it was far too brutal a punishment, especially for those from a noble background.
They then headed to their first class of the day, potion-making.
In class, Professor Ana Kimberly walked in and set her books on the table before speaking.
"Good Morning, everyone. I see you all have already taken your seats. As always, I would like you all to be careful during this class to avoid any unforeseen accidents or disruptions, like the last time."
She narrowed her eyes at the students, "You’ve already heard from the headmaster today, so no funny business because I’ll be watching.
She then held up a vial containing a pale blue liquid and said, "Today, we’ll be making a Memory Brew. This is what your potion should look like when brewed correctly. The more accurately you process, the stronger the results will be. Memory brew is used to retrieve forgotten memories. Depending on the quality of the ingredients and how perfectly it’s brewed, it can resurface memories that have long been buried, no matter how old they are."
She then looked at everyone and said, "Now, follow the instructions placed in front of you. Please do not try to drink the liquid. Once it’s made, wait for further instructions from me."
Soon, the sounds of clinking and bubbling mixtures filled the classroom. Eve and Ivan worked perfectly in sync as always, though this time, there was an undeniable hint of mischief in the air. When she handed him an ingredient, his fingers would "accidentally" brush against hers. When he leaned closer to explain something, her eyes would linger a moment too long on his lips, until he caught her, smirking just enough to make colour rise to her cheeks.
To everyone else, the air around them practically sparkled with unspoken tension. Damien groaned dramatically from his seat next to them, muttering under his breath, "I swear I’m going to get diabetes with just watching you two. Could you maybe not flirt over the boiling cauldrons? We’re in a classroom, for goodness’s sake!"
While some partners worked in good harmony, others struggled to get things right, often ending in minor disasters. One student stirred the pot too quickly, turning what was supposed to be a light blue liquid into ghastly, muddy green goo that began spilling over the sides.
"Oh god! What in heaven is that?!" one student screamed, jumping back. "Why does it look alive?!"
Another pair added the wrong amount of ingredients, causing their sticky mixture to splatter all over another student’s face, leaving them blinking through a mask of shimmering purple goo.
Cece looked around at the chaos, filled with students’ shrieks, smoke, and the faint sizzling sound coming from somewhere in the back, and muttered dryly, "I think we need safety gear for this class."
Edward, who was carefully adding drops of a glowing liquid into their boiling pot, murmured, "Cece, could you pass me the tongs?"
Cece quickly complied and handed him the tongs, but Edward, who was still focused on the bubbling mixture, absentmindedly grabbed her hand instead. He froze, then looked up to see a faint blush colouring her cheeks. Releasing what he had done, he immediately let go and said softly, "My apologies, I should’ve paid more attention."
"No harm done," Cece replied quickly, handing him the tong. Without another word, they went back to their respective work.
However, their little interaction didn’t go unnoticed by three sharp pairs of eyes behind them, Ivan, Evelyn, and Damien, who could clearly see the telltale red tint on both Cece’s and Edward’s ears.
While Eve and Ivan chose to remain silent, Damien, being Damien, couldn’t resist., "Well, well, well," he drawled. "I must say...didn’t see that coming. Seems like my sister isn’t too far behind you two." His eyes gleamed with mischief as he glanced between Ivan and Eve.
Ivan ignored him and went back to his work while Eve pressed her lips together, trying hard to stifle a smile.
Soon, when each group’s potion was ready, it was poured into a glass vial. Professor Ana announced, "Alright, time’s up! Since everyone is done, I’m going to start making rounds to check how you’ve all performed. Meanwhile, I want one person from each pair to volunteer to take a single drop from their vial to test the potion’s effectiveness. But this only applies to the pairs who actually managed to create the potion. I don’t want any casualties from disasters like that."
She pointed with her thumb to her right, where a pair of students stood, looking utterly exhausted as if they had just fought a batter with their vessel and a slimy green liquid that looked disturbingly alive.
Professor Ana sighed and mumbled, "This is what happens when you don’t follow the instructions."
Shaking her head, she began making her rounds. When some of the students took a single drop from their vials, a few remembered things they had been searching for weeks ago, while others recalled something as trivial as what they had eaten three nights ago.
When Professor Ana stopped in front of Ivan and Evelyn’s desk, she picked up their glass vial and examined the liquid, "Hm...this one seems perfectly brewed," she remarked. Then, turning her light brown eyes towards them, she asked, "Now, which one of you would like to try it?"
"I will," Ivan replied
Earlier, while Professor Ana was making her rounds, Eve and Ivan had already discussed it. Ivan had insisted on being the one to try it since Eve’s emotions and powers were still unstable, and taking the potion might trigger a memory that could worsen her condition. So she could only agree after he reasoned with her.
Professor Ana gave a nod and said, "Go ahead, Prince Ivan, but remember, just one drop."
Ivan picked up the dropper, dipped it into the vial, and parted his lips as a single drop touched his tongue, while Eve and others watched curiously. Soon in the classroom, the faint scent of herbs dissolved around him. When his vision cleared, he found himself turned into a five-year-old who was in his room in Dracoria Palace. The moonlight filtered weakly through the tall windows, painting silver streaks across the marbled floor.
The room was dark around him when he saw a person step next to his bed. The person’s face was half-covered by a hood, but he could tell it was a woman, and she was smiling at him. Something about her felt very familiar, and he was sure he had seen her before.
Before he could move, the woman whispered softly, "Shhh...don’t be scared, Your Highness." She raised her hand, brushed it over her head, and a soft purple light emitted from her hand and murmured, "Forget about...." Her voice became muffled for a moment, before it became clear again, "...it’s for your own good. Live your life as if you never met..."
Before he could hear the name, the vision vanished, and he was back in the classroom. His eyes widened slightly before his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Professor Ana raised her eyebrows and asked curiously, "Saw something interesting, Prince Ivan?"
He fixed his expression back to his usual calm and replied, "Nothing that would interest you."
Professor Ana pushed her glasses up and asked, "How far did the memory take you?"
"Far...when I was five," he replied, his expression unreadable.
