Since the three of us were still growing children, we gobbled up everything, including the cheesecake. Ana was full by then, though, so we wrapped up her slice to take home with her.
After the meal, Miina headed downstairs to wash the dishes with Marcus, who helped carry them down for her. Ana and I sat at the table, alone with a cup of tea now that the dishes had been cleared away. Leaf had finished his dinner as well and was currently curled up at my feet, looking very content as he slept.
“Thank you so much, Daisy. You’re all such nice children,” Ana said, her eyes crinkling into a soft smile.
“Miina’s the one who did all the work,” I said shyly, shaking my head.
“No, Daisy. You’re a good girl, too. You’re kind, and you use your Alchemy with such care. I was thinking I could pass on the things I can’t use anymore to someone like you.”
And then she began to tell me her story.
Ana was born in the kingdom west of ours. She trained there as an Alchemist and eventually married a Blacksmith she’d been friends with. They lived a peaceful life, but not long after their wedding, political strife tore their kingdom apart. A new, much more militaristic king ascended to the throne, and their kingdom changed overnight.
“I used to make alloys for weapons and armor, and explosives for mining,” she told me quietly. “That’s how I met my husband, since he was a Blacksmith. But after the new regime, they came for us.”
They had been forced to mass-produce the swords and armor that they’d once made for adventurers and knights to arm soldiers for war instead. And the explosives Ana had designed for mining operations became weapons used to kill many people from other kingdoms.
“It was too much for me, so I left with trusted companions,” she said with difficulty.
But her husband had stayed behind. “He said that he had to deal with what we’d created first, and he couldn’t leave until then. I haven’t seen him since.” Ana paused for a moment. “We never had children. That’s why I want to ask… Daisy, would you accept my old books and Alchemy equipment? I can’t work with heavy metals anymore; my back’s not in the shape it used to be.” Her expression was sad but kind as she gently clasped my hands.
I found myself speaking before I knew what had come over me and told her something I’d never shared with anyone before. “Once, I made a truth serum for the king. It was used to uncover the crimes of two people… They meant to hurt the royal family, so they were executed. I’ve also taken people’s lives, whether it was indirectly or not.”
My naivety then still felt vivid, as memories came rushing back and my eyes welled up with tears. Ana listened quietly to my confession.
“I was eight then. I thought I was protecting the royal family, and that I was doing the right thing.” I shook my head, feeling ashamed. “But after I heard what happened, I couldn’t accept it. I told the king I’d never make anything that would hurt someone ever again. I know it’s selfish of me, but my power scared me. It still does. I’m not brave or mature enough. I don’t deserve to inherit your skills,” I confessed.
“Oh, Daisy…” Ana’s voice was quiet as she reached out to cradle my face in her worn, wrinkly hands. “All Alchemists should be a little afraid. That’s what keeps us from straying onto the wrong path.”
I fought back tears as she gently lifted my face to meet her gaze.
“The truth serum you made was used to protect the king, or someone precious to him, wasn’t it?” Ana said. “What I mean to say is, it was used so that this good kingdom, which is ruled by a wise and kind king, would remain the way it is, right? If that’s true, then don’t you think you really saved the people of this land?”
When Ana said that to me, it was like the heavy feeling still lingering somewhere in my heart finally lifted.
If I hadn’t made the truth serum and the criminals had attacked the prince again, he could have died. If that had happened, maybe things would have turned out the way the bad people wanted, and the kingdom could have become something unrecognizable, like Ana’s homeland had.
I felt a bit calmer as I looked up at her.
“Daisy, you mustn’t be so afraid of your own power,” Ana continued. “Power is a tool that can be used for good things or for terrible things. If you can discern the difference with your own heart and entrust what you create to someone who will use it for good, then I don’t think that’s ever the wrong choice.” She reached out and gently patted her palm over my chest, right over my heart. The warmth of her hand there reminded me of my father’s, when he had done the same thing the day I had heard someone had died because of the truth serum and gone to him for advice.
I felt that, somehow, Ana was trying to show me the next part of what he’d told me back then.
“An Alchemist should be cautious and take great consideration with a decision like that, every single time.”
Finally, the unease that had been smoldering deep in my heart extinguished and my conscience felt clear again.
“Ana, I’d be honored to inherit your Alchemy skills,” I said. “Please be my mentor!”
Ana was a kind, wise person. She had listened to all my worries so compassionately, and I was sure she’d teach me not only her techniques, but also the mindset of a proper Alchemist.
I really believed that was true.