Last Gun Alchemist

The account inside the book continued.

Not only were the soldiers of the Holy Empire of Rome capable of creating weapons through their Divinity, but according to the writer, the vitality contained within their Converted Essence had been so great that he could almost feel it overflowing from them.

There had been something else as well.

Something the writer had noticed when those soldiers encountered the forces of the Servient Union.

A slight but natural sense of oppression had appeared between their Converted Essences.

It wasn’t the violent rejection one might expect from two opposing forms of Essence.

Instead, the writer described it as something closer to what happened when an Arcanist Alchemist released his Cognis Presence against a Novice Alchemist.

The Novice’s Cognis would naturally come under pressure because of the enormous difference between them.

Of course, the difference between the Roman soldiers and Servients hadn’t reached anything close to that level.

Still...

The phenomenon had existed.

And that observation had eventually led the writer toward another realization.

Ezra’s eyes slowly followed the next few lines.

The deeper a Converted Essence is connected to its underlying form, the greater its ability to naturally dominate another Converted Essence belonging to that same form.

"..."

Ezra stopped reading.

His finger remained against the edge of the page.

So that’s how it works?

He leaned slightly back in his chair.

His gaze remained on the open book, but he was no longer reading the words directly.

His mind had already begun moving somewhere else.

Life Essence.

Death Essence.

Converted Essence.

Divinity.

Cognis.

The information he had been gathering for the past few hours began connecting inside his head.

Then the level of harmony between Life Essence and Death Essence within Cognis should be something like...

An image surfaced from the memories of his previous life.

A circle.

One half black.

The other white.

Each side contained a small part of its opposite.

Yin and yang.

Ezra’s black eyes narrowed slightly.

That was the closest comparison he could think of.

Two opposing forces that shouldn’t naturally exist in complete harmony, yet somehow formed a balanced whole.

Life and Death.

Creation and Destruction.

The more Ezra read, the more he felt as though something inside his understanding was changing.

It wasn’t one massive realization that suddenly gave him every answer he wanted.

Rather, small pieces continued falling into place.

One after another.

A line from one book would answer part of a question raised by another.

That answer would create a new question.

Then another paragraph would give him something else to think about.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Without realizing it, Ezra stopped simply reading about Essence.

He started thinking about it.

Deeply.

His eyes remained on the words before him, but his thoughts had already moved beyond the page.

Essence exists in everything.

Living.

Non-living.

Humans possessed it as well.

Ezra’s fingers slowly stopped moving across the page.

Humans lived.

Humans aged.

And eventually...

Humans died.

If both Life Essence and Death Essence exist within a human body, then doesn’t that mean a living human naturally possesses some form of harmony between the two?

Ezra’s thoughts slowed.

He pictured a newborn child.

Then a teenager.

An adult.

An old man.

The same person moving through different stages of life.

If that’s true...

Ezra’s gaze became distant.

Then what happens as we grow older?

The answer that came to him wasn’t something he could prove.

Not yet.

It was simply a possibility formed from everything he had read.

Perhaps the harmony slowly changed.

Life Essence might be more dominant while the body is young and healthy, but as the person continues aging, Death Essence could gradually become more deeply rooted within them.

Not enough to immediately kill the person.

Just enough to slowly shift the balance.

A once-young face gained wrinkles.

Strong muscles weakened.

Hair lost its color.

A body that could once run for hours eventually struggled to move with the same freedom.

A beautiful woman grew old.

A handsome man aged.

Could Death Essence be gradually becoming more dominant as that happens?

Ezra remained still.

The quiet sounds of the Central Library seemed to become farther away.

Then another thought appeared.

A quieter one.

One that caused his eyes to stop completely.

Then... during Aliya’s death...

Ezra’s expression didn’t change much.

But the memory came.

Aliya.

Her body.

Her final moments.

Death.

Did the thing, maintaining the harmony between her Life Essence and Death Essence shatter?

His mind began constructing an image.

Not a memory this time.

A theory.

He pictured Life Essence slowly draining away from her body.

At the same time, Death Essence spread farther and farther, no longer being held in balance by its opposite until it finally occupied everything that remained.

Ezra stared at nothing.

Is that what death actually is?

He didn’t know.

The books hadn’t told him that.

It was only a thought.

Yet the idea refused to disappear.

Instead, it connected itself to something else from his previous life’s world.

Fantasy comics.

There had been several power systems where using certain abilities shortened the user’s lifespan.

Sometimes the character would be told that they had only a few years left to live.

Other times, every use of a technique would consume part of their remaining life.

What if a power like that existed here?

Ezra’s thoughts continued moving.

Would using it consume Life Essence?

And if it did...

Would Death Essence begin gaining dominance earlier than it naturally should?

Could that be why the person’s remaining lifespan shortened?

Could this also be related to my condition?

"..."

Ezra’s eyes remained distant.

Another possibility appeared.

Then another.

His thoughts branched outward faster than he could properly organize them.

For a while, the book in front of him became almost secondary.

Ezra remained seated, surrounded by open volumes, while his mind repeatedly returned to the same foundation.

The more he thought, the more questions appeared.

And strangely...

The more questions appeared, the more he felt he understood.

Not enough to call it knowledge.

Certainly not enough to call any of his theories facts.

But something had changed.

His understanding of Essence was no longer where it had been when he first sat down.

Time continued passing without him noticing.

Until...

Ezra’s eyes suddenly shifted away from the book.

"..."

He stared ahead.

For several seconds, he didn’t seem to be looking at anything in particular.

The shelves remained in front of him.

Students moved quietly between them.

The soft sound of pages turning continued throughout the floor.

Cold air flowed from the cooling devices.

Ezra blinked.

Then his awareness properly returned to the library around him.

He reached into his space bag and took out his Starlix.

The screen lit up.

Ezra looked at the time.

His eyes narrowed.

"...An hour?"

He was already one hour past the time he had planned to leave the library.

Ezra stared at the display for another second.

He had become so absorbed in his reading and thoughts that he hadn’t noticed.

And that was a problem.

The library wasn’t the only place he intended to visit today.

There was still somewhere else he needed to go within the Main Administrative Center before the closing hour for students and visitors.

Now...

Only two hours remained.

Ezra looked toward the books spread across the table.

Despite how long he had been sitting there, he had only managed to completely finish two of the books relating to Essence.

He had spent far too much time stopping to think about what he read.

Still...

Ezra didn’t regret it.

He placed the Starlix back inside his space bag and stood.

The chair moved softly behind him.

Rather than leaving the books piled on the table for someone else to handle, Ezra gathered them carefully and returned each one to its proper shelf.

One book.

Then another.

He checked the labels before placing each volume back where he had taken it from.

Once he finished, Ezra headed downstairs.

Lucy was still sitting where she had told him she would be.

Ezra spotted her before she noticed him.

She sat comfortably at the reading table with a novel open in her hands, a pleased smile resting on her face as her eyes moved quickly across the page.

She was clearly enjoying herself.

Ezra’s gaze moved toward the table.

Eight volumes of the same novel had been stacked neatly beside her.

"..."

Apparently, Lucy hadn’t wasted her time either.

Ezra walked over.

Tap.

His finger struck the table once.

Lucy immediately looked up.

Her eyes first landed on Ezra.

Then she glanced toward the books beside her.

A small trace of reluctance appeared on her face.

She clearly wanted to continue.

Still, she understood what Ezra’s tap meant.

It was time to leave.

"Already?"

Lucy quietly asked quietly .

Ezra nodded.

"We still have somewhere else to go."

"Oh."

Lucy looked down at the novel again.

She stared at the page for another second before finally closing it.

"Okay."

She stood and gathered the volumes.

Although she looked a little reluctant to abandon the story at that point, Lucy carried all eight books back toward the novel section and carefully returned them to their proper shelves.

Once she finished, she hurried back to Ezra.

The two walked toward the library exit.

At the sign-out area, they presented their IDs.

Click.

Ezra’s Student ID was checked.

Click.

Lucy’s Attendant ID followed.

Their departure was registered.

Neither noticed the librarian sitting some distance away.

The woman had a book open in one hand, but her attention had shifted away from the page.

Her eyes followed Ezra.

Ehn...

She watched him quietly.

You don’t see that type of enlightenment very often, not to even mention from a young alchemist.

Her gaze lowered toward Ezra’s academy uniform.

More specifically...

The family crest.

An Ashenlocke, huh?

The librarian studied his face again.

Something about him seemed familiar.

And he looks like someone I’ve seen before.

Her brows moved slightly.

Where was it?

She searched through her memory.

Nothing immediately came.

Before she could think about it any longer, several students approached her.

"Excuse me."

One of them spoke politely.

"Do you know where we can find books about..."

The librarian’s attention moved away from Ezra.

She listened to their question before pointing them toward the section they needed.

By the time she looked toward the entrance again...

Ezra and Lucy were already gone.

***

After leaving the Central Library, Ezra and Lucy boarded another Mini-Streamliner.

Their next destination required them to travel farther through the Main Administrative Center, heading toward the Royal Academy Shopping Complex.

Ezra had one particular thing he wanted to buy.

A Zphone tablet.

He had already seen how useful the devices were in class.

Compared to constantly switching between paper notes, books, and his smaller devices, a tablet would make studying and jotting down information much easier.

And Ezra had another reason he was willing to spend the money now.

Next month...

He was expecting another large payment.

Elder Ivanhoe had previously given Ezra a ten-percent reward on the firearms first sale which Ezra used to invest on the second sales of the firearms he created.

And judging from the level of sales Ezra had seen after reviewing the results...

The coming payment wouldn’t be small.

He had already done some rough calculations.

If the sales continued at their current level, his reward could reach close to one hundred million Gold Coins.

Perhaps even higher.

With that kind of payment expected next month, Ezra wasn’t particularly worried about purchasing a device that would make his academy studies easier.

The Mini-Streamliner continued moving through the Administrative Center.

Eventually, it slowed.

Then stopped.

Ezra and Lucy stepped off at the station and headed directly toward the Royal Academy Shopping Complex.

The building was massive.

Once they entered, Lucy’s attention immediately began moving from one display to another.

The place was packed with things meant for academy students.

Machines.

Devices.

Entertainment products.

Educational equipment.

Crafting tools.

Combat-training materials.

Alchemy accessories.

There were entire stores dedicated to products that some students would probably spend hours examining.

Lucy even noticed a large luxury shop selling Ese.

Farther away, inside a section dedicated to vehicles, a Noble Phantom Rolls stood proudly on display within a store owned by The Eclipse.

Its polished body reflected the lights above while several students stood nearby examining it.

Ezra glanced toward it.

Then he kept walking.

He hadn’t come here to admire a Phantom Rolls.

Since he already knew what one looked like.

Lucy followed him, although her eyes still wandered toward several displays as they passed.

Eventually, Ezra reached the Zphone store.

Inside, different models were arranged across illuminated display tables.

Phones.

Tablets.

Accessories.

Different versions and generations were available depending on how much someone was willing to spend.

Ezra didn’t choose the newest model.

He didn’t need to.

Instead, he selected the tablet version he had already been considering.

It was two models behind the latest release.

Still powerful.

Still more than enough for what he intended to use it for.

Then Ezra saw the price.

"..."

Fifteen times what he had spent on the books.

Even his Starlix 11 couldn’t hold a candle to the cost of this thing.

Ezra stared at the price for a moment.

Royal Academy.

That thought alone somehow felt like enough explanation.

He bought it anyway.

Once the transaction was completed, Ezra and Lucy left the store with their purchased goods.

They had barely moved far from the entrance when...

"Ezra!"

A familiar, bright male voice called out to him.

Ezra stopped.

He turned toward the voice.

Veda and Vera were unusually walking together through the shopping complex, both carrying bags filled with things they had apparently bought.

Ezra raised one hand.

He gave them a lazy wave.

Veda noticed him.

His expression had originally been normal.

Then it changed.

The smile disappeared.

His eyes widened.

"..."

Ezra’s raised hand slowly lowered.

Veda was staring directly at him.

"Ezra!!!"

This time, there was no cheerfulness in his voice.

Veda dropped whatever casual pace he had been walking with and suddenly broke into a run.

His face was filled with panic.

Ezra’s brows pulled together slightly.

What?

"Master!"

Lucy screamed.

Ezra turned his eyes toward her.

Her hands had risen toward her mouth.

Terror covered her face.

"...?"

Ezra became even more confused with his expression still remaining plain.

Vera was already moving behind Veda.

Unlike him, she didn’t shout.

But her pace had changed completely.

Her steps became fast enough that the shopping bags in her hands swung sharply beside her.

Her black eyes were fixed on Ezra.

Then...

Drip.

Something struck the polished floor beneath him.

Ezra’s gaze moved downward.

A small red drop rested near his shoe.

Blood.

"..."

His hand slowly rose toward his face.

His fingers touched beneath his nose.

Wet.

Ezra pulled his hand away slowly.

Blood stained his fingertips.

Wh...?

His thoughts suddenly became difficult to hold.

The lights above him blurred.

Ezra blinked.

The shopping complex shifted strangely in his vision.

Veda was still running toward him.

Lucy was shouting something.

Vera was moving faster.

But their voices seemed farther away now.

Ezra tried to focus.

He couldn’t.

He even tried to coordinate his Cognis to strengthen his body.

But his whole body system failed to move.

His legs lost their strength.

His body tilted forward.

"Ezra!"

Before he could hit the floor, Vera reached him.

She caught his collapsing body, one arm moving around him as she lowered herself enough to stop his head from striking the hard ground.

Her shopping bags dropped beside her.

Vera looked at Ezra’s face.

For once, the usual dryness in her eyes disappeared beneath complete focus.

Blood was running from his nose.

But it wasn’t only his nose.

Thin lines of blood had begun trailing from his eyes as well.

Vera’s gaze immediately moved lower.

Then stopped.

White light was appearing beneath Ezra’s skin.

Cognis.

The glowing lines followed his veins, spreading across the visible parts of his body.

But they didn’t look like the normal flow of Cognis through an Alchemist’s blood system.

The white lines looked uneven.

Broken.

Almost like cracks spreading through glass.

Vera tightened her hold around Ezra.

Veda finally reached them.

Lucy dropped beside her master, her face pale as she stared at the blood.

And beneath Ezra’s skin...

The glowing Cognis lines continued spreading like cracks across his body.

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