The Alchemists

Sophia initially thought it was her beauty that made Alaric rooted in his place when she reached out to ask for a handshake, but after looking carefully at the owner of Rhionen Industries in front of her, her chest shook.

Sophia was stunned and motionless. Alaric's face felt very familiar. She had seen this person before, but his eyes were not like this twenty years ago.

Tonight when they meet again, Sophia seemed to be looking at the same person at the same time, but his eyes that used to be more bluish now looked almost completely purple. Just like hers.

The two look at each other with a frown.

Sophia squinted her eyes to see Alaric better. She had a very sharp memory and she realized that 20 years ago she had seen this young man standing before her. Unconsciously she bit her lower lip and her pair of purple eyes seemed to glow with joy.

"You used to be one of the assassins of Rhionen Assassins that my brother Alexei hired 20 years ago to kill Caspar! I never forgot your face when you came to our palace in Yorkshire ... Now I know you're not just one of the assassins, actually you are the leader of the Rhionen Assassins yourself," she said in a passionate tone. "I never expected Famke's boss was an Alchemist, she never said so ... Hmm .. or maybe Famke herself also never knew this."

Alaric looked up at Sophia with a surprised look, he couldn't hide his confusion. The beautiful girl in front of him mentioned the names of Alexei, one of his former clients, and Famke, a skillful assaasin from Rhionen Assassins who was killed over 20 years ago. He didn't remember ever met Sophia before.

"Who are you?" He asked in a cold tone.

"I'm an Alchemist just like you. Famke and Alexei were too ..." Sophia answered enthusiastically. "Hmm ... your eyes are very interesting. They didn't have this color when I saw you the last time. And if I hadn't seen you 20 years ago with the same face, I would never have thought you were an Alchemist, since I've never seen you at clan events. Who's your family? "

Alaric was silent when he heard the word 'family'. He had no family.

"What is an Alchemist?" he asked. He could no longer hide his curiousity. Earlier Sophia was talking about Alexei and Famke, and the Alchemists.

He didn't understand what the girl was talking about, and he was very interested. Something in his chest shook as he heard that word.

Alchemist.

Sophia looked at Alaric carefully, trying to figure out if the handsome young man was joking. She was shocked to find out that Alaric really didn't understand what she was talking about.

"Geez ... you don't know ..." Sophia covered her mouth and sighed a little. She felt very sorry for the young man standing before her. This man did not know his true identity. She walked up to Alaric and touched his shoulders. "Alaric, have you ... been alive for so long and you haven't aged?"

Alaric was stunned to hear this blunt question. Unconsciously he nodded.

Sophia sighed, "You have never been sick, your body is stronger than a normal human being, you can predict the weather well, and your hair grows as it pleases?"

Alaric nodded, this time his chest began to feel tight. Why did Sophia know all those?

"You are an Alchemist. We are the perfect human clan who have immortal life. You are not alone in this world. There are several hundred members of our clan in the world," Sophia continued. "My brother Alexei and I are alchemists, and we are hundreds of years old. Famke was also an alchemist, she was killed by my brother's enemy. That was why Alexei asked you to mobilize assassins from your organization to pursue Caspar 20 years ago. When Alexei invited you to come, I wasn't allowed to meet you, but I saw you two talking from the next room. Alexei didn't know you were an alchemist, I don't think Famke knew either, because your eye color was different from now ..."

All the information he had just received from Sophia was too much to digest at once. Alaric's mind puzzled.

Sophia's words kept ringing on his mind, 'You are not alone in this world ...'

You are not alone in this world.

Sophia who saw Alaric's face turn pale only smiled thinly. She patted Alaric's shoulder gently and whispered, "Maybe all of this is too shocking for you ... You'd better take a drink to calm down. Can I get that tequila please ..."

She pointed at the liquor cabinet. 

Alaric looked at her for a long time and then nodded. He will need something strong too. All of this information was  too sudden and very surprising.

For decades he tried to find answers without results, and now, suddenly all the answers were thrown at him without him being able to prepare himself.

He took a bottle of tequila from the cabinet and some salt and lemon slices. Sophia swiftly poured each of them a shot of tequila, then handed one glass to Alaric.

She took the salt and licked the salt from his index finger to reduce the burning sensation as she sipped tequila from her glass then sucked the lemon slices to enhance the taste of his drink. The taste of tequila and lemon united in her mouth and made her feel better.

Sophia never thought her new business partner was an Alchemist. This will make collaboration between them easier. Moreover, it looked like Alaric didn't know his origins ...

"Why not drink?" Sophia asked. "After you calm down, we'll talk about the alchemists and you can ask me anything ..."

Alaric nodded and followed Sophia's actions. He gulped down the tequila in his glass and the sour and salty taste of the lemon and salt that accompanied the drink. He now felt more awake.

Finally ... he will find out the answers he had been looking for ...

After a few moments of silence, he finally asked Sophia ... "Do all Alchemists have eyes like us?"

Sophia nodded, "That's right. All alchemists have brilliantly colored eyes. I don't know what happened to you, why 21 years ago when Alexei met you you didn't have brilliant eyes like you do now ..."

"Not that. I mean ... those purple eyes ..." Alaric said interrupting Sophia.

"Oh ..." Sophia studied Alaric closer and then remembered something. "No ... this purple color is the special characteristics of the Linden family."

"Are you part of the Linden family?" Alaric asked. He pointed at Sophia's purple eyes.

Sophia shook her head, "I'm from the Meier family, but my mother is a daughter of the Linden family ... so I inherited my eye color from her ... My mother's cousin, Princess Portia is also a descendant of the Linden family and she inherited purple in her hair ... just like Princess Luna."

Suddenly Sophia covered her lips and looked at Alaric with rounded eyes.

That's right ... Alaric had a pair of purple eyes like herself. He must have blood ties with the Linden family somehow...

But the young man seemed to know nothing about his family. Is he the lost descendant of the Linden family? But from who?

Deep down she actually could have guessed the answer, because Alaric's face was very similar to someone she knew. But she still didn't believe in her own mind, because that person died a long time ago ...

"Were ... were you born ... during the war?" She asked then in a choked voice. Sophia cannot believe she would ask that question.

Alaric looked surprised to hear Sophia's blunt question.  It seemed like this girl in front of him knew a lot about him.

Unconsciously his head had nodded slowly, "That's correct. I was born during the war ..."

Tears began to well up in both corners of Sophia's eyes when she heard Alaric's answer. She had expected that answer, but still she wasn't ready to hear it ....

She was very touched ...

"Were ... were you born in Romania?" She asked again, trying to be sure.

Alaric had seen Sophia's eyes filled with tears, and his chest immediately felt tight.

This girl knew him! At the very least Sophia knew who his family was....

Alaric nodded again. "That's right. I was born in Romania ..."

"Oh God ..." Sophia could no longer hold back and her tears immediately burst forth as she hugged Alaric. "I'm really glad you survived ... apparently Lady Luna's child was born and alive ..."

Alaric felt awkward because Sophia treated him so intimately, and hugged him in tears. Who was this girl really?

"Princess Luna? Who was that?" He asked, astonished.

Sophia tightened her arms and her voice sounded very emotional, "Lady Luna is my aunt ... She was pregnant when she managed to save herself from Germany to Romania, we lost track of her and thought she had died with the child in her womb ... We never stopped looking for the two of you..."

"You ... are you my cousin?" Alaric asked haltingly. Unconsciously tears began to well in the corner of his eyes. He became emotional when he saw Sophia nodding softly.

Finally ... the answer ... he'd been looking for all this time ...

He now knew who his mother was ...

And he even managed to meet his own cousin ...

He was truly not alone in this world ...