The Alchemists

Lauriel returned to his table and sat down calmly. Rosalien too. She seemed able to calm her anger and sit elegantly as if nothing had happened.

Everyone's views were now turning to Alaric, who was introducing his foster children, one by one, to members of his extended family. And vice versa.

His c.h.e.s.t was filled with happiness as he watched the people he loved were around him that day. From being the loneliest man in the world, now he had a big and warm family.

Really, so many things happened during these ten years.

There was no conflict at all when he introduced Kai, Takeshi, and Mischa and the rest of the family members. All exchanged greetings warmly and respectfully.

And in the end, it was time for them to end the meeting that day by giving the gifts from Aldebar to Alaric's four foster children, the immortality potion.

There was no doubt at all among them about the gift. They all decided to accept the potion and become immortals and be part of the Alchemists clan. After all, being young forever was everyone's dream.

"Welcome. Now you are part of us." Caspar rose from his seat and gave his blessing to the four people. As the clan leader and as Alaric's father-in-law, he felt it was fitting for Mischa, Takeshi, Kai, and Rosalien to be part of them. He was not a purist who considered himself better than ordinary humans. So, having new members in their clan was something that he really liked.

The eyes of the four former assassins were filled with emotion as they drank the potions that were presented to them by Alaric one by one.

They have lived as ordinary people for ten years after Rhionen Assassins was disbanded. And now, being part of the Alchemists was a gift that they had never imagined before. There would be no more illnesses and weaknesses. There would be no aging, and they would have all the time in the world to do whatever they want.

The others raised their glasses and also congratulated Mischa, Takeshi, Kai, and Rosalien. "Welcome. We are family, now and forever."

"Thank you ..." The four nodded with a smile.

"Alright ... since we all know each other now, I would like to invite all of you to join on our deer hunting activity an hour from now, after a short rest." Alaric finally closed their special lunch after the brief procession was over. Everyone nodded and stood up to rest before they join the deer hunting that the host had prepared.

"It is a very pleasant day," Aleksis commented as she walked with Alaric toward their nursery on the 1st floor. Ireland and Scotland had slept peacefully in the double stroller that Alaric was pushing with his right hand.

"I agree with you," Alaric nodded happily. He felt everything was going very smoothly, and now he could not wait for the arrival of Nicolae and his children. "You're going to join the hunting with me, aren't you?"

Aleksis shook her head. "I haven't practiced my shot in a long time. I'm afraid I will only trouble you guys. Besides, if I didn't shot a deer properly to immediately kill it, it will try to run away and suffer long enough. I can't bear it."

Since she was a child, Aleksis had learned to use firearms for hunting and defending herself. As Lauriel's favorite child, she was equipped with various skills by her godfather, including the skills to use various weapons. But since she became a mother, Aleksis had never practiced, so this time she was hesitant to join.

Hunting of wild animals to control the population was a sport that many wealthy families enjoyed doing, but only people who were very skilled at using weapons were allowed to participate so that the hunted animals could be killed in one shot.

That's why this time Aleksis declined to join and only become a spectator. She would wait for the hunters to arrive in the garden while spending time with their children.

"You can ride with me, no need to shoot," Alaric said, pressing the elevator button to the ground floor. "You can control our horse, let me do the shooting."

"Hmm ..." Aleksis smiled faintly at her husband's offer. After thinking for a while, she finally nodded.

"Alright, then."

"We will have fun." Alaric smiled and placed his arm around her waist. The elevator door opened to the first floor, and they went out of the elevator. Ireland and Scotland will usually sleep until late afternoon, so they just let the babies sleep in the nursery. While Aleksis and Alaric participate in the hunting, Kara would make sure the two boys' were taken care of properly.

***

At 3 pm, everyone was ready in the castle courtyard with their hunting gears. Ten very handsome horses had been saddled and ready to go after the hordes of deer that usually roam in groups in the woods.

The population of deer and wild animals in this woods was already excessive. It was because there were no predators such as tigers and wolves that preyed on them. In the past ten years, the deers had bred so much and if not controlled, their large numbers could damage the ecosystem.

Caspar and Finland looked at the group of hunters with happy faces from the sun chairs in front of the castle. Finland was not very good at riding, let alone shooting, so she was never interested in participating in such hunting activities.

Caspar was very good at both riding and shooting and he liked hunting. But he did not want to leave his wife alone, so he decided not to join. He had enjoyed enough adventure and hunting in his youth with Lauriel.

Now he was satisfied with Finland watching their children show their riding and shooting skills while enjoying c.o.c.ktails and reading books on sun chairs.

Each participant was invited to choose the horse they liked and the type of weapon they were most comfortable using. Lauriel chose a large black stallion with a long mane that was braided into small braids and a long rifle and a double-edged knife that he tucked on his belt.

Actually, when he heard about this hunting event, he was overwhelmed by nostalgia. Hunting was his favorite activity with Luna. The girl was a very skilled archer.

Before they were accustomed to using firearms, Luna learned to use her bow and arrows with the best archery expert in her country, and soon she gained a reputation as the best archer girl in mainland Europe.

Ahh ... the thought of Luna made Lauriel miss her deeply, but now his longing for her was no longer accompanied by feelings of pain and regret. Lately, he realized that he no longer felt extreme sorrow when he remembered his late girlfriend. Only pure longing.

In the past, for almost a hundred years, Lauriel buried the memories of Luna in the deepest part of his heart, and he tried to forget her face altogether. During the first twenty years after Luna's death, he often had nightmares, and it made him very miserable.

He preferred to forget Luna's face than to go crazy because of the deep grief. That was why when he first met Alaric on the night train in Thailand, he did not recognize him at all. By then, Lauriel had actually managed to forget Luna's face.

But since last year, after he had met Alaric and learned that the young man was his son, all memories of Luna and her face returned to Lauriel's memory like an unstoppable flood.

Now, seeing Alaric always made him remember Luna's face, and for some reason, his heart no longer felt sad.

Today, Lauriel realized, he was able to remember Luna with an open and willing heart. Lauriel felt his wound slowly healed because he had his two sons.

He had indeed lost Luna forever, but the woman he loved still lived in their children. The bond between them would never break until the end of time.

Forever, Luna would be in his heart and life.