Chained Hearts: From Slavery to Sovereignty
Chapter 90: Crystallized Pink potion

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Crystallized Pink potion

Amm! Never mind. Alistair said in a small voice, "Damn! When had he ever found himself in this position? He wanted to kill that demon again a hundred times for making him lose his face. Never had he ever found himself in such a difficult position."

But what was the use of it when he knew the fault lay with him instead of the monster? It was him who was weak and had fallen into the trap of that monster.

Alistair clenched his eyes shut and remembered that dream. No, it was all a lie woven by that disgusting monster. But no matter how much he denied it, he still wanted to live in that dream, even if it was an illusion.

And that thought alone made him disgusted with himself. No, she was no longer here. What was the use of remembering her when she had left him cruelly for someone else, treating him and his love as nothing more than a speck of dust?

"Don’t waste your time thinking about that dream. It’s Dreamware’s best technique to attack its victims by violating and using their greatest regrets and fears," Keren’s voice snapped Alistair out of his thoughts.

He looked at Keren’s frowning face. But even though his face was filled with unwillingness, his voice was gentle, like soothing a child.

"It was not your fault. Even if you were stronger than you are now, you would have still succumbed to its dream. It’s not about how strong or powerful a knight you are. All that matters is how you decide to overcome your deepest fear. It’s all a mind game," Keren continued in his calm voice, consoling yet stern at the same time.

"Ohh! It really was a filthy creature, one that could play with anyone’s mind at its will," Alistair said, disgust evident in his eyes.

"I have never seen these types of monsters in Morthagars," he continued.

"They are very rare monsters, and they are also among the few monsters who are intelligent. You don’t find them here because they mostly reside closer to the demon world," Keren continued while shaking a potion.

He had mixed two rare herbs with a healing potion. He wanted to see how they would react to each other. If it succeeded, it would be another great creation of his life.

"Demon world..." Alistair muttered as intense hatred crossed his eyes. The mere mention of this realm was enough to make him lose his rationality.

But Keren was unaware of his emotions. A smile appeared on his frowning face as the color of the potion slowly changed from dark black to a crystallized pink.

"Wow! What a beautiful color. It’s even more beautiful than described in the text," Keren said in a delighted voice.

Alistair momentarily snapped out of his daze and looked at Keren’s brightened face. He had hardly seen him this happy. Keren always wore a grumpy expression, as if everyone owed him gold coins.

But when he looked at the crystallized pink potion, which shone like gems, it hypnotized him. The longer he looked at the potion, the greater his urge grew to swallow it.

"It was tempting his mind from every direction."

Just as he reached for the bottle of the crystallized pink potion, his hand was swatted away roughly.

Keren slapped his hand and immediately sealed the potion from view, placing it inside a bag.

Alistair snapped out of his daze as if hypnotized, looking at Keren with bewilderment. "What the fuck was that... Did it actually..." Alistair found himself at a loss for words as he stared at Keren in confusion.

"It’s nothing at all like what you’re thinking. Now go away from here," Keren chided him, roughly pushing him out of the small house.

"What the hell? How could you treat me like this?" Alistair shouted, knocking on the door hard but getting no response from Keren.

He cursed under his breath. He knew it was pointless to ask Keren anything when he didn’t want to disclose it.

He turned around and decided to check on the trainees and help the villagers restore their village. Only then did he realize he was the only one inside with Keren. He didn’t even remember when Oronik and Morren had disappeared. He needed to find them as well.

Keren breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Alistair’s footsteps fading away.

He had been really careless to make this potion in the presence of a human, knowing full well the consequences. But he couldn’t blame himself.

He had never thought it would succeed this easily when he was casually practicing the technique from the text. It was written that to make this potion, one required immense patience and calmness to refine it.

But whatever, it was good that it succeeded, and the hassle of collecting these rare herbs was no longer his concern.

Keren took the potion out again and looked closely at it. The more he gazed at it, the more satisfied he felt with himself.

If those old coots from his clan knew he had made this potion so casually, they would surely die of a heart attack.

Alistair walked along the narrow dirt path of the village. The air smelled of damp earth and ash. The village, once full of life, now seemed lifeless and broken.

Walls had crumbled, wood lay splintered, and crops were ruined. These were all signs of their rampage. Villagers worked silently to recover what they could.

In the distance, Alistair saw a group of young knights helping the villagers. It was the trainees. Orion, Llyris, Ivis, and the others looked serious.

Their clothes were torn and covered in dirt, but they kept working. Llyris carried wood to fix a broken wall. Ivis helped an old woman with a damaged cart. Orion focused on fixing a roof, hammering nails into place.

Alistair stood still and watched them. Their faces showed shame, but there was also determination. They were trying to make up for their mistakes, even if they struggled.

Orion stopped for a moment to wipe the sweat from his face. He looked up and noticed Alistair standing nearby. His eyes grew wide in surprise, and he called out, "Sir Alistair!