"Dont waste your time with this comedian!" One onlooker told the avian alchemist. "It's quite obvious that he's just looking to stir trouble."

The shit-eating grin on Syryn's face served to reinforce the man's accusations about him.

"But he just insulted our alchemists! How can we let him get away with it?"

"Why are you feeding him attention?" The same sensible avian replied. "Thats what he wants."

"He's correct," Syryn confirmed. And this further incensed the more hot-headed avians. The ichor seller was feeling the stress of having a minor disagreement turn into a big fiasco. In the end, it wasn't just the human getting attention, it was also him and his business being dragged into the public gaze. That was a possible reputation-damaging direction they were heading towards.

"Thanks, I'll let Utsui keep this till the test is over." Syryn snatched away the bottle of Ichor from the seller's hand.

"No! Give that back!" He cried out.

Syryn was already stuffing it into Utsui's hand. "Do this favour for me and I'll tutor you privately, Utsui~" Syryn told the young man who had suddenly become speechless. The alchemist couldn't help but tease the stoic young man. He just couldn't help it.

"You can't take my ichor! That's plain robbery!" The panicked seller stared at the bottle gripped tightly in Utsui's hand.

"I'll pay you three times your price for it if I lose. And if I win, we'll test the contents of the bottle. How about it?" Syryn's stare was malicious. The avian had tried to take advantage of him by shaming him publicly. He would return the favour to him with interest.

"Let's conduct the test tomorrow," he told the avian alchemist after bullying down the ichor seller. "I will leave the logistics of it to you since this is your home turf."

The older man nodded. "And what sort of potions are you good at making? I'm an old alchemist and it would be wrong on my part to take advantage of your youth and lack of experience. You decide the potions."

"Learn something from him," the same sensible avian pitched in again.

"Why are you giving him an advantage?!"

"It's fine everyone," the avian alchemist basked in the positive attention that was piled on him by the onlookers. "Let it not be said that Nua does not know how to be kind to its guests."

Syryn pressed a finger to his lips in thought. To the avians watching him, he was a gorgeous creature and worthy of being admired. But his lack of brains, arrogant manners, and antagonistic attitude towards Nua ruined whatever physical appeal he had. They didn't know that Syryn had a glamour on that dimmed his good looks. If they truly saw how beautiful he was, they'd say that a brainless beauty also had its uses.

"Let's brew three elementary potions," Syryn finally told the alchemist. "Butterfly potion, Bubble bath, and swan feather potion."

A mocking expression spread across the alchemist's face. "Those are potions that even people without any real knowledge of alchemy can make. Aren't you ashamed to call yourself a genius and still suggest such basic concoctions?"

"You asked me to pick, didn't you?" Syryn replied. "Stop wasting my time. Let Utsui know where and when I am to appear. We'll settle our differences there." Syryn addressed the words to the alchemist but his eyes were on the seller who dared to implicate Syryn falsely.

"Hmph!" The alchemist turned away to leave. Youngsters were getting stupider by the day.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Utsui asked Syryn. Reproach was heavy in his eyes but the avian reserved counsel for later.

"Utsui, it's really sweet that you worry about me so much. I'm almost convinced that you want to give me that heart feather you keep mentioning." Syryn watched with glee as the young man's ears pinked again.

"I'm going home," Ustui declared coldly. Ichor clutched in hand like a prize, the stoic young man left without making eye contact with Syryn.

"You should stop teasing him like that," Akida told the alchemist. The guard's gaze was sharp and languid at the same time. It reminded Syryn of Milky's. "What if he really presents his heart feather to you?"

"What's this? horror story time? Dont be ridiculous, Akida. Utsui won't do something so stupid. You don't just propose to a person you've known for a few weeks. Thats how long I'll be staying by the way."

"Big brother, he admires you so much," Luci added. "Can't you see?"

"God damn it," Syryn muttered. He wasn't going to have any fun at this rate. "Fine, I won't tease him anymore."

"Let's go home," Akida told Syryn.

"Carry me!" Luci piped up. "I'm tired."

The avian guard sized up the child and called out his bullshit through eyes that conveyed doubt. Still, he hefted a delighted Luci up on his back without a word. The redhead's hands went around Akida's neck and he looked pleased with having a view from atop a tall avian.

-------

The next day, Syryn received an early morning visit from Utsui. The young healer was dressed in black from top to bottom. It made him look more imposing than usual.

"Grandfather arranged for the test to be held at the amphitheatre. Do you realise how much trouble you are in? His friends in high places will arrive in droves today and you'll find yourself a target of their ridicule."

Utsui's frowning brows were like dark swords that struck across his forehead. Syryn pressed his forefinger between the brows and smoothened out the wrinkles.

"The more the merrier," Syryn told him. "I'm a good alchemist. Ask Akida."

"Are you really?" The young man then turned to the avian guard. "Is he?"

Akida shrugged. "I don't know. Even if he gets humiliated, it'll be his own fault."

Syryn smiled at the guard's words. This was why he liked Akida and wanted him around. The avian did not bullshit around or try to curry favour with him.

Utsui let out a sigh after looking back at the alchemist. "I had the Ichor tested last night and it was as you had said. Zero-point seventy-five per cent ichor. At this level, it's just grape wine adulterated with some ichor and not the other way round."

"Hah! I knew it. Thank you, Utsui. Now I can be at peace knowing I was right."

"You weren't sure about it?" The avian asked, surprised by Syryn's admission. He had seemed so confident when he'd made the accusation.

"Who sells Ichor on the streets when they can find a customer amongst the wealthy? It was obvious something was amiss," Syryn replied.

"It could have been stolen Ichor," Utsui suggested. "Sometimes they sell them cheaper after stealing a cargo."

"Okay, I concede," Syryn said while leaning out the window to appreciate the view of clouds rolling by. "So, what did you come rushing here for on this fine morning?" Syryn asked him.

"To warn you. You've become fodder for gossip everywhere. And to make it worse, master Altaire is in Nua."

"Wh-what do you mean Altaire is in Nua?" Syryn turned around and grabbed the sides of Utsui's arms. Altaire was a being worshipped by alchemists all across the known kingdoms of the world. He was the man that stood above them all. Even Syryn only came second next to the status of grandmaster alchemist that Altaire would attain. "What is he doing in Nua?!"

"I don't know," Utsui answered, noting the fanatic light that shone in Syryn's eyes.

"Will he come to watch the test?" Did Syryn want Altaire to be part of the audience? No. It was too stressful.

"An awe-inspiring person like master Altaire will probably not come to watch the show." Utsui was careful not to mention that his grandfather had invited the man to watch what he deemed an alchemy circus. Elder Toka wasn't about to miss out on a show that would humiliate the foreigner who had made a fool out of him in front of all his students. They were expecting the alchemist to refuse the invitation so there was no sense in making Syryn more nervous.

"But what if he does?" Syryn knew that Altaire hadn't attained the heights of perfection he would in the future. But he was still Altaire, and Syryn was his biggest fan.

"He won't," Utsui tried to assure him.

"He might. But. I'm Syryn." The alchemist abruptly smacked his cheeks with his hands. "I'm Syryn Nigh'hart." His self pep talk seemed to have worked because the confidence began to settle back on his shoulders. "I'm actually amazing. Utsui, you'll fall harder in love with me this evening so for the sake of your future spouse, don't show up."

Utsui shook his head at the teen's arrogance. It had left the planet and was coalescing into a star. "You're very sure of yourself. I'm starting to believe that you're a capable alchemist."

"You'll find out just how capable I am this evening. I have to thank your grandfather for turning this into a great spectacle. Tell me, does he have a favourite potion or medicine?"

"I'll tell you if you win," Utsui replied. He felt like a fool for really believing that Syryn had a chance.

"When I win, not if."

Syryn was ready to put on a grand show for the Nuans, for elder Toka and his friends. How could he not? They'd set a grand stage for him to shine on. And if Altaire showed up, the show would still go on like he planned for it to go. After all, he was Syryn - alchemist extraordinaire, and the Hero Rowan's most precious person. He had a reputation to uphold even if they'd never heard of him before.