Chapter 3 - Chapter 3 The Renegade Apprentice

The pale blue alchemical shield trembled violently as energy bolts slammed into it with thunderous booms. Cracks snaked along its edges, and Ella's face grew increasingly pale, beads of sweat forming on her forehead."Hold on! Just a little longer!" Ella gritted her teeth, channeling alchemical energy through her hands in a desperate attempt to mend the shield's fractures.Her alchemical skills were impressive, but she was still only an apprentice. Against the siege of over a dozen Guild alchemists, she was already stretched to her limit.Kael stood behind her, clutching the green crystal tightly. He could feel its energy dwindling rapidly—he had expended a great deal repelling the three alchemists earlier.But he knew this was no time to retreat. Ella had put herself in danger to save him, and he had to find a way to help."Hey, how much longer can your shield hold?" Kael asked in a low voice, his eyes darting frantically around the encircling alchemists, searching for a weakness."At most one more minute!" Ella's voice trembled. "Their alchemical pistols are standard Guild issue—their energy output is off the charts. I can't hold on much longer. When the time comes, I'll detonate the shield to repel them temporarily. You run east—there's a field of jagged rocks there. It'll hide you from their pursuit.""What about you?" Kael asked instinctively.Ella froze for a moment, then glanced back at Kael. A flicker of complex emotion crossed her lavender eyes before they turned cold again. "Don't worry about me. I have my own way out. Just remember—no matter what happens, don't look back, and don't let anyone get their hands on that crystal. It's called the Life Crystal. It's the key to changing the fate of the wasteland."The Life Crystal? Kael's grip tightened around the stone, confusion flooding his mind.He'd never imagined this crystal, which he'd picked up by chance, could be so important."No time to explain!" Ella shouted, pouring all her strength into her hands. "Get ready—I'm going to detonate the shield!"Just then, the white-robed deacon let out a cold laugh. "Trying to run? It's too late!"He waved his hand, and a pale black alchemical bomb appeared in his grasp. He hurled it straight at Ella and Kael.The bomb exploded mid-air, releasing a cloud of inky black smoke laced with a highly corrosive toxin—it was a forbidden alchemical poison of the Guild. A single whiff would instantly paralyze the nerves, robbing its victim of all ability to resist."No!" Ella's face paled drastically. She tried to raise her shield to block the smoke, but the cracks had spread too far. The shield was useless.Kael reacted instinctively, pulling Ella behind him. He squeezed the Life Crystal tightly, channeling every last drop of his remaining energy into it. The crystal blazed with brilliant green light, expanding into a larger barrier that blocked the black smoke and poison completely."You…" Ella stared at Kael's back in shock.She could feel the energy radiating from the Life Crystal rapidly purging the forbidden toxin. What's more, the energy was nourishing her body, replenishing her depleted alchemical power at a surprising rate.Kael said nothing. His energy was draining away fast, leaving him dizzy and lightheaded, barely able to stay on his feet.But he knew he couldn't collapse. If he fell, both he and Ella would become prisoners of the Guild, and the Life Crystal would fall into their clutches."Now!" Ella snapped out of her daze, seizing the opportunity. She formed hand seals rapidly, chanting an alchemical incantation under her breath.Her pale blue alchemical energy intertwined with the green light of the Life Crystal, unleashing a massive shockwave that surged toward the surrounding alchemists."Aaaagh!"Several alchemists were caught off guard, thrown violently backward by the force of the wave. They crashed to the ground, completely incapacitated.The remaining alchemists were staggered by the impact, their eyes filled with terror."Run!" Ella grabbed Kael's hand and sprinted toward the jagged rocks to the east.The white-robed deacon was thrown back a few steps, his face dark with rage. He watched Ella and Kael's retreating figures and roared, "After them! Chase them to the ends of the earth if you have to! Bring them back—and retrieve the Life Crystal!"The remaining alchemists dared not disobey. They scrambled to their feet and chased after Ella and Kael.Ella pulled Kael along, weaving swiftly through the jagged rocks.The terrain was labyrinthine, and with the cover of the gray mist, they soon lost their pursuers.They ran until they reached the depths of the rock field. Only when they were certain no one was following did they stop, gasping for breath.Kael leaned against a large boulder, dizzy and exhausted. His energy was completely drained. The Life Crystal had dimmed, losing its brilliant glow and reverting to an unremarkable gray stone."Are you okay?" Ella walked over to him, offering a vial of pale blue liquid. "This is alchemical energy restoration serum. It'll replenish your energy quickly. It's not the best quality, but it's better than nothing."Kael took the vial and drank it down in one gulp. A cool stream of energy flowed down his throat, easing his dizziness and restoring a faint spark of power within him."Thank you." Kael looked at Ella sincerely. "If it weren't for you, I'd be dead by now."Ella waved a hand dismissively, sitting down beside him. Her lavender eyes fixed on the Life Crystal in his hand, her expression complex. "I'm not helping you. I'm helping myself—and everyone in the wasteland.""What exactly is the Life Crystal?" Kael couldn't help asking, the question weighing heavily on his mind. "Why do the Guild members want it so badly? You said it can change the fate of the wasteland—how?"Ella fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, her voice grave and solemn. "The Life Crystal is a relic forged by the ancient alchemists before the Great Alchemical Cataclysm. It contains a shard of the Eternal Energy Core—the only hope for purifying all alchemical toxins and rebuilding the human world."Kael was stunned. He'd never heard any of this before. "Wasn't the Great Alchemical Cataclysm an accident? And who were the ancient alchemists?""An accident?" Ella let out a bitter laugh, her eyes blazing with anger and contempt. "It was no accident at all. The Great Alchemical Cataclysm was a deliberate conspiracy orchestrated by the Guild's high council!"She took a deep breath and revealed the secret that had been buried for twenty years. "Twenty years ago, the Guild's leaders already knew about the Eternal Energy Core. They also knew that forging the core would trigger an energy meltdown, unleashing alchemical toxins across the land. But they didn't care. Their goal wasn't to purify the wasteland—it was to seize the power of the Eternal Energy Core, to create alchemical gods, to achieve immortality, and to rule the entire world.""The Great Alchemical Cataclysm was their doing.They used the explosion to weed out those with psionic aptitude—people like you, who can sense and manipulate alchemical energy, who can resonate with the core shards. Then they drain those people's psionic energy to fuse the core shards together, fulfilling their insane ambitions."Kael was utterly dumbfounded, unable to believe his ears.He'd always thought the Great Alchemical Cataclysm was a tragic accident, a byproduct of humanity's reckless pursuit of alchemical power. He'd never imagined it was a carefully planned conspiracy. And he—he was one of the "psionic" individuals the Guild's leaders had been hunting all along."So that's why you were exiled from the Guild?" Kael asked.Ella nodded, a flicker of sorrow crossing her eyes. "I've studied alchemy under my father since I was a child. My father is Marcus, the Guild Master. I accidentally discovered his conspiracy with the other leaders and tried to stop them. But he exiled me from the Guild and threatened to silence me if I ever revealed the secret."Marcus? Kael's heart skipped a beat. He'd heard that name before—Marcus was the most renowned alchemist on the continent, the revered Guild Master, hailed by many as the "God of Alchemy." He'd never imagined this revered figure was the mastermind behind the cataclysm."I've been wandering the wasteland ever since, searching for the shards of the Eternal Energy Core—and for someone who can stand against the Guild." Ella looked at Kael, her eyes burning with resolve. "I searched for years. Then, just now, I felt the energy pulse of the Life Crystal. I saw you. And I knew—I'd finally found the one."Kael tightened his grip on the Life Crystal, his heart a jumble of emotions.He was just an ordinary scavenger, trying to survive, trying to save the people in his camp. He'd never dreamed he'd be drawn into such a massive conspiracy—or that he'd become the key to changing the wasteland's fate."What do I do?" Kael looked up at Ella, his eyes hardening with determination. "I refuse to be a lab rat for the Guild. I refuse to watch the wasteland waste away forever. I want to save Old Joe. I want to save everyone in my camp. I want to make the wasteland clean again."Ella looked at him, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. It was the first time Kael had seen her smile. Her lavender eyes softened, glimmering with warmth. "The two of us alone can't stand against the entire Guild. In the heart of the wasteland, there's a place called Blackstone Camp. It's a refuge for scavengers, rogue alchemists, and rebels—all of them oppressed by the Guild, all of them waiting for a chance to fight back.""Right now, we're going to Blackstone Camp." Ella stood up, brushing the dust off her clothes. "There, we'll find more allies. We'll uncover more secrets about the Eternal Energy Core. And we'll find an alchemical device that can hide your psionic aptitude, keeping you safe from the Guild's hunters."Kael nodded, standing up as well and clutching the Life Crystal tightly. "Alright. Let's go to Blackstone Camp."The two of them gathered their gear, preparing to set off. But just then, a low, menacing roar echoed from the depths of the rock field, accompanied by heavy footsteps that grew closer and closer.Kael and Ella tensed instantly, gripping their weapons as they stared toward the sound.Out of the gray mist loomed a massive figure.It was an alchemical beast, shaped like a lion, its body covered in black metallic scales. Its eyes glowed blood-red, and it exhaled wispy black fumes, radiating a powerful surge of alchemical energy—it was an Iron-Scaled Lion, an extremely ferocious high-tier alchemical beast.And standing behind the Iron-Scaled Lion was a towering, burly man.He wore heavy modified hazmat armor, his left arm replaced by a gleaming silver alchemical prosthetic. A long scar sliced across his chest. His eyes were cold and emotionless, and he wielded a massive alchemical battle blade, emanating an energy signature similar to the Iron-Scaled Lion's.The man's gaze locked onto the Life Crystal in Kael's hand, cold and greedy. A cruel smile twisted his lips."Hand over the Life Crystal… or face the consequences."Kael and Ella exchanged a glance, both seeing wariness and gravity in each other's eyes. They'd barely escaped the Guild's pursuit, only to encounter such a mysterious and powerful foe.The gray mist thickened. The Iron-Scaled Lion's roar grew louder. The man's alchemical battle blade glinted with a cold, deadly light. A new crisis had descended. Little did Kael know, this mysterious cyborg would become his most loyal ally in the days to come—and would uncover another secret hidden deep within the wasteland.