Magda ground the moonpetal between her fingers, watching silver dust fall into the copper bowl. She had studied alchemy for three years in the Spirit Realm, learning which herbs revealed memories and which ones showed futures. But none of those potions compared to what she truly wanted to create—the legendary elixir that grants visions of hidden truths. The ancient texts spoke of it in whispers, a brew so powerful it could show what was, what is, and what must never be. Her master said she wasn't ready, but Magda knew differently. She needed three more ingredients, all rare, all dangerous to obtain. The recipe called for starfire moss, tears of a sleeping giant, and essence of bound shadow. Her fingers traced the yellowed pages one more time before she closed the book. Tomorrow she would visit the merchant stands beyond the temple gates, where traders sold things too strange for ordinary markets. The morning mist clung to her bare feet as she walked between wooden stalls draped with purple cloth. Merchants called out their wares—dried wings, bottled storms, bones that hummed when touched. Then she saw it. A glass dome sat on a merchant's table, small enough to hold in two hands. Inside the prison, a demon lord named Eas'thi'kaula pressed against the walls, its dark form shifting like smoke. The creature's eyes found hers, and she felt its hunger, its promises of power in exchange for freedom. Magda studied the glass carefully. Shadow essence. The demon's aura leaked through tiny cracks in its prison, pooling at the base like black oil. She pulled three silver coins from her pouch and placed them on the table. The merchant nodded without speaking. Magda wrapped the dome in cloth and tucked it into her bag, already planning how she would extract what she needed without breaking the seal. She moved deeper into the market, scanning each table for her next ingredient. A white bottle caught the light three stalls ahead, shimmering with magic that made her breath catch. The merchant held it up when she approached. The glass sparkled like captured starlight, designed to gather dew from the night air. Perfect for collecting pure water to form the elixir's base. Magda inspected the narrow neck and wide bottom, noting how the magic would draw moisture from the air itself. She paid two silver coins and added the bottle to her bag beside the demon's prison. Two ingredients found in one morning. The starfire moss would be harder to locate, but she had time. Magda turned back toward the temple, her steps quick and light. The legendary elixir was closer than it had ever been, and soon she would see the hidden truths that others feared to know. But she would need a proper place to work. The temple laboratory belonged to her master, and he would never allow her to brew something this dangerous there. Magda walked past the temple gates, following a narrow path into the darker section of the Spirit Realm where few students wandered. Through the haze, she spotted a round hut with a soft stone top. Blue sigils glowed across its surface, ancient protection marks that hummed with power. The door hung open as if waiting for her. Inside, stone tables lined the walls, and a fire pit sat ready in the center. Shelves held empty bottles and tools left behind by whoever worked here before. Magda set her bag down and pulled out the glass dome. The demon inside pressed against its prison, watching her with eyes full of dark promises. She smiled and placed it on the table next to the shimmering bottle. This place would do perfectly. Here, away from her master's rules and warnings, she would finally brew the elixir that would show her everything.