Chapter 54: Orin
Lukewarm.
If Orin had to pick a word to describe his life, it would be that. He enjoyed what he did of course – enough to forget about the bitterness in his past, but his daily routine hadn’t changed much in a long time.
It had been several centuries since he left home to join the Guild as an aspiring alchemist. He still missed his family from time to time, his House having long been destroyed.
Not being there for his parents and sister in their final moments was one of his few regrets. Still, he understood he couldn’t have changed much even if he’d stayed. Born with an Orange core, Orin hadn’t even reached Green back when the disaster struck.
His only solace was he didn’t have to worry about the brutality running rampant across Remior as long as he remained within the walls of the Guild. Nobody dared to stir trouble under the noses of both the Divine Order and the Great Houses.
Even better was he’d found his true calling here. Harnessing nature for humanity’s sake, using the raw nectar to refine elixirs – Remior’s lifeblood – was Orin’s greatest passion in life.
Something about the art truly resonated with him. Perhaps it was the respect it garnered from mortals and gods alike. Maybe it was the satisfaction he drew knowing he personally contributed to his world’s survival. Or it could just be that challenging himself to improve every day, to find new ways of increasing his yield was a ton of fun.
In fact, if there was one thing the old codger liked as much as brewing, it was mentoring youngsters and passing along the art to the next generation.
‘If only they cared half as much to learn.’