March, 27, 2018 - 07:33:06
[Location ???]
[Lúcio POV]
Lúcio: "Finally…"
At last, I arrived at my workplace, the real one. Even though magic and monsters exist, the supernatural side, the Arcane World, remains veiled from the eyes of the normal people, the Mundane World.
For the Mundane World, Lúcio Arabrantes is the jeweler of Golden Palm, the best jewelry shop in Brazil and one of the best in the world!
Narrator: "Again, it is average at best…"
For the Arcane World, I am the owner of Buriti de Ouro, an establishment that sells and create magical artifacts; polish, craft and enchant gems and jewelry; assemble and inscribe formations, arrays, matrices, scrolls and talismans. I admit that here in Heaven there are better stores in the same field, but…
C'mon, it's not like I could outperform beings like Hephaestus, the Norse dwarves, the japanese smiths or those sword-obsessed sect guys…
{A/N: Buriti is a brazilian palm tree, with a beautiful scaled coconut. Hephaestus, greek smith god}
By the way, even though I am part of the Arcane World, I don't have a special bloodline, ancestry of a dragon or any sort of weird genealogy. If anything, my parents were Grandmaster alchemists. True alchemists, not those weird pill makers that consider themselves alchemists just because they are decent pharmacists, or the gold fanaticals worse than Midas. Heck, let's not mention the fucking wannabe chimera creators…
{A/N: Midas, a greek king who was very greedy and when he received an opportunity from the gods, asked for the power of turning everything he touched into gold.}
My ramblings aside, the prestige of my parents actually helped a bit when I bought the store since no average Joe can just buy land and build a business in Heaven. They rarely showed their alchemy skills, but I remember their mysterious methods were effective and thanks to that, they became quite famous here.
That said, this was just the cherry on the top. My actual skills were the important point to get the ownership rights. While I can't perform advanced alchemical transmutations due to my health, I do have the knowledge for that. Also, my crafting and inscription skills are good enough to compensate.
Talking about this reminds me of the face of that cocky Celestial that laughed at me souring up as I showed my inscribing and crafting skills. Even a god that witnessed everything wanted to take me as an assistant, which I politely declined (no need to cast their wrath upon me, right?)
Hell, I am a Grandmaster Inscriptionist, this means I am something, ok?
Alright, so, what do alchemists? Proper matter transmutation through equivalent exchange, chemical manipulation, genetic modification…
Well… Uhhh… Basically… We do the same as the other guys i mentioned and other magical stuff…
…
But better! Because our essence, the reason why we are alchemists, true alchemists, is different from the charlatans!
…
I don't sound very convincing, right?
Forget about this, let's talk about the most famous item related to alchemy: the Philosopher's Stone!
It is real!
And it is just a igniter for transmutation processes made by the gods…
Most people across history thought this stone was an Immortality Elixir or the condensed powers of God. They were half right, since the Stone is the key to achieve such things. But there are a few problems…
Yes, an Immortality Elixir is possible. You just need things like the blood of certain gods, Hesperides or Idun's apples, nectar, ambrosia… To sum up, divine treasures that already do it, so it's redundant.
Gold? Yes, but instead of creating it from cheaper metals, precious metals such as mythril, sanguine rubies, atlantean cobalt and others are used. And then you DOWNGRADE THEM into gold. Why would you turn such riches into something so normal like gold??
Homunculi? It's actually feasible, just hella hard and too expensive. Golems or silicone automata do the same and are cheaper.
So… Since those amazing things aren't easy to make, doesn't that mean alchemy is just for chemical stuff? Then isn't alchemy another simple magic branch?
Yes-
…
Lúcio: 'No. No, it shouldn't be…'
While everything I just said is common sense, deep down, to the point I often forget about it, I personally doubt it.
Does the "alchemy" I learned in my school days can't achieve more? Is it really a flawed arcanism?
Isn't "alchemy" just chemical magic then?
Lúcio: '*wandering and wondering* The 'alchemy' I learned… Is it the same alchemy my parents practiced?'
Then what about the Magnum Opus we dreamed, we loved and was called medieval foolishness, is it really just a dumb fantasy?
Are the gods the only ones that can create the Philosopher's Stones? Then isn't this the same as begging for their fake divine powers?
???: 'When will this facade fade away? And when will the Magnum Opus change this world again?'
Lúcio: 'Father, mother… If everything I learned isn't even real alchemy, will I ever be able to become an alchemist like you?'
…
Sorry, I always get a bit excited when the subject is alchemy, but this time I overreacted…
…
Now, about this realm, the Heavenly Commercial District!
As the name suggests, it's the commercial district of all Heavens.
The gods aren't the only beings dwelling in this plane. The greek daemons, the norse einherjar, elves, light spirits, fairies, souls of celebrities and heroes, the Celestials and all sorts of heavenly entities too!
Oh, the Celestials are angel-like beings, but differently from the servants of God, they are just people with feathered wings and halos.
And badass light/holy powers.
Interestingly, Michael, Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael, and other angel names are the surnames of famous Celestial families or clans here. Then it's not weird if you find someone named Bob Michael, Joe Gabriel or Timmy Raphael (this guy is actually one of my customers).
Back to the District, with such a huge bunch of people here, the gods created an area where the population could gather, buy things and services or just enjoy themselves with the best the Arcane World can offer without disturbing the divine private properties.
To be honest, i think the introverted gods like Amaterasu, Thoth and Hephaestus were just tired of the bustling outside of their divine realms and thought "Hey, what if we create a place for entertainment away from our homes so all those races will go there instead of fussing at our doorsteps?"
{A/N: Amaterasu, Japanese goddess of sun. Thoth, Egyptian god of knowledge.}
Then bam, the Heavenly Commercial District was created! But hey, don't think this is just a small alley with a few seller tents and dubious services. The literal top of the whole world reunites here!
The District is a big metropolis divided into six zones: North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. I don't think I need to explain which mythological faction can be found in which zone, right?
This place is such a great city, but for me it is actually quite normal. Of course the roman-greek area is flooded with white marble column facades, the scandinavians made cozy and sturdy wood stores with viking decorations, pagodas are found in every chinese backyard and other regional peculiarities on their respective zones.
And don't worry, even though there are so many different architectures, they blend well. Remember, the gods made this place, they should know a thing or two about proper urban design.
So don't think this is a Bronze Age city or some sort of stone town of a medieval tale. The District is as modern as our large cities, just made with precious treasures instead of concrete. The construction materials are so precious or dangerous that they could be easily used to build an alien-like nuclear bunker or to make the actual ancestor of all nukes. Gold and silver is the basis for every decoration. Glass and paint? Just use crystals and gems instead. What about electricity, plumbing, cleaning and repair? Please, we have magic!
After saying all this, you might think this is a perfect city, no? Then why did I said it is quite normal?
Well, while there are no problems with pests, pollution or traffic, certain things will always happen as long two or more beings are in the same space.
Thefts, robberies, frauds, kidnappings, or simple brawls occur with a certain frequency. The District has probably the best security system in the world (the security directors are gods like Heimdall, Hestia, Tsukuyomi and Isis), but when the criminals are also supernatural entities…
{A/N: Hestia, Greek warden goddess of lair. Tsukuyomi, Japanese god of moon. Isis, Egyptian goddess of magic and protection.}
So, as I said, the District is quite normal-
Lúcio: 'Yeah, this amazing sky is nothing normal. Hah, I think I'll never get tired of it.'
When the whole world reunites in a single city, time zone differences are eminent. Then what you do? Simple: screw day and night shifts, just set up one beautiful starry sky and job's done!
Why a starry sky instead of a sunny one? Believe or not but most gods decided it would be better. For simple reasons such as "The night sky is better because it's perfect for fireworks"(All chinese gods) or "That's what I want and you all too" (Nyx is quite persuasive…) to "This is the land above the earthly realm, our roof shouldn't be as limited as the mortal's vision, the cosmic vastness is the most adequate" (A Celtic god, probably).
{A/N: Nyx, Primordial greek goddess of night.}
Walking while admiring this sky is definitely one of the advantages of working here. Since my store is a few minutes away from the entrance, I don't need to take a taxi, chariot or train. And this exercise is good for my frail health.
I keep talking about my health, but what kind of problem do I have that can't be solved with magic and divine powers?
Dunno.
My parents told me I have a special body, but I never felt any different than other kids. That was until that day…
March, 2000, we were still living in the countryside of Minas Gerais. My parents brought me to their laboraty to finish a gift they were preparing for me. It was just like any other alchemy workshop, but inside the storage room was a secret door that led to the basement with a huge vault, bigger than the ones found in banks and movies. I don't remember much, but I do remember the safe panel was quite futuristic. Mother asked me to place my hand on it, and since I was just eight years old, father was holding me.
The vault's door opened, revealing lots of shelves filled with countless antiques, from old armors and weapons, to books, scrolls, jars, rocks, monster parts (?) and more weird old stuff. My gift was there too, at the end of the vault, in a workbench.
It was a dull gray rock the size of a big beach ball, with a matrix in the surface that looked like an octagram with six unknown equidistant runes around it.
As a kid I was a bit saddened to know that my gift was just a rock and not a cool trinket. Obviously my parents noticed my reaction and laugh, then they explained it wasn't complete yet, and for that i needed to touch one of the runes.
…
Small Lúcio: "Which one should I touch?"
Father: "The one you like the most."
Small Lúcio: 'Red is my favorite color, but the blue is beautiful… The green and brown are cool… And there is also the black and white- Wait, what is this?'
…
There was a seventh, bigass golden rune in the middle of everything that somehow I didn't freaking notice before. And of damn course I touched It.
But nothing happened.
Then I touched it again, applying more strength.
But nothing happened again.
…
Small Lúcio: "I did something wrong?"
Father: "N-no Lúcio, you did right. Now go with your mother, I'll write down some stuff, then we can go buy some pirated dvds and ice cream."
Small Lúcio: "K1nder 0v0 too?"
Mother: "Yes, K1nder 0v0 too."
Small Lúcio: "*smiling* Eba!"
…
Mother then took me outside of the workshop and we waited for my father. She was restless but I didn't thought anything would happen. A few minutes had already passed and he didn't return. I finally started to get worried, and before I asked, a car quickly arrived.
The driver was José Alberto, Zé Alberto for the friends, and he was in a hurry.
…
Zé Alberto: "Miriam, where is compadre Wilson?"
Miriam: "He is still insi-"
Wilson: "Zé Alberto! Is everything ready?"
Zé Alberto: "Yes but-"
Wilson: "Don't worry, just grab the documents in the Rancho and wait for us."
…
Then instead of going out to buy dvds and sweets, Zé Alberto took me back to our farm, grabbed a suitcase inside and rushed to his house in the nearby city. Of course I hated the sudden change, but I didn't throw a tantrum, probably because of my parents' tone of voice and their last words for me.
You know when a character says "Everything is gonna be alright" or something like that, but never ends alright? The kind that end up as their last words?
Well, that's what happened.
After sending me out, an accident occured in the workshop. The entire building exploded and was reduced to pebbles, my parents disappeared and everything went shit. All that remained was the vault with everything else except the gift…
After a few days, my body decided to show how special it was by getting sickly.
I became pale, anemic, weak and coupled with diseases like diabetes, blood hypotension, fatigue and more. Normal medicine didn't work and potions just stopped the symptoms. We eventually ran out of affordable options (remember the Immortality Elixir ingredients?), and I just accepted my fate like an AIDS victim. Heck, I guess I would be better if I had AIDS instead.
I started to live with one of my aunts, then got enrolled in an alchemy school. That's when I discovered another problem: I couldn't perform advanced alchemical transmutations since my body couldn't handle the exhaustion caused by them. Thanks to that my progress was interrupted and I stayed at the Graduate level, regardless of my excellent grades.
So I learned inscription instead and boom, I discovered I was really good with this! Then I continued to study and improve until reaching the Grandmaster level.
But there was a problem.
Inscription is the arcanism that writes magical texts on surfaces to create magical phenomena. From simple writing with mystical inks made with blood, ground gems and other stuff, to carving runes on arcane frames for formations and arrays.
That's nice but It wasn't enough! Sure, there are some Transcendent level Inscriptionists capable of writing anywhere, even in the air, and creating extravagant magic, but I grew up watching stuff like P0wer R@ngers and D1gimon. I wanted my own quirky gadgets after all!
And since I had a lot of time to spare because I was bedridden, learning something new like artifact creation was the fifth best thing I could do to spend it (eating, sleeping, watching movies and reading novels comes first.). This time I only managed to reach the Master level with crafting because, take a guess, my body couldn't handle the strain of the forge and assemble of heavy components.
… Yeah, I can't build my own Ultrazoid yet… YET!
Enough with the talk about my curriculum, we arrived at my shop!
Buriti de Ouro is a four floor green building in Brazil Street, Latin America Zone. Made with Ancient Roman Concrete, the outside is covered in emerald, gold, aquamarine and brazilwood red amber tiles, fully decorated with buriti palm trees. Yeah, quite Brazilian, no? Oh, and the red… I just LOVE red, that's all.
The first floor is the lobby in which I display most of my products, the second floor is a reception for personal requests and other day-by-day businesses, the third one is my office with a separated elevator to the fourth, a special room for "VIPs" . There is also a large basement in which lies my alchemy laboratory, the inscription room with the forge, a warehouse, changing rooms, two bathrooms with showers and a kitchen with dining area.
As I came closer, I met my employees, partner and even my cousin outside.
{...}
[3rd p. POV]
Narrator: "In a not so distant alley of the Heavenly Commercial District, two men leisurely walked among the crowd. The younger one, a middle age man, walked behind his older brother, a young lad, while holding a large cubic box. Despite their flamboyant foreign clothes, no normal being could even perceive their nearby existences."
Young voice: "*mumbling* My friend… I can't hear your thoughts, but if you show such strong feelings… *smiling* Heh, I can't wait to hear your crazy ideas again…"
Old voice: "Citrinitas, dear brother of mine… If you are gonna stop so suddenly, at least step out of the way, I almost dropped mama's core."
Citrinitas: "*scoff* As if, Rubedo. You aren't… *anxious* Uhhh… Frivolous as our elder brother."
Rubedo: "But that doesnt mean I am omniscient like Gramps and able to divine when you'll get stuck in your dreamland like now. If I were so perfect, our younger sisters wouldnt have been born."
Citrinitas: "*with a annoyed tone* Alright, alright, I get it. Sorry, ok? I just saw a friend and got a bit nostalgic."
Rubedo: "Who are you talking about, cuz I can't sense the essence of the Arquimagi- wait, are you talking about them?"
Citrinitas: "Yep, the boy to be specific."
Rubedo: "The craz- i mean, the creative fella? Well now that's a pleasant surprise. Too bad we can't just give this to him directly."
Citrinitas: "*rolling her eyes* You-"
Rubedo: "I know! I already know how mama asked us to do the job!"
Citrinitas: "And?"
Rubedo: "And what?"
Citrinitas: "And you also agree that my disguise idea was perfect for this plan."
Rubedo: "*annoyed* Agree my *foreign expletive*! I only lost the bet and was forced to accept, I never agreed with your tasteless idea."
Citrinitas: "Oh my lil brother, it hurts me to know you dont appreciate my joyous adventures, but It can't be helped that you lost, I am simply unpredictable."
Rubedo: "That's rich coming from the embodiment of |Paranoia| and |Instability|."
Citrinitas: "Hey, dont pick on my Concepts, mr. Incarnation of |Obssession| and |Stubborness|"
Narrator: "After this, the siblings walked away, chatting (and swearing) about casual stuff like mundane work, dinner, alchemy experiments, vendettas against the false gods and so on.
If they noted the tailing gods and higher beings, that goes without saying. After all, this was the entire purpose of their play."
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