Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

55. Inside the Griffin's Nest

Carefully, Kliff loosened the last handful of draghar seeds from his grip. One by one, they fell inside the brewing concoction, the pool of once silvery liquid slowly transforming into a palish yellow kind of color, one that reminded him of the view of a morning sun obscured behind a mask of clouds in the sky.

Its scent, once assaulting his nostrils with a horrible spice that had won a fair few grimaces out of him, had all but dissipated, replaced by a fragrance ever so weak that Kliff could barely detect it. In fact, it took a forceful sniff for him to be able to identify the rich, almost chocolatey kind of flavor that now painted the air.

If their classmates' potions smelled similar, he would never know. Even as he sat leaning over his table, his head hovering over the lip of the cauldron, he could just barely recognize the sweet aroma for what it was. But if there was a victory to be had here, it was that the potion wasn't far from completion.

He would need to let the ingredients settle for around half an hour or so-which he hadn't the need to fret over, considering there was still over an hour remaining on their exam's time limit-and perhaps he'd add a few wyrmwood saplings to supplement the potion's effects to an even greater degree. Other than that, he was all but ready for Professor Lurgs' inspection. Well, he'd also have to pray to Aeris that his end product impressed the sorcerer.

"Ah! Gross!" Clover screamed, recoiling in her seat with her arms clutched over her chest as their hobgoblin test subject swiped its tongue over one of its pair of bulging eyes. Kliff could have been mistaken, but it looked like the creature was smiling at them. No, rather, it was smiling at the cauldron of simmering potion mix. That had to be a good sign. "Argh! Why did Professor Lurgs have to make this exam so...so vile?!"

"That's not very nice," Kliff smirked. "We're supposed to be polite to the hobgoblin, remember?"

"I have told you I've never been the best at deception, haven't I?"

"Aren't you supposed to be an actress of some kind?"

"That's not the same thing!" she argued, pointing a finger at him. "Putting on a performance for a crowd of my greatest admirers shouldn't be directly compared to having to appease this abominable amphibian's appetite!" The hobgoblin gave a belch as its vocal sac inflated like an enormous, round bag underneath its throat. It caused Clover's face to turn purple in disgust. "So gross!"

Kliff smirked again. Clover was one of the few students he'd already known prior to entering Glyph Academy. Well, he never actually met her, but he'd attended some of the same events as her when he was younger. He would never forget seeing the girl cower behind either her father or servants as a few noble younglings tried their hands at impressing her or asking her to a dance, and honestly, Kliff couldn't blame them.

She possessed a flawlessly carved triangular face, adorned with velvety smooth skin, captivating topaz eyes, and chestnut hair that framed her face gracefully, neatly tied back into a ponytail that flowed down past her shoulders.

It was impossible not to be drawn to her stunning beauty, which was unsurprising considering her lineage. She hailed from a Noble Family known for their grand and opulent magical stage performances, showcased in one of the many theaters they owned throughout the country.

It made Kliff wonder why Clover had decided to pursue the career path of Professional Sorcerer at all. Then again, was he really one to talk? "If nothing else," Kliff said lightly, "our potion's almost completed, which is more than I can say for a couple of others."

As Kliff looked around the classroom, he noticed that more than half of his classmates were engaged in heated arguments. Some were quarreling over the choice of ingredients for their potion, while others were locked in a fierce debate about whose method was better. The room was filled with the deafening noise of their shouting and protests. However, amidst the chaos, Kliff could see that progress was being made, as indicated by the numerous cauldrons simmering with a flickering solution like their own.