Once Aethersage accepted his rewards, the Alchemy God moved on to Alex next. As he approached, the crowd got quieter and quieter. And when he was finally before Alex, the world had grown silent.
"I will be the most honest I have ever been," the Alchemy God said. "I do not know how to judge your performance in this competition. I do not believe I have the right to. You have far surpassed any and every one of my wildest dreams of what an Alchemist could do. You have shown me that there is still so much room for me to improve, and I intend to do that."
Coming from the Alchemy God's mouth, those were the greatest praises anyone could have asked for. Alex couldn't help but smile.
"To you who won it all, nothing I could give would be enough. Still, here you are," the Alchemy God said as he handed Alex his rewards: the Alchemy book he wrote and a Second Chance pill.