A chance to be more.

Under Miss Valerie's guidance, my days at Saint Academy became bearable, even meaningful. The jeers and sideways glances of my classmates still stung, but they felt bearable when I was Here. With her, I could forget the harshness of the outside world.

"Miss Valerie, is this mana potion supposed to look like this?" I asked, holding up a flask with a weird jade-like swirl that shimmered like glitter under the bright lights of the Alchemy lab. My brow furrowed as I swirled the liquid, watching the faint traces of mana ripple inside.

She walked over, her steps as light as ever, her presence warm and comforting. Bending down, she leaned close. Close enough to feel the soft brush of her breath tickling the back of my neck. "Let me see," she murmured, reaching around me to take the flask in her slender fingers.

Her hair, fragrant with hints of mint and earthly herbs, brushed against my cheek as she inspected the potion. 

"Hmm... Well done, Al. That's a low-grade mana potion," she said with a soft laugh, her voice carrying the warmth of an almost motherly pride..

I let out a deep breath I was holding in apprehension of possible disappointment. "It is?"

"It is." Her arms encircled me from behind in a gentle embrace, her chin resting lightly on the top of my head. "Congratulations, my little alchemist," she teased, her voice playful but laced with tenderness.

Heat radiated from my checks that could rivaled one hundred suns at that moment.

The feeling of achievement made me feel good. I have finally made something with my own hands accomplishing what I wanted to.

"Miss Valerie..." My voice faltered, and I turned in my wheelchair to face her, meeting her gaze directly. The scarlet pools for eyes staring at me were the most enchanting thing I have ever seen.

"Thank you,"

"You've always been there for me, even when no one else was. I wouldn't have come this far without you."

Her smile softened, and she knelt so we were at eye level.

 "Al..." 

Smiling gently at me she calmly stated 

"Even if I weren't here, you'd still achieve everything you set out to do. You're talented, determined, and far more capable than you give yourself credit for. All you needed was a little guidance, and I was more than happy to give it."

The sincerity in her words struck something deep within me, making me feel both seen and valued in a way I hadn't experienced in years. A smile crept across my lips, and I felt a rare flicker of pride in myself, sparked by her unwavering belief.

"Well... I couldn't have done it without your guidance. So, for now, let's call it a team effort," I said, my voice lighter as the tension in my chest eased.

She laughed softly, standing and ruffling my hair. "Fair enough, Al. Now, let's see what else we can accomplish together."

I watched as she turned back to the shelves, pulling down more ingredients for the next experiment. For the first time in a long while, I felt like I belonged somewhere in this cruel academy. 

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The quiet hours of the academy were a stark contrast to the chaos of the day. The late moon casted its shining lights illuminating my room.

"I can't sleep" Pressing the pillow on my bed against my face in an attempt to block out the hateful moon, I decided to at least try to be productive.

The quiet invisible silence permeated from every corner of the academy.

 "It was the perfect time to work."

Wheeling myself toward the alchemy lab, I reveled in the silence. No jeering nobles, no dismissive glances, just a crippled student trying to make the most of the cards I was dealt.

Pushing the door open, the familiar sight of the lab greeted me: rows of glass flasks, neatly labeled jars of powdered reagents, and shelves filled with books far older than I was. The hum of the mana crystals, Vibrant potions flashing sparkles of light against the dark room and the aroma of freshly picked herbs wafted through the lab.

It was my home, my escape from everything that made Saint Academy unbearable.

I moved toward my usual workstation, but a radiant glow caught my eye. It came from the far corner of the lab, where Miss Valerie kept her personal experiments locked away. The bright glow illuminated its location pulsing, almost like it was alive, spilling through the cracks of an unlocked cabinet.

"That's strange," I murmured. 

Valerie never left anything unlocked. The call of the unknown got the better of me, and I wheeled closer, the wooden floor creaking softly under the weight of my chair.

Inside the cabinet was a single potion vial resting atop a rune-inscribed pedestal. The liquid inside shimmered and swirled, shifting between gold and vermillion as though it were alive. Strange symbols danced along the vial's surface, their meaning just out of reach, but they tugged at something deep in my mind—something unnatural.

However it was oh so promising.

A note was pinned to the inside of the cabinet door in Miss Valerie's neat handwriting: "Do not touch under any circumstances."

I hesitated, glancing around the empty lab as if someone might catch me. My fingers hovered over the vial, trembling slightly.

 Don't touch it. Valerie wouldn't leave this here by mistake.

I knew that I shouldn't, But something about the potion called to me. A faint hum filled my ears, drowning out the sound of my breathing, and I felt a strange pull, like it was meant for me.

I was like a sailor entranced in a siren's call. I knew that it could end in disaster but I couldn't bring myself to turn away.

 Before I knew it, I had reached out and wrapped my hand around the vial.

The moment I lifted it from the pedestal, the room shifted. The air grew heavy, thick mystery. Mana swirled around me and the runes on the pedestal flared to life.

The potion in my hand grew warm—to the point of being unbearably hot. My chest tightened, In fear and the fear was swiftly delivered. The swirling mass of mana turned frenzied and shot toward my chest as the pain almost made me unconscious.

I gasped, my vision blurring as the room seemed to dissolve around me. The pain was unbearable, but the pain wasn't the only thing left behind. a voice—cold, mechanical, and emotionless—echoed in my mind.

"System initialization complete. Welcome, host. Preparing Life Simulation interface."

Squirming at the relief of the once ever present pain gone, I turned my vision to what had caused this. 

The vial in my hand was empty now, the golden liquid gone. I stared at it, trying to process what had just happened.

"What... what was that?" I whispered, my voice shaking.

Before I could make sense of it, translucent blue panels appeared before my eyes, filled with strange text and symbols.

[Welcome, Albert.]

[Choose your starting talents for this simulation. Options will be randomized.]

[Options Generated: 1) Beast Taming, 2) Mana Weaving, 3) Weapon Mastery, 4) Elemental Adaptation, 5) Flesh Regeneration.]

[Please make a selection of three host…]

My hands gripped the edges of the wheelchair as the reality of what was happening set in. This wasn't some hallucination caused by mana overdose. Whatever I'd just awakened... it was real.

The words hung in the air, waiting for my response, and a strange excitement began to stir in my chest. The fear and caution was there but this was my chance to become something more.

 My life has been a series of struggles, with nothing but sheer willpower keeping me going. But this... this felt like a chance to change everything.

"What do I do now?" I muttered, staring at the floating options before me. Slowly, a smile crept across my face as I reached for the first choice.