Kaine read the preparation instructions again, then again, then another time, making sure he didn’t miss anything and only after he was certain he remembered every step did he begin.
He measured exactly one hundred millilitres of purified water and poured it into the pot. The heating stone beneath it began to glow.
Kaine kept the flame low, he watched the surface carefully, making sure there were no bubbles, then he weighed three grams of Marrowroot Powder. He made sure he took the exact measurements, not a rough or near-about number like he did when he made his own medicinal baths.
Then, he added it little by little, stirring continuously. Some of the powder gathered near the edge. Kaine scraped it back into the liquid immediately. He wasn’t going to waste even the smallest portion.
Not when this was meant to help Serathiel’s body recover.
No matter how small the difference was, Kaine didn’t risk it. He was going to follow the instructions to the dot.
Once the powder completely dissolved, he measured twenty millilitres of Bloodleaf Extract, then, once he rechecked the amount a second time, he poured it in.
The liquid slowly darkened.
Kaine continued stirring gently for exactly ten minutes, just like the instructions said. He even put on a timer, being accurate to the second. He did not look away for even the smallest instant.
He made sure the liquid did not boil, then, once the ten minutes were up, he removed the pot from the heating stone.
Then came the waiting.
The catalyst could only be added once the mixture became lukewarm, so he waited and waited without shifting his focus to anything else, constantly checking if the temperature was right.
Once it was, he picked up the small bottle of Draconic Foundation Catalyst the system provided and squeezed only one drop into it.
Plop
The drop made a plop sound when it fell. The instant it touched the liquid, a faint golden colour spread outward.
Kaine kept stirring as the gold continued spreading until the entire mixture turned uniformly amber, just like the instructions said.
[Draconic Foundation Elixir successfully prepared.]
[Quality: Excellent.]
The system informed him.
Kaine smiled at the quality.
Excellent.
That was good, he wouldn’t accept anything less.
He then poured the medicine into a clean vial.
Once that was done, he took a short, minute-long rest. Then, he moved his focus onto the next one.
Lysara’s.
One down.
He moved to Lysara’s.
[Restoration Recipe: Spiritual Root Stabilizer.]
[Silverleaf Powder: 4 g.]
[Ground Spirit Grain: 6 g.]
[Moondew Extract: 25 ml.]
[Purified Water: 80 ml.]
[Spiritual Root Catalyst: 1 drop.]
[Preparation:]
[Grind the Silverleaf Powder and Spirit Grain together until no coarse particles remain. Add the mixture gradually to the purified water while stirring. Add the Moondew Extract and continue stirring until faint spiritual threads begin circulating through the mixture. Remove from heat and allow the spiritual fluctuations to settle completely. Once the liquid becomes still, add the Spiritual Root Catalyst and stir slowly until the mixture turns uniformly silver-white.]
Once again, he read the instructions again and again, then, once he memorised them all, he followed them to the dot, taking exact measurements and being extra careful with everything, just like he did with Serathiel.
And the results did not disappoint.
As he stared at the silver-white mixture in front of him, the system’s notification appeared.
[Spiritual Root Stabilizer successfully prepared.]
[Quality: Excellent.]
Kaine nodded with a satisfied look on his face.
Then, after another minute-long rest, he moved to Nerys’s.
[Restoration Recipe: Seal Suppression Solution.]
[Blackroot Extract: 15 ml.]
[Ground Void Moss: 5 g.]
[Purified Mana Water: 100 ml.]
[Seal Suppression Catalyst: 1 drop.]
[Preparation:]
[Keep the mixture away from strong light during preparation. Pour the Purified Mana Water into a clean container and gradually add the Blackroot Extract while stirring. Add the Ground Void Moss in small portions, allowing each portion to dissolve completely before adding the next. Continue stirring until the mixture turns uniformly dark. Once no undissolved Void Moss remains, add the Seal Suppression Catalyst and stir until thin violet lines begin circulating through the liquid.]
The instructions made him pause. He looked at the windows, then he closed the curtains. The room darkened instantly and only then did he get to work.
The result was a black liquid with violet lines.
[Seal Suppression Solution successfully prepared.]
[Quality: Excellent.]
Kaine nodded at that, then he carefully poured the last mixture into the vial and only when he had three medicines sitting right in front of him did he finally let out a long, heavy breath, almost as if he had been holding his breath all this while.
Kaine stared at them for a good few seconds.
This was it.
Until now, all the system gave him was information and temporary medicine. These, however, were the first actual treatments. The first step towards repairing damage those physicians said couldn’t be repaired.
Kaine thought about the Sanctuary again. The system responded exactly like he wanted it to.
[Recall registered companions?]
[Confirm Y/N]
’Yes.’
He nodded in his head and as he did, light shone on the beds the three were lying on and the next instant, all three women appeared, their bodies settling onto the beds exactly like they were when they disappeared.
For a few seconds, the women remained silent as they looked around the room, especially towards the door.
Then, their eyes fell on the three vials Kaine made.
"...what did you make?"
Serathiel asked curiously.
"Medicine."
Kaine answered with a smile.
"For you three."
"You made that for us...?"
The women looked surprised.
The three of them saw how much work and effort he put into making those medicines. They saw how carefully he moved, how he double-checked everything, how he made sure there were absolutely no mistakes...
Since he worked so carefully, they all concluded that it was something he was making for himself.
After all, why would he spend this much effort for their sake?
But apparently, they were wrong.
After all, even though the women could see the outer world from the Recovery Sanctuary, they still couldn’t see the system notifications Kaine was seeing.
They had no way of knowing what he was doing.
"I did."
Kaine smiled.
The women kept staring at him.
"Alright."
Kaine, on the other hand, had no intention of wasting any time. He approached Serathiel with the vials in his hands and sat next to her.
"We’ll start with you."