22. Jax
22
JAX
T he sunlight began peeking into Jax’s room in the early morning hours. The light cruelly crawling into his room typically woke him up, but sleep evaded him the night prior.
He watched as his white ceiling turned to golden. Despite being awake for hours, he didn’t move much because of his wounded shoulder. He never imagined his best friend, Zane, having the capacity to bring such harm to another person.
Zane was always such a gentle person.
“I guess it doesn’t matter how long you’ve known someone. You never really know them.” Jax padded any guilt he felt with his self-righteousness. “I was only doing what was best for the both of us, but now I will just do what is best for me.”
Jax slowly got out of bed, holding his sore shoulder as he did so. From where he sat on his bed, he could look straight ahead at the full-length mirror in the corner of his room. He sat and stared at himself long and hard. He didn’t look any different, but he did feel different. He was becoming the exact person he promised he would never be.
The revulsion he felt at his Uncle Diesel was a distant memory.
Jax found that he rather admired him now.
Diesel took what he wanted, no questions asked. He didn’t worry himself with the feelings of others, and he certainly didn’t allow other people to hold him back.
Whereas Jax knew that Zane would drive himself into ruin if he thought it would save Lea. He could never be so foolish.
No person was worth sacrificing all that he wanted to achieve.
His eyes then danced across the room to his desk, where Lea’s potion book sat.
He had spent the last few months pouring over every recipe. He even tried a few of them.
Saying “her talent was remarkable” would be an understatement. The intricacy of each recipe was magnificent.
Lea had managed to unlock properties from certain previously undiscovered ingredients. That was the kind of privilege one can afford when one’s parents grow and sell ingredients for a living.
“I might have become just as proficient, possibly even more, if I had such opportunities.” Jax stood up from his bed and walked over to his desk, picking up the book.
The spine had all but fallen apart from the number of times Jax had picked up the book, contemplated what to do with it, and closed it again.
“So many marvelous recipes filled the book. It would be such a shame for them to die with Lea. I originally intended for Lea to return to her life eventually… I never expected them to give her a life sentence for those potions.”
He clutched the book, determined to execute his next plan. He grabbed his coat and left his house before his mother woke up.
When early afternoon strolled around, he made it to the Potions Patent Office.
This was the place to go if you had new and innovative potions that needed protection from being stolen.
Jax noted the irony.
His stomach churned, standing before the office.
“Everything I have done so far has been for self-preservation, but this feels… cruel.”
His sights fell to the ground.
The heat from Solare burned at his cheeks, almost urging him to go inside.
“This is self-preservation. Nothing would greatly benefit me than having these potions attached to my name.”
Jax looked long and hard at the notebook in his hand.
A small part of Jax wanted to do the right thing. It whispered a plea to go and tell them the truth and have Lea released. Perhaps that action would even allow him to have his best friend back, but that part—that voice of Jax was so small and quickly silenced.
Jax tucked that feeling away into the deepest depths of his chest, where he was sure he would never find it again.
His feet led him up the steps and through the front door of the Patent Office as if his body made up his mind for him.
The small woman at the front desk, who looked bored out of her mind, suddenly perked up as soon as she saw Jax. “Good afternoon! What can I do for you today?”
Her skin had a purplish-pink hue to it and her hair was white.
Jax had determined that she was a flower nymph.
As if as easy as flipping a switch, Jax smiled, exuding charm and confidence. “You are far too lovely to sit in an office all day. It is a shame more people aren’t able to look at you.”
Her face began glowing red as yellow pollen rained down from her hair with a simple shake of her head. “My goodness, you are quite charming.”
“Among other things. I just need to authenticate my original potions, and then I’ll be out of your hair.” Jax slid Lea’s book across the desk to the flower nymph.
“Oh, please. There’s no rush.” She reached over, placing her hand on Jax’s.
A fter Jax spent the day authenticating well over two hundred potion recipes from Lea’s book, he went straight home to work on picking the best potion to show to the potions agent, Anzul Peigue. He was lucky that Anzul was willing to reschedule the appointment. He never expected Zane to back out of such an opportunity just for Lea.
Of course, none of that mattered because he was doing the interview alone.
The weight on Jax’s heart grew heavier with the thought.
He could stand a great many things, but losing his best friend… That was a blow he wouldn’t soon recover from—even if Zane tried to maul him. He rubbed his shoulder, already feeling the numbing potion work its magic.
It was one of Lea’s lesser potions, but not entirely useless.
As soon as he walked through the front door, his mother was waiting for him with dinner already on the table. “Jax, you’re finally home! I was wondering where you were.”
“I was busy trying to make a better life for us.” Jax didn’t mean to come off so cold and condescending to her.
“That’s nice, dear. Why don’t you have a seat? We can have dinner together. It’s been a while since you’ve visited Diesel’s home.” The eagerness in his mother’s eyes made it difficult to say no, but he had things he needed to accomplish. And he wouldn’t achieve them by sitting down and having family dinners.
“I’m sorry. I’m just too busy.” He waved her off as he charged toward his room.
“Alright… Just—don’t get so caught up in where you want to be that you forget where you are.” She folded her hands in front of her, watching Jax stop at the edge of the kitchen to hear her out.
“Where are we, Mother? What do we have? We are nobodies with nothing. My father died a poor man with nothing to show for his life. I refuse to do the same. I’m going to pull us out of this.” Jax didn’t understand what he said to make his mother cry, but the cracks in her voice were like daggers in his chest.
“You’re still so young, son. You don’t understand yet that all you are seeking—those aren’t what makes life worth living.” She took a few steps toward him, but when he turned, she saw how his eyes shifted. She backed away after that.
“How would you know, Mother? You’ve never had any of those things.” He spat the words out before storming into his room and slamming the door shut behind him.
He felt immense guilt over what he said to her, but it was the truth as he knew it.
Just because she was content to live in the dirt didn’t mean he was.
He wanted himself and Chika to experience all life’s finer things.
Jax pulled Lea’s book out of his bag along with the certifications given to him by the Patent Office.
All that he had been after was now at his fingertips. He felt powerful… Like a god. Any residual guilt he felt subsided as he poured through the book for the most impressive potion to show Anzul tomorrow.
“This… is the one,” he thought, holding up the port powder potion. Throughout his studies, he had never seen anything quite like it. “The ability to transport yourself to a visible location.”
According to the book, Lea had tested it before, but he hadn’t.
“If Lea can do it, then so can I.” His finger ran down the list of ingredients and their measurements. He didn’t want to mess something up and only transported his head or a foot somewhere else.
Day quickly became night as Jax worked tirelessly collecting and curating the complex potion.
The sun was just rising over the horizon by the time he finished.
It was much more complicated for him than he thought it would be.
“Damn, I’m running out of time, and I haven’t even tested it yet!” Panic swelled into Jax’s chest.
Was the potion safe for him to try? Would the proportions be different for him? Lea was so much smaller, after all.
“I didn’t make it this far to chicken out now,” he thought, shaking the fears of failure from his mind.
His hand dipped into his mortar and scooped out a handful of the powder potion.
He rubbed his fingers together, analyzing how the dull brown powder crackled with magic between each grain. That was the first boost of confidence he had since he started mixing the potion last night.
“Alright, here goes nothing.” He filled his lungs with a deep exhausted breath before throwing the crackling powder to his feet.
In an instant, he was consumed by darkness. At first, he thought he had shut his eyes, but after blinking, he realized that wasn’t the case.
It was like he was standing in an open maw of a monster or teetering off the edge of a great abyss.
Where did the port powder transport him to? Was it another world, or perhaps it was what was waiting for him at the end of his life, after all of the terrible things he had done?
He blinked once more, and when he opened his eyes, the darkness had disappeared, and the morning sun had flourished over the land. A moment, to gather himself before deducing where he had landed. With all the excitement, he forgot to imagine where the powder was supposed to take him, but he did manage to land in the woods in Dask. “It worked…”
He spun around, taking in the hot, dewy morning. “I can’t believe it worked!”
“With a position like this, I’ll have no problem being recognized and signed on. It would end up being a walk in the park for my agent. It might be worth it to approach a potion’s producer without Anzul.”
After taking a moment, Jax realized where the port powder potion brought him. He stared down the hill and could just barely see a thatched roof in the distance.
It was the hill behind Lea’s house.
“Why did the port powder take me here?” Her face flashed into his mind for a moment before he was able to push it back down. “Don’t get distracted!”
He made his way back to his home, taking great care not to look in the direction of Lea’s house as he did. He spent the entire walk reminding himself that he needed to focus on his target next time in order to impress the big boys in the Federation of Setas.
Jax made it home and entered through the front door which shocked his mother.
“What were you doing out so early? I didn’t even hear you leave your room!” She reached out, rubbing his sleeve before dropping her hand to her side again.
Jax only chuckled. “I can’t afford to rest. Today is a big day for us.”
“Oh, I only wish I could go with you to see you work your magic. I just know you’ll make your father and me proud.” His mother clasped her hands together in a delicate manner. “And I’m sorry about last night, dear. In a lot of ways, I still see you as my little boy, but you’re a grown man now. I have to trust that you’ll make the right decisions.”
Jax’s smile faded for a moment, but he recovered so quickly that she didn’t notice. “You don’t have to worry about me, mother. I’ll make you proud.”
He then turned for his room, grabbing everything he would need and dressing in his finest clothes.
His green eyes caught themselves in the mirror as he fixed his crooked collar. A sense of pride ballooned within him. He finally saw the man he wanted to be in the mirror.
As soon as he collected everything he needed, he made his way out the door.
There were things written on his mother’s face that she wanted to say but couldn’t bring herself to. It was probably for the best anyway. Nothing she was going to say would stop him. Besides, wouldn’t his mother want him to succeed and be all that he can be? Why would she try and hold him back?
Jax made his way to the Kronos Key Portal, utilizing the port power to cut the travel time by more than half. Once he was able to hone and perfect this potion, it would be invaluable.
“Mr. Ransom, you’ve returned. I hope you didn’t bring any more problematic friends with you.” Anno looked behind him seeing that he came alone. “Smart. For men like us, it’s better to keep everyone at a distance. You’ll find they’ll always disappoint you.”
“No kidding. Don’t worry, I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not interested in friendship. I’m interested in power.” Jax raised his head high. There wasn’t a hint of hesitation on his face. The bitterness he felt toward Zane had corrupted what last little humanity he was holding on to.
“Excellent. If you’ll come right this way then.” Anno guided him toward the key portal before pulling out a long golden key encrusted with different colored gems.
Jax watched enviously as Anno inserted the key in a hole on the side of the portal.
“Step forward when you’re ready. It might feel a little strange at first, but that’s normal.” Anno motioned Jax to move forward.
Jax did as he was told and stepped up in front of the portal.
The swinging circles of metal were intimidating. Even someone like Jax, who had seen more than his fair share of dangerous situations, was concerned.
As Anno turned the key, the rings stopped spinning erratically and instead lined up with the other rings, creating a circular entryway.
Jax wasn’t able to see on the other side of the portal.
There was a layer of magic that blurred the view to the other side.
“I assure you, it’s perfectly safe. Almost every person has made it across alive.” Anno assured him, but Jax concerned himself with the “almost” part of his sentence.
Still, he had come too far to back down now. He took a deep breath and held it as he stepped into the crackling atmosphere of magic surrounding the portal.
Crossing through the portal was like crossing through the surface tension of water. It was cold—a shock to the system.
Then, as suddenly as the shock began, it ended and he was once again bathed in the warmth of Solare.
When he opened his eyes, he was now standing in the Federation of Setas.
“This is where all the potion-making happened. Any potionist worth his weight finds himself here at one point or another. Now here I am, ready for my turn.”
The buildings surrounding him were much grander than the ones he was used to in Dask or his school. They weren’t made of poor, porous stone, and the city’s walkways didn’t suffer from dirt floors.
Jax’s heels clipped against the cobblestone floor as he walked to the office of Anzul Peigue. He could hardly contain his excitement, but he was able to contain it well. It would be embarrassing for him to reveal that he’d never visited a place like this in his life. Instead, as he entered the building, he made sure to exude confidence as he was greeted by the male receptionist there. “I’m here to see Mr. Peigue. I have an appointment with him.”
“Ah! You must be Mr. Ransom. So good to meet you. I will give Mr. Peigue’s office a call if you’ll please wait right over there.” The receptionist motioned toward a seating area on the right.
Jax didn’t think he was going to be able to sit down. He was practically bursting at the seams. He clenched his teeth together and gave the receptionist a wiry smile. “Thank you.”
As he made his way over to the seating area, he noticed a group of men in suits enter the building, following behind a much bigger man.
The much bigger man appeared to be a Dragon Shifter. He had yellow and red scales running out from his nose and down his neck. His eyes were sharp as they flickered around the room.
“Mr. Elfin, our two o’clock position has been cancelled. It appears he had a family emergency,” one of the smaller men meekly spoke to the Dragon Shifter.
“Is no one reliable anymore? How can we find a decent potionist if these people don’t show up?” The Dragon Shifter they called Mr. Elfin balled up his fists, and all of his scales turned bright red.
“He’s looking for a potionist to back, huh? That must mean he’s a potion producer—and by the looks of it, a very successful one.” A devious plot popped into Jax’s mind. Without a second thought, Jax turned away from the chair he was going to sit in and began following Mr. Elfin.
“Excuse me, sir.” He spoke up, but it was nowhere near loud enough and they continued walking. “Mr. Elfin!”
Jax raised his voice, but Mr. Elfin didn’t so much as budge. That was when Jax realized he was being ignored.
A fire lit in his belly, giving him the strength he needed to start chasing after Mr. Elfin.
“I don’t have time to be solicited by a nobody potionist with hand-me-down clothes!” Mr. Elfin began shouting before Jax appeared in front of him suddenly in a puff of smoke. Mr. Elvin jumped back, and his scales turned from bright red to deep orange. “How did you do that, boy?”
“With the potion I invented. Mr. Elfin, if you’ll give me a moment of your time, I swear you won’t regret it.” Jax managed to perfect the art of pleading while not appearing to be pathetic.
Mr. Elfin appeared to admire that about him. “Fine, come with me.”
He began walking again and Jax followed behind.
“Mr. Ransom. Anzul Preigue is ready to see you now,” the receptionist called out to the now empty waiting room of Anzul’s office. He looked around, confused as to where Jax went.
“Anzul is a small fish in a very big pond. I’m looking to catch a much bigger fish.” Jax followed Mr. Elfin to his office where they were allowed some privacy.
Mr. Elfin walked to the back of his office and lowered himself into his chair with great distress. “Well, go on then. I don’t have all day.”
He waved Jax on.
“Right.” Jax fumbled into his bag, pulled out the certified potions from the patent office, and passed them along to Mr. Elfin’s men.
“I’ve spent the last few years of my life honing my potion writing and mixing skills. It has allowed me the ability to create new and innovative potions. You’ll find some works in there that defy previous works by other potionists.”
Jax unlaced the pouch from his belt that contained the remainder of the port powder.
“Impressive. Now show me how it works.” Mr. Elfin said nonchalantly.
Jax wasn’t sure if he was disinterested or a reserved man.
Either way, Jax was going to have to wow him. “All you have to do is look at the location you wish for the port powder to take you. It has to be within a certain distance and visible to your eye—but I believe with more tweaking, we can get this port powder to do even greater things.”
“I might have missed my calling as a salesman,” he congratulated himself.
“Let me see it work,” Mr. Elfin demanded.
Jax took a handful of the port powder and looked to the back of the office where Mr. Elfin was sitting. He then dropped the powder to his feet and appeared between the window and the chair of the potion producer.
“Great Solare! That is quite an impressive potion, especially for someone so young. I don’t normally sponsor a potionist unless they have an agent present, but I will make an exception with you. You have ambition, and that’s important. If you stick with me, I’ll take you to the top!”
Jax’s eyes watched as Mr. Elfin reached into his desk and grabbed a contract.
Jax was so overwhelmed he could hardly see straight. He always knew he would obtain his dreams but never imagined what it would feel like. It was better than anything he’d ever known.
The fruits of his labor were sweet indeed.
“Of course, you’ll have to move here full-time and get to work immediately,” Mr. Elfin explained as Jax signed his life away without reading the document.
“But what about my school?”
“That’s the question you’re asking right now! You should drop down to your knees and kiss his talons,” Jax scolded himself in his mind.
“You won’t be needing that. I’ll teach you everything you need to know. You will never have to return to whatever hole you crawled out of.”
Jax wasn’t sure how to feel. It was all he ever wanted, but he never imagined the feeling would be bittersweet.
Dask was his home, after all. Even though he was ashamed of it, it was all he had ever known. Maybe that was why more people in his village never left. It was all that they were used to.
“Congratulations, Mr. Ransom. Welcome to the team.”
As Jax reached for Mr. Elfin’s hand, his shoulder began to burn, and not just from the wound inflicted upon him by Zane. This sigil, branded into his back, felt like it was trying to set him on fire. “Thank you. You won’t be disappointed.”