The classroom was empty, there was no one else here except for me. Class had already finished but I stayed to finish up my notes.

It was a place of solitude and I did like being alone more often than not.

Ink stained my hand because I went over the paper so often, sometimes I smudged the writing too when I did and hated how it looked but I didn't rewrite my notes onto other paper because this was fine enough for me, maybe if I had to hand it to a teacher it would give a better impression, an impression of neatness.

I didn't often stay this late but this time in Mister Dryden's physics class I slacked off.

It was not because it or he was boring or that something else had occupied my mind.

I just did not listen all that attentively.

And of course, I regretted it afterward, right now even.

The first year's exams are just around the corner and I slacked off, why did I do that?

It doesn't matter, I'm catching up right now so what is the point in beating myself over it.

I packed my things and then made my way outside and walked through the halls of the school.

Recently it was renovated, that was before I attend but not too long ago. Just six or seven years. You couldn't tell that this place stood for three hundred years already.

I wonder for how long it will, another three hundred maybe? Or if things turn dire, not even a hundred.

For how long can a building stand and be used? I don't believe there is a place that is still used and over a thousand years old.

The oldest building that I knew of was the Orilidian Pantheon, a six-hundred-year-old temple, which of course stood in the capital of Orilid, Osepius.

Though the country is much older than that no buildings have survived the ravages of time.

Their kings have their coronation ceremony there and things like royal marriages are held there too.

Our coronation is held here in Dralett at Saint Yasin’s Temple.

The last one has been forever though.

King Henning has been king for ages and he is not even that old yet, I never looked it up but I would guess that he is around fifty.

Kings either reign for very long or very short, it's a strange 'profession', I'd say.

As I walked I heard a loud bang.

It startled me, I even dropped my things and searched for cover.

An attack?

Here?

No, it couldn't be.

I looked around.

No screams or the smell of fire but something did smell awful.

It came from another classroom, I heard someone swearing from the inside.

Carefully I opened the door and saw that there was a man standing over a pot.

Face, robe, and glasses covered in ash and soot.

For reasons of politeness I knocked on the door signaling that I was in the room.

"Excuse me but what happened," I said in a concerned tone.

"Oh forgive me, just a little experiment that went wrong," he said nervously, "but I do not know why. Too much salt perhaps? What do you think?"

"I'm sorry but I don't know what your doing," I responded to his question.

"Oh, are you perhaps a first year? Second or third years could guess that this is a tarkis potion because of the bang."

"The explosion you mean?"

"Yes, it's not supposed to explode yet only when you 'drop' it."

"Are you hurt? It did explode into your face," I asked.

He wiped himself off with a handkerchief, "no. It only creates noise and ash, as you can see."

"I'm sorry again but I do not know, are you perhaps an acquaintance of a teacher? I wonder what you are doing here after hours creating tarkis potions."

"Oh, OH. Forgive me," he bowed slightly, "Lino Armande, newest alchemy teacher at the Royal Mages Academy."

He's a teacher? He's so young in comparison to the other teacher here and this man cannot create potions such as this successfully?

"If you don't mind me asking, what went wrong Mister Armande?"

"My nerves, I'm anxious and guess I put in too much salt. Too much of it bonds with arella and creates a sort of... eruption. This is just in preparation, soon it will be my first teaching hour, for the second years' the day after the first years' exams. If you're a first-year then you won't be seeing me. I hope that you will not tell anyone of this mishap, just a little accident, that could happen to anyone. And you can call me Lino, I'm not that much older than you I'd say."

"Of course I won't and I would feel more comfortable if you would allow me to continue calling you Mister Armande."

"So, anything I can help you with? Were you just concerned with the noise?"

"At first I was but now if you don't mind again, could you teach me a little about alchemy. As you know, first years aren't taught about it and I'm curious."

"Of course, everyone should be. Let's see ...where to be being. We could remake the potion together. A practice run, so to call it."

I carried a chair to the table and watched.

"Okay, first," he rubbed his hands, "a pot and a metal vial, have them ready at any time. Fill the pot with water then comes to the ingredients. Sand, just shaking it in there is enough," he had a shaker full of it already and shook it in, "give it a good shake or two. Mix in any kind of alcohol, beer, ale, wine, depends on what kind of boom you want to have, a big one or a sizzling one, you know. I just have wine here, it makes more of a rumbling one, I like the ale kind more."

"Are there no other ingredients here?" I asked.

"Well, I'm only here because at home I ran out of most kinds, so anything they have here is good enough."

He stirred the wine in, "then add a chunk of arella."

It was the first time for me what it seeped out of another person and I did not look pleasant at all, even somewhat gross.

"Five drops of ink then stir," did stir and stirred.

"Now for the part where I failed last time," he held a little bowl of salt, "could you weigh this for me? I usually do this by gut feeling but you know how it ended last time," he pointed at a scale, "use the littlest one. Should just be a tiny bit lighter than it."

And it was, I handed it back to him and he added it into the pot.

"Just to make it cold now," he held his hands over it and it turned into ice.

"Should be alright now."

He put his hand into the pot and took out something that looked like a sandy chunk.

"Do you perhaps want to test it out? It is fun to play with it."

I took it out of his hand and held it.

"Throw it onto the ground right there, don't worry it won't affect the floor. There will be nothing left."

I did throw it and it created a loud thunder and a black dust cloud that disappeared into nothing.

"Great fun," Armade said, "a well-done tarkis potion if I do say so myself. Now, if you don’t mind I still yet have to prepare more for tomorrow. I’m sure a young student is very busy too, why don’t you run off now?"

"Of course. Thank you, Mister Armade."

He nodded as I went out.

I collected my bag which I forgot to pick up again after the first bang from the outside then made my way home.