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Start reading now! Description: The memory of Alchemy has opened the door to Bella’s past, but she finds herself confused, unable to recall specific details about this complicated notion and how it affected her life. Tired of all the secrecy and deception that seems to be taking place around her, Bella just longs to be near her family again, without having to struggle with her memory. A new hypnotherapy session presents itself, and Bella isn’t sure if she can bear the too short moments she can spend with her family before being separated again. Created: June 11th 2008 Last Updated: July 20th 2008 Number of Entries: 168 Rating on TheSims2.com: 4.85   Welcome back, for a new chapter of The Fate of Alchemy. This is Chapter Six, so reading the first five is recommended, if you haven't. This chapter took over five months to get together, because of a coincidence of bad circumstances, and I appologize for it. I've longly explained this delay in my blog, so I won't do it again here, but let's just say I was very busy in my personnal life. So thanks for being patient while I made this chapter, and enjoy your read!   Black clouds surrounded her again, compressing her chest, suffocating her with their thickness and strength. Blood pumped rapidly through her veins, as she felt their pressure against her skin, screaming for the life inside of her. She could feel her body intensely vibrating, yet she knew she wasn’t moving, in fact, she was using every bit of concentration left in her not to move an inch; the feelings always went away as soon as she dared to even quiver. She was vividly aware of every single part of her body, alerted by her perceptions. Even though her eyelids were shut, she knew her eyes themselves were still working, and she felt as though she had shrunken back into her body, observing the back of her orbs from the inside. She was losing sense of perspective, and felt as though she were both very large and very small at the same time; it seemed space didn’t have a meaning anymore.   The pressure in her chest was so strong that it seemed to be causing her abdomen to contract autonomously. She strained to keep all her concentration, as beads of sweat started breaking out onto her forehead. The intensity was so strong, a headache was starting to come on, and she felt as if her brain itself was in pain. The contractions were only getting stronger, following the movements of the vibrations, and she wasn’t sure to hold much longer. In one final attempt, she put all her efforts into not thinking about the immense pain she was in, and to try to focus on getting out of here, but the physical reaction was too strong, and, without asking for her opinion, her body contracted and made her inhale a fresh gulp of air.   In the velocity of the movement, she sat up and choked. Tears streamed out of her strained eyes, and her nose started running. Bella wiped the cold sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand and shivered. “Damn it!” she whispered in anger and frustration, punching the mattress. For over a week, ever since she had remembered it, she had been trying to get some access back to Alchemy. Her memory was still weak, and Bella couldn’t remember much about it. Alchemy was a vague notion she only remembered as a whole general feeling. It was as though she was trying to remember a foreign language she had learned a long time ago, and hadn’t spoken in many years. For now, her main objective was to achieve the passage from the Physical World to the Dream World, which was the dimension Alchemy took place in.   One of the clearest things she could remember was that Alchemists were able to explore this parallel dimension, where all their power came from. Getting there consisted in consciously falling asleep, an exercise which required a great deal of concentration. Five years without any form of Alchemy in her life had greatly reduced Bella’s potential, and the lack of training and memory left her Alchemically invalid. Only a few days prior, Johnny had confirmed that the journal she had believed to be hers all these years was, in fact, a fake one, which had been printed to look like hers. Bella didn’t know what this meant exactly, but the only certainty she had for now, was that someone was lying to her in this town. She felt Alchemy would provide her with the answers she needed to understand what was going on, but she could not remember any of it precisely enough to obtain them. Projecting herself into the Dream World would allow her to explore this dimension of Alchemy and effectively regain her power.   The next morning, Bella was awoken, tickled by the warm sunlight penetrating through her drapes. She lay in bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling in contemplation. Each morning was the start of a new day in this prison she was unable to escape. Strangetown may have appeared like just a simple town in the middle of nowhere at first, but Bella could feel there was something more to this place than she was being let on. She thought of her family, back in Pleasantview and just wished she could be near them again. Every night she was unable to project into the Dream Dimension made her feel as though she was failing them. She just had to force herself to believe in a better tomorrow.   She got up and carried out her usual morning ritual, waking the twins, making breakfast, and getting ready for the day. Taking care of her girls and her association were the only things that had allowed her to keep sanity in the past days, as she struggled to remember this complicated notion that was Alchemy. However, that day was a Sunday, and so the association was closed. Instead, Jenny and she had made plans to go over to Ophelia’s house to help the young woman with her wedding plans. While she was figuring out that her journal was a fake and trying to remember what Alchemy was, it bemused Bella that things as normal as weddings still existed in the world. By late morning, Bella headed with her two daughters, glad to get her mind off the complicated parts of her life.   She arrived at Ophelia’s to find not only Jenny, but Jill and Olive Specter as well, along side the bride-to-be. Bella’s daughters were set in front of the television, and all five women retreated to the dining room. Within a dozen of minutes, they were immersed in Bridal magazines, menu ideas, music listings and many other paper sheets full of notes. The room was vibrant and loud, as they all enthusiastically gave their opinion on different matters and suggested ideas. “I want it to be a simple wedding, you know?” Ophelia said. “I don’t see the need to invite the whole town like some people do just because we all live close by. Aunt Olive, here, kindly accepted to host the wedding in her front yard, so that settles the matter of location.” “I want my Ophelia to get married in front of her parents.” Olive smiled, referring to the graves that lay in her yard, among which were Ophelia’s parents’.   Bella smiled at the elderly woman gazing fondly at her niece. She had only been around Olive a handful of times, but she found her to be very touching. With the years, she seemed to become more absent, as if she was slowly erasing herself from the world around her. Bella had decided not to tell Olive about Alchemy until she was sure it was necessary to do so. In her advanced age, Olive was often distracted or confused about certain things. She would sometimes forget what she was told or just not register it at all. She had lived in Strangetown her whole adult life, ever since the first settlers had arrived. Bella preferred to not disrupt the old woman’s mind and environment if it was possible. Were she to tell her about Alchemy, Bella wasn’t even sure Olive would understand it.   This was why her friends, who were usually so eager to know if she had achieved any progress, hadn’t asked her about Alchemy in Olive’s presence, and why they waited until she left the room to bring up the topic. It was near midday, and Olive offered to make the women lunch. “Are you going to find everything you need, in there?” Ophelia asked her aunt, as she headed towards the kitchen. “Ophelia, I may be old but I still remember how to get around a kitchen.” Olive replied in good spirit. “I’ll be fine, you girls keep on planning the big day.” she said smiling, before bustling off into the nearby kitchen. “Thanks.” Ophelia called after her.   Bella, who had been absent mindedly flipping through the pages of a magazine, was surprised to see the attention of the room suddenly turn towards her, as Olive left it. Ophelia, Jenny and Jill all moved their chairs closer to the table and leaned in towards Bella. “So, how’s it going with… Alchemy?” Ophelia asked her dubiously. Bella closed her magazine and laid it down on the table. “Well, there isn’t much new, I suppose.” she told them honestly. “I still can’t remember anything precise and I still haven’t been able to project in the…” Bella hesitated. “The Dream World?” Jenny suggested. “Well yes, that’s what it is basically, but I think it had a name. I don’t think we called it ‘the Dream World’, but that’s the best way I can call it for now.”   “How can you remember that you used to be an Alchemist, if you don’t even remember what Alchemy is?” Jill asked. “I don’t know; it’s so confusing. I know I used to practice Alchemy, but I only have a vague and general idea of it. There’s only one precise memory I have for now: that ceremony thing in my attic – and technically, that’s not even a memory, since I wasn’t there. I just don’t get it, and I really wish I could have more access to my memories at the hospital without letting Dr. Auster know what I’m remembering.” “But you told my brothers about Alchemy, and they’re your doctors too.” “Yes, but I trust all of you and I’m not saying I suspect Auster of anything, though he hasn’t ever been that friendly to me, but apparently, there’s someone at the hospital who wants to prevent me from remembering Alchemy, so I’m not exactly trusting hospital staff that I don’t personally know for now.” “Well, can’t you lie, and just make up memories to tell them?”   “Not really, no. Hypnotherapy is so emotional and personal; it’s always really obvious when I’m exploring memories which are of great importance to me. I get all upset and with all their sensors, the doctors can read whatever is going on in my head, in a way I can’t prevent. Sooner or later, they’d realize I’m lying. I’d have to make up a memory which would correspond exactly to what they were reading, which would be way too complicated. Since Hypnotherapy follows the same process as projecting in the Dream World, I think the best thing for me to do is to just remember how to do that, so I can explore my memories by myself, but it’s so hard and try I might, I’m just not able to do it again. These days I’m so frustrated by all the things in my life, which are too complicated for me to understand. A part of me wishes I had never remembered Alchemy, because then, I wouldn’t have to worry about it, but another part really wants to know more and I’m just stuck and confused.”   “If you want, I think my brothers would be more than willing to give you private hypnotherapy sessions. You could explore your memories outside of the hospital and that way, not have to lie.” “What do you mean? How would that work exactly?” “Well, my brothers studied their hypnotherapy technique in their lab for a long time, before they brought it to the hospital. They have all the equipment they need for it at home. Seeing your peculiar condition, I think they’d accept to help you out with extra sessions.” “That would be really great. I’d be so thankful.” “I’ll call them and set it up.” Jenny smiled. Bella appreciated how enthusiast her friends were about Alchemy, even though they had no idea what it was. If she was already confused about it, they could not understand it in the slightest of ways. Yet it was new and exciting, so no matter how little they understood it, they were very supportive and sincerely hoped Bella would be able to remember it all.   Since the kitchen was adjacent to the dining room, the women decided not to spend too much time discussing Alchemy, in case Olive realized they were no longer talking about the wedding plans. They cleared up the table of all their notes and set it for lunch. Olive served them with a spicy rice and black bean dish, she claimed was her specialty. As they ate, their conversation continued on the wedding topics. However, Bella’s mind lingered on Jenny’s offer, and she only absent mindedly listened to Ophelia’s lengthy description of her dress. Remembering her past and Alchemy was of utmost priority to her, and private sessions with Jenny’s brothers would allow that to happen with much more ease. In the end, she just longed to be near her family again, and not have to worry about anything complicated. Though she may not have remembered them fully, Bella was certain that they used to lead a simple and happy life.   By mid afternoon, they had covered many topics, and Olive was getting tired, paying less and less attention to what was going on, so Ophelia eventually decided to take her home, effectively ending their gathering. Bella took her daughters home, and spent the rest of the day doing some house chores, to get her mind of Alchemy. A part of her missed the days when she just didn’t remember anything and lived peacefully in Strangetown. She knew that was a weak way of thinking, but this work to regain her memory was long and painful. These days it was causing her more confusion than ever, and in a world where everything was so complicated, and nothing seemed to be what it was, Bella longed for peace and tranquility.   In the following week, Bella lived in the expectancy of her hypnotherapy sessions. Jenny called her on Monday to announce her brothers had accepted to see Bella privately, and that she could meet with them, as soon as the following Saturday. The five following days stretched out on what seemed to be an eternity of time, so Bella focused all her energy on her association to not lose her mind. It felt very bizarre, leading this double life, in which she was acting casually and pretending everything was fine on one side, and then trying to figure out something complex and just bizarre on another. At night, she continued to try to find her way back into the Dream World, but only found herself like a blind woman lost in the middle of nowhere, and trying to make it home.   Saturday brought a sudden relief for Bella, and she awoke knowing she was going to be able to explore her memories and learn more. Her session was planned for the early afternoon, and she was unable to get her mind off it all morning. She randomly roamed her house and constantly checked the time, wondering how much longer it could possibly take. She wondered how her daughters could remain unaware of everything going on in their very home and live such an innocent and normal life, while she had been in a haze of confusion for the last two months now. She took a bit of pride in thinking that at least she was able to provide them with a balanced life, and that her parenting skills remained good.   Bella’s impatience got the better of her, and she arrived at the Curious household fifteen minutes earlier than planned, to find the family still eating lunch. The Curious house had changed a lot since Bella had first seen it. The birth of two young children, and the arrival of Crystal’s female presence in the house, had called for major renovations. Pascal had sought Bella’s help for advice in creating a child friendly environment. She had helped them select new wall and floor patterns of better taste, with lesser contrast, and participated in rearranging the house layout, which had kept its modern style, but with a less aggressive appearance. How far all of this seemed now… Pascal invited Bella to sit down at the table while they finished eating, and so she chatted with them for a moment. The twins headed off to join Astra and Indra, who were playing in the living room.   “I just really wanted to thank you for allowing this to happen. It means a lot to me.” Bella told them. “Well, after Johnny told us he found your journal was a fake, it seemed only natural that we help you out, and explore what’s going on here.” “I still don’t understand how he realized it was fake, though. Aren’t all papers the same?” “Well, here in Strangetown, as you’ve noticed, there are no trees. So we don’t create paper the same way as in other places. Our paper is made from cactus fiber; since cactus grows so well here, it’s quite convenient and cheap. Cactus paper has a very recognizable texture and quality, especially for someone like Johnny who works in the chemistry building where it’s made.” “So there’s no mistaking it? My journal is a fake?” “I’m afraid we’re certain of that. Johnny’s tests not only proved the paper was of cactus origin, but that the ink was printed and not written onto it.”   Once their lunch was over, the brothers took Bella upstairs, where they had moved their laboratory, when they had reworked the place. This was the part of the house which had most kept the old design and appearance. On the first floor landing, Pascal and Vicund went through a door towards the rest of their lab, while Lazlo lead her through glass doors, out on the terrace, and into a small room, which was not connected to the rest of the house from the interior. In it, Bella recognized a chair very similar to the one she was used to laying in during hypnotherapy sessions, which was surrounded by many pieces of electronic equipment. She automatically sat on the hypnotherapy chair, and let Lazlo prepare her, by attaching multiple electrodes and the usual canulla. “We’re a bit less at ease here, than at the hospital.” he explained. “Pascal and Vicund will be reading your bio-feed in the other room, and I’ll be here to make sure you’re okay. You shouldn’t notice the difference.”   As she waited for the Hypnotherapy to begin, Bella already began relaxing her body and focusing her mind on what she had to do. Her goal today was to find something, anything, which could enlighten her about Alchemy, and make it all seem less confusing. If she could just explore a few memories which could help her understand her unusual and complicated past, she would already feel progress was being made. After a few minutes of going from one room to the other, Pascal announced they were finally ready to begin. Bella closed her eyes in anticipation, and soon heard Lazlo begin to count down from 10. They weren’t using headphones like usual, but he was just talking directly to her, and this somehow made Bella feel safer and calmer. She started feeling the effects of the drugs, and it was as though the veil was being lifted from in front of her eyes, already. She was able to find her bearings in the sensations, and before Lazlo had even reached 3, Bella was already far away.   Bella found herself drifting in dark clouds again, but it didn’t take long for her to awaken, fully conscious, in this place she knew was the Dream World. In instants she materialized the great white room and dashed towards the high iron staircase. On her first attempt, her rush made her forget her concentration, and after only a few steps, she stumbled backwards clumsily, pushed back by the force that didn’t want her climbing these stairs. Lazlo must have noticed the shock and surprise it caused in her, and he started giving her instructions of concentration and guided her back to a calm and concentrated state. On her second attempt, Bella stepped onto the staircase cautiously. She slowly walked up, and looked at where she was putting her feet, almost making sure she wasn’t going to trip. She moved higher and started to feel the growing repelling force. She double in attention, and took her time to take each step.   However, after almost ten minutes, Bella seemed no closer to the top of the stairs, and the effort of caution was exhausting her. Tired, she slowly let herself be pushed back down towards the bottom of the stairs, without letting herself fall. It took several minutes for her to gather her spirits and attempt a new ascension. On her third attempt, Bella stepped onto the staircase with prudence and determination. Instead of focusing on the steps, she concentrated her mind on her goal: being in her memories again. She decisively stepped forward and ignored as the growing force tried to push her back. She was determined not to go back down, and just went on forward, not allowing herself to even acknowledge the fact that her knees were awkwardly bending, as if undecided as to obey to her will, or to the stairs’ force. This ascension was her combat for her family, renewed at each hypnotherapy session; it was a fight she had won before and would not lose now.   As she felt herself tiring under the pressure the stairs were imposing, she pushed herself forward with a jump in a final attempt to escape this room and reach her family. Her feet left the support she was standing on and she felt herself floating. As the hard metallic surface of the stairs didn’t break her fall, she knew she had failed and that she was being thrown back down the stairs and that she would meet the white room’s ground with a crash in just seconds. The crash didn’t come. Bella found herself surrounded by the white light, stronger than ever, penetrating every single part of her being. She was flying through it at the speed of light, and soon her body only formed one with the light and she no longer existed as form, but only thought and mind. "Bring me to where I shall find the answers of my past." she thought, knowing that the light would obey her, would somehow understand her.   Several moments passed during which Bella continued to feel the speed of the light moving her to a new destination in her memory. Then, her body began to reform from the light and she could feel it weighing her down into a memory. The light started fading and she felt a hard surface softly appear beneath and behind her, with her legs hanging lower; she was sitting. The small sound of a bird chirping reached her ears, and a pleasant breeze reached her face, as she inhaled the smell of fresh grass. The light cleared and she found herself sitting on a wooden bench in a very green park, which bore a familiar look. The air was warm and Bella gazed as a few people walked around in the distance. Perhaps she could have gone to talk to them, had she wanted to, but Bella felt as though their presence here was usual and unimportant and that it was best not to bother them. They seemed so distant anyway, their voices just mixing in a blur of pleasant conversation and laughter from another time.   “So, you came back.” said a voice next to her, and Bella turned her head to suddenly realize she wasn’t alone. There, just next to her, was sitting Mortimer, her beloved husband. “Morti!” she cried out, embracing him, feeling so good to be in his presence again, for it felt so real, even if she was only meeting him in the world of her mind. “Hello, love.” he smiled, caressing her hair. “Were you able to find the answers you were looking for up there?” “Alchemy!” she blurted remembering what she was looking for in these memories, and he nodded. “Well, I’m not sure it was really an answer. I mean, I remember that it exists, but it’s all so confusing and I don’t remember any of it precisely.” “Look at you, all troubled.” Mortimer said, taking her in his arms. Again, Bella let herself be invaded by the love she felt for him. It was so good to be in his embrace, without worrying about what was going on in the outer world.   “I’m not sure how it’s supposed to help me come back home, but all it’s done is confuse me. I can’t remember what it is, but it’s just there in my brain in a mess, and I don’t know how to sort it out. I know it’s supposed to have meaning for me, but I just don’t know what it is and I’m tired of looking. I’ve had to explain that I am an Alchemist to my friends, without really knowing what it was, and I have to keep pretending I’m leading a normal life to the rest of the town, and to the girls, and I just can’t take it anymore!” she sobbed, letting out the frustration of the past weeks as he slowly rocked her. “Everyone is expecting me to find answers and to be strong, but I’m just so tired of being strong. I feel like the whole weight of the world is on my back and I just want to be weak and not have to worry about carrying it, without it crushing me. I don’t want to have to be the one everything depends on anymore. I’m all alone in this, and I don’t think I can do it without you.”   “You know you always have me with you in your heart.” Mortimer whispered. “Yes, it’s true, but my heart is weak and tired too from being alone and waiting to be near you again. I miss you, and I don’t know if I can keep leading this empty fight alone against my amnesia, if I can’t even be sure that it will lead me back to you.” “You can’t win if you don’t fight.” “Yes, but fighting can make me lose, and I feel on a losing trend here. It’s like when I started digging for answers, I forgot to keep track of the surface, and now I’m stuck in a hole, too deep for me to climb out of. Maybe if I keep digging, I’ll find a way out, but I’m afraid it’ll just doom me further.” She nestled her face on his shoulder, indulging herself in another moment of bliss and forgetfulness. Here in his arms it was difficult to remember why she had come to find out more about Alchemy. It was so much easier to just stay near him and not worry about anything complicated again.   “I don’t want to have to leave you again, to have to pursue these answers without knowing where they are, or how to look for them. You’re all I need, and if I can be here with you, why bother fighting to know more? Maybe happiness is just contenting myself with what I can have, and not continually searching for something better. If I can find happiness with you here, I don’t need to struggle with things I don’t understand.” “Well then just stay here. You don’t have to go anywhere.” “I wish you could mean what you’re saying. You know I can only be here for a little while before I have to go back there. Staying here is only something I can dream of.” “You’re very right about that. Except you’re forgetting where you are: in the world of dreams, precisely! If you dream of staying here forever, that is what you get.”   “You are master of your fate Bella, and you can choose where to go. Of course, you’ll only be living in memories, but with 45 years worth of memories to explore, I dare say you have quite a selection to choose from. You can relive any moment of our past, and only keep the best parts. No need to uselessly fill your head with things that are too complicated.” “You mean it? I can stay here with you and not worry about going back?” Bella asked, suddenly feeling a jolt of hope and opportunity. “Why, of course!” Mortimer said laughing, and standing. “Where shall I take you first? Your childhood? Thanksgiving dinner 1975? Or perhaps you would prefer to remember when you first met me.” he offered grandly, making Bella laugh. For the first time in long, she allowed herself to be amused. “Do I get to see our children, Morti? I miss them – and I haven’t seen them in such a long time.” “That you may, too. In fact, I think here comes Cassandra now.”   Mortimer gestured beyond in the distance, towards the rest of the park, and Bella turned her head to see a very young Cassandra making her way towards her. “Mommy!” She called as she hurried forward. Bella rose from the bench instantly and found herself with her daughter in her arms in just seconds. The world seemed to dissolve in this moment as they reunited, and everything around them turned to a soft and pleasant tone. Bella felt warm and complete and let herself believe that she was in fact in the actual presence of her family. Strangetown faded from her mind, and she opened her eyes again, to see Pleasantview and her kin only. “Let’s go home.” she told them, smiling.   It wouldn’t even have occurred to her that she was completely abandoning Strangetown behind and that there were people still waiting for her there, if Lazlo hadn’t intervened. He suddenly appeared before them, with a worried look on his face: “Bella, you’re losing consciousness. I need you to remember where you are and to find answers about Alchemy in your world.” he said. He looked so out of context in the peaceful environment of Pleasantview. Mortimer and Cassandra seemed not to notice him, and Bella wondered if she could just ignore him. “Bella, you’re falling into a dream state!” he warned “Remember what you’re experiencing is not real, and that you need to find answers from your past.” “No Lazlo… no more searching for answers.” she finally said. “Bella, remember why you came here! You need to explore your memories to sort out Alchemy.” “No, I’m here with my family, and I’ve had enough. We’re going home!”   With that, Bella took Mortimer by one hand, Cassandra by the other and together they marched off into the distance. They would lead a peaceful and happy life, without Alchemy, just exploring the different good moments of their past. Maybe it wasn’t real, but to Bella it was, and in the end, that was all that mattered. By living in the past, she would be able to experience the closest version of perfection she could ever find in life. It was like a second chance they had been given, to recreate a life, and maybe this time they would be able to make it right and not break apart. As she walked off with her family, Bella felt hopeful at the idea of a future together, for it was only in memories she could feel this happiness now.   After Bella went home, she continually lived with her family in the Goth manor again. Time had no more meaning, and she just incoherently mixed memories unconsciously, to enjoy a peaceful existence with them. She dreamed of all her children living together around the same age, even though in reality, their births were separated by numerous years. Cassandra played with her sisters, Iris and Hermione, even though she’d never really met them, while Alexander found comfort in his father’s presence. Bella enjoyed exploring different realities: in this world she was free to live moments over and over again, as if she had a remote control allowing her to go backwards and replay moments, experiencing them differently each time. She only skipped to the good parts, and put it in the order she pleased, having lunch with the whole family, and then eating dinner with a teenage Mortimer later on.   Meanwhile, in Strangetown, in another dimension, Bella’s friends were panicking as they found themselves unable to wake her up. They didn’t know what was preventing her from waking up, but they felt horribly powerless as they watched her in a near comatose state. The Curious brothers weren’t authorized to give their patients private hypnotherapy sessions, so, to make things worse, this incident needed to remain a secret. How long could something so obvious stay secret? – They wondered. They explained Bella’s absence by saying she was sick, hoping no one would ask too many questions. The Curiouses took care of her daughters. Nervous took time off work to see to it that the Youth Association stayed open, to cause minimal inconvenience, and Jenny said she was caring for Bella, and her medical opinion sufficed to convince everyone else of Bella’s condition. They all just prayed she would soon wake up.   The days passed and Bella continued to live in her ideal dream, ignoring the lingering thought in the back of her mind that this all was in her imagination. Deep down, she knew she was being weak, giving up on real life, but her exhaustion had gotten the better of her, and she couldn’t even bring herself to think about what she was really doing. She couldn’t even admit to herself that she felt a growing guilt of fleeing all her obligations, just to spend some time with her imaginary family. She just let the dream flow, staying just conscious enough to enjoy it passing by, without troubling herself with complex thoughts. It was easier for her to ignore her conscience and just pretend everything around her was real, rather than realize what the consequences of her weakness were.   Yet, as the days moved by, Bella found herself more and more troubled by her dream. One afternoon, as she was outside playing with a one-year old Alexander, she observed her environment, and wondered how it could all seem so real. She watched how every leaf, on every tree, gently floated in the wind and how every single blade of grass emerged from the ground with its own orientation towards the sky, how every single wooden tile that composed the exterior of her house had its own texture and precision. How could she be the one making all this up? It boggled her mind to just contemplate the idea that everything she had been living these past days was just the product of her imagination. As she observed her young son walking towards her, she couldn’t imagine how he could not be animated by his own will. "But Alexander is already fifteen." said a voice in her mind.   As if a light had been turned on in her previously dormant mind, Bella seemed to finally come to the realization that she was only living in the world of her imagination. She watched Alexander clumsily walking around the blanket they had lain out, exploring the nearby grass, possibly poking a small insect with a stick. He seemed so real, and this created a void in Bella’s heart, for she knew that no matter how real he looked, he remained a figment of her powerful imagination, and in the end, she was just a woman living alone in her thoughts. She suddenly felt very lonely in this world she was creating, subconsciously using pieces of her memory. A part of her considered waking up, and going back to Strangetown, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave the Pleasantview of her mind, for however fake it was, Bella still felt safer there, than back out in a place she didn’t understand. In this moment of confusion, she started to feel tears in her eyes.   She rose from the blanket, and headed inside the house, not wanting to cry in front of her son, no matter how unreal he may have been. Bella found refuge in the bathroom, which led off the manor foyer. She leaned on the porcelain sink for support and sobbed, not knowing what to believe, or what to do. “Troubled, love?” said Mortimer’s voice. Bella looked up to see her husband gazing at her from the other side of the mirror hung above the sink. “Morti, what shall I do?” she cried. “I thought you were happy staying here with us.”   “I thought so too, but I can’t help but think how none of this is real. I thought I could ignore these thoughts in my mind, but I just can’t. None of this is real! And I don’t understand how it all comes from my imagination! Look, this sink isn’t real, this mirror isn’t real, these walls and floors aren’t real; none of this is real!” Bella yelled gesturing all around her. “And so it isn’t.” Mortimer said calmly. Bella looked at him just in time to see his face disappear from the mirror. Quickly thereafter, the mirror disappeared. She looked out the window to see the trees and bushes disappearing too. A sudden anguish filled her, and she let out a cry of despair. What was happening? What had she done?   She stepped out of the bathroom to see the furniture of her home slowly disappearing, piece after piece. Gone were the seats from the living room! Gone were the stairs! Gone were the counters in the kitchen! “No, wait!” she screamed. “It’s real! I’ll believe it’s real! Don’t leave me! Morti!” she called out hopelessly. She clutched her head with her hands, trying to force her mind into recreating the entire world which lay before her just seconds ago. It was as if admitting that this life she was living was only imaginary had made it all vanish. And now she was seeing it disappear, Bella feared she would never be able to lay her eyes on the figures of her past again. Had she ruined all her chances at remembering anything from her old life?   Several minutes later, Bella found herself crying on her knees in the empty foyer of the Goth manor. The structure of the house had remained, like some kind of empty carcass of her past, an empty shell void of answers and meaning, standing in dead silence, for the birds no longer sang in her imagination, and the wind no longer blew through the small cracks of the house in her memory. She suddenly jumped as she heard noise before her and looked up to see Mortimer’s silhouette standing on the threshold of the house. “Some truths are painful, Bella.” he said. “Morti, what have I done?” “You’ve only allowed yourself to realize what you had been refusing to admit for the past days.” “I just wanted to spend a bit of time with all of you, forget the fact that we’re apart, but…” “It isn’t real.” he finished her sentence.   “No, it isn’t, and I can’t forget that. Even this, right here, this house and you, all of it is just in my head and I don’t get it! How can you not be real? How can you keep existing and talking to me, even if I know you’re just a dream?” “This house isn’t real, I’ll give you that – but I am.” “See, that’s just what I want you to say, but I know you’re not real!” “No Bella, I’m the only part of your world which you can claim was real all this time.” Bella hesitated as she looked into the eyes of the man she loved. Imaginary or not? How could she know if he was real or if this was just another one of her fantasies? “You’re telling me that you’re the real Mortimer, the one living in Pleasantview right now?” “Well, in a way, yes, but not exactly.” “Then who are you? What are you?”   “I’m the part of Mortimer’s soul which lives in you. That ceremony you saw in the attic of our home? You were able to remember it because I lived it, and from my memory, I could show it to you. You see, it is precisely because of it, that I’m here with you today. What we did there was create an Alchemical link between you and me. A part of me shall forever live in you, and a part of you shall forever live in me, unless that link is severed. It’s thanks to it that I can be here with you, and help you.” “So, you are real? You’ve known I’ve been here all these years?” “I’ve been with you all along, so I’ve known, but if you asked the Mortimer living in Pleasantview, he would have no memory of talking to you.”   “I don’t understand all of this.” “Of course you don’t, for you don’t remember anything about Alchemy.” “Then you need to tell me about it.” “I could tell you everything you used to know about Alchemy, but that wouldn’t mean you would remember it. No, the only way we can be sure you truly remember Alchemy is by having you explore your memories and relive the past, for it is only in memories you can truly find the answers you’re looking for.” “But I don’t even know how to do that. I haven’t a clue as to where to look for memories relating to Alchemy. I mean, I was able to explore a lot of memories in the past few days, but they sort of came naturally to me; I didn’t have to do anything. I don’t know how to consciously look for specific memories.” “Well, I suppose it’s lucky you have me, then.” Mortimer smiled. “I will go in your mind and find memories, which will help you remember Alchemy again. All you need to do is relive them.”   “How will you do that?” “I’ll worry about what to do. You just lie down.” “Right here?” He nodded. Bella laid herself on the wooden floor of the Goth manor foyer and watched Mortimer kneel beside her “When you wake up,” he said softly, “you will remember everything you need about Alchemy. In the meantime, I’ll take good care of you.” She smiled and closed her eyes, feeling safe with him. The situation itself was quite bizarre – it was like a hypnotherapy session within a hypnotherapy session, taking place in her empty old house, with her partly real husband. Nonetheless, Bella trusted Mortimer entirely and knew he would help her find what she had come for. Mortimer placed a finger on her forehead and the world around Bella seemed to slowly dissolve away and once again, she found herself in a sort of limbo, floating among dark clouds, feeling very peaceful.   For a few moments, she seemed to drift away, only semi-consciously, in this inexistent place. Then, the world around her shifted and materialized slowly in a memory. Bella looked around and saw she was sitting in a warm living room, on a comfortable old leather couch. Before her were a couple of armchairs and a circular coffee table, covered with candles and flowers in a vase. She turned around to see a Victorian loveseat beside an old wooden piano and a grand bookcase. The room was looking familiar and it occurred to Bella that it was the living room of the house she had lived in as a child. She looked down to suddenly realize she was indeed, only a little girl. It felt very curious indeed to find herself in such a small body again.   Through a large black arched door to her right, Bella could hear several voices, and could make out a few figures. She could hear what they were saying, but she wasn’t making much sense of it, nor did she care to. It was as though her mind too had regressed to a child form and she could only experience her environment the way she had in the state she was remembering. The people on the other side of the arch slowly began walking in. Bella recognized her parents Jocasta and Simis Bachelor, as they walked in first, smiling. A dozen of people entered the room behind them. Some looked quite familiar to her, but it was probably the first time she was seeing them as a child, so she couldn’t place an exact name on their faces. She could nonetheless see the Goth family – Mortimer, who was perhaps about ten years old, and his two parents, Cornelia and Gunther. Next to Mortimer, Bella could see her brother Michael, who was around the same age as the latter.   There they all were – the people who had been part of her world in the past, when she was only a child. Mortimer’s father came forwards, glancing back at Jocasta a moment. “Right, hello Bella.” he said, sitting next to her. “Hello.” she said, in a high-pitched voice which surprised her a moment. “We’re all here today, because we need to talk to you. You’re growing up now, and you’ll soon be old enough to do things like going to school. But before you do, we have a secret to share with you.” he finished in a low dramatic voice, making her laugh. “Actually, you already know it, but you just don’t know it’s a secret. In your life, you may have noticed your parents and brother are able to do certain things you can’t, certain things some people wouldn’t consider normal. We call all of this: Alchemy – have you already heard of Alchemy?” “Yes.” “Do you know what it is?”   She hesitated, not really sure she could find the words to describe Alchemy, even though she had an idea of what it was. “Sort of.” she answered, unsure. “It’s okay; you’re going to learn all about it in a few years. But right now, we need to make sure you’re not going to tell anyone about it. You see, a lot of people don’t understand what Alchemy is and so it scares them – and when people get scared, they can do some pretty bad things. So, it’s best if you just keep all our activities a secret. People don’t really believe Alchemy exists today, and us, Alchemists, have learned to keep it that way. Can we trust you to not tell anyone?” Bella nodded vigorously, wanting to show her enthusiasm and good will. “Well then, it looks like I can officially make you a part of our group, the Pleasant Alchemists. You will begin to learn a few things about Alchemy with your family, and in a few years, you will start receiving more advanced lessons. Congratulations Bella, you are now an Alchemist.”   Around the room, people smiled and applauded, looking proudly at Bella, the new member of their society. However, after a moment, they all seemed to freeze. It was as though time had suddenly stopped, and Bella was the only one who had escaped its capturing halt. She didn’t move an inch, however, not knowing what she was supposed to do. “The kitchen!” came a hiss from a woman in the room, who seemed to be doing her best not to move, despite her trying to communicate with Bella. “Go to the kitchen!” she continued. Bella hesitated, perplexed by the situation, but the woman’s glare made her decide to follow her order. She got up and left the room.   She could tell they had all frozen, because the memory she had been reliving had come to an end, but it was still bizarre to see a whole group of people, previously interacting together, suddenly stop all activity, as if turning to statues. Beyond the tall arch, Bella walked into the entrance hall of the house, with a set of stairs leading to the upper floors. As she rediscovered this house, it was as though she could instinctively tell where all the other rooms were, the whole layout reemerging in her mind. She crossed the entrance, into another room, a dining room, which she could remember was mostly used as a sewing room by her mother, then into a small square room, which held another set of stairs and opened on to the kitchen. The latter was a large spacious room, with many counters covered with baskets of bread and jars containing herbs and spices of all sorts.   In the center of the room was a long dark wooden table, which was also covered with many items, though the dining table lay further at the back of the room, near some windows, through which shone a golden light making the room so warm. Opposite the arch through which she had entered, Bella could see some white wood and glass doors, which led to a small greenhouse, in which the family used to grow many kinds of herbs and plants. As she laid her eyes on this room she hadn’t seen in many years, Bella could somewhat remember how active it used to be. It was one of the central rooms of the house, and Bella associated it with her mother, who had spent a great deal of time there, cooking something up. There was something so special about it all, which made Bella feel warm and safe.   Through the greenhouse doors emerged Jocasta, who was only poking her head out to look around the kitchen. “Bella, there you are! Come in here, I want to show you something.” she said, before going back into the greenhouse. Bella looked down to realize she seemed a bit older and taller than she had been in the last memory – perhaps by two or three years. She crossed the kitchen and pushed the door into the humid and hot room, where her mother was leaning on the counters, observing some of the plants growing on the shelves which climbed the windowed walls. The greenhouse was cluttered with many plants and gardening pots occupying almost every space offered by the floor, tables and shelves, so Bella had to step cautiously to reach her mother.   “Look how beautiful these flowers are! Do you know why we grow these plants Bella?” Jocasta asked, not looking away from the large red flowers she was delicately handling. “For Alchemy?” she guessed instantly. “Exactly, these plants have many different qualities, which, combined with a bit of Alchemy, can be very beneficial. Take these dahlias, for instance, brewed with crushed sunflower seeds, orange peel, holly extract and red berry juice, with a few right spells, they can create a strong vivifying drink.” Bella admired the red petals, which faded to yellow in the tips like fire, surrounding the dark fuzzy pollen at the center of the flower, and she could almost feel their strength and energy.   “Now, for an opposite effect,” Jocasta continued, walking along the shelves and stopping near some leafy green plants, with dark berries, “Belladonna berries contain a substance of strong soporific power. You can mix them with several ingredients to create a very relaxing potion, but you have to be careful when dosing the Belladonna juice – a too strong concentration of it will create a deadly poison.” “What other potions are there?” Bella asked, enthused by her first experience of learning in the greenhouse. “There are so many different ones, each with different effects and preparations. We don’t only use these plants for potions though – you can use them in lotions, or scents, or just use their fumes. There is so much for you to learn. Some people consider Herbalism to be a low branch of Alchemy, that it’s just some kind of cooking, but when you study it deeply and take the time to learn about it, nature can become a true ally of yours, stronger than some more volatile branches.”   She turned away from the Belladonna plant and kneeled next to Bella. “I’ll teach you what I can about the garden and plants, and I think you’ll like it. Nature in Alchemy is my specialty, but each person gains more or less interest in each branch, so maybe you’ll turn towards another part of Alchemy. I’ll just show you what I know in this area, and leave it up to you in your later teachings to decide how you want to deal with your own power.” Bella wasn’t sure she understood everything her mother was saying, but she felt in trust of her good will. “Can I try some of it?” she asked. “Sure, I was just making a potion – you can help. This one belongs to what we call emotional potions because it affects the mind and feelings, rather than the physical body. Come along, I’ll show you.” Jocasta led Bella back towards the kitchen, carrying some foreign plant along the way with her.   On the stove was a pot, in which were mixed several ingredients in a thick bubbling liquid texture. Jocasta mixed the whole with a wooden spoon a few times, gently bringing the bottom back up towards the surface. “This potion is especially helpful in dealing with emotions of anger, jealousy and hurt – always useful to have around in a tense situation. Just the fumes are calming.” she said deeply inhaling the heavy potion vapors over the large pot. “Now, we still have work to do. You can cut the ginger root.” she added, bringing Bella towards the long table, where lay a heap of dirty and bulky roots. “Ginger root is very useful in many mood altering potions. You need to cut it into little slices as long as the root is wide and this must be done very carefully, for if you cut it too thick, the ginger essence won’t have enough time to take in, and our potion will be much less powerful, but if it’s too thin, it’ll diffuse too quickly. You see, timing is everything in potion brewing.”   For the following minutes, Bella slowly cut the ginger roots, under the watchful eye of her mother. Jocasta guided her young daughter, helping her in this first experience in Herbal Alchemy, showing her the right and wrong. Bella felt as though she was split in two. One part of her was a little girl cutting roots, in oblivion about what would happen later in life, while another part was the adult woman living in Strangetown, trying to remember her past. So, while she was experiencing this memory as if it was the first time she was living it, she was also remembering many other things in an only semi-conscious state, in relation to what was going on around her. It was as if remembering this moment with her mother, where they had made a potion together brought back her knowledge of Herbal Alchemy in general, through the different emotions and sensations which linked these different memories together.   After several minutes of cutting the ginger root, the backdoor of the kitchen opened, and in came Bella’s brother, Michael, followed by Mortimer. It occurred to her that the two were around the same age – around thirteen years old in this case – and that they had been friends in their childhood. Because of this friendship, Mortimer had regularly been present in the Bachelor manor, throughout Bella’s childhood. He had been like a second older brother for her, but not in the same way as Michael. She had felt as though Mortimer understood her in ways her own brother did not, and Bella remembered that as a child, she had developed a crush for him. “Hi Mom!” Michael called, as he walked in, intending on passing through the kitchen and heading on to whatever he wanted to do with his friend. “Hi, Mrs. Bachelor.” Mortimer said, before adding, “Hi Bella, what are you making?” “An Ataraxia Potion – it calms anger.” she said slowly, remembering the name her mother had given her.   “Why? Did you get someone angry at you?” he teased. “No! I’m learning about Herbal Alchemy!” she protested, hoping to sound very serious. “When are you going to start your training?” he asked her. “Not for another few years.” Jocasta answered from over her brew. “Our Bella is still young.” “Mortimer, come on, let’s go!” Michael said, already halfway out the kitchen, clearly uninterested in the situation. Mortimer smiled back at Bella, before following Michael out of the room. She watched them as the climbed the stairs two by two and headed off towards Michael’s bedroom.   Something in the air seemed to shift ever so slightly and Bella could tell the memory itself had ended, even though nothing had changed in her environment. Her mother was still standing over the stove, mixing the potion. “Bella, come and taste this for me.” she called, and Bella came forward. Jocasta kneeled with a vail full of the thick potion, which had turned to a shade of blue, and tipped it into Bella’s mouth. The world around her slowly dissolved for a moment, before reforming again.   This time, Bella was in the sitting room of the Goth manor. She was now about ten years old, and the child part of her seemed more comfortable with Alchemy than she had previously been, even though she didn’t really know many precise things. At the time of this memory, Bella did not yet live in this house and was only there as a guest, and in fact, she wasn’t alone. The room was once again filled with the same people as before, the important members of the Pleasant Alchemists. Bella could feel they were all gathered there for an important reason – something in relation to her. The usual seats had been pushed back towards the walls and extra chairs had been brought to fit everyone in. Bella was sitting on the red loveseat, next to her mother and across from them was standing Gunther Goth, who had aged a bit, in front of his son. Mortimer was now a late adolescent, nearing adulthood and Bella admired his handsome face, showing hints of a growing beard he still wasn’t used to shaving properly.   Gunther took a step forward and the soft chatter around the room ceased as all eyes turned to him. “Thank you all for joining us today.” he began, addressing the room. “We are gathered here to confirm the nomination of Bella Bachelor, here present, to the status of Alchemical student.” Bella immediately noticed how this gathering had a much more formal tone than the last. When she was a little girl, Gunther had spoken to her directly and in a friendly manner. This time, the reunion of the Pleasant Alchemists had all the looks of a ceremony. She vaguely listened as Gunther mentioned different conventions in his speech and only paid attention fully, as he turned to talk to her.   “Bella, during your childhood, you experienced different forms of Alchemy at home, in a family context. You now have the possibility to receive a regular, strong and structured education in the Alchemical fields. At age five, you were sworn into Alchemical secrecy, and the Pleasant Alchemist society thanks you for your lasting discretion. On this day, we ask you to confirm this affirmation. Do you accept to keep the knowledge of your Alchemical teachings confined to the community in which they are given to you, and to respect the rule of Alchemical secrecy, dictating that you not speak of our craft to those who ignore it, as well as follow the rest of Alchemical code?” “Yes, I do.” Bella answered briefly, but clearly. “Are you willing to receive the teachings of Alchemy from a trained Alchemist to ensure you acquire a basic education in multiple branches of the craft, allowing you to further develop beyond the realms of the physical?” “Yes, I am.” Bella answered again.   “Do you swear to respect the master chosen for your education recognizing his higher authority and right over your learning, knowing his decisions and acts will always aim at perfecting your skills and knowledge?” “Yes, I do.” Bella answered for the third time. “Then I, Gunther Goth, head of the Pleasant Alchemical council, grant you, Bella Bachelor, the title of Alchemical student, and allow you to receive further teachings in the branches of Alchemy.” Everyone in the room applauded while Bella beamed, feeling happy to know she was finally on her way to learning the same things as her parents and brother, which she had been envying for so long. Now was left the question of who her teacher would be. Gunther returned by the fireplace and sat down on a nearby chair left vacant for him, while another man stood up and walked before Mortimer.   “Mortimer Goth, you have been chosen as the Alchemical Master of Bella Bachelor, by the Pleasant Alchemical Council. Do you accept this role of teacher?” he asked. “Yes, I do.” Mortimer affirmed. “Are you ready to share your knowledge about Alchemy with your student, giving her a basic and general education, initiating her to various branches of the science, beyond your own affinities?” “Yes, I am.” “Do you swear to act in your student’s best interest, always putting it first and to not abuse of your position of authority but to only use it, aiming to help her on a path of righteousness and intellect?” “Yes, I do.” “Then I, Sergei Victor, member of the high Pleasant Alchemical council, grant you, Mortimer Goth, the title of Alchemical Master, and ask you to teach your student, Bella Bachelor, the best way you know how.”   There was another round of applause, and Bella smiled radiantly, as Mortimer looked cheerily into her eyes. In any other situation, Gunther Goth, the head of the Alchemical council would have sworn in both student and master, but Bella knew that since Mortimer was his son, Alchemical code demanded that another Alchemist swear him in. Up to this moment, Bella had only learned Alchemy spontaneously in her family, when an opportunity had presented itself in their daily life. The passage to the rank of student meant she was now going to start leaning about it on a daily basis, during planned lessons with her teacher, Mortimer. It was tradition for an Alchemist, once fully trained, to take on a student and help him become a full Alchemist too. Mortimer was quite young, but he had already been confirmed as an Alchemist and Bella had been suspecting he would be her Master in the weeks preceding the ceremony.   It had been explained to Bella and Mortimer, a couple of years prior, that before Bella was born, an Alchemical Link had been established between them. At the time, an Oracle, an Alchemist who had very advanced skills in predicting the future, had announced to their families it was necessary to create this link. Oracles rarely gave reasons to explain their demands, but they were nonetheless to be obeyed – this, too, was part of Alchemical code. This strong link connected Bella and Mortimer’s souls, hence allowing them a strong understanding of one another, which was a very useful and important part of the relationship between Student and Master. Being taught about Alchemy by Mortimer just felt right to Bella.   After the ceremony, the Goths hosted a small reception to celebrate Bella’s studenthood. The Studentation Ceremony, as it was called, was one of the first important Alchemical rituals one went through in life. Everyone came to congratulate Bella and talk with her a bit, each giving a bit of advice on which branches to take interest in. The memory of the reception seemed to pass by in an accelerated haze, as though someone had pressed a “fast-forward” button. In her adult state, Bella imagined Mortimer was moving her mind to another memory, close-by in time. Indeed, as the reception came to an end, time seemed to slow back down to its usual pace and Bella found herself standing in the dining room of the Goth manor with Mortimer. The table, which had been pushed back against the wall, was covered with empty plates and dishes, left behind by the guests, who had now gone home. Mortimer asked Bella to follow him upstairs and took her up to the attic on the third floor.   It was late afternoon and the sun was shining through the cluttered room, in which Goths kept all their supplies for Alchemical activity. Bella could tell she was about to have her first lesson. Mortimer walked along to the far end of the room before turning back to face Bella. “Right, well I just thought it’d be good to mark your first day as a student with a lesson. We’re not going to get into anything too deep today, so it’s especially to get used to how all this works since it’s new for both of us. So do you have any questions about Alchemy, or how any of this is going to work? Is there anything you’re wondering about?” Bella took a moment to think, for it wasn’t easy to come up with a question off hand, without warning. Then, she remembered something which had been said during the ceremony.   “Your dad said Alchemy would teach me to go ‘beyond the realms of the Physical.’” she recalled, “I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant there.” “Well, we basically consider that anything related to Alchemy is not part of the physical world, the one we are in now, even though it can be expressed here. As you know, when you go to sleep at night, you leave your physical body here, and awaken in another place. For now, you haven’t had any real Alchemical training – that’s what I’m here for – so you dream when you go in that place. Do you know what dreams are?” Again, Bella hesitated a moment. “Michael said that you create the world of your dreams by yourself, that it’s just your imagination.”   “That’s a good way to put it. You see, dreaming is like putting paint on a canvas – you can put as much as you like, wherever your want. However, we prefer not to paint, because when you paint, you cover up the canvas, and create a subjective and personal image. With Alchemy you can learn to stop paining – or dreaming – and to just see the bare canvas for what it really is. This canvas is the same for everyone, so once you can see it, you can also see the other people who can see it, and communicate with them. It’s a whole other world, in which only Alchemists are awake. Do you understand?” “Sort of…” Bella hesitated. “The world in which you dream actually exists, and it’s from this world that Alchemy comes. You just have to learn to be there consciously. Do you know what we call this place?” “The Dream World?” Bella guessed skeptically.   “Well, that’s the name we tell children to use,” Mortimer smiled, “because it’s easy to remember, and it clearly shows the analogy between your dreams and this place. In truth, it’s quite a bad name, because the point of being in this place is, as I just said, to not dream. The real name Alchemists use for this other world is: the Hypnos.” “The Hypnos.” she repeated out loud, to affirm it, and in her adult state, Bella could indeed remember it as the correct word, the one she had been looking for. She turned to look out the window to her left and observed the large willow tree in the manor yard, its long branches slowly dancing in the wind. She focused on all the details to take in the reality of the world around her, imagining what it was like to exist in a whole other world, completely detached from this one.   Something shifted again, and Bella felt the memory end. She saw the sun suddenly set over Pleasantview, the darkness of night surrounding it. She turned back to the surrounding room and realized Mortimer was, again, a bit older, perhaps by one or two years. She too had grown into a pre-adolescent, entering puberty. They seemed to be starting a lesson again. “Okay, tonight, you’re going to start by reading up a bit about the Hypnos.” Mortimer said, laying out a thick leather bound book on the table, at the center of the room. “I had a long day at school!” Bella complained. She could tell her initial enthusiasm and desire to learn about Alchemy had decreased since before, and that Alchemical studies required a lot of hard work and effort as well. “You used to be impatient to learn about Hypnos.” Mortimer said, sounding surprised.   Bella could in fact remember that for the first couple years of her training, she had learned very basic things, and she had been asking to know more about this second dimension, which she still hadn’t been fully conscious in. “I know, but every time you make me read the big book, it’s complicated and I don’t get it.” she moaned. “Why can’t you just tell me what it’s like and I can learn from that?” “You have to go through some theoretical study – it’s the whole base of your later knowledge. I’ll tell you what: you read the text I picked out for you, and then we’ll talk about it, and I’ll help you understand it all.” Bella agreed to the deal and opened the dusty book to the page Mortimer indicated to begin reading. It was an ancient parchment page with some technical illustrations, entitled: “The Hypnos – Opening To Another Dimension”   ‘The Hypnos exists as a world completely detached from the one we are naturally conscious in from birth, the Physical. The Physical is indeed the lowest dimension in which the soul transcends when taking form in a body to begin a life. Through Alchemy, one shall learn to elevate the soul beyond the Physical and to explore higher dimensions. The Hypnos is the dimension from which all Alchemists begin their spiritual work. It acts as an envelope around the Physical world, therefore including the latter. Every element of the Physical world also exists in the Hypnos, in its own form. This hypnotic counterpart obeys to the laws of the Hypnos, as opposed to the laws that govern the physical world. Interaction with the elements of the Hypnos is therefore different than that in the Physical. The Hypnos is a world which is not governed by objects and matter, like the Physical, but by the minds of those who awaken in it.’   ‘It exists as a form of Universal knowledge of the world, in which minds have the power to affect its components and elements. Hypnotic matter is therefore neither defined as solid, liquid or gas, but just matter, of which the mind chooses the relative state. While one may interact with a hypnotic element the same way one would in the Physical as if it were solid, limiting one’s body with the exterior of this element, one can also choose to go through it, the same way one would with Physical gas. An Alchemist’s interactions with his environment depend on his will only, and this fluidity of the Hypnotic world is neither volatile, nor something which requires great power and concentration to master. Once one experiences the Hypnos in its reality, it becomes clear that the cohesion of this world is something natural to handle.’   ‘One speaks of the reality of the Hypnos, for within the hypnotic world lies the question of subjectivity. Since the mind is the motor of one’s experience of the Hypnos, it is very easy for one to let one’s imagination interfere with the reality of the surrounding world. Thoughts and emotions govern the Hypnos and can therefore alter one’s experience of this world, when not controlled. This is why the untrained mind experiences the Hypnos with dreams, which remain a subjective projection of mental elements onto the Hypnotic world, therefore making its reality invisible. The first goal of the Alchemist is to train his mind to remain clear of parasite thoughts, and to stay focused in its objectivism. This mental work is a long process, during which an alchemical student will need to complete a large number of theoretical studies, so as to be ready to handle the hypnotic world, once he achieves awakening into it.’   ‘Indeed, one must not arrive unprepared into the Hypnos, for it would be a waste of time and Power to linger in this world expecting it to be like the Physical. Since the mind affects the Hypnotic world so, preparing it to what it will find in the Hypnos is an important part of the Awakening process. For if one is to expect the Hypnos to exist in a similar fashion to the Physical, one’s mind will project such expectancy onto the Hypnotic world, so as to render one’s experience of this world truthful to the mind’s image. It is therefore important for one to learn as much as possible about the Hypnos, in advance, in order to ensure a more useful and longer experience in it, when the time comes. If one is to use the Hypnos as a mere distraction or volatile pleasure, one would be wasting the gift of Alchemical learning which is offered through Awakening. Achieving consciousness in the Hypnos is the first step to open the doors of Alchemy, through which one can thereafter expand.’   The chapter went on to develop into several paragraphs of theory, but Mortimer had indicated to stop reading after the introduction, so that was what Bella did. She had a vague feeling of understanding from the text she had just read, though it was all still confusing. Keeping up his end of the deal, Mortimer began explaining straight away. “Basically, you need to see the Hypnos and the Physical like two dolls in a set of stacked dolls. The Physical is the smallest doll, and the Hypnos is the bigger one which encases it. So, everything which is part of the Physical also exists in the Hypnos, as a sort of replica. You see, every body which exists in the Physical, also has a body in the Hypnos. Whenever you move an object in the Physical, its Hypnotic body moves similarly in the Hypnos as well – right now, your Hypnotic body is moving in the Hypnos, the same way you are now, though since you’re not conscious there, you sort of look asleep, or dazed.”   “What do you mean my Hypnotic body?” “Well, you have a body, in each dimension which exists. Right now, you are awake in your Physical body, which is the one we’re all naturally conscious in when we’re born, because the Physical is the lowest dimension. In the case of bodies, the image of the stacked dolls I used is pretty much reversed: the physical body is the largest doll, and the higher the body, the smaller the doll. So, when you move the physical body, you move all the other ones as well in the other dimensions. The point of Alchemy is to escape the Physical body and leave it behind, so as to awaken in the Hypnotic body and when you move a higher body, all lower bodies remain where you last left them.” “Wait, so there are even more dimensions than just the Physical and the Hypnos?” “Yes, though most Alchemists only ever study the Hypnos. You’ll briefly get a bit of theoretical study on the higher dimensions, though they probably shouldn’t appear too much in your studies otherwise.”   “Have you ever been in other dimensions?” “Besides the Hypnos? No, never. It’s already difficult enough to awaken in the Hypnos let alone stay conscious there, that for now I enjoy just staying there. Very few Alchemists have reached other dimensions, and they were very powerful. You need to have a reason to go into other dimensions, because it’s not just like taking a walk. The effort required to awaken in the next dimension is all the greater than it is high, so not many people care to attempt awakening beyond the Hypnos, where you’ll find all you need for Alchemy. The pursuit of higher dimensions is part of another path, which most Alchemists – you and I, for instance – are not on. In any case, it’s not something you should confuse yourself with. For the sake of complete knowledge, it’s interesting to know they exist, but you’ll never need to worry about higher dimensions otherwise.”   “So is it really that hard to get in the Hypnos?” “Well, getting there is one thing, but staying there is a whole other. Already, awakening in the Hypnos requires a great deal of work on your mind. It’s a difficult process, because you need to be both focused and calm while projecting out of your Physical body. The process in which you detach from your Physical body is not a pleasant one, and you need to learn to get used to it, in order to not let your mind be distracted by the uncomfortable feelings, which can occur during. Then, since the mind has such power in the Hypnos, staying conscious there for an extended period of time is yet another effort. Your emotions and thoughts directly influence the way you perceive the Hypnotic world, so if you get too mentally agitated, you can quickly start dreaming again, even after you’ve properly awoken in the Hypnos.”   “What’s it like there?” hoping to change the subject from Mortimer’s complicated explanations. “Well, it’s very different from over here, of course. It’s difficult to explain really, because it’s just a whole other world. Sure, you can still find all the elements of the Physical world in their hypnotic form, but nothing’s really the same. You don’t perceive things, nor do you interact with them, the same way there.” “Isn’t it a bit… unreal? I don’t know exactly how to say this, but I just imagine it a bit blurry and… unstable.” “For now you’ve only been in the Hypnos in dreams, so you have this volatile and imprecise image of it. When you awaken properly you realize it’s a world which is clearly defined, and just as real as this one right now. It’s different, but it’s nonetheless real.”   “But you said that it was a world which existed through the mind. Does that mean it doesn’t really exist, and we’re just creating it together?” “Well, that’s not a bad question. There were theories which tried to prove at one time, that the Hypnos was just a common creation of all Alchemists’ minds, and that projecting into an otherworld was actually a connection of our minds together. There was a part of truth in those theories, in the sense that all our minds do connect together when projecting, but they connect in a real place, and they reside in a real body. If you reason in the terms of the Physical world, then no, the Hypnos isn’t a real Physical place. But in Universal terms it does exist fully, not just as a common creation of our minds, but as an entire world, just as complete as this one.”   “So what do I need to do to get there now?” she asked, her enthusiasm for the subject returning. “Well, as it’s said in the book, you need a lot of theoretical studies first. You need to know all you can about the Hypnos because it’ll help you believe that getting there is actually a possible thing. You see, many people have trouble awakening in the Hypnos, simply because they don’t really believe in it properly. Studying the theory will help you know what to expect and make the Hypnos more real to you and not just some distant parallel dimension. You’ll especially need to let go of your Physical bearings, which can really hold you back. You need to accept that while the Hypnos is a real world, it’s completely different from the Physical one.”   “So you need to understand that Hypnotic matter doesn’t have mass nor weight like Physical matter does, for example. This means that in the Hypnos, you can chose to go through objects and surfaces, just as you can chose to interact with them as if they were solid. It means that you’re no longer held back by gravity and that you can fly.” “You can fly?” Bella exclaimed, partly in disbelief. “There are several ways you can travel in the Hypnos. Of course, you can just move around like in the Physical, but since weight doesn’t have meaning there, you can also move your body upwards and downwards. Also, since the Hypnos is the world of the mind, you can just think of a place to get there. For example you can visualize your house, and with proper concentration, you’ll just be brought directly in front of it.”   Bella was fascinated by what she was learning. In the past couple of years she had been slowly introduced to Alchemy with limited and basic notions. Learning about the Hypnos marked a new turn in her studies, and she was now impatient to know more. As it was written in the book, awakening in the Hypnos was the first big step for an Alchemist to take in his learning, and Bella felt ready to enter into the deeper parts of Alchemical studies. Mortimer and she continued to talk about the Hypnos for a bit; before he eventually decided it was getting late, and put an end to their lesson. He put the big leather book away, and led Bella towards the stairs, to take her home. As they began walking down the stairs, the memory ended, and Bella looked down to see the stairs descending towards a garden instead of the Goth manor second floor landing.   She reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around to see she was in the garden of the Bachelor manor property, in which grew many trees and shrubs which the family had never cared to keep in a too orderly fashion. There was a kind of savageness in this garden which made Bella feel at home. The intriguing plants dispersed throughout the property and which climbed along the sides of the walls gave the house personality, which others may have found to be creepy, but which Bella simply remembered as home. Near the back of the house, the terrain descended towards the sea, the calm blue surface of the Pleasantview bay which had ornamented Bella’s childhood, almost like an entity itself. A white picket fence enclosed a vegetable patch, along the left side of the house, where the family grew food and more plants for Alchemy and in which her father, Simis, was currently gardening, as the memory began.   Mortimer came down the stairs behind her, and Bella realized that once again, they had aged a few years. She took a moment, from her adult state to assess exactly what her situation in life now was. She was probably around fifteen years old – making Mortimer twenty-two – and she had now discovered a lot about the Hypnos. Bella now had a rather clear image of what it was though she hadn’t really achieved to awaken in it yet. She had been attempting to detach from her Physical body for a while now, and she was getting close, but the first projection was very difficult to achieve. Bella had been carrying out several mental exercises, to try and train her mind to stay calm and concentrated. So far, this had lead her to experience vivid dreams, of increasing realism, which Bella could then remember clearly when she woke up – a good sign according to Mortimer, who assured her it meant a full projection was not far.   Bella was now learning about the deeper more subtle parts of Alchemy. She now knew what to expect to find in the Hypnos, and Mortimer, feeling she would have her first hypnotic experience within weeks, was trying to anticipate any extra knowledge which could be useful to her once she was there, so she could make the most of her experiences in the Hypnos. That day, he was telling her about the notion of Alchemical Power, as they walked through the garden: “Many times throughout your studies, you’ve heard that some Alchemists are more powerful than others, but you’ve never really been told what this relative power means.” “Well, I do have some notion of understanding of it. Stronger Alchemists are better at Alchemy.” Bella said.   “Sure, but there is a need to properly define what this Power is, how it works, and how we qualify it, for you to have a precise understanding of your Alchemical world. When you will awaken in the Hypnos for the first time, you will discover a new sense, which is the perception of Power. The Physical is the dimension of matter, so you perceive it through organs of your body, but there is no hypnotic organ through which you perceive Power. In the Hypnos, you feel the relative Power of each person and body as a sort of attraction. Each object and living thing – each element which claims a coherent body – has its own Power, and all these Powers interact together like some kind of field. Elements of stronger Power have more weight in this field, and you perceive this as a sort of attractive vibration.” “So what do you mean; I’ll be pulled towards elements with stronger Power?”   “No, you’re always free to move about and interact any way you please in the Hypnos. A Power field isn’t like a magnetic field, where elements are put in movement by their relative strength. It’s hard to describe, because it’s not a physical sensation, but once you get in the Hypnos, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. In the Hypnos, it’s like you’re constantly in interaction with your whole environment through Power, as if there was electricity running through you, from and to it.” “And so, what’s responsible for making this Power exist within us?” “I was getting to that. Now, the following notion is a bit complicated, and to understand it fully, you’d have to study further than the knowledge I’m supposed to – or able to – give you. My father is specialized in the study of Power; he’s spent his life working Alchemy in this branch, so if you have any questions I can’t answer you can always ask him.”   “Basically, there is a substance which exists in the Hypnotic world, and which is responsible for all the properties we know of it today. You see, the Physical world is made of Physical matter – assembled particles, photons, atoms, and so on. The Hypnotic World is made of a Hypnotic matter, among which we find a substance called Aether, which has the most peculiar properties. Many Alchemists today have theorized that Aether is the substance which is responsible for the existence of Life itself. There’s still a lot of research to do on the subject, which is most fascinating, but what you need to know for now is that Power is a direct consequence of the existence of Aether. We measure an Alchemist’s Power according to the amount of Aether he attracts, for each person has the natural capacity to attract this substance into his hypnotic body. The attracted Aether is then used in any form of Alchemy.”   “The amount of Aether attracted varies from person to person, and this is how we define an Alchemist’s Power. So, the perception of Power consists in the perception of how much Aether a person is able to attract. Do you follow?” “Each Alchemist attracts Aether in bigger or lesser quantities, and then uses it to do Alchemy. This attraction is what defines his Power.” Bella summed up. “Exactly. What you also need to know is that Aether doesn’t actually stock up inside your body, waiting to be used, which is why you’re able to perceive Power fields. Aether constantly circulates from one body to another, though there’s always a certain amount circulating through you, corresponding to your Power. When you produce Alchemy, you expulse a certain amount of it out of your body. After that, you attract the Aether in your environment back towards you, in accordance with your Power. This constant flow of Aether in the environment is what makes you perceive relative Power.”   “So then, the amount of Aether in your body is always at a constant value?” Bella asked. “Well in a way, yes. Theoretically we study a person’s Power as a constant value, though it’s really more a case of dynamic balance: Aether is expulsed through Alchemy, therefore decreasing the amount present in your body, but then is attracted back from the surrounding environment, slowly reaching towards the theoretical value of Aether corresponding to your Power.” “Also, you need to take in account the fact that an Alchemist’s Power will grow throughout his life.” Mortimer continued. “Through your studies, with both your gaining knowledge and your practical training, you’re currently expanding your Power. Your Power is like a muscle: by practicing Alchemy, you’re making it a bit stronger each time.” “So my Power is never going to stop growing?”   “No, like Physical force, you will also begin to lose your Power when you begin to age. Regular practice and Alchemical exercises can go a long way in maintaining your Power, but as you age, it will be harder to gain Power. In general, the more Power you have, the harder it is to gain more. You see, each Alchemist has a certain limit to which he can have his Power grow. This limit is called Capacity, and it represents the maximum amount of Aether he will be able to keep under control in his body. Capacity is a stable value and also differs from person to person. It is possible, though very difficult to make one’s Power higher than one’s Capacity. If you were to do so, however, you would no longer be able to control your own Power, which would have become too strong for you to handle. Since Aether is the source of life, it does have a kind of ‘alive’ property, and when you have attracted more than you can handle, it’s almost as if it starts acting as an independent entity.”   Bella must have had a confused look on her face by then, because Mortimer quickly added: “Well, you won’t have to worry about all that. It’s already very difficult to get your Power up to your Capacity, let alone make it grow beyond. All of this is part of a branch of Alchemy which you would need to take a lot of time to study in order to understand fully. I’m just supposed to provide you with a bit of basic knowledge for your understanding of the world around you. So, can you sum up everything I’ve told you for me?” he asked, as he often did at the end of a lesson, during which they’d talked about new things.   Bella gazed at the bay in the distance from the back of her house and began to recite: “Each Alchemist has the ability to attract a certain amount of Aether into his hypnotic body. This substance is used in forms of Alchemy, and freely circulates through the environment in a dynamic balance, to ensure each body contains an amount of Aether corresponding to its own Power. Power represents how much Aether an Alchemist attracts towards him in a given moment, but this value changes in the course of life, through training and learning, to make him stronger. Nonetheless there is a limited value Power can reach, and it is called Capacity. It represents the maximum amount of Aether an Alchemist can handle to keep under control, before it starts acting as an independent entity.” “Wow, you hardly stopped to take your breath there!” Mortimer chuckled, and Bella smiled, satisfied to have impressed her teacher. “You’ll see; you’ll soon awaken in the Hypnos and all of this will make even more sense.”   As he said those last words, Bella felt herself detach from the Bachelor manor garden. She was experiencing a memory, but there was no environment around her, just a certain darkness, which was yet warm. She felt light as a feather, liberated from the weight of physicality, and a sudden wonderful feeling of joy and satisfaction. This was the memory of the first time she had detached from her physical body, and been in the Hypnos. She had found herself in a kind of dark limbo – the same kind she now found herself in, at the start of every hypnotherapy session – but it had been enough to know she had achieved it. This first experience in the Hypnos had only lasted a few seconds though. Her sudden excitation and joy had been so strong that she lost focus, and immediately returned to consciousness in her Physical body. Nonetheless, it had been the first step into another world.   Slowly, the environment around her got darker, but among the darkness, Bella could see some bright dots. At the end of a long black tunnel, Bella laid her eyes on a small deep navy disk, with sparkles. She pulled herself back and saw she was now standing on the roof of the Bachelor manor, on a deck where one could come admire the surrounding land and sky, and where Bella had installed a telescope for stargazing, on a little elevated platform. A year had gone by since she had first projected into the Hypnos, and it was now becoming something she was familiar with. It had taken several months of training for her to be able to actually remain in the Hypnos, once she had managed to detach from her body, but she was now slowly increasing the durations of her projections, and she was beginning to get to know this other dimension, by exploring a bit more each night.   Mortimer had begun giving her some lessons at night, in the Hypnos, to familiarize her with this new world, but was also allowing her more independence to discover what she pleased. In her spare time, Bella had developed an interest for astrology, and had been getting to know the different stars, their influences, and what it all meant. This study had lead her to learn about Elemental Theory, a classification system, in which each Alchemist’s Power was assigned to one of the four classical elements – earth, water, air or fire. Elemental theory was used in astrology, though it wasn’t only reserved to that branch. The Elemental classification system was used by all as a way to define groups of Power. Mortimer had helped her understand a large part of Elemental theory, and she had had to study many complicated diagrams and laws concerning this subject.   Attributing an element to an Alchemist’s Power meant defining who that person was. Each Element represented a specific kind of Power and mentality. Alchemists of Earth Power were stable, hard-working, down to earth people. Water Alchemists were seen as intuitive, lucid and passionate. Air was a sign of philosophy, communication and changeability. Finally, the Fire sign was attributed to Alchemists of extroversive, dynamic and impulsive nature. An Alchemist’s element was like a sign of belonging to a certain personality type, and showed which branches of Alchemy he would have more ease with. Bella did not yet know what her own sign was, for the latter was only attributed once she was confirmed as an Alchemist. Indeed, during adolescence, everyone went through changes of personality, and therefore, of Power type.   Only when reaching adulthood would her Power element stabilize for sure. Nonetheless, Mortimer – who was himself of Earth sign – had told her she was most likely of Fire element, which Bella had ever since taken pride in. Her parents and brother were all of Earth sign, and Bella enjoyed her uniqueness in the family. Being a Fire sign meant Bella was more naturally able to succeed in the branches of divination among others. Astrology entered the branch of divination, and Bella enjoyed practicing it, for it was a complex art of predicting the future, based on the different energetic influences of the astral bodies. In hypnotic terms, stars and planets were indeed sources of certain energies, influences on Alchemists’ Power. Some energies were seen as positive, while others were negative, but they all influenced different people in different ways and Bella found it fascinating to figure out what each person’s fate was, through these different influences.   Astrology demanded a precise knowledge of the functioning of Power, and Mortimer was more than happy to provide Bella with help on that matter. Apart from that, Bella had mostly figured out the actual practice of astrology on her own, for Mortimer had never seemed to take much interest in divination. They had planned a lesson for that evening, and as Mortimer walked out on the Bachelor manor roof, Bella was decided on teaching him about Astrology for a change. “Still stargazing, I see.” he said, sounding amused. “Good evening to you too.” Bella said, not looking away from her telescope. “Well, come on then, it’s time for your lesson.” “Why don’t you like Astrology?” she asked. “I’m sorry; did I say I disliked it?” “Not really, but you never taught me about it. I had to learn all about it on my own.”   “What can I say? I never took much interest in it, so I don’t have much to teach you about it.” “So, why don’t you like it?” she repeated. “I guess I think it’s just too volatile and imprecise. I like to work on facts and properly defined things, not dwell on the potential of what may happen, depending on which influences.” “Well, I’m a Fire element, and I like it. And you, as my teacher are supposed to show me a little bit of everything.” Bella teased. “Okay, you’re going to have to stop calling yourself a Fire element.” Mortimer laughed. “It’s just a guess, and anyway it’s just a category – it’s not supposed to be a sign of belonging to anything.” “How about, instead of doing a lesson, I show you what I’ve learned about Astrology so far?” Bella offered, hoping to not have to stop her stargazing. “But you were supposed to study Barghein’s Laws of Co-Domination and Equivalence.” Mortimer said, sounding disappointed. Bella eyed him disbelievingly to which he smiled.   “Fine, I suppose Barghein’s Laws can wait for another night. Show me what you got.” he said, coming up to her, near the telescope. “Okay, I’m going to predict your future, according to your star chart.” Bella beamed. She picked out a blank star chart out of the pile of Astrology books near her. “Right, let’s see – Date of birth?” she asked. “You know my birthday.” Mortimer said with a puzzled look. Bella rolled her eyes and wrote July 6th 1949 in the birthday box, before writing his name down. “Right, now already, using a bit of Numerology, I attribute numbers to the letters or your name, and it can help me define certain aspects of your personality.” Bella took a few minutes to do all the necessary calculations. “Important numbers in your personality are 8 and 9. Eight means you’re prone to success, you’re practical, ambitious, committed, and hard-working. Nine is the number of completion and achievement and makes you a good teacher and scientist – fitting – and strongly determined.”   “Okay, so you picked out a couple of numbers and said some nice stuff about me. How do I know it’s true?” he asked skeptically. “Nine is right – you’re such the scientist.” Bella said in mocking distaste, before continuing, “Since you were born on the 6th of the month, six is the leading number of the whole first part of your life, meaning until you’re 25, so for another couple of years. Six is the number of family, friends and love.” Bella raised an eyebrow at the last word, making Mortimer laugh. “Now, moving on to your star chart, your date of birth tells me you’re a Leo. Now, let me see what I can do…” For several minutes, Bella made adjustments on her telescope, scribbled notes on the star chart, before gazing again, and drawing many arrows and signs on top. In the end the chart was a complicated mess only she could understand, and Mortimer sat back eyeing her, making skeptic comments.   To counter his lack of faith, Bella made faces every now and then, as if to say she had read something peculiarly compromising about him, sometimes looking surprised, or in pity of him. The two of them ended up joking around, and even though Bella was actually making a proper chart for him, she enjoyed entertaining him with all kinds of false predictions first, including many embarrassing and dreadful situations. Mortimer laughed for a good while, but eventually decided to get serious: “Okay, joke time is up, either you show me something real now, or we’re back to Barghein’s Laws.”   “All right, stay on your horse. Let’s see now, this upcoming month, you’ll be receiving some negative influence from Sagittarius, so that’s a sign you may get a bit behind on your work – sorry about that. Jupiter enters the constellation of Leo – that’s yours – bringing new opportunity. But astral body Juno, symbol of family, is hidden by Saturn, so it may be a tough month in your family relations. However, on the plus side, Venus, planet of Love, is exercising good influence on Neptune, planet of the Leo, which may just happen to be that new opportunity we were talking about. So, in short, it may no be a great month for work and family, but a new romantic interest arises. Seeing how far Pluto is from your constellation right now, I’m going to say it’s a deeper kind of love, which you’re not totally admitting to yourself. You and your secrecy…” Mortimer blinked. “So, what does that say? You basically predicted some immeasurable potential of things which may or may not happen.”   “Immeasurable?” Bella repeated, puzzled. “Well I mean, you’re just predicting very general things, which I can’t really deny. Of course my family relations won’t be perfect this month, and I could pick a fight with my mother about something… would that mean you’re right?” “Well, cut me some slack – I did this in like five minutes. If you wanted something more precise, you’d have to allow me more time, to see the minor influences and how they all intercross together to affect you. This was just a quick demonstration.” “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to upset you.” “I wasn’t really offended, but you should know there’s a lot more to it than just checking out where the stars are. This actually is a branch of Alchemy.” “Yes, I know, and I think it’s great you’re able to read all this already, in such a short amount of time.”   “So, tell me about this romantic interest of yours.” Bella demanded joyfully. “What? You’re the one who predicted her; I didn’t say I had one.” “The stars don’t lie, and they tell me you’ve been harboring feeling for her for some time now.” Mortimer scoffed. “I’m sorry, was it for a ‘him’?” Bella asked brightly, making Mortimer laugh. “No, and what do you care, anyway?” Mortimer asked. “Ah-ha! He doesn’t deny it! You do like someone!” “Seriously, what’s it to you?” “Well, you’re my teacher…” Bella said taking a step forward. “Exactly, we should only talk about Alchemy – not girls I like.” Mortimer replied, leaning against the wrought iron “… and we have that Alchemical link; you can share everything with me.” “Well maybe that means you should figure it out on your own.” Mortimer teased. “… But most importantly,” Bella said, stepping just in front of him, so that their faces were inches away. “I’m a Leo too.” “So…?” Mortimer hesitated, raising an eyebrow. “Venus sends her love both our way   The next instant, Bella’s lips were against Mortimer’s. Though she had been the one to get close to him, she wasn’t sure which of the two had really leaned in for the kiss – maybe they both had? But nothing, not the moves, nor the stars, nor Alchemy, nor even their age difference mattered anymore, as Bella gave in to this kiss she had secretly wanted for so long. Mortimer’s arms, which he had first used for support against the gate, to recover from his initial surprise of having Bella against him, were now caressing her back, climbing their way up into her hair. Bella had sent her own behind his neck, so as to reach up towards his face, for he was relatively quite tall. It was neither a first kiss for Bella nor Mortimer, but for both of them, it was the first time it felt so right, for they didn’t have to think about what they were doing and how. They simply matched each other’s desire, in one sensual and perfect kiss, full of the lust they had held for the other for so long.   Bella felt elevated by the kiss, and though the touch of Mortimer’s lips seemed not to fade, everything around her dissolved, and another memory ended. Though it didn’t make much sense, Bella kept on kissing Mortimer, perhaps in a form of a semi-conscious dream, in the inexistent world between two memories. Slowly another memory formed and still she continued to kiss Mortimer. It turned to a stronger more knowing kiss, which seemed to witness of the time which had passed, since the first one. They separated, and Bella opened her eyes to find herself in her old bedroom, still in the Bachelor manor. It was a delicate room, in shades of beige and brown, because of the importance presence of wood, though the sunlight shining through the lightly draped windows seemed to give it a golden glow. They were standing in the center of the room, upon a clear carpet. The walls were aligned with many surfaces – all covered with books, lamps and candles – her bed, and a loveseat.   Bella looked at Mortimer, and she could tell they had ambiguously developed in between friendship, romance, and their student-master relationship. They were young and had never clearly taken the time to define their relationship with proper labels. It had been a year or two – Bella was now nearing adulthood – and though they had reached levels of intimacy worthy of a long lasting romance, they had never really been a couple. They hadn’t cared to tell anyone about this relationship either. Legally, their relationship could have been considered a form of statutory rape, so it was wise not to mention to anyone outside the Alchemical community, and the latter would frown upon a romance going between student and master, thus forcing Mortimer and Bella to keep their relationship secret, until Bella was confirmed an Alchemist. Theirs was a bizarre relationship, unlike any Bella had previously heard of before, but she lived well from it, most the time.   There were moments where she did ask herself questions, the same way anyone in a relationship would have, but she had learned to hush them down. Their relationship just worked, and they didn’t need to speak of it to agree on that. They had come to a silent understanding that this was just fine for now, and that questions would come in a future time. Their lessons had of course changed taking a more pleasurable and romantic form. They had maintained a threshold of seriousness not to cross, in order to guarantee the proper continuation of Bella’s education, but even when there was nothing physical going on, Bella could feel a change of tone in comparison to the time when Mortimer was mostly her teacher. Being together in the Hypnos had been the hardest part. Since emotions were so strong in that dimension, they had had to work hard at keeping their minds away from their feelings for one another, when in presence of other Alchemists, so as to not reveal their relationship.   Bella was now quite advanced in Alchemy, and her confirmation was quickly approaching. Of course, there were still many things she could still learn, but her basic training as a student was nearing completion. In this late lesson of her studies, Mortimer was telling her about advanced forms of Alchemical communication. “Telepathy is a skill which can be useful among Alchemists, when non-Alchemists are also in earshot. It’s basically a connection of the mind of two or more Alchemists, who can then communicate by thought, and therefore, not be heard. Of course there are certain securities to know about. The High Alchemist Council decided special enchantments needed to be placed in certain locations to prevent the skill of Telepathy from being used. So for example, you can’t use Telepathy while you’re inside a school, and this way, Alchemist students don’t have a special advantage over non-Alchemists.”   “These protections are basically to avoid any injustice caused by the use of this skill by Alchemists over non-Alchemists. There’s also a natural protection present on any person’s mind to protect them from unwanted intruders in their own head. You don’t want anybody talking in your mind. When you try to connect to another Alchemist’s mind, you encounter a moment of blockage before the bridge between your minds is open – well that is if they chose to accept your presence in their head. If not, you’ll just receive a continued blockage. If you try to connect to another person’s mind, and they don’t accept you, don’t be upset; it’s not necessarily a form of rejection, but you may have come at a bad time, or they may simply be unconscious. You see, Telepathy is much like the modern day telephone, except Alchemists have been using it for centuries.”   “So what is this connection like? How do you create it?” “Well, it feels like a part of yourself is connected to the other person’s mind. It’s hard to describe, but once you experience it, you quickly understand what it means, and from then on, reproducing it with other people becomes an easy task.” “It sounds like our Alchemical link.” “That’s a good observation, and in fact, our link is like a permanent form of this connection. We just chose when it’s open. This has the advantage that we can constantly communicate with each other through telepathy. With other people, it’s more difficult, because it’s as if you have to search for them mentally in the Hypnos, and sometimes that’s just not possible for multiple reasons. As long as we’re both hypnotically active – and that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re conscious in the Hypnos, but just that we have regular activity there – our link can always be opened and closed.”   “And so how do we open our link?” “It’s a form of acceptance of one another. Our link isn’t just a constant ability of Telepathy, of course, so it’s always partly open, but if you ever want to speak in my mind, all you have to do is think about me for a while, imagining the connection through our minds. You need to use that gut feeling where you know you’re using your Alchemical power. In my mind, I’ll feel your presence and I’ll know you’re trying to contact me, so I’ll accept you into my mind and then the connection will be established and all you have to do is send thoughts my way for me to perceive them.” Bella tried to follow Mortimer’s indications for a few minutes, but was unable to find the proper action, in order to open this connection.   “How about I try it on you and maybe that’ll help you understand?” he offered. He took a deep breath and stared into her eyes. For a moment, nothing happened, but then, a foreign thought appeared in her mind. It was hard to understand it, but all Bella knew was that it felt like Mortimer. By acknowledging this thought, and accepting it to exist in her mind, Bella suddenly felt as though her mind had partly merged to that of Mortimer. She could see him standing in front of her, but the strongest witness she had of his proximity was his presence within her, in her mind. Even though neither of them was saying nor ‘thinking’ anything to one another, she could still feel they were in communication, by some kind of mental touch. And then, Mortimer spoke three words into her mind, without moving his lips a quiver: "I love you." he said.   Bella felt something inside of her explode. Like a volcano of the strongest emotions of joy and exhilaration. She had not only felt Mortimer proclaiming his love for her in her mind, but she had felt this love, like the strongest and most beautiful feeling she had ever experienced. She realized how Telepathy was a form of communication so much deeper than just exchanging words. Her sudden excitation had closed the connection, but quickly, words were flowing out of her “I love you too!” she exclaimed, throwing herself in his arms out of joy. Mortimer may have seemed to say these words out of the blue, but he would later admit to Bella he had been planning on saying them at this moment for a while. They were like the first mark of Mortimer finally admitting this relationship meant something significant to him, like the label Bella now realized she had been waiting for.   The memory ended with another kiss, and Bella felt herself transported away to another part of her memories. She had a brief flash where she saw herself standing in a tall room, before members of the High Alchemist Council – among which she recognized the face of Gunther Goth. It was her confirmation trial, and Bella was showing them what she had learned of Alchemy. Her mind didn’t seem to really settle on the memory itself, and kept on moving forward through time, but Bella remembered this trial had indeed been successful, and that she had thereafter become a full Alchemist. It took only a few weeks after that for Mortimer and Bella to reveal their relationship to the rest of the community, and they were engaged within the year.   Bella had another memory flash, and this time, she could see herself under an arch, covered with white roses, kissing Mortimer once again. It was the memory of their wedding. It had taken place on a warm June evening, in the backyard of the Goth manor. All of the Alchemist society had been there to celebrate their union according to Alchemical ritual. As she briefly glimpsed upon this memory, Bella could remember the wonderful love she had felt for him that night, and how she had been in a state of absolute bliss.   Her mind continued to rapidly pass through different memories, giving Bella an overall vision of this time, in a summarized version. Mortimer and she had moved into their own house after getting married. It was rather small, but it had been their first home together and the starting point of their adult lives. They had gotten pregnant very quickly, making Bella a mother, shortly after her 20th birthday. Cassandra had come very early in their lives, and they decided to just have her as a unique child for now, so as to not be overwhelmed too quickly by too many new presences in their lives. The three of them had lived happily for several years in such fashion.   Mortimer was already in his late twenties, and divided his time in between his home and his work. He had decided to focus his Alchemical studies in the branches of Life and Death – a complicated field, worthy of his thirst for knowledge and discovery. Outside of the Alchemical community, he worked as a scientist in a laboratory, thus giving himself the possibility to continue his Alchemical projects, even while he was at work, without his fellow colleagues realizing it. Because of this interesting combination of his knowledge, Mortimer quickly became recognized as a very talented scientist, within the Pleasantview community. By the time he reached the age of 30, Mortimer had taken the head of his own laboratory, where he mixed his knowledge of the functioning of the Physical world, to that of the Hypnotic world.   In his new Goth Laboratories, Mortimer began working on a most peculiar project. He set out on a quest to create the Life Elixir, a mythical potion among Alchemists, which would rejuvenate Man, and therefore grant him immortality. The creation of the Life Elixir was one of the major dreams of some Alchemists, not necessarily for the vain aspect of cheating death, but mostly for the knowledge it contained in itself: the knowledge of the deepest secrets of the functioning of Life. Mortimer was a very talented Alchemist and scientist, and had therefore taken on this surreal ambition. At first, many Alchemists had scoffed, and Bella herself had doubted the sanity of this goal, but Mortimer had quickly proved them wrong, by creating a first version of this Elixir. It was not exactly a rejuvenating potion, but more one which put a temporary stop to aging. His goal was not yet reached, but this first result was certainly proof of undeniable potential within Mortimer’s science.   Mortimer had completed his first elixir as a project of his work within the lab, and had therefore announced it publicly. He didn’t disclose the fact there was some heavy Alchemical work behind it, and only presented it as a complex chemical substance. The Elixir attracted great attention from the scientific community nationwide, and then around the world. Mortimer retained rights to produce it (for no industry would be capable of reproducing the effects of Alchemy), but he sold his elixir production to a pharmaceutical company, who then turned it into a very expensive beauty product, advertised against aging. From this Elixir, Mortimer struck rapid fortune, and a good amount of interest within the scientific community.   Bella admired her husband’s devotion to his work and the great accomplishment he’s achieved. She had led her Alchemical life in a much more casual way of course, only for her personal use and development. With a young child to take care of, Bella had never gotten a job and decided to stay at home with Cassandra, to take care of her. Mortimer’s work brought in enough money for them to live comfortably of, especially after he sold the Elixir, and so Bella had a lot of free time to devote to her Alchemical craft. She continued to enjoy the arts of Astrology and Numerology, though never turned away from Herbalism either, which, even though it wasn’t a field of predilection for an Alchemist of Fire element, had a significant emotional value for Bella, for it reminded her of her mother.   Bella needed to remind herself of her mother, for her parents had indeed come to pass away in the mid-eighties. Simis and Jocasta had had their children late in life, especially Bella, who had been born in their mid-forties. Bella’s father had died of old age in 1985, one night in his sleep. Jocasta, who had lived side by side with him for a large part of her life, felt lost without his presence and no longer had the will to live. Her health deteriorated until her own death the following year. These two deaths brought Bella a bit closer to her brother, with whom she had always had a distant and difficult relationship, but she probably wouldn’t have pulled through this double loss without the wonderful support from Mortimer, who even stopped working for a while to be with her – a gesture which meant a lot, coming from a man so passionate about his work.   Perhaps the death of their close friends also affected Mortimer’s parents (who were nonetheless relatively young compared to Bella’s), or at least his father, who seemed to close up in the late eighties. Gunther had always been very dedicated to his work, the same way his son would be behind him, but as he got older, he began to lose himself in obsession over his Alchemical studies. Gunther has spent his life studying Alchemical Power, its functioning and mechanisms. In these later years, he had been exploring very deep and obscure parts of this branch of the craft, trying to elevate his own Power, in order to achieve a higher level of strength. Cornelia was worried about her husband, and vocalized her fears that Gunther might be going too far, to Bella and Mortimer. She suspected the death of his friends had brought on a fear of his own death to Gunther, and he was now doing all in his Power to avoid the latter from occurring.   Bella’s mind started to slow down, and it settled on a new memory. She found herself with in the Goth manor foyer, with Mortimer and Cassandra, being greeted by Cornelia. Other than their physical appearances, something in the air had changed from the time they were young. It was as though the death of Bella’s parents had made them all more mature and had brought them into a new age in their lives. It was the early nineties, and Cassandra was now already a teenager. Cornelia’s hair had turned to a silver shade, and her face had aged. She contemplated herself and Mortimer, and found they were less youthful, now entering middle age. Cornelia had invited them over one weekend for a family lunch, in an attempt to lift spirits, and get Gunther out of his study.   “He’s been spending all his time in the attic.” she told them, as she walked them into the living room, in a semi-hushed voice. “He gets all absorbed in his papers, mumbles obscure things, and forbids me from coming up there. He gets all angry whenever I ask him to stop; I don’t know what to do. Your coming over is the only thing which will get him to come down. He doesn’t even come to bed at night, or down to eat; he’s made that attic his permanent living area.” She seemed very trouble, and Bella knew she was suffering from her loneliness. Gunther and she may still have been living under the same roof, but their lives seemed to have split into different directions. Bella remembered that in the past, Gunther and Cornelia had been an almost ideal couple, which she looked up to. Even though Mortimer and she were strongly linked, she couldn’t help but wonder if they weren’t destined to the same future.   They settled in the sitting room, where Cornelia served them with some drinks and appetizers. They engaged in small talk, covering subjects such as Cassandra’s school work, the weather, Mortimer’s job and the new flowers Cornelia had planted in the garden. Yet, time passed, and Gunther didn’t appear. They sometimes heard movement upstairs, but apparently he had decided to keep to his work for now. Eventually, after half an hour of ignoring his absence and Cornelia’s awkward glances towards the ceiling, Mortimer decided to go upstairs to ask Gunther to come down for lunch.   Cornelia went to serve the meal, and Bella and Cassandra instantly got up to help her. By the time Mortimer had convinced Gunther to join the family, the three women were already seated in the dining room, waiting to start eating. Bella and Cassandra greeted Gunther as though he hadn’t done anything rude, though he hardly offered them a grunt in response. He sat down in his chair, and after a few seconds of contemplating the room, he began eating, with no further remark. Bella felt uneasy with the obvious tension in the room – which was almost palpable for Alchemists – so she decided to pick up the previous conversation where it had left off, hoping to lighten the mood.   The family started talking pleasantly again, though with a certain stiffness. To an outsider, the scene would have seemed like a nice family lunch, but to those present, there was still a lingering tension due to the avoided matter of Gunther’s inappropriate behavior. It was as though each silence left between words, each clattering of the silverware on the porcelain plates, each shift in one’s glance echoed the problematic issue. All but Gunther seemed on edge at the possibility of a potential situation arising. For it was true that even though he was physically present, his mind was clearly elsewhere, and he was difficultly hiding his lack of interest in the meal. He didn’t care to join the conversation and only made use of his time by lifting the salad leafs in his mouth, apparently not taking any appreciation their taste, or the effort Cornelia had put into preparing the dish.   Eventually, half way through the main course, Gunther opened his mouth with the intention of speaking, rather than eating. “So tell me how this research for your second elixir is going?” he grumbled to his son. They all froze, cut short in the middle of a conversation developing around redecoration ideas for the living room. Mortimer awkwardly glanced towards his mother, who sadly waved her hand away and sighed; disappointed this was all they’d managed to get out of him. “It’s good.” Mortimer said, not wanting to extend on any Alchemical subject, which would only upset Cornelia further. “I’m currently manipulating Aetheric flows, and I was wondering if you know anything interesting about that in your field. I mean, surely you’ve come across them, and I’m thinking, if we can understand how they work – you know, what defines their polarity, especially – then we can find a way to master them and use them to our advantage.”   “I don’t know, father. How about you come down by the lab this week and we can talk about it?” Mortimer offered, hoping to please all parties. “You know, you should come up to the attic and see my notes.” he said, seeming almost ready to take Mortimer there now. “Gunther…” Cornelia complained softly. “You promised not to do this…” “Cornelia, please, I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to my son in a while. Men need to talk business.” he announced, before turning his attention back to Mortimer, assuming the matter was settled. Sadly for him, Cornelia seemed to have reached her limit. “I just ask one lunch of you. Is one lunch too much to give me? Just a few hours so we can at least claim to be a family again?” she asked, her temper rising. Gunther slowly turned his head back to his wife, as if stunned to see she would actually speak up to him. “If you chose not to understand my work, that’s your limited choice. Mortimer, here, doesn’t need to be of your opinion.” Gunther said coldly.   “And what about me?” she cried, standing up. “Do you care to understand me?” Mortimer seemed on alert, clearly uneasy being in the middle of his parents’ fight, hoping he wouldn’t have to side for one or the other. Bella and Cassandra awkwardly looked from Gunther to Cornelia, not knowing how to deal with the argument breaking out. “I find it hard to understand those who turn away from me; you’ve always contented yourself with your basic knowledge, never trying to go beyond what you were taught.” “Turned away from you?” she shrieked. “What do you think I spend my days doing? What do you think all this is?” she gestured at the meal she had made. “Carelessness? Abandon? I spend my days existing for you, and you’ll have to pardon my limited knowledge, but if I gave up on advanced Alchemy, it was because I lived under your authority, and you refused to see me take too much intellectual independence.”   “Admit it! You take pleasure in seeing me here below you! You love this dance the family has to do around you, just because you’re a man – the patriarch!” Cornelia said the last word as though it laid venom in her mouth. “You enjoy seeing us all here, tiptoeing around your bad manners, your lack of warmth, just because you are supposedly the one in charge! You want me to take interest in the deep and volatile fields of the craft? Seeing what it has turned you into, I feel much better over here with my ‘basic knowledge’!” Cornelia was out of breath, and her face had turned red with rage. It was visible she had just expressed things she had kept down for a long time – possible even a certain frustration accumulated over the years they’d been married.   Gunther slowly placed his napkin down and rose from his seat. “Clearly, I am unwanted here.” he said, accusing them all with his gaze. “I apologize for intruding on your family lunch.” he said bitterly. “Unless anyone else has some remarks to add, I shall be retiring to my study now.” Without waiting to actually see if someone did want to add anything, Gunther pulled his chair, and walked out of the dining room. A silence weighed on the room, as his steps in the stairs echoed through the house. It had been hard to imagine Gunther would be leaving this argument dignified and patronizing, but he had somehow managed it. Cornelia angrily stormed off into the kitchen, and Mortimer followed her, to comfort her. Cassandra seemed to suddenly take much interest in her fork, and Bella just tried to breathe and evacuate the bad tension, which had been left behind.   As she tried to calm herself, the memory ended, and the world around her dissolved. Moments later, she was standing in the kitchen of her old house, the one Mortimer and she used to live in. She instinctively knew not much time had passed since the last memory – less than a year – but there had been remarkable change since. Bella was now pregnant again, and she seemed to be nearing the end of her term. She slowly made her way around the kitchen, to make a refreshing herbal drink. Even though it was already night time, Bella remembered it was the month of June, and even the nightly air retained the summer heat. As she searched through the refrigerator, for possible remaining cooling potions, she heard a knock on the front door. It wasn’t just a rapid knock, announcing the presence of someone behind the door, but it was a persistent, urgent knock, demanding that someone open.   From the living room, Mortimer, who had been reading the paper, announced he was going to get it, both to Bella, and the person knocking. Bella found what she was looking for, and closed the refrigerator, now pouring herself a glass. However, she quickly lost interest in her need for refreshment, as a situation seemed to be arising in the next room. She walked up to the archway door connecting the kitchen to the living room, to see Gunther walking in, carrying a mess of papers and notes in his hands, frantically talking to Mortimer, who was doing his best to control his father. “I don’t understand; these calculations don’t fit! I must be missing something – I need your help Mortimer! You’ll know what I did wrong!” he went on. “Father, get a grip!” Mortimer ordered sternly. “Look at you! You’re delirious! Get some sense – our daughter is sleeping here.” Bella watched them, unsure whether she should help or leave it to her husband.   “I need your help here.” Gunther continued, not taking notice of Mortimer’s words. “Where are you up to on that Elixir? It will solve the equation! Together, you and I can understand the deepest secrets of how all of this works – the base of all Alchemy!” “Listen to yourself!” Mortimer exclaimed. “You need to finish that elixir Mortimer! You’re the only one who can!” Gunther said desperately. It was sad for Bella to watch this total decadence of a man she had once respected and admired. Here he now was, lost of sanity, and just pitiful. “Father!” Mortimer yelled, trying to put some sense back into the man. “The Elixir, Mortimer! I need you to finish it for me! It’s the only way we can be stronger!” Cassandra emerged from the top of the stairs, and descended into the room, troubled by the commotion.   “No, father, I won’t complete the Elixir. This obsession to strengthen your Power must stop! It is, by no means, a way to cheat death!” “Your Elixir will keep us alive! You and I shall be stronger than any Alchemists before us!” Gunther yelled, his eyes alive with the greed of Power. He walked forward into the room, and Bella instinctively pulled Cassandra towards her, to protect her from the old man’s dementia. Mortimer observed his father with disgust. “Reaching immortality was never the goal of the elixir and you know that!” he shouted in anger. “It’s a shame you would even think of using it to defeat nature, instead of understanding its deeper meaning!” Gunther turned back to Mortimer with a dangerous glare. “I thought you understood me!” he said darkly. “Well, I suppose you thought wrong; you and I have been on different paths for a long time.” “I thought you were the only one who understood!” he roared in rage, “But you were just as limited, just as weak as the other ones.”   “Yours is the weakness of seeing Alchemy as a means to superiority! It is a virtue to study it, not in the intention to use it, but just to understand it!” Mortimer yelled back. “DON’T – TALK – TO – ME – ABOUT – VIRTUE!” Gunther exploded, letting the rage entirely consume him. “You know not what is virtuous in this craft! None of you have ever understood the point of it all! Our Power is the key to our triumph over the common!” “Control yourself!” Mortimer raged, pushing his father against the wall. Bella had never felt more scared, but was suddenly shocked to see a bright blast of light. She covered Cassandra in instinct, and closed her eyes quickly. Gunther’s voice emitted a long wordless scream through the light.   When she opened her eyes again, she was stunned to see Gunther had pushed Mortimer off of himself with a spontaneous attack of fire. Mortimer was standing several feet away from his father now, stunned by the violence with which he’d been thrown back. The front of his clothes, as well as those of Gunther had lightly caught on fire, in addition to small parts of the surrounding furniture. Mortimer quickly tried to extinguish the fire feeding of his cloths. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” he screamed to his father in panic. “HAVE YOU NO SENSE LEFT?” But Gunther wasn’t done. The betrayal of his son had been the trigger to blow his last mark of sanity, and now, he was just a body full of rage, with a Power much too strong to stop. He screamed again, and Bella could feel the temperature of room suddenly rise, as the surrounding furniture went into spontaneous combustion.   She and Cassandra screamed, but they were both paralyzed in fear, as they watched their home being set ablaze. Mortimer was quick to react, and summoned all his concentration to cast a defensive spell, so as to protect his family. A kind of semi-transparent blue wall appeared in between Gunther and them, like a bubble entrapping them. “Is this really what it has come to?” Mortimer screamed to his father, over the noise of the burning wood, but Gunther didn’t even seem to hear him, as his rage continued to set the house on fire. “Bella!” Mortimer shouted, to bring her back to her senses. “Go with Cassandra, now! I can hold him off, but I can’t stop him!” he yelled, trying to maintain his protective spell, which already seemed to be weakening.   Bella snapped back to reality, and took all the strength within her to get moving out of this death trap. Though Mortimer had limited the damage, Gunther’s spell was still inflaming the house beyond the protective wall, and Bella turned around to find the rest of her house already burning as well. Cassandra ran off through the blazing construction, as fast as her young legs would take her, to save her life. Bella’s pregnancy made it all the harder to move about, and she quickly lost sight of her daughter, only making her anguish stronger. As she tried to move towards the kitchen backdoor, which was already difficult to make out in the middle of the fire, a part of the ceiling collapsed, sending burning sparks towards Bella. She shielded herself the best way she could from the hot ashes, but opened her eyes again to realize the door was no longer reachable. She was trapped.   She turned her head and saw the kitchen windows – they were her only hope of escape. The counters beneath one window was still relatively unburned, and Bella knew she had to climb on top of it as quickly as possible to make her way out, before it too, was surrounded by the flames. She ran to the window and pulled it open. A rush of fresh air ran into the house, momentarily cooling Bella, before reviving the fire, with a new dose of oxygen. The flames near the window grew stronger and were rapidly burning every bit of the surrounding house. The window opening was too small to climb through, and Bella suddenly wondered if she hadn’t just signed her death contract. The baby within her belly kicked her vividly, no doubt agitated by the fear his mother felt, giving Bella a boost in her survival instinct. She had to get out, somehow, to save the life of her child, if not hers.   Gathering all her energy, she attempted a final escape. She pulled her concentration, preparing to use her Alchemical Power to give her the strength and agility to make it out of there alive. She lifted herself backwards on the kitchen counter, using her velocity to lift her feet up as well, ignoring the intense heat of the flames burning her wrists. From this crouching position, Bella sent herself flying backwards crashing into the burning window. Her heavy weight, added to the already intense heat, broke the window frame clean off the rest of the house, allowing her to escape into the outdoors. As she fell backwards, Bella saw the flames follow her movement out of the house, attracted by the rush of air. She heard the window break behind her, and pieces of glass were sent flying everywhere.   Finally she crashed onto the grass, feeling intense pain in her back, as she landed onto the hard wooden frame, which was still behind her. She also felt small pieces of glass cut her, but with all this pain she couldn’t scream for the fall had cut her wind. But Bella couldn’t wait for her breath to come back. She was lying on a burning wooden frame, and her clothes had caught on fire during the escape; she wasn’t safe yet. Once again summoning her Power, she took all the strength left in her to roll her body away from the burning wood and glass. Pressing her limbs against the ground, she tried to suffocate the fire burning her. Her breath came back, so she gulped for fresh air, and it made her severely cough, for she had inhaled smoke. For a minute she laid in the grass, trying to calm her breath and regain her strength, while being careful not to lay back, so as to not push anymore glass into her back.   Finally she was able to get back up, even though she was heavily wounded and her limbs seemed to only vaguely respond to her commands. “Mortimer?” she called in the darkness, desperately hoping he had somehow made it out on time. “Cassie? MORTI?” she continued to yell, dragging herself through the lawn, which was littered with burning pieces of her house and ashes, like a drunk. The house now formed one gigantic fire ball, blazing the night sky, and Bella desperately looked upon this structure which had been her house just a few minutes ago. But then, something from the inside of the house seemed to explode. There was a loud banging noise, followed by an abundant expulsion of flames and smoke from the structure, towering towards the sky. Bella screamed, and lost balance, causing her to fall down again. She groaned from the pain of this second fall, but this was quickly replaced by an even sharper and more intense pain.   As she lay there kneeling on the ground, Bella felt a terrible sensation from her womb. It was like a contraction, except a million more times intense than when she had given birth to Cassandra. It felt as though her insides were being pulled and compressed, before being ripped away from her completely. The pain was so strong, it filled Bella’s head and she couldn’t think anymore. Her forehead fell forward to meet the ground, and she clutched her great belly, trying to find a way, somehow to stop the pain and just make her baby all right. In the distance she heard screams and sirens, maybe she was even being talked to or touched, but none of it seemed to make sense to Bella, as she slowly faded out of consciousness.   For a moment, Bella couldn’t feel anything anymore. She was once again in a limbo, and reliving the last memory had been so intense and difficult, that Bella couldn’t even regain full consciousness just yet. Her mind just needed to rest after the trauma she had just lived as real as when it had first happen. Slowly she began hearing the calming sound of the waves by the ocean. She let her whole being settle to the peaceful rhythm they imposed, not caring to wonder where this sound was coming from. A clear blue color surrounded her, and the world materialized once again into a memory. The blue was the sky over Pleasantview, and Bella slowly looked around her new environment. She was now standing outside a tall church not far from the sea, off in the distance. She was no longer pregnant and her family was by her side again, along with many other people, all dressed in black.   This was Gunther’s funeral ceremony, Bella realized, for Gunther had, of course, died that night. The fire he had set to the house was so intense that Gunther’s body had been entirely cremated with the structure, so this gathering was merely a memorial, not a burial. The stress of the fire had caused Bella to go into labor, and she, along with Cassandra and Mortimer, had sustained mild injury from the accident, so this memorial had been set several weeks after Gunther’s death, to give them all time to heal properly. The Goths had told the police Gunther had simply lost it and set their house on fire in a moment of anger – which was basically the truth, except they hadn’t mentioned the whole Alchemical part for obvious reasons. It was a known fact in the community that Gunther had been closing up and secluding himself these past years, so this story wasn’t very hard to believe.   Bella could tell Mortimer was very upset, by what had happened for not only had his father, a man who he had idolized throughout his life, died, but a part of him felt guilt for what had happened. “If only I had accepted to complete the Elixir, or if I hadn’t locked him in with that shield spell, maybe he would still be alive.” he had said a few days prior. Bella could now see these feelings resurfacing on her husband’s face as they were ending this memorial ceremony. “Hey,” she said softly, attracting his attention, by holding his arm, “let’s take a walk, clear your mind.” she offered, to which he simply nodded. Bella turned back a moment to ask Cassandra to watch her brother Alexander, who was obliviously sleeping in his stroller. Then, she joined Mortimer and together they walked through the town.   “I know you think his death is your fault,” Bella began, “but you can’t have guilt for what happened. He was already lost before he walked in – he had been lost for many years.” “Well, maybe I started killing him years ago. I should have paid more attention and talked to him while there was still time, and while he could still be saved. I shut him out in a moment where he needed me, and it was all downhill from then on.” “You’re not responsible for what goes on in other people’s heads. We all deal differently with a crisis, and your father just lost himself in fear and obsession. You couldn’t have known what he would become.” “I trapped him. I could have saved him, but instead, I forced him to die.” “By the time you put up that protection, he was unstoppable. His Power had grown too strong for him to handle and even if he had regained his senses, it was too far even for him to do something about it. You protected us with that spell – me, Cassie, and Alexander.”   “I won’t have that moment considered an act of heroism.” Mortimer said sternly. “And why shouldn’t it be? You saved us from a man who was going to kill us…” “And instead I killed him! My own father!” Mortimer gasped, just from the shock of saying the words. “Breathe.” Bella ordered calmly, stopping Mortimer and turning him to face her. She looked directly into his pained eyes. “You didn’t kill anybody! You’re a good man!” Mortimer nodded sadly, and Bella kissed him on the cheek, before they continued walking along the seaside. The sea was so peaceful and blue, as the warm summer air surrounded them, making it such a beautiful day in Pleasantview, unfortunately only so little appreciated because of the general mourning. Together, Bella and Mortimer could still contemplate and admire this moment in tranquility and silence.   “I’ve decided to complete the Elixir.” Mortimer said after a while. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” “Yes, I don’t know how to do it exactly yet, but I’m going to return to this project. I think he was right to some extent: it’s something I can do, if I try hard enough. I’ll just know not to use it.” Bella nodded. “However,” Mortimer continued, on what seemed to be a harsher tone. “I don’t ever want to perform any kind of volatile Alchemy again. I’m willing to dedicate all my knowledge and efforts to working on this Elixir, which retains a strong presence in physical reality, but I cannot allow myself to derive into volatile Alchemy like my father.” Bella was stunned at Mortimer’s words, but didn’t want to react to them. Perhaps Mortimer was just speaking from his grief, but if he did indeed stop performing all forms of Alchemy which weren’t related to the Physical, he would be giving up on the Hypnos, and all which was related to it.”   Somehow, along their way, Bella and Mortimer had found themselves in front of the old Bachelor manor. When Bella’s parents had died, the house had been sold, and it was now occupied by another family. She observed the place which had been her home for the first twenty years of her life, and began to think of the past. “Remember the old days, when we used to come around here, and when everything was fine? We had no problems; we had no concerns; we had no issues. We would just talk about Alchemy, and love, while lying around in the garden or going by the sea.” “Do you miss it?” “I do. I suppose it was another time, when we were more innocent and free. It was like the world was ours, and we were allowed to be careless with everything. How all that has changed now.” “It was another form of happiness,” Mortimer stated, “one which now exists in memories only.”   As they continued to contemplate this house of their past, a certain serenity seemed to fall upon them. It said that everything would be alright and fall into place eventually, and that though it wouldn’t be like before, it would still be a new form of happiness. Bella pulled herself against Mortimer and he embraced her in his arms. The world was still and safe for now, so they would just enjoy each other’s presence, before the road got rocky again, even if it was just for a little while. A certain warmth enveloped Bella and in this moment which was at the same time sad and happy, she felt herself floating away. A bright white light surrounded her, and everything faded, as she was pulled upwards. She was gone.   A hard surface lay behind her head. Bella blinked and saw Mortimer’s face hovering over her. She sat up and realized she was back in the empty Goth manor foyer; she had finished exploring her memories. “How do you feel?” Mortimer asked pleasantly. “I think I pretty much got my memory back, and possibly my Power with it.” she said, feeling much more confident about Alchemy. “But I hardly relived just a few hours of my life there; how can I have remembered my whole past from there?” “Those were key memories, which triggered important centers of your memory, and helped your mind branch out to the rest of your past. All memories are linked together, through emotions, perceptions and feelings. These memories allowed you to remember many more which were linked to them, and therefore recover most of your memory. Over the coming days, you may remember even more things, which are still dormant for now.”   Bella thought about all she had just relived. “You stopped all Hypnotic Alchemy after your father’s death.” she remarked, remembering Mortimer had stayed true to his word. “You only practiced Alchemy related to the Physical – the stable branches.” Mortimer nodded sadly. “You know I couldn’t return to the Hypnos – not after what had happened to my father. He died because he spent his life exploring the volatile fields of Alchemy. I couldn’t follow his path.” “And so that’s why you said you couldn’t help me with any form of Alchemy. You stopped believing in it. You closed our Alchemical link, and it became almost useless.” “It still exists – that’s why I’m able to be here with you, but it’s dormant on my end. In Pleasantview, Mortimer has stopped listening to the Bella inside of him.”   “So this is why you’re all depending on me to get myself home, back in Pleasantview.” she said, recalling his words in the previous Hypnotherapy session. Mortimer nodded. “What am I supposed to do to get out of Strangetown? It’s so complicated and I don’t understand what is really going on.” “Strangetown is not the place you’ve been told to believe it is, and you’ve already started coming to that realization.” Mortimer rose from the floor, where he had been sitting next to Bella, and he helped her up, as well. He walked across the foyer and opened the front door. Where there usually would have been the manor front lawn, and the rest of Pleasantview, Bella found herself looking at Strangetown, instead, which lay out beyond the door. “I suggest you explore the place you’ve been living in this whole time, and try to understand what is really going on.” He took Bella’s hand and pulled her forward, and she walked out to face the reality of the world of Strangetown.   TO BE CONTINUED... Thank you so much for taking the time to read this chapter! It was so long, because I hadn't originally planned on telling the story of Bella's past in great detail. Explaining Alchemy through her memories turned out to be an idea I enjoyed, however, so I ended up doing it this way. The story of her past also adds a level of depth to the story, I find. As many of you know, I have my final exams next week, so I'm not going to be doing anything related to FOA until Sunday 22nd at earliest. I am going to stay in Paris for a month and a half this summer though, so I'm hoping to get more chapters out over these next months, before I start University. As always, I'll keep you updated in my blog. Great thanks to Ricardo and Jüri, for endless support, ever appreciated during these past 6 months, and to anyone who was patient to wait for this chapter, while I dealt with other stuff. Alexis ««« Previous Chapter «««