He rubs a hand across his eyes. “You didn’t even flinch,” he says to her, hating that his voice comes out shaky.
She shrugs. “I’ve been practicing for a long time.”
“Does it still hurt?” he asks. “Even now?”
She gives him a small smile. “Even now,” she says. “But you’ll get used to it.”
He wonders what she’d gone through years ago, learning how to perform her first transmutation. He wonders how long she’d taken to progress.
“Cheer up,” she says. “Before today, you had only been wading into the shallows of alchemy. This is the first time you’re learning to swim.” She rests her hand on his arm. “Let’s go, Ari.”
Ari winces, afraid to be touched. But she just helps him stand, and this time, there is no pain.
Port City
Dominant Syndicate
Annual Vol. Sand Shipped (lbs)
Londinium
Belle Epoque
2.8 million
