The Official Alchemist

Waking up in his sterile, white hospital room, Xavier's senses slowly return. The harsh fluorescent lights above emit a bright glow, causing his eyes to open painfully. He notices his surroundings, the familiar beeping and humming of medical equipment, the dull pain in his leg and nose. Memories of the shocking attack come back and make him flinch with pain. Suddenly his father appears beside him, his usual calm face etched with deep concern. His gaze falls on Xavier's hands, still engraved with two different alchemical symbols. As he processes this new information, a mixture of confusion and concern appears on his father's features. Beyond the walls of the hospital room, several police officers stand guard, their duty to protect an injured victim now intertwined with a potential criminal investigation. Inside, a tense dialog takes place between Xavier and his father, both trying to make sense of the events leading up to this moment. In short, Xavier reveals the terrible truth - he took a life in self-defense during the attack. His father's demeanor shifts from concern to shock, and he puts on an emotionless mask as he finally puts the pieces of what happened together. It turns out that Xavier's attacker was not just a random assailant, but a member of a terrorist organization with a vendetta against alchemists. Xavier's father sighed deeply, his eyes reflecting the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

Xavier, my son," he began, his voice filled with a mixture of worry and fatigue, "the world we live in is not what it seems. There are forces hidden in the shadows that seek to destroy alchemy and all who possess its power."

Xavier grimaced as he shifted uncomfortably in his hospital bed, trying to make himself look better despite the pain coursing through his body.

"But why? What did we do to deserve such hatred?" he asked, his voice filled with frustration.

His father's gaze was far away, lost in a series of memories.

"Alchemy has always been a double-edged sword, my son," he replied, his voice somber. "For centuries alchemists have tapped into the mysteries of existence, harnessing the limitless power to create and transform. But such abilities do not go unnoticed by others. Those who want to control and manipulate the world. They fear our power and will stop at nothing to see it erased from existence."

Xavier's mind was reeling with this new information. He had always known that being an alchemist had its dangers, but he had never imagined that there was a larger conspiracy at work.

"So what do we do?" he asked with determination in his eyes. H

is father gave him a sad smile. "

We must continue to live our lives," he said, "but we must always be alert to those who might try to harm us."

"And when the time comes, we must be ready to defend ourselves and each other."

Xavier's father suggests that he should work with the government to help cover up the murder. When Xavier hesitates, his father becomes violent with a fist and asks him, "What are you going to do?" Despite his reluctance, Xavier is forced to become an Alch-level State Alchemist and fulfill his duty, whether he wants to or not.

One day, Xavier was trying to multitask by drawing elaborate designs on baseballs while talking to the school principal on a landline phone. The stern voice of the principal demanding an answer echoed through his small office: "Why did you drop out of school, Xavier?" In response, Xavier was silent for a moment, during which time he looked down at his hands.

"I started working," he murmured. Xavier seemed disinterested.

The principal sounded surprised and asked, "Is it for lack of funds?"

Xavier dismissed this with a small "No".

But instead of explaining further, he remained silent. The tension between them intensified as the principal's ears pricked up, waiting for Xavier's words and a suitable explanation. Just when the silence became uncomfortable, the Director broke it and pressed Xavier further. Xavier responded by abruptly hanging up the phone. He puts the balls in his bag and has to leave for another city for his first mission. Xavier boarded a train put on his headphones and looked out the window. It was a long journey and he felt very tired. He tried to take a nap for a while, but the strange noise of the train kept interrupting his sleep. He was also thinking about the upcoming mission and how he would cope with it. He knew it would be dangerous and he wasn't sure if he was ready for it. With the noise of the train and the thoughts running through his mind, he was not successful and he got up and went to the bathroom to sober up. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw a tired and frightened young man. He sighed, closed his eyes slowly, and stayed still for a while, trying to get rid of the negative thoughts. He knew he had to focus on the mission and not let his fear control him. After a moment of internal conflict, he returned to his original position, sat back on the couch, and put on his headphones. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. The train finally pulled into the station at night and he got off. He took a deep breath and stepped into the city. It was a city of tall skyscrapers, with people running everywhere, and neon lights decorating the busy streets. The skyscrapers were decorated with digital billboards advertising the latest innovations in technology and entertainment. The streets were lined with art galleries, classic and modern cafes and bars. It was a full, expansive city, a city of many things. Xavier felt overwhelmed for a moment, but he had to endure to fulfill his mission. He had to find the target and eliminate him. He pulled out his phone and locked his eyes on the target's picture. He studied the picture carefully, it was a young woman. She looked harmless but he knew appearances could be deceiving. His mission was to neutralize this terrorist. But Xavier didn't know where to start. He had also traveled from street to street looking for a place to stay, and just when he had given up hope, he found an empty hotel and checked in. Without taking off his clothes, Xavier moved straight to the bed and threw himself on his back. He felt a little happy that he finally had an opportunity to relieve his fatigue, but he was confused about how he was going to accomplish the mission, so he was deprived of sleep again for a while. At first, he had a few thoughts about the mission, but he couldn't keep them up and his thoughts drifted elsewhere. Xavier stared at the ceiling with glazed eyes, it was hard to be in a life he didn't want. Xavier was thinking, questioning. He was complaining about why he was doing this, why he had to do this, why he found himself in this situation. This lamentation was interrupted by Xavier remembering his mission again, he slowly straightened up and sat down in the center of the bed. He was hunched over, his head tilted down. He brought his hands together in the center, side by side, and with his eyes he examined his gloved hands as an idea of what to do came to him. If the Order of the Sun was killing Alchemists, he would surely attract attention if he announced that he was an Alchemist. Xavier barely fell asleep that night with his thoughts and barely got out of bed in the morning. 

Xavier had gone to the square at noon and performed various demonstrations throughout the day using Fire Alchemy. Naturally, there was a lot of interest in Alchemy, so he made no effort other than using Alchemy to draw attention to himself. Of course, he managed to attract the attention not only of normal people but also of those who had departed from normality. In response to this spectacle, people threw coins into the box in front of Xavier and applauded wildly after every move he made. After keeping the square busy and entertaining people all day long, Xavier left with the coins he had won. In the evening, prepared for the threat that awaited him, he went to a hangar, away from people, and after taking a few steps inside the hangar, he heard the door close behind him. Xavier stopped in his tracks and immediately turned his body towards the source of the sound. The interior of the hangar was dimly lit, so of course his vision would be slightly affected. He would see a woman wearing a biker helmet with the symbol of the Order of the Sun on the helmet. The woman did not say anything, she just took out her katana with her right hand from the scabbard hanging on the left side of her waist and gripped it tightly by the hilt. Her posture was simple, the tip of the katana tilted towards the ground. There were several symbols on the katana, and Xavier's reaction upon noticing them was "I see you came prepared", his body sweating and his face smiling. The woman said nothing and ran straight towards Xavier. Xavier's position was simple, just waiting with his upper body erect. When there was enough distance between the woman and Xavier, the woman placed her other hand on the hilt, threw her upper body forward, put her right foot further forward than the left, and with her katana upright, she launched an attack toward the center of Xavier's chest. Xavier, on the other hand, had thrown himself back two steps thanks to the jump and had aimed his right hand at her with his right arm at chest level. His fingers were straight, and with the talisman in his hand, he attacked by sending fire towards her upper body. The woman threw herself at Xavier without hesitation, ducked out of the fire, and then swung her sword diagonally from her right side, severing Xavier's pinky and ring finger, the symbols on the Katana triggered and the places she had cut began to burn. Xavier's right hand was damaged, as well as his symbol and he was unable to use Fire Alchemy. Xavier's eyes widened and he let out an agonized scream and moved backward, while the Woman continued to advance on Xavier relentlessly. But this advance was slower than the previous ones. Xavier took advantage of this and unzipped the bag on his right shoulder and threw it at her with his left hand, and the baseballs inside began to rain down on her. The woman, on the other hand, had underestimated this attack and did not care about the balls. Xavier, sweating blood, clenching his teeth together, his right eye closed, snapped the index and thumb of his left hand together. The symbols she had previously drawn on the baseballs were triggered, the woman collapsed and lost consciousness due to the high voltage as electrical bonds formed between the baseballs. Xavier, on the other hand, fell on his buttocks and began to breathe rapidly. Xavier's face broke into a wide smile as the pain subsided, the stress and anxiety disappeared and a sense of triumph appeared.

Xavier's phone rang that evening in the hospital. He calmly picked it up and put it to his ear, accepting the call. 

"Hello. Who is this?" he asked in a dull voice.

Xavier listened attentively without saying a word. His eyes widened, the words caught in his throat, he felt hot, his breathing became labored, and most importantly, tears welled up in his eyes. His right hand, covered in bandages, went to his heart, which felt like it was going to burst. When the person on the phone finished, only one sentence came out of his mouth.

"Is my father... dead?"