"Yeah, sometimes it really does feel like that," Cohen nodded. "But I've got a feeling this might just be me hitting that 'edgy teenager' phase…"
Honestly, Cohen figured he'd probably still be in his edgy phase right up until he kicked the bucket in his last life. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been doing the Naruto run across the road – though, of course, it was totally the truck driver's fault since Cohen had the green light at the crosswalk.
"'Fourteen sick'?" Nico asked, looking a bit lost. He really hadn't heard that phrase before.
"'Adolescent Delusions'," Cohen clarified, using a different term. "You know, how people in their teens always get super arrogant and think they're the center of the universe? I'm no exception."
"Oh, right," Nico nodded in understanding. "So, what's your take on your current situation, Cohen? I respect your choices, of course – after all, I'm just a memory, a 'tool' to help you. The final decision is yours… Do you think the current situation is nothing to worry about, or would you like me to provide that 'try to hold onto your humanity' plan I mentioned?"
"Let's hear the plan?" Cohen said hesitantly.
"In alchemy, humanity isn't just an abstract moral concept; it's a spiritual substance that can be broken down, transformed, and refined," Nico explained. "It can be separated from the human body."
"So, you're saying we should take out my humanity while I can still make it, and keep it on ice for later?" Cohen asked. "But that doesn't sound like a long-term solution… It's like saving money. If you stop earning at some point, your savings will eventually run out – and I've got a feeling my 'someday' is going to be a bit… drawn out."
"Cohen, do you know the difference between lead and gold?" Nico said. "They're both pure elements, but they have completely different properties. Lead, in alchemy, often represents inferior purity, while gold is the perfected, elevated state. That's why alchemists have been striving for millennia to figure out how to turn base metals into gold."
"We want more than just gold," Nico's voice was as calm as ever. "We want to turn ourselves into 'gold.' There are two objects that can clearly represent 'gold' and 'lead,' which might help you understand all this a bit better."
"Objects?" Cohen thought of the Sorcerer's Stone. "Gold refers to the Sorcerer's Stone, but what does lead refer to?"
"It's not me, is it?" Cohen added uncertainly. "Because that would be a bit harsh."
"Inferior," the Earl smacked his lips, "Feels like that word's even more offensive than 'mudblood.' I'm gonna use that next time I'm cussing someone out – you inferior mudblood."
"You really do have a knack for picking out the worst of everything," Cohen now understood how the Earl had such a colorful vocabulary.
That bird really didn't learn anything good, but picked up the bad stuff like a house-elf eager to please.
"An evil creation," Nico explained to Cohen. "I don't know if you've ever heard of them – Horcruxes."
"Oh yeah—" Of course, Cohen knew about Horcruxes. He'd even snacked on a few.
"The essence of a Horcrux is reverse alchemy. It degrades the soul from a state of 'sublimation towards gold' down to pure 'lead.' It makes people remove the things that make them impure through murder… those emotions that dark wizards deem 'useless'," Nico said. "The final product is just a parasite of the remnants of humanity – but people still try to do it…"
"For immortality," Cohen said dully.
"The purification of the Sorcerer's Stone isn't all that different from it," Nico said. "Purity is always poison to humans. Perenelle and I extended our lives for a very long time thanks to the Stone, but our souls never truly reached that 'gold' stage."
"Eternal things are always pure, and so is the Sorcerer's Stone. The one I created wasn't perfect because I added some impurities," Nico sighed. "I added our 'humanity,' Perenelle's and mine, so that we could live for over six hundred years while still retaining our humanity. During those six centuries, Perenelle and I never got lost in the haze of eternal life because our humanity was still intact."
"No wonder you never let anyone else use the Sorcerer's Stone," Cohen raised an eyebrow.
"Many people have sought it out over the years," Nico said. "For greed, for fame and fortune, for love, for family and friends… There were many heartbreaking and tragic reasons. I would do my best to help those in need, but I couldn't use the Stone to heal the pain of those suffering. That would turn them into gold – the perfection of humanity lies in accepting scars, not in absolute purity."
"So, what about me?" Cohen said. "That Sorcerer's Stone melted into my body… Shouldn't it… turn me into gold too?"
"That part of the impurities was released when you absorbed the Stone," Nico said. "Cohen, you are pure gold, while Perenelle and I are not."
"At that time, Perenelle and I also understood that our journey was coming to an end. Of course, I could create another Sorcerer's Stone, but that Stone would no longer contain impurities because Perenelle and I no longer had a way to produce 'humanity'…"
"Oh… sorry about that…"
Cohen scratched his head.jpg
So, it seemed like even if he had come to Nico earlier asking for a Sorcerer's Stone, it would have been fine – and Nico and Perenelle wouldn't have had to suddenly decide to, well, pop off.
"No need to apologize, it was fate," Nico said nonchalantly. "There wasn't much humanity left in that Sorcerer's Stone anyway. Being able to pass away peacefully while still retaining some humanity is a perfect ending."
"We spent our entire lives trying to turn base metals into gold, but we forgot that the human heart is the most perfect Philosopher's Stone in the universe."
(Philosopher's Stone, also known as the Sorcerer's Stone or the Philosopher's Stone)
"So, if I want to hold onto my humanity for a long time, I can't be so pure, right?" Cohen said. "I need some 'impurities' to, like, slightly regress?"
"I'm worried you might give up because of this," Nico said, his pale face etched with worry.
"Why would I give up? I don't see anything good about being pure and ruthless 'gold'… at least not right now."
"My folks are still alive and waiting for me to come down for lunch – so, how exactly do we do this?"
After a long philosophical discussion with Nicolas Flamel, Nico finally handed over the thing that would help Cohen retain his humanity with a sense of relief.
The "Bottle of Hermes," a palm-sized golden double-necked glass bottle with some white mist drifting inside.
Cohen looked at it and felt a sense of familiarity, which made sense when Nico explained that it was identical to the container used to create Cohen, except for the size…