So, I've given this lots of thought, and I put just as much into it. It's a concept I've been playing around for with Eve for quite some time now, and I do hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing this~ <3

It is said that the boundaries of science are limitless. Although, the limits of the individual are what normally keep the subject tame, thus not allowing it to progress unhindered. Alchemy in particular may be considered one of the more primitive forms of science, but has made its own advances nonetheless, primarily through inspiration. One of the key defining traits of this legendary craft would be the fool-hearted search of the fabled philosopher’s stone. Legend holds that it contains the ability to turn base metals such as lead into the rarest of its kind, such as gold or silver. Though, another use was intended to be an elixir of life, which could grant, by some fantastical means, the key to immortality. If this once great craft truly did have the capability of sustaining life indefinitely, then that begs the question, could it have created life as well?

Deep within the reaches and recesses of an area blanketed in forest where greenery of all shapes, sizes, and colors, fertile land had run amok, and allowed the spawning of an assortment of flora the diversity of which had been so large and so densely packed in such a minor by comparison area, it had been dubbed, “The Forest Of Life”. Many frequented it to watch what would normally be exotic plants grow and develop and carry out their natural and fantastic life. Others would collect samples for further study and with that, branched a world of possibilities alone. Cures to disease, discovery of new cross breeds, and a plethora of other possibilities remained in this forest. One particular individual, whose interest in the forest and their own craft had been so great, they had decided to spend their years within it. Many know well the tale of this individual, but regard them to be a hoax, and even a local tale twisted in some manner to incite fear in the hearts of those who frequented it. No one truly knows if this individual had ever existed. However, what is certain about this forest though, is that it holds many secrets.

One particular secret happens to be in the form of several interconnected rooms fashioned from the sturdiest stone, and the passage that leads to this long existing lair just so happens to be hidden within the forest itself, taking camouflage among the flora scenery mother nature had so graciously provided. This may have been work of the individual, but the undoubtable truth maintains that this place exists. Whoever constructed this lair though had obviously come and gone, leaving not even so much as acknowledgement of this place’s existence.

In its prime, there were four rooms. Most had been more or less the same setup, but their creator certainly wasted no time filling each one to the very brim with knowledge and examples of the craft of alchemy. The walls of all were lined with tome after tome containing only the most detailed readings in regards to a wide variety of subjects, many of which had been personalized to an extent that would detail insight without imposing bias. As would be expected the subject of alchemy would be at least mentioned to a significant extent in each one, but apart from that, there were detailed observations, both philosophical and scientific in regards to the existence of life on earth, its complicated development and diversity, and so on and so forth. In many cases, certain subjects would narrow down to instructions on how to create various medicines and salves with as little ingredients as possible, or perhaps how to extract these ingredients from flora and fauna alike. In addition, there were tables and glasses of all sorts used to carry out whatever chemically based experiments any could possibly have on their mind. Beakers, bottles, and test tubes adorned each table, prepared for use in one experiment or another. One room in particular however, housed a masterfully build bed, made entirely out of the wood akin to the trees aboveground. The actual sheets must have been something its creator had brought in from the outside, as they too were quite well made, providing it with a comfort that could sate even the most restless of bodies.

Of course, all of this pales in comparison to the true spectacle that could easily be considered the pride and joy of whomever had built this well done underground structure. The center room, where the other three had connected to, and the very first one would see should they happen upon the fabled hidden forest entrance would be treated to the sight of a pit of sorts carved into the ground. Even the method by which the room was set up seemed to worship this mysterious stone pit, as the shelves, tables, and equipment stood a fair distance away from it. What happened in this workshop of alchemic utopia may never be known, but truly, it was work that would see itself manifest in ways none would ever even dare to dream of. This particular pit was no mere empty hole in the ground, but instead, it was filled with a strange, bubbling liquid that shifted colors quite frequently and glowed an intensely bright, yet eerie glow. Already, one could ascertain that this liquid had special properties, the likes of which could only be left to speculation, but what proof did occur of its ability would be impressive to say the least.

Years after its creator had abandoned it, the collection of rooms stood silent, as it has for what may have been an endless expanse of time. The tomes were dusty and the bed was perfect, just as it has always been. Though, things were not as quiet in the center room, where the menacing pit lay. Its normal bubbling had been interrupted by a dark silence. It was the kind of silence that befell the cocoon of a being that was about to make its final transformation. As opposed to bubbling, the liquid began to ripple, growing ever more violent in a matter of mere moments. In an explosive climax, the water seemed to burst, staining the old stone floors with drops of still color shifting liquid. In the wake of the eruption, an arm clung for dear life onto the surface out from the pit. The arm alone looked odd to say the least. Covered in black fur, with dull claws accenting the tip of each finger, covered in what looked to be an aqua color. The defining detail was the marking on this arm, which seemed to be a corkscrew-like pattern of the same cyan color as the claws that made the length of the arm, extending from the wrist to the rest of whatever was emerging. Slowly, the rest of the being emerged; a second arm of the same description launched from the life-giving pit and the two worked in tandem to pull their owner out.

The figure that arose was distinctly feminine, and primarily canine in terms of physical appearance. However, what immediately threw that entire observation off had been the massive, folded wings that slowly began to spread as its torso lifted from the pit. The avian extensions were heavy with liquid they had soaked up, and thus, unable to support themselves for long in an outstretched state. Slowly though, they began to stretch, only to fold back again as if testing a reflex. Each wing took on an odd and bright coloration, one taking on a heavy purple whilst the other assumed the same aqua color that had been seen on the claws and arms. Drenched purple hair of the same color as the wing draped over the predominately canine face, with the strange exception of a streak of scarlet in the midst of that shoulder length, silken hair. As her form continued its pilgrimage from the pit, the rest of that curvaceous body kept the theme of black fur, or at least a majority of it did, with the exception of a large hourglass-like pattern on the feminine creature’s belly with a now familiar purple coloration. What detail may have drawn more attention than others would most certainly have to be the heavyset chest the wolf-like being sported, the likes of which hit the smooth stone floors with a wet plopping noise as her chest made contact. Practically clawing herself out from the pit, she finally surfaced in her entirety and released several gasping breaths, each one introducing more air to her lungs than the last. As she turned over and laid on her back, still soaked with liquid that seemed now more like water, than anything else, another distracting detail was revealed, in the form of male genitalia, the likes of which had consisted of a thick, black furred sheathe, with the tapered cyan head of a canine breeding tool peeking out, and just below, an immensely massive set of globes, which looked less like testicles and more like miniature sperm factories, with as following the trend, purple fur. Additionally, her legs seemed to be patterned in the same fashion her arms were, with the very same cyan corkscrew that began at the thighs and ended at the canine feet, the pads and nails of which were also the same aqua color.

Turning over once more, the now conscious being lifted onto her knees, and slowly, yet weakly, stood herself up. Her head thumped with a headache that may as well have split her skull right then and there. Staggering towards one of the doors, she thumped and hit several shelves and tables along the way, knocking over the occasional empty glass in the process, each landing with a resounding shatter that startled her each time. Stumbling into the old, yet still sturdy wooden door, time had frozen it into a rigid state that took several sluggish shoulder checks to burst open. Upon doing so, however, the drenched, winged creature stumbled into the room with the bed, and made the immediate discovery of one particularly out of place tome left conveniently on the bed. In her current state of mind, the she-creature could not tell dream from reality, as spasms of numbness occasionally coursed throughout the entirety of her form. She clutched her head and dug her claws into her temples as she staggered toward the bed, as if guided by an unyielding desire for some significant piece of truth that seemed only such a short distance away.

Collapsing forward, her torso landed in a less than graceful fashion on the bed, arms weakly supporting her frame as she stared down at the leathery text, which, as far as she was concerned, had held all the answers. Still breathing heavily, her heart raced as she lifted the thick cover, subsequently airing outermost layer of dust atop it as well. The very first page beyond the cover came as a certain shock. A reflective material lined along the very first page, and showed the being a first-hand glimpse of just what she was. Her left eye had shown to be the very same shade of purple that made up her hair and parts of her fur, whilst the right took on a shade of aqua akin to that in similar areas of her body, and both emitted a bright glow, the likes of which illuminated the area in front of her; it certainly explains why she was able to see so well in what was otherwise total darkness. She didn’t know what to think at this point, save for the fact that a new feeling arose within her. Curiosity is what she’d eventually come to call it. For now though, she slowly gained composure and straightened her arms, innately following her senses and flipping the page. What she’d find next would be several pages worth of odd looking symbols, the likes of which seemed completely alien to her. Next to each symbol had been more of the same in which she could not interpret, despite the fact that it looked far more uniform than the single, complicated looking symbols next to each collection of scribble ink. It was only after moments of studying the strange looking scrawls did a sudden pang pierce her mind. A splitting headache brought her to her knees before she’d lift herself up once more, only to discover that these scrawling had suddenly meant something. They were words and words with meanings no less. Each collection of text was a description of the adjacent symbol. These pages were a glossary!

Astounded by the wealth of information that had been granted to her in seemingly a moment’s time, she continued on, eventually going beyond the definitions, which in themselves held meaning the information of which had not been totally in her grasp. Now, the symbols were arranged in varying methods, as if they were trying to form legible words of their own. After referring to the glossary of symbols, it didn’t take long to realize that they were not just haphazardly arranged in random orders, but in specific ones to create new theories and formulas. She would find herself resting cozily on the silken sheets hours later, not having made any considerable progress in the tome itself, but instead, the time was dedicated to memorizing and truly understanding these definitions and formulas. They had been complex theories on the basis of alchemy, each having its own in depth applications that had now been so easy to understand. Finally continuing her progress in the tome, she had immediately discovered that the text appeared different. Heavy ink stains implied it had been written in as opposed to printed on, and the far more personalized text all but confirmed another had used this wealth of information for whatever purpose.

“To whomever it may concern, what lies within the pages of this tome, as well as the rest of this laboratory of mine encompasses the entirety of my life’s work. All my knowledge, experiments, findings, and so on is located within the pages of the texts scattered about all the rooms. My only regret is that no one else may know of my life’s work, due to my habitual secrecy, hence why this place is so secluded from the world. Regardless, should it once again be brought to the light of history, I implore that whoever does discover this lab use my knowledge to aid future advances, and never to hinder, nor corrupt its purpose in this world.”

The haunting text sent chills up the canine being’ spine, and for a brief moment, she was legitimately fearful of continuing on, unsure if she would ever be able to properly apply this mysterious alchemist’s wishes. Once again, curiosity overtook her, and against her better judgment, the next old page was turned. What consumed her for another hour or so had been a detailed series of thoroughly conducted experiments performed by the author, complete with detailed findings and observations, the likes of which led into further investigations that spanned several experiments, just on one subject. In one study, a single species of flora had been found throughout the experiments that its properties encompass that of the capability of a medicinal salve, an ingredient in a makeshift explosive, and a food preservative! Recipes for an agent that can make even the deadest soil fertile enough to breed an entire field’s worth of vegetation! The possibilities seemed endless, and the enlightenment was an experience bordering on the euphoric. It was no wonder why the heavy tome began to weigh down her lap as it numbed from having been seated in the same spot for so long. Even still, her now seemingly insatiable desire to learn of the discoveries would eventually lead her toward the end of the tome, some dozens of dozens of experiments and hundreds of pages later. She had taken a short glimpse at the small amount of pages left over and chuckled to herself.

“I suppose this is my calling…” The canine-esque being finally spoke, seemingly surprised by how gentle her own voice was. She chuckled and ran a couple of digits along her throat, seemingly a step closer to true self-discovery as she did. Flipping the page once more, her entire form lit up with shock in response to the sketches and diagrams of what looked to be a pit of sorts. Along the top of the page and just under it, where the initial sketches lay, a new experiment title had been in its place. As opposed to the formally numbered and titled experiments which she had been accustomed to, there only stood a single word in that normally filled space.

“Rebirth”

The word alone had been enough to spark interest and intrigue, at the same time, a lingering sense of dread. Some small part of her felt as if she would discover exactly why this had been this alchemist’s last entry, considering the small number of pages left over. The canine-esque being found herself hesitant, but once again, the desire for answers seemed to overcome her and all reason; and so, she read on.

This experiment was to be the alchemist’s crowning achievement; a proverbial and possibly literal incarnation of a philosopher’s stone, which had been referenced earlier on in the tome, and briefly touched on throughout. The preliminary notes went into further depth than any of the previous experiments, stating not only predictions based on factual or at least seemingly factual observations in regards to a complicated series of chemical reactions that required being set off with the correct materials in quantities and specifications so precise, it seemed nigh impossible for it to be done. Although, as she read on, the process was spoken of so trivially, and for once in the entire tome, the alchemist spoke with what appeared to be a tone of eager anticipation, opposed to the mechanical manner in which all other notes and observations were spoken of throughout the text. Evidently, this miracle fluid had the capability of restoring damaged organic material, or so it was hypothesized in the overeager notes. Evidently, the premise of what seemed like such an impossible feat had been calculated meticulously in the final pages of the tome, and as she read on, with the way the properties of each ingredient had been so precisely factored into what would eventually be one long running chemical reaction written out so clearly. It was baffling to say the least. It was then that she lifted her head from the tome after what seemed like and actually was, hours, only to stare at the ominous looking pit, whose fluid still managed to shift colors and produce that eerie glow. Delving back into the text, she read on, past the now not-so-impossible equation only to find a message on the following page.

As her eyes brushed upon the next page which consisted of only a message, her eyes widened and her maw gaped. A shudder shot through her spine as if she had seen a specter from time long past. Her wings found themselves folding and unfolding slightly, which warranted an extended glance at the pair of oddly colored avian accessories. She released a sigh and promptly closed the tome, knowing full well that it would not continue further. She shifted towards the edge of the bed, allowing the feeling to return to her spiral-marked legs after hours with a tome on her lap. She had taken the time to reflect on what she had read, and as she stood, tome in arms a small tear had formed in the corner of eye, only to trickle down and soak her fur somewhat, just as she fit the experiment log in an inviting empty space between two other books on the nearest shelf. “Thank you. You can rest, and I shall continue for you.” She softly spoke, wearing a thankful smile as she set off to make the once lost lab her new home.

“As high as my hopes were for this project, I’m afraid that thus far, my time has been wasted. As ashamed as I am to admit it, this was truly my last hope in persisting for a while longer before my body gives out on me. I attempted to perform preliminary experiments, but any organic matter that I gave to the fluid was simply dissolved. According to my calculations, any organic matter that is exposed to this fluid would be broken down at the microscopic level, only to be reconstructed in a randomized, yet still inherently similar form. My body is old and simply constructing this thing has sapped me of whatever years I may have had remaining. It is with great sadness and displeasure that this will be my final entry. However, as one more experiment, I hypothesize that there wasn’t enough matter to reconstruct a proper living organism. I’m unaware if the material I had tested with still lingers in the pit, but that seems the least of my worries at the moment. Since this old body of mine can’t do much, the very least it can do is make one last contribution to this great craft. To whomever it may concern, I’ve given my life to this craft, and all I wish is for it to advance. May the future of alchemy shine bright upon troubled times. Yours truly; Evelia Zara.”