In his dream, he sees potions.


    He''s slowly inspecting them, turning them in his hands and watching the liquid flow inside. The glass bottles in which they are contained glimmer in the light that comes in through the window, and the strange colours sparkle inside. Ripples are sent through them as he shakes them slightly, watching the shape of the liquids change. He''s completely entranced by it, so much so that he doesn''t even hear when someone enters the room he''s in. He continues observing, taking in the strange colours of the-


    "Are you ever gonna stop staring at those damn bottles?", he hears the convincing voice, soon followed by that chilling laugh.


    Or maybe, more of a chuckle. Either way, it is there.


    "...They''re potions.", he responds, turning back.


    His eyes meet with that cold, angry glare. But he''s not afraid. He knows this glare well, and he knows that if the person truly were mad, they''d be having a far different conversation right now.


    "...Born of alchemy... they''re really... magical."


    "It''s just fancy chemistry though, isn''t it?"


    The man steps closer, looking over his shoulder. He, himself, starts watching the glimmering colours.


    "Put things together and you make something cooler. Science is all experimenting and never profiting, if you ask me."


    The man picks up a potion and turns. It''s a green one, swirling with great strain, the stench of rotting corpses surrounding it. For a moment he plays with it, but soon, his companion snatches it out of his hand and carefully places it back on the table. He sets it aside and warns him not to touch it again. The other looks at it with great interest, but stays away in the end.


    "If you ask me..."


    The man carries on, sitting down on the table.


    "You need something bolder than some potions to make real cash. Might if I give you a little pitch, see how you like it?"


    "Do I have a choice in the matter?", he asks with a laugh.


    He knows that he doesn''t, but he doesn''t mind, either. Listening to this man talk, for some reason, is incredibly comforting.


    "Alright... So imagine this."


    He lifts his hand and traces a circle in the air with his finger.


    "...We have a coin, right? And we tell people it''s worth a lot. We sell it all, let''s say... twenty diamo!"


    "No one will buy that...", he mutters as he adds an ingredient to some boiling water, watching the colour of it change at a sluggish pace.


    "Far too expensive for some coin."


    "Ah, you see. That''s where the twist comes in."


    The man lifts his finger.


    "We tell them that the prices of the coin will rise as more people buy them. And then we announce that we will buy them back - For said raised prices."


    "...So people blindly invest in something they don''t know?"


    He plays along, even if the idea sounds ridiculous. Because he knows more than anyone that no matter how ridiculous an idea is, he will go through with it if he even sees a chance at gaining something.


    "People are dumb! You know they''ll follow the crowd! The hard part is forming the crowd!"


    The man leans back.


    "And here''s the big finale - We say the price dropped to ten diamo shillings and leg it with the money!"


    He sighs, pausing his work and looking at the other.


    "...A scam."


    "What?"


    "What you are describing there is a scam. You want to scam people."


    "I mean... if it gets us free diamo... sure!"


    "...You''re gonna make some dangerous enemies one day."


    He looks down, honesty flooding his voice.


    "I''m worried about you."


    "Well, I''ll have you by my side, right?"


    The man jumps down from the table and puts his arm around the shoulders of the other, grinning.


    "Partners in crime, till the end of time! Ain''t that right, my friend?"


    "...Ugh..."


    He rolls his eyes, unable to hide the smile now spreading across his lips.


    "Yeah, I guess so. Partners in crime."


    And for a moment, things are good. Things are calm. But this serenity is cut short as he remembers that this isn''t where he is meant to be-


    -but he was standing in front of his home, Tom and Fonda both looking back at him. They seemed shocked as well as worried, with fear for what could come of whatever was just revealed and concern for how such an idea could be born from this person''s mind. There was no doubt - Will had blacked out again, whether it was because of speaking to Tom or something else, but this time, he spoke while in his trance. And from the way these two looked at him, he could guess it wasn''t anything good. He waited for some time, and to his relief, his son spoke;


    "You want to do... what?", he muttered, unsure if he was hearing correctly.


    "Huh?"


    Tom tilted his head, taken aback by the man''s words.


    Now Will knew - In his trance, he had revealed his plan.


    "Yes... yes... of course.", Will spoke slowly and slurred his words – Tom had no idea what it meant, but Fonda was instantly signalled that his father had just gotten back from another dream.


    He stepped forward, but Will waved him away, reassuring him he was fine.


    "...That''s my plan exactly. Do I have to repeat myself?"


    Tom rolled his eyes.


    "Sorry big man but ''steal their potions'' isn''t exactly the clearest of plans. Would you mind explaining a bit further?"


    Ah – There. He had learned to use these strategies over time. Ask questions that actually meant something else and get answers you actually need, with the person you''re talking to never becoming aware you weren''t even there a minute ago.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "...Dissonance uses potions to protect himself."


    Will may have been away a lot, but he knew this much about this place. Dissonance and his infamous potions – He was never seen without at least one ready to be downed if danger arose.


    "That''s why he''s so powerful. That''s why he''s able to protect the city. He drinks those potions and becomes infallible. But he needs a constant supply of them flowing in to stay that way, he needs to keep getting more, and more, and more."


    Will suddenly stopped, pointing his finger at his son, making him jump.


    "Fonda! Trivia time! Where does Dissonance get most of his potions?"


    "Uh- It''s... Taza! Yeah, he gets the ingredients from that flower field and then sells it to Dissonance. That''s how he pays for... pretty much everything he has."


    Fonda answered, clearly relieved to see his father fully aware once more.


    "Precisely!"


    Will started pacing around the place.


    "And the rest, an emergency supply, gets brewed by Sapana if needed... so if we were to get rid of those two supplies... completely take over potion production... Dissonance would have no choice but to listen to us."


    Will glanced up, grinning.


    "And that''s how we get our justice. Our freedom. And finally, some peace from that tyrant. It''s as simple as that!"


    To this, the two people in front of him were conflicted.


    "...And how do you plan to do that dad?", Fonda instantly asked.


    "It''s not like Taza will just hand over his production. He may be a kid but he''s a smart kid. He won''t just give up everything if we ask him. Not to us, at least. He barely knows us!"


    "No."


    Will turned to the teenager standing with them and smiled.


    "But he knows him."


    Tom jumped, stepping back. He looked around, chuckling nervously, and then finally set his eyes on Will once again. He rubbed the back of his neck.


    "You want me to... convince Taza to give up his potion supply? Just like that?"


    Will thought for a moment, fixing up his glasses and rubbing his chin. After a while, he spoke;


    "No... but... we can surely offer him something better than Dissonance can."


    He put his hands on his hips.


    "If he treats Taza like he treats us, if we offer him an escape from that endless cycle of doing so much work for barely anything he is guaranteed to come along."


    The first to be convinced was definitely Tom – Obviously. He was always looking for trouble, something to do, something to go against. So when Will proposed this idea in the first place, he was already on board before it was even fully explained. He wasn''t sure where he got this thirst for unruliness and rebellion, but somehow, he felt as though it all linked back to that stranger with the crown... Fonda, on the other hand, had a far more difficult time trusting his father''s plan here. He still believed he was a little confused with only recently having had been awoken from his endless trance, unsure if he was really capable of properly handling this sort of operation. But on the other hand, what sort of son would he be if he did not trust his own dad? After a few seconds of hesitation, he sighed and shook his head.


    "...This is a stupid idea.", Fonda stated, brushing a hand through his hair.


    "We''re gonna make some dangerous enemies if we go through with this, you know that, right?"


    Hearing this, Will remembered someone from his dreams – Someone who went through with all of his plans, whether they''d make him enemies, cause him grief, or put him in danger. Because he always had a plan, he always had a goal, and he never, ever gave in. And although Will didn''t remember his name... he remembered his motivation. And that was enough.


    "Well...", Will started, lifting his hand and pointing upwards.


    "...Without risk there''s no profit. We have to make some bold moves if we want even a chance at getting a better life here. And taking full charge of the city''s potion supply is that step we need. A leverage against Dissonance. Take something he can''t have. Hold it above his head and ask for something in return. That''s the only way. And you two can see it too, right?"


    And as much as they did not want to admit it, they did. They knew that if they didn''t take a leap of faith like this there''d be no hope from here on.


    "...I''m with you, Will."


    Tom nodded.


    "It''s not like there''s anything else we can do."


    "Just so you two know, I thought this was a bad idea from the start.", Fonda muttered.


    But things were now set into motion, and there was no way to stop it.


    "Daffodils symbolize rebirth... rebirth equals health... daffodils are needed for healing potions..."


    So why exactly did Taza have such a fascination with flowers? Well, it was a bit more complicated than having lived in a flower field for almost five years now. An average onlooker would see this as unusual – A boy getting his own house at nine, and living completely alone? Living out his life in a little wooden house in the middle of a flower field? Well, you had to look at his background. Then everything became clear.


    "Tulips symbolize love... love is a strong force... tulips are needed for strength potions."


    When almost five years ago a beaten, bruised and near-dead nine year old stumbled into the City of Dissonance and begged for help from Dissonance himself no one knew how vital he would become to the city after just a few hours of being there. Technically, back then the city was more of a town than anything, the locals barely able to get by. But Taza brought what they lacked – Taza brought power. Left alone with a boiling pot of water and a few flowers, the boy managed to heal all of his wounds by putting together a brew like no other. Those who saw it with their own eyes described it as magic – And one of those onlookers was Dissonance.


    "Lavender symbolises purity, grace and peace... its calming aroma makes for a great anaesthetic."


    Dissonance, originally with good intentions, begged for the boy''s help with protecting their town. His potions combined with his combat skill would be all they needed to keep their city strong and ever-growing. So a deal was struck – The boy was given a home, all the brewing tools he''d ever need, and protection from whatever it was he ran from in the first place. And at first it was fine – He didn''t mind it. He stayed by himself, learning about the various uses of the flowers around him and what else he could make with them. Dissonance and his two friends took care of his home and ensured he was always comfortable. They put food on his table, gave him clothes, and helped him gather the materials he needed. It was ideal - But such bliss couldn''t last forever.


    "Poppies... poppies symbolize death... their seeds make for the most severe of poisons."


    Dissonance got more and more greedy as time carried on. It started with asking Taza to keep quiet about his potions. Then it spiralled into him threatening him to be quiet about his research. Eventually, it became rare for Taza to even be allowed to leave his small flower field, where he spent hours upon hours trying to string together a new potion that would make Dissonance happy enough to keep him safe for another night. Because if Taza refused to work, he would be kicked out and doom the whole city. If he used his potions to fight that tyrant he would still leave many without protection. Whatever he did, there was no way out of this cycle. No way to break free from-


    "Gladiolus."


    Taza heard from behind him, instantly jumping away. He turned around, nearly knocking over the small bottles he had been working on until now. The last person he expected to be standing in his doorway was Tom, that blonde he had met just a few hours ago. He wasn''t sure how long he had been standing behind him, listening to him going through the small list in his head. It was hard to keep track of all these properties when Dissonance refused to let him write them down anywhere – So he had to figure out something else that worked. It would seem his friend had picked up on his strategy, continuing to talk;


    "...symbolizes remembrance. So is that for good memory? Makes for memory loss medicine? Something like that?''


    "It''s a little rude to just sneak up behind people, don''t you think?", Taza said as he moved the bottles aside, trying to get them out of sight.


    It was quite difficult, seeing as his whole house consisted mainly of his bed, a box of all the things he had, and almost three tables covered in harvested flowers and bottles filled to the brim with clear water.


    "...I didn''t mean to. It''s just really interesting how the stuff you told me actually has two meanings."


    Tom got closer to the table, picked up a bottle and slightly shook it.


    "...Why didn''t you tell me you make potions? This seems really cool!"


    And while he was quite light-hearted as he spoke, the terror on Taza''s face made him change his tone instantly.


    "I''m not supposed to talk about it to new people."


    Taza sighed.


    "Dissonance thinks it''s better if people don''t know I make all of the potions... because..."


    "Because if people don''t know, he can keep exploiting you?"


    Tom raised an eyebrow and watched as his friend nervously played with the buttons on his shirt.


    "Because then they could easily cut the city''s supply-"


    The boy claimed, grabbing the bottle out of Tom''s hand forcefully.


    "-And that could get us all killed."


    "...You don''t have to keep lying, Taza. Everyone can see it."


    The blonde crossed his arms.


    "...Dissonance is using you because he has leverage over you. But you could help us."


    "Help... you?"


    The boy put down the bottle and slid it aside.


    "...How would I even do that? There''s no way to get away from Dissonance and you probably know that..."


    "Not alone."


    Tom reached out with his hand.


    "But with your potions and us backing you up? We will have Dissonance begging for our help. We''ll give you a place to stay, food, anything at all that you need – As long as you stop providing the potions to Dissonance. Come along with me, and I promise you, me and Will will give you a deal you can''t refuse."


    And it was at this moment that Taza wasn''t really sure why he did what he did – But almost instantly, he seemed to trust the teenager he had only met this morning. He wasn''t sure where this trust came from, but it was something so rare, something so new, and something so unnatural, he just couldn''t help but grab his hand and shake it. With uncertainty in his eyes, he only said one thing;


    "I hope you know what you''re doing, Tom."


    Will was sitting alone inside of the caravan when he heard Taza and Tom approaching – Whatever that kid did, it seemed to have worked enough to convince the potion-maker to come over to talk. He rubbed his eyes and got up, trying to keep his focus on the space around him. Ever since that memory from earlier, he had been finding it hard to focus. No matter where he looked, he would see that stranger, that stranger with the convincing voice, that menacing laugh, and that cold, angry glare. He was always there, always coming up with some sort of scheme, always chuckling under his breath, always making enemies wherever he went. Yet somehow, every memory Will had with this stranger was a fond one. Every time he saw him, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. Every time he saw him, Will just felt like... someone had his back.


    And as someone knocked at his door, he only had time for one more memory;


    "Partners in crime, right Will?''"


    "Till the end of time, like we promised."


    And with a smile he did not quite know the origin of, he opened his door.