Spending the evening in the library, drilling down on the complexities of steel alloy production was nice, for a change. Alchemy was the reason I'd come to Ashford, leaving my family behind. It was what allowed me to live through some fairly lonely years, with Joe as my only friend/acquaintance. I'm not good at making friends or creating deep connections. And during all that time, alchemy had been the cure to my solitude, the delight of my soul, and the outlet of my ambitions. Unlike magic, which required complex unscientific skills, alchemy was more logical and could be mastered with effort and brains.
So I copied my classmates' notes (despite not having many friends, quite a few people owed me some favors), delighting in the simplicity and tangible nature of the subject. But, once I sta
