The Alchemists

0Alaric left Splitz as mysteriously as he came. Even at the last moment, he still did not introduce himself to the board of directors and neither did Pavel. So even though he was already gone, they were still wondering who the mysterious man was.     0

"Is it okay to show clips of your memories to people, just like that?" asked Aleksis, his digital assistant, when Alaric got back into his car and had the vehicle drive him back to his house.     

"So what?" Alaric asked back.     

"You usually love privacy. But today you showed them your memories of Aleksis on the ship. I think that is too personal," commented Aleksis, the digital assistant.     

"Hmm ..." Alaric did not reply. Earlier he could not help testing out the holodeck using his memories with Aleksis because, in the first place, she was one of the reasons why he urged the creation of the holodeck program.     

He was very pleased to see the product working so well. He already had an inkling that next year, the world would change very much. Virconnect and Holodeck would alter the way humans communicate and live their lives.     

"I will order Pavel to erase all the memories extracted earlier," Aleksis said again.     

"Whatever," Alaric replied. "What about dinner? Have all my foster children arrived in London?"     

"Gosh ... wait a minute. I still haven't gotten a confirmation from Rosalien." Aleksis sounded panicky. "I'll contact her now."     

Alaric took a deep breath. He knew it was him who deliberately asked for Aleksis's personality to be designed like this, a careless and unreliable assistant. He did this because he was tired of dealing with Luna who was so efficient and very robotic.     

But sometimes this Digital Aleksis was really making him upset.     

He arrived home and immediately turned Aleksis off. At home, Luna was done preparing all his needs.     

"The food and other things are ready. We are just waiting for the arrival of your guests," Luna reported. She was just as efficient as ever. "You should rest before they come."     

"Hmmm, I still have to read the latest reports ..." Alaric shook his head.     

He sat in his comfortable work chair and turned on his computer. Three-dimensional holograms appeared to bring the various information he needed. Every now and then, Luna would explain a report that sounded so complicated. Alaric listened attentively to it.     

The four guests whom he had been waiting for came an hour later. Mischa and Rosalien arrived together, followed by Takeshi and Kai. For a moment, the four of them stood in front of Alaric, looking at him with mixed expressions on their faces.     

They have all aged by six years and were now in their 30s. Mischa was still as handsome as ever, but now he always wore black and no longer looking flamboyant as before.     

Kai and Takeshi, who were of Asian nationality, still looked the same. However, their movements had become more elegant and dignified. Rosalien appeared colder than ever, but her face immediately showed a smile as soon as her eyes fell on Alaric who was waiting for them in the living room, seated on a sofa.     

"Master, you are well," Rosalien said in a voice that sounded rather strange, a little heavier than usual. Last year she underwent surgery for the umpteenth time to restore the function of her tongue. The goal was so that she could speak as before, but her voice changed and she could no longer make that girly, seductive voice. Instead, every time she opens her mouth, her voice would always sound deeper and cold.     

"I'm alright," Alaric nodded. "From now on, I can return. Thank you for the six years worth of hard work. You have all done well."     

Alaric's four foster children were stunned. They did not expect a person on the brink of death six years ago, who had only less than a 1 % chance of survival,  to recover and seem the same as before.     

His appearance hadn't changed at all, Mischa thought. Alaric still looked young, exactly when they first met 25 years ago. He realized Alaric now seemed to give off a cold and unpredictable aura. Different from before he 'died'.     

He used to look gentle and friendly, so no one would suspect he was a deadly assassin. In the past, Alaric Rhionen was the Demon King donning the face of an angel.     

Now, seeing his cold gaze and seemingly dangerous attitude, it would be easier to connect the title of deadly demon king to the man now called Elios Linden.     

From the absence of a single human in his house, and Alaric's reluctance to come out all this time, it was reaffirmed in their minds that their foster father did not like humans. But apart from, a suffocating feeling was coming to them, a feeling that the current Alaric didn't like them too, his foster children.     

They did not expect his attitude to be this cold. They hadn't seen each other in six years, but he didn't smile or hug them at all like he used to.     

"We can start the dinner," Alaric invited them into the beautiful dining room which was arranged like a royal family dining room, with a very long table and 20 comfortable chairs. None of Alaric's foster children moved.     

He finally smiled when he saw their reluctance.     

"I'm sorry I can't hug you. I don't like being touched now. My skin has become very sensitive. It's not your fault, I'm very glad you came and I really appreciate what you have done so far. You all make me proud." Alaric patted Mischa on the shoulder and gave a signal for them to follow him. "I still need time to adjust to everything."     

After Alaric explained what happened, then Mischa and his siblings nodded and one by one, they followed him to the dining table. When dinner started, then the atmosphere started to become warmer. The siblings usually met twice a year when Alaric was in a coma. They would exchange news, aside from talking about Rhionen Industries.     

This year they only met again after eight months. The warmth immediately surrounded them as they talked about their lives and their past experiences.     

These four people grew up together and their loyalty to Alaric and to each other was unmatched. They were even willing to die for this family. Just as Rosalien chose to bite her tongue off so that she could not betray Alaric and her foster siblings, Mischa, Kai, and Takeshi would not hesitate to do the same.     

"I plan to merge Meier Group and Rhionen Industries. Next month we can announce it. By the end of the year, a new communication technology from Splitz will be launched and I already have several plans for it. We can also present the results of using an integrated digital household system currently being tested in China. In my opinion, within five years, all the systems in human life will change. "     

Alaric discussed some of his goals with the siblings and what they should do with regards to the merge of two large company groups. Mischa, Kai, Takeshi, and Rosalien listened carefully and made plans to make it happen.     

They have long waited for Alaric to return to business and carry out all his ideas. Tonight was the first step to start it all.     

They participated in the talk and the planning until sunset at 10 pm before excusing themselves.     

"Happy birthday, Sir," Mischa said before he got into his car. "It's good to see you healthy and back with us."     

"Thank you, Mischa."     

Alaric never told them about his birthday, but seeing him shutting himself in and lighting a candle every August 1, they managed to guess that he was born on that date.     

But, of course, they never suspected that today he had turned 100 years old.