Verse 9: "Etymology & Alchemy"

Niels was a challenging opponent.
          He reminded me a lot of my eleventh-grade social studies teacher, Mrs. Gonzalez; not because the information he was giving me was exceptionally hard to understand, but because every time I wrote something down that I thought was self-contained, he would bring it up later in his speech and reveal that it was connected to twelve other historically relevant events.
          Adding onto that was the fact that he spoke very quickly.
          I never misunderstood him; he had very good enunciation, but he almost spoke faster than I could listen. It was like a race, where he was in the lead and I was hot on his heels.
          Thankfully, I had one advantage over him; he wasn’t the one who got to have a drink every so often. I watched as his fair skin slowly became tinged with red the longer the lesson went on. His tied-up hair began to come down out of its restraints as he kept reading from his notes. 
          Initially I thought that having to order a drink of water every so often was putting me at a disadvantage, since he didn’t stop even while I was drinking, but I soon realized that I didn’t drink using my ears. I could keep listening to his lesson even while I drank water. 
          The advantage it provided of keeping me hydrated proved to be invaluable, as, while the lack of air conditioning was still making me sweat uncomfortably, I was more able to regulate my temperature thanks to the water. Meanwhile, Niels was only sweating, without getting the chance to replenish his reserves. He may not have wanted to admit it, but this mental race was practically over.
          “After the third civil war overtook Fizzl, the country fell into ruin and disarray, allowing the newly christened kingdom of Mandl to invade and claim most of the land as its own. This sudden acquisition of land made it so that Ellcoast could no longer challenge Mandl with threats of invasion through Fizzl’s mountains, since the mountains were now patrolled by and in the territory of Mandl. Furthermore–”
          If the analogy I used was racing, then I had just slammed into a brick wall at full force.
          Niels didn’t slow down, and I wasn't going to be able to focus without getting answers immediately. Despite how much it would cost me, I raised my hand.
          “W-wait, Niels, I have a question.” I said, utterly defeated.
          Niels smiled triumphantly.
          “Oh, am I going too fast for you? Need me to slow down, make things a little easier for your poor, uneducated wizarding mind?” He wiped away some sweat that had accumulated on his forehead and swiftly got himself a glass of water.
          The drunk woman called for another drink, but this time she was out of money, so Niels took a few moments to escort her out of the building. When he returned, he was still smiling.
          “Listen, I–” I was about to argue that I could’ve definitely kept up with him for as long as he could go, but I opted not to go down that rabbit hole. I hung my head sadly. “Look, I’ll beat you next time, I swear.”
          “Sure you will.” He said with a confident grin. “So! What do you need clarified, little man?” 
          I cringed when he called me that. Unfortunately, I had made the mistake of thinking that, in a world of magic, I could escape the truth: I was not very tall.
          “Please, don’t call me that.”
          “What? Little man?” He said playfully. “It’s true though.”
          “Look, that’s not what my question is about!” I waved my hand dismissively. “What I need to know is why you used the word ‘christened.’” 
          “Because it’s the right word for the situation? Why else would I use it?”
          “N-no, it’s not that!” I shook my head. “I just… I want to know where that word comes from. What is the history of the word christened?”
          “Oh. That’s easy.” He shook his head and raised his hands as if he were shrugging. “But I can understand why you wouldn’t know the word. It was from a time when the church was still a major player in history.”
          My stomach tightened.
          “All it means is that someone joined the church. They named the process after the most important figure in their religion.” He said matter-of-factly. 
          When he said the name of the important figure, my face went pale. He watched my reaction and laughed.
          “Wow! What, are you scared of the man or something? It’s not like he can hurt you. He’s been dead for some thousand years or so.” Niels retrieved my glass and took it to a washbasin near the back of the bar. He spoke up while he rinsed it clean in the water. “Besides, if I remember their doctrine correctly, he wasn’t even in this world. He was supposedly from some other realm.”
          I was reeling from the blow he'd dealt me. How could what he was saying have been true? This was a different world, with its own history and its own important historical figures! But as I thought about it, it sort of made sense with what John had told me about his beliefs. There was only one man who died for everyone, so in a different world, having another man do the same thing would be a kind of contradiction. My head throbbed with the weight of the information.
          “Niels, can I have one more drink please?” 
          “Are you going to be… Ah, you know what, since you were such a good student until that sudden roadblock, I’ll give you something on the house.” He smiled. “It’s been too long since I last had someone actually give me a run for my money with my lessons.”
          As he said that, he spared a glance at Vivian and sighed.
          “I’ll take something moderately strong, please.” I said politely.
          “Really? Sure you can handle it?” He said as he turned to face me slowly.
          “Yes. Better yet, can I have what that other woman was having?”
          Niels pursed his lips together.
          “I don’t think so, Shinko.” He smiled at the slight rhyme. “I’ll give you an elven mix. Those are good alchemical drinks for people who can’t usually handle that sort of thing.”
          I nodded in acceptance despite not knowing what he was talking about.
          He walked over towards the middle of the bar, retrieved a stepping stool, then poured some clear sapphire-colored liquid into a tall, thin glass. He stepped off the stool before walking to another one of the barrels and pouring some plain clear liquid into it. He gently took a small spoon and stuck it in the drink, seemingly scooping the sapphire liquid into the clear liquid instead of stirring it normally.
          I watched, eager for anything to take my mind off the sudden change in perspective that I had just suffered. I hardly noticed Vivian yawning, standing up, walking, and then taking a seat in the barstool next to mine.
          “You look tired. Did Niels run you ragged?” She asked with a slight smile.
          “Not exactly. Some of the information he gave me hit me out of nowhere.” I said as Niels handed me the drink.
          “Is that so? Did you tell him about your theory of magic, Niels?” She said, trying to be playful.
          “No, I was…” He looked at Vivian and the smile he was wearing moments ago disappeared. “Why do you care?”
          “Niels, I already said that I was sorry! What more do you want me to say?!” She stood up angrily. 
          As the argument began anew, I took a sip of my drink, then stopped immediately. 
          If Niels told her that I didn’t know about the history of the church, my cover as a priest would be blown. I swallowed the rest of my sip; it was a very flavorful drink with a slightly floral aroma, though I began to feel a strange sensation in my throat.
          “Oh dear lord.” I said quietly as the sensation changed from unusual to painful. Vivian and Niels both turned to look at me.
          “What is it?” Vivian asked.
          My eyes began to water.
          “This drink is way too strong!” I said loudly as I gripped the wooden counter.
          “What? That’s not possible.” Niels said, concern edging into his voice. “You shouldn’t be reacting to any elven mix this strongly unless you haven’t eaten anything for weeks!”
          My eyes went wide as my chest began to burn. Vivian grabbed Niels by the collar.
          “Get him a neutralizer! Now!”

Edited on 09/29/25