A strange potion

Morning arrived as usual in the Pagos district.

Alice and Vany were already at the bar, dressed in their work uniforms and wiping down tables still misted with ether. The drink machine hummed to life, and the scent of synthetic coffee slowly filled the room.

Alice: “Maros isn’t coming in today?”

Vany: “Said he’s sick.”

Alice: “Huh... he can get sick?”

They chuckled softly, then went back to work as usual. Nothing seemed strange. Nothing had changed. But they didn’t know that somewhere else, someone was... indulging in pure laziness.

Elsewhere in the city, Maros was lying in bed. The curtains were drawn, the lights were off, and not a single alarm dared to ring today.

Maros (with a long sigh): “Shadow... deliver the package today. But don’t use your usual form. It’s creepy.”

The shadow in the corner of the room shifted, morphing into a perfectly ordinary-looking courier—gray jacket, delivery bag, and a cap bearing the logo of a fictional company: Dimensional Express.

Shadow (in courier form, voice flat): “Understood, Master. The package will be delivered without a trace.”

Maros: “Make sure they’re happy. But don’t let them know it’s from me. I’m... not in the mood to deal with anything.”

Shadow bowed and vanished through a small portal in the floor.

Maros hugged his pillow again, staring at the ceiling, which projected tropical clouds from another dimension.

Maros (thinking): If I can make people happy without getting out of bed... why not?

It was 4 PM. The sun had begun to tilt westward, casting a warm orange glow through the windows of Pagos Bar, reflecting off the freshly cleaned tables.

Alice was organizing the drink shelf. Vany sat near the coffee machine, counting the synthetic sugar stock that somehow kept disappearing, even though no customers ever ordered sweet drinks.

Suddenly, the bar door opened. A courier stepped inside—gray jacket, cap with the Dimensional Express logo, and a blank expression that suggested he had no personal history.

Courier: “Package for... Vany and Alice.”

Without saying much else, he placed a medium-sized box on the nearest table. It was neatly wrapped, with no sender label, no instructions—just a small note in the corner: For the two of you.

Vany: “Huh? From who?”

Alice: “No name... did you order something?”

Vany: “Nope. You?”

Alice: “Not me.”

They stared at the box for a moment. The courier gave a single nod, then turned and left without another word. The bar door closed softly behind him.

Vany and Alice carefully opened the package, their expressions a mix of curiosity and caution.

Inside, they found two small vials filled with shimmering liquid—one a soft pink, the other a glowing teal. The contents pulsed faintly, as if alive.

Nestled between the vials was a tiny folded note.

The note read: "Please use wisely."

Beneath that, in smaller handwriting:

Instructions: "This potion is meant to be consumed."

Vany raised an eyebrow. “Drink it? What if it’s poison?”

Alice squinted at the vials. “Poison doesn’t usually come in such cute packaging.”

“Exactly why it’s suspicious,” Vany muttered.

They decided to investigate further. Alice retrieved a magic detector spoon from beneath the bar—an enchanted utensil that glowed red in the presence of harmful energy. Vany, ever resourceful, activated the toxin scanner embedded in the espresso machine. (Why the espresso machine had a toxin scanner was a mystery best left unexplored.)

After a few tense minutes, the results were clear: no poison, no cursed energy. Just pure, untainted magic.

Alice exhaled. “Seems safe. But let’s wait until after work.”

Vany nodded. “Yeah. I’d rather not turn into a frog while making lattes.”

They chuckled, then returned to their routine—prepping orders, wiping down the counters, and closing Bar Pagos a little earlier than usual.

The potions remained on the table, quietly glowing. Waiting.

Bar Pagos closed earlier than usual that night. The lights dimmed, the last traces of coffee faded into the air, and the quiet settled in like a soft blanket. Vany and Alice each took their potion vial, carefully tucked it into their bags, and stepped outside.

Before parting ways, Alice glanced at Vany, her voice tinged with hesitation.

Alice: “Van, this isn’t poisonous, right?”

Vany: “Probably not. I checked earlier—no toxins detected.”

Alice nodded slowly, though her expression remained uncertain. Without another word, they headed to their respective homes, the night unusually quiet.

In her room, Vany sat at the edge of her bed, staring at the softly glowing vial in her hand.

Vany (thinking): Who would send something like this? And why to us?

Elsewhere, Alice held her own vial, caught between curiosity and caution. But curiosity won.

That night, without knowing the other had done the same, both of them drank the potion.

And something began to shift.

Vany sat alone in her room, the soft glow of the potion vial casting faint reflections across her desk. The liquid inside still shimmered gently, as if whispering promises of something extraordinary.

She uncorked it, took a breath, and drank.

The taste was... strange. Not bitter, not sweet. More like colored air—barely there, barely real.

She waited. Five seconds. Ten. A full minute.

Nothing happened.

No flash of light. No sudden surge of power. No transformation. Not even a stomach ache.

Vany (thinking): So... that’s it?

Across town, Alice had done the same. Her reaction mirrored Vany’s—confused, slightly disappointed, and still very much unchanged.

Vany lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Vany (thinking): Maybe the effects take time. Or maybe... this was just a prank.

She chuckled softly to herself and closed her eyes. The night passed quietly. But somewhere beneath that silence, something had begun to stir.