But once heated, the liquid hardened—like stone. Failure.
"The sulfur reacted too quickly," Olivia's father said flatly.
We tried again, the second attempt. The proportions were adjusted, the order refined. This time, the liquid popped inside the lab glass, releasing thick green smoke.
Olivia coughed. "Too acidic!"
Her father wiped the sweat from his brow. "We're getting close… but it's still not right."
The third attempt drove us to frustration. The liquid seemed stable… until it turned black, clumped up, and solidified before its time. Another failure.
"I'm tired," I muttered, holding my head.
"Me too," Olivia chimed in. "We didn't even go anywhere today…"
"This weapon's too complicated," I whispered. "Or maybe… we're just too ordinary."
Suddenly, Olivia's mother stood up. She took a small bottle from a different shelf—its color clearer than regular sulfur. She sniffed the contents, then compared it carefully.
"You used eastern sulfur," she said sharply. "But this formula only works with western sulfur. Its composition is more stable."
Olivia's father widened his eyes. "Of course… how did I miss that…"
We began again. Northern dew extract. Western sulfur. Fire-earth essence. The three ingredients were blended carefully, stirred slowly, then heated at a low temperature.
The liquid began to tremble—not from failure, but from life.
Its color turned deep crimson. It didn't burn, didn't harden. It stayed still… as if waiting for a command.
We looked at one another. I could feel the energy humming in the air.
Olivia's father took a metal tong and let a single drop fall onto the test stone.
One second. Two.
A silent blast. The stone shattered flawlessly, but there was no sound—only pressure. We were pushed slightly back, and as the smoke cleared, the stone had vanished like dust.
"We…" Olivia covered her mouth.
I stared at the liquid inside the bottle. "We did it."
Her father stepped closer, his gaze deeper than before. "With this… we can take our revenge."
Her mother placed a hand on his shoulder. "With this, we can stop them."
Olivia's father gave a slow nod. He looked back and forth between Olivia and me.
"Whatever happens after this, you must remember… this isn't just about science. It's about taking a side."
Olivia lowered her head. "We side with the oppressed."
I clenched my fist. "And we won't surrender to those who hide behind noble emblems."
Olivia's father held the bottle up to the light. Its red hue shimmered like blood.
Then he spoke, his voice low but resolute:
"At last… we've crafted a weapon of mass destruction."