A Scent of Chaos | ONC 2024

Chapter One

The excitement that had been building inside of me for the last few weeks, bubbling with suspense, could no longer be contained. It bounded through my veins, tugged at the corners of my mouth to keep them in a fixed smile, and had my body shaking in delighted anticipation.

Today was the day I finally received my promotion and became a Head Perfumer at the Velux Emporium. No longer would I have to share a workshop with three other perfumers or have to fight for the attention of clients. Now, nobles from kingdoms far and wide would get their noses on my scents. Common folk rarely had the money for magic-imbued perfume, making my clientele a limited pool of people. This was my chance to make my name familiar in prestigious shops and stalls.

Another Head Perfumer recently settled down to retire, opening his spot up for another talented apprentice to claim. Due to their high demand, positions like that never stayed open for long and the meeting I had been summoned to that morning whispered promises of it rightfully being offered to me.

I bundled my cerulean skirts into my hands as I raced up the cobbled stairs of the Emporium entrance, waving and grinning at the other perfumers I passed by. Instead of the joy I greeted them with — the feeling that set my soul alight with a warm flame, the embers rising to brush against my heart — their expressions only held confusion and concern. Did they not know what was about to happen? Had they not heard me blabbering about the promotion I was getting for the past week?

Even as I entered the Velux Emporium, my smile wasn't returned. Some apprentices even appeared to hold watered sympathy in their features. Perhaps everyone had just been kept in the dark about the recent retirement. That had to be it.

After breathlessly climbing the spiralled stairs that led to the top of the Emporium, a small attic large enough for only one room, I reached up to knock on the Emporium Manager's office door. However, when I touched the polished, ebony wood, I found the door was already open.

Inside, Dorros Reydi — the owner of the establishment that I had learned to adore as my second home — sat slumped at his desk with his head in his hands. His fingers rubbed circles in his temple, shifting his receding, silver hair with the movement. Light splotches were scattered across his dark, wrinkled skin — a canvas speckled with moonlit stardust.

"Good morning, sir," I announced my presence as I nudged the door open. "You wanted to see me?"

Despite having the choice of any room in the grand building — one that I personally thought was the highlight of the entire Kingdom of Yuris — Dorros had chosen a small corner tucked away from the lively magical experiments and chatter of apprentices. The walls were adorned with a faded brown, a repeating, square pattern detailed across it. Several shelves were nailed into place in a neat line along the left side of the office. They were home to Velux Emporium's most famed perfumes, each bottle unique to the scent that resided inside. One was a vibrant orange and shaped like a fallen star, another was simple in shape yet coloured with the gradient of dawn, and my favourite was a faint lilac with a bottle moulded to look like a cupcake.

Behind the desk the manager sat at was a round window with a view that snatched my breath away every time I surveyed it. It overlooked the shopping district of Yuris' main city, allowing you to watch potential clients go about their lives.

"Ah, Elvira." He offered a weak smile, his thin lips wavering at the effort. "I did summon you here this morning. You might want to take a seat for this." Disappointment laced his tone.

"What's wrong?" I pulled out the chair as he suggested, perching myself on the emerald, cushioned seat. Everyone had seemed to be on edge while I had made my way here. Was there something they knew that I didn't?