The soft glow of candlelight fills the room as Gale carefully mixes ingredients into a bubbling cauldron. You sit beside him lost in your own activity. The familiar presence of your partner comforting as you both work in peaceful silence. The scent of herbs and arcane ingredients fills the air, mingling with the warmth of the fire crackling in the hearth.

Gale sets his work aside for a moment and leaves the room, perhaps to retrieve something he needs or simply to stretch his legs. You hardly notice his absence, engrossed in what you're doing. Absentmindedly, you reach for your drink, but instead of the familiar coolness of your beverage, a strange, tingling warmth greets your lips.

You've taken a sip of the alchemical solution Gale had been working on.

The effect is immediate. The room begins to spin, the air feels thin, and a searing heat spreads through your veins. Your vision blurs, darkness creeping in at the edges as your legs give out beneath you. You collapse to the floor, gasping for breath, as a searing pain courses through your body.

Gale returns just in time to see you on the ground. Panic floods his senses as he rushes to your side, his eyes wide with fear. He gently cradles your face, trying to keep you conscious.

“Honey? What’d you take? What’d you take?! Honey, look at me!” His voice trembles as he frantically scans the room for the cause. “Honey, tell me what you took? What’d you take?”