AEsir

Arcanic Enhancement Serum, by Ihren Reskhin

The rift invasions are getting to be too much and with the cycle coming within the next couple of decades the Sovereign wishes that we prepare what we can to help. I believe that my serum may grant humans the enhanced strength and constitution needed to withstand the strength of the Rasa reavers that pour in through droves during rift raids. It is currently untested, but many divination magics have gone into testing the serum.

...

It has been nearly nine years and I've finally gotten it to a point where the divination magics have almost always shown the same result! We're to meet with three candidates from the Vellarian Academy to see whether or not our petition for a Stratetgian is to be answered. As we intend to dispatch soldiers to fight the rifts, I hope they deem that our cause is worthy and that our idiot Senator doesn't misrepresent our cause. He's one of those people that believes that conflict can be solved in a day. How he ever got elected I'll never know-- though I feel it has a lot to do with his money.

...

The petition has been improved and we've seen five candidates so far that are interested in taking up a position working with us. To be honest, I do rather like the Arnaís candidate. She's more interested in the soldier before as that may affect the soldier that will emerge and- while I've been saying that- it assures me that she is the right person for the job.

...

I feel like my prayers have been answered. Zalia Arnaís is to be our Vellaran Strategian and she's already begun work on an interview process, mental evaluation checkups, and immersion tests using the technology of the Institute to determine possible soldiers for our test group. We intend to trial five soldiers by the end of the year. It's small test group, but we need more studies before we begin making this serum available.

...

To make it fair in terms of candidates all major heads are making decisions and the only way this is happening is because the politicians get more of a say of who goes in. My pick was backed by all but the politicians but he is in through to the trial round: Dante Rhaín.

...

With the introduction of the candidates the serum's divinations are now too wild and a bit unpredictable. Perhaps five was too big a pool but we are running low on viable time that we need in order to have solid long term effects in order to possibly use this. Because of the danger, we are reassessing the testing pool. I don't know why we are because out of all of them my candidate is the only one with no familial connections and I fear this is why the politicians will turn to him. Less bad PR should something go wrong.

...

I wish I could have told Dante that everything would be alright and that things would be troublesome for a while and then get better, but he would know I'm lying. I'm afraid I cannot lie well enough to him. And while I saw a sadness in his eyes, he was still resolute as I gave him an option to leave. He said that if he is able to help then he will... "That's why I'm here. To help. If this is the cost, then- will it help, doc, if I do this?" I lied to him and said no, but he smiled at my attempt and nodded before saying, "Then, I'll do it."

...

I have never seen a more adamant woman that Zalia Arnaís. She practically stormed into the lab with three more diviners and argued loudly with Cooper until he basically let them assist. I asked her why and she said that this needs to be a success. I didn't press her on the matter as she seemed very adamant and angry about something and I do not wish to earn her ire.

...

Do you remember when Strategian Arnaís stormed into the lab? Well Cooper just told me he thinks that she fancies Dante but refuses to interfere with the divination process and thinks that her relation to him will change his mentality. I've never met someone able to cut off their emotions and evaluate something so coldly and effectively. I feel sorry for her. Now that I understand, I do see why the two of them would have a connection.

...

The tests are varied and the deadline for the trial run is coming up soon. Arnaís has been with me assisting me with some restorative magic when I'm feeling drowsy and is assisting me with books. She's rather clever when it comes to understanding how the magic aspect works in all this and one of her diviners simply doesn't sleep and keeps testing with us.

...

It is now three days before the testing and I think we've nearly done it.

...

I've done it. I'm quite sure I've done it. Arnaís was beginning to lose hope and she was getting tired and I sent her off last night and the diviner and I stayed up and I found it. He tested it over and over and as of this morning ALL of the diviners are in agreement and it is just in time for the trial run. I'm going to talk with Dante for the rest of the evening, I want to assure him that everything will be alright and that he will be the first in the new age of soldiers and that they may be able to safekeep the Alliance in years to come.

— From the transcribed notes of Ihren Reskhin, Head of the Eden Project

Ihren Reskhin would later be killed during a rift raid following the success of his experiment on the human Dante Rhaín who went on to become the Avenger codenamed Knight of Eden. He left notes that should anything happen to him that his serum be continued in order to provide the soldiers necessary to fight in the war. His project was nearly replicated but diviners figured out that there was a final component that Reskhin added in his final days that fine tuned the experiment more. As diviners have only seen destruction when introducing the serum to other potentials, they have abandoned the project despite Rhaín and Arnaís' pleas that if they were to assist with the project they could help see Reskhin's dream turn to a reality.
The government has since taken the notes and the serum and have sealed it away with all the accounts of missing serum summed up as destroyed on the day that the experiment site had been attacked.