{Zane's POV}
I finally returned home and ran straight to my room before my mom could even catch up to me. I went to my closet and pulled out a book about brewing potions. I hurriedly flipped through the pages until I found what I was looking for.
The Lauitren Potion. Even the slightest encounter you have with this potion will torture you from the inside with various deadly side effects. It's the best potion there is... I looked through the book until I found the ingredients necessary for making The Lauitren Potion. Well, would you look what the list includes here... It's all stuff we have in the kitchen. What luck! I closed the book and quickly ran to the kitchen pantry. I opened back up to the recipe and started gathering the ingredients in a basket.

Zianna: ZuZu, what are you doing? You aren't binge eating, are you?

Zane: W-what?! No, I'm not binge eating! I'm just...

I look all around, trying to strike up a good excuse. Suddenly, I caught sight of a can of white sprinkles. I quickly reach for them and put them in my basket.

Zane: I-I'm just... Baking a cake, that's all. Heh...

Hopefully that lie was good enough to fool my mom. She is pretty smart for a woman of her... Let's just say stereotype. She eyed me down for a while and I got really nervous.

Zianna: Oh ZuZu! How sweet! What kind of cake are you making?

Zane: Uhh... Red velvet...

Zianna: Hmm... Red velvet sounds nice, but I could really go for some chocolate cake right about now! What flavor icing are you using?

Zane: Vanilla. Now can I go make this po- CAKE in peace please?!

Zianna: Alright, sweetie! Make sure you leave a large piece for me! I-I mean your father... Heheheh...

I grabbed the rest of the ingredients for the potion and shoved them in my basket too fast for my mom to see. Mother of Irene, why does she have to be so annoying?! Finally, she walked out and I had the kitchen all to myself. I filled a small pot full of water and started boiling it. I followed the instructions and mumbled them to myself as I went along.

One cup of ground ginger...

Three fresh jimsonweed sprouts...

Half a cup of elderberries...

Four unripened nightshade berries...

How do we have all of these poisonous plants in our kitchen? Wait... What's this?

DNA from supposed victim? How in the name of Irene am I supposed to get Y/N's DNA?! Oh well, it probably doesn't matter. DNA doesn't have anything poisonous in it so I should be fine... I hope...
I finished mixing all of the other ingredients together and cautiously poured it into a bottle.

Zianna: ZuZu! Have you finished making that cake yet?

Zane: Mom! There is no cake!

And with that, I ran up to my room and prepared to send the potion with my only guard whom I knew I could trust...
Laurence Zvhal. He's technically a guard who's mainly stationed in Meteli, but he's visiting O'Khasis temporarily to visit my brother, Garroth. Then I heard my door open behind me.

Zianna: ZuZu, what do you mean there's no cake?!

Zane: I mean there's not any cake whatsoever, mom! Now forget the cake and leave me alone!

Mother of Irene, I swear she'll be the death of me...

OMG I'm sorry. I couldn't think of anything else so I had to rely on Zianna again. From now on, if you see Zianna in this story, just assume that I ran out of ideas and that I'm sorry. This chapter is really late and I apologize greatly. My final exams are this week and then I'm out of school for the summer. Which means more free time to write! Once again, I apologize for the short and late chapter.
—Riley🔱