Chapter 73.5- Doom Days

“Easily. Input doesn’t mean subject. You seem to be getting them confused. While there is some overlap, they are far from one and the same. The input in a transmutation is in most cases, more than just the subject of the transmutation. In fact you can have a transmutation where the subject of the transmutation does not even form one of its inputs. In those cases, things end up being a bit more interesting, and you have to correct for a few issues that might not seem apparent right now, but that is a matter for another day. The inputs for a transmutation are in most cases— the subject, the intention and willpower of the caster to force the change, the magic of the caster, and then part of the catalyst”

“Catalyst?” I found myself asking. It seemed like that book chapter had just contained nothing but falsities. Why would someone even do something like that?

“A catalyst, yes. Any transmutation needs a catalyst. What do you think the Stone does, Harry?”

“I assume it’s a catalyst since you’re bringing it up now.” I said.

“Indeed. The philosopher’s stone is the most powerful catalyst of them all. It is magically perfect. Generally, one would use a precious gem of some sort as a catalyst for a transmutation. However, every transmutation— depending on its power— takes a little bit of the catalyst. One of the things special about my Stone was the fact that no matter how large the transmutation was, it still remained itself. It could not be alchemically consumed because of its nature” He said.

“Oh. So I need to find a precious gem of some sort. Is it like a wand?” I asked. Would I need to test out various gems and then pick one that worked best with me? That sounded like one hell of a process.

“No. Any crystal would work. Of course, if you used something like agate to power a transmutation, don’t be too surprised if you lost your arm or something in the process” He said.

“My-my arm?”

“Of course. Alchemy responds to the desire of the alchemist more than anything else. That makes it one of the most dangerous arts out there. So if you try something and don’t have all the requisite bits, the magic will still try to carry out your will. So it can consume a part of you to complete the transmutation and reach balance. Most of the time, it would take something conceptual than a body part, but I have seen a would-be alchemist lose his whole body while trying to bring the dead back to life” He said.

“Okay this sounds more serious than the book made it out to be”

“Book? You found a book on alchemy?”

“Yeah. Well, not really a book on alchemy per se. It’s more like a book that just happens to have a chapter of alchemy” I said, and then Nicholas began laughing.