The crystal vial, cool and smooth in Ethan’s trembling hand, pulsed with an inner light. It was a light that seemed to beckon, to promise power beyond comprehension, but also to warn of a cost, a sacrifice that had to be paid. The Transformation Potion. Brewed with forbidden knowledge gleaned from Valerius's grimoire and fueled by the rare Dragon's Scale, it represented the culmination of weeks of relentless effort, sleepless nights fueled by instant coffee and the burning desire to escape his janitorial destiny.