CREAK

"I brought you breakfa-"

CLANG

"I'll just leave it here then…"

CLANG

"Please… don't overdo it."

"I'm not. Now go."

CLANG

"B-But I-"

"I SAID OUT!"

CLANG!

I could still feel her presence. Just leave already. The more you are here, the more you are going to distract me.

"...fine…"

CREA-

CLANG!!!

No matter how much noise she would make, the only sound I could hear at this moment was the sound of my hammer hitting the hot metal. I didn't even look at the tray filled with food as I was too busy shaping the blade.

CLANG

This alloy I created sure is difficult to handle. What I want is the [Wind Slicing Alloy] to stay outside, the [Water Vein Steel] to form the Will veins and the rest to evenly fill out the gaps between. This was a challenge I had no choice but to face. I have no time to practice and nor do I want to practice something that has been dubbed as impossible by human standards and only possible for dwarves with high metal affinity.

CLANG

"Time for the power hammer… carefully…"

I placed the halfway finished blade on the power hammer to carefully lengthen the grip part. Unlike the blade part which I had to continue with the hammer, the grip part doesn't need as much detailed handling as the Blade, making this part a bit easier. Yet I can't be negligent here since one broken vein means the whole vein system may be damaged.

CLI-CLI-CLING

CLI-CLI-CLING

slowly moving the metal with the tong I used to hold it, I was carefully pressing the pedal for the power hammer to hit it. At first, I was very slow with the power hammer but now I could do this with rhythm. Yet I was still careful here.

Using my Will during this process helps me feel the veins inside and the pressure it takes from the hits. I repeated this process until I got a length long enough to be held with two hands yet comfortable to be used one-handedly. The thickness should be about right, I guess.

I didn't have much time to understand the right thickness for a grip but while I had her hands in my hand, I tried to feel her calluses and bone structure to understand how the grip should be.

But really, why the hell did I have to be such a dumb person and chose a vein ore for the alloy when it isn't even [Legendary] rank artefact. But this isn't about rank but potential. Using vein ore means reforging may be hard but if what the notes in the old book said is true then if the veins are laid to be either movable or structured well enough to allow new metals to be added with bonding agents it should give a great effect afterwards.

Because my plan does not end with only the [Water Vein Steel]. This weapon needs to be upgradable to a whole new level.

CLANG

Now back to the blade. The grip looks good but the blade part has gone a bit out of shape so to prevent any irreversible damage, I have to alternate on both sides. I'm not done with the grip but focusing now on that means the blade may be stuck with a vein system that won't let me upgrade it.

CLANG

I swear if I do this for noth-

No.

Just hammer, Laith. Just hammer.

You don't need to expect anything.

You can do this for nothing.

But you know you have tried your best and fought with the thought of changing any destiny that you don't like.

So keep going, Laith!

My arms hurt.

Keep going, Laith.

My right bicep may be torn.

Don't break down now, Laith.

My bones are on the brink of breaking.

Don't you dare stop now, Laith!

I hear the voices in my head fight with each side being right. I'm swinging this hammer that weighs more than necessary with so much strength, precision and concentration that even a weaponised body can't hold out any longer.

Don't give up now, Laith!

But it has been 16 hours already. When are we going to be satisfied?

When this is perfect! So just keep going! You have a couple of potions in the drawer.

But those are for emergencies. Any more and my right arm will lose its feel.

Doesn't matter. Just swing more. Until this is truly perfect.

And thankfully, after about 17 hours, I was finished with a blade that has perfect balance, a great form for someone with a higher centre of gravity and a vein system that can become the foundation of a masterpiece.

"Oh… she was already here…"

Seeing the tray on the table change from the English breakfast that we were mostly eating to a big bowl of vegetable soup with garlic bread next to it.

I want to lay down and just be grateful that I have such a caring junior while eating this.

No, keep going! You are not done, Laith!

Fuck… the voices in my head become stronger. As if I'm possessed by a true blacksmith, I hear my inner consciousness screaming to continue working.

Quenching the finished blade in some oil, I tried to make it harden even more than it should be with the [Stone Steel] in it. Heating the blade on a lower heat before quenching it again was now a routine for me. Because of the special alloys that weren't found in usual places, the quenching had to be repeated. Especially with that one steel that made it possible to compress its alloy to the maximum and harden it to an extreme state.

"Haaaah… finished the first part of the blade. The only thing left for it is to cool down before I can start with filing the edges and the fuller as well as inscribing the runes into the fuller and connecting them to the vein."

I placed the blade between cooling blocks to cool it down faster while I was moving to the table.

"Ah… it's cold…"

CRUNCH

Yet the bread is still so good…

And the soup tastes so familiar…

Fuck.

I wish I could have eaten this when it was fresh.

It was about to be the third day when I started to work on this and I could only wait for the blade to cool down while eating. My eyes were glued on the blocks and my eyelids never fell. Any missed moment and it may as well be trash.

At one point, I even stopped eating halfway and just watched over the blade. Obsessively.

I used my Will while inspecting the blade. I was extremely scared of a crack in the Metal but it seems that I got to be happy since, after two hours, no crack appeared and the blade was cool enough to be filed.

Holding the blade tight, I started to file it by hand. Using a filing machine may make this a lot easier and faster but destroying the vein system is also a possibility. But with a filer coated with my Will, I could control the damage to the veins so they won't be affected by the filing and get blocked.

The only way these veins won't get destroyed later on is by activating a rune system, making them filled with Will. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that now since rune inscription is meant to be at the end of a weapon to affect the whole weapon.

So I filed. For hours. And hours. And hours. Until I was way past midnight and in the morning of the third day.

CREAK

"Laith…I…"

CLIII

"Out."

TACK

CREAK

And another tray filled with food was on the table. But frankly, I didn't give a damn about eating. I wasn't hungry for food but for results. And soon, my long-awaited result came to be as the edges and the fuller on both sides.

"Luckily, no vein was damaged and the blade is perfect… I hope so…"

The fuller part was the most worrisome one. A concave path along the spine of the blade meant that I definitely had to grind over a network and possibly destroy my entire work with one single mistake.

I came so far, I'd not let this happen!

And luckily, I didn't as the veins were perfectly fine. Using Will and filling the ends before grinding into the blade protected them from any damage. But I had to take breaks in between since having my Will inside the veins for too long would make this weapon meant for me.

I can't take this. Not this which was meant to be held by another person.

I feel like a madman whose only thought is to finish this with perfection. Look at how much she cares and never forgets to check on me, even spying between some cracks.

You are getting distracted, Laith.

But she is just watching? Let her be and see that I'm doing perfe…

On second thought, you are right. I'll close those gaps real quick.

Putting either some weapons that I already forged before or some materials like wood between some cracks of the wall or the door, I took the time to calm down. I may be overd-

You are not overdoing it, Laith. Keep going.

But look at how worried she is. Just because I can't see my faults doesn't mean others can't.

You do not have a fault here. Keep going.

Heating the metal for the guard and hilt, I never let those two out of my sight. They may be much simpler alloys than the one for the blade but this doesn't mean I can let them out of sight now. I've gone too far now to start mixing new metals.

And then taking them out with a tong, I…

CLANG

Hammered on them each, abusing the [Stone Steel] in them. And then it was time. After 6 hours of hammering them to concentrate those metals to the brim, I can now start with the guard.

I could have chosen to work with the hilt as it was much easier to work with than the guard that is formed like a crown but I still started with the guard.

There is no running away from it. I have to do this. So I started shaping the metal into a ring first. I couldn't make the crown in different parts and then later put them together because the potential may be lower.

I still have plans for the guard. Although later on.

My eyes were burning, my fingers were swollen and my lungs were filled with nothing but the smoke of the flame. I may as well be charred now but I didn't give a damn. This crown has to be shaped.

CLANG

Giving it nine spikes made it look like an eastern crown but it had meaning. But all for the future. All for the future.

CLANG

Shaping it was extremely difficult though. I had to make sure the ring of the crown has no edges while the long diamond-shaped spikes had to sit on it perfectly with no way of breaking.

But I succeeded. After more than half a day, I was finished with the guard as it was about to become the morning of the fourth day.

Still no sleep. When can I stop?

When you are finished creating a perfect masterpiece.

When is that?

When you are finished.

The crown was sophisticated enough to be worthy of a guard. The ring is very sturdy and the nine diamond-shaped spikes are as sturdy as they should be. Although it is made pretty solid so that a normal attack shouldn’t affect it, with some Will reinforcements by the network inside the opals, it should make it flow just at the right position while generating a slight veil to make it functional as a guard and not just something that looks like an accessory.

The hilt was much easier than the crown as I didn't have to make more complex shapes. It was simple with the grip out of monster leather, the end of it has a knob with a crown on it that resembles the crown guard and at the front on both sides a holder for the two opals.

The holders weren't so hard to implement. Just that I had to make them connected to the blade, later on, would be a bit challenging. So I carved pathways that resembled veins into the holders that looked like how a wedding ring would hold its gem. The pathways would lead to the holding part of the blade that I made for this.

It wasn't as hard as I thought! Although the mini holders were a hassle, they weren't that hard like the crown which had to be perfectly made with only a hammer and a filer. But carving the pathways was a bit hard but after getting the hang of it, I could do them much faster than compared to the first time.

It was time for the grip. Remembering what her hands felt like, I started to prepare the leather for the grip. Although the description of the monster leather sounded rough, it actually had a great touch to it. Well… when it was processed, of course.

I cut the leather into the shape I wanted before glueing it down with what I like to call [God's Spit]. It doesn't have an official name or maybe it's just not written here in the notebook but this glue can actually semi-fuse materials together creating a glue effect essentially.

Why do I call it that? Cause it sounds cool and if I have the right to call it like that then so be it. No one here is judging my naming anyway.

Touching the hilt carefully, I tried to recreate the feeling I had when touching her hands. Her hands were small and the calluses were about 7 mm wide. Remembering the places of her calluses, the structure of her bones and any other detail possible, I tried to make sure the leather and the grip was perfect with the hilt.

"This should be how her hands were, right? This should be it. Yes!..."

A little celebration before I started with arguably the hardest but most important part of this weapon. Inscribing the runes on the blade, the crown and the two opals.

I had black opals in my hand at the moment. The reason why I used black opals was that besides the colour suiting the weapon and the person that will use it, it has a specific pattern inside it that is partially empty.

Will is not stored inside a gem or object by the measure of volume but by the measure of surface area because inanimate objects can't technically hold onto Will for long unless the user does concentrate to do so. But what I want is it to be stored automatically when the weapon is absorbing Will from the user.

Coating an object instead holds Will much longer and does not need any concentration to do so. Meaning that it was all about the surface area and these opals had a lot of surface area inside it thanks to these complex patterns.

"Now where are my tools~... Ah! Here they are!"

I bound the opals on a soft surface while I took my little chisel and smaller hammer with the same runes as the big one. Concentration is key here! No mistakes allowed!

What I had to do for each opal was to engrave little versions of the rune [Will Compression] around the opal in rings while emptying the patterns from any unnecessary materials and developing it into an insane Will storage for the runes. This had to be done simultaneously so I had to concentrate extra on this one.

But I eventually finished with the 9th ring on the first opal in about 7 hours. Most of my time got taken by cleaning the opal from the inside as careful as possible while adding new pathways to further increase surface area. I had to be extra careful since one wrong move and the whole gem would shatter.

But I was done with the first one. Why does my work take so long?

Don't think too much about it, Laith. Just finish what you started no matter the amount of strength needed.

"Haaa… after this, I'll need a real good shower and some rest…"

Placing the second opal on the soft surface, I started to engrave it the same way as the first one. This had a different pattern inside so I couldn't just redo the process just from muscle memory.

And after another 7 hours, I was finished and well into the fifth day. But now these two gems should be able to sap a bit from her Will and fill themselves until they are full. Now…

"Time for the blade… the fuller is where it is the nearest to the veins… I hope I don't screw this up now…"

I was mounting the blade on two benches, holding the metal on each side carefully. It is not enough to bend it since the metal is too tough for it but my strength is enough to block the veins and that's the last thing I want.

It's now time for the [Speed Up] rune that will speed up her reflexes. But man…

The number of times I had to write the runes on this could fill 5 pages with no empty space… and that was on only one side. But the reason for that is simple. I do not want to create the effect of a simple speed up but that of a passive understanding of her reflexes.

A giant rune may be able to speed up her reflexes much better but detailed runes that are connected to this vein system will gradually increase her reflexes with the amount of time she uses this sword, ultimately helping her in the long run.

My head hurts just from writing these runes. Every time I write a rune, some of my mental energy was leaving me. Like I was actually using a kind of energy to do this. I know that I didn't in fact use a new energy type like mind energy or something but that this was only too taxing on my mind.

I want to lay down and rest my mind.

Keep going.

Bu-

Keep. Going. Laith.

I hammered on the little chisel in my hand.

TING

And hammered.

TING TING TING

And hammered more and more, finishing both sides after about 7 hours.

TING TIIIIING!!!

"Good. Now the final rune…"

This wasn't as hard as it seems at first. I can only do one rune of the [Insight] rune as it is a special rune. What I realised after making more and more weapons with runes is that…

The white dream that had these rings of runes. Each ring has a special rune that can only be active on one ring. And here I am, using the first special rune I know for the first time on the crown.

I placed the crown on a soft surface and picked one of the equal spikes to inscribe the rune on it. The special runes can only activate in one size with no repetition even if it's on the same weapon.

So this didn't take me too much time. About 30 minutes later, I was done…

The last thing left to do… is to put the pieces together and hammer my blood into these runes. I had to brush them in nicely otherwise they wouldn't quite work well. And even so, I couldn't just put them in a tank of my blood. This careful method was already requiring an amount of blood that would make me faint any moment.

Taking a syringe from the drawer with little necessities, I was strapping my upper arm with a strong rope as hard as I could. With these items that were special made from someone the old man knew, I was ready to poke my own arm and draw out as much blood as I could.

And then, with a little drowsy head, I took the two opals and dropped a very small drop of blood into one rune and brushed it evenly with the little brush in my hand.

Evenly, Laith. Evenly.

And then, the next drop.

Again. Evenly.

And then the next rune.

And the next.

And then the one after that.

And so on.

Until I was finished with both opals. This took about two and a half full syringes. I feel well but the effects of losing about 10% of my blood quickly have caught up.

"Fuck… I can't wait though… any wait and the effects of the blood will run out. I have to finish the weapon before that happens!"

Poking my arm yet again, I drew another 250 ml of blood into the big syringe. And then continues with the blade.

One little drop on a rune.

Brush it evenly.

And then repeat with the next one.

Wait till those already brushed runes are ready to be filled with more blood.

One little drop on a rune.

Brush it evenly.

And then repeat with the next one.

The number of runes on the blade was quite shocking now that I was actually filling them with my blood. How much would I have to give?

And now I had to take more blood. Another 250 ml. I was now having 20% of my blood out of my body. Slowly, the symptoms of hemorrhagic shock are appearing but I didn't give a damn. I had to finish this as soon as possible. Nothing else matters.

What of it if I have rapid breathing?

What of it if I was sweating a lot?

What of it if I was getting paler?

What of it if my mind gets more and more drowsy?

THUD

CLA-LA-CLANG

"Aw, shit! I knocked down these weapons on the wall…wait. Why were they laying there again? Fuck my head… never mind. Keep going, Laith. Keep going."

Another 5% of my blood went to the runes.

And another.

And the final one now…

"Haaa… 35%... I start to regret not taking my blood over time… but if it isn't fresh, then it won't be at its best potential… come on, Laith. One last rune."

Yes. One last rune. The big [Insight] rune on the crown. All that was left before finally putting the pieces together…

'now … Only the last one…'

I drew another 250 ml of blood. I can feel my body wanting to fall down. But I can't get into a coma yet. I'm playing with death now, I know. But I'd rather be damned in hell than stop now!

Ten drops on the rune.

Brush it.

Another ten for the rest spots that weren't coated.

Brush it evenly.

Rinse and repeat.

Put blood on the rune.

Get myself together from the drowsiness.

Calm my breathing down a bit.

And continue to brush it.

and the final stroke came. I was fi-

CLANG

"FUCK!"

I fell down, knocking my tools on the desk down as well. Fuck.

"I can't… gather… strength…"

It was hard for me to lift myself up. Shit! But I have to put the pieces together. I have to make it into one true piece. I have to hammer my Will on the blood for the runes to activate.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

I pushed myself up with Will filled in my arms and legs. The only way I could move for now. The runes on my body were already showing but they only reinforced my body, not strengthening me even a little bit.

But I finally made it up. I was finally standing partially straight. That's enough to put the opals in their handles, the blade and hilt together and the guard right where it belongs. It wasn't floating yet so it was just like an oversized ring with a sharp stick…

I took my hammer, realising how heavy this damn thing truly is. I'm proud of my body strength now that I didn't even have to use Will to lift this thing. Now my Will is the only thing lifting this.

And lifting my hammer that was slowly filling itself with Will, I looked at this weapon on the anvil. This weapon took me days with no sleep nor any kind of rest to make. I skipped my meals for days and was about to curse this whole world into darkness just because my right arm was hurting like shit.

I looked horrible. I knew from the reflection of myself in the blade. My eye bags getting longer, my face losing too much water and my muscle mass shrinking a bit. I usually ate more than normal people since I needed more energy but now with no food, I was essentially eating myself faster and faster each day. This wouldn't happen so easily but I guess with no rest and my body constantly working, there was no other way than to start eating from my muscle…

But all this was none of my concerns. I just raised the hammer as high as I could. And with most of my Will inside the head of my hammer, I let it fall while pushing it down with all the strength left in my body.

CLANG

And the blood inside the runes was filled by my Will slightly. I could see myself inside the reflection. My hair started to float, my eyes shone in a golden light but besides all this.

After so many hardships… and so much stress and pain… to finish this masterpiece, I couldn't help but to…

Smile like a madman.

It wasn't because I was finally finished with this self-harm but because I was finally finishing this beautiful weapon.

CLANG

And I hit it again with my hammer filled with my Will.

"Even though you were scary…"

CLANG

"And annoying at first."

CLANG

"You grew so close to me so fast…"

CLANG

"I am not sure if this is my gratitude for you…"

CLANG

VUUM

"Or because I want to protect you like you always wanted to do for me, but…"

VUUM

"I know that this isn't just a weapon meant to fight with."

VUUM

"It's a weapon I made for you to live with. To stay strong with."

VUUM

"So that nothing happens to you even after everything I'll be responsible for."

VUUM!!

"So that you can stay safe even if you stay by my side…"

VUUUUUM!!

I was letting out all my thoughts while hammering this sword for five minutes, filling every particle of my blood with my Will. Every hit created a sound only describable as resonance while making the sword shine golden.

But after filling the last bit with my Will, I could see a chain reaction on the weapon.

The veins connected themselves with the runes while the opals started to bond with the veins via the pathways I made. The crown started to levitate with the opals being at the centre of the ring and every rune was glowing in a golden light. The opals showed off their light, resembling the night sky that was filled with stars.

I didn't even need to look at it to know I did what I wanted. I didn't even need to feel it with my Will to understand how good this weapon actually was…

It was emotional for me. The amount of time I used for this. The amount of pain I went through just to finish this quickly and the amount of blood I gave it.

But most importantly, the amount of care I gave it. This care wasn't just for the weapon but also for her.

I'll never forget this moment. How much I put into this weapon and it all being worth it at them… end…

BANG

Slamming my head on the anvil, I was on the verge of losing consciousness. Shit! I had one last thing before going. Why didn't I take the potions! This is definitely an emergency.

But this came first. This beautiful sword came first! I had one last thing to do before I can go off! Because what this [Uncommon] borderline [Rare] one-handed longsword with the [Transcendent] modifier [The Care of a King] lacked right now is …

A name.

It had to be named. A full effect of my weapons could only shine when my soul acknowledges them. And this happens when I name them. I was usually bad at naming but this was a no brainer.

I already knew of a name to give you. The moment I thought of making you, I knew what your name was going to be.

"To stay forever in the hands of a 'King' shall not be his kingdom but his queen…[Regina]"

The sword started to shine as every other weapon acknowledged by me would before flowing upwards. But I stopped it by laying my hand on it.

"Stay down… I gave you a name because you deserved one, not because I wanted you for myself. You know exactly that you are meant to be held by a 'King' and not a 'Padishah' like myself. You know exactly that you fit only one person and that isn't me… you know exactly who you are meant to be with. So stay down."

And just as the force to lift the sword came, it went away with the shine around the sword. It's not that I didn't want her because I don't think she is useful but because she is truly meant for someone else. SHE was meant for that one person in my mind.

"Good girl… you at least listen… unlike someone I… know… "

THUD

I don't know what happened… I think I fell down? Maybe it was the blood loss but I can't really feel anything. My eyes could see anything although they were wide open and my ears could faintly pick up the sound of something falling down.

CLANG

CRACK

It sounded like a plate…

"Couldn't even… make you… a scabbard…"

CREAK

"H-hey Laith? I k-know y-you didn't w-want me here b-but I'm really w-worried for you… please just come to bed so… that…"

Worry.

The only thing visible on this poor girl’s face was worry. Worry that the person she dearly wished to be well to take it too far, hurting himself in the process. Worry that she will be the reason that something is going to happen to him. Worry that she would be useless again and hinder him only.

This poor girl felt nothing but worry. She stuttered. Scared of the boy who had nothing on his mind but this sword to lashing out at her once more. She didn’t like the situation but since she knew…

She knew she couldn’t intervene here. It would just make the boy hate her more than he most likely already does.

But the sight in front of her made her wish to have been by his side this entire time.

But turning back time is not something she could do. And that… pained her the most.

Regret.

CLANG

CRACK

The simulated day was perfect. The sun was about to set and the wind was very soft with no sound at all. No birds chirping. No wind blowing. No loud people. No animal running around.

The last sound was the sound of a tray falling down on the floor with the plates on it breaking and the food spilling everywhere. Alyssa knew she was bringing food for nothing for the past few days since every time she came, she could see the untouched tray from before right where she left it.

But that didn't matter to her. Even if she made food for nothing, the visit was what was important to her. After blocking the few cracks of the hut with weapons and some materials, the only way Alyssa could check on Laith is by entering to deliver food. Even if she would get yelled at for disturbing him, she would still do it.

But now she couldn't believe her eyes. The only thing she picked up was Laith unconscious on the ground with difficulty breathing.

He was pale with sweat all over him. But he was breathing. He was breathing. That's all that mattered. Even if Alyssa was panicking, knowing that anything could happen in a matter of seconds.

She rushed towards him, checking every part of him before noticing the slightly red dots on his left arm and a syringe on the ground.

"No! No! No! No! No! Please tell me you didn't let out too much blood. You are just sleepy, that's all. R-right, Laith? R-r-right?"

Tears fell down her cheeks as she was trying to calm herself down. She stood up as fast as possible and rushed towards one of the drawers. A potion. All she needed now was a potion and he could become better.

"Where are you… where! Where! Where!! WHERE!"

BANG

Hitting the wall on the side with all she had, little cracks were forming in the wall made out of special wood. But fortunately, she found a middle-grade potion in the drawer. She placed it in her pockets while picking up Laith from the ground. Rushing to the bigger hut, she placed him onto his bed and opened his mouth.

"Please… please…"

She was begging while opening the potion and pouring the contents into Laith's mouth. She didn't know if it was going to work so she rushed to the kitchen and brought a clean wet towel with her so she could place it on his forehead. She didn't know how to treat an unconscious person well so the only thing she could do is beg.

She didn't know to whom she should beg, so she begged as much as possible to every possible being that could help him.

“I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry… “

And when begging towards someone with higher might didn’t work, the only thing left for her was to apologise. She may not have been at fault. She may not know what exactly she has done for this to happen. But she felt guilty. And this guilt was eating her from the inside.

A boy that was barely hanging onto life by the gamble he did.

A girl that was barely hanging onto her sanity by the choices she made.

This duo may suit each other better than expected. Or they would become each others’ greatest weakness. But they were similar one way or another.

Greatly so or painfully so is another matter though.

Her apologies continued like a broken record with no ending in sight. Her mind empty and her eyes dilated. Her cheeks felt warm but the only thing she could feel now was pure cold inside her chest. There was nothing she could recognise around her. And so, the only thing she could do is to apologise.

For hours and hours until her mind couldn't do any more. Her body and soul forced her into sleep. Maybe to shelter her from this experience. Maybe to give this poor self a rest.

Or maybe to prepare for what comes after.

Nevertheless, the room finally became quiet with the pale, sweaty boy laying on the bed and the pained, guilt-filled girl leaning onto the bed from the chair she was sitting on.

"I'M BAAAACK! YOU READY FOR…"

The shouting of a middle-aged man could be heard inside the garden but neither Laith nor Alyssa responded to his call.

The old man was there the moment the day would be midnight inside the barrier, marking the end of the fifth day and the start of their training. But it was quiet.

There was no sound of metal hitting metal or flames raging coming from the forge. Nor was there any Will fluctuations coming from the bigger hut that would happen when Alyssa was training inside her dreams.

Instead, he felt a weak presence on the bed with a person sitting right in front of it. He knew what was going on but instead of heading into the bigger hut, he moved towards the smaller one.

Seeing the finished product right in front of his eyes, he couldn't do anything but sigh. This was too much…

"Good grief, boy… I tried to push you since I believed you needed the pressure for this but look at you overdoing it. Even to the point of making something so much more than I initially knew…"

And with these words being the last thing to be heard inside the forge, the old man left it with the sword in his hand, heading to the room where now a sleeping girl leaned over the bed that an unconscious boy with a pale bit relieved expression was laying on were.

"I'm sorry for tricking the two of you. But there is not much time…I'm sorry for pushing you too."

Taking a blanket out of nowhere, the old man put it over Alyssa's body. Giving the boy a higher grade potion, he left the room with the sword now leaning on the nightstand.

Sitting down on his favourite armchair, the old man did nothing but let his head loose. Sighing, the old man closed his eyes.

"I wish the days before would have lasted a tad bit longer… but you are now on your own, boy. So do your best… and keep going."

He never felt so serious in his life. But the old man knew. He knew with the things he saw, the things he felt and the things he didn’t

“The world is about to change… and you have to fight because of this change. So keep fighting, boy. Keep fighting until you reached that one place that I hope to see you at.”