If there was one thing Gerald regretted, it was not making a copy of the instructions in the Phoenix Temple. He sat at a table in his room, a tiny cramped space with just one bed, with the last remaining Phoenix Necklace, a vial of Phoenix blood, and the fresh piece of the Phoenix Core.

The stakes were high, and he dreaded making any mistakes. While he was confident in his memory, he couldn't be completely sure he didn't forget some important details. The margin for error was also nearly non-existent and he had to be perfect on the first try.

The Phoenix Core had to be shaped so it would fit into the necklace. However, that was easier said than done. Ether Crystals were nearly indestructible while inside a living being, a fact he confirmed many times as he sustained damage to his body, but not the black crystal on his chest.

However, when the Ether Crystal was separated from the body, it quickly lost this weird property and became much softer and brittle, like a piece of cartilage. One good bite and it would break, something Gerald had done many times before.

And now he had to carefully shape this thing to make it fit. It was too much pressure!

He didn't dare touch the real thing, afraid he might break it. Instead, he took out dozens of Earth Crystals and a sharp knife to test his skill on them first.

It was much like whittling wood, just more difficult. The crystals had that annoying feature that they liked to break off in chunks, depending on which direction it was being carved from. As such, Gerald had to first learn how to recognize the structure of the Crystals and never go against the grain.

Sure, that might seem easy on the poor and low-grade Crystals since the lines inside were clearly visible, but as the purity of the Crystal increased, the lines became more and more difficult to spot.

Hours later, when the sun was already low on the horizon, Gerald finally stood up and stretched himself. The table and the ground where he worked were covered with Crystal shavings and broken shards, as well as plenty of egg-looking Earth Crystals. Their surface was smooth and uniform, perfectly rounded, and without mistakes.

Carefully planning as well as polishing the surface was actually what took the greatest chunk of time, but now he was ready! At once, every piece of his trials disappeared and the room returned to its previous clean-ish state.

He couldn't afford to make a single mistake, so he had to thoroughly prepare.

Gerald sat on the floor and closed his eyes, meditating for nearly half an hour to enter a state of tranquility and inner peace. All his nervousness was washed away and any remaining doubts were dispelled like morning mist underneath a warm summer sun.

Of course, that wasn't nearly enough. He also drank a Potion of Focus to make sure his mind remained steady and free from stray thoughts.

Finally, he was ready! He took his carving knife in his right hand, and the rough Phoenix Corein in his left, silver one, and began the process.

At a snail's pace and with utmost precision, thin shavings of the crystal fell on the table as he tirelessly scraped off the high points, smoothed the surface, and gave the gem its proper oval shape.

Having completed the task without a single mistake, Gerald collapsed onto the bed beside him. Carving the heart of the Phoenix Necklace was quite possibly the most arduous and nerve-racking thing he had ever done. Nothing came even close to the extreme concentration his mind just went through.

Despite carving just a tiny thing, he felt like carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders that entire time. It was an extremely bizarre feeling that his messed-up mind made him experience. Or at least that's what he was telling himself.

He was so tired in fact, that he just fell asleep almost immediately after finishing the job.

A few hours later, as the outside world was already covered with darkness, Gerald abruptly woke up. Performing a few stretches, he got rid of the grogginess and sat back down at the table.

Next, he took a vial of Phoenix blood, the Core, the necklace, and a thin brush.

He poured a third of the blood from the vial into a small glass bowl, threw in some of the Ether dust that came from the Core, and then added some of his own blood as well. Doing a shallow cut on his forearm, he let a few drops mix with the rest of the magical ink, just as the process required.

As for why he cut his forearm and not, let's say his finger, it's because human digits were full of nerve endings and extremely sensitive. Not to mention that a wound on a finger was extremely annoying in everyday life, especially when he needed precise control of his fingers.

The forearm was almost exactly the opposite and as such the ideal place from which to harvest a few drops of blood. No need to do more damage than absolutely necessary.

He then performed the ritual described in the temple, guiding Mana and mixing the ingredients as best he could. As the bloody ink was completed a few minutes later, he took the Mythril-gold alloy necklace and gripped the brush dipped in ink. A drop of burning crimson blood was sucked up by the long hairs that narrowed into a point and Gerald began the process of restoration.

The microscopic Runes, engraved into the surface and barely visible to the naked eye, were revealed before him with a simple use of the Eagle Eyes which allowed him to zoom in on the metal jewelry. Bloody ink ran down a single hair of the brush and was deposited into the imprints of the Runes.

With each stroke of the brush, Gerald felt a sort of connection be established with the treasure. After what seemed like an eternity, the entirety of the enchantment was rewritten, though Gerald was unsure as to what exactly it meant, and only the final jewel, the Core of the Phoenix, was waiting to be placed inside.

The Core was soaked in the magical ink and then pressed into its spot while Gerald was sending his Mana inside the necklace. It was a way to establish ownership over the ancient relic, or at least that's what the instructions said.

As soon as the two pieces touched though, the blood was sucked into the necklace and the Core moved on its own, sticking to the precious alloy ornament, while the latter shrunk around it, nearly merging the two together.

The Phoenix Core was now completely encased in the necklace, with only about a third of it sticking out of the bluish-gold metal. At that exact moment, the Phoenix Necklace was complete.

Gerald didn't know why, but as he looked at the result of his work, an immense feeling of pride welled up inside him, telling him the long journey was an absolute success. He also felt some sort of connection being established with it, something like a bond of sorts, like the one between two lovers. It was an extremely weird sensation coming from an inanimate object. Completely foreign and heavy, but pleasant at the same time.

He took the Phoenix Necklace and put it around his neck like it was the only right thing to do. And in that instant, a scorching feeling spread across his body, making him feel like he was on fire. Actually, an image of himself burning suddenly flashed in his mind, but the sensation weirdly didn't carry any pain with it.

And in the next second, the sensation was gone. Like it was never there in the first place.

The feeling of closeness and connection with the Phoenix Necklace remained, however, it was now much weaker as if it was in a dormant state. It was also draining a tiny bit of his Mana. Nothing big though, barely 10 MP/h. It wasn't even noticeable.

Well, he wouldn't notice while normal people would be drained dry in no time at all!

"Okay…? Now what?" Gerald scratched his head. He didn't exactly know how this relic of the olden days worked. The only information he got was that it was supposed to be a life-saving treasure. How could it save a life? He had no clue. A barrier perhaps? Complete regeneration when wounded?

Gerald shrugged his shoulders. Speculation with no information was no better than a blind guess. And besides, if there ever came a time when his life was in danger, he would find out. Hopefully…