Perfect.
I held the sword up so that I could see its entirety. The blade's edge was clear, reflecting my tired yet fulfilled face. This might be my best work yet. Bael was on the side, as he watched me make my final sword before I left. I then gave it to him for one last inspection. He held it, his expression more serious than I have ever seen him before. He held it up high, observed it, swung it a few times, and ran a finger across the body of the blade.
“Meh Good Enough.”
"Seriously. This was my best work and it's only ‘Good Enough’. It has to be at least ‘Good’. Come on Bael. It's my last day. Can't you at least just sugarcoat it a bit.”
“I don't sugarcoat shit. I tell what I see. And what I see is Good Enough.”
“Why?! It's clearly sharp and sturdy. There's even some Kigen Inscriptions I put in there.”
"That's the Problem.”
Bael raised the sword and injected his Kigen into it. The runic inscriptions on the sword lit up. The power it radiated was apparent. It made me feel like I could cut a boulder in half with one swing when I used this.
“I don't see it.”
“Just wait.” I waited and indeed saw. The inscriptions shone with power, and yet when Bael swung the sword at a test dummy, the sword shattered as it made contact its pieces scattered on the ground. “What the fuck.” Why the hell did it break. I did everything by the book.
“Do you know what you did wrong?”
“Uh no. If I knew, then this wouldn't have happened.”
“But you didn't know. It is fine. Learn through trial and error. Ignorance can only be solved with knowledge. So, look closely at the inscriptions.”
I’m still puzzled why it broke but I did as he asked. I looked closer, and though I didn't see it at first, I realized why it shattered into pieces. It is two reasons actually, which make it worse. First, it was the material I used.
The steel that I used was normal Iron Steel. Sure, using steel is the norm when making a sword but not the best when used with an array of inscriptions, especially when it's poorly made. A great blacksmith can use a wide array of 2-3-star level inscriptions on normal iron steel, but I'm not a great Blacksmith. I don't need Bael to know that I'm mediocre at best.
Thus, with the weapon that I made, I used a 2-Star Fire Encryption, a 1-Star Wind Inscription, and a Pseudo 3-Star Earth Encryption. Honestly, I got a little arrogant when I used the earth inscription. It was too high enough level for me to use and yet I did it anyway.
"There are two reasons why it didn't work. First was the level of Inscription I used. A semi 3-Star inscription was already pushing it I guess, and what made it worse was that I combined it with the Fire and Wind element. If it was only the two then it would have been fine, but mixed with the sturdiness of the earth element as well as its added weight, it wouldn't work.”
When using inscriptions on weapons, a good rule of thumb to remember is how it's going to synergize with the other elements it's going to work with. I can't use a Water Inscription with A fire Inscription, it's most likely that the weapon will just spontaneously crack when used. But if I used Earth Encryption to balance everything out, then it would be fine.
Bael nodded but continued his silence. He stared at me, waiting for me to continue.
“The second mistake was the steel I used. The inscriptions imprinted on the sword would theoretically work with some Adjustments, but with Normal steel, it can't handle the pressure that it's being put on by the inscriptions.”
“Good, you do have a brain. But you forgot another mistake.”
“I did? But what? I'm sure I got everything down.”
Bael smiled and instead of replying, he used his Kigen and attracted the shattered steel on the floor. Soon, the steel gathered in his palms. I was in awe. I had no idea how he did that. It's like he made his hand into a magnet, and precisely used that magnet to only attract the shattered steel, completely ignoring the other bunch of steel that hung around the room. Okay, maybe his stories do have some truth to them. But I'm never gonna admit it to him of course.
"The third mistake is more illusory. And it's my mistake honestly. Not yours. All this year I have taught you the technique of forging a weapon. The ins and outs of proper form, what steel you should use, and what Encryption even is. But all that pales in comparison to what I'm about to teach you next.”
He gathered the steel in front of me. Every single shard was collected and put in front of me. I gripped the hammer I was holding and felt a fire burn inside of me. "Connection. It's something Illusory as I have said, but might be the most important thing when forging. You must make a connection with your weapon as if it's your friend, your family, and your lover. When forging, the only thing that is in your perception must be the steel and you. That's it.”
That is an odd lesson. I didn't know what it meant, but judging by the look that Bael was giving me, he didn't even expect me to understand it. Not to be arrogant but I do consider myself a genius, but I think the lesson that Bael is teaching me goes way beyond whether Ima a genius or not. The thing it needs is something else entirely.
"Again. Do it again. Forge it again, but this time, make a connection. It doesn't even matter if the connection is so small that you barely feel it. As long as you feel it, then that is enough for now.” I nodded.
I gripped my hammer, stepped forward, and turned on the furnace. The heat caressed my face and yet I didn't mind it, and instead embraced it. I could feel it. The temperature of the room rises. "Empty your mind. Ignore me. Ignore even your hammer. Ignore everything else but the thing right in front of you.” I focused. Gathered all my attention into forging.
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I hammered. Bael was saying something to me but his voice slipped away from my perception.
I hammered. I seem to have forgotten what was being taught to me. But I could feel something. Like an illusory thing was trying to speak to me. Whisper to me what must be done.
I hammered. I feel it. It was like a string that connected to the center of my being. It was thin. Thinner than hair it felt like. If it was made manifest in the physical world, then even a Battle dancer would barely notice it, But I noticed it. I knew it was there. This was a Connection.
I stopped hammering. I took a deep breath and felt my body go limp. I fell to the floor facing up. I saw the ceiling. I saw the smoke gathered in the room like I was in a burning house. Sweat dripped from my body like a faucet. I raised the sword I made to eye level and saw my own face reflecting back at me. "Well done.” A voice said.
Glancing sideward, I saw Bael grinning at me. I tiredly smiled back, feeling an inkling as to what he meant. Now I kind of get it. Why is oh so bloody useless when he's forging. "Thank you, Bael.” Bael didnt respond and instead took the sword from my hands. He glanced at it up and down and did the usual thing whenever he did this. He opened his mouth and said. “Good.” Bael nodded to the sword and to me and walked away.
Wait, wait wait wait. Wait a damned minute. "Can't I keep the sword? At least give it to me as a parting gift.” I looked at my watch and realized, I was gonna be late. Holy shit im gonna be late. My train departs in like thirty minutes, and I'm still not done preparing.
“Don't worry, I got a better one for you.” He left as he said those words but I only heard half of it and bolted out of there.
It took about twenty minutes for me to prepare. I didn't need to bring a lot of stuff. Just some clothes, some money, and money for my tuition if ever I got in, and my hammer. I stared at it for a few seconds before putting it away like the rest of my things. Then there was the most important item in my stuff. I crouched down, lifted the fake wood floor under the bed, and took what was inside of it.
The Simple Technique.
I couldn't leave without this. It was one of the only things that I had from my parents, and most probably the most important item in my possession. You could sell the house and it probably won't cost as much as the notebook in my hand in my eyes.
I went to every room. Checked everything that was in the house and made sure that everything was secure, and that it would not burn down if left alone. Well, that's unless someone deliberately burns it down after I leave, but that's a different story. Once everything was settled, I left the house for one final time in what would be a long time and locked the door. I turned around and was about to leave but stopped midway.
Of course. How could I forget? I gathered some Kigen on my fingertips and shot it towards the shining light. It shut off. indicating that its owner was gone. With this, I don't have to worry about my parents if ever they come back to the house. I looked at the door for one last time and departed. I will only ever come back to this house when I find them. And until then, and for now, the journey ahead is my new home.
I wanted to say goodbye to Bael for one last time, but I didn't have the time. It took five minutes for me to rush to the train station, and the last five minutes will be spent on getting my things together on the train. As I was about to embark on the train, I heard a shout.
"Kayde! Bastard, you didn't wait for me?!” I squinted and was startled that it was actually Bael. I was not one to think that he was an emotional sap. He ran and arrived in front of me. Sweat dripped from his forehead. He heaved up and down and said. "Little shit, I had to run a lot just to catch up to you. You almost forgot my parting gift.”
“Parting gift?” Now this was weird. I didn't actually think that he was going to give me a gift. He was a bit stingy at times so I never expected it from him. I thought the most I could get was a scolding and a nod to my face. Which I already got. “Yes, a parting gift. I'm not an emotionless monster. Here.” He then handed me what appeared to be a sword. It was wrapped in black cloth. I thought it was the sword I made but I was sure that when I held it, I didn't make it. The balance of the sword was so precise, that it was so beyond what I could do. Bael understood the look I was giving and said.
"Yup. It ain't the sword you made. I would have scolded you if that was what you thought but since you didn't. I'll tell ya something special about this sword. It has resistance.” Confused, I didn't know what resistance was but then it hit me. My hands started shaking as I stared wide-eyed at it. IT HAS RESISTANCE?!
Resistance, in its bare concept and essence, is simple. It has resistance. Resistance to what exactly? Everything. When I say everything I mean, everything. It doesn't matter if another sword has a combination of inscriptions that make it the sharpest sword. But when matched against this sword, it's no better than a normal sword. Sure it has its limits like it can't fully nullify the inscription of an enemy weapon, but it's enough so that I won't even have to worry about Inscription from now on.
“Of course, since you are still so weak. It will only work against enemies that are weaker or equal to your own strength. If let's say, you face a weapon that has a 3-Star Inscription at your current level, then at best, it can resist up to 30 percent of its effects.” That's fine by me. It's not like I'm going to be fighting battle dancers who are way stronger than me.
I'm not like those suicidal knights in shining armor that charge head-first against a dragon. Hell no. Never. Nuh-uh.
I held it to the side and thought that that was it. It was already so much. I was about to hug Bael for it despite him not being a hugger, when I saw another thing. It was a brown suitcase. It was pretty big too. With an indifferent face, Bael said. “Oh, and your tuition? Don't worry about it. Just worry about studying and forging." I thought I heard it wrong at first.
I cleaned my ears a few times to make sure I wasn't hearing it wrong, but Bael still had that indifferent expression on his face. He wasn't joking. I could see it. He was about to open his mouth and say something, but I rushed to him and hugged him. I hugged him tight. As tight as when I hugged my own parents back then. “Thank you. Thank you, Bael....”
“Hays its fine kid. You earned it. And it's not like you can afford that damned tuition with the money you saved up. I'm sure it doesn't even cover half of it.”
I didn't reply and kept hugging him. I started sobbing and that was when Bael pulled me away from him. He grabbed my shoulder and said. “Stop crying! It's no big deal. You can repay me by being the best at that Academy and advertising our store. That is enough.” Bael wearily smiled. I stopped sobbing and wiped away the tears that were under my eyes. I kept looking down, not having the guts to look him in the eye.
This was too much. He didn't have to. Bael didnt have to. But he did. He already did so much for me and adding up to this, it was too much guilt. “Don't you dare look down Kayde Yarrow. Your parents, god bless their souls, didn't teach you to look down. I certainly didn't teach you to look down.” He gripped both of my shoulders, and it was tight enough to slap me out of my shame. I sniffled and looked forward as I gazed at Bael in the eyes.
"Thank you, Bael. I won't disappoint you.”
"You better don't. I got a lot riding on ya kid. Now fuck off. The trains leaving.” The train made one last final whistle, indicating for the last passengers to get on. I nodded at Bael, looked at him for a few seconds, and put my hand forward. Bael grinned and shook my hand. “Goodbye, kid. Don't forget me will ya. And don't visit me. Just focus on becoming a damn good Battle Dancer. I'll take care of the store while you're gone.”
"Goodbye Bael. Thank you... Thank you for everything.” We parted our hands, I turned around and never looked back. Tears wished to gush out from my eyes but I held it in and looked forward. Never looking back and never looking down.
Just Forward.