The Celestial Forge

By: Schin Ka'Tharos

CHAPTER 20

(Part 3)

It took three more days before I felt confident enough to push for 2nd Apprentice. The days fell into a rhythm bookended by my morning routine which I duplicated in the evenings as well. All other focus and efforts leading up to my advancement were spent on stabilizing my soulcore and acclimating to the Ghost King mask.

With my soulcore and flowlines purified I was able to spend all of my efforts during my soul-forging on assimilating the celestial essence that I had not yet gained authority over from the rendings I had previously consumed. Within the silent walls of my tower my will seemed to bloom and I found soul-forging the essence to come more naturally than I had ever felt it to previously. This was the first time I started to acknowledge the deficiency in my Natural Flame and I realized how it was holding me back. I sensed the potential need to burn the essence hotter and deeper during my forging. The contrast between my natural flame and the power and potency displayed by Ciara’s use of her Web Flame was obvious. There was a reason all Forgers harnessed an eternal flame in their earliest days as a young Forger. Yet, despite these haunting thoughts I persisted in my Forging and still made great strides hardening my first soul-core layer and forming a solid foundation on which to advance.

I had continued to tinker with the Ghost King mask and was successful in finding a limited ability to adjust the filtering levels. At its lowest intensity setting, while still incredibly difficult, by the third day I could manage to wear the mask non-stop as long as I was not doing any physical activity or forging of any significance. However, by the end of the third day, I could manage to wear the Ghost King for about five to ten minutes while soul-forging.

It was my intention to wear the mask during my advancement but I was concerned about the viability. My desire was to wait to advance until I had increased my user time and tolerance of the mask sufficiently, however, I couldn't afford to delay. I needed to advance. Beyond my limited time-frame looming over me with the siblings, I was also tiring of the 1st Apprentice limitations and the need to bite my lip every time I put the Ghost King on. The vast upgrade in having my skin & lymphatic system flowline opened was not lost on me. I missed having my second flow-line open and was eager to enter 2nd Apprentice once more.

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I also really needed to head out to my garden but clearly required an advancement beyond my current state to do so.

On the morning after that third day of preparation, with five days remaining before I expected Ciara or Adeon would begin to wake, I finally advanced. I had collected all the Rendings I could from Ciara & Adeon and had selected one of the highest quality celestial rendings they had, which was even of purer essence than the few I had consumed in the cave. Nestled in my hand the insignia of the Merchants Guild was dimly illuminated by the Room of the Reflections constellations. I wondered at its value, certain I held a small fortune in my hand. A means to power. With no falling jade fruit to eat first this time I simply fired up my inner fire and consumed the rending, my eyes blazing a blue matching the stars around me.

My will split to create both anvil and hammer and I forged the new essence coursing within me. I pushed my Natural Flame to its limits, heating the essence to then mold it in the pattern of the Heart of Five Foundations. Following the unique path I had started down when healing my first soul-core layer I decided to create my second layer before opening my second flowline.

Instead of allowing the new essence to try to stay within my soulcore as a swirling storm I directed the essence to form a layer on top of the first. As the second layer started to solidify into its final form I shifted my focus to my second flowline. Its memory was still within me and easing it open was like stretching your body after an age of enclosed confinement. My soul-cores second layer linked to my skin and lymphatic system, and essence coursed through my second flowline once more. Instantly my body felt more like my own and I felt more connected to the world around me as my aura flared to life around the edge of my skin. Then the full-body aches washed over me as my lymphatic system began a mild purge. Black puss beaded across the pores of my entire body like pinpricks of black blood. Body purification was very minor with merely opening the 2nd flowline as an Apprentice and without also having the fourth flowline open in conjunction but I would still have some minor benefits nonetheless.

After a few hours I finished the first phase of assimilation of the celestial essence I could glean initially. Cinder settled within me once more but knowing I would soon cleanse it with the Red Lunar Drop allowed me to dismiss it from my mind. The amount of essence from the one Rending was impressive and I felt like I had pushed more than halfway through 2nd Apprentice. The remaining amount of the rending unassimilated would take some time to gain authority over but I estimated that once finished it would leave me at the brink of entering 3rd Apprentice if not having enough to push me into it. With my third flowline open I could possibly venture outside the tower albeit briefly and strategically. But that was down the path.

My second flowline was finally re-opened. I could finally truly start training my spell-forging once again. I tore the straps off of the Ghost King and raised the mask to my face. It sealed tight and became a part of me as it linked to my second flowline. It was time to get to work.

Next Chapter...

Chapter 21