"Take a look here," said Bolgart, holding up a piece of wood. "This is the living wood, what we call Elementlet steel."

Karn observed as Bolgart twirled the smooth, shimmering wood in his hand, its colour shifting from silver to green under the lantern light.

"We mould it into various objects to suit our needs," Bolgart explained.

They stood in a square training ground that seemed designed for beginners. The walls were adorned with plain sticks resembling crude swords, and the ground beneath Karn's bare feet was covered in fine sand. He gazed up at his large instructor, awaiting further instructions.

"First, we'll teach you how to shape the metal and then how to apply it. Once you've mastered that..."

"Metal?" Karn interrupted, confused. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand. This is just a piece of wood. How is it supposed to help me?"

Laughter erupted from behind them, causing them to turn around.

"Piece of wood?" chuckled a man entering the training ground from behind a row of archery targets. "Ah, you're here," Bolgart said with a grin. "Karn, meet Master Palin."

The bald man with a clean-shaven face greeted Karn. "I see you're wearing your gambeson," Palin remarked. "Think our recruit here will bite?"

Palin's comment amused Bolgart. "And what are you supposed to be, a soldier? What’s with the armour?"

"Of course! Come on, Bolgart," Palin chuckled. "Hurry up and teach the boy."

Bolgart grumbled, "I would have already if you hadn't interrupted!"

"Alright, alright, hurry up," Palin smirked.

"As I was saying," Bolgart began, "this is living metal. Yes, Karn, it's wood, but it was originally grown from an Elementlet, just like Alec."

Bolgart presented his own Elementlet steel and placed his free hand over it. The wood vibrated faintly as he closed his eyes. A small blade emerged from one of its edges, and Bolgart swiftly threw it towards the nearest target, embedding it in the centre.

Palin joined them, holding an identical wooden handle. "There are many applications for this material, depending on the user and their concentration levels. To grow the metal, you must put your thoughts into it. Once it's grown, you don't need to keep thinking, only while shaping it."

Bolgart retrieved his blade from the target with a grunt. "Now, since you've seen what these can do, it's your turn to make a blade!"

Palin placed the wooden section in Karn's palm, nodding in encouragement. The metal felt warm against his skin as he held it out, closed his fingers around it, and focused on the image of a sharp double-edged dagger in his mind.

However, nothing happened. Karn tried again and again, picturing different types of knives, but the wood remained lifeless.

"Again!" urged Bolgart, trying to lift Karn's spirits.

Karn made several more attempts, but the results remained unchanged. Frustration grew within him, and he even imagined a dull butter knife and a sharper kitchen knife, but to no avail. The living metal simply wouldn't respond.

"Still at it, I see," came Farlen's voice from the far end of the training ground. He approached them, holding something in his hand that reflected light. When he came closer, he concealed it from view, clenching his fist. "How far have you progressed?"

Palin was asleep nearby, and Bolgart looked worn out.

"I just can't get the hang of it," Karn muttered, feeling discouraged.

Bolgart stood by Karn.

"I've never witnessed anyone fail at this task before. Could it be ‘cause he’s an outsider?" Farlen pondered, his expression filled with curiosity. He took a step closer, discreetly tucking the object he held into his pocket before proceeding across the field.

"We may need to test if the metal reacts to Karn. Can you create a goblet, please?" Farlen asked. Bolgart's face twisted into a grimace as if he had tasted something unpleasant, and Palin woke up with a snort.

"Are you sure?" Bolgart muttered. "Things might get messy."

Farlen nodded determinedly. "Well, how else can we expedite the process? We need to depart as soon as possible. I had thought we could leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Isn't that a bit too soon?" Bolgart questioned.

"I'm afraid we can't afford to wait any longer. The sooner we set off, the better our chances will be," Farlen explained.

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Palin nodded in agreement. "I'm with Farlen on this one."

"Alright! Karn, come here. We must try one last method. In reality, we only have two options: mental shaping and the living goblet, or liquid shaping. We've only attempted the liquid method once before, and it wasn't under the best circumstances. Nonetheless, Farlen has determined that we should give it a try," Bolgart elaborated.

Karn nodded, feeling slightly perplexed and apprehensive. Bolgart extended his hand, and Karn handed him the metal without protest.

"And what is this 'latter' method?" Karn inquired.

"We melt the metal and see how you can shape it," Farlen responded.

Karn flinched and quickly withdrew his hand, as if he had already been burned.

"Don't worry, you won't feel any pain. Melting the living metal doesn't require fire, although, as Bolgart mentioned, it can be quite messy. There's no way to predict the reaction of the living mixture we're about to unleash. Now," Farlen gestured to Bolgart, who handed over the metal, "extend your hands, Karn, in the shape of a bowl."

Karn cautiously approached and cupped his hands as instructed. Farlen smiled reassuringly. "Relax. It won't harm you."

The metal shimmered and undulated, losing its solid form. Farlen cupped his own hands just in time to prevent the liquid from escaping. It darted around and coalesced into a swirling pool within his grasp.

Stepping forward, Farlen poured the concoction into Karn's cupped hands and stepped back to observe the outcome. The liquid instantly felt warm upon contact.

Karn's knuckles felt slightly damp as the liquid divided itself and flowed in different directions. It reacted strangely, as if he were running in place and the forces of the earth were causing the liquid to push and pull in various ways.

"It's sort of... ticklish," Karn commented, a peculiar smirk accentuating his curious eyes. "What do I do now?"

Bolgart leaned in closer and, using a gesture, pointed to his dagger. "Close your eyes and shape it," he instructed.

Karn nodded and focused his thoughts. He pictured the same dagger he had envisioned during his previous attempts.

Dagger, dagger, dagger, he repeated in his mind.

The liquid metal drifted slowly, first clockwise, then in the opposite direction. Karn could sense the conflicting forces of the liquid as it started to transform. With caution, he opened his eyes.

"What?" Karn exclaimed in disappointment. "Nothing again?"

The three men exchanged puzzled glances before turning their attention back to Karn.

Suddenly, Karn's face twisted in pain. He felt a deep burning sensation as spikes emerged from the mass of liquid. Thin metallic thorns materialised from a protruding vine and lashed out, finding their way onto Karn's skin.

"Ah!" Karn yelled, vigorously shaking his hands to remove the dangerous metal. However, the motion only caused the small vines to grow faster, entwining around his fingers. They thrashed back and forth, inflicting deep, bloody gashes on his forearms.

The three men stood frozen in disbelief, while Karn desperately tried to rid himself of the fluid, which now covered not only his forearms but also his knees and lower legs.

"Get it off!" Karn cried out in pain.

"What..." Farlen started to say, his voice trailing off as he stared blankly.

Karn jumped away from the pool on the ground, fearing the emergence of more vines. It was then that he noticed something strange. The three men were still looking at the spot where he had originally stood.

He dropped to the ground, clawing at his arms. The sand covering the ground caught onto the metal, tearing the vines from his flesh. As they fell, the vines vanished from sight.

Finally freed from the torment, Karn knelt on the ground, gasping for breath. His arms were covered in blood, and sweat rolled down his forehead and nose.

"Hey?" Karn called out. The three men turned to see Karn several yards away from where they were looking. They turned again, shocked to discover that he had been transported.

"What on..." Farlen began, but his alarmed expression quickly changed upon seeing Karn's condition. "What happened?"

"It attacked me!"

After a brief moment of perplexity, Bolgart muttered, "That's impossible."

"Karn, we just witnessed you shaping the metal without success, then you yelled out and froze. And in the next moment, you were over there..."

"It attacked me!" Karn interrupted, struggling to maintain his composure. "It turned on me, and suddenly... vines appeared." He could hardly contain himself. His arms burned, and the wounds sent sharp spikes of pain through his body.

Farlen glanced at the others, realizing they were just as stunned as he was. The man they had willingly allowed into their midst had shown no signs of violence, making his sudden transformation even more shocking.

"There's no way I can use these damn things!" Karn shouted then took a deep breath as a pad of light footsteps entered the grounds.

"Karn!" Hope yelled; her face creased with concern. "Your arms!" Hope rushed to him, gently cradling his injured limbs. "Who did this to you?"

Farlen stepped forward. "It was my foolishness, I'm afraid."

"What?" Hope asked in surprise.

"We should have taken more precautions," Palin added. "It wasn't his fault. We were just a little too hasty."

"Hasty?" Karn shouted, but Hope's gentle touch silenced him effortlessly.

"Shh. I'm sure they didn't mean it," Hope said, turning her gaze to Farlen. "Did you?"

The three men shifted uncomfortably under her scrutinizing stare. Hope turned Karn's hands over and examined them.

"And whose blood is this?" she asked, noticing the blood on his arms.

"Well, mine," Karn replied.

Astonishment flickered across her face as she looked down again. "Then where are your wounds?"

Karn looked down, only to find that the wounds had disappeared. "What?" he exclaimed, touching his arms. The pain had vanished completely. In the heat of the moment, he had forgotten about his injuries. Not only were the wounds gone, but the pain had also disappeared.

"Oh," Karn said, bewildered. "And you expect us to believe that the living metal suddenly attacked you out of nowhere? Magic, perhaps?" sneered an unfamiliar voice with a condescending tone.

Karn looked up to see the man who had been following Hope. He was young, younger than the others, but Karn knew better than to judge based on appearances.

"This is Roven," Hope introduced. "An old friend."

"Yes, I am Roven. And you are an outsider," he said, as if savouring each word before spitting it out at Karn. "I hear you're the one with the Red Book. They say you'll save us. I say you’re a liar!"

Hope gasped.

"Roven, restrain yourself!" Bolgart commanded.

Roven ignored him. Karn stared at the man with short white hair. His face was sharp, and his arrogant demeanour was clear from the way he carried himself.

"So, the metal stabbed you, and no one saw it," Roven laughed mockingly. "Rubbish!"

"Silence, Roven!" Farlen ordered. Roven glided beside Hope, attempting to take her away, but she edged away from him and moved back toward Karn.

"I believe you," she said softly.

Karn offered her a half-smile in return, but his gaze shifted to Roven.

All Karn could see on his man's face was seething hatred.