Irwin shot up, blinking as he tried to figure out what had awoken him. A quick look at the cracks in the window panels showed it was dark outside.

What…?

He looked to the side, but Scintilla was still sleeping, curled up in a tiny ball with a wide smile on her face.

"Ambraz…?" Irwin whispered as he carefully slid out of bed, scanning the room for the Anvil.

"I don't know, but it was powerful," a familiar voice grunted from above.

Irwin looked up to find Ambraz perched on an edge in the wall near the ceiling.

"What was it?" Irwin asked, shaking his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "Why didn't Scintilla wake up?"

"It felt like someone forming a fullhand… but it's weird. That's normally nowhere near this noticeable," Ambraz said as he whisked down and landed on Irwin's shoulder. "You probably woke up because your cards resonated with what just happened. People that aren't smiths aren't that sensitive."

Irwin walked to the window and pulled it open. It was dark outside, but a deep red glow was poking over the wall, showing it was almost morning.

Deciding he wasn't going to go back to bed, Irwin snuck out of the bedroom. When he reached the living room, Greldo looked up from the couch while Coal's burning gaze was following his every move.

"What?" his friend asked in a whisper.

"Nothing," Irwin said, noting the slight worry in Greldo's voice. "It seems Crithann got another fullhand."

Greldo frowned, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch and getting up. "And you sensed that?"

Irwin shrugged.

"Well, whatever. Let's go and get some food ready. It's going to be a long day."

"Good idea," Irwin said.

Trying to be quiet, they began clearing the table and moving some bowls of flaming fruit and dried charbull meat atop, together with water. Halfway through, Scintilla came trudging down.

"Why in the blazes are you two up so early?" she moaned as she dropped into a chair and snapped up a fruit.

Irwin sat beside her, quickly explaining what had happened.

"Wow, that must have been some card," Scintilla said with a mouth full of fruit.

"Well, we made it," Irwin said with a grin while bobbing his shoulders up and down to jostle Ambraz.

The Anvil let out a grunt, humming in agreement.

"Ugh, are you getting a superiority complex?" Greldo snorted from the opposite side of the table.

"He is just finally realizing how great I am," Ambraz replied.

Greldo sniffed while Irwin and Scintilla laughed at the antics.

The day passed calmly, as did the one after. Irwin primarily focused on purifying the Purperion, still hoping to tip his cards over the next hurdle.

Finally, the day of Gadorley's return arrived.

Mid-morning, Gadorley appeared, and they gathered before Crithann's home. Irwin had knocked, getting a loud: 'I'll be right there', which meant they had to wait.

"So, did all of the offworlders leave?" Irwin asked, standing beside the elderly Viridian teleporter.

"Officially, yes," Gadorley said. "But Master Driseog told me to warn you that rumors have it that some of the Dead Pact Mercenaries might have remained behind, hiding. "

Irwin shared a worried look with Scintilla and Greldo.

They continued waiting, Gadorley seemingly perfectly fine with standing there till Crithann appeared. Finally, almost an hour later, the door to Crithann's home swung open, and the towering Viridian town leader exited. He was wearing a loose robe Irwin had never seen before, and a thin vine crept around his bare arms.

Irwin immediately knew there was something more, but as he examined Crithann, he couldn't put his finger on what. Still, they had been fighting and sparring so many times he knew something was up. The other's movements, his posture. Something.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Crithann rumbled as he joined them, giving Irwin a wide grin as he raised his right hand. Three filled cardslots sat there while beautiful vines surrounded them. "I sent Gebladir a message. He knows I'm ready for another heartcard, and he should be ready."

Irwin nodded, excitement growing at the prospect of watching another smith, a Ruby rank one at that, create a heartcard.

"Gadorley, if you will?" Crithann asked.

"Of course," the Viridian said.

Irwin looked up in surprise. Gadorley's voice sounded shaky, and as he gazed at the other, he realized the older Viridian's gaze was locked on the vines around Crithann's arms. Still, the green glow of teleportation and the rippling of plants and vegetation came as always, and a moment later, they were wrapped in a cocoon of green.

They appeared in front of the lake moments later. The incredibly busy market was gone, though the disturbed ground showed where it had been. Beyond that, due to it being daytime, very few people were out and about.

Gadorley moved away immediately, and Irwin followed him, wondering what was going on. He looked up at Crithann only to get a wide, knowing grin.

"You will find out soon," Crithann rumbled.

Irwin hadn't seen the other as happy as this before, and as the towering Viridian moved ahead to walk beside Gadorley, he noticed a spring in his step.

"He looks happy," Scintilla said.

"I guess that whatever heartcard he is going to create was a long time in the making," Irwin agreed.

The trip to Lord Urdwellan's house was quick, though Irwin was surprised to see guards standing at the doors. As he walked past them, he saw both Viridians take a step back and ogle Crithann's arms.

Getting ever more curious, Irwin followed them to the main room. The doors were closed, and as Crithann opened them, a soft tune began playing.

"What…" Crithann rumbled, his face filled with surprise.

Irwin could fully understand his reaction. The entire room was filled with well-dressed Viridians, a group of them creating soft, beautiful music to the side. Lord Urdwellan stood before a large chair positioned near the head of a table. Yuustis, his gray Ganvil, sat on his shoulder, lips pressed in a line, obviously not happy. It was the only one.

"Did you seriously think you could get away with this without my knowledge?" Lord Urdwellan said, a wide smile on his face. "Come now, Cousin! I've known you ever since we were tiny saplings!"

A soft, good-natured chatter ran through the room, and Irwin shook his head.

This isn't at all what I had expected, he thought, knowing from Crithann's quiet, stunned look he wasn't the only one.

“Geblader… you…”

"As soon as Irwin bid on the Dryadic card, I knew," Lord Urdwellan said, staring at his cousin quietly. "I have been keeping any information from leaking out ever since, and all these-" he waved at the mass of smiling, quiet Viridians, "- are people who I have known for a very long time. All were selected by me, and they all think what you are doing is for the good of the Eternal Grove."

Crithann's old, bark-creased face went from stunned to happy to calm, and he finally walked forward.

"I thought you might…"

"I understand," Lord Urdwellan said. "And any of the others would have tried to stop you. But I know you, and over the last few years, you have proven again and again that all you ever want is for the good of all. I wouldn't know of anyone who would be better as the first Soultree in centuries."

A hushed quiet went through the room while Irwin looked at Crithann.

Soultree?

"We are here to celebrate your eventual addition to the Soulgrove," Lord Urdwellan said, and on cue, the music turned from soft and mellow to exuberant. The other Viridians moved to smaller tables, and soon, a pleasant chatter filled the room.

Irwin followed Crithann, who walked to the main table and sat down beside Lord Urdwellan. He whispered something that Irwin didn't catch.

"So… a party," Greldo said as he sank on one side of Irwin, Scintilla already on the other. "Not exactly what we'd been expecting."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"I have the feeling that was planned," Irwin agreed as he looked at Lord Urdwellan.

"Indeed it was, Junior Irwin," Lord Urdwellan said with a wide grin.

"Junior? More like a punk," Yuustis snapped.

"Shut it, rustbucket," Ambraz said, his wings fluttering.

"What did you call me, bratty second-ranked commoner?" Yuustis growled, hovering from Lord Urdwellan's shoulder. A blurred movement came, then a hand gripped him, and Lord Urdwellan plopped him back on his shoulder.

"Yuustis," he said calmly. "Remember what we discussed. No talking and stay on my shoulder."

"Bah," the Anvil grunted, but to Irwin's surprise, he complied.

"Hah, rusty-" Ambraz began, only for Irwin to lower his shoulder abruptly and the Anvil to yelp. "Hey!"

"Not helping," Irwin said. Then he hesitated and turned to Ambraz. "But thanks for standing up for me," he whispered.

Ambraz's mouth had opened, probably to complain, only for no word to come out. It closed with a snap, and a smile appeared on the lips.

"As I was saying, Junior Irwin," Lord Urdwellan said with a grin. "This was indeed planned. I'm afraid even Gadorley didn't know. I'll apologize to him later, but I wanted this to be memorable for my cousin." he glanced at Crithann. "He hasn't had the best treatment by the rest of our family."

Irwin nodded. Crithann had told him about a few of the things.

"Now! Enjoy the fest, and in a few hours, the three of us will head to my private smithy," Lord Urdwellan said. "I'm curious to hear your opinion on seeing your first heartcard reforging. I recall my own as if it was yesterday."

Anticipation growing, Irwin nodded.

Lord Urdwellan turned to Crithann, and they began conversing in a deep, odd language that reminded Irwin of the rustling of leaves.

As food was brought to the tables and the music became slightly louder and more festive, the happy atmosphere increased. Soon, people were even dancing, and as Irwin gazed at them, he couldn't help but lean back in wonder at how things had changed.

The party continued for a few hours, with Scintilla managing to pull him onto the dancefloor, only to stop after a single dance.

"You really need to learn how to dance," she said as she sat down, smiling at him.

"Yeah, well, we aren't all graced with otherworldly agility," Irwin said with a smirk.

Scintilla laughed, then shook her head. "When we are little, all of us have to practice sword dancing, which helps with these things."

Irwin imagined Scintilla's athletic body dancing around and cocked his head. "I'd like to see that some time!"

"Sure, but only if you try and learn a bit," she said.

Irwin shrugged. "I can try, though I'm afraid I'm a lost cause."

"Everyone can learn how to dance," she said. "Look at Greldo."

Irwin followed her pointed finger to see his friend dancing with a pale green Viridian woman, both laughing as he spun her around, catching her as agile as a cat.

"Yeah," Irwin said with a smirk. "Another one of you agile people."

They chatted for a bit longer when Lord Urdwellan moved beside him. While everyone had been moving around, from table to table, eating and dancing, he had been with Crithann, talking.

"It is time," he said, turning to Scintilla. "I'm afraid you can't join him where we are going, but I promise I'll take great care of him."

Scintilla had turned quiet, looking at Irwin.

Realizing she was actually asking him if he was okay with it, Irwin quickly rose and nodded.

"It's fine," he said, wondering what this was suddenly about. They knew Crithann; he was a friend, and Lord Urdwellan hadn't done anything but help.

"Don't look so surprised, Junior," Lord Urdwellan said with a smile. "She is registered as one of your two guards, so officially, she would be required to accompany you."

Irwin looked at the Lord, then at Scintilla, who was looking away with mock innocence.

"Right," he said, unable to keep a grin from his face.

"Alright. Hurry back so we can try dancing again," Scintilla said, looking at him and smiling wickedly.

Irwin raised an eyebrow. Was she seriously asking him to step on her toes again? He wasn't exactly light. Still, he nodded. With a final wave, he followed Lord Urdwellan.

They exited through a side entrance, finding Crithann already waiting for them. He seemed more relaxed than Irwin had ever seen him.

"Let's go, Irwin. I'm sure you will find this interesting on multiple levels," Crithann rumbled.

"So… I presume the speaking ban is over now?" Yuustis asked from Lord Urdwellan's shoulder.

Irwin flinched, but Lord Urdwellan merely hummed. "If you can be nice. Yes. If not, I might need to see about cutting down your card consumption."

"Ughhhhhhhh," Yuustis cried, letting the last syllable stutter on as if something was being dragged across ribbed metal.

Irwin heard a tiny snicker from his shoulder but was surprised and happy that Ambraz remained quiet.

They continued down and deeper into the building, and as the sounds of the city and others dulled, a sense of being enclosed came to Irwin. Finally, they reached a wide, round staircase that led down into the depths. Walking down, Lord Urdwellan looked back at him with sparkling eyes.

"You might wonder why I placed my smithy so far down and away," he said. "Let's just say that there was a very good reason for it."

Crithann grinned but remained quiet, showing he must know what was going on.

The trip down lasted for ten minutes, and the final bit led in a straight line down to a massive wooden door. Lord Urdwellan placed his hand on the center of the door, which was bound with bands of metal, some of which Irwin recognized. There was a sense of massive pressure that caused Irwin to take a step back, then the door swung open soundlessly. A massive wave of heat rippled out, startling even Irwin. Heat ripples played through the air ahead, and as he watched inside, a damp heat wrapped around him.

They were in a cylindrical wooden cave with a single round balcony on one side and two staircases leading up to it. In the center was a spacious redwood slab from which the heat radiated out.

Taking a deep breath, Irwin felt his body relax, and he couldn't help but smile.

"You definitely have the correct cards and predisposition for a smith," Lord Urdwellan said as he continued ahead. The door behind them closed of its own accord. "Yuustis!"

There was a weary sigh as the other Ganvil shot forward, landing on redwood. There was a blinding flash, and then Irwin saw a massive Anvil stand before them. It was immense, as large as Ambraz had been when he first saw him, and a much duller dark. Thin red lines covered a section on the bottom, causing Irwin to frown in surprise.

Is that-

"Told you he was rusty," Ambraz whispered in his ear.

Irwin held back a grin as he walked forward.

Lord Urdwellan was standing beside the Anvil, looking tiny.

"Now, before we continue, I will explain a few things," he said. "First, turning two fullhands into a heartcard is different from all other types of reforging. It's more difficult than reforging a single card no matter its rank, more energy costly than reforging soulcards, and many Ruby Rank smiths don't bother after they showcase it one time to prove their rank."

Irwin gaped. "If that's true, who makes all the heartcards?"

Lord Urdwellan smirked. "A few very wealthy smiths, most of whom have their own charter on one of the larger worlds. Your own charter leader, Tensor, is one of them, although he is still young. Due to this, only those too poor to pay for a trip to a more developed world will take the gamble. It is also one of the reasons I don't usually allow higher-rank smiths here."

Irwin blinked, then grimaced. "Right, none higher than Topaz?" he said, realizing that meant he was actually too high to be here.

"Exactly," Lord Urdwellan said. "Do you know what can happen if a smith fails in creating a heartcard?"

Irwin felt his skin start to crawl, and he shook his head.

"The best outcome is that the person gaining the heartcard dies a rather gruesome death…"

Irwin had the feeling something heavy was pressing on him, and he swallowed.

"And the worst?" he whispered.

"The cards explode, causing a chain reaction with those the smith himself has, in some cases blowing up an area the size of a large city block," Lord Urdwellan said calmly.

Dammit… Ambraz didn't tell me that, Irwin thought as he swallowed.

"Now, there's no need to be too afraid," Lord Urdwellan said, and Irwin barely managed to hold back a scowl.

"Because you have a Ganvil," Lord Urdwellan said.

It was only then that Irwin realized Ambraz was snickering softly.

"When you reach the level that it deems you ready to attempt it, the worst that can happen is that your target dies," Lord Urdwellan said.

Irwin froze as the deep green eyes pierced into his.

"So. I know you have friends you want to help. All Smiths do. Chances are, they will come to you and ask for help to create their heartcards… My genuine advice is to not accept this unless you can have another Ruby rank smith to oversee it. As you will see soon, it is easy to follow the process of creating a heartcard. If you ever need to create a heartcard for someone, and you are not sure of yourself, find another to help you contain any mistakes you might make. They will be able to turn a disastrous outcome into one that is merely less optimal by stepping in to help."

Irwin watched Lord Urdwellan, feeling gratitude well up inside of him as he thought about Greldo, Daubutim, and all of the others.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"It is fine," Lord Urdwellan said. "Normally, your charter master would have told you this, but as you are not with him and growing at an astonishing rate, I decided to prevent misery."

Lord Urdwellan looked pointedly at Crithann's right hand.

"Don't think crafting that specific Ruby card marks you as a Ruby Rank smith," he said, looking pointedly at Irwin.

Irwin nodded, and then, for the first time in a long while, he felt his lips dry. He resisted licking them.

"What if I want to forge my own heartcard?" he asked.

Lord Urdwellan glanced at his hands, then smiled. "I presume you want to do it yourself?"

"He does," Ambraz said, sounding very sure of himself.

There was a snort from Yuustis, which everyone ignored.

Lord Urdwellan looked at the Anvil, then nodded.

"I understand. If you wish to create your own heartcard, I can help. There are a few friends and very highly-paying customers arriving in the next few months. You are welcome to watch me create their heartcards. With enough examples and your Ganvil, you should be fine."

Irwin didn't have to think on the offer twice, nodding rapidly. "Thank you! I will take you up on that offer," he said. Hearing no comment, not even a snort, from Ambraz, he was pretty sure the other agreed.

"Good," Lord Urdwellan said. "Then I think it is time for you to witness your first one. And I have to say, the chances of anyone seeing this specific heartcard as their first... You must be blessed by the elder smiths."

Lord Urdwellan waved to an area near Yuustis. "Stand over there, don't speak, and observe. I will explain things initially, but when I finally begin, I won't be able to."

Irwin took long paces to the designated area before turning to watch what was to ensue.

"Every smith that reaches Ruby rank and does more than a few heartcards has their own specific ways of dealing with one of the troubles of the process," Lord Urdwellan said as he moved to stand beside the Anvil that dwarfed him. "For me, I have gone with the following."

A dull green light rippled across Lord Urdwellan, and with an initial foot jolt, his body began growing.

That is… insane, Irwin thought as he watched the initially similarly sized Viridian rapidly grow to twice, then three times his size, and continue seemingly without any intent to stop.

When Urdwellan, now a giant in his eyes, had grown for Yuustis to be of an obviously appropriate size, he slowed down.

"The smith's size, density, and card quality all influence the amount of energy he has while reforging," Urdwellan said, his voice much deeper and louder. "For regular cards, this is almost never a problem, but with heartcards?"

The enormous Viridian's chuckle sounded like distant thunder.

"I was never one for finesse. While my master used singing and a technique so far superior to mine to do what I will do with a tenth of the energy, I never mastered that, nor will I ever. However-"

Irwin felt pressure ripple from Lord Urdwellan more intense than the heat of the wooden plate. The Viridian smith raised a hand, and a hammer appeared. It had a pale silvery green haft and head and was currently large enough to flatten a house.

"-I manage!"

Irwin didn't doubt it one bit. Who could even fight something like that? he thought.

Crithann moved forward, and Irwin couldn't help but notice a slight trepidation in his eyes. He couldn't blame him.

"Cousin, I will do my best to create that which you requested," Lord Urdwellan boomed as he lowered a hand before Crithann.

Irwin watched in awe as Crithann stepped on the hand and was brought up to the edge of the Anvil.

"I know you will," Crithann said as he stepped on Yuustis's surface.

Irwin felt his heart shudder at the intense power emanating from Lord Urdwellan, and he almost choked as the other raised his massive hammer above Crithann.

Before he could react, Crithann raised both hands, and an array of six cards in two closely knit groups appeared, hovering above them.

"Then, let us begin!"