Irwin moaned contently as he woke, stretching his arms up and then out, causing them to plop and crack.

Ugh, slept on my chest again, he thought as he pushed himself up, then flipped over on his back.

A quick inspection showed that he was still wearing his clothes, meaning he fell asleep as soon as he reached his room again.

I really need to go to bed earlier, he thought.

He lay back, staring at the wooden ceiling above him. There were no visible lines or places where they had been nailed together. Instead, everything looked to be made of a single massive sheet of wood. Even after over a month, he still enjoyed looking at it. He rose up on an elbow and examined the rest of his small room, the walls seemingly connecting without even the slightest crevice. Only the door and the window were open, and both the door itself and the shutters fit so perfectly in their frames that when closed, there was nothing but a thin line.

"Irwin, breakfast is ready!'

Irwin grinned as he pushed himself from his bed.

"Coming!"

He rubbed his beard, now a finger long and finally no longer itching. Even then, he wished he could get rid of it. The problem was that the few scissors they had would break if he used them on the metal-like hairs.

I need metal, he thought as he washed his face and hands with the bowl of somewhat clean water.

There was a rumor that metal had been found near Tréanbá, and Greldo had gone to take a look, but he wasn't back yet. Hopefully, it wasn't fake news like the metal that had supposedly been found near Cesterdon.

Cesterdon City, he thought, shaking his head.

He wondered how Daubutim must feel about his mother and brothers not wanting to live in Tréanbá with him and starting their own city. If it could even be called that. It was barely larger than a town right now, and although Dianor had managed to get a handful of stoneshapers and some woodshapers to follow him, it would probably take years before it grew beyond a town.

He walked down the stairs that were as well made as all the other things in the house and into the spacious kitchen and living room.

His mother was walking around, placing a plate with crushed and boiled nuts and another with half of a fish ready. Seeing her fluid motions and the lack of a cane caused another smile to cover his face. She'd finally accepted a card after he'd shown her the hundreds they'd had at the start, and with the emerald body improvement card that focused on constitution and regeneration, she'd healed almost overnight. Now, she was able to move and even run, unlike anything she'd ever been able to do when she was as old as he was.

"Irwin, you really shouldn't sleep in so long," his mother said as she gestured at the table. "Everyone is already busy!"

Irwin grinned as she sat down on the chair, a luxury still as the woodshapers were still mostly preoccupied with making houses, walls, and scout towers.

"It would probably help if you don't come home in the middle of the night!"

"I just work better after dark," he said, knowing it wasn't at all true. He just enjoyed reforging too much. Not that he'd be able to continue that much longer. There were barely any cards left in New Malorin that hadn't been reforged and slotted. The few that remained were mostly useless.

"Bah, kid! You just can't stop that foolishness," Ambraz snorted as he flew down from a small nook in the wall. There were multiple in the house, all made with Ambraz in mind.

Irwin didn't bother replying but instead mindlessly ate the bland mix of nuts, adding the occasional bite of fish. Ambraz's remark wasn't untrue. Irwin had been trying to figure out a way to detect ambient soulforce so he could then try and crystalize it in a card. Sadly, no matter what he did, he could only sense the soulforce running through his own body, heartcard, and soullake.

"I wish there were spices and herbs," he said, trying to focus on his food.

"So do we all," his mother said as she sat down opposite him, sipping from a small wooden cup filled with water. "Still, I think there's some good news! Bronwyn said that one of the scouts finally found a path through the Southern Forest! There are grassy plains with hills beyond them."

"Hills!" Irwin said as he wiped his mouth, annoyed as some nuts got stuck in his beard. "That means there might be metal in there!"

"We can hope," his mother said, smirking at him. "Bronwyn asked if you could come and see him when you woke. He wants to send you and Greldo out to inspect the hills."

Irwin hummed, then nodded. "Sure. I'll go to Endil and tell him I'll be gone for the day."

"Probably two," his mother said, unable to hide her worry. "Bronwyn said the path through the forest takes half a day, and even if the two of you are much faster, you will need him to lead you the first time."

Irwin nodded, smiling at his mother. "Don't worry, there's nothing in that forest that we can't handle."

"Perhaps, but who knows what's beyond? You know how little we know of this world, even with Greldo and La'suna scouting day in and day out."

A rustle came from the stairs, and a moment later, Carla walked inside with Drum. The baby was gurgling happily, and Irwin smiled as Carla handed him his tiny nephew. The little hands rose and grabbed his beard, pulling on it slightly while the light brown eyes stared into his.

He played with Drum for a little while Carla helped his mother clean the table before handing the baby back.

"Alright, I'll head to Endil, then go to Bronwyn," he said.

"Be sure to say bye before you head out," his mother said, looking at him and raising her eyebrows. "For real this time! No sending someone else!"

Irwin grinned as he nodded. "I promise!"

He walked through the hallway, still pleased with how high and wide it was. With both him and Bronwyn the size they were, they had made everything in the house just a bit bigger, and he enjoyed not having to duck below the doors. As he stepped out of the house and into the wide street, the sounds of laughter greeted him.

A group of six children were racing after a dirty brown ball, probably made by the butcher, shouting excitedly. People were walking around, faces still thin and hollow, but many smiling or looking around with purpose. Some carried wood, packages, or bags, while many were heading towards the gates, likely to continue harvesting nuts or helping the woodsmen and lumberjacks.

Irwin stepped outside and closed the door, walking across the hard stone paths beside the wider, sandy road in the middle. Trenches were partially filled from the heavy rainfall of the previous day, and tiny clouds of insects roamed around. Their house stood in Flowstreet, part of the road that ran from the main gate to the central square.

Walking through the city-to-be, Irwin couldn't help but feel proud of his brother and everyone else's work. Only two months had passed since the portal had closed, but New Malorin was already rapidly becoming a bustling place, and it wasn't the only thing in the southern part of the region. Dozens of tiny villages and some larger towns were being made within a few hours in all directions.

Irwin reached the crafter's square, a large oval square that Bronwyn had designated to also hold the market ones, which was actually something they could do. The buildings around it were some of the most completed in the entire city, many having a second story, unlike those further on the outside. In the middle of the square's northern part was a spacious stone-and-wooden building with an open smithing area to the side and a large board above the main entrance that read: Volcano Smithy.

People had wanted the smithy to be named after him, but Irwin was glad he'd put a stop to that. He wasn't going to stay here forever, which meant Endil would be the one who did most of the smithing. Even if he eventually returned for longer than a visit, he still didn't find it appropriate to call the smithy after himself.

The loud thudding of a hammer on an anvil rang from the distant building, blending with the sounds from the city.

Looks like Endil is early again, he thought as he walked across the square, waving at a few of the other crafters.

As he passed Heanson's Woodworking, he looked through the open windows, almost stopping in surprise. There were actually a few chairs, small tables, and wooden spoons, bowls, and cups displayed on the large wooden tables. There hadn't been anything lying there since the place had been finished, as anything ready had been sold before it was even made.

I guess nobody has checked yet, he thought as he hesitated.

Should he spend a few of the coppers he had on some spoons and bowls? Then he thought about the hills and the rumor of metal veins near Tréanbá and continued walking. If he could find metal, he could just make his own things. With how few coppers there were in the entire city, any spent would be hard to replace. There were so few brought from Giard that it was a good thing that most people didn't work for coin but for food and other resources.

As he continued across the square, Irwin pondered on the coin issue. Daubutim had created a set of initial rules that stated that most of the food that the rangers and guards harvested was to be divided among the populace. However, a small portion was to be kept by the city councils of the different cities, including The Ranger Council. The food could be bought by those with copper, though only small amounts due to the paltry stock the council had.

According to Bronwyn, Daubutim had said it would eventually kickstart the beginning of an economy, although Irwin had only a rough idea of what he meant by that. Still, he was already seeing the effects, as the little coin that New Malorin's Ranger council was gathering was immediately spent again on furniture and other things, which caused the woodworkers to start creating things, who then managed to pay others to gather their raw resources and so on.

I guess when I find metal, I'll need to create coins too, Irwin thought, combing his beard.

He pulled open the door and saw Endil in the back of the smithy. He was using his carded hammer on a massive stone that they had dug up. It was serving as a makeshift anvil for him to practice reforging cards. Although they only had a limited supply, those left were so useless that even Irwin didn't think he could make something with them.

They were the epitome of useless utility cards.

Which matched with what he saw above the makeshift Anvil now: a card that he recognized as one that would allow someone to change the color of their eyes.

According to Ambraz, the best it could become if he reforged it was either changing the color of other body parts or causing light to shine from the eyes as a weak torch. There might be some use for the latter, but it would be better if Endil learned how to reforge cards. He was the only other smith here, and Trimdir and the others were going to stay with Lord Bron. If they found more cards, it would be best if New Malorin had a true smith of their own. Besides, if metal was found, many things would need to be made, and it would be years before everything had calmed enough for true trade to start.

Irwin stopped halfway in the mostly empty smithy, not wanting to interrupt Endil's focus. The smith was humming softly, something that pleased Irwin more than he let on, as none of the other smiths, including Trimdir, seemed fond of it. They used it sometimes, but Endil was the only one so far that actually used it when things became hard instead of dropping it when that happened.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Irwin nodded, listening to the tune and sensing the resonance of the eye card with his own heartcard. There was a lot to improve, but Endil had purified metal for the first ten years of his life, and it showed. His strikes were well timed, not too hard or soft, and he was clearly sensing the direction the card wished to go.

When the card's resonance grew to the crescendo, Endil's hum had turned into a song without words. Irwin couldn't stop smiling when the shorthaired, bearded smith struck the last blow.

"Great job!" he said as soon as Endil stepped back with a smile.

Endil looked up in surprise, then grinned wearily as he picked the card from the stone makeshift anvil. His movements showed just how much it had cost him to reforge just this card, and Irwin guessed he could perhaps do one more later in the day, and that was it. Still, the quartz-colored border had turned purple, showing he'd succeeded again!

Ambraz flew from Irwin's shoulder and hovered before the card, which Endil held out for him to inspect.

"That's almost eighty percent," the Anvil said, incredulously. "Ridiculous! You are increasing at nearly the same breakneck speed as Irwin was!"

He turned and flew to Irwin. "We need to get to my world! This kid needs to bond with a Ganvil!"

Irwin's eyes widened as he looked at Ambraz while Endil was gaping at Ambraz in silent shock.

"Bond?" Endil whispered.

Irwin ignored him, not interested in explaining that which he only partially understood himself.

"I… think that's a great idea," he said. "But you know it's not going to happen anytime soon. We need to get through the upcoming winter-"

"Which we don't know even happens here," Ambraz snorted.

"-and then we need to explore further. There's a chance that the Galubs came from somewhere nearby, and if they find us-"

"We could do with more Galubs!" Ambraz said, cursing in his own language before continuing. "Remember that they dropped cards! That means they are one of the few ways to gather those without us finding another…"

"Shard…"

"World…"

“….”

"Oh!"

Irwin blinked as he looked at Ambraz, who had begun rambling haltingly and now had his metal lips in a surprised gape.

"Ambraz?" he asked after a few moments.

"Wait! Let me think!" Ambraz snapped as he flew up and began circling the room on his tiny wings.

Irwin shared a confused look with Endil, after which they waited as the Anvil flitted around, muttering and mumbling.

"Yes. That would work, wouldn't it?" Ambraz suddenly shouted excitedly.

He landed on the rock, his mouth-side facing Irwin.

"Irwin, we need to find where those Galubs are coming from! They are obviously from another portal, and although it could be that they managed to flee their own world before it shattered, it is also possible they found another portal world and came through the exit portal! If it's the latter, that means there is a world with portals and a place to find and farm cards!"

Irwin blinked, feeling slightly uncomfortable. It took him a few moments to realize what it was, and when he did, he felt somewhat odd. He somehow felt bad about seeing soulskilled beings like nothing but cattle for their cards. He crossed his arms, trying to figure out why he even worried about that. The Galubs had come to Giard together with the other demons and nearly eradicated his people.

It's the Imps, he suddenly thought.

He remembered what Scintilla had told him about the Imps and how they had been normal, peaceful beings before their world shattered. But it wasn't just that. Before, it had been others who came to them to try and kill them, and they had been defending themselves, either by closing the portals or by wiping out hordes of demons that attacked them. Now they would be the ones invading…

His mind hovered on hesitation for only a moment, then the truth of the situation returned to him.

The problem is that they are insane and dangerous.

Even if he wanted to leave them be, they would never leave him or his family alone. As soon as the Galubs found out about this world, they would attack them and simply try to kill everyone. Worse, the people from Giard needed cards because they needed the strength to defend themselves. Otherwise, when the other people of the Portal Gallery found them, they would simply take their world.

And it was when, not if, he knew. They were too close to the Sesnanser, and eventually, the merchant alliances would send a fleet to recover it. They couldn't just leave a dangerous entity ready to attack them or pilage their ships and portal hubs.

As his mind came to grips with going Galub hunting just for their cards, he looked up to see Ambraz hovering before him and Endil standing nearby, staring at him.

"You okay, Irwin?" Endil asked.

"Yes," Irwin said as he took a deep breath. "It's just that I never thought we'd go to another world and kill things for our own gain."

"They are crazed, close to becoming Addled," Ambraz said, sounding short and cold.

"I know," Irwin said. "You are right. We need to talk with my brother. He can send a message to Daubutim, though I'm pretty sure that he already thought about this."

"Seriously? I come up with a great idea, and you just… just… bah!"

Irwin laughed as he gently poked Ambraz. "Your idea is great. Just because someone else had the same idea doesn't suddenly diminish the fact that you had it, too!"

"Right. Right!' Ambraz said as he began flying around rapidly, laughing. "Hah! So, send him a message that we are going to head out soon!'

"Not yet," Irwin said. "First, we are going to check for metal, after which we need to continue training Endil so he can at least reforge up to Topaz."

"But we need to hurry! What if they find us first?" Ambraz said.

"We have only two ships," Irwin said. "Before we can go too far, we need to have a stable pillar below the exit portal. Do you have any idea how long it will take for those trees to grow?"

"No idea. Probably years, but I'm sure Daubutim knows."

Irwin blinked, then nodded, and he turned to Endil, who had been calmly watching and waiting.

"Endil, I'm going to go with Greldo to the hills on the other side of the Southern Forest and try and search for metal," Irwin said. "If you have any more questions about reforging, ask them now. Otherwise, I'll probably be gone for two or three days."

Endil nodded, then looked at the card and frowned. "You told me that cards can be forged against the path they want to take. When I was reforging this one, I sensed a split… was that natural path?"

"Very likely," Irwin said as he thought back to the reforging he'd watched before. There hadn't been a moment of a split, so it likely occurred right at the start. "Cards don't have just one path they can take, and in some cases, the paths that are open are evenly matched."

"So, how can I force it into one of them?" Endil asked.

Irwin hummed, then held out his hand for the eye-color card.

"Ambraz, if you could?" Irwin asked as he took the card.

"Definitely," Ambraz said, sounding eager. "The better he is, the more likely he'll get lots of interested Ganvils!"

Irwin hummed, then grinned. Somehow Ambraz's remark made him think of young men vying for the hand of a beautiful girl.

"Alright," he said as he placed the card on Ambraz's working form while summoning a hammer. "I'm going to slowly start reforging this, and if there's a split or two good options, you are going to feel me change the melody while my heartcard is going to resonate differently."

Endil nodded eagerly.

Irwin brought his hammer down, and as the card resonance began, he felt the same joy he did whenever he was forging. He also immediately sensed the slight wrongness in the card's melody and resonance due to the slight mistakes Endil had made. A few strikes in, and he was humming deeply, taking his time.

For weeks, he'd been reforging cards as fast as he could, but now he needed to do it slowly so Endil could sense it. The problem was that he was used to a high tempo, and he noticed that it was taking him a slight effort to go at half pace. Still, as he struck and hummed, he slowly began noticing that he could very clearly detect the tiny inconsistencies in the resonance. At one high peak, the tip was just too flat, and almost without thinking, he forced his heartcards resonance to shove it up, just a twitch.

The next strike, the tiny inconsistency was far less, and he forced a slight change in tempo.

Before he knew it, he was nearly lost in his own joy. Only when he felt the card humm contentedly while his own Heartcard was almost singing did he realize he had been holding off even starting the reforging process. All he'd been doing was…

Wait. What was I doing? he thought as he frowned.

The card's resonance flickered at his hesitation, and he quickly continued. He struck again, this time forcing the card, which had somehow been hovering in equilibrium towards its next stage, and within another strike, a split so clear it felt like a T in the road appeared. Endil had evidently changed the card along a certain part, likely the one of color if he had to guess, and now there were two options.

Before he could think, Ambraz hummed a tune, one of the two directions, and Irwin immediately went with that. As he struck, he hummed and sang. "Here!"

As soon as the word left his mouth, he felt the vibrations, barely perceivable even to his increased sensitivity, minutely influencing the card's resonance. It didn't seem to do anything, but as Irwin continued, his curiosity was piqued.

"Can."

"You."

"Sense."

"It?" he sang, one word on each strike.

It was partially for Endil but mostly to see what would happen.

To his surprise, the words seemed to do something with the card's resonance. It was hard to detect exactly what, but he did know the words hadn't been what the card had... needed wasn't the right word, but he didn't know what it had been. It wasn't good though.

Barely noticing what he was doing, he continued reforging the card, humming on occasion to find it didn't do the same as the words had. When he struck the last blow, he barely looked at the card, not interested in it at all.

"Ambraz, what was that?" he asked, putting his hands in his side.

"You ask me?" Ambraz snorted. "You're the one that reforged away most of the errors in that card! I never taught you that!"

Irwin was about to answer when he saw Endil staring at the card, then at him in awe.

"So? Did you sense what I meant?" Irwin asked.

Endil grimaced. "Sorry. I only felt it when you said now and forced the soft humming to change slightly. It was hard to determine what exactly, as it was the edge of what I could … hear? Especially with the humming of your heartcard loud enough to make the dust shake on the ground."

Irwin blinked, then recalled he'd always been sensitive, and with the increase that he got from his Heartcard to him, the song had sounded as loud as they were talking now. After a few moments, he decided to discuss what had happened with the words with Ambraz later.

"Alright, I'll reforge it once more," he said as he picked up the card again. The yellow borders were clear and bright, indicating the card was definitely higher than the below eighty percent it had been.

Another thing to discuss with Ambraz later, he decided.