36 was doubtful about claiming any of his words to be a complete truth. The Wisher's words sounded right, but it may as well be something stranger instead. Pondering deeper into his words, cursing was all he could. Wisher's talk was quite a harvest, but it made his situation not clearer as it was... not clear.
Not even Wisher knew the potential troubles, since certain problems could shape their fate. It was a chance that would never happen again. The Ones would come in some time, so The Wisher was hideously silent of this matter, as he told it to 36 to see his reaction. It seems time was of the essence, and they both agree with each other without making it too obvious.
Both of them hold a lot of words back since the involvement of their souls was on the line. Even though 36 had more to lose, and The Wisher was the master of this ship. The nervousness which came with it led to 36's clenched fists. He did not wish to do any of this, but he would hate to rot in the Diary's space. Unknown and forgotten for all eternity. It was his chance, his way of gaining life once more. So what if he had a small chance for it? It was better than being left in the lands of dull darkness.
“It is a good way that you are here. With this, we can both get what we want.” The Wisher said with a smiling face.
“How to contact you again?” 36 asked as he noticed the ending of this conversation was getting over.
“I will contact you whenever I wish. It is my ability, after all. As for my topics of what I want to talk about, it will wait. It is still early for your student, so figuring out his path beforehand is more important. If not, the years will pass and The One's acts won't be anything but bad news.”
As The Wisher was talking the wind and matter of his body twisted apart. The face distorted and flew into the ceiling as if a ghost disappeared in the gust of the wind.
This was a long meeting, which was very important for each of these strange beings.
36 was seated beside his table for a long time, even after his guest left. He wondered over himself with a lot of questions. Possibilities he got from this hopeful meeting were tremendous, while also... meaningful and crazy.
“That willy fox... He is like me. I bet he left, lied, or make certain information twisted to make a half-truth. But still, he talked about the way of gaining his freedom, which is no laughing matter. I wonder if that is a true statement since he is the Artifact soul of The Ones.” 36 thought to himself while making a new rule in his soul.
Never speak out loud of his questions, or technique breakdowns, and act in a reserved manner. After all, The Wisher will be watching and he knew very well how Artifact souls act. Trusting this Wisher, he wasn't sure if this was a good way to go about it.
“This is another big variable to this mess... So the trial of rewards? That makes things a bit more interesting.” 36 smirked while voicing nothing.
In space outside of this prison of a Diary.
Sarey and Allan reached their home. In a different dimension than 36. It was unknown how it all worked together, but they had no way to care or know about what 36 was experiencing. Nor he or Sarey ever asked about the questionable way this portal and summoning worked. That wasn't surprising, but should be. After all, the space objects and summoning from the hidden dimension were not something anyone could do, even in the Immortal lands. It was only because these two are mortals, which explained their cluelessness.
Time flew on, and Allan talked little at all since coming back. Sarey was currently treating his hands and wrist which still had some bruises on them. After an additional hour of rock smashing, Allan figured out certain problems while Sarey watched it all. There were limitations with that mysterious healing power that solved deeper cuts, but what about smaller ones? This healing searing was coming from deeper within him. Like bones or blood. That was at least what Sarey assumed.
The effects of the soul-fire healed cuts and deep hits while the outside wounds did not. Small scratches and bruises against dull things healed at a normal pace. The healing effects acted in some specific ways that Allan did not understand. It wasn't a big deal to Allan, who found no issue with small cuts, but it was still surprising to him. It could even be called good news, since it seemed to follow some rules or something.
On the other hand, Sarey did not trust this healing process too well. With care, she observed and took care of any wounds with whatever knowledge she had. Medicine and caring for wounds was something that was much more fulfilling, yet unyielding. It was always factual that wounds could be healed with medicine, while this whole regenerative power was anything but strange.
The only good news was its strong healing properties. So, that was still a good thing in her mind, but only if there won't be a price for any of this. 36 said it himself, and that worried her.
She put around his bruiser herbal-looking paste. That was in fact, a mixture of special ingredients according to 36 instructions and pages. For example, the base for the paste was the Fiery Tulip, which was smashed into a small piece of paste. Then, it was mixed with the small leaf of the Spirit Grass, Blueline Crystallite, and about a dozen drops of liquefied condensation of Foggy Tulip.
Foggy Tulip was the most crucial and special. Its leaves would produce drops of elemental droplets which had the properties of being rich in energy. At least according to 36 information, which was rather interesting news to her. She never thought energy-efficient materials were available on her planet.
Her previous teacher, Terg provided a lot of tales. Such information that he guessed was alright for a mortal girl to know. Things like the ingredients of other worlds, treasures, and the energy surrounding the world were such examples. His stories of the Immortals and his own experiences were quite something for a curious child.
Sarey couldn't think of them as ordinary right now. These ingredients could be only some ordinary fauna with limited quantities by mortals. It was the case of an earth material that became unusual after absorbing the surrounding energy of the universe. It all came from the mysteries of the earth, which were also a part of the much bigger picture.
This planet right where she was, had an energy that acted at its core. Such power came from the universe where it was created, or from the planet itself. It was kind of similar to humans, which formed a core on their own and could produce energy as well.
She figured that nature itself is the cause of this. But, to her unknown heart, there were much more mind-blowing ingredients. Natural materials which could consist of nothing but energy itself or were rich in the currents of energy in the cosmos.
There was one particular story that was a famous ballad in the Central Region of the universe. It was about a floating asteroid. One which appeared like any other. Throughout its course of vast time and history, there seemed nothing weird or out-of-place with it.
Not like anyone would check every rock in the universe. That wouldn't make sense at all. Such figures would have other things in their mind, then check some rocks.
By chance or time, one day in the past this asteroid. A strange duel happened on its surface between the Elders who had some problems with each other. As for the reasoning and cause, it wasn't strange to anybody as Immortals fight for their beliefs. Cosmos was the best place for them.
Vast planes on some planets could do as well, while a special sealed space that could survive their power was a rarity. All in order to not cause havoc for their planets, the choice was a random asteroid in the universe.
Who would be crazy enough to travel into the void and solve their struggles in such a place? Immortals would because they can. Unknown to the reaches of that asteroid, that place became a place for such a duel for the monsters of the Immortal pathways.
When they came to its surface, they discovered grass of utmost clearance. There was even a small pond in the middle, around some hills made of glistering rocks. Hidden from cold, or anything, there wasn't even the low temperature of the universe that should have made it dead.
Instead, it looked like an idyllic picture for some romantic couple to make a picnic on that grass. A half-meter-deep pond would act as a small refreshment for their naked bodies.
In the exact opposite of such an idyllic picture, it caused a massive storm of struggles, blood, and even the destruction of a few planets. Ones which were not dead. Stronger Immortals realized the value through some spectators or friends who watched this dual. Slaughtering them, and the people who became the asteroid's first occupants, was a true battle.
Much stronger Immortals became interested, and more troubles followed. It made an endless cycle that went on for a long time.
The value of this little piece of an asteroid of a few dozen kilometers in diameter was something finite. Every bucket of the pond would cause one death amongst the lofty figures who wanted it for themselves. Only after an untold amount of years of struggle did it disappear amidst the destruction.
To this day, no one knew of its whereabouts. It was believed that it was a residual piece of land of a planet from far away. Its history was more than they would try to guess. Billions, or even longer, could be its time limits. No one would dare to guess how long the asteroid flew across the countless stars and clusters of energy.
As for the grass, rocks, or water from that place, some ended in lucky people's hands. It was long spread amidst the struggle that it was a top tier Above treasure. Type of ingredients which were legendary amongst the Immortals, and beyond.
Such things were something that the figures of inconceivable power noticed, or it was perhaps useful for them. This was a small time in history where The Above made an appearance. Only a few pieces of information about surviving materials from that time were known. They were still somewhere.
This little story was known by a few, such as 36. Terg of this mortal planet would never dare to imagine knowing about it. As for the materials which what Sarey had, anyone could find them on the mortal planets in small quantities.
They were just ordinary planets of very little value to owners, makers, or overlords of them. In the Central region, such ingredients were ordinary like dirt.
A substantial amount of energy was flowing in such a size around the Central Region that it seemed like nothing from the ground up.
However, from the space perspective, it was like a small river that floated from the very center of the universe. Sometimes less abundant, other times flowing with tremendous power and richness.
It was a spectacle that only the beings who could travel the space themselves could see.
All of this was a kind of out of place for the pair which sat in the room. A planet below their feed was in a rural part of clusters that had only a few strands of the smallest rivers.
Although, it couldn't be called a river, as they were weak.
It was a home for a somewhat powerful being, but it was not important at the moment.
Allan was involuntarily becoming the upcoming sun which would start something different. All caused by the fingers of fate, or to be a precise play which went beyond his little life or even his awareness.
“Ouch!” A small groan sounded in the room.
“Are you not a man? I am making sure your nerves are alright.”
“You don't have to twist my arm like a piece of cloth,” Allan said in displeasure.
“It is for your own good.” Sarey slapped his back as she couldn't care about his complaints.
Allan withdrew his hands from her reach by his force. No longer willing to lead himself to be touched by her. It was way too long already, and he wanted to get started on his plans for Zigmund's request of 8 kinds of blades. Since he did two such requests, Allan included Sarey's pair and the first blade he had done here. As for the broadsword, he would wait if it was even good enough.
Considering his choices. He could go with the spear, which he had some experience with, or with smaller-scale things. Blades came in all shapes and sizes. Broadsword, slim-swords. Some did not have any personal names. At least that was what Allan knew.
He already had some plan for it. They would all come if he had enough time and limits.
In all this time, he never forgot his dear Spy Diary, which he couldn't even read at the moment. It was laying in his forge, by a window below the worktable. However, It never crossed his mind to sough its content. It was written there for his utmost importance, yet Allan waited for something... He wanted to return to the past, in the future, where his eyes would shine on the world. A time when he would work on the utmost masterpieces of the blacksmithing world.
One was to wait for the right opportunity to try mixing once again. He tried it only once in his life and that wasn't even half successful as he wished.
His result from that time was in his pocket, thanks to Sarey and Zigmund. It was his remainder and pride. Unfortunately, his father never saw it. It became a question of what he would say if he have seen Allan's first try of such a complex technique. Perhaps he would be happy, or he would curse at Allan why he was even attempting such a thing.
Allan couldn't help but smile after thinking of this. He would scold him for sure, and he knew it.
In fact, it would cause more turmoil in Clayton's heart than anything else before. It was his own legacy with a secret history that he never revealed to his son for his own certain or selfish reasons.
Allan hoped for its start, but he found the need for eyes very important for the mixing. One needs to see the layers and issues before the upcoming moves within the forging. Hammering, reheating, and processing the appearance of any weapons had to be made for certain. There was no easy way to go about it without his eyes.
Checking other methods in his mind, he crossed them one by one. Usage of his hand, some metal stick, or a hammer, and so on instead of his eyes was not a great idea. It had to wait, although with the great letdown, that was Allan's expectation to become someone greater than his father.
That did not mean that he was finished. He could still do excellent work with metal in hand. Working with brand new types and free from worry about costs. It made him happy, although temporary.
Unfortunately for him, time was not on his side. Zigmund was already waiting for him in the courtyard.
Sarey was at first reluctant to let him go but did not find the right reason to not. From an outside perspective, Allan was fine. It was more of a question of what troubles could cause that soul-fire. It was something she could not imagine. More like she didn't want to.
Allan left, with his staff in his hands. Finding his path out was already quite clear, and he no longer needed Sarey for everything.
Though, certain things were that, while some never changed.
In about an hour, Allan jolted the door inside open. Staggering, he walked inside with both hands, laying on the staff that was his walking stick.
“Do you have more of that medicine?” He said with embarrassment as he heard the sight of Sarey, much to his surprise. She was still in the kitchen, as she did not want to spar for today.
Sarey was sitting there, watching and reading whatever she had in hand. There was no need to watch the spars, and there was no mood for her left to take part in it. At least for today.
“Did he stab you well enough? I may participate in this as well. How about that?” Sarey said in a mocking tone while being not least bit surprised.
“Oh? Acupoint therapy? Are you feeling confident there won't be any issues?”
“No. I am looking forward to any issues. Heheheheh.” Sarey laughed in a menacing tone as the needles were ready by her side.
“Isn't it too early for that?” Allan asked in hesitation, while his whole body hurt. Trying to step away, a wall was beyond his back.
“You can do the forging after this one hour of treatment. That is if you want to.” She gave him some choice, as she got up and patted his shoulders. There was no question about why he ended up in such a state, nor did she care about it. Maybe her father ended up in a similar state to Allan, but she did not know.
Like a person who experienced the torment of his training, Sarey knew very well what it took to train under her father. It left her reminiscent of those memories, only briefly, that is... because... of some unpleasant memories.