The forge was a windowless room with a cold draft running through it. Dellen’s eyes roved the space, searching for the source of the chill. The walls were floor-to-ceiling stone lined with lights. There was a large switch on the wall to the left of the entrance, Ardentus pulled it down and the lights flared to life. Dellen could feel the Electrical Aether running through them, albeit the sensation was faint.

Where the passage had been small and cramped, here the ceiling was high, and the room long and wide. Study shelves lined the walls, adorned with tools, and materials. Gleaming hammers and tongs of various sizes, chisels, and files were on display.

Alongside the tools were vials and jars. From the labeling, Dellen could see they contained rare ingredients and components. Vibrant hues caught his eye, beckoning him forward to explore.

Between the shelves stood sturdy workbenches with smooth, worn surfaces. In the center of the room was a forge, an enclosed space, not yet heated. Next to it was an anvil for shaping.

A gauntlet sat on a workbench, well made, but even at a glance, Dellen could tell it was unfinished.

Ardentus approached the workbench, his gaze fixed on the gauntlets before him. "Initiates, behold the Thunderweave Gauntlet," he announced, his voice carrying a mix of authority and excitement. "At present, it is a mere shell, waiting to be infused with the essence of Electrical Aether."

Dellen heard several sudden intakes of breath. The Thunderweave Gauntlet, the name sounded vaguely familiar, but not so much that Dellen was excited. Then there was the description… The essence of Electrical Aether sounded like pretentious nonsense to him.

Ardentus waved the initiates closer, “This is a delicate and precise procedure that requires specific components and materials." He made eye contact with each of them standing around his workbench, "First, we shall attune the gauntlet, enhancing its ability to harness and channel Electrical Aether. Next, we shall introduce crystalline shards of stormglass, which will imbue the gauntlet with the energy of thunderstorms. The stormglass will amplify the power of Electrical Aether that passes through it,” Ardentus paused for a moment, allowing the initiates to absorb the significance of the upcoming task. "Lastly, we incorporate arcanite gems. They will serve as stabilizers.”

He looked at each initiate, “I will assign tasks. You will complete them to the best of your abilities.”

Dellen nodded. He didn’t like Ardentus or the initiates around him, but this was interesting.

“You,” Ardentus said, finger pointing at Cassius, “You will hold the gauntlet in the forge while I feed Aether into it. You will not stop, complain, or move without my instruction.”

Cassius blanched but nodded.

“As to the rest of you, each of you, take a handle.”

Dellen noticed handles radiating out from the forge. Another memory flickered. Apprentices could stand around a forge, feed Aether into the handles, and warm it for their master. Ardentus was going to use all of them. He took a handle and fed Electrical Aether to the forge. The initiates around him did the same. Five of them, each holding a handle.

Standing to the side, Dellen couldn’t see a change. A minute passed, then two, then ten. The first thing he noticed was light reflecting on Cassius’s face. Ardentus pulled a pair of goggles from the shelf and slid them on, over his mask. He looked at Cassius, and Dellen could see Ardentus weigh his thoughts. “Collect a pair of goggles, gloves, and tongs.”

Cassius collected the goggles first and slid them over his mask, then he found a pair of heavy leather gloves, and finally, he found a pair of tongs that looked suitable for the gauntlets.

Ardentus stopped before the right gauntlet and held his hands a few inches above it.

Dellen could sense the Electrical Aether roiling off of him, an arc of electricity leaped from his hand to the gauntlet and held itself there, endpoints dancing along the steel and his palms. The arcs grew thicker, though the expression on Ardentus’s face didn’t change.

“Lift the gauntlet.”

Cassius took a long pair of tongs in his gloved hands and lifted the gauntlet.

“Put it in the forge.”

Cassius stepped forward and held the gauntlet in the forge. Ardentus stayed where he was, the arc of Electrical Aether connecting him to the gauntlet stretched and thinned.

Dellen couldn’t see what was happening within the forge, but he could see Cassius’s skin turning red beneath his mask. His lips split apart, showing clenched teeth.

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“Keep it steady.”

Cassius held his grip steady, even as the grimace of his lips and the clench of his jaw spoke of pain.

“Take it to the table.” Cassius backed away until the gauntlets were clear of the heat, then he turned, bringing the gauntlet closer to Ardentus. Ardentus pointed at an empty space on the workbench near a jar of stormglass, jagged shards floating in a jar, moving about as though held aloft by a tempest within.

“Eldon, come here.”

The tallest of the initiates released his hold on the forge and rushed forward.

“Maintain an arc into the gauntlet.”

Eldon placed his hands above the gauntlet, much closer than Ardentus had. An arc sprang between him and the glowing gauntlet. From the expression on his face, Dellen could see it was uncomfortable holding his hand so close to the hot metal.

Ardentus broke a wax seal on the jar of stormglass and reached in with tweezers. Dellen watched the stormglass swirl about, as unpredictable as leaves in the wind. Ardentus moved his hand and, without any particular effort, closed the tweezers on a shard and plucked it out. Still holding the jar, he used the tweezers to push the stormglass into the gauntlet. The stormglass sank into the metal and vanished. A second shard, then a third followed the first. Ardentus continued to pluck shards until the jar was about half empty, each piece vanishing into the glowing steel of the gauntlet.

He closed the jar and left it on the workbench. He then retrieved a wooden box from his shelves and opened it. Cold air blew across Dellen’s face. Even from a distance, he could feel a wintry chill coming out of the box. Ardentus moved faster, picking up what Dellen assumed was an arcanite gem. It was deep blue and smaller than the tip of Dellen’s pinkie finger. Ardentus pressed it into the center of the gauntlet.

The glowing metal cooled.

Ardentus snapped the box shut.

Lines formed over the gauntlet, much like the fern-patterned scars that Dellen bore after he hurt himself while forging. These figures spread over the gauntlet, and tiny shards of stormglass rose to the surface of the metal, glimmering in the light.

“Stop,” Ardentus said to Eldon.

The arc running between Eldon and the gauntlet stopped. The tall man sagged in relief. Dellen could see blisters crossing over the inside of his palms, some bubbles larger than a fingernail.

“Put it down,” Ardentus said to Cassius.

Cassius put the gauntlet down and put the tongs back.

“Release the forge.”

Dellen stopped the flow of Aether from his hand. He had to wonder why Ardentus had not instructed them to stop earlier.

“Wrap your hands,” Ardentus said to Eldon.

Eldon nodded and retrieved bandages from the shelves, he used the tips of his fingers to wrap his lefthand. Dellen lifted his foot to take a step and stopped, putting the foot down where it had begun, fighting his instinct to help.

Ardentus lifted the now-cooled gauntlet and slid it onto his right hand. He held up his arm, rotating it left and right, examining the stormglass and etchings in the metal. “This is passable,” he said at last, “Though we will need to take an excursion to the roof to test just how effective it is.” He continued to examine the gauntlet before lowering his arm.

“Out, now.” He led the way out of the lab without looking back to make sure he was obeyed.

The initiates rushed to follow, even Eldon, who was still wrapping his hand. They followed Ardentus through the short, cramped passage and into the room with training circles. Ardentus stepped onto the center circle, and the entrance to the passageway slid shut, accompanied by the grinding of stone against stone.

Ardentus waited for the last echoes of sound to fade away before he led them out the door and up the stairs. Dellen felt fatigue from the first step, and it only grew with each storey. He sensed the initiates around him flagging from the exercise after the constant drain of Aether into the forge.

By the time they reached the roof, Dellen would have been happy to sleep on the stone. Ardentus paid them almost no attention, but Dellen thought that he might have slowed his pace on the stairs. They stepped out onto the roof into a light rain. The garden sparkled with droplets, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of rain-washed foliage. The sand Dellen had raked twice before was falling out of unfamiliar patterns as the droplets destroyed its order.

Present on the rooftop was another group in red robes, Dellen suspected it was a class of initiates. There were five figures, two women and three men. Four of them seemed to look to one of the women for guidance. Dellen assumed she was higher ranking, both from the body language and from a silver emblem in the center of her robe over her chest.

“Ardentus, what are you doing here? This is my time in the tranquil garden.” Said the woman in irritation.

“Testing my students’ newest creation. We will be done shortly.”

Her voice came back like the crack of a whip, “Test it later. This is my time.”

Ardentus lifted a lazy hand to the sky, gauntleted finger held up, “Of course.” Thunder cracked above, “Though it seems the rain might interfere.” Another rumble of thunder followed, louder and closer.

“This is my time.”

The sky darkened.

“Elara,” Ardentus began, before a bolt of lightning tore from the clouds, ending at his fingertip, “Look at that. My test is already almost done.”

Dellen felt the hairs on his skin rising on end. Standing straight, almost humming, he glanced left and right. The initiates all held their ground, though the other group evinced body language that suggested less comfort.

Another bolt screamed through the air landing on the gauntlet. Power swirled around Ardentus’s arm, the gauntlet crackled with Aether. With another lazy motion, Ardentus pointed at Elara and released the power in her direction.

Elara dove to the side. The bolt of lightning screamed through the air, about a foot to the left of where she had stood, passing far from her initiates and between trees before dispersing over the side of the building.

A blinding light shone from Elara, forcing Dellen to close his eyes. Despite his eyelids, he was met with an overwhelming golden glow. He brought his arm up to his face, cradling his eyes and the mask under the crook of his elbow, reducing the glare to a dull red through closed eyes.

“I should burn the eyes from your sockets for this disrespect,” Elara said.

“But you won’t,” Ardentus said, voice light, but still disrespectful, “What reason would you give? Practicing nearby you?” He laughed. It was the first time Dellen had heard him laugh, and hopefully the last.

Elara’s feet slapped onto the stones near them.