Vas listened, taking it all in. Morrigan was always several steps ahead, it seemed. The next day, he packed all his CipherLynk modules, preparing for the mission. After some thought, he decided to ask Zola to come along. She'd wanted honesty from him, and he figured showing her the spirit forging process would go a long way in building trust between them.

Zola agreed to join him, and they arranged to meet in the Middle Tier.

"Hello, mystery man," Zola greeted, her voice carrying a teasing lilt.

"Really? After everything I've told you, I thought you'd drop that nickname," Vas replied with a smirk.

"Of course not. You'll always be mystery man to me," Zola said, flashing him a smile that held both playfulness and warmth. "So, what are we doing today?"

"We're going to hunt for a spirit to forge," Vas explained, his tone casual yet loaded with the weight of his task. "My Archetype is called Spirit Forger, so I need spirits to forge."

"So, no single medium then?" Zola asked, her curiosity piqued.

"More like, I have several," Vas answered, giving a small shrug.

"Alright, where are we headed today?" Zola asked.

"I have no idea," Vas said, glancing off as if listening to something only he could hear. "Morrigan will tell us."

"We're going south, to a huge building," Morrigan's voice echoed in Vas's mind.

"Apparently, we're going south to a huge building," Vas relayed to Zola.

"Alright then. I think that's near the company that invented the CipherLynk," Zola mused as they started walking.

"I guess so," Vas replied, sounding distracted. "Let's go."

When they arrived at the location, the building loomed before them—a towering structure that pulsed with life. Its exterior was a latticework of steel and glass, interwoven with illuminated lines resembling streams of data flowing in all directions. The façade shimmered under the artificial light, casting reflections that danced along the ground like living circuits. Neon lights flickered along the edges, simulating the transfer of information, while large display screens flashed holographic ads and company logos. The building stood like a sentinel at the heart of a technological empire, humming with a quiet, persistent energy.

Morrigan had told Vas that the spirit would be dancing around the building, and it didn't take long for him to spot it. The spirit was an ethereal entity, its form translucent and ever-shifting, as though it were woven from the very data streams coursing through the structure. Its body resembled a humanoid made of flickering code, its limbs elongating and contracting in rhythm with some unseen pulse. Glowing with an ethereal light, it shifted between soft green and vibrant neon blue hues, moving fluidly through the air as if dancing along the digital lines.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"There it is," Vas said, his eyes narrowing in focus. Without hesitation, he extended a thread of his Anima, his soul's energy, calling the spirit closer. The entity responded eagerly, drifting toward him with a sense of purpose, as though it had been waiting for this moment.

"Want to see the whole process?" Vas asked, turning to Zola, his expression half serious, half teasing.

Zola blinked in surprise, her curiosity bright. "Sure."

Summoning his forge, Vas brought Zola into a space that felt otherworldly. The forge was a construct of glowing embers, flickering runes, and metallic elements that seemed to hover weightlessly in the air. The atmosphere was heavy with anticipation, the energy of the place palpable. Unlike the other times when Vas had taken his time to listen to the spirits and carefully craft their form, this time he felt the spirit almost guiding him. There was no hesitation as Amendiares, as the spirit was called, melded willingly into the CipherLynk, as if it had always belonged there.

Amendiares was no ordinary spirit. It had formed from the echoes of forgotten transmissions, glitches, and data fragments left behind by ancient civilizations within Aetherion's vast network. Over time, the spirit had gained sentience, observing the ebb and flow of information, learning from the hidden depths of encrypted vaults to the open access of public knowledge. It had seen humanity's boundless creativity but had also witnessed the darker side of information—how it could be twisted, hidden, or used as a weapon. Now, Amendiares sought balance, neither chaotic nor controlled, but in harmony with the data it manipulated.

The forging process was swift this time, smoother with each new spirit Vas acquired. When it was over, they both stepped out of the forge.

"So, what did you think?" Vas asked, glancing at Zola.

"It was beautiful," Zola said softly, her gaze lingering on him with a newfound respect. There was something in her tone, something deeper that hinted at more than just admiration for his skill.

"How do you know what abilities the spirit gives you?" she asked, moving closer to him, the space between them growing smaller.

"I usually just know," Vas explained. "But Amendiares has a different idea." He gestured toward the holographic screen that flickered to life in front of him, displaying a basic sheet of information detailing the spirits he had forged, along with their names and abilities.

"Want to see?" Vas asked, leaning toward her as she stepped in to take a closer look. Their proximity brought a subtle tension to the air, the kind that lingers unspoken between two people who are more than just friends.

Zola scanned the data displayed, her expression one of awe. "It's incredible," she whispered. "Each of them has a history and personality?"

"Yeah, they do," Vas confirmed, his voice gentle. He could feel the weight of everything—his journey, his responsibility, and the growing connection between him and Zola—pressing against him, but her presence somehow made it lighter.

"Wow," Zola breathed, looking up at him. "How do you handle all of this?"

Vas gave her a soft smile, the kind that was rare from him. "It's not easy, but I'm getting the hang of it."

For a moment, Zola didn't say anything, her gaze lingering on his face. She hadn't really thought about how much weight Vas carried—not just with his Archetype, but with his past, his responsibilities. She wondered what it was like for him, to shoulder all of this alone.

But now, maybe, he didn't have to be alone.