NOVPUB[Location: Deep beneath the Central Fortress]
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The rhythmic sound of hammer striking anvil echoed through the cavernous forge.
Each impact sent showers of multicolored sparks into the darkness, momentarily illuminating the ancient runes carved into the stone walls.
The Soul Forger worked tirelessly, his massive body hunched over his anvil.
Despite the restraining harness that Richard had placed upon him, he moved without any trouble, his hammer rising and falling with perfect precision.
The metal beneath his blows, if it could truly be called metal shimmered and shifted like liquid starlight, forming into the shape of a blade unlike any seen in mortal realms.
"So it begins," he rumbled, his voice like stones grinding together.
The vibrations through the earth told him everything he needed to know.
The outer defenses had been breached.
Explosions rocked the western gate while another force penetrated from the east.
The central fortress was under attack from multiple directions.
A smile spread across his craggy features.
After months of preparation, Richard's enemies had finally arrived in force.
"The fool thinks this day is about his victory," the Soul Forger muttered, returning to his work like nothing ever happened.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The weapon taking shape beneath his hammer was unlike anything he had created for Richard thus far.
Its edge gleamed with an inner light that seemed to bend reality around it, the metal drinking in the surrounding darkness like a thirsty beast.
The Soul Forger had been giving Richard mere artifacts and weapons of impressive craftsmanship but lacking the true essence of his power.
Ten percent of his capability at most, though Richard in his arrogance had never suspected.
The human mistook ornate designs and flashy enchantments for quality, never understanding the true nature of soul-forged weaponry.
"Humans," he scoffed. "So easily distracted by pretty surfaces."
This blade, however… this was different.
This held a fragment of his true power, crafted not for Richard but for himself when the moment of freedom finally arrived.
CLANG!
"…"
The Soul Forger suddenly froze mid-swing, his massive form becoming unnaturally still.
Something had changed in the air around him, a subtle shift in the atmosphere that his ancient senses couldn't ignore.
Someone had entered his domain.
But this... this was different.
Not the usual messengers or guards Richard sent to fetch his creations.
Not even Richard himself, whose presence always carried that distinctive stench of ambition and fear.
No, this was something else entirely.
Something that resonated with his own nature in ways he couldn't immediately define.
Slowly, the Soul Forger turned his massive head toward the entrance of his forge.
A single figure stood in the shadows, completely motionless.
The Soul Forger's eyes narrowed as he studied the intruder.
Average height, unassuming build, yet something about him caused the ancient being to hesitate.
"I was expecting someone else to bring those to me," the Soul Forger said, gesturing with his massive head toward the crystalline shards visible in the human's hand.
Four fragments glimmered with inner light, pulsing in unison like tiny heartbeats.
"Was it destiny that brought you here?"
"No, simply by chance."
The Soul Forger considered this answer, then raised his hammer and brought it down upon the anvil with a resounding CLANG that sent vibrations through the entire chamber.
"I see," he rumbled, setting the hammer aside.
His pupilless eyes studied the boy before him.
"You must be here for some reason, I assume?"
Rel stopped at a respectful distance from the ancient being, close enough for conversation but far enough to avoid appearing threatening.
"I can free you," he stated simply.
BWAHAHA
A rumbling laugh escaped the Soul Forger's stone lips.
"From these chains?" He rattled the harness binding him with contempt.
"I could have freed myself long ago if I'd wished it. But to think a human would offer such hospitality... I find myself truly fascinated by your nature."
The massive being shifted, his granite-like skin catching the light from the forge fires.
"Even if you were to free me, I suspect you want something in return. You've known of my existence all along, haven't you?"
Rel nodded slightly. "I have a simple request. But first, I need to be certain you'll keep your word."
The Soul Forger considered this for a moment, massive shoulders rising and falling with his breath.
He had nothing to lose in this exchange.
Either he would be freed with some minor obligation, or he would remain as he was, biding his time.
"Go on," he agreed.
"A one-on-one battle," Rel said, his hand moving to the sword at his hip.
"If I win, you grant me the right to the fifth shard… the one in your possession."
The Soul Forger's eyes widened slightly, impressed by the human's perception.
Few could have noticed the shard hidden within the folds of his stone-like flesh, yet this mortal had spotted it immediately.
"A battle? Against me?" He gestured to his massive frame, easily five times the size of the human before him.
"You wish to challenge a being who has forged weapons that could tear reality itself?"
He leaned forward, the chains of his harness clinking against the stone floor.
"Even in this partially bound state, I command power you cannot comprehend. It would be like an ant challenging a wildfire."
Rel remained unmoved, his expression calm as he looked up at the ancient being. "Those are my terms."
"No restrictions? No conditions to level our playing field?" The Soul Forger shook his massive head, stone lips curling into a smile that revealed obsidian teeth. "You truly are either the bravest or the most foolish creature I've encountered in millennia."
"I've been called worse," Rel replied evenly.
The Soul Forger studied him, his pupilless blue eyes glowing brighter as he activated an ancient power—one that allowed him to glimpse momentarily into the future of any being. It was a technique he rarely used, as it drained even his considerable power, but this human's confidence had piqued his curiosity.
He focused his ancient sight on Rel, expecting to see the human's inevitable defeat, perhaps even the specific manner of his demise.
But instead of the clear vision he expected, the Soul Forger saw... nothing. Not darkness, not emptiness, but a peculiar absence—as if someone had carefully excised that particular moment from the fabric of time itself.
The massive being went still, his expression shifting from amusement to confusion.
"Interesting," he rumbled, his voice lower now. "I cannot see your future. Not even a glimpse."
He straightened to his full height, regarding Rel with newfound wariness. "You've found a way to obscure yourself from my sight. A technique to blind my true eyes."
"Perhaps," Rel said, his hand still resting casually on his sword hilt.
The Soul Forger considered this development. In his countless years of existence, he'd encountered beings who could cloud his vision, distort his perception, even temporarily blind his foresight. But never had he met one who simply wasn't there when he looked.
This human was more than he appeared—perhaps significantly so.
But even with this unusual ability, the Soul Forger remained confident.
After all, he had created weapons that had slain gods, had forged armor that had withstood the collapse of dimensions.
"Very well," the Soul Forger declared, his massive form shifting as he reached for his hammer.
"I accept your challenge, human. Let us see what you're truly capable of."
The ancient being's fingers closed around the handle of his colossal hammer, lifting it with effortless grace despite its enormous weight.
As he raised the weapon, a pulsing energy began to emanate from his stone-like skin… not the blue of his eyes, but a deeper, more primal blackness that seemed to distort the very air around him.
"I suggest you prepare yourself," he rumbled.
With a thunderous roar, the Soul Forger slammed his free hand against his chest.
SHAAAAAA!
Waves of black aura exploded outward like lightning, it was a cataclysmic release of power that had been contained for centuries.
The shockwave tore through the chamber with devastating force, ripping machinery from walls, shattering stone columns, and sending tools flying like deadly projectiles.
The entire forge transformed into a world of destruction, with only the ancient anvil remaining unmoved at the center of the chaos.
Yet through this apocalyptic display, Rel stood perfectly still, unmoved.
The devastating aura moved over him like water breaking against stone, through it all he remained unharmed.
When the initial blast subsided, the Soul Forger's glowing eyes widened slightly.
"You withstood my unsealing," he observed, his voice carrying new respect.
"Few beings could remain standing after such a display." He tilted his massive head.
"Tell me your name, warrior. I would know who challenges me."
Rel's expression remained calm, almost detached, as he drew his sword with a fluid motion.
"Axel," he replied simply, the name falling from his lips with practiced ease.
A slow smile spread across the Soul Forger's craggy features, revealing those obsidian teeth once more.
"Axel," he repeated, tasting the name.
"That's a great name. Simple, yet powerful." He hefted his hammer appreciatively.
"Names have power, you know. They shape destiny, forge paths through the cosmos."
FWAK!
With a casual motion of tremendous strength, the Soul Forger gave his restraints a violent shake.
The metal that was supposedly unbreakable, specially designed to contain his might shook in resistance before shattering completely.
Fragments of the harness fell to the floor with metallic clangs, the sound echoing through the devastated forge.
"Richard truly believed these could hold me," he said with a rumbling chuckle, kicking aside a particularly large piece.
"I merely waited for the right moment."
