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There was only one thing I could think of that would do the trick.

I made a quick detour and headed for the courtyard of the abandoned hotel where I had buried the orb a few miles away. Finding the tall oak tree, I dug it up and then wiped clean its surface to find the passage I needed, just to make sure.

It was under Shura 321.

Shura 321

On weaponry…

We who follow the Frenzied Flame are not bound by sect nor tradition when it comes to our weapon of choice in combat. Be it a closed fist, a short blade, or a mammoth hammer, all weapons can be used to channel one’s Frenzy into the defeat of his foe. Yet take heed, kindled one, for some are more effective than others. For this reason, eschew the bow or any means of attacking from afar, for such will never satisfy the cravings of one’s bloodlust. Choose instead that which brings you close to your foe and that which can withstand the full might of your fury. And think not that every blade can withstand your might. In time, even the strongest of weapons will be brittle in your grasp. The metal from which you doth glean is essential, for it alone can withstand the forge of the Frenzied Flame. Choose then carefully your weapon of choice and when all is understood, forge your own totem of rage with it, and mold it in the image of your choice.

I’d well proven the part about not every blade being able to withstand your might, but it was the last section I was interested in more.

The metal from which you doth glean is essential, for it alone can withstand the forge of the Frenzied Flame.

I’d memorized this line of course and had read it countless times, but it remained cryptic to me until now. There was only one metal that I gleaned anything from and that was the orb itself. And looking at the final line it all made sense.

Choose then carefully your weapon of choice and when all is understood, forge your own totem of rage with it, and mold it in the image of your choice.

It was telling me to use the orb to forge my weapon once I’d learned everything I could from it. I didn’t know if I had truly learned everything I could––I was learning something new every day the more my understanding increased, but I had memorized it all at least. I picked up the orb and gazed into it one last time.

This had been the key to unlocking the power of my Frenzied Flame.

Now it would become a vessel to deliver my rage.

And there was only one person I knew who could transform it.

* * *

“Master Edrik!” I called as I knocked on the door to the cottage.

It was getting close to dark now and the lights were on inside. After a minute the door opened and Lysa appeared in the doorway. Her blue eyes grew wide with wonder and excitement as she looked up at me, her mouth ajar.

“Chun! Is that you?” She quickly pulled me into a hug, laughing. “My goodness! It’s so good to see you. It’s been so long!”

“Yes, it has been a while,” I said, hugging her back. “Sorry to come find you so late. I was hoping to talk to Master Edrik, if he’s home?”

“Oh, he can wait,” Lysa said playfully as she stared at me, hands on her hips. “Let’s have a look at you first. You must have grown a foot taller since I saw you last. And a beard too!”

I couldn’t help but blush a little as she showered me with lemonade.

“Come,” Lysa said, opening the door wide. “You must join us for supper.”

“I wish I could,” I said, glancing up at the darkening sky. “But I’m in a bit of a hurry. I have someplace to be, unfortunately. Just needed to ask Master Edrik about a performing a crafting job for me.”

I said the words with [Struggler’s Resolve] and it seemed to get the message through that I had no time to catch up. Lysa nodded and closed the door behind her as she stepped outside.

“Well, let’s go then,” she said with a smile. “Edrik’s out back at the forge. I’ll take you to him.”

The acrid stench of burning metal greeted me, along with the banging of hammer falls as we approached the smithing shop behind the house. A touch of nostalgia hit me as I took it all in. This had been the place where I first started my cultivation journey. It seemed like a lifetime ago now, even though it’d just been a few months. I chuckled inwardly at how clueless I was back then, especially when I decided to take on that damn tree.

But I’d gained more than just progression from my time here. This was the place where I redefined the final goal of my Flame. Not just revenge, but freedom from the empire by carving out our own existence as Terrans, just like Lysa and Edrik had.

Edrik was pounding away at what looked like a plough atop his anvil. Lysa called to him and when he lifted his tinted crafter’s goggles to see me, his face beamed with a smile.

“Chun, my boy!” he said and gave me a hearty handshake as he pulled himself away from the forge. “You’ve returned!” He then furrowed his brows as he looked up at me. “By the nine hells, did you get taller?”

“I thought it was just me, but he has grown, hasn’t he?” Lysa said, nudging her husband.

Edrik squinted at me, focusing on my stomach. “Aye, I would say he has. In more ways than one.”

He laughed when he said it, but there was no denying that I had changed both physically and spiritually since I was last here. I had to have put on twenty pounds of muscle and grown an inch or two. And although the changes had been slow and gradual for me, not seeing Erick and Lysa for so long, I suppose the changes were far more dramatic to them.

“I’ll leave you two to speak,” Lysa said and gave me a hug before she departed. “You must promise to come back later for that supper, yes?”

I laughed. “Yes, I promise I will. See you, Lysa.”

Edrik watched Lysa depart quizzically. “So, what’s the visit about then, if not for my wife’s fine cooking? Don’t tell me you need another job chopping wood.”

Edrik laughed and I smiled with him before pulling out the axe.

“I need a replacement for this,” I said.

Edrik furrowed his brow as he took it from me. “What in the nine hells happened to it?”

“Eh… got caught in a fire…sort of.”

He raised a skeptical eyebrow at me.

“I just need a new axe, is all,” I said. “One strong enough to take a real beating.” I then pulled out the orb. “Do you think you could forge a new one using this?”

Edrik squinted at the orb as he took it from me and lowered his goggles to examine it. After a moment he removed them, revealing eyes wide with concern. “Where did you get this, son?”

I shrugged and tried my best not to lie. “Someone from off world. They said it would make a good material for a weapon.”

“Do you know what this is?” he asked.

I shook my head truthfully.

“It’s called Corrupted Steel,” he said. “Very rare. Even banned in some parts. And a tough metal to work with as well.”

“Really?”

“They say it only forms in the hearts of cursed stars. You know what those are?”

I shook my head again.

“They’re similar to the Bloodmoon. Only not a moon. The worlds around those stars are ten times worse than what the Bloodmoon creates here. If you can imagine it.”

I almost didn’t want to, but my mind was already conjuring up a world where the very sun evoked demons and devils. “You’ve seen these places?”

Edrik chortled. “Not me. And I pray I never will. But the empire itself was formed to combat them, or so the stories go––the star clusters of the demon worlds. Hellish places. If you ever want to see them for yourself though, you can join the Imperial Legionnaires, if you like.” He then let out a laugh. “They send those crazy bastards there to quell the hordes every few years. But honestly, I think it’s just to harvest the most powerful cores in the empire.”

“Sounds like what they’ve done to this place,” I said. “Only worse.”

“By far,” he said nodding.

For a moment I wondered what that would be like. An entire world cursed by monsters and demons ten times more potent than what was found on Earth. Would everything be an S class? Would they even have classifications for them? And how strong would an Imperial Legionnaire have to be to fight against them?

It made me realize just how little of this world I actually knew, and how vast the empire truly was. I must have been crazy to pit myself against something so grand to summon my Flame, but I guess that’s how long my journey might become if I was going to succeed.

“So anyway,” Edrik continued. “It’s a little surprising for me to see that you have something like this, to say the least.” I could sense he knew I knew more than I was letting on, but after giving me another glance he didn’t press it. “You’re lucky I’m a Core Realm artisan, though. Forging something like this won’t be easy, but I can do it.”

“You can?”

He laughed. “Of course, I can. They don’t call me master for nothing. Now what is it you want? A new axe head?”

I thought for a moment. This was a huge decision. This material was rare and likely illegal as Edrik had eluded to––another link to demonic cultivation for sure. So whatever I made, I had to be sure it was my true weapon of choice, because I couldn’t go making another one again so easily. I thought of the hatchet I used in the ring. Something similar to that would be perfect, but it would have to be bigger.

Much bigger.

“A battle axe,” I said. “But it needs to be completely made of metal. No wood.”

I then went on to describe it a little: single bladed and heavy with a shaft slightly longer than my axe to give me more reach. After listening to me, Edrik nodded and went into his workshop to trace out a design for me on a piece of parchment.

“How’s that?” he asked.

It looked simple on paper but the size appeared right. “Will it be enough material to make something that big?”

“I’ll use this to make an alloy,” he said, bouncing the orb in his palm. “A little Corrupted Steel goes a long way. And good thing too. Very hard to find.”

Just thinking of that made me wonder how Threja had gotten the orb herself. Or if she had even been one of those Legionnaires in the past. But that didn’t matter now. I had to stick with the present.

“Thank you, Master Edrik,” I said. “I hope this will be enough to cover it.” I then reached into my robes and dropped my last spirit stone into his palm. “For the other materials you might need. And your time.”

He looked up at me, shocked. “Where’d you get this?”

I smiled. “Got a better job.”

“I’ll say,” he said. “But I won’t take it. I have everything I need and my time for you is free.” He pushed the spirit stone back into my hand. “Besides, I’m actually looking forward to a challenge like this. You can get rusty making damn farm tools all day. But the bigger question is, can you carry something like this legally?”

I smiled and was proud I had put in the blood and tears to be able to answer him truthfully. “Sure can. I’ve joined a martial sect now.”

“Ah,” he said, his eyes beaming with comprehension. “That explains a lot.”

I wasn’t going to elaborate on which sect, so I rushed to ask my next question. “How long do you think it might take?”

He smiled. “You’ve gotten me inspired, so probably not long. I’m going to start it tonight. Come by around this same time tomorrow.”

24 hours? Not bad, I thought. I’d have to try and avoid Hong Feng until then.

“Thanks, Master Edrik,” I said, giving him a wrist-to-wrist handshake. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I called out to Lysa as I left the yard, who gave me a healthy wave from the kitchen window along with another shot of lemonade. As I turned towards the gate to the artisan’s district, I couldn’t help but feel things were falling into place. Thinking of what Master Edrik had said about the cursed stars though, I also couldn’t help but feel even my greatest accomplishments were trivial in a universe so vast and large.

Still, my goal remained the same and every step on my journey needed to be taken, no matter how small. Seeing the rest of the universe could wait.

Tonight, I had an Iron Bracket match to win.