I Can See Evolution Paths

Students noticed Arthur almost the moment he stepped through the enormous forge doors.

One apprentice looked up from an anvil, his eyes widening. "Look."

Another followed his gaze. "Oh? It’s Ira’s favorite guy."

That was all it took. Heads began turning throughout the forge.

"The madman is back."

"I knew he wasn’t dead."

"I told you he’d survive."

One older student laughed as he rested his hammer over one shoulder. "I was wondering when you’d show up again."

Arthur blinked. "You were?"

The student nodded. "You still owe Iron Hall another headache."

Laughter spread through the room.

Arthur smiled and waved naturally. "I wasn’t planning on dying."

"Good! We already have enough funerals around here."

"We do?"

Someone else called out, "Did you finally apologize to Master Ivan’s Salamander?"

Arthur scratched his cheek. "I was actually thinking about that."

The room became strangely quiet. "He’s serious."

One student buried his face in both hands. "He really is impossible."

Another burst into laughter. "I love this guy."

Arthur looked around, confused. "What?"

Sun sighed. "They’re laughing because nobody else would’ve remembered apologizing to the Salamander."

Arthur looked surprised. "Should I not?"

That only made everyone laugh harder. Even several instructors shook their heads with amused smiles.

The atmosphere felt completely different from Arthur’s first visit. Before, people had stared because they thought he was strange. Now they greeted him because he was.

Arthur looked around the lively forge. Students were waving. Several even called hello. Without realizing it, he’d become part of Iron Hall.

Then everyone noticed the little girl sitting on Arthur’s shoulder, and the forge gradually became silent.

One student blinked. "Who’s she?"

Arthur answered without hesitation. "Our friend."

Sun nodded immediately. "We travelled together."

Athena adjusted her glasses. "We met during the expedition."

Nobody questioned it further. Instead their attention shifted toward Eden. Unlike everyone else, Eden wasn’t looking at the students. She was looking at the forge itself, her silver eyes sparkling at the rivers of molten metal, the countless weapons, the enormous furnaces, the endless hammering. She slowly spun in a small circle. "It’s beautiful."

Several nearby blacksmiths unconsciously smiled.

Then Eden looked toward the students themselves. "So many amazing people."

One apprentice pointed at himself. "Me?"

She nodded immediately. "You make things that protect everyone." She looked toward another forge. "And beautiful things." Then another. "And powerful things." She smiled brightly. "I think that’s wonderful."

Silence.

One apprentice slowly folded his arms. "I’ve always said we’re incredible."

Another immediately puffed out his chest. "I knew all those explosions were worth it."

A third quickly wiped soot off his apron. "Do I look respectable?"

"You never have."

"Be quiet."

One older craftsman proudly nodded. "The little lady has excellent taste."

Another grinned. "Much better taste than Arthur."

Arthur blinked. "What did I do?"

Sun looked toward Eden. "Congratulations."

Arthur tilted his head. "For what?"

"You accidentally gave Iron Hall another confidence boost."

Arthur looked toward Eden. "You’ve made them stronger."

Eden blinked innocently. "I did?"

Sun sighed. "Again."

Even Ivan chuckled from deeper inside the forge. "I think she fits in just fine."

Ivan led them toward a circular forge unlike any Arthur had seen before. Five weapons rested upon five separate stone pedestals. Dusk. Mithra’s twin swords. Sun’s staff. Athena’s spear. Leon’s sword. Each one had been carefully cleaned, polished, prepared, runes glowing beneath every pedestal.

Arthur slowly blinked. "You already finished?"

Ivan laughed. "I told you tomorrow." He folded his arms. "I never said I’d wait until tomorrow to begin."

Arthur quietly looked over every weapon. "You worked all night."

Ivan shrugged. "A craftsman doesn’t watch the clock." Then his expression became serious. "I only left one thing unfinished."

Everyone looked confused.

Ivan smiled. "You."

Silence.

He pointed toward the weapons. "Go on, try touching them."

Arthur placed one hand on Dusk. Nothing happened.

Sun looked around. "Did we do something wrong?"

Ivan shook his head. "No." He smiled. "You’re thinking of them like equipment."

Silence.

"They aren’t." He looked toward Arthur. "They’ve already fought beside you."

"They’ve bled beside you."

"They’ve survived impossible battles beside you." His voice softened. "So stop treating them like tools."

"Treat them like partners."

The forge became completely silent.

Arthur slowly looked down at Dusk. A faint smile appeared. "You’ve worked hard. Let’s keep going together."

The instant those words left his mouth, the runes beneath every pedestal exploded with light.

BOOOOOOM!!

Golden light surged through the forge, mana rushing around every weapon. Arthur instinctively stepped back as Dusk floated into the air, dark silver lines slowly spreading across its shaft like veins awakening after a long sleep. Ancient runes lit up one after another, magic gathering around the spear, not violently, almost like breathing.

Arthur whispered, "It’s alive."

Eden slowly flew beside Dusk and her tiny silver eyes reflected the glowing runes. "It’s happy."

Arthur looked toward her. "Happy?"

She nodded without hesitation. "It heard you and it was waiting."

Arthur quietly smiled. "Sorry for making you wait."

The runes pulsed once almost as if answering.

Even Ivan’s expression softened. "A craftsman dreams of seeing a weapon answer its owner. Very few ever do."

One after another, every weapon answered. Mithra’s twin swords became lighter, sharper, wind gathering around them. She swung once, and the slash continued long after the blade stopped moving. Everyone blinked.

Sun’s staff grew crystal branches, mana flowing smoother through it. Kong immediately poked it, and Sun smacked Kong away.

The runes on Athena’s spear reorganized, and the weapon seemed smarter somehow. Athena immediately began writing.

Arthur laughed. "You haven’t even used it," he said.

"I know," Athena said. "But it’s fascinating."

Ivan paused before his eyes narrowed. "Arthur raised the sword above and and think in your mind, attack.."

Arthur blinks but still points Dusk toward the ceiling.

And then Dusk began to glow in a familiar manner.

BOOM!!

A magical explosion erupted upward, and the entire forge shook. Several students instinctively ducked.

Arthur blinked. "It can do that now!?."

Sun looked toward the scorched ceiling. "Just what did you add to this weapon?"

"Maybe an explosion crystal?"

Ivan held his chin. "Tell me, did you notice anything familiar?"

"Familiar Wait." Arthur’s eyes widened before he raised one hand and magic began to gather.

[Magic Burst]

A second explosion erupted, it was identical.

"Why does it look so similar to my Magic Explosion skill?"

Ivan nodded once. "As I thought."

Arthur looked confused. "What?"

Ivan didn’t answer and instead he pointed toward Dusk. "Now think attack towards Dusk and use your Magic Explosion."

Arthur tilted his head. "At the same time?"

"Yeah."

Mana rushed through his arm as his own spell activated, and at exactly the same moment the runes on Dusk burst into brilliant light.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The explosion doubled, explosion surging nearly to the ceiling, heat blasting across the forge. Students staggered backward. Several blacksmiths instinctively grabbed their own weapons. Even Ivan’s beard fluttered from the shockwave.

Smoke slowly drifted upward.

Ivan quietly closed his eyes. "I knew it."

Arthur tilted his head. "Knew what?"

Ivan slowly opened his eyes. "That weapon has copied your skill."

Instantly everyone froze.

"W-What!?" Sun questioned in disbelief.

Ivan nodded. "It reproduced the Magic Explosion perfectly."

"The same mana flow."

"The same construction."

"The same output."

He slowly looked across the five awakened weapons. "There is only one kind of weapon capable of doing that."

Complete silence.

Athena’s eyes widened. "Don’t tell me..."

Ivan smiled as if he was happy to have just confirmed something he never expected to see. "You guessed it... They’re Relics."

Arthur froze. "R-Relics?"

Instantly the image of the crown that could control Dawn City came to Arthur’s mind. And then he recalled Halburn’s words about storing his Dawn Sanctuary skill into the crown.

Even the surrounding blacksmiths had gone silent.

One hammer stopped.

Then another.

Soon...

The entire forge had gone silent.

Even the master craftsmen slowly stood.

Nobody wanted to miss what they were looking at.

One apprentice whispered, "Those are Relics?"

Another looked toward Arthur with disbelief. "Five of them?"

The forge remained completely silent.

Ivan nodded. "Whoever made these weapons somehow made it so the skill that was used the most would be drawn into it."

Athena’s eyes widened. "I-Is that even possible?"

Ivan crossed his arms. "Most people believe only Gold Rank Beast Tamers can create Relics." He smiled. "They’re wrong."

Everyone blinked.

Athena immediately opened her notebook. "Wrong?"

Ivan nodded. "They simply misunderstand the process." He raised one finger. "A Relic requires three things." He raised a second. "A material capable of surviving overwhelming magic." A third. "A skill powerful enough to leave an imprint." Then he looked toward Arthur. "And finally, mana at the level of a Gold Rank."

Arthur frowned. "So Gold Rank Beast Tamers don’t actually make Relics?"

Ivan smiled. "They provide the mana and the materials."

Silence.

Athena’s eyes widened. "Then the skill itself"

Ivan nodded. "can belong to anyone."

Arthur looked toward Dusk. "Magic Explosion."

Ivan nodded again. "You’ve used that skill so many times, the weapon remembered it."

The forge became completely silent. Even experienced blacksmiths looked stunned.

One apprentice whispered, "Weapons can remember?"

Ivan smiled. "The best ones always do."

Arthur rubbed his neck. "That explains a lot," he said.

Ivan asked, "Where did you find them?"

Arthur smiled. "Our expedition."

Ivan sighed. "I’m not sure whether to congratulate you or question every decision you made," he said.

Arthur grinned. "The disappearing part was unfortunate," he said. "The treasure part was lucky."

Ivan laughed.

Arthur quietly looked down at Dusk. He wasn’t smiling because it had become stronger. He was thinking.

"Professor."

Ivan looked over.

Arthur slowly asked, "Can Relics evolve?"

Complete silence.

One apprentice actually laughed. "He just found out they’re Relics."

"And he’s already trying to evolve them."

Sun sighed. "That’s Arthur."

Ivan didn’t answer immediately but instead asked. "Why do you think they can?"

Arthur looked confused. "Because everyone else can."

He pointed toward Vedas. "He evolved."

Toward Kong. "He evolved."

Toward Athy. "She evolved."

Toward Melo. "She evolved."

Then he gently held Dusk. "It fought with us too. So why shouldn’t it grow too? Aren’t Relics meant to be special?"

Complete silence.

Athena slowly lowered her notebook. "I’ve never thought about weapons that way."

Ivan simply smiled.

Even Ivan didn’t answer immediately. Instead he slowly smiled as he looked toward Arthur. "Come back after the First Year field trip."

Arthur nodded. "And then you will tell me?"

"If your question is still the same... I’ll show you the first step toward creating a weapon that history believes is impossible."

Arthur’s eyes shine. "Impossible?"

"No, simply forgotten."

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