God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

The sharp, resonant sound of the hammer's impact echoed throughout the empty forge; an almost musical chime that seemed to bubble with life. Cain's body tensed repeatedly as surges of mana traveled through the {Burden of Xicina}, rippling into his arm and crawling up to his chest like a creeping frost.

His breath caught on his chest and his vision turned momentarily blurred.

When it cleared, the world around him was no longer the same...

The forge remained, but it was overlaid with an otherworldly glow. Symbols and runes he had never seen before shimmered faintly in the air. They danced around him, hovering like fireflies. Some flickered in and out of sight, teasing his ability to grasp their meaning.

The whispers returned—soft and compelling, but incomprehensible.

He adjusted his stance, gripping the {Burden of Xicina} with one hand and a pair of tongs with the other, holding onto the piece of metal. His instincts urged him to strike again, but his mind hesitated. There was something unsettling about these voices, even as they filled him with insight.

'Push through it. Persevere...'

The road to glory was littered with thorns and broken bones. To achieve success, he would have to destroy his perceived limitations.

Cain gritted his teeth and slammed the hammer down again,

'So what if it will drive me mad! What's wrong with a little bit of madness?!'

CLANG!

The material on the anvil began to glow faintly, the transparent substance refracting light in patterns that defied logic. The runes in the air pulsed with the rhythm of his strikes, syncing with each blow.

They broke apart, reshaped each other naturally once more, and pulled on the very seams of reality.

Cain knew exactly what this was; his forging was exciting the mana flow patterns that existed at the border of the physical and spiritual realms.

As he smashed his hammer down again and again, the voices grew louder.

They weren't just mutterings that led him to epiphany anymore; they were more like instructions; Fragmented and unclear, but undeniable in their intent.

"Bind the essence... weave the runes... Watch the patterns and strike at it..."

Cain hesitated, his hands trembling slightly. He wasn't sure what the whispers meant, but he knew that ignoring them might mean losing the flow of insight that had enveloped him.

"Watch the patterns..." he muttered to himself.

"And strike at it!"

BANG!

The metal began to glow with splendid radiance with every strike. The runes in the air continued to pulse and revolve around Cain faster.

The Burden of Xicina pulsed in his hand as though to encourage him. The runes seemed to lean closer, their fiery outlines wrapping around the solidified material like guiding tendrils.

Cain placed a hand on the now-translucent block, feeling a faint hum beneath his fingertips. The material felt fragile, almost like glass, yet it radiated a power that was anything but delicate.

He closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing.

"I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted, though no one was there to hear him.

And yet, the whispers offered no comfort, only persistence.

And so, with unshakable resolve, Cain adjusted his grip on the hammer and lifted it high once more.

CLANG!

This time, a shockwave erupted from the point of impact. It wasn't destructive—nothing shattered—but the air itself rippled outward. The symbols around him flared with brilliant light, and the once-transparent block began to shift.

Its surface shimmered, taking on a crystalline structure that reflected every rune in the air like a mirror.

And then it cracked.

The moment it cracked, Cain doused it in water.

A cloud of steam immediately filled the entire room.

Ignoring the steam, Cain's focus was turned up to the extreme.

The material had fragmented into five individual pieces that were bound together by some invincible force that made them apart but together. The glass like metal pieces looked brittle at first glance, but the material was quite durable.

With the magic brush in his hand, he began to engraved the runes and magic circles into of the surface of the material.

He continued this for hours, the picture of the results he desired clear in his mind.

Then, finally, he was done...

Cain's hands trembled as he leaned closer to inspect his creation.

"The Inlay magic circles resonated perfectly, and the rune holding back the corrosive property of the {Matted Igor} seems to be working perfectly."

His eyes sparkled with joy, "It's perfect..."

The fractured material pulsed softly, almost like a heartbeat. He reached out to touch it, and the moment his fingers brushed against the core, an overwhelming wave of information flooded his mind.

As the creator of this piece, he knew all there was about it. He had crafted and beaten the materials with his own hands and the soreness in his muscles was the evidence of how intimate he had been with the material. He had poured his knowledge and his strength into it's creation.

***

{Congratulations to Host... You have created a Legendary grade item. Please, give your creation a name}.

***

Cain stared at the item in silence. Then he picked it up.

It consisted of five glass-lile yet metallic pieces orbiting around a spherical center. The sheer in the middle was a radiant silver with countless tiny runes etched into its surface. These runes were a result of Cains delicate precision, and they all came together to form numerous magic circles that were inlayed together to form a single result.

He stared at the object, his breath heavy. It was no longer just a piece of metal. It had become something more, not the first of its kind, but something special to him.

The whispers returned, softer this time, as if satisfied.

Cain's lips curled into a slow, triumphant smile.

"It's name shall be {Demons Eye}."

***

{Congratulations to Host... You have created the Legendary grade item, Demons Eye}.

{Your skill, Neophyte Blacksmith, has evolved into the skill, Magic Blacksmith}.

{+1000 Free attribute points}.

***

{Demons Eye}:

Description: Crafted by a strange being with a wounded soul, the Demons Eyes only purpose is to see whar cannot be seen.

{Demons Eye}:

Perception: 10.0

Control: 4.3

Skills: All Seeing, Sightless, Optical Link.

{All Seeing}: The eye of the demons sees all.

{Sightless}: The eye of the demon cannot be seen by those that lack the blessing of the demon.

{Optical Link}: The eye of the Demon offers its sight to those that cannot see.

Limits: The sight is offered only within the limits of a two kilometer radius.

***

Although he had been the one to create it, Cain was still a bit surprised.

He had created this due to his inability to use his {Eye of Clairvoyance} skill for the moment.

In the end, he had gotten a bit carried away.

"Thanks to this thing, no doubt." Cain said with a chuckle as be glanced at the hammer.

The runes on {Burden of Xicina} pulsed again, almost as if acknowledging his success.

A grin spread across his face.

With magic, the possibilities truly were endless...

His grin became wider...

The materials that went into the creation of the {Demons Eye}, although rare, he had them in abundance.

This meant, he could make them in bulk.

Throwing his head back, he let out a chilling laugh, truly befitting a Demon.

Thankfully, no one was around to hear him...

Clearing his throat, he picked up another slab of metal and got right back to work.

***

Pushing open the doors to the forge, Cain tiredly walked out.

He hadn't spent up to a day in the forge, but due to the time dilation, to him, it was equivalent to a few days.

Over that time, he had managed to craft a few more {Demons Eye} items.

'So tired...'

He didn't get tired easily, but repeatedly swinging the {Burden of Xicina} had truly exhausted him.

He wanted to get some rest so badly.

Suddenly, the shadows in the room stirred and Evangeline appeared before him.

She gave him a smile,

"You are finally out. We were all waiting for you."

Cain raised a brow. Then he remembered.

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He sighed, "I almost forgot."

Indeed. Today was the day they all left for Valestorm.

Evangeline smiled, "The others are already leading everyone through the spatial gate. This place will be empty very soon."

Before he left Valestorm, Cain had left a spatial anchor behind.

That way, they would be able to reach Valestorm once again, without going through the lengthy journey.

Cain sighed,

"Then, that's good..."

He let a yawn loose and rubbed his red eyes,

"Then what are you still doing here?"

Evangeline wrinkled her nose, then snorted,

"So ungrateful..."

Cain raised a brow. He wanted to ask her what she meant, but decided against it. He was really too tired.

He sighed and waved at her,

"You should get going. Don't wait for me."

Evangeline gave him a look then nodded,

"You look wretched. Get some rest. But I won't be leaving just yet."

"Suit yourself." He said with a shrug as he waddled over to the bed.

The moment his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep instantly.

The shadows in the room shifted, and Evangeline disappeared, reappearing on the bed, next to Cain.

Looking down at Cain's sleeping face, she smiled slightly

"You jerk..."

She reached out to caress his face, bit stopped midway. Her smile faded away, her face turned expressionless as she pulled away.

Then she sighed and dissolved into the shadows.

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