[FLASHBACK]A younger Hidemi looked at the sky, letting his mind wander. The clouds would often amuse him, captivating his attention by drifting around the horizon. “Those clouds must be happy!” he would think. Being able to go, do, and be anywhere they exist, whenever they wanted. He envied their freedom. He felt a pressure on his shoulders. Turning around to see, he was met with the eyes of his father, Ivan. He watched Ivan mouth some words and then smile, grabbing his hand. Hidemi gave a smile, standing up, and following his father. …Now home, Hidemi’s eyes were focused on the forge that quietly heated up with each passing second. His father removed his robe, now in his tank top and hair tied up, he grabbed his hammer. Hidemi watched Ivan’s movements. Each strike, each thundering pound and chip at the material. The movements seemed complex. Every time the hammer came down, instead of remaining heated, the small bursts of Sanctum pressure Ivan released would cool it down enough
[Ivan Murong’s Cell]Ivan stared upwards towards his ceiling, back leaned against the wall and listened intently to the crowd’s jubilant cheers. It’s… Quite lively up there. Was his initial thought.And then came his second which he spoke aloud. "I hope you're doing well Hidemi. Good luck." …[Dwanivit Testing Grounds]The participants were off to a raging start, each one grabbing at their hammers and using the tip ends to strike away at the pillar. It wasn't long before several great shining objects revealed themselves."Ah!!" One kid yelled, ecstatic at his discovery. In front of him, the mineral he dug out glared a bright green."Hm? Well it seems we've gotten our first Anomalous Sanctum iron! An Odar!!" Banderd commentated, raising his voice to attract the crowd's interest.The grounds burst into a deafening roar."WOAHHHHHH!!!!""GOOD GOING!!! KEEP IT UP!!!""MY BABYYYYY!!!!"Several words of commendation were thrown at the young man. He smirked in happiness, running off toward
[One Hour Ago]Aleximus handed Hidemi the slab of iron he removed from his bag. "Let's get to work!" Hidemi looked confused, taking the metal and feeling it's surface. "The snake gave it to me." Aleximus said, as if reading the boy's expression. "I was told to give it to you as soon as we made it into the city. I need you to make me a sword.""Huh?!" Jace exclaimed, "No fair! Why do you get to have a sword?!" "Obviously because I'm better than you, che." Jace's face burned red with annoyance. "I heard Dwarves use something called Sanctum-Smithing right? You can imbue an object with Sanctum energy depending on your proficiency and level, making that object as high a level as your energy can dish out. Or am I wrong?" Aleximus asked him, ignoring Jace's pouts.Hidemi nodded, grasping the material with a firmer resolution. "Can you do this?" Aleximus raised a brow."MHMPH!" Hidemi nodded, nodding again. He grabbed at his hammer, laying the metal down on a table and prepping. "What ar
[Cheiftan's Table] "Y-You…" Banderd whispered. "What were you thinking standing out in public like that?! You could've been seen--" "Oh shut up!" A man barked at him, pushing Banderd down on a nearby table.It was Mercurius. He seemed peeved, as if his mind was occupied with something else. "Have some backbone man. Jeez you're a buzzkill." Mercurius sat, brushing his hair back as he stared at Banderd unimpressed.Tsk. This is why I hate humans. Banderd thought.Mercurius leaned in, clasping his hands together. "Do you have it?" "Of course I do." Banderd muttered. "Follow me."Mercurius stood. I've gotta hurry this up. The lieutenant is checking out that strange presence I felt last time but even he won't be able to get answers from that thing.He referred to Nahasch. He wasn't afraid of him, but still, his senses as a warrior warned him against rash actions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Present Time]“It’s none of your business.” Banderd said again, opening his eyes. He stared down at his cane melancholy for a moment.“Regretful?” Mercurius smirked, cocking his head to get a better look at Banderd’s expression. “Not in the least.” Banderd pushed past him, kneeling in front of the Zongo Fluorite and extending his hand behind him towards Mercurius. “Hand me your Universe Ring.” Mercurius’s smile faded slowly from his face, exhaling with annoyance that Banderd hadn’t given him the reaction he seeked. “Here,” He said, revealing a small ring inside of his coat. Its design was peculiar. 5 intersecting rings looped around and met in the middle, leaving space for a finger to go through. “You know, I’ve gotta hand it to your brother.” Mercurius whistled, watching Banderd take the ring and hold it over the minerals. “Creating something like this isn’t an easy feat by any means, hehe. A ring that holds a near infinite amount of storage, eh? He’s quite the thinker, that one.
The Dwanivit Grounds burned with anticipation. "WOO-HOOO!!" "YOU'VE GOT THIS ESIII!!!" Yeni's voice resounded once more. Each of the participants chosen to move forward now had a hammer in hand and stood facing a workstation. A furnace, 3 pieces of Dwarven Iron, and various other workplace tools needed in Sanctum-Smithing were provided. The pillars that stood earlier seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Magic sure is amazing… Aleximus gazed down at the participant dwarves. To be capable of changing an entire terrain like this… He looked down at his own hand, clenching it. I need strength like that if I'm gonna avenge anything. His thoughts were still filled with the threat Mercurius Saber presented, but his burning desire for revenge against the Eclipse guild was what gave him hope. He then turned to the seat next to him, remembering something."Jace…-" he started, but to his surprise, Jace hadn't returned yet. The hell? He should've been back by now.Instead, Leo, who h
**[6 Months Ago]**Banderd snuck away in the moonlight- leaving the chieftain's tent as if nothing had happened.He creased his brow; An intense expression of worry resting upon it."Sigh…" he exhaled, walking away down the street. 'You better be able to handle this, Mercurius.' -------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------**[Ivan's House]**{FX: **PL~OP**}The sound of something falling alerted Ivan who had been drifting into sleep upstairs. He'd been worrying about the challenge issued to him by Dwygrand and his acceptance of the proposal in which Hidemi and Hisagi would compete for Hidemi to earn his right to stay."!!!" He jumped up, his gaze shifting to his door. 'Hidemi?!' He ran out, flying down the stairs in an intense panic. His son was disabled and young. Any number of accidents could've happened while he had been asleep.He entered the living room and to his surprise, Hidemi was sitting there, unbothered and staring into a wall.
“!!!” Through the crowd, he could see him. Hidemi!! Hidemi stood with Yeni and Dorthy, hidden behind the former’s back and peering through the space in the crowd. Thank goodness. He’s a smart boy. He must’ve realized there was trouble and gone to them. Craning his neck in his son’s direction to get closer- even by an inch - was all he wanted. But the guards wouldn’t allow him. “SETTLE DOWN!!” The butt of a gun was jammed into his ribs, causing him to collapse to the floor. “Eugh-”“You better watch yourself, you murderer. Breaking tradition just wasn’t enough for you, huh?!”A guard whispered to him. In the streets, people gathered, wondering what was going on. But before the crowd could become too rambunctious, Banderd stepped out of the house, followed by guards holding a stretcher. And on it? Donnovan Murong.“AIIIEEEE!!!!”“N-NO WAY!”“WHAT’S GOING ON?!”The last yell came from Dwygrand himself. The crowd parted ways, letting him reveal himself. “Ivan? I should’ve known you w