Chapter -59: A Worthy Sword

In the quiet of the midday afternoon light, most folk were tending to their regular activities. It was a day of relative peace for once, as every single Tribe decided to not cause trouble.

It was a chance for the Genesis Samurai and their allies to just enjoy being themselves, or take care of whatever things their peace efforts had left them incapable of doing.

Carmine spent time planting new growth alongside his wife and daughter.

Tina was learning how to swim from her auntie Lulu, despite Brine's nervous protests...

Darnia nestled up with his wife atop their roof and they watched the birds go by, playing a game to see who could count the most of a certain species.

Without his son around much these days, Ezekiel took up more of the workload around his home to keep himself preoccupied.

Cecilia, meanwhile, was the one going over to Pulsa Minoria to make sure he wasn't being threatened.

He was fine, having grown accustomed to the way things were run. He was currently learning how to put together wiring on new drones.

Magmankey had sensed the vibe in the air and dug it enough to hold off on the battles for now.

Heck, even Solomon was enjoying himself, as much as his like could manage anyways. He was the sole figure who could engage with Dimentio on a personal level, and spent his days listening to the self-appointed jester discuss the finer philosophies of identity.

Yes, all around the planet it was almost like an Earthen holiday.

But one man could not remain quiet in times of peace.

In the comfort of his wife's basement, Solomon was still training to get a better grip on his elements, specifically the power of Light he had gained a while back.

With their limited space he could only push his body so far in this new form, the speed of it manifesting mostly in his reflexes.

Auris engaged him with her Aegis Dragoon Drive and swung at him with harrowing slashes aimed at his vitals.

His senses were purposefully tricked into believing she was an enemy and hardened to match her blow for blow. The mirror beside them trembled and cracked, and would have to be repaired at the end of it all.

And that wasn't all that showed wear, for Sarajin's blade started to feel brittler with each strike he parried.

At least there was no danger of pushing themselves...at the moment.

But while they were sparring their son came wandering down the stairs, fresh off his afternoon nap, and a hand-knit wool blanket dragged behind him.

He was five years old at this point and had grown a full head of fiery red hair and had a lot of energy to spare, which made it that much easier for him to burn out. He was a sleepy guy, but he had them to cuddle next to.

He was starting to open his eyes fully in response to the bright aura shimmering off his mother's slashes.

She dashed at her husband with a sweeping upward slash and he swung down, trying to push past her in the process.

This proved to be his sword's last breath, however, as the top half of the blade snapped off and went hurtling over her shoulder towards their son.

The two parents bit their teeth with a nasally hiss and while Auris whipped back to shield him with a small aura wall, Sarajin dispelled his form and grabbed the blade part with his mind.

The blade shook with a metallic vibration while Zeno's eyes were now wide open.

The two then hung their heads and sighed. Sarajin let go of the blade and ran over, falling into a kneeling pose with an awkward grin on his face, "S-Sorry about that son, you ok?"

Zeno was a happy little kid smiling even bigger than his dad, "Awww, I wanna watch you guys some more!"

Auris came over next and patted him on the cheek, "We told you, it's too dangerous. If you feel the house shaking, stay upstairs."

Zeno then looked to his father and bemoaned, "Daaaaaaad..."

"Listen to your mother," Sarajin chuckled, "She's the wiser one."

Zeno pouted then tried to grab more attention while he had a chance, "I'm hungry..."

Auris closed her eyes and with a fond sigh waved her hand out beside her head and remarked, "Head upstairs, I'll prepare your favorite lunch."

Zeno gasped and bounced a few times into the air, "Lamb chops and broccoli gravy! Oh boy!"

He then scurried up the stairs while Sarajin gestured at his wife trailing after him, "He gets this from you."

"The energy or the interest in fighting?" She said with a humored smile.

"The latter, don't know where he gets the energy from." Sarajin admitted with sincerity, causing Auris to raise a brow and continue climbing the stairs.

Sarajin then bent down and scooped the broken part of his sword up, mumbling to himself, "It happened again..."

After feeding Zeno they took him up to see his grandparents for the latter half of the day, leaving them plenty of time to go over future plans.

And the immediate object of concern was on both their minds, with Auris beginning the conversation as such: "So how many swords have you gone through now?"

Sarajin got red in the face and limply held up four fingers. He then gestured out and suggested, "I'll just ask one of the blacksmiths for a stronger one."

"I wonder...would that be a wise idea at this point? I feel the problem isn't with the quality of the blade so much as it is the strength of its wielder." Auris suggested.

"I have been able to keep up with you more often lately, but it feels like it's only because of the Light Form."

"And that's the only time your sword breaks too."

"I just don't get why," Sarajin said, rubbing his head to deepen his concentration, "I'm only able to use it for up to a minute and a half so far without getting exhausted."

"Better than nothing." She leaned on the positive side of things.

"Given how many naps I was taking when we started off, yeah."

She then resumed from the "Why", "I'm confused as well. I assumed that Conduit Forms followed the same principles as Drives."

"Right, your sword and shield is able to keep up with your strength."

"But in fairness..." Auris drew her blade for examination, "My sword is forged in orichalchum, making it very durable."

"Never heard of it." Sarajin said bluntly.

"You wouldn't. It's a material that theoretically doesn't exist," Auris closed her eyes and dispelled her sword, waving the hand around as she continued, "I say 'theoretically' because that was before you learned of other worlds out there."

Sarajin then crossed his arms and picked out from this conversation, "So let me guess, your father figured out how to make orichalchum."

"...Yes." And immediately upon answering that she opened her eyes narrowly towards him, causing him to flinch.

"I-I'm not going to ask your dad to forge a new sword for me. It's taken this long just to stop him from showing me the door."

She smiled and secretly let out a sigh, "Good. So long as we're on the same page here..."

"Then what should I do?"

"We're too deep into your training to force you to adapt to a bare-handed fighting style."

"So should I go with my original plan?" Sarajin suggested.

"Hmm, I feel that's your best bet at the moment."

Sarajin paused for a few moments and then waved his hand out, "You've already seen this as the right path."

"Y-Yes," She admitted without pause and then rested her hand against the side of her face, "I hate dancing around the answers, but I still want to pretend like we can have a normal conversation about these things."

Sarajin put on his best smile and whispered to her, "I'd trust your judgment, with or without clairvoyance."

"Heh, then I must be doing something right." She then stood up and rounded the table to gently take hold of his chin and guide his gaze towards her shimmering face.

"I'll leave you to your business then. Seems the rest of my day shall be occupied telling more stories to Lunis."

As she made her way to the door Sarajin stood up and shouted, "Hey! Tell her the story about the time we went into those ruins with Justek."

"The one where our torches went out and Johnathan had to rescue us?"

"Yeah."

Auris smiled softly and hummed, "I'll make sure to do it out of earshot of her father, hee hee."

"Heh." Sarajin smiled back.

Once she was out of the house he decided to head out on his way as well, going straight for Oreore with the broken halves of his sword in the sheath.

If he was going to enlist the blacksmiths' help, he was going to need to bring either Lianne or Ezekiel with him...Because they were going to need to calm the blacksmiths down once they learned he broke ANOTHER sword.

The closest of the Gaias was Ezekiel, picking away at a thick wall of iron with all the usual grunting going into his efforts.

"Hey, Zeke!" He shouted to alert him of his presence.

Once he was turning around Sarajin floated up beside him. The man brushed his sweat off his forehead and huffed out, "Oi, what's up brother?"

Sarajin pointed his gaze at the ground and then put his thumb on the hilt, sliding it out until the first glimpse of damage caught Ezekiel's attention.

Ezekiel rolled his eyes and grabbed part of his face with a groan, "Aaaagain?"

"What do you think?" Sarajin was hesitant to ask.

"I be thinking ya shoulda brought Auris with ya, cause the blacksmiths are gonna have yer head."

"Would it be a terrible idea to try and ask?"

"It'd be the WORST," Was what Ezekiel led with, his tone as dire as Sarajin's situation, "Buuuut, I suppose if ya don't say anything too ridiculous they might show some mercy."

Sarajin sheathed the blade and went, "Well, let's get going then."

"Sure, just lemme finish up this load and I'll pass it off to someone else."

Once all affairs were settled here the two went further into the northern part of the ravine, where a large cavern had been dug into it to fit the workers dedicated to making new things out of metal.

The flames of their forge burned out the top holes, making it appear like a face with eyes. Inside there were men of various ages covered in soot and wearing gloves stained with burn marks.

Blacksmithing was seen as a craft that was solely performed by the men, compared to everything else in this society.

One of the older and stouter men walked in front of them carrying a bucket of heated coals. He stopped and turned to Sarajin, looking mighty miffed.

With his sternness clashing with Sarajin's timid awkwardness, it led to Sarajin performing the same reveal of his sword he did to Ezekiel and the blacksmith's face crumpling up full of wrinkles.

"Ya serious boy? ANOTHER ONE?!" He shouted as a deliberate way to make the other blacksmiths stop what they were doing and let out a collective set of disgruntled groans.

Sarajin's smile grew wider as he hissed out between his teeth, "Aaaaaany chance you can forge a stronger sword?"

"No. No way." The blacksmith turned and hastened his pace to drop the coals off at the stone table.

Sarajin followed the man along as he kept escaping to other places, hyper focused on worthwhile endeavors.

"Come on, what's one or two broken swords matter?" He tried to rationalize.

"Think yer math's off there kid," The blacksmith answered with a snide tone, "Don't think ya can fool me just cause I can only count to five."

Sarajin paused and took a moment to wiggle his head around and rub the back of it, "Liiisten, I can compensate. Name whatever materials you need and I'll make them."

"Bah!" The blacksmith wagged his hand out to his side, "It ain't got nuthin' to do with supplies kiddo."

Sarajin leaned his head down and took a deep breath to begin whispering, "...It's the disrep-"

"IT'S THE DISRESPECT YER SHOWIN' TO OUR WORK!" The blacksmith lashed out, wagging his finger directly against Sarajin's face.

He then crossed his arms and muttered, "For fault's sake, we put a lotta hard work into making these blades and yer off snappin' them like bramble!"

"Seriously, whatcha usin' it for anyways?"

"Uhhh, training...with my wife?"

"Hmph, is that what they're callin' it these days?" Uttered the blacksmith like a tone-deaf grouch, before he gestured the back of his fingers out and muttered, "Whatever, I've put me foot in the ground. No more swords!"

Ezekiel then wandered into the conversation to say, "C'mon now, ain't there something' ya can do to temper the sword further?"

"Oh yeah wise guy, whaddya expect me to do?" The blacksmith eyed both of them with bulging sockets then locked onto Sarajin the strongest.

Sarajin stumbled around and then on a whim rolled his hand around and suggested, "Weeeeell, couldn't we try using gems? Maybe if we use all the elemental associated ones, it'll make a-"

"That oughta be the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but I reckon we ain't even started today," The blacksmith muttered bluntly, "Think we ain't thought of that? We're just a bunch of hairy, greased up, hard-working men, we ain't miracle workers!"

"Stronger metals then." Ezekiel remarked.

"There AIN'T a stronger metal out there, boy! We've exhausted every option in the ravine trying to keep up with his recklessness!"

"EVERY option?" Sarajin egged him on.

"YES! That's what 'every' MEANS!" The blacksmith was starting to look like a tomato, "Look all around the world, ya ain't gonna find anythin' tougher than what we've got!"

He then stuck two fingers into his mouth and whistled. The other blacksmiths rallied off their posts and started shoving Sarajin and Ezekiel towards the door.

"Now GIT! We're busy makin' the good stuff! The stuff that ain't gonna be treated like glass!"

Ezekiel pushed off their hands and grunted, "Alright alright, what'd I ever do to ya?!"

Once he and Sarajin were outside their workspace he faced his brother and muttered, "Didn't I tell ya...?"

Sarajin's expression was blank and seemingly departed from the realm of consciousness he rubbed the back of his head, laughed, and then stared up at the sky mumbling, "So THIS is what she was talking about."

Ezekiel waved his hand before his face saying in a sing-song tone, "'Ello, ya with us, brother?"

Sarajin was smiling big as he waved his hands out and remarked, "No don't you see, Zeke? We're out of materials in THIS world."

"Uhhh, no, I don't see what yer talkin' about." Ezekiel muttered while scratching his beard.

Sarajin put his hand on his shoulder and nodded, "Can you handle matters around here for a bit? I'll try not to be gone too long."

"Wha-"

Sarajin then stepped back and cupped his hands around his mouth, aiming for the sky, "HEY! YEN SID!"

And then before Ezekiel blinked his friend had vanished out of this mortal plain, making him stumble back and throw his arms around.

"W-Whoa...Don't think I'll ever be used to that." He bemoaned.

Sarajin found himself in the familiar mythical white void, standing directly in line with the wise wizard Yen Sid, whose eyes slowly opened to observe his presence.

"What ails you, young Sarajin?" He said, his echoing voice an approachable presence in this otherwise unsettling nothingness.

Sarajin stepped forward and felt a little timid, even now, speaking to this man on somewhat even footing, "I-I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries asking this but..."

With a wince he reached for his sheath and dropped both halves of his broken blade on the ground before making his point, "My sword keeps breaking, and there's not strong enough materials on my world to make it better. So I was thinking of searching for another world. Would you...know of a material that could make an unbreakable sword?"

"Hmmm, if a new blade is what you seek, then there are many routes to pursue in that endeavor. But a truly, unbreakable sword...That I fear, is but a myth."

"I'd...settle for something that can keep up with my strength." Sarajin said in a humble tone.

Yen Sid tucked his arms into his sleeves and bobbed his head, "There are many materials out in the universe that can forge a sword worthy of your might."

"But knowledge...is required to make them worth their while. Simply collecting them will do you...no good."

"So I also need a blacksmith who is talented at handling the right materials. Got it." It sounded simple at first glance, but Yen Sid had yet to finish.

"A task more daunting than any journey you've undertaken thus far, young Sarajin. For to ensure your blade is of top quality, they would have to understand how it is being used."

Sarajin widened his eyes with dampened enthusiasm and then remarked, "Right, and that would mean revealing my elemental powers to people who shouldn't know about them."

And as that enthusiasm continued to wane he rubbed the back of his head and looked up out the corner of his eye, "So I'm right. This is too much to ask."

"I never said such a thing," Yen Sid remarked in a faint, pleasant voice, "I merely wish for you to understand the limiting qualifications...for the blacksmith I shall direct you towards."

"R-Really?!" Sarajin expressed with an agape glow on his face.

"You have been of great help to us these last years. I am more than honored to oblige your request," Yen Sid then softened up his posture to whisper a warning, "But I must warn you. The blacksmith in question tolls a price in exchange for his services."

Sarajin turned aside and held his fist out, "If this person needs help, I'll do what I can. But I got to have this sword, it's my only means of defending the innocent."

"As a blade should be wielded..." Yen Sid nodded and then gestured his hand out, "Now, take my hand. I shall personally ferry you to his workshop."

Sarajin went over and upon touching his hand, he found it felt heavenly, and aged.

Yen Sid took them away within a fraction of a second to a faraway realm. Somewhere, someplace, existing outside of either space or land.

It was a black realm with a faint blue-ish light bordering the far-off expanse, offering a subtle suggestion that this place extended only as far as the imagination could perceive.

And to fill in this space, all there was at the moment was a sole circular platform surrounded by green, blue and red crystals. There was a multi-ring golden circle floating over an ionic pillar to the north, and resting atop it appeared to be a single person.

They were some kind of elderly man with clay white skin and a long beard draping like a floating cloud, with two equally puffy ends of a mustache out of his nose. He had on a toga dress half-hung off his right shoulder and leather sandals without socks.

Right now he also sported a pair of black lens glasses and his dress had tropical trees and sky blue coloring, with two floating drones projecting pure sunlight onto his back side.

"Mmmm..." And it looked like he might be asleep.

Sarajin leaned in towards Yen Sid and whispered, "Is this a good time?"

Yen Sid advanced without pause and then tucked his hands into his sleeve, his voice beckoning to the figure beyond, "Dyntos. I require a favor from you."

The elderly man popped one eye open and then turned to lay on his side with floaty movements, smacking his lips twice over, "Mmm, well if ain't the ol' Keyblade Master himself. What's dragged you outta your lofty perch this time?"

Yen Sid turned his head slightly to the left and let Sarajin present himself, his face currently preoccupied with awe.

"This young man has requested the services of an expert blacksmith."

"Heh, I'm flattered," Dyntos grinned and then pushed himself off the pillar, where upon landing he stood a head over both his company even while hunching over, and he didn't look amused, "But you could've sent an invitation ahead of you."

Yen Sid closed his eyes and hung his head.

Dyntos then smiled and winked, flicking a finger up before his chin, "Heh, become a higher being long enough and you lose your common courtesy. Well, what appears to be the problem here sonny?"

He directed his attention to Sarajin, who examined the man's towering appearance for all it was and recognized that there was power behind that frail body...power beyond power, in fact.

It forced Sarajin onto his knees so he could properly bow his head, "I-It's an honor to meet you sir!"

Dyntos then snickered and wagged a hand to Yen Sid, "See what I mean ya ol'-"

However, Yen Sid had already disappeared, leaving the old man to mumble to himself, "Hmph, see if I invite you to another coffee party again."

He then refocused his efforts solely on the young ward left behind, "Ok go on, lift yer head, I ain't that kinda god."

Sarajin stood right back up like a plant in the sunlight and hastily grabbed his sheath to present the broken sword to Dyntos, "I was looking to get a new sword made, if that's ok...Lord Dyntos."

"Mmmm, a sword eh? Well, that ain't enough to tickle my fancy, let's see what else ya got hidden behind the curtain..." Dyntos leaned in, popping one eye out of the socket, and saying a lot of "Yeah"s and "Hmm"s while Sarajin felt he was being deeply examined.

"Ho ho ho, your soul is very groovy, kid."

Sarajin tilted his head, "Groovy...?"

"Eh, lingo of the era, don't worry about it," Dyntos smirked, "Looks like you have a lot of elemental power at your disposal. And you need a sword that can handle the pressure."

Sarajin paused for a short while before nodding.

"Hmmm, they don't call me the God of the Forge for nothing. There isn't a sword or weapon I can't craft!" Dyntos said, boasting with a light amount of humility in his jolly old voice.

Only to immediately sour Sarajin's enthusiasm by bringing to his attention, "Can't say I've worked with elemental energy all too often though. And my services also don't come free, even if that ol' wizard recommended you personally."

Sarajin armed his face with determination and declared, "I'm ready to do whatever it takes to pay the cost. Just say the word and I'll solve whatever problems you need taken care of!"

"Whoooa, curb the enthusiasm there kiddo," Dyntos backed away, chuckling all the while, "I don't offer services in exchange for good deeds either. To be perfectly honest I'm content keeping my affairs separate from the rest of my world."

"Yeeep, I'm just a hip young man building away to his heart's content." While he was saying this, Sarajin's eyes couldn't help but look at his white hair again.

Dyntos slanted his brows and grumbled bluntly, "Ya want a sword or not kid?"

"Y-Yeah, of course!" Sarajin recoiled.

"Then I'll be putting you through three trials to test your worthiness. Just give me a moment to think of them."

Dyntos wandered around for a bit, humming a few words out loud but mostly keeping to himself.

While Sarajin kept still he smiled and thought back to younger days, "Wow, I haven't undergone a trial in a long time. This'll be a nice change of pace."

After a couple minutes of patience and pacing, this moment of anticipation was interrupted by an unexpected guest.

"Having trouble, Dyntos?" Spoke a soft and understated suave voice.

"W-What in the world...? Did that old coot leave the door open on his way out?" As Dyntos and Sarajin tried to lock onto the source of the voice, all they found was an orb of glimmering light floating out of the sky.

It carried a presence similar to Yen Sid, but despite that, Sarajin felt there was more of an air of mystery to it.

Dyntos rubbed his beard and muttered, "Oh, of course it's you, O-...No, you're wanting to go by the name Alvis these days."

"It has been some time." The orb spoke in a friendly manner.

"Not long enough," Dyntos said, mildly humorous in nature, "So, whaddya want? I'm kind of in the middle of work."

"Allow me...to offer my assistance then," Spoke Alvis, "I can think of a trial worthy of our...Elemental Overlord."

The light gave off an air of familiarity in that moment but for all Sarajin could muster, he saw no reason to be feeling that way. He pointed at himself, but wasn't sure if the light was looking at him.

Dyntos hummed for a few moments and then plucked his fingers off his beard with a curious eye, "You aren't one for whimsy. What're you scheming?"

The light floated up to Dyntos' ear and started whispering, causing the old god to start nodding along with increasingly growing intrigue.

"Hmmm, not a bad idea. Ok, I'll let you have your fun."

Alvis started floating over towards Sarajin while Dyntos put his hands behind his back and declared, "Slight change of plans kiddo! Alvis here'll be in charge of your first trial. Just a fair bit of warning, he's a tough judge of character."

"Huh?" Sarajin looked down at the light as it floated a couple feet before him.

"It shall be an honor to preside over your trial, Sarajin Stratos." Spoke the orb politely.

Sarajin hung his eyes wide open and murmured, "Have we...met before?"

The orb laughed in a dry manner, "In some manner of speaking..."

"Fret not. Focus on the trial ahead of you. Your journey shall now take you...to my world." The light expanded out of the orb until it swallowed Sarajin up, where it then collapsed and took both of them away from this place...

Dyntos stood by, rubbing his beard with his wrinkled brow raised, "Heh, kids these days..."

Next Time: A Future Decided