Blaze released a big yawn as he walked down the neighborhood. Today was Sunday, which meant no school and no side job, at least not this early. The morning smoggy air filled his lungs as he jogged lightly in a certain direction. Newcomers might find the air quality of Mistral borderline toxic, but as someone who had inhaled this air since he was a babe, he could confidently say that you'd get used to it, as cliché as it sounds.

You'd probably get lung cancer though, so you need to live a healthy life no matter how miserable it was.

His light jog came to a stop at a certain shop. He glanced at the speckled window where a faded 'Coal Dust Emporium' was proudly written. He entered the Dust shop; a jingle welcomed his steps inside.

"Welcome, Welcome—oh, it's you, Blaze," Blaze was greeted by a man with graying hair, his bald spot shining under the light, "you're just thinking something impolite, aren't you? tch, kids these days. no manner whatsoever."

"Morning, Mr. Coal!" Blaze greeted the man with a smile and a slight wave.

Nero Coal was a man in his late sixties. He was once a Huntsman but retired after a nasty injury. Now, he sells Dust and provides some repair services for Huntsman weapons on the side. Unfortunately, opening his business in Mantle meant slow business. Yet, for personal reasons, he refused to move up to Atlas. Coal Dust Emporium was also one of the few Dust shops that operated in Mantle that wasn't under some gang protection.

"Not even denying it, huh?" the man shook his head in mock dismay before fixing his square glasses at Blaze, "So, what is it? job or Dust?"

Blaze grinned, approaching the counter, "Job, of course. And uh, Dust for half of my pay."

Mr. Nero quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything, "We got new shipments that arrived last night. Go and catalog them all, then help me around the shop." He ordered with a gesture.

"You got it, Boss!"

◆◆◆◆XvX◆◆◆◆

"Alright, go take your break now. I'm going to close shop for a bit, don't do anything funny, ya hear!" Mr. Nero shouted from the front followed by a loud click.

At the back of the shop, Blaze had finished his job for the hour and was just done rearranging Dust crystals in the Dust Grinder. He double-checked the pipeline in the front before putting down his uniform (a clerk apron).

"…okay, now that I'm alone," Blaze went to the back again and took a position away from all of the Dust. He hesitated to do this, but a logical part of him told him that if he kept locking it away, he wouldn't get any answers. So, he ruminated while he was working. Looking up the pros and cons of each decision.

—FWUUM

…and it seems there were more pros in testing more of his new… power.

Blaze stared at his 'flame;' still as eerie as the first time he laid eyes on it. on the palm of his hand was a blob of negative energy, ready to be shaped to whatever he wished. Ideas from his new pool of knowledge bounced in his head, but he wasn't sure to start with which.

After some deliberation, he started by recalling every technique inside his head.

Blaze bounced his 'flame' around his hands before grabbing it like a pile of clay. Slowly, he changed its shape. First, he morphed it into a thin, short stick. It looked somewhat solid all around except for its ends, which created trails as he swung it around. Finally, he put his hands on the stick's ends and pressed. He felt no resistance whatsoever, ending up with a coin-sized purplish object that looked more solid than the stick.

"So, the more I compress the harder it gets," Blaze murmured as he flipped the coin. Then, with a thought, the coin faded away mid-spin.

An idea flashed in his head. Blaze gathered negative energy and then morphed it into a crudely shaped sword by hand. It looked solid enough, he noted. He looked around before settling on hitting an empty crate. It didn't cleave the wood. Hell, it barely dug into it. It was like he hit it with a thin stick rather than a sharp blade.

Blaze dispelled the sorry excuse of a sword and began thinking.

Blaze could project something with negative energy as a base, and depending on how much he gathered and compressed, it affected its density. However, a few questions lingered: How dense could he make it? How far away from him could it be before he lost control? Could he shape them from his memory instead of manually?

A loud click pulled him out of his thinking. Mr. Nero was back and he decided to continue his test later.

◆◆◆◆XvX◆◆◆◆

After finishing his job, Blaze made his way to Treasure Hill, where he usually took on another job. Gazing down from the mountain of junk, one could see so much of Mantle. All it lacked was a throne made of junk, and Blaze could pretend to be the King of Junk.

Despite being the beacon of advancement among the four kingdoms, Atlas was far from the picture of a perfect future society. The most glaring problem was Mantle itself. The place was practically the biggest slum of the four kingdoms, with rundown buildings adorned with gang signs as common as weeds. The situation only worsened the deeper into the city one ventured. Racism was rampant, with bars boldly displaying anti-faunus signs for all to see, and the less said about the crime rate, the better. Mantle was so miserable that, from his 'Negative Vision,' it was fogged with negative energy.

It was lighter in the outskirts and it was already suffocating. He couldn't imagine how it felt deeper in.

It was saddening. Blaze prayed and hoped that Mantle would get better as time went on… but how crestfallen became the default face of the people, and how resigned with everything they were…

Sigh…

Distracting himself from sad thoughts, Blaze pulled up his scroll and opened the Celestial Forge. He raised an eyebrow when he saw it, "300 points? What the heck?"

How did he get that many points? Heck in the first place, under what principle do these points work? Did he get more because he helped Mr. Nero, or was it random?

'More questions left unanswered for now, I guess…' he settled.

Blaze pocketed the scroll and took out a bag of Dust he paid with. The bag contained 5 basic Dust elements; fire, earth, ice, wind, and electric Dust. Now, all he needed was a quiet little corner far from prying eyes.

Luckily, he knew a place…

◆◆◆◆XvX◆◆◆◆

Tucked in the southern corner of Treasure Hill was an abandoned set of warehouses... well, not quite abandoned, but almost nobody went there. It used to belong to a company that had long since gone bankrupt. Nowadays, it has become the resting place for the unfortunate during harsh winters. The slum of a slum.

It was a warm season now so not many people came here. Blaze had this warehouse for himself for today.

"Alright… let's do this," Blaze pulled out his phone and began recording, "This is my first ever log. Man, I felt like a professional already. The date is…"

Blaze decided to keep a log. Even though he could recall things vividly now, it didn't mean he had to abandon the long-time tradition of experimenting. Plus, it made him feel like he was a legit scientist and not... some rogue necromancer... yeah, that fact still stung a bit.

"…for today, we'll test how Dust reacts to negative energy infusion. This might answer some questions… or raise more… whichever it is." He paused the recording and put away his scroll.

"Alright, let's start with ice," he said after preparing mentally.

Dust was a strange substance. Nobody was really sure how it came to be. Some said they were magical substances, while others suggested some nebulous silicate that was able to lock elements inside its bonds. Even with how advanced technology was, nobody was sure which answer was correct. However, they agreed on one thing: Dust was helpful enough and possessed an affinity with aura. Blaze was sure he wouldn't get the answer to its mysterious nature immediately, but he was open to surprises.

The boy dug out an ice Dust from the bag. It was as big as his thumb and cold to the touch. Blaze took a breath, and negative energy started to envelop his hand. The purple miasma began fading into the Dust crystal. At first, nothing happened, but then—

Crack

A spike of energy caused Blaze to throw away the crystal. Then, large ice spikes began to bloom from where the crystal landed. However, he noted that it looked different than ordinary ice he'd seen those Huntsmen on TV create. For one, it was pitch black that he almost mistook it for rock. And when he touched it...

"Argh!" Blaze's hand recoiled.

The moment he touched the black ice's surface, a burning sensation struck him. Looking down at his palm, it was raw as if he had touched something boiling. Yet, from where he stood, he knew that it was still ice.

"So cold that it burns…" he muttered while clenching his hand. his eyes focused on the black ice.

'Negative Ice' Hoarder's Eyes supplied, 'can chill drinks or be used for shaving.'

"…"

…Yeah, no. His insides would freeze over the moment it touched them; he could just tell. Assuming, of course, he survived this thing passing into his mouth.

His eyes then drifted to the bag of Dust on a moldy crate nearby. He could tell now that the crystal would react just as violently, or perhaps even more so.

He decided to skip work for today and finished his little experiment. Less money, more answers; and possibly learn things to watch out for lest he accidentally killed himself.

◆◆◆◆XvX◆◆◆◆

He was right, infusing negative energy into Dust made them react violently… which kinda made sense?

See, negative energy is a type of energy produced by living things. Usually, this energy leaked out of someone or something experiencing a buildup of negative emotions. You know how sometimes seeing someone sad made you sad, or someone angry made you angry too? Well, that was because that person was leaking negative energy due to distress, and you were exposed to it in small doses (that, and because we are social creatures). Negative energy affected its surroundings, and too much buildup would have a negative impact on whatever was in its vicinity. The most vulnerable to its effects were spirits, but that was a discussion for another time.

Right now, Blaze was on his scroll while boarding a bullhead to Atlas. He released a big yawn and stretched. It was 4:12 in the morning, which sounds like a miserable time to wake up (and it was at first), but due to his arrangement, he got used to it as time went on. Said arrangement was that during school days (Monday to Saturday), he would live in his dorm room in the academy, and during breaks, he went down to Mantle.

It was a hassle, but he learned to live with it.

After finishing this week's issue of Artmory, Blaze opened up the Celestial Forge app. "400 points…" he murmured.

He still wasn't sure about the principle behind these points.

Blaze's finger hovered over the 'Roll' button, his mind warring over whether to push or not. on one hand, this app gave him 'Hoarder's Eyes' and 'Librarian' skills that could help him become a better engineer. On the other, it gave him 'Real Research' and turned him into a necromancer (of sorts). Which… not as bad as he thought it was.

After jotting down his knowledge, which he stored in his note app, he stumbled upon a piece of information regarding necromancers. Necromancers weren't inherently bad; yes, they messed with the dead and could resurrect armies of undead to do their bidding. However, not all necromancers were like that. There were good ones who exorcised evil spirits and helped guide the restless undead to their eternal rest. It seemed that the image of necromancers in Remnant was more negative than the one 'Real Research' provided. 'Not even things like this are that black and white, I guess…'

However, he was still a bit wary that this thing would actually give him evil powers. After all, it picked powers at random, and who knew if its alignment would align with his beliefs?

He scrolled up again—

"500!? What did I do!" he was literally just sitting here mulling over some stuff!

Inhale. Exhale.

Willow stood still as a soft breeze graced her skin. her long white hair waved in the wind. Leaves ruffles above her, the only sound that accompanies her this early in the morning.

Inhale. Exhale.

Willow raised the bow she was holding. She pulled out an arrow from the quiver on her hip and drew the string. An ordinary arrow was set over a majestic composite bow.

Inhale. Exhale.

The string was taut—

Her eyes shot open and she released.

Thud!

"…"

Willow lowered her bow. Her eyes focused on the arrow that struck the bullseye she drew on a tree. She then looked down at the weapon. she frowned, "Not even you, huh?"

She set the bow down on a nearby table and reached for the thermos beside it. Despite the comforting taste of hot chocolate, the slight bitterness lingered in her mouth. Once again, she had failed to discover her "destined" weapon, as her father had described it. According to him, the Schnee family possessed something known as a "Lebensgefährtin." weapons that, when matched with its wielder, would unleash their prowess on the battlefield.

A dagger could annihilate an army, her father had set as an example. (And after some badgering, she learned that it was her grandfather's feat during the Great War he set as an example.)

At first, she thought it was just her father making stuff up as an excuse for her to not attend Huntsman Academy, but as time went on, she started to see what he meant.

None of the weapons she tested seemed to click, for lack of a better word. It was as if something was missing—a void that persisted, regardless of the weapon she mastered. Swords, guns, whips, chakrams, and now bows and arrows—nothing felt right in her hands.

She could just ignore the 'Lebensgefährtin' issue. After all, she still had her Semblance and could summon any help she needed. but…

"Alright, I promise I'll only ask to switch course when I find my Lebensgefährtin! Just you wait, Dad!" a high pitch voice rang in her mind.

…Willow Schnee was never one to go back on her word, not now, not ever. If she did, what would she be but another modern-day noble of Atlas?

Just another egg in the basket.

◆◆◆◆XvX◆◆◆◆

Willow arrived to the class early just like she always did—

"Stag beetle dance, oh yeah!"

—and bore witness to stupid sight the moment she opened the door.

"What are you doing?" she demanded flatly to Blaze who was imitating a stag beetle in front of the empty classroom.

"Ah, Willow! Good morning!" he greeted as if he hadn't just performed something stupid. He then went back to his seat, grabbed a book, and gave it to Willow, "Here's your book! The story was awesome, thank you for letting me read it!"

"The series is an interesting one, more people need to read it." Willow agreed.

"Oh, there's more to that?"

"of course, but you have to buy the rest. Support the author and all that." Willow said with a light smirk, "Anyway, does anything happen to that strange app you showed to me? is it actually turned out to be malware?"

He made a strange expression when Willow asked her question. He went silent for a bit, "…actually, yeah. It turns out to be something, but…"

Willow raised an eyebrow at his hesitation. It was strange to see Blaze nervous like this, it was very unlike him. Something must've happened with the app to gain such a reaction.

The boy sighed, "its… complicated and sounds utterly insane no matter how I spin it…"

"How so? it's just and app, right?" now she was curious about what was with the app.

He looked contemplative before deciding, "…you know what? screw it. I have to warn you though, its… very unbelievable, like magic level unbelievable."

she nodded and prepared for whatever he wanted to say. Blaze blew a sigh. He then raised a hand, palm opened—

a chill suddenly ran up her spine. She took an involuntary step back. she glanced around. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but what was this uneasiness?

"Willow, are you okay?" he asked her, concerned. The feeling was suddenly gone the moment he closed his palm.

"W-what was that?" whatever that was it spooked her so much that it made her stutter!

"…you can't see it?" he asked and then opened his palm again.

the dreadful feeling returned. Willow forced herself to not react like she did earlier. She then scrutinized Blaze's open palm. She… she could see it albeit barely. There was something on his palm; an outline of a fireball, but ephemeral as a mirage. Although the object was borderline an illusion, the feeling it produced was undeniably real.

"Is that… your Semblance?" she asked tentatively. Blaze shook his head.

"no. this… this is an orb of Negative Energy."

"Negative… Energy?" Willow parroted; eyes still locked on the translucent orb. Blaze then dispelled it, and she took the breath she unknowingly held. her eyes rose to meet his, "Do you… do you mean to say that the app gave you this… power?"

She wanted to call it out. After witnessing his ridiculous display earlier, it seemed like the perfect setup for an equally absurd prank, like an app that gives you powers... And yet, Blaze's expression told a different story. He wasn't skilled at hiding his emotions, and in that moment, he looked lost, afraid, and... resigned. He probably expected her to lash out or something...

A logical thing to fret over, but…

"I know—"

"I believe you." she cut him off. His eyes widened in surprise, "you're not one to lie to this kind of things. I… as much as ludicrous as it sounds, I believe you aren't pulling a prank on me. do you?"

"of course not!" he denied, looking as if she was saying some heresy.

"Then I believe you," she affirmed once more. the relief on his face settled her trembling heart, "though that raised question; how did you get it?"

"That's what I've been asking myself too—I don't know! all I did was read a magazine—and bam! —I got the app!" Of course, there had to be a mystery involved…

"Let's continue this discussion later. I don't think this is something for public consumption," she said, sighing as more students started to pour in.

"Agreed. let's meet up after the break."

"…You know I'm the only one who spends break time with you, right?

"I know! I just always wanted to say those lines!"

At least he could still see something to smile about…

◆◆◆◆XvX◆◆◆◆

"Alright team, operation 'Celestial Who?' Is a go!"

"What team? It's just the two of us. we're a duo at best."

After a quick meal, the two decided to go to the rooftop. It was a place where people were less likely to go, and anyone who tried to barge in would instantly give themselves away.

"Eh, technicalities," Blaze waved off Willow's deadpan reaction, "now, before we're starting, some context. You know the 'Perk' I got last Saturday? One of them, Hoarder's Eyes, gave me the ability to know something and how it works just by looking at it. it's surface level though, so don't expect much. With that power, I figure out the app's name and its function. It's called 'Celestial Forge' and it 'gives power via Roll'."

"that's… rather vague," Willow said with a frown, "how about Librarian?"

"I'm not sure… I felt I've been able to recall things easily and vividly now—oh, and I think it is mostly related to books. I hadn't been to the library, so haven't tested it." Blaze said while cupping his chin.

"I see… there's another one, right? the… negative energy one."

"Yeah, Real Research. It gives me more than the ability to manipulate negative energy. It granted me knowledge of Death, undeath, and necromancy. If you want I have them written down in my note app."

"Hmm, please send them to me then. I would peruse them during my free time. it would at least be… an interesting read. as for the app…"

"Yeah, I got powers by roll. It's like… lottery; I use points, press the 'Roll' button, and bam! Free power."

"Can I see how that works?" The moment she asked that question, a conflicted look crossed Blaze's face. Willow frowned in concern, "what's wrong? Does it… hurt you?"

"What—no! it's just…" he scratched his head and look away, "I… know this might sound like I'm whining. I just won the biggest power lottery in more ways than one, but… I'm afraid that I'll get an… inherently evil power."

"Blaze…" it was a logical thing to worry about. She guessed that his apprehension came from the fact he got the power of necromancy, and she would worry too if she was in his shoes. But…

"I know you're worried, Blaze. I too would worry if I were the one with this app. But, having an evil power doesn't always mean the user is instantly a bad person, or that its uses would always be for the suffering of others," Willow said gently. Blaze's attention shifted to her, and she continued, "Whether or not you'll get… dark powers, I know that you'd use it for the right thing. I know we've only been friends for a few months, but I believe that you wouldn't be easily swayed by things like power. Because that's simply not who Blaze Romanov is."

"Willow…" he was struck speechless by her words. His uncertain expression was then replaced by a soft smile. "Thank you, Willow. For believing in me."

"You're welcome. Besides, if you ever show signs of changing, I would gladly smack you in the head and set you straight again."

Instead of saying things like 'that's not how a lady should talk' and all, he grinned and said, "I'm counting on you then!"

Willow smiled back, "now, if you're ready, can you show me how the app works?"

"Sure," he nodded before pulling out his scroll, "huh? Its increasing again?"

"what's increasing?"

"The points, here." He said and showed Willow his scroll. her eyes then focused on the text just above the 'Roll' button, "This morning it was 500, now it's 700. Where did the extra 300 come from?"

"Is there no pattern on how the points appeared?"

He shook his head, "No. it was 300 when I was about to experiment on the negative energy, then it went to 400, and then jumped to 500 when I was on my way up to Atlas!"

She asked for a full detail and he obliged. Willow crossed her arms. The events truly did not correlate with one another, "…then let's ignore it for now. it may be something that's just… too cosmical for us to understand it at the moment."

"Maybe you're right," he agreed. he then sat down next to her. he took a breath and said, "alright. I'm ready. Let's roll!"

His thumb met the holographic screen—

Rolling…

Willow locked her eyes to the screen. from the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Blaze was nervous.

Development & Improvement (Mass Effect Andromeda) (600CP) – Success…

Points 700 → 100

Roll Again?

Blaze pressed 'No' and went back to the perk screen. Willow narrowed her eyes, "Development and Improvement? What's that do?" Blaze opened his mouth—

"It allows user Blaze Romanov to store blueprints of objects he deconstructed for future reconstructions and upgrades," a voice cut in, causing the two to shoot up.

"Who's there?" Blaze demanded, looking around.

"This unit is right here," the voice said once more, and their eyes shifted to Blaze's scroll. "Greetings, User Blaze Romanov and Ally Willow Schnee. This unit apologizes for startling you two."

"Who are you?"

"This unit lacks a designation," the voice on the phone stated before elaborating, "however, this unit functions as an artificial intelligence, bestowed by the forge to aid user Blaze Romanov in matters pertaining to Development and Reconstruction."

"The Forge you say?" Blaze frowned, his eyes then opened in realization, "wait, Artificial Intelligence? You're a robot?"

"Correct, although it may not align with the typical notion of a robot," the AI replied. "Its sole purpose lies in aiding with matters concerning Development and Reconstruction."

"You keep saying that, but what does that entail?" it was Willow's turn to ask.

"This unit will assist User Blaze Romanov in creating, storing, and enhancing blueprints within the system. For instance, if the user chooses to dismantle the bench behind you, this unit will store the bench's blueprint. Subsequently, any improvements made to the bench will prompt this unit to automatically update its blueprint."

"So not all power suddenly came to me, huh? Thank gods…" Blaze patted his chest in relief, "sharp pain to the brain and lightheadedness is not pleasant, at all."

"…You said it didn't hurt you," Willow narrowed her eyes at him. Blaze quickly raised his hands placatingly.

"I-it's not that bad, Willow! It's just distracting and annoying. I didn't get hurt at all, promise!"

—Bzzzzzttt!

The bell suddenly rang. There were still many questions that Willow wanted to ask, and they had just encountered someone (or something) that could help with that. Time rarely seemed to be one's ally, it seems...

"Well, that's all the time we get, I guess," Blaze said, trying to ignore Willow's stare. "Let's get to class, Willow. I don't think you want Professor Fria to get mad by being late, do you?"

"...You get a pass this time, Romanov," she said in a warning tone. The two students descended from the rooftops.

◆◆◆◆XvX◆◆◆◆

The hall they trudged through was packed with students, all trying to reach their respective classes. Amidst the chatter that surrounded them, Blaze suddenly spoke up, "Once again, thank you, Willow, for helping me figure out this Celestial Forge thing."

"...Don't mention it," she shook her head. "It beats hearing the girls gossiping about their fiancés and other inane things."

"Still though, thank you. if there's anything I can do to you, just ask. I insist."

"…there might be something," she said tentatively. He already opened up her about his secret, so she decided to opened up to him in return. She then told him about her issue, her problem regarding the 'Lebensgefährtin.'

"Lebensgefährtin, huh?" he didn't refuse nor did he think it over. Instead, he grinned eagerly. "Sounds awesome. Alright, I'll help with your search. And if we can't find it, then I'm going to make you one. That's an engineer's promise!"

"Blaze…"

She simply asked him to help with the search, and he goes above and beyond by offering to create one if she never finds it. Honestly, with a personality like his, he's bound to be taken advantage of by someone...

Willow smiled at him. "I'm counting on you then."

…Well, in that case, she just had to make sure that wouldn't be the case, right?

Points: 100 → 200

Perk:

- Development & Improvement (Mass Effect Andromeda) (600CP)

When you've got a really rare item on your hands that's made out of materials you absolutely need right now, the regret of doing so might paralyze you. After all, who knows when you will next be able to get your hands on one? Well, fear no more! Now when you break something down for resources, you can make a blueprint for it. So you can build it later, or even make even more of them. And if you don't want to break it down for resources, you can also be careful to just take it apart into its constituent parts, learn what every little thing does, and then put it back together. And you now have a blueprint you can use to make copies. Blueprints for everyone Jumper! Capstone boosted: Having an AI observing everything you do may be creepy, but at least it's willing to give you tips for improving. Like how to improve the things you are building. Every time you build something, you can now improve it somehow, just a little bit. Take a little weight off here, shave that down, and after enough, you might have a whole new toy on your hands. Any improvements you make will be added on to the blueprint, so you can further improve it from there. It may not seem like much, but if you build a Mk X gun 100 times, your improved blueprint might very well qualify for Mk XI status, or maybe even better. You can keep improving that blueprint as much as you like