Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends

Chapter 356: Ryun

Failure

The sound of the forge echoed through Ryuns every waking moment. He had been back in his sect for a month, and nearly immediately upon his return, he had sequestered himself in the forge. He split his time between the sects forge high in the mountains, and his territory. Working with other smiths when they were awake and retreating to his territory when they were not. His work consumed him, so much so that he had Tali try to pull him away from it.

He still remembered their conversation:

You called the Sect to war and are now just hammering at metal all the time, Tali said.

They dont need me, Ryun responded. Didnt you tell me that a Sect Head should be mysterious and removed from their people? A symbol of strength you said.

She grimaced. This is not what I meant! What about the Ornnspardon me, Dagda Family?

Ryun turned and gave her a long look. You and Karya are old friends, are you not? You are far more suitable to talk to her than I am. And you are part of my family, did we not decide this? Who better to send than my dear sister?

She marched out of the forge in a huff after that. Though he had heard that she had gone to the Dagda Family part of the Sect. So, in a way he won. Still, he wasnt an idiot, he knew that he was obsessed with the project. And a part of him did realize that it was an obsession driven in part about his Focuses, the person that he wanted to be. Ever since he had seen the memories of the smith that no longer lived, he had been obsessing over his memories. Over his lifes story. He was the Witness of Journeys End, and something about that life ending before his work was finished nagged at him. Ryun wanted to complete it, it was as simple as that.

He had replicated the mans experiments, and had gotten the same results, failures all. In a way, he had been repeating the same thing and hoping for a different result.

Raise Bright Star, then drop it down on his work, repeat. With every strike of the hammer, he pushed his intent, trying to shape the Essence that he was forging. He was using distilled Essence from Zenkers hoard. It was one of the few things that he had kept for himself. The Essence of Fire was stored in a bottle, Ryun pulled it out, then passed it through his body, through his core. He had to be careful, his Core now consumed all other Essence put into it and transformed it into Oblivion. It made him able to cycle anywhere, at any time, though of course the ratio of how much Essence was needed to get a tiny amount of Oblivion was great, and it depended on the quality of Essence he was pulling in.

But he had discovered, in the process of attempting to replicate what the smith had done, a way to refine the Essence. Make it more under his control, allow him to impart intent. He needed to bond it with other Essence and give intent both in order for it to keep the form he wanted. Otherwise, the Essence would naturally gravitate toward returning to its innate state. And having a sword that was always on fire might sound cool, but it was really not. No, instead he needed it as crystallized fire, embedded into the metal. Giving it the properties of heat.

He wasnt using Hallirentom, not yet. The smith whose memories he had seen hadnt used it, but he had also never used his own Qi in forgingthe part that Ryun was actually somewhat good atsince the smiths Aspects werent that useful when forging. Not because of what they were, but because of his grasp of them.

Ryun finished another piece and looked at it. Again, it was the same. An epic weapon, serviceable, but not what he wanted.

He threw it aside, and grimaced. He didnt need to make a legendary, a relic or masterwork weapon. That was not what the smith had created. A Spiritual Tool had no rarity, it could be as weak as a common dagger. It wasnt hard to create, an amateur smith should be able to do it. And in fact, they had, the smiths apprentices had done it for him, when he was testing things. Ryun hadnt even achieved that, when he wanted to move beyond and accomplish what even the smith couldnt.

He closed his eyes and tried to go over his process, find the moment where he went wrong.

It is the intent and spiritual purpose, Bright Star said, and Ryun had to begrudgingly agree.

Ryun was failing to impart his intent into the Essence he was using to create the item. He had thought that passing the Essence through his core would make things easier, and it shouldve done so, but again and again he failed. Items he created were just regular items.

And that frustrated him. Especially since he knew that he could do it with his Oblivion Qi, or that he couldve done it with Void. The issue was that Oblivion it didnt play nice with other Essences, and it was pure Concept, it didnt have a shell that he could harden to bond it with the metal he worked with. And he didnt want to use Hallirentom just yet. He didnt have a lot of it, and he didnt want to risk wasting it. He was unsure of how Oblivion would work without being able to form a its shell into a crystal.

Im doing everything right, Ryun answered Bright Star.

Obviously not, Bright Star added.

How do one even gives something spiritual purpose? Ryun complained. What I saw in the memories was basically just... think at it hard!

Those were memories of a master smith, Bright Star added. To him, it was probably second nature, not something that he had to think about. He loved his craft, you smithing is a hobby for you.

I Ryun started. Im sorry, Ill work more at it.

His awakened forge didnt respond. They had already discussed this, and both of them believed part of the cause to be his inexperience with other Essence. The smith had understood the material Essences that he worked, he might not have had that Essence as his Aspect, but had spent years studying them. He didnt need to draw them in, in order to give them intent.

Ryun had thought that he could cheat, with his eyes and being able to pull in Essence into his core to refine it, but ultimately, he still fell short.

He stood up, and was about to leave for his territory once he realized that he was alone in the forge. He paused as he felt someone approaching. He remained where he was until Selia entered and walked over to him.

He studied her new body. He had already seen her, of course, he had escorted Erdania home. He was glad that it had worked out for her. The somewhat draconic features suited her. Her horns were thicker and longer, her body covered in places with scales.

Ryun, she said as she walked over.

Hey, Selia, he said slowly.

They tell me that youve been spending every day here, she commented.

That she heard wasnt that surprising. The forge was up in the mountains, near the Absolute Cold Shrine, and near Wolfs Grove.

Im practicing my smithing, Ryun told her.

We are about to head out to war, you could be training for it, Selia commented. It mightve sounded accusatory, but because of their connection he knew that it wasnt.

Ryun waved his hand. I know war, he said. My understanding of Oblivion has improved. All that is left is to cycle and advance my stage. And I can do that while forging.

Indeed, he had been doing exactly what he said. On Earth, he had learned how to pull in Essence while moving, it was slower than when he focused. But that didnt matter now. He didnt have a source of Oblivion, but his core could transform any Essence into Oblivion. It only required more of it. So, he had been pulling in everything. At this point his core was so developed and Oblivion so powerful that the impure Essence couldnt harm his advancement.

She hummed and didnt comment further. So, what is making you so frustrated?

Ryun grimaced, he had been slipping more than he thought if she managed to feel something through their link.

Dont, she said as he tried to seal himself off. You should let me feel more.

I dont want to burden you with my problems, Ryun said.

Your problems are my problems. Now, tell me what is it? Who knows, maybe I can help, she smiled.

Ryun looked at her for a few seconds, and then told her, about the memories, and about what he was trying to do. She listened patiently as he went through all of his failures, and his frustrations.

He raised his hand and pulled in Air Essence, he channeled it through his conduits and into his core, then out and back through the hand. With his will and intent he shaped the Essence. In a few seconds he had a crystal dagger made out of Air Essence in his hand.

See, I can do it like this, Ryun said. Of course, this is weak, only as strong as the Essence around us. And it will not last long, my intent is fleeting. Melding it with another Essence through forging makes my intent stick, become permanent. But to create a Spiritual Tool I need to add more than that. I need to give it a purpose, and I am failing to do that.

The memories of the smith were in the moment, not always of the entire process, he had to piece together most of what he knew. But he was certain that it should not be this hard.

Selia tilted her head and took the dagger from his outstretched hand. I know something about intent and will. Most of my techniques work that way. My former Aspect was one that could be shaped just by will, requiring no intent. I used my will to manipulate them and throw them at my opponents, she said.

Ryun knew this, but he let her talk, she was obviously thinking things through.

Now my new Aspect still responds to will, but less so. I have to give it intent while forging the technique, I cant just shape it in the air, the technique would fall to the ground. I am not yet that good with it, so Ive started supporting that with free Essence. Air mostly, using it to hold my techniques and thrown them.

That part, he hadnt known, and it was interesting.

How? Ive tried to use free Essence in techniques outside of my body, and I couldnt manage it, Ryun had only been able to create techniques by first pulling Essence inside of himself and then running it through his channels.

Will is the power to bend the world to your will. Skill users are not the only people that benefit from willpower, Selia said. My Path focuses on constructs created out of my Qi, that I can manipulate through will, but I have no highly evolved skills. You should try to use will to impart intent to the unbound Essence.

Can you show me? Ryun asked.

Selia nodded and walked over to stand next to him, she took his hand and raised it up so that his palm faced the ceiling. She mirrored his position next to him. Watch, she said.

And then she started pulling the Air around her, like she was pulling it into her core. But then, he felt a tiny exertion of will focused only on the Air that was above her palm. For Ryun, the intent had always felt like something that came from his core, tied intrinsically with his Cultivation. He couldnt feel her intent, of course, but he saw the Essence arrange in a pattern and then a technique was born. A tiny spear of crystallized air floated above her palm.

You see? She asked.

Do it again, Ryun said, his eyes focused on the Essence. He was going to figure this out, and then he would finish the smiths great work.