[Proggress report. How is the refinement coming along?]

  “Ah, Master Gerald…” Thener swiftly turned around after I appeared behind him. “It’s going well. We are just finishing the final preparations. The base materials are all ready to be mixed, and with your help, we should be able to finish the weapon in a few short weeks.”

  He reached over to a stack of papers and brought out a large scroll. “These are the final designs I made. They were all made according to your specifications, and the material requirements were also already calculated to be sufficient.”

  [Let me see that.] I took the scroll and looked through the sword designs. Again, they were very nice, very elegant. No doubt Thener spent countless hours making the blueprints for them, but I just couldn’t make up my mind. Something just didn’t seem right.

  [Something is missing…] I murmured.

  “What is it, Master? Are they not to your liking? Should I change them?”

  [No, no…] I waved my hand, unsure how to answer. [They are very nice, I like them. Best blades I have ever seen, definitely. It’s just that…] I sighed. [They just don’t look like they would fit me, you know?]

  “Uh… I’m not sure I follow.”

  [Tell me, Thener. Do I look like a guy that would carry a sword? Be honest.]

  “I… think a sword would… suit you?” Thener stammered.

  I threw my hands in the air. [See? Even you don’t believe a sword is for me. I realize it now… I’m not one of those elegant swordsmen, who stick to trained techniques and Martial Arts, and I never will be. I fight more like… like a wild beast, an animal. Like a mindless barbarian, a berserker. Like an enraged monster! I just keep going and going until my enemy is dead, lying crushed beneath my feet. You understand?]

  I handed the scroll back and sighed, shaking my head. [I appreciate the effort, but…]

  “Then, should I…?” He did not continue the thought. I turned around.

  [You know…] I crossed my hands behind my back and stared at the distant horizon. [I once used to fight with a glaive. It was a good weapon, but that alone is not enough anymore. It does not give enough of that raw destructive energy, that oomph, you get me? Maybe if you double it, give it two blades… Like a battleaxe! Yes! That’s it!] realization struck me and I spun around.

  [I need something like a battleaxe. Huge, brutal blades to cleave through my opponents, large enough to threaten even those huge monsters a hundred stories tall. I need something I can put my weight behind and really unleash my power. I require the maximum size and weight possible. Can you do that?]

  “Uh, w-well…” Thener stuttered, appearing flustered. “Yes, I think so. I’ll have to recalculate and make new designs, but just changing shape shouldn’t be too difficult.”

  [Excellent!]

  “Ah, but we’ll need your help with forging. Even just for that little dagger we made, all four of us were required. This is going to be thousands of times harder than that.” Thener said and suddenly frowned. “Actually… I didn’t think about that. The forge will not be anywhere near enough to melt all the materials at once. And once they cool and combine, it is impossible to reverse the process, so we can’t do it in multiple batches. It will have to be done all at once…”

  [Oh, yeah… Don’t worry about it.] I waved my hand. I wasn’t too concerned.

  “No, Master, this is serious.” Thener said somberly. “If we make a mistake, or if your control wavers during the forging process, the materials will all be wasted. We are talking about multiple orders of magnitude increase in difficulty here.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  [Thener, my friend…] I placed my hand on the man’s shoulder. [I’m telling you it’s going to be fine. Not to brag, but the power I possess, even I don’t fully know the limits of. Making this weapon, while certainly difficult, is not enough to make me despair. Prepare the designs, make the blueprints, and when it’s time, guide my hand. We will succeed together. We’ll create a masterpiece. A weapon of legend.]

  I stared into his eyes. [Do you trust me?]

  The man nodded. “Yes, Master. I’ll do it.”

  I gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and then let him get back to work. After he left, my confident expression fell and I frowned.

  Thinking about it, he was partially right. The difficulty of melting and controlling that amount of material would not be easy. The energy alone would be like holding a sun. I was confident I could do it, but the margin of safety would be hair-thin. The risk for failure was too high even for my reckless mind. If I failed, or if anything at all went wrong, a stray burst of energy or tiny miscalculation, everything would be ruined.

  Such a thing was unacceptable.

  I hummed quietly and checked the Souls stored in my Sea of Consciousness. There was plenty for recharging energy, but not enough for me to advance one more step. To be safe, and to have confidence in my success, I needed to reach the middle of Spirit Realm, Level Five.

  [A week, maybe two…] I looked back at my workers diligently refining Celestial Metal. That’s how long they would need to get everything ready. I had until then to find another fifty or so peak Spirit Realm Souls to advance. Maybe some extra just in case.

  [I’m going out for a bit.] I told Thalza. The Drow, sitting in the middle of multiple Soul Stones as she Cultivated, only gave a single nod. Didn’t even open her eyes. [Yes, yes. No need to panic, just stay there and don’t move.] I said sarcastically at her non-reaction.

  I flew up and was just about to pick a direction for my hunt when the rift opened in the Echoes of the Forgotten Dawn. I decided to spare a few minutes to check on the people there before going on my way.

  I landed near the rift, watching as reinforced crates fell out and were taken away, replaced by ones loaded with Dreadstone ore. Those were tossed into the rift, never to be seen again.

  The Chief stood behind the workers as they hurried to get everything sorted before the rift closed. Everything together couldn’t have taken more than a minute. Keeping a rift open was costly, and whoever was on the other side clearly didn’t like wasting energy. Or people.

  The fact that the villagers were probably some important political opponents was widely known. People didn’t change how they acted just because they lost their memories. Some things remained behind, such as the way the Chief held himself, like some sort of royalty, or a person high on the hierarchy ladder, despite being a very humble person.

  That showed he was probably someone important in his previous life, something that had to be removed. And yet, he was not killed, as it usually happened, instead he was tossed into the wasteland to slave for those that did this to him. Did this to all of them.

  They removed the threat by purging their memories and gained strong workers at the same time. A brilliant strategy, I had to admit.

  It annoyed me.

  “Master Gerald.” The Chief bowed as I approached. I returned a nod.

  [Hey. How is it going? You holding up alright?]

  The Chief chuckled and waved his hand. “Same old, same old. Nothing changes in the Wastes. Everything stays the same. Well, except for the little one.” His eyes shifted to the side, gazing somewhere in the distance where Felix was playing around. “Quite a miraculous kid, that one. Never thought I would see the day when he could finally grow and play like a normal child.”

  [Hmm.] I quietly hummed, thinking, and then addressed the man. [If you could one day leave this place, find the ones who did this to you… What would you do?]

  “Ah…” The Chief shook his head. “I have long since given up that hope. I am too old, my talents suboptimal for further Cultivation, not to mention I would never leave my people.

  [Sure, sure. But what if it was possible? What if you could take everyone with you? Would you leave? Maybe take revenge?]

  I received another head shake in reply. “Perhaps there was resentment, long ago, towards our captors, but like everything, things fade in the Ashen Wastes, washed away by the sands of time. I have long since come to terms with my reality, but if there was a way to leave, I would wish to find a safe, quiet place for my people, and create a better life for them out there in the real world.”

  [No revenge? You don’t even want to know who or why did this to you? Sentencing you to death?]

  “The past is in the past, the memories forgotten, and the man I once was, is no more. That life has no meaning to me anymore. Despite the hardships, I am satisfied now. I do not wish to awaken what I don’t know is asleep.”

  I pondered the Chief’s words and absentmindedly nodded. He said wise things. Not how I would have done things, but he was not me. And that was fine. He could live life how he wanted, but perhaps I could offer a helping hand.

  [I will keep your words in mind.] I quietly said, and then flew off, going on a well-needed hunt.