The sharp, resonant sound of the hammer's impact echoed throughout the empty forge; an almost musical chime that seemed to bubble with life. Cain's body tensed repeatedly as surges of mana traveled through the {Burden of Xicina}, rippling into his arm and crawling up to his chest like a creeping frost.
His breath caught on his chest and his vision turned momentarily blurred.
When it cleared, the world around him was no longer the same...
The forge remained, but it was overlaid with an otherworldly glow. Symbols and runes he had never seen before shimmered faintly in the air. They danced around him, hovering like fireflies. Some flickered in and out of sight, teasing his ability to grasp their meaning.
The whispers returned—soft and compelling, but incomprehensible.
