The Forge is an important and crucial place for all of humanity in the past. It's where both the way to effectively kill and defend was born, in the name of family or the name of hatred, everyone had their own way.
With technological advancement, the forge lost its effectiveness. Swords or axes were no longer needed. What was the point of strong armor and a long spear if an accurate shot from a rifle was enough to end a fight?
All weapons for the army were created in factories, from ammunition and pistols to ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft.
However, the Citadel had forges, not for ordinary people, but for the Phantoms. After all, they were the ones who were more effective with a sword than a machine gun.
"Wow... That looks cool, I won't hide it." Adam muttered, looking at the huge mechanical gate like an entrance to another world, made of iron and steel.
"This is Inferno Forge, the blacksmith is already waiting for us." Silvana said calmly before taking a step forward.
The gate, with a loud crack, came into motion, opening piece by piece, faster and faster.
"Blacksmith...? Is my Nexus really going to be forged between hammer and anvil, like in ancient times?" Adam raised an eyebrow.
Silvana shook her head.
"Of course not, your Nexus won't be forged like some sword, it will grow like a parasite or a virus, for example."
Adam grumbled, "You know... That's not a good comparison."
Silvana just shrugged.
They moved forward, occasionally real robots passed by them, not many, but the fact that they existed was a surprise to Adam, as well as the fact that they turned to him, nodded, and moved on.
Entering the main hall, Adam saw his blacksmith.
To his puzzlement, it was a girl of average height, with blond hair disheveled in all directions, big glasses, and bags under her eyes. Dozens of empty coffee cups strewn across the table were as indispensable to her as a white coat.
"Good afternoon." Silvana said respectfully, "Mrs. Orin, do you have everything ready?"
Orin turned around abruptly and smiled broadly.
However, she didn't look at Silvana, who was waiting for her answer, but at Adam before rushing at him with a slightly crazed look.
"You're Adam Vinter, right?! Yes, it's definitely you! You! You!" Orin exclaimed happily like a child or rather a fan seeing their idol.
"Damn, I saw your fight against Prime Stone Goliath! It was incredible! Especially that moment when you entered Resonance... Agh... your eyes and veins got so tense... Agh, it was bliss, that night I only thought of you..." Orin whispered, squeezing her hands between her thighs while she was drooling.
'Well... Some people are just more liberated than others, aren't they? It's not at all what I expected, though. She's like a fanatic!'
"Mrs. Orin, don't forget about the chain of command." Silvana said sternly, "What you do in the evenings is your own business, but right now you're at work and Phantom is in front of you. Be serious."
Orin threw her a strange look before snorting.
"Pfffft! Nerd! No fun with you." Orin stuck her tongue out, then she took a deep breath, "Fine, follow me. I've already got everything ready."
Walking into the special room set aside for Adam's Nexus, they saw what every Nexus began with.
It was a tall pod with a pale green liquid inside. Dozens of wires and thick tubes were connected to the shell of the pod, with as many different indicators.
"Here, here's your Incubator!" Orin exclaimed vigorously, looking at the pod then at Adam, waiting for his reaction.
"Oh... This thing looks like you could grow a clone in here, doesn't it?" Adam's eyes went wide.
Orin touched her lips with a thoughtful face, "Yeah, in theory, yes, you can make flesh, but the point? Anyway, come to the main panel, and we'll get started!"
At the same moment, Orin went to the computer to the side, checking the sensors. All indicators had to be normal for a successful Nexus build.
"Fine, everything is normal. Now just place your palm on the panel, be prepared, it will hurt. Also, don't resist, or I won't be able to get some of your Initial Gene." Orin said seriously. The preparations were almost complete, all she had to do was press the button.
"Hmm? Does this have any negative consequences?" Adam asked slightly concerned. After all, his Initial Gene was the basis of his power, the most important part.
Orin shook her head.
"From such minor damage, your Initial Gene will recover in a few days. The only downside is that you'll be about 10-15% weaker for the same amount of time, but then you'll be back to normal. That's enough questions. I still have a lot of work to do." Orin replied quickly.
Adam nodded slightly before putting his palm down.
Then, the white streaks shone brightly, and thirteen thin needles, slightly thicker than a hair, stabbed into Adam's palm. If he were a mere human, he probably would have screamed in pain, but since he was a Phantom, clenching his teeth and making a fist was enough to withstand it.
'Agh...?' Adam's eyes went wide when he felt something change.
Emptiness and darkness surrounded him, a frightening but comforting feeling, only for a moment, but it was enough to feel the full spectrum. It was then that a tiny part of his Initial Gene entered the capsule.
"Hmm? A thread? How curious. I've never seen such a thing." Orin tilted her head, looking at the silver thread capable of growing into something great.
"Is that all...?" Adam turned to her.
Orin nodded.
"Yeah, in a few hours, I'll be launching metals and other materials into the capsule. I will mold the shape of your Nexus using lasers and magnetic action. In three days you can come back and retrieve your Nexus."
"Hah, in that case, I'll look forward to it!"
...
Three days later, after the training session, Adam and Silvana were sitting in a café, going to Orin's afterwards. In the morning they received a message that Adam's Nexus was ready.
"By the way, it's been about eight or even nine days since I got to Dead Lands... Why hasn't there been an Eclipse yet?"
"It already has." Silvana calmly replied.
"What...?"
"You slept for four days, and on the third day, there was an eclipse. Nothing out of the ordinary, the monster level was normal, as well as the destruction and casualties."
"I see..." Adam muttered as his gaze grew darker.
"In case you're wondering, the next eclipse should be in about four or five days."
"Hey! It's you!"
Suddenly, an energetic voice came from outside as two silhouettes, a girl and a boy, approached them.
The young man had short gray hair and two swords behind his back, while the girl had round glasses and lush pink shoulder-length hair.
"You... What do you want?" Adam frowned, for it was Oren and Zola. Oren had almost seriously hurt Silvana earlier because of their little argument over the virtual zone chamber.
Obviously, he wasn't too happy to see them.
"You're still mad, right? Come on, it happened a week ago! I just have a temper, and there's nothing I can do about it." Oren pronounced, kindly.
Silvana glanced at him.
"What do you want? We were about to leave, so if you have something to say, I suggest you do it as soon as possible." Silvana said sternly.
Oren sighed heavily, scratching the back of his head.
"Anyway. I just want to apologize again. Zola said a good way to do it would be to suggest a joint mission. I can be hot-tempered, but I'm a worthy ally, I guarantee it!" Oren poked himself in the chest with a finger.
Silvana looked at Adam.
"What do you say?"
"Overall, I'm fine with it, but I have to get my Nexus first." Adam shrugged.
"Sure!" Oren energetically replied before looking at Zola, "Show them."
Zola nodded and placed the tablet on the table with the mission information.
[Steal the Egg from the Golden Searchers. (White Threat Level, V2)]
"Oh, this mission is a bit more difficult than my last one, right?"
"Yes, but you'll do fine, however... I have to ask you a few questions before I do it." Silvana replied calmly and looked at Zola.
She was neutral towards Oren, even though he had almost hurt her. To Adam, she looked though sternly but obediently like a subordinate, but when her gaze met Zola's...
Adam and Oren certainly saw a spark between the girls, or rather two trying to fight each other but colliding in the center.
The rivalry between the two personal Operators might have been moderate, but in a situation like this, each of them was willing to do anything to show their Phantom who was the best.
'This is going to be tough...'
Adam and Oren thought at the same time.