The forge roared to life, the heat from the phoenix feather twisting the flames into something more primal, something alive. It was the kind of fire that could melt steel and forge a blade that would never dull. I hammered the metal with a rhythmic precision, every strike bringing the blade closer to its final form. But something in the back of my mind nagged at me.
I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't alone.
The shadows in the corner of the shop flickered as if something was moving, but when I looked, nothing was there. Just the usual clutter. Still, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
Focus. I had a job to do.
I lifted the blade from the anvil and quenched it in the nearby vat of cooling liquid. The hiss of steam filled the room, and for a moment, I thought I heard a faint whisper in the steam. I pushed it aside. I was losing my touch. This work wasn't easy, and the pressure of the task was starting to get to me. But the blade was perfect. It gleamed in the dim light, reflecting the glow of the forge.
The noble's blade would be a masterpiece. A weapon to bring legends to life.
I stepped back, wiping sweat from my brow. Just as I was about to inspect it further, the door to the shop creaked open.
I froze.
It wasn't the noble.
A figure stood in the doorway, their silhouette barely visible in the dim light. The air in the shop grew colder, and I could feel the presence before they even spoke.
"You're forging something powerful," the voice was low, smooth, almost too calm. "Something that shouldn't be made."
I couldn't see their face, but I could hear the warning in their tone. I wasn't an idiot. I'd been around enough to know when I was in the presence of someone who could kill me in an instant.
I didn't respond immediately. Instead, I gripped the hammer tighter, ready for anything. The stranger took a step forward, and I could see their outline more clearly now—a hooded figure, their robes flowing like water, the glow of arcane symbols barely visible across their cloak. They raised their hand, and I felt the temperature in the room plummet.
"You'll regret forging that blade," the figure said, their voice almost a whisper now, barely audible over the hiss of the steam.
I didn't care for threats. I'd heard my share of them in my time, and most of them didn't amount to much.
But there was something in their eyes. Something that told me they weren't bluffing.
I set the hammer down slowly, my hand hovering near the blade. I didn't know who they were, but I had a bad feeling that I was about to find out.
"And who might you be?" I asked, my voice steady despite the unease crawling up my spine.
The figure didn't answer immediately. Instead, they took another step closer, their hood falling back to reveal a face that was almost familiar. But it wasn't the face that caught my attention. It was the glowing runes etched into their skin, a faint shimmer that pulsed in time with their heartbeat.
This wasn't a random stranger. This was someone from the kingdom's inner circle, someone who knew far more than they should about the blade I was forging.
"I am here because you've made a grave mistake," the figure finally spoke, their eyes narrowing. "And now, you're going to pay for it."
Before I could react, they raised their hand, and the temperature in the room plummeted even further. The flames in the forge flickered and died, the very air around me freezing solid.
I was frozen in place, unable to move, unable to breathe. The room had become a tomb.
Then, as quickly as it had come, the ice shattered.
A booming crash shook the building, and a gust of wind sent the frozen shards flying in all directions.
I blinked, disoriented, as I saw the figure standing over me, their hand now holding a glowing orb of ice. They grinned.
"You're not ready for what's coming," they said, their voice cold as death itself.
And then, with a flash of light, they were gone.
The only thing left in their place was the echo of their words and the faint, icy chill that clung to the walls of the forge.
I didn't know who they were. Or what they wanted.
But one thing was for sure.
I had made a mistake. And it was one I wasn't going to survive easily.
But as the wind outside howled through the shop, I couldn't help but wonder... What had I truly unleashed?