James's heart pounded as he stood in the center of the forge, his eyes fixed on the Forge Master.
The man was an imposing figure despite his small stature. His deep-set eyes gleamed like molten steel as he said, "Shall we begin?"
The words sent a chill down James's spine. His imagination spiralled into chaos. 'Begin? Begin what? A ritual? Torture? Has my identity been discovered?'
His mind raced with increasingly bad scenarios. Had these Forgers already sensed something wrong with his soul?
Maybe the tablet wasn't just for awakening soul weapons but also for detecting clueless transmirgrators like him.
Instinctively, James's eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape route. Apart from the heavy iron door he'd entered through, there was no way out. Not even a window.
The stone walls were solid, the high ceiling offered no hope, and even the shadows seemed to mock him.
The Forge Master noticed James's frantic gaze and let out a booming laugh. It was a sound that filled the room, bouncing off the walls like thunder.
"Relax, lad," he said, stroking his goatee. "You've got a creative mind, I'll give you that. But when I said 'let's begin,' I wasn't plotting anything sinister. We're simply starting the soul-opening process."
James narrowed his eyes, still wary. "Isn't that something the lower-ranked Forgers handle?"
The Forge Master chuckled again, his shoulders shaking with amusement. "Not when it's a special-grade soul weapon. That's my job."
"Special-grade?" James repeated, his voice laced with curiosity and unease. "What makes it… special?"
The Forge Master's expression grew serious, his tone deepening. "A special-grade soul weapon is unlike anything else, lad. It can be anything—a sword, a shield, a beast, or even something alive.
"If it turns on its summoner or tries to escape, your average Forger wouldn't stand a chance. That's why someone like me handles it. To keep things under control."
James nodded slowly, though his nerves refused to settle. This wasn't reassuring; it was terrifying. 'Great. So not only is my soul weapon unpredictable, but it might also try to kill me. Fantastic.'
The Forge Master raised his hand, and with a casual flick of his wrist, a glowing yellow orb appeared in midair. James's jaw dropped.
The orb hovered just above the Forge Master's palm, pulsating like a tiny sun. Its light cast golden reflections across the room, and James couldn't tear his eyes away.
It wasn't the orb itself that had James dazed, it was the act of producing it out of thin air. Since there was no burst of white light, James knew that this wasn't a soul weapon.
And if it wasn't a soul weapon, it meant the man had a method to store things in another dimension, just like James had read in novels!
"Take this," the Forge Master said, extending the orb toward James. "Hold it for as long as you can. The soul-opening process will start on its own."
James hesitated, eyeing the orb as if it might explode. But there was no turning back now. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around the orb's smooth, warm surface.
The moment he touched it, a strange sensation washed over him. It was like tiny needles pricking at the edges of his mind—not painful, but unsettling.
The Forge Master watched him closely, his sharp eyes scanning for any sign of weakness.
At first, it was manageable. The sensation was odd but not unbearable, and James maintained a calm, composed expression. He wasn't about to let the Forge Master see him sweat.
But as the minutes ticked by, the needles turned into knives. The pain dug deeper, slicing into his thoughts like invisible blades. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he refused to flinch.
Five minutes passed. Then ten. The pain became unbearable, a relentless storm inside his head. Still, James remained silent, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached.
The Forge Master raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "You've got an absurd pain tolerance, boy. Most people would've reached their limits by now."
James didn't respond. He was too focused, his entire body tense as he endured the excruciating process.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, his vision blurred, and his eyes turned pure white.
A formless shockwave erupted from him, spreading through the room like an invisible tidal wave.
The Forge Master staggered back, his expression shifting from calm confidence to cautious intrigue.
Inside his mind, James felt something shift. It was like discovering a new limb—something that had always been there but had just now awakened.
He could feel it, control it, become it. The sensation was surreal, almost overwhelming.
He realised he could see inside his soul. The soul space unfolded before him, a vast expanse of black water stretching endlessly in all directions.
The water was shallow, barely a metre deep, but it rippled with a quiet, otherworldly energy. James stared in awe, marvelling at the strange, unsettling beauty of it.
But then, something shifted again. He felt a sudden tug, as if something were being pulled out of him. Before he could react, he felt it leave his body, and a low thud echoed in the forge.
James's eyes snapped open, and he looked down to see a small, jagged rock lying on the forge floor. It was deep purple, its surface glinting with a hazy light.
The air around it seemed to vibrate, and James felt a connection to it—like it was a part of him.
The Forge Master crouched down, studying the rock with an intense gaze. "Well," he muttered, "this is… unusual."
But James didn't need an explanation. The moment he laid eyes on the rock, he felt an undeniable connection to it, as though it were an extension of his own soul.
The words came to him instinctively, unbidden but certain.
"Fragment of Extremity," he whispered, his voice filled with awe and a hint of fear.
The Forge Master glanced up, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Looks like you've got yourself a unique soul weapon, lad. Let's see what it can do."
_____
Power stone Goal!
20 PS - 1 Bonus chapter
50 PS - 2 Bonus chapter
100 PS (Quite an achievement as of now) - 3 Bonus chapters.