At Queen Sylpha's signal, one of the royal guards stepped forward and came to stand directly across from Victoria.
Suddenly, the room fell silent.
Dozens of glowing symbols began to materialize in the air—thirty-six in total. Gasps echoed through the chamber as awe-struck onlookers stood frozen. Everyone was stunned—everyone except Peonia, who watched with narrowed, calculating eyes.
The runes whirled and aligned into concentric rings surrounding the Royal Fortress Armor. The outermost ring pulsed with arcane energy, etched in impossibly intricate glyphs. At the center of the formation hovered a radiant six-pointed star, formed by two interlocking triangles, glowing with golden light.
Between the inner and outer rings, unfamiliar symbols danced—ancient runes indecipherable to all present… all except Victoria.
From within the magical circle, six chisels emerged—three forged from radiant light, the other three sculpted from pure shadow.
An ethereal interface shimmered into existence before Victoria, floating like a translucent screen. The chisels moved in sync with her presence, as if guided by unseen hands. They tapped, prodded, and scanned the armor—analyzing its structure and magical properties in ways no one had ever witnessed before.
The Royal Fortress Armor remained motionless.
Then, lines of data began scrolling across the interface. Victoria raised her hands, fingers moving with practiced precision. The chisels followed her gestures as if tethered by invisible threads, dancing through the air in perfect harmony. The stream of data accelerated—too fast for most to comprehend, but perfectly paced for Victoria's mind.
Suddenly, a maid burst into the room, breathless. "Young lady—Scarlett is here. The Lord of the Forest has arrived from White Phoenix Academy… and she has brought the items you requested."
Without missing a beat, Victoria replied, "Let them in. Bring them to me."
The maid bowed and hurried away, using the estate's internal warp gate to return to the entrance hall. There, she met Scarlett and led her and her companions through the corridors toward the east wing dining hall.
Behind Scarlett strode three awe-inspiring beings:
Tyris, the Griffon — She bore the head and forelegs of a majestic eagle, with the body of a lion. Three pairs of silver-feathered wings arched gracefully from her back.
Leegaain, the Dragon — His pitch-black scales gleamed like obsidian, each one larger than a tower shield. Ancient wisdom burned in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes. Crown-like horns curled from his brow, and vast leathery wings stretched behind him, folded but no less imposing.
Salaark, the Phoenix — A magnificent red avian with the body of an eagle and a shimmering peacock-like tail. Flames flickered softly from her wings and eyes, casting warm light across the room.
Normally, these legendary Kashin stood over thirty meters tall. For this visit, they had condensed themselves to a more manageable ten meters.
Victoria turned to the royals and spoke calmly. "This sample of Purified Davross weighs several hundred pounds. Its power core consists of thirty-five pseudo cores. One houses a gravity spell; another powers a holographic interface—one that only I can see and interpret."
Scarlett, followed by Tyris, Leegaain, and Salaark, entered the room.
All four paused, visibly impressed as they watched Victoria work—someone who had not only detected but effortlessly unraveled cloaking runes beyond the perception of most mages.
Scarlett stepped forward."Here are the 202 purified Adamant ingots, 14 violet mana crystals, and six blue mana crystals you requested. Also, the wand crafted from Yggdrasill wood, as per your specifications."
She then gestured toward her companions. "And, as your final request: I present to you Tyris the Griffon, Leegaain the Dragon, and Salaark the Phoenix."
Victoria bowed respectfully to the mythical Kashin, then turned her attention to the pile of purified Adamant.
With practiced control, she summoned a tier-four Light Mastery spell: Crucible. Runes of light spiraled around her forearm, humming with focused energy.
The spell coated the Adamant in a shell of hard light shaped like a crucible. Then, she introduced fire as a secondary input. The chamber superheated, and the ingots began to melt with remarkable efficiency.
As the Adamant liquefied, Victoria manipulated the light construct, reshaping it with fluid motions. The molten metal flowed like mercury, bending to her will.
First, she shaped it into a large, heart-like chamber, then gradually reduced the temperature to allow it to cool and solidify. Once solid, she compressed and reshaped it into a compact structure—a forge.
At first glance, the forge appeared plain. But upon closer inspection, finely etched runes shimmered across its surface. A handle sat on its right.When pulled, it revealed a surprisingly spacious interior, capable of storing everything from tools to magical components.
Next, Victoria forged a hammerhead—simple, sturdy, and balanced. Each face held a slot for a mana crystal, with deeper channels along the handle designed to hold six more.
Placing the hammer on the forge, Victoria retrieved six blue mana crystals and two violet ones. With deliberate care, she invoked her personal tier-five Forge Mastery spell: Linked Binding.
This advanced spell fused the crystals into both hammer and forge. Unlike standard bonding, which ties one crystal to one item, Linked Binding allowed her to weave mana between multiple objects—creating a mana network. Though each connection was weaker individually, their harmony mimicked the power of a singular core, enabling diverse enchantments across interconnected tools.
Then, she picked up the remaining 12 violet mana crystals and cast another tier-five Light Mastery spell: Engraver.
As the runes formed, she began to explain to the onlookers.
"Each crystal will store every rune I know from a specific magical discipline. The final one—Crystal Eleven—will contain all elemental runes."
She listed them:
First - Light Master
Second - Forge master
Third - Warden
Fourth - Healer
Orion raised a brow."Wouldn't engraving runes directly onto a crystal destroy it—especially if you already have them etched into your forge?"
Victoria nodded."Yes and no. The runes engraved on the forge are mainly the foundational ones for Warden magic. There's simply not enough space to engrave every single rune, even with layering. That's why I'm creating crystal-specific engravings—each crystal holds only the runes for one specialization. The eleventh contains the elemental core."
She continued:
Fifth - War Mage
Sith - Battle mage
Queen Sylpha asked, "How are you not shattering the crystals in the process?"
Victoria answered evenly."It's because of how I built the Engraver spell. The light runes temper the crystal's surface while I work, preventing fractures."
Seventh - Mage Knight
Meron inquired, "And what was that bonding spell you used earlier?"
"That was Linked Binding, my personal tier-five Forge spell. You know how normal bonding links one crystal to one item? This spell allows mana to flow between items—creating what I call a mana network."
Eighth - Darkness Master/Necromancer
Ninth - Alchemy
Sylpha asked again, "Why are you planting mana crystals like seeds? And are you planning to enchant your forging hammer?"
Victoria nodded."Yes. I'll enchant both the hammer and the forge. I've been experimenting with basic iron and developed a technique that lets me channel and store my own mana in metal, amplify it, and retrieve it later. I've named this technique The Manawell."
Tenth - Elemental rune
Eleventh - dimensional rune
Twelfth
Victoria say "And if I knew the runs for dimensional magic the twelfth crystal would hold them."