One week before departing…..
Dante was seated in his chair of his office room, overlooking some of the papers for the disbandment of their Guild The Echo Legion. As both he and Lyra are not remained here to maintain the guild.
As stoic as Dante before everyone other than his family, he still saw them as comrades in arm, Echo Legion was started just after the one year of them taking Kaios.
So, it had been a sixteen year of comradeship.
Just as he was reminiscing about a knock echoed in the office.
"Come in.", Dante replied.
As the door opened Kaios entered the room along with Lyra. As Dante saw this he closed all the works he was doing, and stared at them.
"What brings you two at this hour?", Dante asked as he knew Lyra was also busy in the works of Guild matter.
Lyra with a serious face said, "Kaios wanted something to tell you about the ER of his."
As Dante heard it he became focused as well as excited. He already knew from the previous night that, Kaios's environmental mutation to the metal path was now completed.
He also asked about the ER or any other solution if saw as previously told by Kaios.
Unlike other Kaios's stage couldn't be classified, because his strength is already at Stage 10 with his Psion IR and Purity being beyond that. But due to not having an ER, he is still in the Initiator part.
"Do you see the solution for your condition also this time?", Dante asked Kaios.
To this Kaios nodded and reply, "Yes, also it showed me the type of artifact that I needed."
"Ohh… so you decided the artefact… Hmm… well, we already agreed to go with this previously. So, what is it?", Lyra said. She and Dante already made up their mind to leave it in the hand of Kaios, so she had no problem with it.
Dante also asked nothing about it to Kaios, instead wanted to listen what Kaios about to tell.
"From the vision I saw in the yesterday night, the artefact I needed have to be Psion based, not other energy related.", Kaios informed.
"Also, it should be an artefact that somewhat has history or related to the balance or something like that.", Kaios concluded.
"Hmm.. That's an interesting note for an artifact, okay I will try to find it within my reach. If not found we can try after we depart from it as the options for us become wider."
"But dad, I also got another information, if the ER is not under a month the Psion of mine will be fully mutated.", Kaios said gravely.
When Lyra and Dante heard it, their expression turned serious. They understood implications of it; Kaios will not be able to advance to the above realm. As ER is necessary in the current human cultivation even though he already in the peak of Awakened realm.
"Worry not, son. We will get the appropriate artefact before the month.". Dante said to Kaios.
As Kaios heard it he smiled, "I know Dad, I believe you."
Present time….
"Now Dante, let me teleport you to artefact section, where the artifacts required for the first ER is stored."
Raion said breaking the Dante from his thought.
"Sure Enforcer.", Dante nodded towards Raion.
Suddenly both disappeared from their position, but only Dante appeared in another side of hall.
There he saw different artefacts stored accordingly to path they will open, with the slight descriptions about them. These descriptions provide the slight idea that, these artefact can unlock after ER.
Even though it was ultimately random but there is some order as per the famous law of Born Rule and Compenhagen Interpretation.
All these came to stop as Dante closed to the section of Path of Metal, there he saw different types of artefacts with different sub paths.
Forgeheart Core
Energy Source: Psion
Form: A blackened orb of crystallized ore, warm with an inner heartbeat.
Effect: Generates crude, indestructible ore-mass constructs when fueled by Psion.
Alloybinder Gauntlet
Energy Source: Aura
Form: A heavy gauntlet of shifting plates, seams glowing faint bronze.
Effect: Fuses raw ore-mass into sturdier alloys, allowing sharper and more specialized weapon shapes.
Shardveil Mirror
Energy Source: Mana
Form: A fractured, silvery disc that reflects in jagged, shifting fragments.
Effect: Creates mirrored weapon-constructs — duplicates of existing arms at reduced stability.
Ironsong Spine
Energy Source: VibraPulse
Form: A segmented metallic spine from the one of the species made up of ore, humming with tonal resonance.
Effect: Resonates through constructs, imbuing them with vibration-based cutting power or defensive density.
Scaleweave Lantern
Energy Source: Spiritus
Form: A lantern-like cage of woven metal scales, glowing with faint spiritual light.
Effect: Creates flexible, chain-linked constructs (whips, nets, scale-armor) animated by the wielder's will.
Nature: Expands beyond static weapons — mobility, control, and flexible armaments.
Bladewright's Anvil
Energy Source: Psion
Form: A floating, miniature anvil etched with deep resonance lines.
Effect: The Anvil can forge up to five weapon constructs simultaneously, each imbued with one unique property linked to balance. Once assigned, a property cannot be transferred until the weapon is destroyed or dismissed.
Aegisforge Crucible
Energy Source: Psion
Form: A cracked alloy core with ember-like runic veins, shedding and reforging metallic dust.
Effect: All weapons forged enforce balance of the ore— power must be traded for speed, sharpness for durability, range for control.
As Dante read the all these his eyes rested upon the last two artefacts Aegisforge Crucible and BladeWright's Anvil.
These one had all the properties Kaios had told him previously.
BladeWright's Anvil provides the unique properties of balance like weight equilibrium, force distribution and others but limited.
In the case of Aegisforge Crucible it is slightly twisted. It provides the the versatility but you have to slightly bend the logic. Its effects are trade-offs, but this enforces an equivalent change so, it can also related to the balance properties that Kaios had told him.
Like this Dante made his choice, he chose the artefact Aegisforge Crucible for the first ER of Kaios.
As he chose it like before Raion suddenly appeared in front of him.
Raion looked at the artefact as he knew that Dante chose the artifact for the Path of Metal.
"So, you chose the Path of Metal for your child.", Raion uttered.
"Yes Enforcer, it his choice to walk on this path.", Dante replied.
Raion only nodded to this. He didn't find anything odd. The Path of metals is sure uncommon, but contrary to that it is vastly used. As it is a versatile path and also the Psion NR has slightly tilted towards the metals and ores for obvious reasons.
He waved his hand and they both teleported, this time from the Hall of Artefact.
Against vast entrance outside the Head Quarter of the Enforcer, both Dante and Raion appeared.
As they appeared all the guards that stood at the side of gate of entrance bowed to Raion. Each of them having the strength of Stage 10.
Dante observing this became baffled.
Damn... The stage 10s are mere gatekeeper here!! If it is in Vaeltris, they were be treated like rulers. Even the ruling family were only had stage 9.
This was a eye-opener for Dante, it showed him the vastness of the universe.
I will be stronger that it, so the incident that happened in the illusion will not be happen.
Even now, he feared at the memory of thar illusion. That helplessness—the inability to protect his family—weighed on him like a curse. He despised it, every inches about it. He vowed to grow stronger, far stronger than he was now currently, so that no one could ever threaten those he loved again.
Raion saw the stupor of Dante, as he knew what he was thinking.
He then said to the guards, "Open the gates."
Guards that bowed to him previously straightened and said in unison, "As you order, Enforcer."
Guards then open the large gate of the entrance, Dante also came out from his stupor.
"Dante, let's meet to your family.", Raion said to Dante.
Dante then nodded and entered the Head Quarter with the Raion. A smile of intese joy appeared on his face.