Aurelian flinched as though a giant had just climbed down his beanstalk. Raine caught his forearm and steadied him.
The figure who emerged from the trees stood like a pillar carved from the mountain's heart—shoulders broad, presence larger than the clearing itself. His beard spilled to his waist, the color of coals at dawn, and beads woven into its braids clicked softly as he moved. His hands looked cut from stone, scarred and sure.
He set a chest on the earth with deliberate care. Griffins peered from behind trunks, tilting their heads and chattering. Fayte watched with bright curiosity, then answered the stranger's arrival with a keen, musical note. The giant smiled and lowered a palm. Fayte launched and settled into it as if he'd practiced the greeting his whole life. The man's callused fingers traced the curve of the beak. Fayte snapped playfully, then leaned, pleased.
"Arch-Ardentis?" His voice carried through the grove like thunder beneath the ribs.
Aurelian nodded.
"The mountain greets thee, Starbriar of Ursaela."
"This is Udred," Raine said.
Udred's face broke into a weathered smile. He cupped those massive hands and bowed. Eden stepped forward and placed her palms on Aurelian's shoulders.
"Raine, tend the griffins. I will handle this."
"Yes, Mother."
"Sit, Aurelian." Eden guided him to the ground opposite the Terranan.
She bent to his ear. "Be respectful. Terranans worship through craft, weather, trees, and beasts. He will see what lives inside you."
Aurelian gave a small nod.
Eden lifted her head. "Well met, Arch-Master, Son of the Mountain, Ambassador of the Conclave. This is my son, Aurelian."
Udred bowed to her, then to Aurelian. "Well met, Mistress of the Forest, Guardian of the Great Tree. Well met, Starbriar." His eyes held steady—bright with appraisal and something like pride.
"The soul gem I sent came from my son," Eden said, resting her hand on Aurelian's shoulder. "Were you able to craft anything?"
Udred opened the chest and drew out a second box, large even in his hands. He unfolded a roll of tools and set them in precise ranks on a cloth. Each gleamed in the lantern glow—delicate, exact, worn by decades of mastery. Grips darkened from long use. Edges honed to slivers.
"You have options, Starbriar. Your mother spoke of your trials. No record of the Conclave names a Starbriar born so young. Even for those bent with wisdom, your abilities are taxing. I would recommend a focus—it will help your control and make casting flow more naturally."
Heat rose in Aurelian's face. "Please."
"It would be my honor."
He placed the pulsing soul stone in a cushioned ring and lifted lenses better suited to a clockmaker than a giant. He set them on the bridge of his nose, selected a hammer light enough to sing, and began.
The world narrowed. The fire hissed softly behind them. Rain thrummed on the enclosure's roof. Light spilled from the workbench as Udred tapped, pressed, turned. Each strike rang pure as a bell. Sparks lifted and died midair. Molten stone folded under the careful prod of a chisel and cooled where tongs set it aside. His massive hands moved with such delicacy that Aurelian felt humbled to breathe near him.
The System stirred.
[System Expanded]
Store Unlock
Shadow Gate Initiated
Note — Transactions pass through the Gate; deliveries honor distance and silence.
[Aethereal Technology]
Item: Shadow Gate
Type: Infinite Storage Portal
Properties:
— Accepts items of any size or weight (non-living)
— Uses: Void Magic
A cool hush bloomed at his hip. Darkness folded inward like a blinking eye, then opened into a shallow circle hovering above the grass. Fayte's crest lifted. Eden's breath caught. The circle inhaled once, then sealed itself when Aurelian lifted his hand away.
Udred drew a sign of blessing across his chest. "By the Mother," he whispered. "A Shadow Gate. Starbriar, do you know what she has given you?"
Aurelian held his tongue. The truth of the system felt too strange for words. Udred did not press. He bowed his head and returned to his work.
[Trainer located]
You have learned more about crafting. Do you wish to mark Udred as your teacher?
He did not hesitate. Yes.
Udred glanced at him. "You enjoy craft."
"Very much." He bit back the flood of memories—long nights grinding for rare drops, the thrill of forging something coveted, the joy of making a thing useful and strong.
Udred gave a grunt that carried approval. He reached into the chest and drew out a polished case. When he opened it, a translucent slab glimmered within. Aurelian touched it. The surface brightened, light rippling across it with a soft chime that reminded him of a menu opening in his old life.
Sense.
[Aethereal Technology]
Item: Auctioneer's Assistant
Type: Remote Auction Access
Properties: Buy, sell, and trade items synced to Conclave boards
Uses: Void Magic
Aurelian's eyes widened. "This is mine?"
Udred's mouth broke into a grin. "Yes, Starbriar. But I ask a favor in return."
Aurelian leaned forward. "I'm listening..."
"Starbriars carry a gift only they can wield. Stitching. Threads that bind blessing into cloth and armor. You can strengthen a thing's heart, awaken what sleeps inside it, sharpen what already wakes. I would have your help."
Aurelian's pulse surged. Enchanting—his, if he proved worthy. The promise pulled him forward, and yet he weighed the bargain.
"You ask me to enchant your finest craft without cost." His voice cooled, deliberate. "Intriguing offer. But in granting me access to such power, I assume you expect my masterworks done freely in return?"
Udred did not flush, break his gaze, or become shy. Good. His offer could be earnest rather than manipulative.
"Shrewd for a young one," Udred said. An approving twinkle sparkled in his eyes. "I would set aside lower quality pieces for you to learn and improve your technique, then once you master the skill, I'd ask for ten of my best armor and clothing sets to be enchanted by you, Starbriar."
"Ten each, or ten total?"
"Total."
"Done." Aurelian said. A smile broke on his lips. He would become an enchanter, the giant would provide clothing to practice the skill, and he'd be indebted for ten sets? It seemed like a good outcome for him.
Udred held out his large hand. Aurelian palm curled around the edge of one of his fence-post width digits. They shook.
"And if we are both satisfied with the arrangement, then maybe we could make additional agreements on future work together?"
Udred nodded and reached again into the chest, this time lifting a smaller, elegant box. Rich leather embossed with Terranan sigils caught the light. He held it with reverence and set it before Aurelian.
An apprentice shifted. "Master, you give the Soulless our book?"
The word landed sharply. Eden drew Aurelian against her side, arm firm and protective. Her glare carried enough fire to silence the grove.
Udred's fist hit the earth. The ground leapt. The fire coughed sparks. Pebbles clattered like hail. His voice cracked down after it, deep as faultlines splitting stone.
"Soulless. You dare. The last Starbriar was Terranan. That book carved by Terranan hands and sanctified by Terranan blood. Eight hundred years since a Starbriar walked, and you would spit on the goddess' chosen?"
The apprentices shrank back, pale. The branches held still, as if the tree listened.
"I will see it given," Udred thundered. "Given to the first Starbriar born since the age of legends. Insult him again, and you insult the mountain itself."
Silence pressed on every living thing until even the storm outside seemed to hesitate.
Eden's hand never left Aurelian's shoulder. She stroked her thumb against him, steadying. With her other hand, she poured hot water into a small clay pot she had brought and let mint steam curl into the tense air. The simple act pulled breath back into the moment.
Udred turned to Aurelian, voice still iron but tempered. "Take it. This is your inheritance."
Aurelian lifted the book. The leather warmed beneath his palms. Pages flipped as if stirred by unseen hands. Light bled from the edges, then burst. The book crumbled to ash before it struck the ground. Golden radiance struck his chest and sank inside.
[System Update: Crafting manual assimilated. Starbriar's Stitch added to menus. Current rank: Journeyman.]
Patterns bloomed in his thoughts—glowing seams, enchanted knots, threads that carried power without fraying. Knowledge poured in as if his fingers had known the motions long before.
Udred's eyes glistened. "By the Mother. I have never seen such a thing."
Aurelian steadied himself. "Call me Aurelian. If we are partners, call me by name."
Udred dipped his chin. "Aurelian."
He returned to his bench. Glass the color of the sea shaped under his watchful eye. Delicate folds took shape. Aurelian studied the figure being crafted from all angles. What was it? It had fluk as stunning as any seen. Its back curved oddly, yet it looked mythic, sure, never ungainly. Udred smiled at his keen interest. His hammer, delicate and sure, kept a soft and steady beat.
"Here we are," Udred said. "A focus of the Hippocampus. Forgive my artistic inspiration. While of the mountain, I find the sea enchanting. Let a gentle flow of your magic flow into it, Starbriar."
Eden's glare at the apprentice softened into a beam. "Gentle, Aurelian. Just the barest touch, the softest flow."
He breathed out. Images thundered from his palm into the Otocyon roared to life. There is no danger. I am with friends. Gentle. Remember my training. He breathed out. A delicate blend of magic seeped from him.
"That's it," Eden said. Her palm pressed reassuringly into his shoulders. "The barest thread. Let it infuse. Not shatter."
The thread caressed the seaglass. As if sparked with life, a tiny horn sounded from its lips, and it flew toward Aurelian and swirled around him. He giggled, the sound surprising even himself.
[Focus received]
Blessing of the Sea Awarded
He reached for it and held it in his palms. It was the size of a shot put, but held the weight of delicate precision. Eden's hand stayed on his shoulder. The apprentices kept their eyes down. Raine's quiet voice drifted from the griffins beyond.
Udred's shadow stretched across the floor. He gathered his tools, and the chest closed with a heavy sound that carried finality.
"Bring me cloth when your fingers itch," Udred said. "The mountain remembers those who honor it."
Eden poured tea into small cups, set one by Aurelian's hand. Steam rose with a clean scent. The warmth matched the hippocampus' weight, grounding him in this place.
He raised his head. Eden's hand lingered. Udred's gaze carried the patience of a mountain. Aurelian nodded, and the nod carried agreement, gratitude, and resolve.