Ace noticed the apprentice because the apprentice didn't knock.
She just… waited.
Sat on the floor outside the workshop, back straight, hands folded, watching the river carry dye-stained water downstream.
Hours passed.
Ace eventually sighed.
"…You can come in."
She didn't smile.
That was mistake number zero avoided.
The Wrong Question
"I don't want to make powerful things," she said immediately.
"I want to make necessary ones."
Ace froze.
Ravenna's head snapped up.
That was the wrong question.
Because it meant she'd already noticed the pattern.
The Test (Disguised as Chores)
Ace handed her a pile of junk.
Broken buttons.
Cracked beads.
A child's shoe with no pair.
"Sort these," he said.
She didn't ask how.
She grouped them by what failed first.
Ace's ears slowly lifted.
"…Why that way?"
"Because that's where the story starts," she replied.
Ravenna mouthed: Oh no.
The Almost-Artifact
Ace let her work the forge.
Supervised.
Barely.
She melted thread and copper.
Too little mana.
Not enough intent.
The object cooled into—
A ring.
Plain.
Too plain.
The Bell rang once.
Ace lunged.
"Stop."
Too late.
Item Created: The Loop of Shared Burden (Unfinished)
Transfers exhaustion evenly among all involved
Hides collapse until everyone is equally tired
Amplifies denial
Unstable without consent ritual
Ace snatched it up.
Crushed it.
The ring screamed.
Then fell silent.
The apprentice went pale.
"I—I thought—"
"You skipped the question," Ace said quietly.
She swallowed.
"…Which one?"
Ace met her eyes.
"Who gets hurt first."
The Lesson (Hard)
Ace didn't yell.
That was worse.
"You made something people would love," he said.
"Because it makes pain fair."
She flinched.
"But fairness isn't safety."
Ravenna stepped closer.
"It's how disasters get applause."
The Choice
Ace cleaned the forge.
Slowly.
"I won't teach you," he said.
The apprentice nodded.
"I figured."
"But," Ace added,
"I'll let you stay."
She looked up.
"…Why?"
"Because now you know what not to finish."
End Beat
That night—
The apprentice sat by the Bell.
It rang softly.
She didn't ignore it.
Didn't flinch.
Just wrote.
Ace watched from the rafters.
Legendary items weren't rare because they were hard to make.
They were rare because most people never learned—
which questions end worlds.