The dwarf's sudden words instantly put both Kai and Linor on edge. Linor's hand moved instinctively to her sword hilt, a flash of wariness crossing her ice-blue eyes. Kai, meanwhile, tightened his grip on the silver-glowing wrench, the star core fragment pulsing faintly in his palm, as if answering the dwarf's gaze.
The campfire crackled in the clearing, sparks leaping up and pattering against the metal roof of the smithy. The dwarf bent down and picked up the hammer he had dropped. The murky eyes beneath his heavy brows now shimmered with an emotion hard to describe. He strode toward them on thick, powerful legs, muscles shifting beneath his skin, radiating the strength of a life spent at the forge.
"Relax," the dwarf said. His voice was still rough, but a trace of warmth crept into it. "I mean no harm."He stopped a few steps away, his gaze lingering briefly on Linor's pointed ears before settling on the wrench in Kai's hand."My name is Ironhammer. I am a smith from the Aurora Continent."
"Ironhammer?" Linor frowned. The name was not uncommon among dwarves, yet seeing one here left her unsettled. "Why are you here? The barrier between Aurora and Eros was supposed to be stable."
Ironhammer let out a bitter chuckle and turned toward the fire, lifting a wineskin and taking a long swig. The harsh liquor spilled down his beard. He pointed at his leg."Stable? That was a hundred years ago. This leg of mine was crushed by cross-realm debris during the Starfall Event. When the barrier cracked, I fled here with other refugees. I've been stuck on this continent ever since."
Kai and Linor exchanged glances, shock clear in both their eyes. They had not expected the dwarf before them to be a living witness to the Starfall Event.
"So it really was Victor's ancestors who orchestrated it?" Kai asked quietly.
Ironhammer nodded, the faint smile vanishing from his face, replaced by heavy anger."Yes. The founder of the Thorn family detonated the great magic altar of Aurora to seize the star core fragments. That explosion caused the Starfall Event. Magic across Aurora was devastated, countless lives lost—while they escaped to Eros with the fragments, using their power to develop steam technology and crown themselves rulers."
Linor clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms as fury burned in her eyes. Her people had perished in that catastrophe. For a century she had roamed the borderlands between realms, searching for the fragments and the truth behind the Thorn family's crimes.
"The fragment you carry," Ironhammer said, looking again at Kai's pocket watch, "is one of the seven scattered when the altar exploded. Star core fragments contain the primal force that links the two realms. Only those who can resonate with them may truly wield their power.Lad, you can enchant machines and trigger star core resonance—meaning the fragment chose you."
Kai looked down at the watch in his hand, emotions tangled in his chest. He had once been nothing more than a watch repairman in the slums, wanting only a quiet life. Now he stood at the heart of a conspiracy spanning a century.
"The Thorn family has never stopped hunting the fragments," Ironhammer continued. "Victor is even more ambitious than his forebears. He doesn't just want to break the barrier—he wants to reshape Aurora's magical foundation with steam technology, to force the entire world to kneel beneath him."
"We cannot let that happen," Linor said firmly. She turned to Kai, hope flickering in her eyes."Kai, we need you. Only you can bring out the star core's full potential and stop Victor."
Kai fell silent. Images flashed through his mind—the struggling people of the Everlight City slums, the steam police's wanted notice, the furnace inferno that had nearly killed him. If Victor shattered the barrier, not only Aurora but ordinary people of Eros would be dragged into catastrophe.
He drew a deep breath, lifted his head, and met their gazes with resolve."I'm in."
A satisfied smile spread across Ironhammer's face. He slapped Kai's shoulder with enough force to make him grimace."Good lad! You've got backbone."Turning, he went into the smithy and hauled out a heavy iron chest. "If you're joining us, then accept a proper gift."
The chest creaked open to reveal an unusually shaped wrench. It was larger than Kai's, its handle carved from thousand-year ironwood of Aurora, etched with intricate runes. The head was forged from meteorite iron, gleaming with a dark silver sheen.
"I forged this from meteor iron that fell during the Starfall Event," Ironhammer said proudly. "It took me thirty years. It can perfectly channel the power of a star core fragment—boosting your mechanical enchantment tenfold."
Kai took the wrench, feeling its solid weight. A gentle surge of energy flowed into him as it resonated with the fragment in his watch. Blue light burst forth, streaming into the meteorite wrench. The runes flared brilliantly, bathing the clearing in radiant glow.
"This is incredible!" Linor exclaimed. "With this, we stand a real chance against Victor!"
Ironhammer nodded and pulled a yellowed map from the chest, spreading it on a stone table beside the fire. It showed the geography of both realms, seven glowing marks scattered across it."This is a fragment map, drawn from ancestral records. The one you carry came from the abandoned factory in Everlight City." He pointed at other marks. "The remaining six are scattered across—"
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from the forest, branches snapping loudly. Ironhammer's expression darkened as he swiftly rolled up the map."Damn it. Thorn's hunters. Their noses are sharper than hounds'."
Linor drew her sword at once. Kai tightened his grip on the meteorite wrench as star core energy surged through him. Firelight illuminated their faces—each set with unwavering resolve.
A new battle was about to begin.
And this time, they would not face it alone.