It was a morning when light fell through the attic. 　Drafts rustled the straw. In air thick with the smell of scrap metal, Kael opened his eyes. The red-haired girl who had tumbled in last night was already awake. She sat on the ladder with her knees drawn up, looking down at Fostaelen's dawn. Her silver ring piercing caught the morning light and trembled faintly. 　He remembered last night. The clash at the forging market. Just when he thought he'd lost Ur's hammer, the girl had seen the same vision and dropped to her knees. The two of them had barely driven off the thieves' pursuers, and in the rain, he'd let this girl—with nowhere else to go—stay in the attic. （Why did I let her stay?） 　He couldn't explain it well, even to himself. "[cold]If you're awake, come down. We're going to the archive." 　Without turning around, Ryla said it. "[surprised]The archive?" "Were you planning to research the materials for the flame blade yourself? How?" 　He had no answer. Kael slowly got up and tied his apron strings. --- 　The public archive of Fostaelen stands adjacent to Hammalaat Headquarters—the forging guild's base, a three-story building on the eastern district's cobblestones. Its formal name is the Tora Library. It has a soot-stained stone exterior, with the federation's seal carved above the door. Kael had heard it held everything from forging-related texts to legal manuscripts issued in Fostaelen. He'd never actually been inside, though. 　The librarian was a woman in her fifties with graying hair, her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. When Kael approached from the front, she spoke without looking up. "Ancient metallurgy documents cannot be checked out. Even viewing requires an application form." "An application form—where do I—" "We accept them if you have a guild member's certificate from Hammalaat. Apprentice certificates are not acceptable." 　Kael's shoulders fell. He had an apprentice certificate. He didn't have a full member's certificate. He hadn't passed the certification exam yet. 　Behind him, Ryla sighed. "[sarcastic]You really only know how to charge straight ahead, don't you?" 　The moment she said it, Ryla walked casually toward the shelves. In the gap when the librarian turned to help another patron—less than ten seconds—Ryla's slender fingers slipped into the back of the restricted shelf. Her reading speed wasn't human. She found what she was looking for in less than three seconds. She wrapped an old document in the folds of her scarf. No wasted motion. The movements of a thief, ingrained in her body, Kael thought. 　Once outside, Kael whispered to Ryla as they walked. "[whispers]...Is it okay to read that?" 　Ryla paused for a beat, then spoke with a cool expression. "[sarcastic]I don't know. But the answer was there." 　Kael nodded with a wry smile. He couldn't argue. --- 　In a corner of an alley, the two read the document. It was a fragment of forging records from the ancient Zolfa Empire era. The script was old and about half of it was illegible, but Ryla picked out the parts she could read. 　To forge a blade imbued with flame attribute, one needed red iron ore from fire-touched lands—a material said to sleep in ore veins with reddish rock faces in the upper reaches of the Tora River. Red iron ore. A special mineral rich in aether, compatible with forging magic. Different in nature from ordinary iron. "[serious]Upper reaches of the Tora River, then." 　The source of the Tora River that flowed through Fostaelen lay in the hilly terrain near the northern Gruene Great Forest. It would take a full day's walk from the city. "[serious]Can you go and come back while your master's away?" 　Kael remembered. Master Yorn was away on a long business trip for Hammalaat today, leaving the workshop empty for two days. "[serious]...It's not impossible." "Then we leave early tomorrow morning." 　As if it were decided, Ryla carefully folded the document. Kael hesitated for a while about whether to return it to the library, then decided to return it. Ryla gave him an exasperated look but didn't stop him. --- 　The two left the workshop the next morning when the sky was just beginning to lighten. 　The road along the Tora River was quiet in the early hours. The river surface gleamed gray. The distant mountain ridge was hazy. As the smell of Fostaelen's soot faded, the scent of earth and grass grew stronger. Ryla walked half a step behind Kael, but she wasn't silent. She looked at the river and said "It's wider than I thought," or stepped on the grass growing on the riverbank and said "Isn't this medicinal herb?" 　By afternoon, they entered the hilly terrain. Rocks increased. The path narrowed. The slope steepened. The Tora River's current suddenly quickened here, gnawing at the rocks and frothing white. "[surprised]There it is." 　Kael looked at the rock face. It had a reddish tint. A unique color like rust, yet with a metallic sheen. When he touched it with his finger, he felt fine particles embedded in the rough texture. High iron content. And aether—he could definitely feel it. Ur's hammer in his pocket seemed to grow slightly warm. "[excited]The ore vein. No doubt about it." 　That was the moment. 　From behind the rocks, a shadow flew without sound. 　Grimoths—four-legged magical beasts that dwelled in Astra's mountain regions, strongly drawn to aether reactions. Over two meters in body length, covered entirely in hard black scales. The sound of claws scraping rock, eyes glowing dull red, and a charge that shook the ground. "—!" 　Kael gripped Ur's hammer by instinct. 　The hammer grew hot. Aether ran through his body. That sensation from yesterday on the way back from the library—but now there was no time, no margin. He simply pushed the aether forward. 　A translucent wall unfolded. Thin. But definitely there. The Grimoth crashed into it and froze for a moment. "Now!" 　Ryla was already moving. She leaped onto a rock, grabbed a stone from the ground, and threw it repeatedly at the Grimoth's hind legs. Her aim was precise. She concentrated on the joint of the ankle where the scales were thin. The Grimoth turned. Its attention shifted to Ryla. 　Kael deployed the wall again. The Grimoth tried to turn back and hit the wall face-first. "One more time!" 　Ryla moved from rock to rock. The Grimoth pursued. Its front leg caught on a stone—there. The moment its weight shifted forward, it slipped on the rock. A heavy sound as it fell on its front legs. 　Ryla closed the distance in one burst. At the Grimoth's head, right beside its eye, she drove a stone down with all her strength. She hit the soft spot between the scales with precision. 　The Grimoth let out a low growl. A sound like resignation, like strength draining away. It slowly got to its feet, backed away, and disappeared into the rocks. 　Silence returned. 　Kael and Ryla breathed heavily. Both had their hands on their knees. Kael looked at Ryla. Ryla looked at Kael. Without either starting it, they both began to laugh quietly. "[laughing]...We meshed well." "[laughing]We really did." 　It was the first time. For these two, something had actually worked out perfectly. --- 　It took two more hours to extract the red iron ore. 　The work of carving into the rock face, and Kael's small forging tools proved useful. The red iron ore they collected came in several chunks small enough to fit in a palm. But the quality of the ore was good. When touched, the fingertips warmed gently. Evidence that aether was soaked into it. 　As the sun began to set, they built a fire on a rock shelf deep in the ore vein. 　Ryla had gathered dry kindling, and Kael had started the fire. Using the old method of striking stones to create sparks, after several failures, a small flame was born. The flame dyed the rock face red. The sound of the river came distantly. The sky was turning a deep indigo. 　For a while, the two were silent. 　Ryla stared at the fire. The light banter from before had vanished. Her golden and violet eyes searched for something in the flickering flames, unmoving. "[whispers]...When I was with the thieves' gang," 　Words came out in fragments. Kael waited silently for her to continue. "There were guys I worked with. I thought they were my comrades. Really did." 　Her tone was different from usual. The lightness was gone. "When we were about to get caught, I was sold out twice. By different people. Once by the lookout, once by the oldest member. Both times, to save themselves." 　The flame flickered. Not from wind, but it flickered. "That's why being with someone scares me. I always thought trusting someone was a losing game." 　Kael looked at the fire for a while. He couldn't find the right words. No comforting words came to mind. No clever response either. 　But. 　He looked up. He looked at Ryla. "[serious]I won't betray you." 　That was all. No reasons. No clever phrasing. Just that, said straight. 　Ryla paused for a moment. "[sarcastic]...That's stupid." 　She said it and turned her face away. 　But her profile, lit by the firelight, was faintly flushed. Kael saw it. Because he saw it, he noticed something hurrying in his own chest. A restless feeling. A feeling he couldn't quite name. 　Kael turned his gaze back to the fire. 　Only the sound of the fire continued. The babbling of the river and the crackling of wood. Later, Kael would think that this night had been the first time the two of them could speak their true feelings. At the time, he simply sat in silence, watching the flames. --- 　The way back was dark. 　They walked along the river path with a single torch. Ryla walked ahead. Kael behind. The air between them was slightly different from the way there. He couldn't explain exactly how, but it was definitely different. Not heavy. Not light either. Just slightly closer than before. 　Partway, Ryla stopped. "[serious]...Your right hand." "Huh?" "Show me your right hand." 　He held it out. Kael looked at his own right hand. From when he'd extracted the ore or touched the Grimoth's scales—dried blood was seeping near the base of his fingers. He hadn't noticed. The pain was already gone. 　Ryla silently pulled at the edge of her scarf. It tore with a sound, and a narrow strip of fabric came loose. She began wrapping it around Kael's hand. "It doesn't hurt." "[cold]If you leave it, the wound will open. Be quiet." 　Kael said nothing. 　Ryla's fingers wrapped slowly around the back of his hand. Her face was close. Closer than he'd thought. Kael tried to say something but couldn't find the words. He looked up at the sky. Stars were out. Clouds drifted. 　The bandaging was done. Ryla released Kael's hand. 　For just a moment, Ryla looked at her own hand that had wrapped the scarf. At Kael's right hand, now wrapped in cloth. Her gaze fell there and stopped. Kael couldn't read what she was thinking. 　Kael tried to look at Ryla's face, but she started walking ahead first. 　The torch light receded. Kael followed a step behind, chasing her back. Her red-haired locks swayed in the night breeze. （Something is beginning to change from when I was alone.） 　He couldn't explain it well. But something was definitely changing. --- 　They returned to Fostaelen when the night had grown deep. 　When the city lights came into view, Kael felt relieved. His legs were tired. Yet somehow, he thought it was a good kind of tiredness. 　He opened the workshop door. 　Ryla noticed first. "[serious]...Wait a second." 　She stopped at the entrance. Kael stopped too. 　They looked around the workshop. The furnace was cold. That was fine—the master wasn't here. But—the scrap wood on the shelf had moved. The arrangement was different from usual. Kael saw this place every day, so he could tell. The bundle of scrap wood was slightly shifted. 　The drawer below the shelf was open just a crack. "Someone got in." "[surprised]Master's away on business, and..