The boys made their way through the academy grounds, the golden light of morning casting long shadows behind them. Despite the sun, a faint chill clung to the air—spring still tugging at winter's edge.
The atmosphere had shifted.
Where students once glanced at them with casual disinterest, now there were whispers. Curious stares followed them—some admiring, others skeptical. Word of their mission—and the ogres—had clearly spread.
Ethan kept his head down, his hands buried in his pockets. Nick walked calmly, his expression unreadable. Asher, on the other hand, tried to play it cool, but there was an unmistakable bounce in his step.
"Do you think he's really gonna make us custom weapons?" Asher asked, breaking the silence.
Nick shrugged. "He wouldn't have come all the way to the mission hall if he wasn't serious."
"I hope mine's got flames that shoot out," Asher grinned. "Or explodes on command."
"That sounds extremely unsafe," Ethan muttered.
Soon, the main building of the forge yard came into view. The entire southern section of the academy grounds was dominated by stone chimneys, metal towers, and sprawling yards full of anvils, furnaces, and smelting pits.
The forge yard was alive with fire.
As the trio made their way across the southern grounds of the academy, the temperature rose with every step. Smoke drifted in coils above towering chimneys. Sparks burst into the air like fireflies caught in a storm, and the rhythmic sound of hammer against steel echoed across the stones like the heartbeat of a living beast.
"Okay, this place is… intense," Asher muttered, swatting away a stray ember that tried to set his sleeve on fire.
"Don't touch anything," Nick warned, watching a student struggle with a molten spear that almost melted through the floor.
"I wasn't planning to, mom," Asher huffed. "Sheesh, first you glare at people, now you micromanage my limbs."
Ethan said nothing. His eyes were locked ahead—on the massive forge building nestled in the heart of the yard. Despite the noise and chaos, something about the place felt… focused. Sharp. Like even the air was folded and hammered into discipline.
As they stepped inside the main structure, heat rushed up to greet them like a punch to the gut.
The walls were lined with tools of every shape and size, some glowing with enchanted runes. Apprentices and senior students alike were hunched over workbenches, sweating through their tunics as they molded metal and essence into raw power.
"Whoa," Asher breathed. "This place is like… if a volcano had babies with a blacksmith and raised them on caffeine."
A few nearby students glanced at him. One rolled his eyes.
Kael was waiting at the back, standing beside a forge large enough to fit a grown ogre inside. He was covered in soot, arms crossed over his massive chest, eyes already narrowing as they approached.
"Good," he said gruffly. "You didn't chicken out."
"I almost did," Asher whispered. "But Nick said he'd drag me here unconscious."
"I meant it," Nick added dryly.
"Step forward," Kael ordered. "You want weapons that don't snap in your hands, you earn them. Let's see what you're made of."
He gestured, and three thin silver disks floated down from a metal rack. They glowed faintly as they hovered before each of them.
"They're called affinity mirrors," Kael explained. "They react to your elemental nature. Not just what you wield—what you are. Touch it. Let it read you."
Asher jumped ahead, eager as always. "Watch and learn, boys."
He slammed his palm against the mirror with dramatic flair.
Flames erupted instantly.
The disk spun wildly, fire spiraling outward in an uncontrollable whirl, nearly setting a nearby student's apron ablaze. Asher yelped, leapt back—and collided with a barrel of coal, falling in with a grunt.
The entire forge turned to look at the sudden explosion of noise.
Kael pinched the bridge of his nose.
The student Asher nearly set on fire glared down at him. "You tryin' to kill someone?"
Asher blinked up from the coal. "I mean… not yet?"
The forge erupted into laughter—some mocking, some genuinely amused.
Kael sighed. "Fire affinity. Wild. Undisciplined. Figures."
Asher climbed out, brushing soot from his hair. "So… sword, then?"
"You're getting a sword," Kael muttered. "But I'm building it heavy. Broad core, essence-vented spine. You're reckless. You need something that forces control. If you lose your grip, it'll turn you into a human torch."
"Cool," Asher said, clearly missing the warning.
Nick stepped up next.
He touched the disk quietly. Wind coiled around him like a calm breath. The mirror glowed faintly green, spinning in smooth, graceful arcs. Even the heat seemed to bend around him.
Kael gave a small nod. "Wind. Controlled. You're a thinker. You don't throw yourself into chaos—you bend it."
He grabbed a blueprint from a cluttered shelf, tossing it to an assistant.
"Twin blades. Lightweight. Seamless essence channels for momentum shift. You'll move like wind itself—cut, pivot, vanish."
Asher leaned over Nick's shoulder. "Are you sure it's not a giant fan? You do look like someone who could summon a breeze just to fix their hair."
Nick exhaled slowly. "One day, Asher. One day."
Then came Ethan.
He didn't speak. He simply touched the disk.
Crack!
Lightning exploded across the room. Violet arcs tore through the air. The disk split with a high-pitched whine as electric energy surged, crawling up the walls and striking a hanging hammer that melted instantly.
Even Kael flinched.
The forge fell deathly quiet.
"Lightning," Kael muttered. "Raw. Untamed. Beautifully dangerous."
He walked over to a sealed case and opened it with reverence. Inside lay a scroll, edges charred, bound in iron rings and sealed with a rune.
"I designed these for a battle mage who never returned from the front," Kael said quietly. "Didn't think I'd ever finish it. Until now."
He unrolled the scroll to reveal twin curved daggers, each lined with complex runes.
"Spellmirror Daggers," Kael said. "They don't just slice. They reflect."
Ethan tilted his head. "Reflect?"
"Any spell. Any direction. Doesn't matter if it's fire, wind, lightning, or pure essence. You can catch it mid-air and hurl it back at the caster—or at someone else."
Asher's eyes widened. "Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me Ethan could catch my fireball and throw it at me?"
Kael nodded.
"And if he's not careful, it'll ricochet back into his ribs."
Asher took a cautious step away from Ethan. "Note to self: Never prank the guy with walking deflecto-knives."
Kael pointed at Ethan, his voice grave. "But understand this: they don't just reflect. They amplify. Every spell you return is more powerful—but harder to control. Miss the timing, and your own attack could tear through your body."
Ethan stared at the blueprint. Then looked at his hands. They still sparked.
"I'll take the risk."
Kael smiled grimly. "Then I'll make you something the world hasn't seen in years."
"Why does Ethan get something cool and we don't" said Asher.
" I know it might sound very power but you have to know with great power comes even bigger responsibility and in this case if he isn't careful with this it could cost him his life" said kael.
The tension lingered for a moment before Kael clapped his hands. "You'll get your weapons in three days. Maybe four if my hammer breaks again. Until then—get out. I need silence to focus, and your faces are loud."
Asher raised a hand. "Can I at least watch you forge mine? Maybe give suggestions? I was thinking—lava core, maybe a flame tongue—"
"Out."
Asher sighed. "He loves me. I can tell."
They were shoved out into the afternoon light, coughing soot and laughing quietly as the forge doors shut behind them.
Nick looked toward Ethan. "You okay with those daggers?"
Ethan gave a rare smirk. "As long as you don't throw spells at me, yeah."
Asher slapped him on the back. "Bro, you reflect magic now! You're basically a lightning mirror with attitude."
They walked off, the sun casting long shadows behind them.
Soon, they'd be armed.
Soon, they'd be dangerous