She looked at the equations on the paper and felt her mind burning.

"My brain is being fried." Valeriana groaned. "But if they went down because of something else, then what? This is probably related to the demon issue of the gates opening and shiz."

She was interrupted by a couple of knocks on the door to which she replied with a yell. "Come in! It's open."

The doors hatched and a young girl in staff clothes came in. "Good morning, miss. I'm sorry to interrupt, however, Lord Keelan wishes for your presence in the training ground if you've already gotten settled."

"Keelan? Oh yeah. How long has it been?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure. Twenty minutes, perhaps?" she replied.

"Thanks. I'll come." She stood and followed the maid out of the doors and into the hall, leaving the book on the table as well as her notes.

They were quiet for most of the way as she walked in deep thought about her recent discoveries. Maybe she should consult Charles? But how was she supposed to contact them—with no phones?

When they got to the training grounds—which was ten times bigger than the one they had back in the academy—there were several knights or guards training among the crowd. There were obstacles, dummies, a big, open field, some benches on the sides accommodating several guys. Some girls.

Brindon stood watching what Valeriana realized was a fight between Keelan and one other person. Looking more closely—it was Eres.

"Holy shiznits, I gotta see this," she told to herself and ran to Brindon's side, excited at the exchange between the two brothers.

The weather was warm, the skies fair with clouds. Keelan gripped the spear with one arm, the shaft between his torso and limb as he hit the ground with it. His legs parted to form a stable stance with his weapon. One thing more noteworthy was that he was shirtless, showcasing his sharply contoured muscles rippling with every movement.

"I wonder why Keelan doesn't have a girlfriend." Valeriana sighed, shaking her head.

"Food," Brindon replied blankly.

"Yeah, why did I even forget?"

Eres, on the other hand, did not pale in comparison. Although he and his brother were about the same height, his stature and overall form looked far stronger—Keelan's being more lissome and nimble-looking. Eres packed eight buns on his abdomen—but so did his brother.

Valeriana fanned herself. "The testosterone is so thick in the air, I think I'm turning into a man."

Keelan shifted his foot as he moved forward cautiously. He raised his spear, the blade crossing with his brother's. He feinted a high raise before jabbing to target the chest. Eres evaded the attack smoothly, leaning to the side as he rounded the spear to target Keelan's shoulder.

Their movements were precise—both hands shifting holds on the shafts of their spears. Eres moved forward for offense, moving his spear overhead to swipe it forward like an axe. Keelan put forth his own spear, meeting his brother's blade with his to defend himself. The blunt end of Eres' spear then came swinging forward in place of the blade. Keelan held up the second attack, but he did not see the blade swinging for his side. He wasn't able to react by the time he noticed as his brother's speed had reached greater heights.

"Blind spot," said Eres, his blade halting just before Keelan's underarm. "Your defense blocks most of your sight."

"You attacked there on purpose!" Keelan exclaimed.

Eres chuckled. "If you've been more careful, you wouldn't have fallen for it. You don't expect the enemy to not take the chance when he sees it."

Keelan then positioned his spear so that it was placed comfortably under his arm while he held it with one hand—the same stance he was using since a while ago. Taking the offense, he jabbed it again with a slight tilt before his other hand grabbed the lower portion of the shaft, resulting to a natural full swing that swept down his back and forward again. Eres blocked his attack. Relentless, he drove forward once more, pulling back his spear and throwing in another full swing as he advanced forward and pushed his older brother back.

Eres did not stay passive and swung forward as well. Keelan stepped back a little to put a safe distance between himself and the blade, letting his brother's spear push down his while he twisted the other end to target him from above. Eres parried the incoming blow effortlessly. He forcefully shoved Keelan's spear against the ground before stepping on the flat surface of the blade and using the strength of his legs to keep it there.

As his older brother's spear came zeroing in, Keelan did not force his weapon free. Instead, he let it go and drew the short sword from around his waist, deflecting the blow with it and spinning to position the blade against Eres' chin.

"Wow, wow, that footwork right there!" Valeriana excitedly commented. "So fast and smooth."

Eres smiled as he backed away and let his spear stand beside him. "Good work. Your improvement is astounding."

"Thank you, kava." Keelan bowed.

Lord Eres looked to where Brindon and Valeriana were watching. He approached them with thrown back shoulders as he pulled his brother close to pat him on the head playfully. "Your guests seem to be waiting." They stopped before the two. Valeriana and Brindon had to look up to meet Eres' eyes.

"You're Valeriana," said Eres. "I have heard from my brother that you plan on seeking out the guardian beasts to receive the Blessing of the Mountains."

"Yes, Your Highness," she replied, clearing her throat.

"I bid you good luck, then. We'll meet at lunch, see you all then." He left coolly, leaving a trail of sighs in his wake. It was only then did Valeriana realize there were girls watching, some watching her enviously.

"So, Keelan," Valeriana started. "Why was I called?"

"I thought you might be lonely," Keelan answered with a smile. He caught a dry towel thrown at him and started drying his sweat. "Not to mention, meeting with Grandpa Drigo a while ago gave me an idea."

"Oh, you mean that man we met earlier?"

"Yes," he said. "His son is an old friend of mine. He's one of the best blacksmiths in the continent. The continent!"

"Why would I need a blacksmith?"

"You have trouble carrying around Cifaro, don't you? I had an idea. Why don't we make him into a necklace or something?"

"I already have tons of necklaces," she told him. "I don't want to wear another. Besides, I'm pumped with jewelry. Though I'm not wearing the necklace given to me by Lord Aeron, but still . . ."

"We'll think of something else. What if you misplace him or something? He's very important, isn't he?"

"What if Cifaro doesn't work?"

"Val." Keelan laughed. "Trust me, I wouldn't recommend him if his work isn't splendid and . . . extraordinary. He specializes in crafting special materials like no other and I'm certain you'll love his work. It's hard not to. Denovegasia specializes in all kinds of blacksmith and technology-related work. It's a waste not to take advantage of it while you're here."

"He will take care of Cifaro, will he?" she said.

"Yes."

"Is he a jeweler or something?"

"Yes. He happens to like crafting accessories as well."

"Oh . . . but I thought we would leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"I'm sure he can get it done by then."

"Isn't that too much pressure? You're making him work overnight!"

"I doubt he'll stop working, knowing he's forging something special." Keelan put an arm around Valeriana while he threw the other around Brindon. "Soul crystals are a rarity, but you manage to conjure them like they're nothing."

"I don't conjure them," Valeriana said. "They just happened to be left behind by the purified souls. And it's not that easy to make them either."

Keelan's suggestion made Valeriana interested. After throwing a shirt on, the young Denovegasian lord led them to the forging site—a separate junction from the Kaiven fortress where blacksmiths gathered for crafting. Denovegasia was more than proud to host the top hotspot gathering for many forgers. They sported the best equipment and environment—proper ventilation, wide workspace, and other amenities that would aid in the crafting of the highest quality weapons.

The building, though marred by soot and other grease, didn't look like the typical blacksmithing site. Instead, they had separate areas for each forger to work in privacy and isolation as they did have the tendency to hole themselves up when trying to work on a craft.

Knocking on a door, Keelan yelled, "Anton! I have a commission for you! Something rare!"

The door broke ajar in just a few breaths and a boy unbelievably even shorter than Brindon greeted them, his hair stained with soot that he almost looked like a demon. He didn't look an inch close to a blacksmith—with frail looking arms and a petite body. What's more, if he was the son of Grandpa Drigo, he didn't inherit any of the features.

"What commission?" he asked straight.

"A soul crystal," Keelan replied.

His dark brown eyes widened and a shiver of excitement made him tremble. "S-soul crystal . . . soul crystal? SOUL CRYSTAL?! Denovega, god above!" he yelled, jumping. "Where?"

"It's not mine," the lord replied sheepishly and guided the boy's attention to Valeriana. "It's my friend. She needs a more convenient form of carrying around her soul crystal. It's sort of troublesome having to carry the bulk around all the time, so I thought you would be interested into forging it to something she could wear and keep close to herself."

Anton regarded Valeriana quizzically. "Why carry it around?"

"He's my weapon. He transforms into a sword when I need him."

His eyes glinted with fervor. "C-can I see?"

"Uh . . . alright." She took out Cifaro, his comfortable weight on her palm and the soothing golden orange color greeting her pleasantly. "Sierra vu eldon sith."

He transformed obediently into his normally sheathed form. Valeriana unsheathed him halfway to show him the blade-work and Anton savored the sight hungrily—the ivory white of the hilt and the beautiful glint of the silver blade shining under the light. Anton began trembling from uncontained excitement. He wanted to reach out to the weapon, but felt so hesitant as though he would break it.

"He's kind of loyal in a sense. He'll transform back into a crystal once you touch him," Valeriana warned as she handed over the sword after pushing the sheath against the guard.

True to her words, the moment it landed into Anton's hands, he morphed back to his crystal form. For a moment, Valeriana thought he was gravely disappointed, only to be proven wrong when he belted a scream at the top of his throat.

"It'll be my honor . . . my honor to work with this." He took out a magnifier from his pocket and started examining the crystals up close. "Supreme quality . . . I've never seen a soul crystal as pure as this. Citrine, the shade of gold—the power behind this soul can only come from a guardian beast! A continental guardian beast! The energy levels are high and stable—the harmony is perfect. It's in sync with the wind, so it must be a Gilerad!"

Valeriana threw her brows to her hairline. "Yeah . . . that's right."

"I can feel him singing in my hands! He still could use some polishing as there are some impurities in his body, even so. If I can take out most of these impurities, I can condense the crystal into something smaller without leaving any adverse effects or whatsoever—I'm sure he'll still be able to transform."

"Have you worked with soul crystals before?" she asked, somewhat amazed by his appraisal.

"I have, several times." He nodded, his eyes never leaving the specimen. "But never of good quality or with power as great as this one. Most of the soul crystals I've gotten came from ordinary beings—low-leveled beasts or people alike. I have managed to improve their quality, so I'm wondering how high the quality of this one can further get!"

Valeriana felt somewhat at ease leaving Cifaro in his hands. "Then I'll leave it to you."

Finally, he looked up, a wide grin on his face. His foot shifted, as though he could not wait to shut the door and start his work. "What do you want forged from this? A necklace? A bracelet?"

"I have no idea," she replied. "I'll let you decide."

"Then . . ." He took her hand, a small string with lines, and started wrapping it around her limb—her fingers, her wrist, even her arm. "I know your size. When do you need this?"

"Tomorrow morning?" Keelan interjected.

"Done. I won't be able to stop working with this one anyway. I can get carried away all night long."

"Isn't that too short?"

"I'll tell you if the time isn't enough," he told them. "But you can trust me that I won't do a worse job than Brion Jarez!"

After exclaiming, he shut the door close with a bang. There was a shuffle, the sound of roaring fire, and clanking metals. Warm air blew from under the door and the scent of burning logs wafted under their nose.

"He works . . . fast." Valeriana thoughtfully looked at the door. "Brion Jarez dabbled in blacksmithing?"

Keelan was patient, delighted even. "He's a known sculptor, painter, and even a forger, yes. His affinity with the earth wasn't as strong as Abelard Keiffer, but he worked metals like no other. If you see his sculptures and works of art, even the Ember Palace, he has keen sense of detail and subtlety. Not to mention he's a perfectionist. Within the original Celestial Knights, he was the one most in touch with the ways of the art. Anton must be saying his masterpiece is coming with the way he's yelled that out loud. No one has dared compared themselves to Brion Jarez in a good few thousand years."

"No one," Brindon echoed.

"Brindon happens to be an admirer of his." Keelan smiled.

Brindon nodded fervently. "Fan. Brion. Awe-mazing."

Seeing the twelfth-ranker so energetic, Valeriana wondered out loud. "Aren't you visiting your family, Brindon?"

Brindon stopped, his energy levels seemed to fall a bit. He shook his head. "I've lost them . . . long ago."

Valeriana almost slapped herself for her insensitivity. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to . . ."

"It's alright," Brindon replied, his voice rather flat but comforting at the same time. They continued walking through the busy hallway, different people coming and going, some recognizing Keelan and greeting him like the popular guy he was.

Brindon looked at an open door that led to a vacant workspace for a forger, stopping to gaze at it for a long while. "Want to try . . ." he trailed off, before he instinctively entered the room to the shock of his companions.

"Brindon . . . Brindon, what are you doing?"

Without any regard to his appearance, he quickly worked the fire.

"Bri?" Keelan said, but was answered by silence.  "Oh well . . . we have available supplies at the backroom if you want to practice . . . are you sure you want to do this?"

"Want to try," the twelfth-ranker's voice rang, though a bit monotone, it still carried a flare of determination.

"If you're really bent on it, then okay. But lunch is coming around. Don't you want food?" he continued.

Brindon shook his head.

"Maybe we'll just bring you some to eat," Valeriana suggested, watching Brindon enter the adjacent room only to reappear later with blocks of metals in his arms. Looking at him carry probably tons of those in one go made Valeriana sweat in his place, but she seemed to have worried in vain. Brindon set them down with no struggle and continued tending to the fire.

"Then, we'll come back for you later."