Chapter 342: This… is normal…?
“Heat it until it glows like a tooth in firelight.”
Kael’s work began in the north quarter of the forge, under Drenic’s eye. The young smith didn’t waste time—handed Kael a hammer, a dull iron chisel rod, and pointed to the trench.
Drenic instructed in a normal tone.
The man didn’t particularly seem too excited about the fact that he was training the Dragon Rider. Actually, it didn’t even look like he knew Kael was.
Those dark circles beneath his eyes were proof that the man rarely went out and talked to anyone. His day began with him coming to the forge and ended with him sleeping in his house. Half of his days, he was too tired to even return to his house and slept in the forge instead.
Even now, he just stared at Kael like he was a bother and—
“Keep in mind, not orange, not red. Tooth.”
“Tooth?”
Kael blinked. He obviously had no idea what it meant.
“Velmourn weapons glow pale-white when they’re ready to shape.”
Before Drenic could get annoyed, Alrisa, who was sitting neatly on a nearby bench, explained in a light tone. The moment she spoke, Drenic seemed to calm down as well, clearly showing her a respect he didn’t show to Kael.
“Like bone touched by fire. That’s the point of balance. Too red and the steel softens. Too white and it fractures.”
Alrisa explained even further.
Kael gave a short nod, then stepped to the heating trench. As the metal rod rested in the glowing ash channel, it began to shift color—red first, then orange, then pale.
He pulled it out just as Drenic told him to, then brought it to the anvil.
The first strike was too soft.
The second too sharp.
Obviously, it was much harder than Kael was expecting, but as he continued, Drenic’s expression changed. He no longer seemed annoyed; rather, he was too engrossed in the metal and continued to instruct.
“Use less strength. Instead of a few bursts of strength, use a constant force. Keep calm, fix your posture, and—”
But suddenly,
“Drenic.”
Alrisa called out.
“Leave him to me.”
She instructed, taking the command just like the Forge Leader had told her to.
“You do your part.”
“Alright.”
Drenic seemed pleased that he no longer had to teach the newbie, and as if afraid that she would change her mind, he quickly walked away, even changing the anvil he was working on to the one farther away from Kael and Alrisa.
“He doesn’t seem to like me very much.”
Kael commented.
“Don’t worry, he doesn’t like anyone.”
Alrisa laughed lightly.
“You get like this when you work for more than 15 hours a day.”
She spoke, her smile fading a little as she stared at Drenic, who had started working without wasting any more time.
At her words, Kael frowned.
“15 hours? Weren’t people only required to work for 12 hours?”
“He has a mother who needs a little… extra.”
Alrisa answered, and Kael’s frown deepened.
“What does that mean?”
He questioned.
Alrisa, however, shook her head and—
“It’s his personal life. He doesn’t like it when people talk about it.
Just know that he doesn’t hate you, he simply has too many responsibilities on his shoulders.”
Kael nodded in silence, brushing the back of his wrist across his brow as the heat of the forge pressed down on him. He glanced at Drenic one last time. Wanting to move his focus from him, Alrisa walked towards him and—
“This is how you do it,”
She said softly.
Kael turned his head just as she came to stand beside him.
She didn’t hesitate—she reached out and took his wrist, adjusting the tilt of the hammer in his palm. Her other hand pressed lightly against the middle of his back, guiding him forward by barely an inch.
“You’re too stiff. Relax your shoulders.”
Kael stiffened further at her touch, surprised.
She was too close. The space between them had vanished in an instant. Her scent—cool stone and lavender ash—reached him faintly through the heat.
’What the hell…?’
Kael didn’t know how to react.
“I can do it—”
He began, trying to back out, but—
“You can.”
Alrisa nodded.
“But you’ll do it wrong for longer.
Let me help.”
She spoke calmly as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
Kael frowned, but for now, he didn’t say anything. His body was still stiff as a rock. Oblivious to his thoughts, Alrisa stepped forward and started guiding his elbow.
“Now—bend here. You’re putting all your weight on your heels. That’s why your strike is uneven.”
Kael swallowed and tried not to focus on her hand at his hip.
“This isn’t exactly how I imagined this would go,”
He muttered.
“Hahaha~
Don’t worry, this is normal.”
Alrisa chuckled, still seemingly oblivious to Kael’s reaction.
She shifted slightly, stepping beside him, and moved his hammer arm through the full arc of a strike.
“Constant force.”
She said, watching the invisible motion.
“Let the hammer fall. Don’t drag it. Think of it like—breathing. Down, up, down again. Focus on rhythm, that’s all that matters.”
Kael didn’t know how to react, but for now, he did as he was told and decided to stop thinking.
The hammer struck better this time, landing with a clean, solid note against the still-glowing iron.
“See?”
Alrisa smiled.
“Much better.”
Kael exhaled, trying to relax his body, though the closeness still pulled at his attention. Her tone was so casual, like they’d done this a hundred times.
He glanced at her again. For a moment, he was taken aback by how focused she was. As if the thoughts in his head were only in… his head.
He then noticed her hands—they were calloused. He also noticed burn scars along her fingertips.
For a moment, he paused.
His eyes moved up—staring at the rest of the forge.
At the other end of the row, a boy barely older than twelve was being guided by an elder smith. She stood behind him, one arm wrapped across his shoulders to correct his stance, the other adjusting his fingers. The boy didn’t resist. Just nodded, eyes fixed on the work.
Another apprentice farther down had two instructors helping him at once. One was gently shifting his knee to fix his balance, the other guiding his grip in silence.
’This… is normal…?’
Kael blinked.
The awkwardness he was feeling began to fade.
This was how they learned here. There were no teachers yelling from a distance, no pride in isolation. The skill was passed hand to hand, body to body, forged in closeness and sweat and repetition.
He let out a breath and adjusted his grip naturally.
“There.”
Alrisa smiled.
“Now you’re standing like a Velmourn.”
She praised. She once again fixed his posture. This time, his body was much less stiff than before.
“Keep it up.”
She praised again, and just like that, Kael’s forging journey began. It took a while. Even with Alrisa helping him, everything didn’t just come to him.
He still had to put in the work.
As the awkwardness began to fade, things changed.
The rhythm came slowly.
Heat, strike, turn.
Heat, strike, turn.
Soon, Alrisa stepped away as well, letting Kael do everything on his own. Kael didn’t react to it; his focus was on the metal in front of him.
Of course, Alrisa didn’t leave him completely on his own either. She still remained nearby, helping without getting in the way. Since she had time, she cleaned half-finished tools, handed Kael new rods, and occasionally corrected him without scolding.
“You’re lifting your shoulder. It throws off the angle,”
She said once, tapping his elbow gently.
Kael adjusted.
“You’re holding your breath again.”
She added a moment later.
“Exhale when you strike. It steadies the swing.”
“Not like that—don’t slam the hammer, press it with purpose.”
“This isn’t a battlefield. You’re shaping, not breaking.”
“You’re leaning too far forward. Shift your weight to the balls of your feet.”
“If you fall into the swing, you’ll twist the metal.”
“Stop chasing speed.”
“One good strike is better than five bad ones. Feel the rhythm—hear it.”
“You’re gripping too tight. That kills control.”
“Loosen. Let the tool move with you, not against you.”
She continued to instruct, pointing out every single mistake Kael made. It was to the point where Kael momentarily lost his calm and grunted,
“You sure you’re not the one who should be forging?”
He questioned.
“I’m sure.”
She laughed lightly.
“I don’t like the blisters.
A lady’s hands should be clean, no?”
She joked as she jumped elegantly with her hands behind her back, trying to act cute.
And Kael…
He just rolled his eyes and continued working.
By midday, he had gotten used to this place. Honestly, he was someone who had been to the Infernal Crucible. He once had his entire body burn again and again till it became stronger, better.
A little heat like this did not bother him. He simply needed time to adjust, and within that time, he had finally shaped his first chisel head.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect.
It was slightly crooked.
A little thick.
“Won’t kill anyone. That’s progress.”
Alrisa chuckled softly.
She then offered him water as he sat on the stone bench beside her.
“You did well.”
She spoke lightly.
“Most drop the hammer before the second rod.”
Kael drank the water, then he looked at her and—
“You’re not like I expected.”
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