Forging a Legend

         Fate was not entirely sure he believed what he was seeing. He thought he knew Velenis well enough, the elegant and composed Celestial he had known for millennium. But here she was, in a very inelegant and out of character situation: bringing a hammer down on hot metal in the middle of a forge that was uncomfortably hot for him. The determination on her face was just as great as any delegation he had seen her in, though the added sweat and glow from the coals and red hot metal added to the intensity of her stare.
         Earlier today he had been with her when she had collected the needed materials. He remembered seeing the pool of blood and started to wonder if this really was the job for him. The pool was as large as a lake. And the blood was from nothing the planet was familiar with. By its edge, he, Velenis and a young Demon by the name of Kadiv stood, Fate trying not to squirm, Velenis looking down with conviction, and Kadiv looking at Velenis, not entirely sure the plan made sense. "So you want," Kadiv begain slowly, "for me to turn some of that into Life Iron?"
         "Yes," Velenis replied without breaking her gaze.
         "Why?"
         "That's what I want to know," Fate mumbled.
         But he had already known of Velenis's plan. He knew very well part of it involved this blood. This pool had formed in Velenis's battle with the Black King. Though he had not been there to witness it, this pool seemed like evidence of just how out of hand the battle had gotten. He was not sure how much of it was the Black King's or how much was Velenis's. And that just added to surprises he would encounter today. He could hardly believe Velenis had beaten something as powerful and corrupt as the Black King, let alone done so after a battle that lasted one hundred days. They had fought just overhead, and their blood had rained into the crater gradually over those hundred days.
         Though he could see that the battle had greatly exhausted Velenis. She had much less energy than normal, and he hair had changed from a shimmering white to a duller grey. Though she did not want to talk about what exactly had transpired in this battlefield, it was enough to make Fate wish he had been here to witness it. It was not often one got the opportunity to witness a Celestial do battle, let alone for a hundred days straight.
         "Very well," Kadiv chimed.
         "But be careful," Velenis warned.
         Kadiv leaned down by the side of the lake. He hesitated for only a moment, then took a deep breath and submerged his right arm into the blood. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the blood around his arm began to bubble, until a jet of black fire erupted from within the murky depths. He slowly pulled his arm back out from the lake, an obsidian-like metal bound to his arm. In total, it was mass of Life Iron about three times the size of his arm, jagged and deformed but it held the one property Velenis needed. After it had rested for ten minutes, she looked at Fate and said "You see? It hasn't decomposed yet."
         She had a point. Normally, Life Iron would collapse back into a mass of blood after being disconnected from the Soul Fire that created it. Yet this mass seemed to hold together perfectly fine, no sign of failure anywhere even though Kadiv had stopped filtering his Soul Fire into it a long time ago. "It's perfect," Velenis whispered.
         Another clang of the hammer brought Fate back to the current. That hunk of Life Iron was now almost completely forged here on an anvil. Velenis had been working on it for almost thirty hours now. With every blow of the hammer, it was slowly but surely fulfilling her vision. To create the sword that would secure their future. Well, not Fate's future and certainly not Velenis's, but the future of the three races who inhabited this part of the universe. The Humans. The Angels. The Demons. None of them knew it yet, but they were all interconnected, and with this blade, Velenis was creating a bond between them stronger than any of them could ever realize. Even getting to this forge had been a small miracle in and of itself.
         Several hours earlier, the two of them had stood before the king of Elysium, King Setrus himself, with a simple though unthinkable request. "You want to do what?"
         Fate remembered his voice bellowing and echoing around the chambers. He and Velenis had stood before him with this huge mass of Life Iron, something the Angels absolutely despised, and Velenis had asked for something that the king would have never let anyone else even think of doing.
         "We want," Velenis replied evenly,"to turn this" she pointed to the mass of Life Iron Fate was holding, "into a sword in your forges."
         Fate could tell by the kings face that this request was absolutely outrageous and was making him furious. But, he already knew this king was not the kind to deny Velenis a request as simple as this. He knew just who she was and where she stood in the grand order of things, and that in comparison he was vastly outranked, even as a king. After a grumble and one last bellow of fury, he looked Velenis dead in the eyes. "Very well. But make it quick, and make sure none of that metal stays here. It is to be all gone when you leave, understand?"
         "I understand, your majesty."
         The king's quarters had been at the very top of the castle, with the forges being deep in the basement. On the way down, they walked past dozens of other Angels, all of whom flinched and jumped back from the Life Iron as if it were a dangerous animal. Many of them looked in the general direction of the king, wondering just why he would allow for something this barbaric to be allowed into their castle, no into their entire realm. That was because none of them knew who Velenis and Fate were, and it was for the best if that information remained on a need to know basis, like for the king of Elysium, or Kadiv, the greatest Demon magus.
         Those who normally worked in these forges had left long ago, refusing to work in the same room as something as atrocious as a huge piece of Life Iron. As they left, Fate heard them mutter about how they would have to purify the room when this was over. Many felt the anvil itself would have to be replaced, too contaminated to be used anymore. "Why couldn't we use the forge in Aradow?" Fate asked, "It's every bit as good as this one."
         Velenis set down her hammer for only a moment. She looked at Fate, tired but with compassion. "Unlike the forges in Aradow," she explained, "the forges of Elysium have a natural AEF surrounding them. Residual elements of it are bonded to that which is created here. That's the whole idea," she picked her hammer back up and brought it down on the metal again, "this sword is a harmony between Demon and Angel magic, one that can facilitate a union between the two."
         Fate was worried about what he was going to say, but he knew it had to be mentioned. "It won't be that easy," he calmly stated, "I've seen that much."
         Velenis continued to hammer on the blade "I know it won't happen just as I want," she explained, "but if it doesn't bring these three together, it will save them."
         She continued on as if she had not just left a huge question lying in the air. Fate had to ask, "save them from what?"
         Velenis put down her hammer, and raised her fully formed creation to the air. She then slowly quenched it in water. As the steam rose up, she responded "It will be the only thing that can save them should the Earth Trials come. This is the only way the Phoenix can be born."
         Velenis had spoken of the Earth Trials before. Though Fate never saw anything like it in his visions, she believed a time would come where all three races would face near extinction. She had made this blade to rescue them? How could it possibly be that powerful? But there was one thing he had not heard before. "What's the Phoenix?"
         Velenis closed her eyes, raising one finger in front of her face. As she focused, it glowed seering hot with energy. She carved into the blade, four distinct Angelic letters. "Phoenix," she commented, "is the next Celestial."
         A hum filled the air. The letters on the blade began to glow faintly, a shade of white as bright as the stars. She placed a shard of Life Iron that had been chipped off on the anvil. With a swift strike of the blade, she cut the metal in half, the two parts bursting into flame. They burned until both halves were no more than ash.
         Velenis was silent, beholding what she had created. "It's done," she said after a moment, "Fate, this is Flame Ender. The sword that will save this world."


This is a small preface to my full length novel, The Earth Trials, scheduled to be completed within a year. A friends and family version will be ready by June. If you are interested in what I have just written, let me know, and leave some feedback, good or bad. This is my child and I want to make it the best story it can possibly be. Thank you for reading.