Alex didn't hesitate. He and Brand had already discussed the forging plans in advance. He'd been waiting for this day, specifically, for the dragon tendon to be ready. Without a word, Alex reached into his interspatial ring and pulled out several pieces of rare metal.
Two silver-colored ingots, one slightly larger than the other, They were Ulim steel, renowned for its hardness and resilience. Alongside them, he laid out two smaller, glowing pieces of refined mithril, shimmering faintly with magical energy.
These weren't just any metals. They were high-tier materials, collected from the Travers family's vault and confiscated from dark wizards during Ministry operations.
"The equipment I want to make has a very specific metal composition," Alex explained. "I'll need to fuse the alloys first before we can temper them properly."
He raised his wand and cast a spell from the control system magic, carefully manipulating the chunks of metal in the air. Each one slowly began to melt, turning into liquid metal as he brought them together.
With practiced precision, he adjusted the fusion ratio, just like the instructions he'd memorized from the Ministry's alchemy lab. Once the alloy mixture stabilized and reached a balanced structure, Alex let it cool slightly, guiding the molten blend into the waiting stone scoop.
Brand watched the entire process, his eyes narrowed with curiosity.
"You know, Alex," he finally said, "there's something I don't get. Your alchemy skills are already top-tier. With what I just saw, you could probably shape your equipment directly using magic. So why go through all this? Why use the old-fashioned way of forging when you clearly don't have to?"
From his perspective, Alex's abilities were more than enough to bypass the forge entirely. But the young wizard had chosen to come here, to sweat with them, to hammer and shape metal with fire and steel.
"You don't get it," Alex said with a faint smile. "Sure, ordinary alchemists can use magic to shape metal directly, but when you mix different magical metals that way, the bonds between them aren't that strong. You'll always end up with some impurities. If you really want them to fuse completely and unleash their full potential, proper forging is absolutely necessary."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Take those expert goblin craftsmen, for example. It's not like they don't understand magic, far from it, but when it comes to crafting high-grade equipment, they still stick with traditional forging. Only after shaping the item with care and then engraving it with runes do they reheat and remelt it. That's how you end up with something worthy of being called a 'holy weapon.'"
Part of this knowledge, Alex had picked up from a goblin officer who got a bit too talkative after one firewhisky too many during a deal at Gringotts. The rest came from his own experiments while researching enchanted items.
Of course, none of it would've been possible without Minister Bagnold's support. She'd gone out of her way to secure rare alchemy materials for him through her contacts in the Sir Merlin Bloc. She'd promised to back him up however she could, and true to her word, she hadn't let him down.
Brand's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean like the Sword of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's Diadem?" Up until now, he'd only been told Alex needed help forging a powerful piece of equipment. He had no idea it was this ambitious.
"It's not quite at that level yet," Alex said with a shake of his head. "A true magical artifact needs to be nurtured, trained even. What makes sacred artifacts so powerful is their potential to grow stronger over time. Right now, I'd be thrilled just to make the prototype."
"That's still incredible," Brand said, clearly impressed. "To witness the birth of something like that... it'd be an honor."
"I hope we get that far," Alex said, glancing at the materials. "I really have no idea how well this will go. It's my first time trying something this complex. Let's begin. Just remember to use the magic anvil and alchemy hammer I customized for you."
"You got it. Don't worry." Brand gave a serious nod, then turned to his fellow centaurs and shouted, "We're starting! Stay sharp, everyone!"
With that, Brand carefully placed the stone ladle into the roaring furnace while Bane, already drenched in sweat, worked the bellows with all his strength. The flames inside the furnace blazed hotter and hotter, but the metals they were using weren't ordinary, they resisted the heat longer than most.
Everyone kept their eyes glued to the furnace. It took nearly half an hour before the contents inside finally began to melt, forming a thick, glowing red liquid. By then, Bane was visibly exhausted, sweat dripping from his face and soaking the floor.
"It's ready! Time to shape it, get the mold!" Brand bellowed once the molten metal reached the right consistency.
Alex moved quickly. He pulled out a special box, designed to withstand extreme heat, and opened it to reveal a dragon heart tendon.
Brand immediately turned to Firenze and shouted instructions. Firenze, without hesitation, used a pair of iron tongs to scoop the red-hot molten metal and carefully pour it into the long mold containing the magical tendon.
The room fell quiet for a moment, the sound of crackling flames and the hiss of metal against enchantment the only things echoing through the forge.
As the molten iron poured over the dragon's heart tendon, it didn't cause the slightest damage. In fact, the tendon's silver-blue glow remained steady, completely unaffected by the searing heat.
Even when the red-hot metal fully submerged and wrapped around it, the faint silver light continued to shine through the surface, flickering like a heartbeat beneath the molten layer.
"That thing inside… it looks like it came from a magical creature, but how is it still intact in that heat?" Brand stared at the mold in disbelief.
Alex simply smiled. That's exactly why he'd soaked the dragon's heart tendon in Thundris Tempest Rune for so long.
Even though it was from a vicious Hebridean Black, that didn't make it immune to the limitations of biology. Only by infusing it with the raw magic of Thundris Tempest, an energy strong enough to resist even Fiendfyre, could it survive this process.
Not only would it endure the forging temperature, but it would also imbue the final weapon with the storm-charged essence of lightning.
Once the metal had fully settled around the tendon, the room quieted. Everyone stood silently, waiting for it to cool. They knew the real forging hadn't even begun.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait too long. The molten metal slowly solidified into a dull-red, rectangular rod, about a meter in length.
"All right, onto the anvil!" Brand barked, his voice loud and steady.