The Grand Hall of the Forge Sanctum was overflowing. Thousands gathered—guild members, scholars, ambassadors, citizens—all packed shoulder to shoulder. Floating magic orbs projected the ceremony to every corner of the kingdom. Families watched from their homes. Royal officials tuned in from their private chambers.
The stage gleamed, ringed by silver arches, and at its heart stood the Magical Forge, ancient and glowing with runes older than the kingdom itself.
The new adventurers stood in line, one by one stepping into the forge chamber as their turn arrived. Their Celesta—a metal said to have been created by the gods themselves—was placed into the forge by the Forgemaster.
The forge read their heart, ambition, and soul. What it returned was something unique: their destiny.
Cheers rang out with every new weapon and every revealed magic affinity.
But the air grew tighter with anticipation. The final three were left.
Miya. Ren. Kayden.
Whispers filled the air.
"Those are the three from the exam…"
"They say one of them beat three Shadowfangs with a basic sword."
"I heard one of them is a noble…"
Even the scholars held their breath.
Guild leaders leaned forward.
The forge pulsed with light.
"Miya Solmere," the Forgemaster called, voice deep and clear.
Miya's heart pounded. Her hands trembled. She took a deep breath and stepped into the chamber. Her eyes were wide, her breath short.
She handed over her Celesta.
The Forgemaster nodded, solemn. He placed it into the magical forge. Runes ignited. The chamber filled with swirling light—blue and silver—like a winter storm contained in glass.
The forge hummed as it read her soul.
Miya closed her eyes. Please... let it be enough...
Then, the forge burst open with a soft whoosh of frost and light.
A beautiful icy blue staff formed, spiraling with glimmering silver, the top crowned with a snowflake-shaped crystal. The air turned cold, and mist danced across the floor.
The crowd leaned in.
The Forgemaster raised the staff and announced:
"Miya Solmere."
"Class – Mage."
"Weapon – Frostspire: Staff of the Eternal Gale."
"Magic Affinity – Rare – Ice."
The crowd erupted.
Cheers, claps, and joyous shouts filled the air.
"Ice affinity! That's rare!"
"Frostspire... what a name!"
From a small home deep in the city, Miya's parents smiled with tears in their eyes.
"Just like her... Just like her sister," her mother whispered.
From beyond the veil, her sister watched, unseen by all, her spirit glowing faintly with pride.
Far away, in a crystal tower within the Royal Mage Headquarters, a mysterious woman cloaked in silver watched through her orb. Her eyes narrowed as she smiled.
"So... she's the one. She will become even greater than my disciple."
Back in the chamber, Kayden grinned, heart swelling.
"She did it," he said under his breath. "She really did it."
Ren smirked, crossing his arms.
"Not bad, Ice Queen. Let's see if you can keep up."
While the crowd cheered, the Forgemaster stepped forward.
"Ren Duskveil."
Silence dropped like a stone.
The crowd leaned in as one.
Nobles from the Duskveil House watched from their balcony, faces unreadable.
The royal ambassadors leaned forward.
Even the king himself, in a hidden chamber beyond the castle, gave his full attention.
A man sitting atop a massive beast's corpse, somewhere far from civilization, stared into a glowing orb.
"Let's see how far you've come... little brother," he muttered.
Ren walked forward with slow, confident steps. His boots echoed on the chamber floor. He handed his Celesta to the Forgemaster, eyes sharp and unwavering.
The forge flared with dark red and obsidian light, swirling with unseen gravity. The air grew heavy—literally. People felt their chests tighten. Dust hovered mid-air. Energy crackled.
From within, two weapons emerged.
A massive black greatsword, jagged with crimson edges and glowing with pulsing runes.
And beside it, an obsidian shield, shaped like a wolf's maw, with gravity rings spinning at its center.
Gasps swept the chamber.
The Forgemaster's voice boomed:
"Ren Duskveil."
"Class – Warrior."
"Weapons – Voidrender and Massguard."
"Magic Affinity – Extremely Rare – Gravity Magic."
The crowd exploded.
"Two weapons?!"
"A sword and a shield? That's unheard of!"
"Gravity magic?! That's legendary!"
In the noble chambers, Ren's father clenched his fist in triumph. His mother whispered a prayer of thanks.
The man on the beast's corpse smiled faintly, pride in his voice.
"That's more like it... Ren. Now let's see if you catch up."
Kayden's eyes widened, awe flickering in his gaze.
"He's... stronger than I thought."
Miya looked at Ren, stunned.
"That magic... it's like the air bowed to him..."
From the crowd, Professor Xeni narrowed his eyes with a mix of concern and wonder.
"Gravity... it chooses few. And he wields both sword and shield. Tch. That boy's going to cause waves."
The royal factions whispered, sending messages through enchanted paper birds and vision crystals.
"We need to send a representative."
"The Duskveil heir is more than just muscle..."
The kingdom watched. Their future had changed.
And now, only one remained.
The forge dimmed... waiting.
The Forgemaster turned slowly, lifting his hand once more.
"Kayden Vaelaris."
There was no secret among the academy instructors—Kayden Vaelaris had scored the highest in the Adventurer's License Exam, not just at their academy, but across the entire kingdom.
Now, all eyes were on him.
From the high balconies of the arena to the glowing magic orbs in homes and taverns across the land, people watched in breathless silence.
Even Ren's parents, seated in the noble chamber, leaned forward.
Professor Xeni stood with his arms crossed, but his eyes told a different story. There was a flicker—like a man who had seen this moment before, and knew it meant something far greater.
Ren and Miya watched silently from the sidelines. Miya gripped her new staff, heart pounding. Ren's gaze was sharp, unreadable.
In a modest home far from the capital, Kayden's parents stood side by side in front of their viewing orb.
His mother whispered, "Now is when we see if the prophecy is true… if he truly is like Emin."
Kayden took a breath, steady and calm, then stepped forward into the chamber.
The doors of the forge closed behind him.
He handed the shimmering Celesta to the Forgemaster, who accepted it with reverence. The moment his hand touched the forge's controls, the chamber pulsed.
Then the forge glowed.
Not red, not blue, not gold—but a swirling storm of violet, silver, and black. The Forgemaster's eyes widened. He had forged thousands of weapons, but this color—this energy—was something else.
He muttered, "This... this is not in any of the records…"
The forge roared like a thunderstorm, echoing across the entire arena. The sound rumbled through the stands, the stones, the very air.
Then silence.
The forging was complete.
The Forgemaster stood frozen. His hands trembled. He stared at the weapon resting inside the glowing chamber, too stunned to speak.
The crowd began murmuring.
"What's going on?"
"Why isn't he saying anything?"
"Did something go wrong?"
The Forgemaster finally stepped forward, his voice trembling—not with fear, but awe.
"Kayden Vaelaris."
He paused again.
"Magic Affinity – Rare – Lightning."
Ren scoffed slightly from the sideline, crossing his arms with a grin.
"Tch. Lightning? My Gravity still outclasses that."
But the Forgemaster wasn't done.
"Class…" He looked around the arena, his voice louder now.
"Mage and Warrior… Battlemage."
The world stood still.
No one had ever heard that before.
Gasps erupted from every corner of the crowd.
"Both classes?!"
"Is that even possible?!"
"Battlemage?!"
Miya's mouth fell open.
"He got… both?" she whispered.
Ren's grin vanished.
Professor Xeni lowered his arms.
"So... it really happened."
Kayden's parents clutched each other. His father, eyes wide, said softly,
"So it is true... just like Emin. A gauntlet and a staff. The prophecy… is real."
The Forgemaster turned back to the forge and, with shaking hands, presented the weapons to the crowd.
"Weapon – Raijinken and Voltaria."
He raised the first—a sleek, metallic gauntlet, etched with ancient runes and pulsing with blue lightning.
Then, he lifted a long, dark silver staff, crowned with a rotating crystal orb surrounded by electric sparks—Voltaria, Staff of the Stormcall.
"The Gauntlet of Thunder's Will... and the Staff of the Stormcall."
The crowd erupted.
Cheers, screams, cries of disbelief.
"Battlemage!"
"He's special!"
"He could become a Magisterial!"
The king, watching from his private royal chamber, stood from his throne.
"We must watch this one closely."
Back in the noble chamber, Ren's parents exchanged uncertain glances.
Miya's eyes glistened with awe.
"Kayden… you're…"
Ren's fists clenched. But he didn't look away.
Professor Xeni, barely audible, whispered,
"A gauntlet, a staff, and the lightning affinity… if he master both, he will be unstoppable."
Even the Forgemaster, still standing on the stage, bowed low as he handed Kayden the weapons.
"May the gods guide you, young Battlemage."
Kayden stepped forward, holding his weapons high. Lightning crackled around his arm and orb, glowing with life—his life. The forge behind him let out one final surge of energy as if sealing fate itself.
And so, the soul bond ceremony was forever etched in history—not because of what Kayden received, but because of who he had become.
The crowd roared, the kingdom trembled, and the world changed.
Forever.