shimoro finished the first task of crafting the first weapon, and the two sat at the cave entrance on a wide rock under the gray daylight.
The air was refreshing, and the sound of the wind coming from the depths of the arabisel forest was unusually calm.
shimoro lifted the short dagger he had carved the previous night, examining it with his thumb.
It had an icy core, metallic edges, and was light enough to allow him to use it quickly without losing control.
He waved it a little, testing its balance, then said with a voice full of satisfaction:
"Maybe… maybe I'll use this dagger in combat."
Ryo looked at him while chewing on some natural herbs:
"Not bad. It seems suitable for you… light, and easy to break too."
shimoro stared at him with a half-angry look:
"Hah… your sarcasm won't change anything. The dagger works."
Ryo smiled calmly as he stood up:
"Just joking, Ice Boy. It's good… for a start."
They sat quietly for an hour and a half, eating some carrots and mushrooms that Ryo had carefully selected, then stretched out a bit to rest.
After the break, Ryo finally stood up and said:
"Alright… time for the real work. We need a larger piece of metal."
shimoro nodded in agreement:
"Let's make a sword this time… not just a dagger."
The two returned to the heart of the cave, to the massive rock where traces of the strange metal appeared.
Ryo moved with steady steps despite his injuries not being fully healed.
He stood before the rock, placed his hand on its surface… then inhaled deeply.
"Step back a bit, shimoro… I don't want you turning into a broken piece of ice."
shimoro retreated a few steps but remained watching cautiously.
Ryo tensed the muscles of his right arm… then—
BOOOOM!
A full-power punch struck the rock.
It was followed by a powerful vibration that extended through the entire cave.
The stone cracked, and large metal pieces fell from it…
And one of them…
Shot directly toward shimoro, who was standing further away.
"Aah, look out—!!"
THUD!
The small rock fell on his head once again.
shimoro froze in place, then looked at Ryo with a blank expression… then shouted:
"Ryooooo!! Do you have a problem with my head?!"
Ryo placed his hand on his forehead and suppressed a visible laugh:
"Didn't I tell you to step back a bit?"
shimoro replied with childish anger:
"I was already far away!!"
Ryo couldn't hold back the laughter anymore and started laughing sarcastically, then replied:
"Clearly, but not enough."
shimoro rubbed his head while muttering with childish anger:
"Damn this cave… and the rocks… and the wind…"
Ryo picked up the largest metal piece and said:
"At least we got what we needed. Let's move on."
shimoro sat before the new metal piece, his eyes full of excitement he hadn't known in himself before entering the forest.
He began passing his hands over the metal, making the ice form around it, defining the edges…
Then he began the carving.
While Ryo in the back…
Standing, then lowering… Squats.
Then Push-ups.
Then back exercises.
He was training silently, but he sent follow-up glances toward shimoro from time to time.
"Make the edge thinner…
Yes… like that.
A sword needs balanced weight; don't make it heavy."
shimoro nodded:
"I know… I learned this from my grandmother. She said that weapon makers don't rely on strength alone, but on patience, imagination, and precision as well."
"Good. Because you don't have the strength anyway."
shimoro looked at him quickly:
"Ohhh, I'm going to make you eat your words when I hold this sword!"
Ryo smiled and continued his training despite all the pain.
The blade began to take shape…
A long side, a sharp side, a grip that could be adjusted later.
The sword was just a preliminary shape so far, but it was a sword… the first step in a long journey.
Under the firelight…
And between the sounds of exercise…
And the sound of ice wrapping around the metal…
The two were moving a new step toward their goal…
And toward the beast waiting for them out there.
"Tomorrow…"
Ryo said as he finished his exercise, signs of fatigue on his face.
"Tomorrow... we start the real sword polishing."
shimoro raised his eyes from the work, panting slightly:
"Alright, I'll be ready."
Night wrapped the forest in heavy darkness, and the wind crept between the rocks and trees. Deep in the cave, shimoro and Ryo were submerged in a tired sleep after a long day of carving, wounds, and training.
But suddenly, during their sleep—
The silence was split by a brutal roar coming from outside, low at first, then rising.
shimoro opened his eyes quickly, his body responding before his mind. He turned toward Ryo who was… snoring.
He approached him and whispered:
"Ryo… Ryo, wake up…"
But no movement.
He approached closer, whispering in a lower voice:
"You idiot, wake up…!"
Nothing. Ryo was sleeping in total peace, as if the whole world couldn't wake him.
shimoro sighed silently as he looked toward the cave entrance, the darkness outside looking like the open mouth of a monster advancing slowly. He thought quickly.
Then he extended his hand, and a cold aura gathered around it, before a thick ice wall rose, sealing the entrance completely.
He allowed himself to smile a little.
"At least… if it tries to enter, it will break this wall first, which will make a noise."
Then he returned to his place, took one last look at Ryo who was still snoring indifferently… and gave in to sleep.
Morning
Ryo woke up first, opening his eyes heavily, then stood up while rubbing his head.
But the first thing he saw was the ice wall screening the entrance.
He raised his eyebrow.
He approached it, touched its surface, and found it extremely cold… then he noticed a narrow scratch extending across it.
He shook his head in surprise, then turned toward shimoro and pushed him lightly:
"Get up… what is this?"
shimoro opened his eyes and stretched before looking at the wall and saying:
"A monster came at night… I thought you'd help me, but you were sleeping like the dead."
Ryo froze for a second… then burst out laughing loudly:
"I was sleeping?! That monster is lucky I didn't wake up… otherwise, it would have become breakfast!"
shimoro smiled in spite of himself as he got up.
Then he sat near the rocks, and he and Ryo began eating the leftovers from last night's food. After finishing the meal, shimoro said enthusiastically:
"I'm going to start working on polishing the sword!"
Without waiting for Ryo's reply, shimoro took out the sword blade he was working on and resumed polishing it carefully, every movement measured.
On the other side, Ryo sat tightening the bandage around his injured shoulder, pulling it harshly until the skin screamed from the pressure.
Then he said in a harsh tone to himself:
"There is no point in sitting while you work… I won't just be dead weight."
He stood up and took a deep breath.
Then he began his training… without weapons, and without abilities.
He was moving as if fighting an unseen opponent—
Striking the air, dodging imaginary attacks, spinning rapidly, raising his knee and then striking with his fist, as if a full battle was occurring between him and a shadow of his memories.
shimoro continued polishing the sword… but he raised his eye every now and then, looking at Ryo, surprised by his fighting style and the determination that made him ignore the pain entirely.
Between one strike and another, Ryo was panting, his sweat falling on the cave floor… but he didn't stop.
As for shimoro… he continued his work in silence, while inside him, one question echoed:
"How… does he still fight with this determination?"
And the moments continue in that quiet cave…
A sword being polished.
A body resisting pain.
And two people forging their way toward a future they don't know the shape of… but they know very well it will not show them mercy.
To be continued….