A few days later…
The forge was dimly lit, the only illumination coming from the molten metal bubbling in the crucible and the occasional flicker of candlelight. Shadows danced along the walls, shifting like restless wraiths, as the scent of burning coal and hot steel filled the air. The rhythmic clang of hammer on metal echoed through the chamber, only interrupted by Orlen's frustrated growl.
For days, his anger had not subsided. His fury burned as hot as the embers in the forge. Ever since their battle with the cursed one, he had been livid at Valen for destroying his sword.
"You absolute fool!" Orlen roared, his voice reverberating off the stone walls. "Have you lost your damn mind, you idiot?! You grabbed a sword that was already shattered!"
Orlen exhaled sharply, running a hand through his soot-streaked hair before motioning toward the workbench. "Hand me that damn crystal," he muttered. Valen obeyed, lifting the gemstone a scarlet jewel, shimmering like the bloodied glow of a full moon. Orlen took it carefully, his fingers tracing its jagged edges before pressing it against the hilt of the reforged blade.
The sword lay upon the anvil, its surface gleaming like polished silver, yet beneath the light, the patterns of its steel seemed to shift, like the scales of a great serpent coiling in wait. The deep violet hue of the blade glistened with an eerie luster, as if something alive lurked beneath its surface, whispering secrets from the abyss.
"I'll embed it into the hilt," Orlen continued, his voice low. "It'll serve as a catalyst to shape the sword's aura." He paused, then added with a dark chuckle, "By the way, I heard that some goblin tribe has taken over your old estate near the Greatest Abyss. Maybe you should wipe them out instead of fighting a cursed one who's been keeping monsters at bay for years. Just because he ate a pig doesn't make him evil."
He smirked, his eyes glinting like embers in the dark. The forge crackled as Orlen pressed the crystal into the sword's hilt. A surge of crimson light erupted from the blade, filling the chamber with a brief, blinding glow. When the brilliance faded, the sword pulsed with new energy, its violet scales shifting like rippling water beneath the moon. The gem at its core throbbed, as if awakening from a deep slumber.
Valen's jaw tightened, his fingers twitching at his side. "That 'cursed one' had a hunger that wouldn't stop at pigs," he said, his voice edged with something cold. "You weren't there when he attacked me!"
Orlen scoffed. "You're too quick to pass judgment. If the abyss itself had not swallowed you whole, you'd see that not every monster is your enemy."
Valen reached for the weapon, but the moment his fingers brushed the hilt, a sensation like ice coursed through his veins. He gritted his teeth as whispers filled his mind—dark voices, speaking in tongues long forgotten. Visions of shadowed figures, crimson moons, and endless carnage flooded his thoughts.
Orlen watched him, unimpressed. "You feel it, don't you? That is no ordinary crystal it belonged to the 4 lords of the Demon God. I pried it from the corpse of a thing that had no name, only hunger." He crossed his arms, studying Valen's reaction. "A fitting core for your blade, wouldn't you say?"
Valen exhaled, forcing the visions back into the recesses of his mind. He tightened his grip on the sword. "What's the price?"
Orlen chuckled. "The price has already been paid, Valen. That blade is bound to you now...whether you wanted it or not"~"now you should just name it"
Orlen slowly said
Valen thought carefully before speaking. The weight of the moment pressed down on him, the air thick with something unseen, something ancient.
"Crimson" he finally murmured.
The sword reacted instantly. A pulse of energy rippled through the hilt, and before he could move, the blade drank.
A sharp, burning sensation shot through his palm as the steel drew his blood, thin crimson rivulets running along the grooves of the scaled blade. The gem in the hilt flared with an eerie glow, pulsing like a beating heart.
Valen gritted his teeth, but he did not pull away. He could feel it the sword awakening, binding itself to him.
The whispers in his mind grew louder, curling around his thoughts like smoke. They spoke of power, of hunger, of something greater lurking in the depths of the abyss.
And for the first time, Valen wondered if he had just made a deal with something far worse than any demon or curse...