Truths from the Past: Book 5 of the Kinstone series

We reenter the manor, passing through the corridors until my reach a staircase leading down. I tilt my head as we head down. The walls are stone brick, lit only by crystal light which flickers on the moment we pass them. The deeper we go, I see doors lining the walls. I tilt my head, wondering what lies behind them.

We finally reach the bottom of the stairs, feeling a cool moist draft as we come to yet another door. Serasfall looks to me, “What lies beyond here is a secret only known to this family and its knights.”

I nod as she then inserts a strange key into the lock and turns, hearing it click and clack. Serasfall gently pushes on the door, hearing it creak open and enters. I follow after her.

The room is dark at first, with each footstep echoing into the deep darkness. Even when my eyes revert into a kitsune's, I can’t see anything. That slowly changes as the room begins to light up. My jaw drops as I see hundreds, if not thousands of crystals of all sizes jutting out from the walls and rocky pillars. The room is huge, easily half the size of the ballroom back home.

“This place is exactly as Kateryna described to me,” I say, still in awe that I’m actually here.

Serasfall chuckles softly, “Just how much did that woman tell you?”

I grin, “Just enough.”

She smiles, shaking her head. She then looks around, “This is one of the primary reasons as to why our ancestors settled this far from the city center. It is also why we are able to maintain our sovereignty over the course of many centuries. The ability to create weapons that can match dozens upon dozens of trained soldiers and knights.” She then crosses her arms, “As you also well aware of the skill in combat we as family share.”

I nod. “However, I do have a question.”

She smiles, “Ask away, my dear.”

“Just what is the deal with this city and crystals?” I ask. “Does it have something to do with the leylines?”

She smiles brightly, “That is precisely the reason. The overflow of raw magical power from the intersecting leylines manifests itself in the surrounding soil, causing it form into the crystals we use through the city.”

I nod. I mean it makes sense the more you think about it. Power creeps upwards from the below and needs a form of release.

“Now,” she continues, “nearly all of the crystals you have seen are merely utilitarian in nature, simply channeling magic. Some can be used to power the carriages and the trains you have seen, others can be used to power street lamps or even in homes. A few in particular have been enchanted to act as means of teleportation. Granted they are attuned to a specific location. The ones here actually bond with people.”

I nod again. So essentially they’re like kyber crystals from Star Wars but the normal crystals can be used for everything. That explains what I saw at the Outpost.

She smiles, “Now, in order to locate your crystal, you merely have to hold out your hand and reach out with your mana. The responding crystal will light up as a result.”

I smile and nod, holding up hand and pour out my mana. Unlike with magic, I pull directly from my very core of who I am. It’s similar to how I reach out to Mom through our mana bond. I feel myself stretching outwards, trying to listen and hear something.

A few moments pass as I feel something tugging back, drawing me close. I open my eyes to see a large crystal glowing brightly.

Serasfall smiles and walks over to it, “Maintain the mana flow, my dear, while I retrieve it.” I nod and do so, watching as she takes out a chisel and begins hacking into the surrounding rock until she frees it, bringing the crystal back over to me to which I stop exuding my mana.

She rolls the crystal over, examining it. “It’s perfectly clear. I hardly see any imperfections or impurities within it.”

I tilt my head as I look it over, seeing the incredibly clear crystal that’s nearly the size and width of my Nalgene water bottle. “Does its clarity mean anything?” I ask.

She smiles, looking to me, “It means that it will require less time to remove the final impurities which hampers the ability to channel as well as enhance the magic of its wielder.”

I hold my arms behind me, “Two questions then, first, is something like this rare and second, does this mean I was meant to travel to the past?”

I really hate predestination paradoxes within fiction, meaning that this was all but a part of circle that I’m fulfilling. It’s kind of like in the third Harry Potter book with Harry and Hermione traveling back in time and basically relive the events leading up to the point when they traveled back, only from a different perspective. Granted this is slightly paraphrasing the events within the book but the concept remains.

Serasfall steps closer to me, “To answer your questions, firstly, the chances of this happening are indeed uncommon as the mana permeating the soil and rock is unevenly distributed.” She then smiles tenderly, giving me her motherly warmth, “The crystal will forever await its intended wielder, regardless of when they were born.”

I smile softly, again feeling like a child with her mother.

She then gently places the crystal into my hands, “Let us return to the forge.”

I nod and we both turn and leave.

We arrive back at the forge with a new object resting on the table before us. Its long and red, looking similar to a gold bar I’ve seen in documentaries of Fort Knox. I look to Helgsven, who is accompanied his wife and sons, smiles warmly to me.

“This, my Lady, is dragon steel, reclaimed from the sword you gave for materials. It is a strange metal that takes the color of the dragon it came from.”

I smile, “My sister was a red dragon, so I guess it fits.”

I never knew you could forge metal from something that came from a living source. While the dragon sword was indeed from a fang, it felt and rang as steel. Was this a method used by elves when they forged it in the beginning? I really need to study up on forging methods of different races.

“So how where you able to do this?” I ask.

“As a dragonsmith,” chimes Merian as she stands beside him, “I am able to convert such materials into more usable forms. Elves are true craftsmen, but hardly hold a flicker when compared to dragons.”

I grin seeing the pride in her boasting. A dragon’s pride is a powerful thing, it’s part of the reason why I wanted to accept Beltrok’s challenge all those years ago.

Next to the ingot of dragon steel I see my kodachi lying broken down into its base components. Beside it are three small cups of soil. Each cup looks no bigger than a four ounce cup.

Helgsven nods, noting my attention. “Each cup contains Loutha soil, which is completely neutral and bears no properties of its own. By adding your soil to it, we can have a greater amount to work with during the forging of your new weapon.”

I nod as I quickly take out my journal and write down the last few bits of information. Everyone simply chuckles, with Serasfall shaking her head. “Ever the consummate student,” she says.

I grin, closing my journal. I then hand over the crystal to Helgsven who rolls it around, examining it. “Such purity, however a few remnants remain.” He turns and hands it to his wife. She smiles, doing the same as her husband.

Merian nods, “I shall complete this part of the task, along with my own contributions to your new sword’s construction.”

Her husband hands her one of the cups as the dragon then turns and walks deeper into the forge. My ears soon ring of light hammering, followed by the sounds of shattering glass. I tilt my head, wondering what she’s doing.

“She is creating a new guard and hilt for your weapon, little princess,” says Helgsven. I blush as he calls me that. Norick jokingly called me the same thing a few days ago. I peer up at Serasfall who again smiles to me.

The smith takes the broken pieces of the kodachi and places them into a new furnace made of stone and crystal. The crystals inside soon ignite, spewing flames of strange deep blues and reds that remind me of dragon fire and kitsune-bi in a way. Even standing no more than fifteen feet away, I can tell that they are in truth neither, yet still flames of pure magic.

He then places the ingot of dragon metal inside beside the kodachi. My eyes watch intensely as both slowly begin to glow brightly as flames rise up over each material, seeming as though they are being absorbed into both.

“The wielder of the new weapon must bear witness to its construction,” says Serasfall. “It will become more apparent why later on.”

I nod, watching the materials glow even brighter.

A few minutes pass and he reaches in, retrieving each glowing piece and places the broken sword fragments into a bed of obsidian-like sand. I tilt my head as he carefully aligns each part until they connect. He takes one of the remaining cups and sprinkles the soil onto the glowing metal, watching as sparks of gold and blue erupt from it.

The smith then places the ingot of dragon metal on top of the blade and pulls out a special hammer that is part metal, part crystal. The shape is odd, with the backend looking similar to the under rear-end of the Enterprise-E and the head appearing more like an uncut geode.

The sounds of metal clanging ring in my ears as he hammers away at the dragon metal, followed by his sons each swinging in a distinct rhythm, for every one of his strikes, they in turn hammer away with their own larger hammers. The tone and rich ringing of the hammering sounds like a melody, light yet heavy, sweet yet powerful. I tap my feet to the song of the forge, keeping in time with it.

My eyes grow wide with astonishment as the ingot actually begins to phase into the blade, causing it to grow slightly longer and wider as the two halves recombine into one. The ingot, while initially larger than the blade, actually starts to take its shape even folding into the tang. The dragon metal slowly looks to be forming the core of the blade itself, similar to the crystals I’ve seen within the knights’ weapons.

With each strike of the hammers, the broken pieces fully fuse back together. Appearing as they the blade was never broken to begin with. This really is completely different than simply reforging the blade, much like how Narsil was reforged into Andúril in The Lord of the Rings. This is the birth of a completely new weapon, and it’s happening right before my eyes.

Mixed in with the ringing of hammers, I hear the smith as he begins to hum a tune, to which his sons join in. The tune sounds gruff yet filled with a sense of happiness as the men go about their work, each baring a large smile as they continue to keep is rhythm with each passing hammer strike.

I peer up to see his wife returning with the remaining crystal, now appearing to be missing some of its original form. “Here, beloved,” she says.

He smiles, taking it from her, “I thank you, my wife.” She nods and smiles to me before disappearing back into the forge.

Helgsven then takes the final cup and carefully sprinkles it into the dragon metal core, placing the crystal onto it. My ears are again filled with the sounds of sparks sizzling as some fly off and land onto the sandy table. He nods to his sons as they resume their hammering.

At first, I think the crystal might shatter like glass, only to discover that, like the dragon metal before, slowly begins to phase into the first core, albeit even smaller than the previous, filling in along the same shape.

A few more minutes of steady and rhythmic hammering passes, with the smith having placed the new sword into the furnace a couple of times to maintain the heat. With one final retrieval he turns to me, holding the red-hot blade.

“Little Princess, would you please add the water from your vial into the basin beside me?”

I look over and see a large obsidian basin, resting near where he and his sons have been working. I nod and pick of the vial and walk over, opening it. I take one last look at its contents, still unsure of the vision I saw earlier, and then slowly pour the water into it.

The basin itself then begins to glow a bright, rich blue, with me getting the feeling I’m swimming through the lake back home again as a mermaid.

“This is Vatheia water,” says Helgsven. “While oil is used during the tempering of forged items, weapons such as this require something special to complete the fusion. It possesses properties which attach to the weapon, cooling it and allowing the materials to safely fuse.”

I nod. Blacksmiths use oil because it has a much higher boiling point than water. That way the hot metal cools slower, preventing it from becoming brittle.

The smith turns to one of his sons, “Take some to your mother. She too will be needing this.” The elder of the two nods and takes a cup and dips it in, scooping out some and walks back into the forge.

Helgsven smiles, staring at the blade and basin. “Truly unique and wondrous materials. The fang of a dragon, the soil of an alraune, the water of a mermaid, and the steel of ryujin. Each race lending traits that you possess, my Lady. The passion of the dragon, burning brightly and without equal. The patience of the alraune, ever watchful and waiting for the future. The serenity of the mermaid, flowing freely and swiftly with grace. Finally the temperance of the ryujin, wild within a storm yet restraint with modesty.”

I blush softly, knowing the true meaning of what Yukari and Asha told me that day. With each race actually being an aspect of who I have become.

He looks to me, “Each race also represents the four cardinal elements of fire, earth, water, and wind. This shall truly be a weapon unlike any other before it.” He turns and smiles, “However, one material remains.”

He slowly plunges the red-hot blade into the basin. The water hisses and fizzles softly as sparks of purples, yellows, and erupts from within it. My eyes then watch as the basin itself begins to glow a bright, bluish-purple. Strangely enough, the glow reminds me of the Kinstone Mom and I share.

Helgsven slowly withdraws the blade, causing the basin to crack. Everyone looks at it with amazement before turning towards the steaming blade. I stare on at my new blade, appearing more and more like Orga and Kateryna’s weapons, yet still my very own. My heart leaps wildly within my chest the more I look on.

The smith wraps the blade within a cloth and pans to me, “There is but one final step before this is truly complete.” He then rises from his seat and the four of us exit out towards another door.

We step out into a small courtyard with an altar surrounded by pillars. A soft breeze rushes around us, catching the skirts of Serasfall and me. The sky above is grey and heavy with clouds. I don’t smell rain upon the wind, just a nice cloudy day.

I hear the clacking of stone as I look over to see Merian emerging from the forge, carrying a small box. She and her husband smile as he opens it, revealing a new guard and hilt. The guard looks similar to an octagon, only the corners are smaller than the sides.

The guard is black with a line of crystal along its edge. The hilt is long and black, with the crystal forming at the center and nine pairs of grip lines, four arcing up, one straight in the middle, and four arcing down protrude from the crystal.

Helgsven smiles as he assembles the new sword and places it onto the altar. He turns to me, “The final component is the mana of the weapon’s intended wielder. You must infuse your true self into it, who you truly are inside.”

I smile as I walk over to the altar. I stare at the nameless weapon before me. The blade now shimmers with a soft icy blue which glistens in what light shines onto it. This…this really is who I am, all made manifest into a sword.

I stroke the hilt, feeling the smoothness of the grip and run my fingers over the grip. It’s slightly larger than my old kodachi, no doubt a little heavier too.

I tilt my head slightly as I revert back into a kitsune, feeling my tails flow and swirl around me. My ears flick, hearing the murmurs of astonishment from Helgsven and his family.

I smile again, holding my hands over the weapon, and closing my eyes. I breathe slowly drawing forth my mana, the mana of a kitsune, a being I truly and forever have become. A being, that in my heart, I was meant to become. The mana begins to flow out of me and I drive it into the sword, infusing it with my very essence. It will be something unlike anything before, in real life that is.

I feel the power growing under my hands as the sword is infused with more and more of my mana. I feel the sword beginning to grow hot, not to burn, but with a fire that is my own. Even with my eyes closed, a bright light shines through, growing stronger with each passing moment.

“That shall be enough, little princess,” I hear being called out.

I open my eyes to see the crystal shining as brightly as a star on the clearest of nights. I look over my new sword, seeing a shimmer of a soft blue aura wrapping around the blade.

Helgsven walks over to me, “The final part was to add the grace and beauty of the kitsune. A race tied to the spirits.”

I grin, “How you do you know about yokai?”

He smiles broadly, “I have heard tales from dragons who have flown to the Far East, speaking of such wondrous beings. I never thought I would see one.”

I blush and giggle softly, rolling some of my hair over where my human ears once were.

Serasfall looks to him, “You never informed me you knew of yokai.”

He chuckles, “As I said, I never thought I would meet one before the little princess here.”

I smile, swirling my tails around me.

He then picks up the sword and places it into my hands. It really is heavier than before, but only ever so slightly. It’s still enough to give me pause. My hands tremble, feeling as though I am holding myself in a way.

I grip hold of it, feeling the hilt bite into my hand. My left hand glides over the blade, feeling myself emanating from it. The sword has a new balance, a new feel, it’s no longer what it used to be, much like how I am.

“The dragon steel is infused into the blade, completely remaking it,” says the smith. “It is now stronger than ever before. At its heart lies the crystal, which is attuned to you and will answer only to you.”

“The sword and wielder are one,” adds Serasfall. “With it being forged from pieces of who you are. Neither dragons nor demons will ever break this sword, having been infused with your very spirit, something that can never truly be broken.”

I feel tears forming in my eyes as I clench the sword tightly. A heart beats within my chest, as though it’s been made whole. I slowly turn and look to everyone. “Thank you. Thank you so much for everything.”

The group smiles, with Merian pulling her husband close to her.

Serasfall smiles, “Since this is a brand new sword, born from the old, it requires a new name.”

I smile, looking over the weapon. Names are power things, forging connections between not only people but also extending into objects. My mother gave me a new name when I was reborn. Marron gave me a name that is bond between us. I gave Fenris his name, bonding our hearts together. Now I must give a name to something that is me in physical form.

I hold my fingers to the blade, “Astraea.”

Serasfall smiles, “Named after the Greek goddess of purity and precision.”

I stare at it more, “Also of justice.”

She scowls softly to me, “Push out any thought of becoming an avenger my dear. Such a path will only be met with more peril and pain.”

I smile to her. I know I don’t want to be avenger. While I still hate what's been done to me, seeking revenge would only land me in a quick grave. So yeah, not going down that road. With that out of the way, I know that I am going to spend a lot of time mastering this new sword.

Serasfall looks over the sword. “You will require a new sheath, as the old clearly is now too small for it.”

I smile, “Thank you again Serasfall.” She smiles, leaning over and kissing my forehead, causing me to blush.

Helgsven then steps over and begins to measure the blade, jotting down notes into a small pad of paper. When done, he smiles to me. I grin, looking to him and to his family. “Thank you again for doing this for me.”

His smile broadens as he bows, “As before little princess, it is an honor to be of service to the Great House of Shyair.”

I smile, summoning forth cloth from within my bag, wrapping it around the blade in order to protect it. Serasfall looks to me, once more giving me her motherly smile. I grin in return, forever grateful.

The next day I change into my training clothes and come out early to the courtyard. Fenris was shocked when I showed him my new sword and how I obtained it. He says that I had yet another part of my heart healed, that the guilt of that battle has been washed away. I can’t agree with him more.

I look around, seeing that no one is here. I unwrap Astraea from its bindings and grip it tightly, again feeling its new weight. I smile as I begin running through my sword drills, starting slow with typical swings, trying to get a feel for it. I soon move onto my sword katas. As always, I begin with Silvi’s before moving onto Lyra’s.

My new sword has a completely new feel to it, aside from being new. It’s heavy, yet light. I am constantly having to adjust to every swing and slash, but slowly am getting a hang of it.

When I move onto my own katas, I dance and twirl through the air, carrying my new weapon along with me as I summon pillars of ice. I grin, transforming into a kitsune as I practice my parkour skills. I swing around the pillars using my tails, leaping and flipping from one to the next. I summon mud golems, having them become their swifter forms and begin to wail into them.

“Nei’shy,” I hear calling out to me as I slash at another golem. I smile seeing Serasfall and Celes walking towards me.

“Morning all,” I greet.

Both women smile to me. “Aria dear,” says Serasfall, “would you like some sparring partners to help you better master your new sword?”

I grin, snapping my fingers, dispelling the golems and spreading out the pillars. I then hold up Astraea to them. “Bring it.”

They smile, drawing their swords and charge at me. We grin and laugh as we dance around the pillars of ice, with them discovering my agility firsthand as I leap and twirl around the pillars. Our swords clash, with the sweet sound of metal ringing in my ears. It’s not that I love the thrill of fighting them, just that we have found yet another way to bond. I love both of them dearly and am forever grateful to be here.

Later in the day, Serasfall begins teaching how to summon magic with my sword. The crystal inlays actually serve as a direct conduit for the primary crystal in the blade. This way there is zero lag in magical ability.

Like with my tails, I summon forth orbs, able to create three at first. I swipe my sword, firing them at targets. When they return, I halt them with the sword as though it were my hands. We then move onto fire and ice, doing the same as with the orbs. We even again do a brief stint with my fusion training, thankfully only lasting for a couple hours.

I discover that this really is no different than using my hands or tails. My sword truly is an extension of me. In fact, I find that’s it’s easier to use magic than I ever did using my old swords, even the dragon sword couldn’t even compare to this.

I grin, recalling my first days of training with Mom, in how she said that I could possibly use a sword to wield magic as she does with her staff.

The sun finally begins to set as the daylong session continues.

“Let us call it a day my dear,” says Serasfall. “We truly have gone far and beyond what I thought we could accomplish.”

I grin, wrapping my sword within its temporary sheath. Today was really good, and with it, an entirely new set of skills to master.