Without waiting for an answer Aero turned to Carl and started talking “Yes we are here to buy a sword. You see my apprentice here broke a standard issue mana blade during practice in one day, so a blade that’s strong enough for him would be great”

“Eh? Adrian here did what?” Carl questioned Aero with a surprised look on his face. “Didn’t ya say that you just awakened a few days ago lad?”. “No wonder this church dog wants you under him” Carl said with an exasperated look on his face. Aero on the other hand just stood there, his plastered smile twitching slightly on the remark.

“Still breaking a standard issue mana blade in a day? Just how much mana input did it take? Cause if it's as ya say, even the toughest standard issues aren’t gonna cut it for him. He needs a custom heavy-use one. I’m thinking …..a broadsword with a fuller for ample reach and less weight,.....but then again a saber might be good for movement and agility, oh since his mana output can apparently shatter a mana blade!!, how about we go with a reinforced orchalium core saber with dagon slayer edge fittings and……….”

“Um…” Aero pulled Adrian to the side as Carl was still speaking  “....we are still getting that discount right?”, Adrian shrugged as he turned back towards the blacksmith to continue hearing the details.

“...and finally viridium mana steel!!!” Carl said as he finished his description of the ideal sword.

“Umm, Sir Carl…….” Aero spoke while Carl was still busy drawing designs for the new sword on a piece of parchment he had laid out upon a nearby table, “I was thinking of a more traditional long-sword approach, for it is still his first time in the field as a novice. And I don't want him to limit his techniques to a specialized blade.”

Carl turned his head down towards the parchment before raising it as his eyes shot towards Adrian “Oi lad, bring some water from the upper floor lounge will ya! My throat is parched with all this heat." "Sure" Adrian said as he began heading towards the stairs to the upper floor of the workshop.

As Adrian got out of the view, I turned towards the paladin.  “Ah I get what you are saying paladin, it's just that………the kid has been coming to my forge since he was little, for me he is like a nephew.” I said as I could feel a smile tugging on my face while looking at the piece of parchment I was sketching on.

“I guess I just got excited hearing that the kid who was always dreaming about going out on the front lines and becoming a hero, now finally might have a shot at all the dreams he told me about while we both sat in front of these flames.” I continued, "And as much as I dislike you Lux fellas, I guess I need to thank you for this".

I didn't realize that I  had almost teared up. Having never had a child of my own, Adrian was like a nephew whom I had seen growing up from when he was a wee lad. And in any normal case, the only one I could be playful with or be warm to was Adrian. 

The paladin stood silent. It was as if you could see the sadness on his face upon hearing this old man’s words. Not that I had any need for his pity. But he seemed to realize how much it meant for me to make Adrian’s sword, to make the sword for someone whom I had seen as a nephew all these years, for someone who had been chasing a then-impossible dream.

 It wasn’t just about me making the sword now. It was about me trying to give something that would actually help one of the only people in the world, I had ever felt selfless and kind to. It was my own way of trying to help Adrian get a step closer to his dream.

“I understand Carl. And I’m sure you are the only person this kid would ever get a sword made from. I’ll leave it in your hands.” The paladin said finally breaking out of his muted state

“Thanks son. Oh and one last thing, if you mention even a single word of this conversation to the kid,....”, I signalled, raising my hammer, “..metal won’t be the only thing getting banged in this forge.”

“ADRIAN!!!!!” I called out to the lad “Get over ‘ere, I have something you need to do.”

As Adrian rushed over to the forge I handed him a strip of metal I took out from my desk. “Hold this ‘ere, I need to see how your mana behaves for the sword first.”

“What's this?” Adrian asked while taking the strip of metal from my hands. “Tis’ here is a piece of highly refined pure mana steel, it is usually used to check how a custom mana blade will react to its owner's particular mana.” I explained.

As Adrian held the strip, it slowly started vibrating in his hand, gaining speed till it looked like it was shivering. “Uh is it supposed to do that” Adrian asked while still holding on to that piece as he struggled to keep a grip on it”

“Well…… I don't know” I said while staring intently at the metal in Adrian's hand. “This is the first time I am actually seeing it vibrate, usually it has different reactions, but never vibrates, not makes a horrendous screeching sound like tis.”

“What kind of mana attribute did ya awaken to lad?” I asked while curiously observing the shivering piece of metal, trying to make sense of the chaotic mana flow which appeared to be collapsing in on itself while being shrouded by a green hue. But for some peculiar reason, the green aura acted more like a curtain rather than flowing into the steel.

Adrian quickly turned to look at the paladin, his expression hesitant as to what he was supposed to even say, as if he himself hadn't been taught how his mana was supposed to work.

“He has a variant of air type mana like me Sir Carl” The paladin quickly replied filling in for the lad, “the air fluctuation must be the cause to this particular effect” he said with an almost practiced smile on his face.

“Huh” I said while exhaling deeply, “well you must have something special to be a paladin apprentice I guess. “At least now we know how that sword broke when you used it son.”I continued while taking the mana steel back from Adrian's hand.

“What do you mean?” Adrian asked curiously, “you know why it broke?”.

“Well simply put, the mana you poured into the blade made it vibrate uncontrollably, and as soon as it faced impact against something hard, it shattered due to the stress.” I explained while turning back to my desk.

“Well kid, your power seems to be getting more and more troublesome, the more we know about it” The paladin exclaimed while sighing softly. “So, what are we supposed to do about this Carl?”

“Well normally son, I'd say you were out of luck cause no weapon would function properly with its structural integrity constantly under stress”. I exclaimed, “but luckily for you, I ain't some run off the mill blacksmith”

“If there's a user, there's a blade,” I continued as I could feel a grin forming on my face. “And for ye kid, I got just the right thing!”

“Great!” the paladin smiled, “so till when can we expect this blade?”

“Well that depends” I let out a chuckle while turning to Adrian “How hard do ya think you can work lad” I said while looking at him.

“What do you mean?” Adrian asked nervously.

“What I mean is” I continued, letting a smirk take over my mouth “If ya want the blade kid, yer gonna have to help me make it”.