The Inner Odyssey

Alden twitched, the sarcastic laughter of the blacksmith grating on his nerves.

He wanted to give Elder Grimnar a piece of his mind, but that was foolish for more than one reason. The dwarf was a Master, but also held an advantage as the only one with enough skill and knowledge to craft the high-quality weapon Alden sought.

Getting on the bad side of such an individual would be akin to stabbing himself in the foot - painful and incredibly stupid.

So, all Alden could do was swallow his anger and annoyance, remain as calm as he could, and suppress the growing urge to lash out at the honorary Elder. Once Elder Grimnar finished, snorting loudly a couple of times for extra measure, the decrepit crafter shifted and craned his neck upward, facing him.

"You're too tall! Do you want me to break my neck looking at you?!! FETCH ME A STOOL!"

Alden flinched, his gaze flying through the forge until he found a wooden stool next to the far wall. Grumbling silently, he hurried over and grabbed the seat, sharing a glance with Drakon, before placing it in front of Elder Grimnar, who just harrumphed. Once the eccentric and loud dwarf was satisfied, the discussion began in earnest.

"I assume you're requesting an imperishable sword because of the power you wield. Show it to me, kid."

Alden complied.

A tenebrous energy sprang into existence, dark and terrible. It covered his right hand, seething, roiling, wisps of it flickering through the air like an ominous omen.

The crafter's expression immediately shifted, turning grim. Gone was the mockery and slight contempt Elder Grimnar displayed, replaced by a stone-cold solemness which didn't quite match his rambunctious personality.

"How did you awaken such a potent power? Not even the most competent Void Users possessed such terrifying entropic potential."

As if to demonstrate the dwarf's words, the pitch-black energy coating Alden's hand churned, as if it desired to break down the very heat in the air, returning it to nothing.

'Void Users?'

Alden caught on to an important term. This was probably what they called people who had similar powers to him back in the Age of Prosperity.

If not the Abyss, then they definitely wielded the Darkness Element. To Alden's knowledge, the two were quite similar, his decay simply being a lethal and special variant of that.

The white-haired young man frowned, understanding the implications of the Elder's words.

He thought back to the description of his Magic Class.

It read:

[This special form of decay allows the host to wield a portion of Authority from the Abyss.]

The elucidation provided by the System confirmed he did indeed possess a special power, one his predecessors did not have. It even provided a reason. Alden harbored a guess that 'Authority' - whatever it was - made the abyssal effect of his Magic Class even stronger.

His gaze narrowed.

He hadn't really thought about how he had awakened his powers when he first ascended, attributing it to some sort of innate affinity… but now that his future self was awake, Alden couldn't help but feel the mysterious man was involved.

Just what was he scheming?

And what was his end goal…?

Now that he had analysed their last interaction a couple of times, Alden doubted very much it was just simply revenge. There had to be something more. Something the older version of himself was hiding.

Frustrated, Alden blew his cheeks, forgetting that he hadn't answered the Elder's question.

He paled.

Surprisingly, the dwarf did not get mad.

Instead, the Keeper's Apprentice discovered that Elder Grimnar was scrutinising his figure. The dwarf's eyes, which had seen more than one should, glowed softly as they peered intently at him, hoping to discern his secrets.

Alden swallowed.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure how I came to wield this power. I awakened slightly differently, true, but I don't think it played a part in this. Maybe it was fate? Maybe the world is in need of someone like me? Someone capable of great destruction, but also someone able to rid the world of such abominable evil."

To defeat evil, maybe one had to become it.

Or at least, wield the same powers as them…

Alden trained his mana sense on the Ember Heir, not forgetting he was there.

Drakon didn't display much of a reaction, his polite, dignified and respectful demeanour still in place. For someone who possessed a large well of incinerating fire in his core, the Ember Heir was remarkably proficient at masking how he felt.

Perhaps it was a skill learned in preparation for his role as a future leader of his Clan, or maybe it was due to Drakon's troubles with his father.

Either way, the only thing Alden noticed was a subtle rise of the Ember Heir's brow - in response to him admitting he had awakened a little differently from the norm.

"Certainly, you're a very peculiar boy."

The dwarf hummed.

Then, Elder Grimnar hopped down from his stool. He began pacing around his forge, his thoughts a mystery, and his expression cold.

His bronze skin reflected the light of the fire, giving it a warm but deadly glow, almost akin to molten metal. His shadow also stretched, as if it had been given more substance by the crackling flame.

Alden blinked and shook his head.

The illusion was gone.

He traced Elder Grimnar's path, not taking the dwarf's cold expression to heart. It wasn't aimed at him most likely, but rather at the set of unpleasant memories his abyssal power had doubtless invoked.

Alden felt a slight pang of guilt, but not enough for him to apologise - he gathered that would only give Elder Grimnar more reason to insult him.

Eventually, the rambunctious dwarf came to a decision. He turned around, and craned his neck, staring Alden in the eye, his weathered face as sharp as forged iron.

"I will craft the weapon you want on two conditions."

Alden held his breath as Elder Grimnar raised two fingers.

"First, you must supply me with ten thousand Mana Crystals. That is non-negotiable. Second, there is an extremely rare ore called Mythril found in the center of the Sea of Tribulation… ah, I forgot you people now refer to it as the Haunted Archipelago. Either way, I need a good chunk of that ore to be able to craft your sword."

The young man's good eye widened in shock.

"Ten thousand Mana Crystals?!!"

Alden repeated, unconsciously raising his voice.

"Yes, you stupid fool! What? Do you think resources grow on trees?! I need a large source of energy to create what you want, the least you could do is be grateful!"

Elder Grimnar glowered at him.

"Not only are you a love-struck fool, have the appearance of a Leopard's rump, but you're also incredibly dumb! Even a Defiled Beast is more intelligent than you! Lord Builder, help me!"

Alden sensed the utter condescension in the dwarf's tone. He took a deep breath, his eyelid twitching under the incessant barrage of insults.

It seemed…

His dream of wielding an imperishable sword was still quite a ways away.