From behind a massive stone anvil stepped the blacksmith. He didn't look like any smith Kaelen had ever seen. He wore no leather apron; instead, his robes were stitched from deep violet silk that seemed to absorb the flickering firelight. He held no hammer, but a heavy iron tongs that glowed with a soft, pulsing blue light.

The smith didn’t look at the steel. He looked at Kaelen, his eyes milky white and rimmed with faint, glowing runes. "I can. But star-metal requires a catalyst. Blood. Or a memory." He leaned in closer, his smile revealing teeth that looked suspiciously like polished silver. "What are you willing to give up to make this sword whole again?"

Kaelen took a step back, the hairs on his neck standing up. The forge fire behind the man hadn't flickered once. In fact, there was no wood in the pit at all—only a swirling vortex of purple flame that made no sound. The arcane blacksmith was definitely hiding something.

Kaelen stepped into the workshop, his hand resting instinctively on the hilt of his father’s shattered blade. The air inside was thick, smelling of sulfur, burnt ozone, and something unmistakably sweet—like wild clover. It was a bizarre scent for a forge.

🗡️ Episode Overview: "The Arcane Blacksmith is Suspicious"