“Forge Master… run.” Vulcan’s warning had barely left his mouth when the roots attacked.
The enormous tendrils crashed through the remains of the workshop roof, twisting through rafters and stone as though the building were made of wet clay.
Hundreds of golden eyes opened along their bark-covered surfaces, all staring directly at Drake.
Ember hissed from his shoulder.
Blue fire gathered between the little dragon’s teeth.
Drake raised the Origin Hammer.
“Everyone out!” The nearest root swept across the workshop.
Vulcan stepped into its path.
His colossal hammer rose.
Metal struck living wood with a thunderous impact.
The entire building shook.
The root bent under the blow but did not break.
Bark split across its surface, revealing something beneath that was not wood.
Muscle.
Black muscle threaded with pulsing golden veins.
The root recoiled.
Its countless eyes narrowed.
“Uncle still guards the door,” the voice whispered inside Drake’s mind.
Vulcan froze for half a heartbeat.
That hesitation nearly cost him.
A second root wrapped around the guardian’s waist and lifted him from the floor.
“Vulcan!” Drake rushed forward.
The guardian swung his hammer into the tendril holding him, but the root tightened.
Metal plates groaned across his chest.
Granite roared.
The stone ape charged from the side and seized the root with both hands.
His feet shattered the floorboards as he pulled.
The root strained between them.
Drake saw the exposed golden veins beneath the torn bark.
A weakness.
The Origin Hammer pulsed.
Thin lines of blue light appeared across the root’s surface, converging around one knot of twisted tissue.
“Granite, hold it!” The ape bellowed and pulled harder.
Drake ran up the overturned workbench, leapt, and struck the glowing knot with both hands.
The Origin Hammer connected.
A bell-like note rang through the workshop.
The root snapped.
Black sap exploded across the walls.
Vulcan fell heavily to the floor.
The severed tendril convulsed like a dying serpent.
Every mouth along its surface screamed.
The sound entered Drake’s skull.
Pain drove him to one knee.
Ember cried out.
Through their bond, Drake felt the hatchling’s senses overwhelmed by thousands of voices.
Hungry voices.
Lonely voices.
Fragments of beasts, plants, and perhaps even people.
All trapped together inside the root.
Drake gritted his teeth.
“What is this thing?” Vulcan pushed himself upright.
“The First Failure does not merely consume bodies.” The guardian’s blue gaze turned toward the severed root.
“It preserves what it takes.” Captain Veller stepped backward.
“You mean those voices are still alive?” “Unknown.” “That is not an answer.” “It is the only accurate answer.” Another root smashed through the workshop wall.
The two-headed wolf jumped aside.
The crystal bird took flight through the open roof.
Old Mason crawled behind the forge.
Gareth remained beside the anvil, both hands wrapped around Dawnbreaker’s crimson handle.
He looked toward the roots.
His expression held no surprise.
Only sorrow.
“You should have remained asleep,” he whispered.
The golden eyes turned toward him.
“Grandfather.” The word echoed through the chamber.
Drake looked sharply at Gareth.
The old blacksmith’s face tightened.
Captain Veller stared between them.
“It knows you?” Gareth did not answer.
The roots slowed.
Several curled through the ruined workshop without attacking, moving almost cautiously.
One lowered until a single golden eye rested level with Gareth’s face.
The ancient voice softened.
“You came back.” Gareth leaned upon Dawnbreaker.
“I never left.” “You stopped visiting.” “I became old.” “I waited.” The creature sounded wounded.
Drake’s confusion deepened.
“Grandfather, what is it talking about?” Gareth closed his eyes briefly.
“When I was younger, I entered the lowest prison.” Vulcan turned toward him.
“Unauthorized access was prohibited.” “I was a Forge Warden.” “You were a reckless apprentice.” “That too.” Captain Veller’s voice rose.
“You entered the prison of the creature that nearly destroyed civilization?” Gareth looked toward him.
“It was alone.” “That is your explanation?” “It had been alone for thousands of years.” The root beside Gareth shuddered.
“I remember your stories.” Gareth smiled faintly.
“And I remember telling you not to pull villages into the ground.” The voice paused.
“I only pulled three.” Captain Veller stared in disbelief.
“Only three?” The root’s eye shifted toward him.
“You are loud.” Veller raised his sword.
“And you are a world-ending abomination.” The enormous eye blinked.
“That is also loud.” Despite the terror gripping the workshop, Drake nearly laughed.
The absurdity lasted only a moment.
A scream echoed from outside.
Then another.
The roots spreading through Blackstone had reached the villagers.
Drake turned toward the doorway.
In the street, thinner tendrils crawled between houses.
They wrapped around fences, carts, wells, and trees.
Wherever they touched living wood, bark blackened and golden eyes opened.
The First Failure was changing the village.
“Stop!” Drake shouted.
Every root froze.
The golden eyes turned toward him.
All of them.
Across the workshop.
Across the streets.
Across the mountainside.
The attention pressed against him like an ocean.
“Little Creator speaks.” The voice filled his mind.
“Release the village.” “Why?” “Because you’re hurting people.” A confused sensation passed through the roots.
“I am bringing them closer.” “To what?” “To me.” Drake’s blood went cold.
The First Failure did not understand the difference.
To it, consuming someone might not mean killing them.
It might mean preserving them forever inside itself.
“You cannot take people without their permission.” The roots twitched.
“Father took pieces.” Gareth’s expression darkened.
“That was not your father.” The creature ignored him.
“Father gave me claws.” “Father gave me wings.” “Father gave me hunger.” Each sentence made the mountain tremble.
“Father said I would become perfect.” Drake looked at Vulcan.
The guardian’s blue eyes dimmed.
“Former Forge Master Aurelius Noctis.” The name carried weight.
Gareth’s hands tightened around Dawnbreaker.
Captain Veller frowned.
“Who?” “The traitor,” Gareth said.
“The blacksmith who removed Heart Runes from living creations.” Drake remembered the shadow in the Heart Chamber.
The smooth metal mask.
The black gloves.
Perfection requires obedience.
“He created this?” Vulcan answered.
“He altered it.” The First Failure’s roots tightened around the broken workshop.
“I was the first.” Its voice became almost proud.
“The first to grow.” “The first to improve.” “The first to consume weakness.” Ember growled.
The little dragon’s Heart Rune glowed beneath its chest.
The creature noticed immediately.
Every golden eye focused on Ember.
Silence followed.
Then the voice whispered.
“Heart.” Ember pressed closer to Drake’s neck.
“What about it?” Drake asked.
The roots moved toward them.
Vulcan raised his hammer.
Granite stepped forward.
The freed beasts gathered around Drake.
The tendrils stopped.
“Brother has a heart.” Ember snarled.
A clear feeling entered Drake through their bond.
Not brother.
The First Failure seemed fascinated.
“It speaks without command.” “It chooses.” Drake’s grip tightened.
“Yes.” “Why?” “Because it has a Heart Rune.” The creature grew silent.
Even the roots outside stopped moving.
For one strange moment, Blackstone Village became still.
Then the ancient voice asked a question that no one expected.
“Can I have one?” Captain Veller stared.
Gareth lowered his gaze.
Vulcan’s posture became rigid.
Drake looked at the enormous eye suspended above the ruins.
Behind it, he could feel the creature’s hunger.
Not the hunger to consume.
Something deeper.
An emptiness that had existed for thousands of years.
“You want a Heart Rune?” “Yes.” The answer came instantly.
“So I may choose.” The simplicity of those words struck Drake harder than any threat.
The First Failure had killed countless beings.
Destroyed kingdoms.
Consumed bloodlines.
But it had never possessed identity.
Never possessed a true will.
It had only followed the purpose forced upon it.
Improve.
Consume.
Become perfect.
Drake thought of Ember before the Heart Rune.
Incomplete.
Unstable.
Alive, but without a fixed path.
Yet Ember had been small.
Young.
The First Failure was ancient and vast enough to wrap around a mountain.
Forging it a Heart Rune could save it.
Or give the greatest monster in history a stronger identity.
Gareth saw the conflict in Drake’s face.
“Do not decide now.” The First Failure’s eyes narrowed.
“Grandfather fears me.” “I respect what you can do.” “That is fear with kinder words.” A tremor passed beneath the village.
Several houses cracked.
Drake looked outside.
People were still trapped among the roots.
“Release them first.” The creature hesitated.
“Why?” “Because if you want me to consider helping you, you will prove you can listen.” The workshop fell silent.
Captain Veller slowly turned toward Drake.
“You are bargaining with it?” “Yes.” “You cannot be serious.” “You have a better idea?” “Kill it.” Vulcan answered before Drake could.
“Impossible with current force.” Veller’s jaw tightened.
“Then flee.” “And leave Blackstone to be consumed?” The captain had no answer.
Drake looked back toward the enormous eye.
“Release everyone you have taken.” The roots trembled.
“I will be alone.” “You will still have the mountain.” “The mountain does not speak.” “Then speak to me.” The golden eyes widened.
Drake immediately regretted the words.
Not because they were wrong.
Because the ancient loneliness behind the creature responded so strongly that the emotion nearly crushed him.
“You will stay?” “I didn’t say that.” “You will return?” “I said I would consider helping you.” The creature processed the distinction.
“Consider means uncertain.” “Yes.” “I dislike uncertain.” “So do I.” Ember chirped in agreement.
The First Failure’s attention shifted toward the hatchling.
“Brother is small.” Ember puffed out its chest.
A wave of outrage moved through the bond.
Drake almost smiled.
“He is also dangerous.” Ember looked pleased.
The roots outside began to loosen.
One by one, villagers fell from the tendrils.
Some landed in the mud.
Others were lowered gently onto rooftops and streets.
The black bark covering trees receded.
Golden eyes closed.
The village did not return completely to normal, but the immediate attack stopped.
Drake released a breath.
Captain Veller looked genuinely stunned.
“It obeyed you.” “No,” Gareth said.
“It chose to listen.” The distinction mattered.
Drake understood that now.
The First Failure lowered its eye closer.
“I released them.” “Yes.” “Now Heart.” “Not now.” The roots tightened again.
“You promised.” “I promised to consider it.” The creature’s frustration pressed into Drake’s mind.
Several roofs groaned.
“Control yourself,” Drake said sharply.
The roots stilled.
He did not know where the courage came from.
Perhaps from Gareth.
Perhaps from Ember.
Perhaps from the responsibility forced upon him by the Origin Forge.
“You want a Heart Rune because you want choice.
Then your first choice should be whether you hurt people when you are disappointed.” The golden eyes blinked slowly.
The words reached something inside the creature.
Not understanding.
Not yet.
But possibility.
“I choose not to hurt.” The roots relaxed.
Drake nodded.
“Good.” Captain Veller stared at him.
Gareth smiled faintly.
Vulcan lowered his weapon by a fraction.
Then the night sky changed.
Seven beams of light appeared beyond the distant mountain ridges.
Red.
Blue.
Gold.
Silver.
White.
Black.
Violet.
Each pillar rose through the clouds.
The First Failure reacted instantly.
Every root across Blackstone tightened.
Fear flooded the air.
“They found Father’s flame.” Gareth looked toward the horizon.
His face became grave.
“The Seven Orders.” Captain Veller’s expression changed.
“You know those signals?” “The orders were founded from the factions that destroyed the Beast Blacksmiths.” Veller looked toward his own guild insignia.
“You mean the Royal Beast Guild—” “Descends from one of them,” Gareth said.
The captain’s face hardened.
“That does not make us responsible for crimes committed thousands of years ago.” “No.” Gareth looked at him.
“But it means the people commanding you may know more than they admit.” The seven lights grew brighter.
Shapes moved beneath them.
Flying beasts.
Airships.
Something enormous carried chains that glowed across the clouds.
The First Failure’s voice entered Drake’s mind.
“They bring the old cages.” Vulcan stepped toward the open street.
“Estimated arrival: less than one hour.” Drake looked at Gareth.
“The hidden road.” His grandfather nodded.
“We use it now.” “What about the village?” “The Orders are coming for the Forge, not the villagers.” Captain Veller sheathed his sword.
“If they find the Origin Forge beneath this workshop, Blackstone becomes a battlefield.” Drake looked at the ruined buildings.
Smoke rose from several roofs.
People gathered in the streets, frightened but alive.
He had protected them once.
He could not ask them to survive a war between ancient powers.
“We take the Forge with us.” Vulcan turned.
“Clarification required.” “The Origin Forge is beneath the mountain.
Can it be moved?” “Primary structure cannot.” Drake’s heart sank.
“However…” Golden lines appeared across the guardian’s armor.
“Core Flame may be transferred.” Gareth stared at him.
“You never told me that.” “Previous Forge Master lacked authorization.” Drake looked toward the mark on his hand.
“I have it?” “Potentially.” “Potentially?” “Transfer may kill the Forge Master.” Captain Veller exhaled sharply.
“Of course it may.” Drake ignored him.
“If we leave the Core Flame, the Orders take it.” “Probability high.” “If we destroy it?” “Impossible.” “If the First Failure stays?” Every eye turned toward the creature.
The roots shifted.
“I can hide Father.” Vulcan’s answer was immediate.
“Unreliable.” The First Failure sounded offended.
“Uncle is rude.” “Assessment remains accurate.” Drake looked from the distant pillars to the hidden staircase.
They had less than an hour.
Move the Core Flame and risk death.
Leave it and surrender the greatest forge in history.
Trust the First Failure and gamble the future of the world.
There was no safe choice.
Gareth approached Drake slowly.
He placed Dawnbreaker’s handle into his grandson’s free hand.
Drake looked down.
“What are you doing?” “You carry the Origin Hammer.” “And now you carry the Warden’s Hammer.” “I can’t take this.” “You must.” Gareth’s fingers closed around Drake’s.
“The road beneath the mountain was never only an escape route.” “What is it?” “A migration path.” “For what?” “For the Forge.” Drake looked toward Vulcan.
The guardian nodded.
“Ancient mobile foundry exists at road terminus.” Hope ignited.
“We can transfer the Core Flame there?” “Yes.” “Why didn’t you say that earlier?” “Question was not asked.” Captain Veller covered his face with one hand.
Drake glared at Vulcan.
“When I repair you, communication is the first thing I’m fixing.” “Priority rejected.” Another distant horn echoed across the mountains.
The Seven Orders were closer.
The First Failure withdrew its roots from the workshop.
“I will delay the cages.” Drake looked up.
“Why?” The enormous golden eye focused on him.
“Because Little Creator will consider Heart.” It sounded almost hopeful.
Drake nodded slowly.
“If you protect the village and do not consume anyone, I will return.” Gareth looked sharply at him.
Vulcan’s flames flickered.
Captain Veller muttered something that sounded like a prayer.
The First Failure’s roots shuddered with joy.
“You promise?” Drake raised the Origin Hammer.
“I promise to return.” The creature seemed satisfied.
Its roots pulled away from Blackstone.
The mountain groaned as the colossal being began unwinding itself from the stone.
For the first time, Drake saw part of its true body rising behind the peaks.
Wings made of forests.
A spine covered in ruined towers.
Thousands of eyes burning like stars.
The First Failure turned toward the seven pillars of light.
The storm above Blackstone split open.
“Go,” Gareth said.
Drake looked toward the broken floor.
The secret passage waited.
Villagers gathered beyond the workshop.
Freed beasts stood beside him.
Captain Veller and several guild members remained uncertain, trapped between duty and survival.
Drake lifted Dawnbreaker onto one shoulder.
The Origin Hammer remained in his other hand.
Ember climbed onto his head, refusing to surrender its usual place despite the larger weapon.
Granite followed.
The two-headed wolf and crystal bird joined them.
Vulcan stepped toward the hidden staircase.
“Core Flame transfer must begin immediately.” Drake looked back at Gareth.
His grandfather smiled.
This time, he did not remain behind.
He picked up his old smithing bag and stepped beside Drake.
“We leave together,” Gareth said.
Relief nearly weakened Drake’s legs.
He nodded.
“Together.” Behind them, the First Failure released a roar that shook every mountain in the region.
The seven pillars answered.
Chains of light descended from the clouds.
War had returned to Blackstone.
Drake entered the hidden staircase with Ember, Gareth, Vulcan, Granite, the freed beasts, and the uncertain remnants of Captain Veller’s squad.
Below them waited the Origin Forge.
Beyond it waited the road beneath the mountain.
And above them, the beast that should never have lived spread its impossible wings to defend the only person who had promised it a heart.
— End of Chapter 6