š Scene 1 ā Arrival at the Volcano
The Mana Volcano loomed ahead like a sleeping titan ā its obsidian slopes veined with red-hot mana, the earth breathing beneath their feet.
Heat didn't come from fire. It came from something deeper. Something alive.
The caravan stopped. Even the trained horses backed away, snorting and anxious.
Shinonome dismounted first, kneeling to place her palm on the glassy black rock.
"This is where the trail ends," she said. "From here, you climb alone."
The others followed, packs light, weapons ready.
Gin stepped out last, dramatically wiping imaginary sweat from his brow.
"Ten out of ten regret, would not recommend this expedition," he muttered.
William passed him, gaze steady. "Then feel free to turn around."
"I would, but who'd protect you from volcanic heartbreak?"
Alicia smiled faintly as she adjusted the strap on her pack.
"Gin, you're not even carrying anything."
Gin placed a hand over his chest.
"Please. I carry emotional burdens heavier than your blade."
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š„ Scene 2 ā Into the Flame
Every step up the winding path was like wading through pressure.
Not heat. Not gravity.
It was will. Compressed. Testing them.
The mountain judged them with each breath.
A skeleton slumped against a jagged stone, fingers still clutching a shattered, half-formed blade.
Alicia slowed.
William turned, and their eyes met.
She reached for his wristānot out of fear, but something quieter.
> "Don't run ahead," she whispered.
He didn't let go.
"Never planned to."
Behind them, a sudden burst of steam sent Gin scrambling into Alicia with a yelp.
"My eyebrows!" he cried. "They were limited edition!"
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š©ø Scene 3 ā The Trial Field
They crested the summit.
A massive crater yawned before them ā not filled with lava, but with swirling blue flame, alive and slow, breathing like a slumbering god.
Weapons lay scattered at the edge. Some cracked. Some whole. Mostā¦ abandoned.
Shinonome stood beside the pit, her voice quiet but firm.
"This is the final step," she said. "You'll sit. You'll breathe. You'll pour your soul into the flame. If the volcano accepts you, your weapon will rise. If it doesn'tā¦"
She didn't need to finish.
William and Alicia exchanged a glance.
He offered his hand.
"You go first," he said.
She shook her head, gaze unwavering.
"Together."
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šŖļø Scene 4 ā Alicia's Awakening
She knelt. Closed her eyes.
Her old rapier rested before her, catching the strange blue light.
Wind stirred ā not from the sky, but from within her.
Gentle at first.
Then faster.
Around her, the air spiraled in tight currents ā lifting strands of her white hair, coiling around her shoulders like a whispering spirit.
> "I want to protect him. I want to stand with him. Not behind. Beside."
Mana pulsed around her like wings.
The crater flame flared.
Then ā a sound ā like glass singing.
From the pit, something rose.
A blade, carved of crystal and air. Slender, weightless, and alive with white wind.
Her soul weapon.
The rapier hovered for a moment, then landed gently in her open hands.
Alicia's eyes opened. Moist. But smiling.
Gin let out a low whistle.
"Dang," he muttered. "Even my pancreas felt that one."
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š Chapter End Quote:
> "To forge a blade from the soul, one must first sharpen the heart."
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