DID YOU KNOW? YOU CAN NOW READ THREE TO SIX CHAPTERS AHEAD. CHECK MY PROFILE FOR THE LINK.
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"Oi! Oi! Oi!" Jaune blurted as she rushed forward. "What the hell is this!?"
Before anyone could stop her, she reached out and grabbed one of the containment rings surrounding the pitch-black flame. The instant her fingers made contact...
Ssssshhhk!
She hissed sharply as both of her hands vanished.
The flesh from her fingertips to just below her forearms was consumed in an instant, leaving behind nothing but blackened stumps still faintly smoking.
Jaune immediately jerked backward. "..."nShe didn't even look at her injuries.
Her crimson eyes remained completely fixed upon the black flame.
It swayed gently within its containment, flowing like living ink while crimson lightning silently crawled across its surface.
"...What... is this...?" she whispered, almost reverently.
A firm hand landed on her shoulder.
Kaede pulled the Primordial Demon back several steps before giving her a distinctly displeased look. "Don't just touch everything you see, you idiot."
Jaune finally blinked. "Oh."
Her severed hands had already begun regenerating, dark demonic flesh weaving itself together with astonishing speed.
Across the forge, Chibari let out a grunt. "Who's the brat?" the muscular dwarf growled, setting her massive hammer aside before removing her thick forging gloves.
She wandered over to a nearby metal cart and casually leaned against it. "Of course..." A broad grin spread across her face. "You're always welcome, Lady Kaede. Always."
Kaede smiled just as warmly. "It's nice seeing you too, Chibari." Her gaze briefly swept across the enormous forge surrounding them. "Hard at work as usual, I see."
She folded her hands behind her back. "You really should take breaks every now and then. Maybe spend some time with your family."
"Bah." Chibari waved the suggestion away with a snort. "Kain's in his element running the industrial estate."
A hint of pride entered her voice. "He doesn't need me barging in and ruining his style." She crossed her arms.
"Wouldn't feel very independent otherwise." A softer smile appeared as she continued.n"As for Kira and Kegan..."
"They stop by every so often." She chuckled to herself. "Mostly just to show off whatever new invention they've made before trying to convince me it's better than the other's."
Her laughter echoed comfortably throughout the forge.
Kaede nodded, her own smile never fading. "I'm glad."
"Even so..." she continued thoughtfully. "A little relaxation would probably do all of you some good."
She tapped her chin. "Hmm..."
"Maybe everyone should take a vacation." Her eyes brightened. "We could all visit Raja."
"I hear the beach resort has become even nicer lately."
Sera let out a delicate cough. "Ahem."
Kaede turned toward her.
"Perhaps, my Lady..." Sera wore her usual gentle smile. "...you've already enjoyed one outing too many."
"Come on, Sera." Kaede laughed nervously. "I don't go out that often."
Sera simply looked at her. She said nothing. The perfectly deadpan stare was somehow more devastating than any verbal response.
"..." Kaede quietly closed her mouth. "...Point taken."
Chibari merely shook her head, a faint chuckle escaping her as she watched the exchange unfold.
"I don't suppose you came all the way here just to lecture me about taking vacations." She jerked a thumb toward the blonde demon. "And you certainly didn't bring this lass along just so she could keep trying to lose her hands."
Kaede glanced over her shoulder. Jaune had somehow managed to wander back toward the Chaos Flame.
Despite the fact that both of her hands were still in the process of regenerating, the Primordial was leaning forward with undisguised fascination, apparently contemplating whether attempting to grab the flame without hands would somehow produce a better outcome.
"..." Kaede let out a long, tired sigh.
She walked over without a word, placed a hand firmly atop Jaune's head, effortlessly lifted the demon completely off the ground, and casually carried her back under one arm as though she weighed absolutely nothing.
Jaune kicked her legs weakly in protest.
"Don't push your luck, Jaune," Kaede said with a patient smile. "Otherwise, you won't be getting your new body today."
"Body?" Chibari repeated, one eyebrow rising. She looked between the two of them several times before her expression slowly shifted into one of realization.
"This another demon like Wisteria?" She scratched her cheek thoughtfully. "Wasn't she called... something... Violet..."
Her words abruptly stopped. "...Hold on."
Her eyes narrowed. "...Wasn't Violet one of those Primordial Demons?"
"...Don't tell me..." She looked directly at Jaune again.."...She's another Primordial?"
Kaede nodded matter-of-factly. "Mhm."
"This is Jaune." She smiled before lightly patting the blonde atop the head. "The Primordial Yellow."
Kaede tilted her own head thoughtfully. "Which, now that I think about it, is a rather strange naming convention."
"I mean... I can certainly see where the 'Yellow' comes from." She glanced at Jaune's golden hair. "...But it's still a little unimaginative, don't you think?"
Only then did Jaune finally succeed in tearing her gaze away from the Chaos Flame.
Her golden eyes shifted toward Chibari, though they still carried the unmistakable distraction of someone whose thoughts remained elsewhere.
"...What exactly is that flame?" There was nothing but pure curiosity in her voice. "Why does it feel..." She searched for the proper words. "...so incredible?"
"..." Chibari didn't answer immediately. Instead, she slowly turned her gaze toward Kaede.
"...Why did you bring her here?" Her expression had become noticeably more serious. "This forge isn't exactly a place we open to the public."
"..." Kaede blinked, her smile stiffening ever so slightly. For one brief moment... She resembled a deer caught squarely in the light of an approaching carriage.
Chibari let out a long, weary sigh. "...My Lady."
Kaede cleared her throat innocently. "In my defense, I only brought her here to see you." She smiled without the slightest hint of guilt. "So, in a way... this is your fault."
Chibari regarded her with a thoroughly unimpressed expression. "You could have simply called for me instead," she replied flatly.
After a brief pause, she shook her head. "But it's fine, Lady Kaede. So long as she doesn't go singing about this to the rest of the country."
Her gaze shifted toward Jaune. "You won't... will you?"
Still dangling from Kaede's grip by the back of her jacket, Jaune looked thoroughly exasperated.
"As long as someone tells me what in the world that flame is supposed to be, then I won't say a word." She pointed insistently toward the blazing ring at the center of the forge. "Just... please explain it."
Kaede finally released her.
Landing lightly on her feet, Jaune immediately straightened her jacket, though her eyes never left the radiant flame.
Kaede smiled. "Well... since you're so curious."
She looked toward the ring of fire with unmistakable fondness. "That flame is very special."
"It possesses every affinity you could possibly imagine." She paused for emphasis. "...Even attributes."
Jaune frowned slightly. "When you say... attributes..."
Chibari folded her arms. "It doesn't merely contain every elemental affinity," she explained. "It also carries affinities for strength, agility, stamina, vitality, perception, durability..."
"And then there are the conceptual affinities." She gave a small, amused laugh. "...We still haven't identified half of them."
For a heartbeat, Jaune simply stared. Then her eyes widened. "...Infons."
She took an unconscious step closer to the blazing ring. "...These are Infons."
"This... this is a digital flame." Her voice had become almost reverent. "An imaginary flame... constructed entirely from virtual information."
Kaede giggled. "Got it in one." She rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish smile. "It took a ridiculous amount out of me to create, but... yeah."
"This is a flame composed purely of information."
"Every concept that can be expressed as information exists somewhere within it."
"Divinity."
"Spirituality."
"Infernal attributes."
She smiled softly as the countless colors reflected in her eyes. "...It's rather beautiful, isn't it?"
"Hell yeah, it is!" Jaune exclaimed without the slightest hesitation. Her excitement exploded all at once. "This is incredible!"
She stepped even closer to the forge, completely captivated by the impossible fire dancing before her.
"With something like this..."
"You could graft absolutely anything into any metal." She stopped, immediately correcting herself. "No... not just metal."
Her eyes remained fixed upon the flame. "You could forge anything." Her voice dropped into astonished disbelief. "...Even the air itself could be forged with a flame like this."
Jaune's eyes never left the dancing black flame. "So..." she began, her voice carrying an excitement she no longer bothered trying to suppress. "You're telling me..."
She pointed directly toward the contained inferno. "...that's what you're going to use to forge my body?"
Kaede nodded without hesitation. "Mhm."
Jaune stared. Then looked back at the flame. Then back at Kaede. "...Seriously?"
"Mhm."
"..." A slow grin spread across the Primordial's face. "...That's so sick."
Her eyes sparkled with barely restrained anticipation as she took another step toward the forge, only stopping after noticing Kaede quietly raising a single finger in warning.
"...Right." She wisely remained where she was.
"This isn't just for your body, either." Kaede smiled in satisfaction before gesturing toward the immense forge surrounding them. "The Chaos Flame is responsible for nearly all of Maple Tree's highest-grade equipment."
She casually pointed toward Chibari. "Every commander. Every general. Every member of my personal guard. Their armour, weapons, and artifacts were all forged here."
"Since you'll be taking up the position of commander..." She smiled warmly. "...that naturally includes you."
Jaune blinked. For a brief moment, she simply stood there. Then she scratched her cheek awkwardly. "...I don't suppose I can complain about the paperwork anymore."
"You probably still will," Acer remarked.
"...I probably still will."
The Dryad giggled.
Across the forge, Chibari pushed herself away from the metal cart she'd been leaning against.
"Well then..." she said, rolling one broad shoulder before walking toward them. "If I'm building you a body from scratch..."
She stopped directly in front of Jaune, folding her powerful arms across her chest. "...I'd rather know what the owner actually wants."
Jaune tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said." Chibari shrugged. "You're the one who's going to be living in it."
"So..." She pointed a thick finger toward the blonde demon. "Any preferences?"
"Specialized organs? Natural weaponry? Unnatural Weaponry? Built-in magical conduits?"
She listed each possibility as casually as though she were asking someone what color they wanted their curtains. "We're not exactly limited by conventional biology."
"That's true." Kaede nodded in agreement. "The body we're making won't simply imitate your old one. It'll become your body."
"So if there's anything you've always wanted..." She smiled. "...this would be the time to mention it."
"I'm guessing that Wisteria got to choose as well." Jaune grinned. She knew exactly what she wanted.