Veneri raised his hand again and the sapphire Soul Energy gathered in his palm. Landle spoke clearly this time, not just to Adelasta, but to everyone present.
"The first step in creating a Forge Furnace is establishing a proper foundation. Without a stable base, the structure will fail when pressure is introduced."
Adelasta didn't look away from Veneri as she replied.
"He knows that already."
At the center, Veneri didn't react to either of them. The sapphire he created began to shift and within seconds, the entire mass lost its rigid structure and turned into liquid. It hovered in front of him. A few of the Divines murmured quietly at that but none of them dared interrupt the process.
His Mystic Circle appeared, expanding into nine concentric rings. The moment it stabilized, the atmosphere changed. The runes inside the circle were countless, overlapping and intersecting in ways that didn't look clean or symmetrical. The geometric patterns felt almost imperfect, like they were deliberately ignoring the usual rules.
Adelasta narrowed her eyes slightly as she observed it.
"That doesn't look right."
"It is functioning correctly," Adelasta replied to Leon's question. "That's his Control Mystic Circle."
"No one else can use that, can they?"
"No," Anamorsia said without hesitation. "Even if they could replicate the design, they would not understand its structure."
The liquid sapphire began to move, guided by the Mystic Circle. This time the control was absolute. It simply followed his will exactly as he had envisioned. The base of the Forge Furnace formed first, spreading out and stabilizing into a perfect foundation. Once that was complete, he began turning it solid.
The moment the liquid hardened, a massive shockwave emerged, carrying enough force to push even the higher Divines back. The ground trembled. The light that followed was so intense that most of them couldn't see anything for a moment. Adelasta raised her arm to shield her eyes.
"That's a bit much."
"It's required, dear daughter. The transition from liquid to solid under Soul Energy compression will always produce some backlash."
When the light finally faded, the Forge Furnace stood in full view.
I blinked for a second, because the design wasn't what I expected at all. From what I remembered of Earth through is memories, it resembled a lava lamp, except this one stood three meters tall. The sapphire structure was smooth and elongated with currents of glowing energy flowing slowly within it. Runes were embedded throughout its surface, integrated naturally into the design. At the top was an opening covered by an intricately crafted lid.
Adelasta tilted her head slightly as she examined it.
"That's… actually beautiful."
"It is efficient," Landle corrected. "The internal flow allows for stable heat distribution and energy circulation."
"So it's both."
Landle didn't argue with that.
At the center, Veneri glanced down at himself and that was when it became obvious that the energy release had burned away the entire upper part of his outfit. His torso was fully exposed and the sapphire glow from his energy traced along his muscles, while the peony tattoos spread across his back and along the right side of his neck, glowing faintly.
Milliania didn't even try to hide it this time.
"Of course that happens now."
I crossed my arms, trying not to laugh.
"You're staring."
She ignored me.
Veneri didn't seem to care at all. He simply reached into his inventory and took out a small vial, then poured his own blood over the Forge Furnace. The furnace began to glow as the blood was absorbed into its structure. When he placed his hand against it, the energy transfer started instantly.
The Forge Furnace sucked Soul Energy from him directly, drawing in massive amounts of energy at once. The pressure in the air spiked again as the structure began forming a pseudo-core inside itself. Each pulse of energy sent smaller shockwaves. Veneri remained steady even as his energy reserves dropped rapidly. One pseudo-core after another was drained as the furnace absorbed everything it needed to complete itself. His posture didn't break but the strain was there.
If he had Omniphage, this would be easier.
The furnace pulsed again, brighter this time, and the pressure got higher for a second before finally stabilizing. The energy flow stopped, the shockwaves faded and the pseudo-core settled into place inside the structure. Veneri slowly lowered his hand, standing there in silence for a moment as the Forge Furnace hummed softly behind him, fully formed and fully bound to him.
Technographia's skies immediately turned black.
Vast clouds of shifting color spilled across the sky, spiraling in layers of violet, blue and gold. The Forge Furnace at Veneri's side reacted immediately. Adelasta stepped forward as we all looked up.
"That is not a normal environmental reaction."
Milliania crossed her arms, squinting.
"It looks like space is alive."
Anamorsia didn't look impressed, but her tone was cautious.
"This is Universal Law activation."
Leon scoffed. "Wait, the laws are reacting to him forging?"
Landle answered without hesitation.
"Not reacting but recognizing. A critical formation has been completed and the Universal Laws are acknowledging it as a Divine milestone."
"So the sky is basically saying 'congratulations'?"
"That's a simplified interpretation, but not incorrect, yes."
The nebulae began to descend. Colors wrapped around Veneri and the Forge Furnace simultaneously. The effect was mesmerizing at first glance. Then the pressure hit.
Every Divine in the area felt it at once.
Several dropped to one knee immediately. Others raised barriers instinctively just to stabilize their energy. Even Anamorsia's posture changed as she grounded herself through sheer control.
Someone's laugh came from everywhere at once like it wasn't bound to sound but to existence. It was a feminine laugh, might I add. The nebulae gathered in one point and she appeared.
A woman composed entirely of shifting cosmic clouds stood in front of Veneri. Stars flickered across her form, appearing and disappearing with every subtle movement she made. Her presence alone forced most of the remaining Divines to their knees again. Even Adelasta dropped for a moment before forcing herself back up. Only Veneri remained standing.
The woman tilted her head slightly, studying him like a rare anomaly.
"Well, would you look at that? The Universal Laws really do favor the Four Ancient Races far more than expected."
Her gaze shifted briefly to the Forge Furnace beside him, then returned to Veneri.
"And I thought they would assign me to something predictable, not a Royal Aeterium who just became a Mystical Forger."
Adelasta wiped her mouth slightly and groaned
"I already dislike her."
Milliania replied without looking away from the woman,
"That was immediate."
The pressure suddenly dropped. Every Divine exhaled at once with some staggering slightly as their bodies recovered from the suppression. The woman finally focused fully on Veneri.
"Tell me, who are you?"
"Veneri."
"That is not what I meant."
"I'm the one who forged the furnace."
She stepped closer and placed a hand over her chest in introduction.
"My name is Parasphlen, Forge Guardian and consciousness of your Forge Furnace."
Adelasta blinked in shock.
"The furnace has a guardian now?"
Parasphlen ignored the question entirely and looked at Veneri again.
"The Universal Laws assigned me to you, which is unusual. I was expecting a dormant furnace core, not a fully active Aeterium anchor. Interesting."
Adelasta narrowed her eyes.
"You're calling him interesting like he is a research subject."
Parasphlen glanced at her briefly. "He is. And you are an Aeterium too with the power of existence. Not bad."
"I hate her more now."
Parasphlen then extended her hand toward Veneri.
"A pleasure to meet you. It will be interesting working under someone like you."
Veneri took her hand without hesitation. The moment contact was made, Parasphlen paused.
"You can touch me."
Anamorsia frowned. "Why wouldn't he be able to?"
Parasphlen didn't look away from Veneri when she answered.
"I am a soul-bound furnace consciousness. Physical interaction is normally impossible, unless the being touching me is not fully physical in the usual sense."
Adelasta folded her arms.
"He is an Aeterium. That's your answer."
"Yes. That explains it."
She released his hand and stepped back,
"I'm glad. I don't like being assigned to weak masters. It becomes dull quickly."
Parasphlen glanced around at the group, then back at Veneri.
"I'll remain bound to your Forge Furnace from this point onward. I'll assist in forging, stabilization and energy regulation. I will also observe your development as a Mystical Forger."
Adelasta sighed. "So she's staying."
"Yes," Landle confirmed.
"Of course she is. Nothing about this expedition is normal anymore."