"Solon… this, it's complicated," Mason stammers, his voice hesitant.
Mina stares into Solon's eyes, her own filling up with tears. She collapses to the ground, unable to hold back her emotions. "Solon, I'm so sorry! I did it to protect your mother and you…."
So I was right. I felt something like that happened. I wanted to know so badly—why didn't I ask on the way here? Maybe those ghosts… was I dreaming? Was it all a nightmare? Nobody else seemed to notice them!
"Thank you! I really wanted to know!" Solon surprises everyone by hugging Mina, his face calm and relieved. "Thank you for protecting us."
"Wait, Solon, huh?! What?" Mina looks utterly confused, unsure how to react. Solon's calm demeanor throws her off—he's not angry or sad, just relieved.
"Solon… killing someone is never something you should condone or aspire to," Mason says, his voice steady but gentle. "Mina only acted because your father was an evil man. His actions would have caused endless pain—to her, to you, and to your mother. When you're older, I'll explain everything. For now, please trust us."
It's simple: you just kill the bad people!
"I know, Grandfather. You only do that to really evil people or to protect someone else! Like SOLDIERs do, right? Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret, like Mina did from the soldiers," Solon says, his face lighting up with understanding.
"This… Solon, don't worry. We'll talk about this more when you're a bit older. For now, why don't you go to your new room upstairs and get settled?" Mason suggests, trying to steer the conversation away from such heavy topics.
I want to know more!
"I have another question, Grandfather," Solon says, his demeanor brightening as he realizes that, without the ghosts and without his father, he's free from the worries that once weighed him down.
"Sure, what is it, my child?" Mason responds, surprised by Solon's sudden shift in mood.
"What are these tools called?" Solon pulls out a handful of tools from his mother's old chest, the birthday present his father had given him.
"Oh! You've taken an interest in them?" Mason's face lights up, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
His eyes! He loves these tools.
"I heard these were Mom's tools. This is the only thing Father gave me that I liked—aside from all the books, of course. I got them as a birthday present," Solon says, a big smile spreading across his face.
"I gifted those to your mother—this brings back memories," Mason says, his voice tinged with nostalgia. "Sadly, she never used them much. She was more interested in research than my craft. These tools are for creating powerful weapons and equipment—like the ones SOLDIERs use! This one here," he picks up a chisel, "is the old H7 type chisel. And this little beauty," he holds up a small hammer, "is the sturdy R-99. They're mostly used to add Materia slots to equipment. The chisel is especially important for creating connections between slots, but it has other uses too. There should be other tools in your mother's collection for measuring and repairing anything Materia-related—not just weapons and bracelets, but any tech that uses Mako!"
Are these tools famous? I like them! They're Mom's old tools, but she never used them? I'll use them in her place now!
"I see! I'm interested in Materia too! Can you teach me? Father told me you were going to teach me. I want to work with Mom's tools!" Solon says, his excitement bubbling over.
"Solon, you… you really like these things? Can it be? Finally, near the end of my life, I get to teach someone again!" Mason's voice trembles with emotion. "If you're serious about this, I'll teach you everything I know. Not just once, but every day! I can make you the greatest blacksmith and artificer in the world! I can also teach you to be an excellent engineer, mechanic, and repairman. These skills will be useful no matter what you do in the future. If something relies on Mako, chances are, I can fix it! These days, knowing how to repair Mako-based tech is a very valuable skill that can earn you a job anywhere. The only thing I can't handle is the software in those fancy new computers—I can fix the hardware just fine, but the software is beyond me."
Blacksmith? Artificer? Engineer? Mechanic? Grandfather seems so excited. Even Father told me he's someone special. Do I want this? Yes, of course! I want to learn!
Solon's clear gray eyes narrow with determination as he stares into his grandfather's eyes, catching the old man off guard. "I'm sure! I want to learn!"
"Solon…!" Mina gasps, tears streaming down her face. She looks at the small boy with a mix of surprise and joy, clearly moved by his sudden change in attitude.
"Heh, I'll work you hard, Solon, but I'll always be fair. You can tell me anything, and together, we'll achieve great things, my boy!" Mason says, his voice filled with pride. For the first time in years, a spark of hope lights up his eyes.
"Mina, you take care of Mallory and prepare food for us. Solon, follow me into my workshop! Your training starts right now!" A big smile spreads across Mason's face as his passion reignites.
Solon eagerly follows his grandfather through the sturdy old house until they reach a large room at the back. The workshop is massive, with three different-sized forges and countless worktables scattered around. Hundreds of tools hang on the walls, each one gleaming with purpose.
So many tools?! Three forges? This room… it feels different in here, like I stepped into a different place. Did Grandfather forge all his works here?
Solon walks around, taking in the sights, his eyes wide with wonder. He stops in front of the largest forge, his small hands reaching out to touch the cool metal.
"Heh, awesome, isn't it?" Mason says, his voice brimming with pride. "This is my personal workshop. I've created countless masterpieces here over the years—weapons, bracelets, even armor. I've repaired just as much as I've created. It has to be this big to work my magic! Let me show you something interesting."
Mason grabs a broadsword from a nearby rack. It looks like a standard SOLDIER-issue weapon, sharp and sturdy but otherwise unremarkable.
"This is the standard SOLDIER broadsword, still used by SOLDIERs today. But I've enhanced it. This beauty has four Materia slots. One of them is customized for support Materia, with perfect guiding lines to let the energy flow freely through the weapon. That boosts the effect by at least 12%, maybe more! For example, if you pair a Fire Materia with an Elemental Support Materia, the enhancement will be so strong you could burn down entire forests with a single slash. As long as your arm can swing, nothing can stop the fire in your blade." Mason's chest puffs out with pride as he explains.
Cool!!! I think Grandfather might be exaggerating a little, but I won't tell him. He'd be sad.
"Heh, isn't your grandfather awesome?" Mason grins, clearly enjoying himself. "Anyway, today I'll just show you some basics. Do you know about Materia already?"
"Yes! I read the book Father made me read. It's called Materia—An Introduction. I actually really liked it, though! It even has pictures!" Solon says, his face lighting up as he remembers the book. Despite all the chaos of the past few days, that book, a small bright spot in Solon's eyes.
Mason looks at his Grandson with an unsure expression. "Then humble this old man and explain it to me. Let's see if you understood the book. Not that I'm testing you, Solon. I'm just not sure a six-year-old can grasp such a complex topic just by reading. It's a miracle you can even read something like that on your own."
"Materia are cool, colorful crystals that let you use awesome magic! Like you said, you can use them to burn stuff down!" Solon says excitedly.
"That's true, of course, my boy, but let's start at the beginning. Tell me what the book says," Mason says, his tone encouraging but firm.
Ah, he wants me to explain it like the book, not how I'd describe them.
"Materia is crystallized Mako, created exclusively by humans—well, mostly by Shinra, since they're the leaders in Materia development. Depending on the type, it grants access to unique abilities. There are four types: Magic Materia—that's the one that lets you use fire, right? Even though it lets you use fire, it's green… which is kind of strange now that I think about it," Solon says, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Yes, indeed. Go on," Mason replies, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Then there's Support Materia. Those are blue—like the Elemental Materia you mentioned earlier, right? That's the kind that can't be used by itself but has to be combined with other Materia?"
"Exactly. What other types do you know?" Mason asks, his smile growing wider by the second.
"There's Command Materia. I don't really know how it works—the book didn't give any examples—but it improves certain natural abilities, right? Oh, and it's yellow!"
Mason chuckles but corrects him gently. "It can certainly enhance natural abilities but usually grants you unique abilities. Still, you've got the gist of it. Do you know any more?"
"Let me think… ah, Complete Materia! These are independent Materias. They can't be combined with Support Materia, and they enhance your capabilities… and they're purple. That's all the types!"
"Well, Solon, first of all, good job for learning and understanding all of this. You're doing quite well for a six-year-old. I'm proud of you!" Mason says, his voice warm with approval. "The problem isn't you—it's the book you read. When you're older, you'll realize that not everything written in a book is true. I noticed a few things in our conversation that aren't quite accurate."
Do people lie in books? Why? That's so dumb! Why would they write something if it's not true?!
"What's not true?" Solon asks, his curiosity piqued. To him, everything in the book had sounded logical.
Mason begins to explain:
"For example, Materia can occur naturally. First, you need to understand what Mako is. Some say it's the lifeblood of our planet, while others—especially Shinra employees—see it as just another resource, like oil. Personally, I lean toward what the Eco activists say. I believe Mako is part of the planet's lifestream. It's a complicated topic, and you don't need to worry about it for now. The point is, Materia can occur naturally, or it can be created artificially—that's what Shinra does. They've spent countless years perfecting the process of crystallizing Mako into Materia, and they've come a long way."
So it can occur naturally? Where can I find it? I want to find one!
"I don't think artificial Materia is wrong, either. You're not destroying the planet's life; you're just giving it a new form. How can Materia be bad if it occurs naturally too? Materia that hasn't been used for a long time will weaken and eventually collapse, returning to its pure Mako form, and getting reabsorbed by the planet, according to my understanding. In my opinion, using Materia is just borrowing the planet's power temporarily. The same goes for any tech that uses Mako. Eco activists claim that extracting Mako weakens the planet, but my question is: where does it go after we have used it? Does it just disappear? I think it slowly gets reabsorbed by the planet, matter does not just disappear! Of course, none of this is scientifically proven, and it'll take a lot more research to fully understand any of it."
"I don't get it. So, Grandpa, you think Materia and Mako are fine? That's all I need to know," Solon says, looking a little confused.
Mason laughs. "Haha, let's talk about it later. Anyway, there's actually a fifth type of Materia: Summoning Materia!"
"Summoning Materia? Who can you summon? Is it like a phone?" Solon asks, his eyes wide with curiosity.
"Monsters… Eidolons… you can't even imagine. These beings are so powerful that Shinra doesn't even openly admit they exist. Almost all Summon Materia occurs naturally, which is why it's so rare. I'm not even sure if artificial Summon Materia exists," Mason explains.
Cool! I want one!
Mason's expression turns serious as he looks at his young grandson. "Solon, people disagree. People lie. Even the things I'm teaching you might not be one hundred percent true. The only thing I can promise you is this: I will never intentionally lie to you. I'll do my very best to teach you everything I know, to give you the tools you'll need in the future. That's my promise to you. Will you let this old man teach you? I won't force you to do anything, not like your father did. Mina told me in her letters… I'll never act like that, especially now that you're free from his control."
"Teach me, Grandfather! I promise I'll listen to you!" Solon replies immediately, his excitement bubbling over.
"You won't regret your decision, kid! But for now… let's eat. It's been a long day," Mason says, his stomach growling loudly as he smiles.