The sun had barely risen when Borin was already on his feet, hammer slung over his shoulder, his beard damp with morning mist.He looked at the three sleeping inside the small cabin and grinned to himself.
— "Hmph… leaders and warriors, they say. Sleep like hatchlings."
Ren stirred first.— "The master blacksmith started early."— "The forge doesn't wait," Borin replied. "Today, we'll see what you've really learned."
He struck the hammer against a stone.The metallic sound echoed through the clearing, waking Draven and Lyra with a start.
— "Up, you lazy sparks!" the dwarf barked. "Today we fuse body and soul in the heat of training!"
Draven groaned.— "I'm still fusing with the bed…"Lyra laughed softly, while Ren simply adjusted his cloak and nodded, ready.
⚒️ The Trial of the Body
Borin dragged three large stones into the center of the clearing.— "These are Fusion Stones. Each holds traces of elemental mana. Your task: move them, heat them, and cool them — without destroying them."
Ren studied the stones, feeling their unstable mana pulse.— "They're volatile."— "Exactly," said Borin. "Control is born from risk."
Draven cracked his knuckles, flames igniting across his palms.— "Then let's risk it."
The stones began to hover slightly under Ren's guidance, while Draven fed them fire and Lyra summoned controlled gusts to steady the heat.
For a while, everything went smoothly—until the flames flared too high.
The blast scattered ash and light through the air.Lyra ducked, shielding her eyes.Ren raised a mana barrier, but the shockwave pushed him back.
— "Damn it!" Draven shouted. "I lost control again!"— "You didn't lose it," Borin said calmly. "You just forgot that fire can wait."
Ren straightened and extended a hand.— "Let's try again. This time, together."
🔥 The Synergy
Their hands touched the stones — flame, wind, earth, and mana intertwining.Ren felt the energies clash, but didn't resist. He let them blend.
The stone trembled, humming.Lyra whispered a word in Elvish, summoning a cool breeze that wrapped around Draven's fire.The flames bent to her rhythm.Ren drew glowing runes in the air, stabilizing the flow.
Then Borin struck — one powerful blow of the hammer.
A shockwave rippled outward.The three stones fused into one, glowing sphere of living energy.At its core, the emblem of the Immortal Guild formed in light.
[Elemental Fusion Training – Success.][Guild Ability Upgraded: Elemental Synergy – Lv.2.]
Borin smirked.— "Now that's a guild. A living force."
🧭 Thoughts of Fire
Later that day, Draven sat by the river, staring at his reflection in the flickering light.Why am I always behind? he thought.Ren understood everything. Lyra could hear the wind itself…And he, with dragon blood in his veins, still couldn't master his own fire.
Lyra approached quietly and sat beside him.— "You're upset?"— "At myself."— "Then use it."
She tossed a small stone into the river, smiling faintly.— "The wind loses its way too. That's why it changes."
Draven blinked, then laughed softly.— "You sound like Ren."— "Maybe his calm is contagious."
They laughed together, the sound drifting through the forest.From afar, Ren watched — and smiled faintly.Perhaps fire and wind really could learn to dance.
🪶 Lessons by the Forge
That night, Borin worked alone at the anvil.Ren stepped inside, watching the glow of molten metal.
— "You made them trust each other," Ren said.— "I didn't make anything," Borin grunted. "The forge did. Under heat, weakness cracks. Strength binds."
Ren's gaze lingered on the metal, its color shifting between red and gold.— "And if the heat comes from within?"
Borin raised the hammer and struck hard — sparks burst into the dark.— "Then you forge your own fate."
Ren stood silently for a moment, letting the words sink in.And that night, for the first time, the Immortal Guild slept in true harmony.
📜 [Status Window – Immortal Guild]
Leader: Ren Tianyi (Human) – Age: 9 – Class: Mage*Members:
Draven Ignis (Half-Dragon) – Age: 10 – Class: Elementalist*
Lyra Sylwen (Elf) – Age: 9 – Class: Spirit Archer*
Borin Ironhammer (Dwarf) – Age: 47 – Class: Spiritual Blacksmith / Tank*
Guild Base: Hidden Forest of TianyuConstruction Progress: 25%Active Functions: Training Log, Group Synergy (Lv.3), Spiritual Workshop (Lv.1), Elemental Fusion (Lv.1)Current Quest: Strengthen the Guild's Elemental BondStatus: In Progress