Author note: A little shorter chapter today because of eastern I had way less time than usual.
That said, perhaps This will make you all happy - book 4 is up for pre-order on amazon! Will be putting up a post tomorrow but here's the link For those curious, its the part where Irwin is on Scour the first time, up to the point where Scintilla leaves. I rewrote large parts of it, added things and removed others.
Irwin stood in the family smithy, watching as Zan struck the trembling card that lay on Silv’am. Her face was a mask of concentration, eyes glowing bright as she stared at the card, her voice beautiful and high-pitched as she shaped the soulforce.
“She’s really close,’ Ambraz hummed, joy and excitement in both his face and flowing from their connection. ‘Probably no success on this, but it's mostly experience. If she continues to practice for a month or two, she will probably have her first success.’
Irwin agreed, but there was more to it.
‘It’s time to get them their body double cards,’ he said to Ambraz, who was sitting on the only free spot on his body, his head.
The rest, his shoulders and arms, were occupied by the other children, who were quietly watching their sister attempt an emerald reforge. It was something none of the others could match, though both Ti and Glow were able to reforge a Topaz card.
And perhaps something more, he thought.
He directed his soulforce senses slightly away from Zan, inspecting each of his children in order. He’d not seen them for a month of their time, and they had grown again, though only slightly. Glow was the biggest, followed closely by Flux and Mia. Of those three, only Glow showed any interest in cardsmithing, while both Flux and Mia showed great potential with their second cards, the weapons.
Soot was smaller than those three, and although he had an affinity with cardsmithing, he tried to get out from under training any chance he got. If it was up to him, Irwin knew, he was out and exploring the city and what lay beyond instead of doing anything pesky like practice. Ti was the smallest, but with a quick mind that had even surprised Daubutim and Lord Bron. It was hard to say how high her affinity with cardsmithing was because she compensated for a potential lack by practicing and thinking.
And then there’s Zan, Irwin thought, focusing back on his final child.
Although she’d managed to learn to use her second card, her Resonant Chakrams, beyond what her teacher, Vilabrix, had expected, she didn’t like fighting. Instead, her entire focus had shifted to reforging, strengthened by the fact that she had her bonded Ganvil, Silv’am.
I think the next card will be the last one that they all share in common, Irwin thought as he watched his daughter struggle with the final part.
‘We could step in now and help her with the final bit,’ Ambraz said. ‘Perhaps if we give her an example-’
‘No,’ Irwin said. ‘She needs to be allowed to make her own growth. If we help her now, with her first real challenge, what do we do with the others? Always help her? Ambraz, you said it yourself, she is the only one you have seen who has more potential than I did.’
‘I never said that,’ Ambraz grumbled. ‘The same amount, but in a better position to use it right away. Who knows what you would have done if you’d bonded with me at the same age as Zan did with Silv?’
Irwin smiled, sensing how Ambraz struggled between wanting to show off on multiple conflicting fronts.
The soulforce resonances from the card turned ugly from one moment to the next, and Irwin sensed Ti tense while the others groaned softly.
Sensitive enough to hear it, he thought, as he hugged those in his arms slightly.
Zan was struggling to regain control over the card, but Irwin could sense Silv’am preparing. A few moments later, the card cracked, the soulforce resonance breaking, and Zan stopped singing. She stared at the shivering card angrily before snatching it up and tossing it in Silv’am’s mouth.
Before she turned, Irwin saw her take a deep breath.
“Sorry,” she muttered, looking at the ground. “I had really hoped I’d be able to do it now…”
“Don’t be sorry,” Irwin said, while he could almost sense his other children bristle. “You are very close, and if you continue like this, you will succeed before the year is over.“
Silv’am shrank with a flash and then flew up on Zan’s shoulder.
“Why didn’t you two help?” the small silvery Ganvil asked, sounding annoyed. “You two could have stabilized the card!”
“We could have,” Irwin said, looking at Ambraz’s first Progeny. “But Zan doesn’t need that kind of help. She is doing incredibly well, and it's best for her to feel out her own solution to this specific problem.”
Silv’am sniffed, though Irwin saw the corners of her lips twitch upward.
Zan was now looking at him, smiling widely.
“You really think I’ll succeed soon?” she asked.
“Oh yes,” Ambraz shouted, flying up slightly before landing back on Irwin’s head, almost as if he’d bounced. “You will be the first to cross into the third stage of reforging cards!”
“Third stage?” Ti asked, leaning forward in Irwin’s arms to stare up.
“Oh, that’s-”
“Something Ambraz will explain a little later,” Irwin interrupted his bond, knowing it would otherwise turn into a long explanation session. “Instead, we are going to see how your heatmother is doing. I’m sure she is wondering where you all went.”
“Heatmom is ready for her card,” Mia said, sounding excited, while Zan walked forward and raised her arms, looking hesitantly at Irwin’s filled arms.
Irwin grinned and summoned one of his aura clones, the blue copy of himself picking up Mia. Ti instantly struggled free and jumped from his arms into the translucent blue arms, a moment later followed by Soot.
“Are both of your mental halves here?” Ti asked curiously, prodding the blue version of him in the chin.
“Not exactly,” Irwin said as he turned and walked out of the smithy. “I can use soulforce to create multiple selves, though it's a strain, so I rarely do.”
“How many could you make?” Flux asked, while Mia’s eyes widened. “A hundred? A thousand?”
Irwin laughed, noticing both versions of Scintilla standing at the kitchen door, smiling as he approached.
“One for each of us,” the Crathan body said, as she hugged him, squeezing a sputtering Glow against his chest.
The Ignitzian version of her hugged his Aura clone, while Zan and Ti squealed happily as they hugged her back.
“How did it go?” the Crathan Scintilla asked, eyes narrowing slightly. “Did Flow come with you?”
Irwin shook his head. “She’s asked me to do something for her, and she is waiting till then. After that, she will come, but she said she didn’t want any house; the forest around New Malorin will do.”
“That’s definitely not happening,” Ignitzian Scintilla said, shaking her head. “Now, let's go and eat.”
Irwin smiled as he followed her into the kitchen, still carrying his children.
An hour later, Ti and Zan were sitting in a corner with Silv’am and Ambraz, talking quietly about the different cardsmithing bottlenecks, though it was mostly Ti and Ambraz talking and the other two listening. Outside, the sound of shouts came from the other four as they practiced their weapons under the watchful eye of the Crathan Scintilla.
Irwin looked at Scintilla, who was smiling back.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you will find a way to make someone Ignitzian in the future,” she said. “But for now, I’ve made my decision.”
As conflicted as he was, Irwin merely nodded. “When do you want to do it?” he asked.
“Tomorrow,” Scintilla said, her eyes glittering. “Tonight we need to do something else.”
Irwin’s smile widened, then he realized they weren’t alone. His eyes flicked to the other side of the kitchen, but neither of his daughters showed they had heard, or they were ignoring it as best they could.
“Don’t worry,” Scintilla said, before she leaned forward. “Did Trimdir…?”
“He told me,” Irwin said, cocking his head as he glanced at his daughters and raised an eyebrow.
“Not yet,” Scintilla said. “Soon. Now, what are you going to do?”
“I’ll stay here and start refilling soulscapes,” Irwin said. “My otherself will move the Crathans over here tomorrow, and then set out for Igniz and then Suderfuix. After that? It will be time to free that world and create that harbor I told you about, so we have a place to redirect those we save, including the unchained Chained.”
Scintilla nodded, her eyes distant.
“I almost want to go and see Igniz like this, but it's not a good idea,” she said.
“Why not?” Irwin asked.
“You know how Ignitzians feel about body-changing cards. Tiscian will try to talk me out of it, and then I’ll have to fight her… No, it’s best if I don’t return until a few more years have passed. Just make sure you don’t tell her. Otherwise, she will be very upset.”
Fight her? Irwin thought with a frown.
“Why don’t Ignitzians like body-changing cards?” Ti asked, looking over.
So, she can hear us, Irwin thought with a sigh.
“Because they see it as a way to dilute what it means to be Ignitzian,” Scintilla said. “The Viridians have the same mentality, though stronger, as do some other species. Mostly, it's only the human-type species that don’t actually care that much.”
“Like dad?” Zan asked, looking at him. “But I like him more like this!”
“So do I,” Scintilla said, while Irwin laughed.
He reached out and tousled his daughter’s burning hair.
“I like myself more like this as well,” he said.
They continued chatting for a while, followed by a loud, rowdy dinner. Bronwyn and his family showed up after that, followed by an evening of food, drinks, games, and singing.
When everyone finally left and the children had been put to bed, Irwin still got less sleep than usual. Instead, things got heated enough that he had to move both him and Scintilla to his soulscape.
When he finally fell asleep, back in their bed, two versions of Scintilla were wrapped around him on either side.
--
“Alright, I am ready,” Scintilla said, her two voices intertwined.
Both of her bodies stood on a patch of fine sand in front of the smithy, while Irwin and the children stood a few steps away.
‘Ready?’ Irwin asked Luath. Although he didn’t need the help to create a heartcard, he wanted to make sure Scintilla’s second was as good as he could make it.
‘Yes,’ his Chaos Whale summon said, sounding excited.
Irwin summoned him out of his soulscape, and a moment later, an enormous Chaos Whale hovered above the open area in front of the smithy, blocking the sun almost entirely.
“Luath grew again,” Zan shouted, sounding happy.
“I think he was always this big,” Soot said, causing a small argument to ensue.
Irwin knew it was partly because his children were tense and excited, so he let it continue for a minute, then reached over and pulled both of them into his arms for a quick hug.
“No need to argue. Now, be quiet, all right?”
“Sorry,” Zan said, while Soot sighed and nodded.
Irwin put them back on the ground before walking to Scintilla. Ambraz flew off his shoulder and landed on the ground, growing to working size.
Scintilla’s Crathan self walked forward, grinned at him, and placed her hand on Ambraz’s surface.
Irwin hesitated for a second as he looked at her Ignitian body. She nodded at him and, for a moment, held his gaze, then vanished into her soulscape.
“We are sure,” Scintilla said, staring at him and leaving no room for any doubt. “We want to keep the sense of reality we have now.”
“Then let's get you a heartcard,” Irwin said.
No going back now, he thought, as he took a deep breath and struck down.
Six cards flew up from Scintilla’s hands, hovering above the Ganvil while a soulforce resonance began rippling outward.
Irwin began humming deeply while two aura clones appeared, each with a Soulstrum Guitar. One created a high, fast melody, while the other added a slower, deeper bassline, and a bright, vibrant song emerged. Luath joined as Irwin struck again, followed by Ambraz, both following Irwin’s hum.
I’m going to make it as stable and strong as I can, Irwin thought, knowing that if he wanted Scintilla to have a worldcard sometime in the future, she would need far more power than she had now. It was why her current cards were different than what she’d usually have taken - both in quality and typing. Many dealt with soulscape size, not unlike his own, but unlike him, Scintilla had opted for more agility and speed in what she had slotted. They were also different from the ones her Ignitzian self had, though they shared one card. Her body double.
Irwin struck again, and a familiar resonance began to emerge from the combined resonance. That which all Crathans shared, a deep underlying rhythm that was both ancient and young, and vibrated with intense power.
As it so often did when he worked, time lost all meaning as his entire being was focused on reforging, taking parts from the different cards, and creating a new whole.
At some point, a long time later, he drew in the final part of a handcard and struck the final blow, the song ending in a soft and deep rumbling harmony.
Within moments, he felt the heartcard finish, and immediately a change occurred to the Scintilla that stood before him. The soulforce of her Crathan self had always been slightly different from the others, her Ignitzian self's influence remaining. Now, as he finished the final part, he sensed how something more blended in from somewhere, likely her soulscape, adding a slight bit of extra to her soulforce signature. Almost like a background melody that was so faint, few would notice it.
Scintilla swayed on her feet, her eyes rolling up, and Irwin barely managed to unsummon his hammer in time to catch her.
“Heatmom!?” A worried cry came from behind him.
“It’s fine,” Irwin called out. “Don’t worry. Her body is going to adapt to the changes while her otherself is likely reforming within her soulscape.”
He carefully put Scintilla on the ground, seeing her body change ever so slightly. Her dark hair lengthened, while it turned just a bit brighter than that of other Crathans, with tiny embers flowing along the thick, metallic strands. At the same time, her copper skin took on a light orange-and-gold hue, like the rising sun.
Irwin had seen it before with the other hybrids, both with Rindiri when she’d become a Crathan Yuurindi hybrid, and with Breck as an Onyxian Crathan hybrid. Scintilla, however, was the first Ignitzian, and he was curious to see what would happen.
As he focused on her, their children swarmed around him, their worry fading as they saw the changes.
“So pretty,” Mia whispered.
“Why is she changing?” Ti asked, leaning forward slightly. “Why not when she got the card first?”
“There’s a profound difference between slotting a Crathan handcard and getting it reforged as the central part of a Heartcard,” Irwin said as he sat down beside Scintilla. It would take a while for her to finish changing and waking. “A heartcard is not meant to ever be changed, and the changes that happen now are far deeper than those that occurred before.”
“She is not completely Crathan, is she?” Ti asked as she leaned forward, examined him, then Scintilla again.
“No,” Irwin said. “The type of her heartcard will likely be something like Igni’Crathanathair, just like how Brecka’s was Nyxian’Crathanathair and Rindiri’s was Purphai’Crathanathair.”
“So they aren’t really Crathan?” Soot asked, frowning as if that bothered him.
“They are,” Irwin said. “Just slightly different. But they can have children together, so-”
“Ewww,” Mia and Flux shouted, while Zan giggled.
“-which means they are the same species,” Irwin completed, ignoring their antics. He knew they were just happy things had gone well.
“Uncle Ambraz told me that the first to get such a subtype are different?” Ti asked, frowning. “Does that mean that Heatmom will be different from me after I get my own heartcard?”
Irwin froze, looking at his daughter in surprise. He’d known that some of his children had been interested in Crathan cards, going as far as asking for them, but so far none had done so to his face.
‘Kid, don’t worry. You knew they might want this,’ Ambraz said, sending a wave of reassurance his side.
“I’m not saying I’ll do it anytime soon,” Ti said quickly, looking slightly worried. “Just.. well. I think I would like to have a body double and experience what Heatmother did and then decide.”
Irwin nodded slowly, noticing that all his children were staring at him with varying degrees of interest.
“I haven’t been able to find any difference between the first and the others,” he said, slowly. “The only thing that seems to be in the description is Ambraz’s skill, which manages to create. As we don’t know exactly how that skill works, it's not sure what it even means.”
“Yes, yes, rub it in,” Ambraz muttered. “I’ve told you that it is some sort of pattern!”
“So we will also become that shiny?” Mia asked, eyes glittering, ignoring Ambraz.
“I think so, yes,” Irwin said.
“Why are you different from the other Crathans?” Glow asked, causing all eyes to return to him.
“Because I am the first of them,” Irwin said. “Technically, I’m the First Volcano Titan, but apparently the term for that is Crathanathair.”
A deep and questioning hum came from above, and they all looked up. Irwin grinned as he realized his children had somehow forgotten that there was a giant, castle-sized Chaos Whale hovering above them.
“Does that mean I’m the first of my type of Chaos Whale?” Luath asked, sounding curious. “And not just because I’m a summon?”
“Definitely,” Ambraz shouted, while Irwin felt a tiny stab.
He was about to say something when there was a loud gong from the gate, meaning someone had put their hand on the rune engraved there in case the sound-blocking runes were active.
Irwin frowned, hesitating whether he should check, then pushed himself up.
“I’ll be right back,” he said as he walked to the gate, sending out his soulforce senses. He felt a familiar figure standing there, while a few dozen others stood not too far away.
“Bronwyn?” he said as he pulled open the door to find his brother there.
Brown eyes glittering, his brother grinned at him. “There are people here who say you told them to come here, but they are a bit worried because of Luath.”
Irwin looked over his shoulder to see the people whom he had scared the day before, the woman who’d asked him a few questions, together with a younger boy, both looking excited. Little of the fear he had seen the day before was gone.
“Right,” he said, scratching his chin. “I did promise that, didn’t I? Okay, can you wait here while I carry Scintilla to her bed? Then you can bring them inside.”
“How did it go? Is she alright?”
“It went fine, and she changed a bit more than I’d expected,” Irwin said. “You will see tonight. Is that why you…”
Bronwyn grimaced and shook his head. “No, I’m here because Mom sent a message that the two of us need to head to Treanba. She says something happened there, and the surrounding area, and everyone is spooked. She… uh, said that it was you, but people don’t seem to believe her.”
Irwin blinked stupidly, sharing a look of realization with Bronwyn.
“Think she will be angry?” he asked, suddenly feeling a lot less like a hundred-year-old or thousands-year-old powerful smith.
“Let's hope not,” Bronwyn said. “I remember how her temper was when she was pregnant with you… Trust me. It wasn’t good.”
“Great,” Irwin muttered as he stepped back. “I’ll be right back.”
He turned around and stopped to see Soot standing behind him.
“Is grandma angry?” Soot asked, his voice far too deadpan.
“Yes, she is,” Irwin said, feeling the weight of his years lived suddenly reasserting itself. “Now, let's go and get your heatmother in bed so she can wake up nicely.”
Soot nodded slowly, then shrugged and sprinted to the others.
“He reminds me of another little brat I knew,” Bronwyn said from behind Irwin, sounding far too amused.
“Sure he does,” Irwin said as he walked away.
A few minutes later, he was back in the yard, this time opposite a group of about twenty-five people. Many kept glancing up at Luath, looking worried.
“So, first of all, again my apologies about what happened,” he said, looking at the group. “Also, don’t worry about Luath. He won't hurt anyone, and you will likely see him a lot more from now on.”
“It’s okay,” the young boy who stood with the woman shouted, sounding excited and not even looking up for a second. His eyes gleamed almost a golden yellow. “It was really amazing! Can you make me as strong as you are?”
Irwin felt his lips curl up while he noticed the boy's mother flinch and start whispering worriedly.
“No, but I can put you on the right track,” he said, focusing on the boy.
About nine years old, he had a single handcard, and from what Irwin could sense, it was a poorly made Topaz-ranked one. Had they still been on Giard, he would have had to be a son of a noble. Now, Irwin knew his mother was likely among the poorer folk, or he would have had at least another one at that age.
“How about I give you a card that will allow you to summon a smithing hammer? It will also increase your strength.”
“Yes!” the boy shouted, ripping free of his mother and running toward Irwin.
Irwin smiled, but looked at the woman, raising an eyebrow.
“That would be incredible,” she said, thankfully. “Blare has some affinity with metal, and I had been wondering what to do with it.”
Irwin nodded once, then summoned one of the leftover cards he’d made for the sets from his soulscape. It was an emerald rank, and he handed it to the boy whose eyes widened enormously.
“Now, go sit over there while I help your mother and the others, okay?” Irwin said as he pointed at the trees.
The boy didn’t bother waiting and was already running there, his hands clasped in front of his chest, before he sat down with his back against the tree, inspecting his prize. Irwin had the feeling he’d likely slot it moments later, but that would be fine.
“I’m going to reforge a few cards, and Luath will sing. As it happens, you will feel your soullake fill up. When it is done, please head for the trees and sit down so I know when to stop.”
A round of nods followed, and Irwin walked back to Ambraz, who’d been quietly waiting.
‘I still feel this is over the top,’ the Ganvil muttered.
‘I know you do,’ Irwin said. ‘But I have plenty of cards, and it's good to have more soulcarded. Besides, with the Crathan Cardsmiths having also gotten adult Chaos Whales, soon we will be having plenty of soulcarded around. I’m just getting started a bit earlier.’
Ambraz groaned, while Irwin just grinned, pulled a card from his soulscape, and placed it down.
‘Now, no sulking, and let's reforge some cards!’