Allan and Sarey faced the wooden figurine that depicted 36's soul trapped inside.

 

36 was surprised that everything was better than he thought from all those months spent in worry. Allan's condition and everything exceeded his expectations. He could see that his body was getting significantly stronger. In fact, more than it should have. It was hard to say for sure, but he had no way to check it. Only his visual appearance beamed with more vigor than in the past.

 

He wondered if his choice of teaching was enough. Maybe it would be better to know more about him. His experience, power, moves, and skill would make it easier to adjust his style. Strategy to make him stronger would come over time.

 

“Allan, you seem to be rather reluctant to tell me more about yourself. I want to know your experience better. I swear there is nothing bad about my intentions.” 36 suddenly insisted.

 

“Huh? I... Ummm.” Allan fell speechless. He did not expect him to know him better, or perhaps it was that, 36 was good at reading other people.

 

“What is it? Do you not want to tell me? Why? Do you think I have a way out of this? I made a lot of bad things in the past, yet I am not ashamed of them.”

 

“Fine. Fine. I will tell you some of that. But... Sarey has to go out for that.” Allan said seriously.

 

“What? Why?” She uttered, as she found it unreasonable.

 

“In my opinion, this is better to be solved between me and mister 36.”

 

“You think? Hmph! Fine.” She angrily stomped the ground and walked to the door.

 

“That is not so very nice of you, Allan. She helped you a lot.” 36 added.

 

“Whatever, there are some things that I am not willing to say to anybody.”

 

“Yet, you are talking to a wooden figurine about it? Hilarious!” 36 chuckled inside.

 

The door slammed before Sarey. Yet, her figure remained before the door with her back facing the wall. She extended her pointer finger to her mouth. Making it obvious to 36, who was facing the entire room to be quiet about this. He did not know what kind of messy girl she was after all. For her to be like this. 36 was just left hopeless and not envious at all, for Allan's sake.

 

Sarey clenched her fist at the air with a fierce expression. She made a deal without voice to 36 and let her stay in the room if he would not like any trouble.

 

“A-alright then. What do you have to say? I hope you won't leave much.” 36 said with the same voice as usual, while pretending Sarey was not behind Allan at all.

 

“I want to make it clear. I have no knowledge about the world you are from. The world is probably not a good definition. I know that there are so many things left untouched by regular mortals who live day to day, year to year. It is more like a speck of dust to you than anything. You would not even see me on the street as I pass you by. Such a world is beyond the stars, is it no?”

 

“For the past years, before the dark, I lived the live of a normal boy, before meeting asituation of another world. I was living a regular life with my father in his smithy. He taught me a lot. I think that is a reason I can adapt to these teachings, but I do not know if he had some plans with me.”

 

“I discovered... something special. His hidden forge base beneath our house. Filled with materials I had no idea about. Days before the sudden attack from the north, I've seen him perform some blacksmithing techniques. He made energy-infused blades or something what I would call that like that. A glittering gust of wind and dust, while a pressure rose amidst the powerful sword.”

 

“Energy-infused blades? What kind of metal does he use? What else was there?” 36 interrupted Allan's speech.

 

“I have no idea. He never told me about any of this. I was a spectator and spy on the things that my father had in his forge. I am young, so he probably did not find me trustworthy or capable to even know about it.”

 

“Are you sure they were energy-infused blades? There are an uncountable number of materials that are blessed by nature. They possess extraordinary properties, exactly for the natural enviropemts they lived in. Energy infusion is different than the metals. They are blessed with energy as they were formed from the world, nature, and space itself.”

 

“I have seen him handle such a blade myself. He was an energy user. How else he could make them?”

 

“Are you listening? Those materials could all be rather precious material. There is no other way. Although I have no idea how your father managed his work. I would probably need to see the process, to even speculate for certain. Your explanation is poor.”

 

“ What do you know? What about blacksmithing, mister 36?”

 

“I know a thing or two about it, but nothing too personal. I would not be able to make a blade myself, but a mortal weapon surely with my real-life body. Having some knowledge about it is all I know. If your father is an energy user, those are quite a good news. Do you know what his past is or something? I know some occasional mortals have some talent in handling the energy.”

 

“Not really. He came with me to the city of Waan after my mother died somewhere. He never told me much about himself. Making a blacksmithing workshop in the city was all he cared about.”

 

“I see, keep on.” 36 mumbled and noted that Allan was looking quite hesitant to continue.

 

“I have seen thing what... was very surprising to me. He had a bandana like this one.”

 

Allan grabbed a piece of cloth with a small metallic hammer emblem that was in a corner of his bed. He had it close and in the same place for him to find all the time, ever since Zigmund found it for him.

 

“What about it?” 36 asked.

 

“I have seen some things disappear into it in the last day before the invasion.”

 

“What? It could have some special properties, but I have no way to check it, unfortunately. What kind of things disappeared in it?”

 

“ Some of the supply of my father, black sharpening stone, and particularly a ball of fire. I think that was one of a kind soul-fire.” Allan said truthfully.

 

“S-s-soul-fire? No way. That isn't something that would be on any mortal planet.”

 

“To be honest, mister 36. There are a lot of extraordinary things that happened in the history or present. At least on my planet.”

 

“There is no point in telling me that. What could be extraordinary on your planet is like a drop in the ocean for me. You don't know the name of your planet, so it matters little to me.”

 

“Planets have a name? Who decides that?” Allan asked, stupefied.

 

“I don't know. How long is your planet's history?”

 

“As far as I know, it should be around 30 thousand years.” Allan, fortunately, remembers most of the important stuff from his memory. He liked to dive into this type of information.

 

“So it is probably manmade. No need to speak about it.”

 

“Manmade? There are people out there building entire planets?” Allan asked in surprise.

 

“There is a lot you have no idea about. This little pathway you walk in. Plenty of talented people exist in different worlds. Some are reaching powers, even beyond mine, when they are born. Similar to legends in your place, the cosmos has a place for such legends as well.”

 

“W-wow... I guess that is good to know...” Allan calmed down after losing himself a bit from hearing such senteces what he could not really get.

 

“You don't even embark on a path of energy, but it doesn't matter if you know a bit of a bigger picture. I have not even told you much. Not before you will go beyond the first year.”

 

“That is fine with me. I won't run away and I hope you won't, too.”

 

“I am bound to that book. No need to consider my feelings... I don't like it either.” 36 said rather displeased.

 

“Let's get back into your little story. If what you said is true. Your father's identity is questionable even for you. You are talking as if you have some hunch about it yourself. That, or he stole it from a higher plane.”

 

“My father is no thief! He is a hardworking blacksmith. Silent but honest... I guess.” Allan backed his father's dignity with clear voice.

 

“Alright. I just said it was a possibility. I have no idea what he needed soul-fire for. It is very rare.” 36 said to calm Allan down.

 

“I know. He used it as a fuel for the furnace.”

 

“Fuel? What did he make there?”

 

“Swords, blades, most likely some armor too.”

 

“I have never heard of a mortal blacksmith what needs such a thing for work,” 36 assumed.

 

“Than what? I know what I have seen.”

 

“No, you don't. You could be wrong.”

 

“Then what a shimmering ball of fire, with the temperature that could be felt from dozens of meters, is?”

 

“Dozens of meters? Those that I know could be felt from kilometers far. Melting and scorching your bodies in the far proximity as a token of their territory,”

 

“Hmph! And here I am, believing that my words could make some difference. How stupid of me.” Allan was quite upset, after entrusting his secret to someone whose face he didn't even know. It seemed 36 was not taking him seriously enough.

 

“Your words are quite useless, aren't they? You better make some hard evidence.”

 

“Evidence?”

 

Allan put the bandana in front of him. Facing it was 36's figurine.

 

“Huh? Oh... Damn. I forgot you mentioned it disappeared into this. What is that hammer? Did it disappear into it?”

 

“It had a pair of hammers before. If am not mistaken.” Allan said, while he already make plenty of self-research about it. Taking it into his hand, he noticed the singular hammer emblem in the corner of the bandana with his touch.

 

“Alright. I can see some cracks on its surface. It could be a space item that can hold some important things. If your father had a soul-fire, then this is a minor thing.”

 

“Is there a way to look inside, or to unlock it?” Allan asked.

 

“I could help you with that personally after the first examination. Unless you have an expert who is proficient with breaking through these objects.”

 

“Are you such an expert?” He asked with an uncertain question in his tone.

 

“No. After the first year, my body will get some special functions. Those will greatly improve my life in reality and potencial.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You don't need to know, for now... Heehee” 36 mysteriously chuckled, while leaving the secret untold.

 

Meanwhile, Sarey was clenching her fists. She was standing by a door as quietly as she could. Of course, nothing was unheard of for her. This conversation so far exceeded her expectations. Primary by the fact that, that she knew about soul-fires herself. Her teacher told legendary stories about them a long time ago.

 

“So much for being my teacher...”

 

“That is for the experience of a mortal boy. Allan, I hope you won't take it too negatively, but I don't care about your previous life. I hope you will work harder in the present. Instead of being depressed about the past.”

 

“Whatever. Do you think I should change my beliefs based on yours? I thought this was something that could further make you think about my position.”

 

“Then find your father to help you!” 36 shouted.

 

“You! Leave already!” Allan raised his voice in anger.

 

A gust of wind appeared from the book as the light shot into the figurine.

 

“Hmph! You are far too easy, boy.” 36 calmly said as he disappeared into the book.