Faded Steel

Gundr's gaze sharpened when she saw me, her eyes flickering with something unreadable, mild surprise perhaps or curiosity. She had the presence of a seasoned warrior, the kind that had seen her fair share of battles. 

"Didn't hear you coming," she muttered, setting down the hammer in her hand. Her voice was rough, edged with a rasp like iron scraping against stone. She wiped the soot from her hands on her apron, her sharp gaze not leaving me. 

I hesitated. The way she said it—it wasn't some idle remark. She said she was used to noticing people before they stepped inside. And yet, I slipped past her awareness. 

It was probably the cloak.

Clearing my throat, I stepped forward. "I need my sword sharpened." I unfastened Lucian from my side, laying it down on the counter. 

Gundr's expression didn't shift, but there was something in the way her gaze settled on my weapon that made me tense. She reached for the sword with practiced movements, before staring at the blade. 

A slow, deliberate sigh escaped her lips.

I watched as unease curled in my gut. 

 For the first time since I entered, Gundr looked at me directly. 

"This isn't just any sword," she said sighing. Her voice lacked the usual gruffness she had before. "Where exactly did you get this?" 

I hesitated. I could lie but how would that help me? And looking at Gundr, I knew that wouldn't work.

"In the labyrinth."

Her fingers tightened around the hilt of the blade. 

Her voice echoed, "Labyrinth." She studied the weapon again before sighing, "Hells."

She turned and walked towards the forge, gesturing for me to follow. My pulse quickened for some odd reason. It could have been due to the heat, or how Gundr became surprisingly grim due to the mention of the Labyrinth. 

No one else was there. Just the two of us. As I took in the sharp angles of her face and the way her fiery red hair fell past her shoulders, Gundr had a rugged beauty to her. But now wasn't the time for stray thoughts.

Coming to the deepest parts of the smithy, it was littered with swords, armor, and shields. Gundr laid down Lucian on a table before asking, "This sword, it's seen many battles, ones you haven't participated in." She traced the blade along the dulled lines before continuing, "And it doesn't belong to you."

Hearing those words, I stiffened. I instinctively tried to reach for Lucian but Gundr's gaze locked me into place.

"I took it from a dead man," I admitted. 

Gundr let out a low hum as if the answer was expected.

 "So you think that makes it yours?" 

I wasn't sure how to answer that. "Does it matter?"

Gundr let out a breath that could have been a laugh or a sigh. "No, I suppose it doesn't."

Gundr faced the blade, inspecting it with a craftsman's trained eye. The silence stretched in the room, but I didn't speak or move.

Finally breaking the silence, Gundr spoke. "I'll sharpen it," she said. "But you should know this sword doesn't belong in idle hands. 

I swallowed. "What does that mean?"

Gundr's gaze flicked back at me, sharp as a dagger.

"You'll know soon enough."

I didn't know exactly what she meant, but I had a feeling I would soon.

Leaving Gundr to her work, I had things to do. Leaving the smithy, I put my hood back on, slipping away from reality once more.

The sounds faded, adding a quiet stillness. Footsteps dulled and gazes slid past me. Slipping into a small alleyway. 

"Phew," I sighed.

It was time for a test run.

 Reaching out my hand, I used my index and middle finger and swiped vertically. 

A space tear formed twice, floating in the air connecting two points. In one I could see the entrance to the Silver Lantern, and in the other, I saw Gundr hunched over Lucian, working her magic.

I lingered for a moment, watching sparks flicker and die against the steel, before letting the tear vanish.

I couldn't help but wonder if I had any other abilities. Welling up from my solar plexus, I repeated the same action but with more mana infused. I needed to see if it created other effects or not. Swiping down with a harder force, a large crack opened. It looked like a boundless void. One that no one would know the end of.

"I am not going in there," I said, sighing.

Looking around for something to use, I saw a rodent scurrying around, eating bits of food off the ground. Before it had time to react, I picked it up by the tail and threw it inside. As it fell in, the void closed immediately.

Was it because I felt tired? No...I was perfectly fine.

Opening the void again, I was shocked to see the rodent which was alive mere moments ago, motionless.

Dead.

My breath hitched. My fingers curled into a fist. If I had tested this on myself...I swallowed hard. I would be dead.

This was a turning point, I had just confirmed something crucial. This void wasn't safe for living beings. It rejected all life, making my other ideas null. Maybe it would store objects, but if I was in danger, I couldn't just hop into this and wait for the time to pass. Nothing was ever that easy.

I exhaled. I expected something to be up with these Voidweaving powers, but not this. Was this the limit to my power? If I grow stronger could I make it so I could store living beings inside? 

Forgetting those thoughts, I thought back to my second idea, space manipulation. I was currently in peak condition as it seemed the void didn't consume my mental power. I thought back to when I fought the Titan, unable to scale the walls leaving myself helpless. 

The air shimmered beneath me, clear but solid. I hesitated but I eventually placed my foot on it. It wobbled slightly, but it held.

"Nice!" I exclaimed.

I created another one, lifting me off a few centimeters off the ground. Encouraged, I tried to make them bigger—

The space cracked.

I tumbled to the ground, landing hard. "Damn it," I hissed.

I had a lot of work to do. But it was progress.

Three Concepts.

Severance- the ability to link two points. Would be very viable for eavesdropping and collecting information, but it consumes mental power. 

Nullstep- the ability to create solid footholds for now. 

Voidkeep- A power surrounded by danger, a power I barely understand.

 I would have liked to put Lucian inside, but Gundr was repairing it. Even if I got the sword back from Gundr, I don't know if I would want to put it inside. It could end up corroding the metal or destroying it completely. Not worth it.

Standing up, I dusted myself before leaving the alleyway as I muttered to myself, "Voidweaving might not be so bad after all."