Chapter 13: The Birth Of A Trinket

Emily donned her protective gear before presenting a slab of Purple Ore to Adrian. Holding it up, she began her explanation.

"This is Purple Ore, also known as a Soul Shard. It's one of the two essential elements needed to forge a Trinket. By infusing a fragment of your soul into the shard, it will take on a form that reflects your very essence."

She gestured toward the ore. "Place your hands on it and channel energy from your Soul Core."

Adrian nodded. "So, I just have to infuse it with Source Energy, right?"

He stretched out his hands and pressed them firmly against the slab. Almost instantly, the ore began to shimmer, its deep purple hue shifting and transforming until it turned pure white.

Emily's eyes widened. "White… I've never seen that color before." She was mesmerized by its radiance.

Adrian hesitated. "Does that mean I'm… strange?"

Emily shook her head. "No. In many cultures, white symbolizes purity. This just means you have a pure soul."

Purity. Innocence. These words described Adrian perfectly. Unlike so many in their world, his soul had yet to be tainted by its cruelty.

Without another word, Emily took the Soul Shard and placed it into the roaring flames of her furnace. As the heat engulfed it, the ore began to shift—first forming into a dagger, then a pendant. Finally, Emily pulled the pendant from the fire and placed it onto a bed of ice atop a nearby workbench.

Adrian instinctively reached for it.

"Don't!" Emily snapped. "It's still too hot. You'll have to wait before touching it."

"Alright."

Exhausted, Emily slumped onto a bench in the corner of the workshop. She grabbed a cloth from the edge of the table, wiping the sweat from her brow, before motioning for Adrian to join her.

For all her beauty, she wasn't the refined type. But Adrian didn't care about such things. He simply smiled and took a seat beside her.

Emily broke the silence. "Who is August Magnus to you?"

Adrian leaned back, gazing up at the wooden ceiling. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. But what I do know is… I look up to him." A soft smile formed on his lips.

Emily found herself admiring his honesty. His words, so simple yet sincere, reminded her of her own master. The thought made her chest tighten, and before she knew it, tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Adrian noticed immediately. "Are you okay?"

Emily quickly wiped her face. "Sorry… I was just thinking about my master."

Adrian shook his head. "Don't apologize for crying. It's not a weakness—it's proof that you care."

His words left her momentarily speechless. For someone so young, he spoke with the wisdom of an adult.

Emily wiped the last of her tears away. Meanwhile, Adrian found himself reflecting on his own emotions. The mere thought of losing August terrified him, and seeing Emily in pain only deepened his understanding of what the man meant to him.

She broke the silence once more. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

Emily blinked. "So, you're two years younger than me?"

Adrian's eyes widened. "You're sixteen?! I thought you were older!"

She laughed. "Yeah."

"That's cool."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud banging on the workshop door.

Adrian's instincts flared. He immediately assumed it was one of the World Federation soldiers who had attacked him and August. He turned to Emily. "Don't open it."

Ignoring him, Emily peered through the small round glass embedded in the door. Instead of a soldier, she saw a man in a suit.

Curious, Adrian stepped forward for a closer look. The moment his eyes settled on the figure outside, recognition struck him. Without hesitation, he threw the door open and spoke the name—

"It's you… Richard Frederick."

The man outside turned on his heel, seemingly ready to leave. But the moment he heard Adrian call his name, he stopped and looked back.

"Adrian? You're here? How?"

"It's a long story. Why are you here?"

Richard exhaled. "I was tracking Emily Vester's whereabouts. My plan was to confirm her location and then report back to you and August. But I guess you beat me to it."

Adrian grinned. "Yeah. We found her."

A sudden idea flashed in Adrian's mind, almost like a lightbulb flickering to life.

"Richard, I still need your help. Since you seem to know a lot, I'm assuming you're familiar with the layout of Sir Gallant's mansion?"

Emily frowned, stepping forward to grab Adrian's shoulder. She pulled him back slightly and whispered in his ear. "Are you sure we can trust him?"

Adrian's voice was firm. "It doesn't matter whether we trust him. We need him."

Richard smirked. He had anticipated the request. "Don't worry. I have the full layout of Gallant's mansion with me." His expression darkened slightly. "Don't ask me why—I won't answer."

Without further delay, he began to explain.

"Sir Gallant's mansion has two known floors: the ground level and the second floor, which consists of various corridors and rooms. However, there's also a hidden underground level—a dungeon that only a handful of people are aware of. It's where Gallant tortures and imprisons those who defy him. And because no one ever leaves that place alive, the secret remains well kept."

Emily bit her lip, deep in thought. Breaking into the mansion of the Monarch of Prosperum wouldn't be easy. It was heavily guarded, and their chances of success were slim.

Adrian, however, didn't hesitate. He turned toward the workbench, where his Trinket had been resting on ice. Now that the ice had melted, he reached for it.

As soon as his fingers wrapped around the pendant, he poured Source Energy into it. The Trinket responded immediately, shifting and reshaping itself.

A confident grin spread across Adrian's face.

"Then it's simple. We'll raid the mansion… and go in guns blazing."

At his words, the Trinket finally settled into its true form—

A Pugio.

The dagger gleamed under the workshop's light, its design breathtaking. The scabbard was white, the sheath crafted from brass, and the blade itself bore the intricate engraving of a mighty wolf. Its elegance was undeniable.

The battle was coming. And Adrian was ready.