Master Of None

Walker felt like his heart was under pressure. Just looking at what was happening while he imagined how the metals and the manas were moving was hard enough. But the stress he was under as he tried to manipulate these manas was more than his body was used to. 

The weight of stress from making other manas lacking in one spot was something his body screamed to fight against,. It was not the natural flow but it was also not harming the world. It was just different by many times over from what he had always done. How he had manipulated mana in the past.

Therefore, when he felt that the metal had been pulled from the spatial flames and that they had died down, Walker did not immediately find the strength to use the all around appraisal. Walker watched as the wandering blacksmith stared at the super hot ingot of metal that had just dropped right before them. It was not perfectly shaped and he feared to touch it and ruin the current settling of the metal. 

He also was struggling to comprehend how it could even exist. How it could be something that he had known for so long, metal working and forging as a whole, had so many secrets still. He felt like he was a boy looking at the first flame he had ever seen. His awe and wonder at what could be done with it. The single emotion of pure wonder that any child had but many times greater now that he understood that he could definitely keep learning new things. 

After struggling to calm himself, Walker saw that every flame had greatly shrunk. All the manas that had been pulled toward the metal had slowed while the metal had stabilized. It was not like the spatial mana or the flames feeding on space mana. It was solid and part of this plane. 

Additionally, Walker could sense something within himself had shifted. It was hard to tell what it was, but he could feel that a pathway in his body had opened. While it might be mentally or more, he could tell that the unique experience he had been part of and the new understandings he had were shaping him. 

Since Walker had gained his system and begun to learn more here and there about the world and beyond it, he had been changing. Not only had his bonds altered his growth greatly, but also his understanding and titles. Every single one gave him new potentials to change in to a different him than he was. 

This shift and opening feeling was clearly his understanding of space and spatial mana. The existence of that within his body because of him manipulating it was allowing him to grasp true mana better. To understand what it might and might not be. Not enough to cause major advances, but enough to allow him more insight in to everything related to mana. Especially his bodily flow and control of mana. 

When he settled himself and his emotions, Walker was able to calm his breathing before using the all around appraisal on the metal that was settled on the floor waiting to be used and forged on to what it was needed to be. 

' starving steel

The starving steel is exactly as it sounds. Due to the spatial mana being added to it through a unique flame that uses spatial mana to burn, it was stripped of all elemental manas. It is considered empty in the sense that it can not naturally hold mana without ulterior influences. 

This allows it to gain mana and create spaces where mana is lacking. Therefore, it is ideal for using spatial mana overall since it can cause small teleportations or gather and push away large amounts of manas. 

This also allows for it to be the core of influence for other manas. It was tempered with one of the major manas that upholds existence, therefore, it is able to resist many instances of damage. Furthermore, it will be able to reform and reshape itself if damaged as long as it is provided the right care and mana from the one who owns it and bonds with it. 

If this metal is not properly bonded to anything or anyone within one hour, it will decay and be broken down by the world due to its odd lack of natural and elemental mana. The world does not detest it, but it is not in balance, thus, the world's manas act as the natural flow should and attempt to balance it.'

A shock went through Walker as he realized that they were not in a race against the degradation of this metal. Starving steel was extremely unique. This was why Walker spoke every single detail of the all around appraisal right out loud for the wandering blacksmith to hear. 

It was also why he reached out to touch it and sensed his mana being absorbed by it. This metal was to be used with the eternal orb, this chance might not come again since so many materials had been burned up and might not be found again to remake such a thing. The wandering blacksmith knew this well too. He was already moving and preparing his best tools to be used. If he was going to alter a masterpiece, then he would do it with the best of the best he had. 

From what the wandering blacksmith saw, he could tell that Walker was allowing his personal internal mana to feed the starving steel. This was allowing Walker and the starving steel to bond just as the all around appraisal had said. Iut was also going to allow the eternal orb to reshape as it was altered because Walker and this metal were already bonded and shared mana. 

A pale sheen came over Walker's face as he reached for yet another mana potion. His mind ached along with his body, he had put himself under more and more stress but could not cease his actions yet. Even Fleur appeared to be losing her will as this went on because she was sharing natural mana to allow herself to remain perfectly bound to the eternal orb and this new starving steel. She refused to lose her strength and bonds with Walker. 

Sensing the changes between him and this starving steel, Walker was able to tell that the runes around the room and on the tools were losing their mana flow. The starving steel had affected them along with the flames around the forge. Each forge with their unique flames and even the unique fire spirits were allowing small bits of their manas to drift toward the starving steel. This was another reason that Walker knew he had to act now. 

The eternal orb had also begun showing some differences. Walker could see the manas within were moving much faster in a more chaotic way. He could sense that it was almost eager to change its shape yet again. Not that it was alive, it was heavily bonded and made for Walker and Fleur. It was just the reaction of Walker's manas and bond with it showing his current state of being. 

The moment that the wandering blacksmith took out his personal and best forging hammer, the entire forge seems to grow expectant. It wasn't that everything was alive, but it was the same feeling as walking in to a forest where nature was silent because of a predator. A moment of silence waiting for something to happen. 

When the runes glowed they pulled manas toward them and the wandering blacksmith showed a clear glint of energy in his eyes. He put everything in to slamming the hammer on to the starving steel while somehow enhancing the internal manas that Walker had poured in to it. 

While Walker knew that these techniques were the core of who the wandering blacksmith was, he also understood they were working together . their manas were in harmony as the wandering blacksmith used his own mana to match Walker's something that almost no person or being could do, a method of forging that the wandering blacksmith had created to manage his own future and goals. Something completely unique to him. 

Naturally, the instant that the hammer hit the steel, the room grew hot and chaotic with manas flowing in to the starving steel. The eternal orb began to shift and change with every hit as it resonated with the starving steel and Walker's manas. 

Shaping the starving steel in to a cage of spurts to protect the eternal orb as just part of the process. Allowing the runes to be carved and even randomly new intersections of runes to be born was all just the art of it. A breathtaking and inspiring new form of forging that completely matched the manas of all involved…

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