CHAPTER - 145

  Narrator: After dozens of minutes, the steel began to melt and smoke rose from the furnace, catching everyone's attention as they continued their training.

  Dav, happy, looked at Eldrin and shouted:

  "Look, Eldrin! We melted it without dying!"

  Eldrin laughed like a madman and congratulated Dav on his first success in melting steel.

  "Now you have to shape it and decide what you want to create, then let it cool before hitting it with the hammer."

  Dav, taking the metal mold borrowed from a blacksmith thanks to Eldrin, poured the molten steel into it, shaping a very long sword.

  "Boy, now we must be patient without rushing and think about the finishing.

  We need an electric grinder and some cloth with lots of water.

  Shall we go get them while we wait?

  In the meantime, we could think better by visiting other blacksmiths and asking for advice."

  Dav set off with Eldrin, both dirty with clay, dust, and everything else.

  As the two walked away from the small improvised workshop, the sound of their heavy steps on the packed earth blended with the ongoing noise of training in the arena.

  The students, even under Kael and Selene's supervision, were anything but calm.

  The excitement for the upcoming tournament made them restless and only half-focused on their training.

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  "We're preparing for the greatest challenge, but it seems some can't think of anything else,"

  commented Kael, watching a group of students trying to impress more with speed than with technique.

  Selene, for her part, observed Dav, who had walked off with Eldrin, but the thought of him and his overwhelming energy subtly unsettled her.

  She couldn't stop thinking about how different he was from everyone else, how his presence was magnetic and, at the same time, almost unsettling.

  Meanwhile, the two stopped in front of a small blacksmith supply shop, where Dav, with his usual smile full of determination, approached the counter.

  The shopkeeper, an elderly man with skilled hands full of scars, greeted them with a nod.

  "I see you need some equipment. You're making a sword, right?"

  he asked, observing the metal Dav held with a proud air.

  "Yes, a work of art,"

  replied Dav, his face lit up by a smile.

  "We need an electric grinder and cloths to finish everything.

  Also, some advice on how to improve the quality of the steel wouldn't hurt."

  The man looked at him with wise eyes and answered in a deep voice:

  "Well, young man, the steel you have is good, but if you really want the sword to last over time, you'll need to treat it carefully.

  The quality of the bonding must be perfect, the heat well distributed.

  But the most important thing is the heart of the craftsman.

  That is what will make the difference."

  Eldrin, who was listening carefully, nodded.

  "And we can't afford to make mistakes.

  This sword must live up to expectations."

  Dav looked at the man with a thoughtful expression.

  "Thanks for the advice. I think we'll do our best."

  As Dav and Eldrin prepared to return to their improvised workshop, the sky above the academy began to darken, a sign that the day was coming to an end.

  The wind began to blow stronger, bringing with it the feeling of an imminent change.

  "We've worked hard today,"

  said Dav, pausing as he looked at the small furnace he had built.

  "The metal is ready. Now we just have to hope the sword turns out the way I imagine.

  Eldrin, you go eat lunch, I want to try cooling the sword and starting with the hammer."

  said Dav, satisfied and happy, looking at Eldrin.

  "Alright, boy.

  See you tomorrow if you don’t come to lunch."

  Eldrin left, greeting the students, Kael, and Selene heading to the cafeteria.

  "Now I just have to heat it again when it’s cold and strike it intensely without using too much force."

  Dozens of minutes after everyone arrived in the cafeteria, Iris and Valeria, worried, didn’t see Dav sitting with his favorite hamburger and fries waiting for him and

  became even more concerned.

  "Don’t worry girls, he just found a new hobby, AHAHA!

  I don’t think he’s coming anyway, from what I understood."

  END OF CHAPTER - 145