Whispers of Metal: The Forge of the One Mage

Hello, guys! I wasn't supposed to post this chapter since it was a draft, but since it doesn't affect the story too much and actually enriches it by adding more details, I decided to publish it. I hope you like it. Comment on what you liked or didn't like and share your ideas—they all help improve.  

Connie's heart was racing. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as her legs carried her through the chaos of the battlefield. She dodged the lightning and fire erupting around her, her movements clumsy but desperate. Although she was protected by a bubble-shaped shield, the searing heat of the fire and the crackling of electricity penetrated her most primal instinct of self-preservation, sending a jolt of terror through her body. She could feel the fear on her skin. But that rush of adrenaline... that intense feeling in the midst of battle... was worth every second of danger.

In front of her, the scene unfolded like something out of a myth. The two divine beings in her eyes were fighting the beast with strength beyond human capabilities. The young man, surrounded by an ever-changing aura, twisting as it flowed like a river of pure concepts and emotions, cast a quick glance at the pink-haired teenager, sending a message that this battle had to end.

Suddenly, Connie saw his hands move with precision, summoning chains of the purest platinum she had ever seen. They shone intensely, as if they were fragments of stars torn from the very sun to obey the will of a higher being. Like serpents, they headed toward the beast with devastating force. The sound of the chains moving seemed to make the air vibrate with notes so melodic and perfect they bordered on the impossible. As the spectacle continued, Connie could only watch, her breath caught in her chest, unable to take her eyes off the young man, her mind focused solely on him. She was so enthralled that she forgot how to breathe; her heart stopped beating, yet she remained there, watching everything. And as if some primordial force brought her back to reality, her body lit up, she breathed again, and her heart started beating once more.

She fell to her knees, feeling the sand of the beach on her body. Not caring about anything else, she lifted her gaze, wanting to see more. Then, for a brief moment, he returned her gaze, evaluating her beyond what mortal sight could comprehend. Ideas, concepts, phrases, and knowledge opened up to her with that single glance, but one phrase—no, one concept she couldn't fully grasp—scratched at her mind. That idea, that concept, came from Adrián. Although she didn't understand the real words behind the message, she captured what he meant: "I am not a god." Is that what he was trying to say? She wanted to protest—she couldn't accept that a being like him wasn't a god—but she swallowed her thoughts and said, "To me, you seem like a god… but if you say you aren't, then you won't be." Though she said that, she couldn't accept that such a being was anything less than a god. She felt a sigh of resignation come from him, like a father watching his daughter make a poor decision, but he set it aside and refocused on the fight.

The beautiful pink-eyed young woman, Nora, wasn't left behind. With supernatural grace and her calming aura, she summoned more shields around her. They glowed with a maternal power, surrounding her in a glow of energy so warm that it felt like sins were being cleansed just by being in her presence. She launched them with lethal precision at the monstrous creature. Each shield flew like a projectile of pure light, leaving a bright trail in its wake, like a comet illuminating the night.

Adrián, without losing a second, directed the chains from every possible angle, wrapping the creature like a spider trapping its prey. The beast writhed furiously, roaring with a mix of desperation and agony, struggling to break free, but the chains didn't give in. On the contrary, they began to burn with a fire so bright that it seemed to be scorching the very fabric of reality around them. The heat was almost palpable, searing even from the distance where Connie stood.

With calculated calm, Adrián passed his hammer to Nora, and in an instant, the weapon transformed before Connie's eyes. The hammer turned into a pink light sword so beautiful it shouldn't have been real. Its glowing blade, as radiant as a gorgeous pink rose, bore an intricate engraving of three mysterious symbols that seemed to shine with a power of their own, as powerful as it was comforting. The light emanating from the sword was blinding, pure, divine.

Nora wasted no time. Without a hint of doubt, she charged toward the beast, sword held high. In a fluid and elegant motion, she pierced the creature's torso. The beast's scream was inhuman, a mix of pain and despair that echoed through the air as its body exploded in a whirlwind of light and smoke. The explosion was blinding, enveloping the area in a glow that made Connie close her eyes instinctively.

When she opened her eyes again, only smoke floated in the air. Her whole body was caressed by the wind as the translucent shield that had accompanied her throughout the battle faded away. The monster had disappeared, and in the middle of it all stood the two of them—Nora, holding a strange gem, while the sword in her hand disintegrated like the petals of a withering flower. Adrián, placing an arm on her shoulder, descended from the sky, no longer floating like a divine being but coming down to interact with mortals.