FVN Chapter 26: Card crafting II
Chapter 26: Card crafting II
Chapter 26: Card crafting II
"Have you decided what card you're going to craft?" Nero asked. But even though he asked, there was a certainty in his voice, as if there was no option for Silas but to successfully craft an Eldrim card.
The boy hesitated, as if considering something, but Nero squeezed his shoulder, and much tighter this time.
"Don't think too much. You have an answer in your mind. Just say it."
"Summon light orb!" Silas blurted out, as if he couldn't wait to get the words out of his mouth. But that did not please Nero. He squeezed his shoulder once more.
"Calmly. Answer calmly," he reiterated, emphasising the need to maintain his state of mind. "Close your eyes, take a deep breath, follow the whole process, and then when you open your eyes, answer again."
A twinge of frustration shot through Silas, not at Nero but at himself. But the firm hold Nero had on his shoulder reminded him of what he needed to do, so he closed his eyes and once again repeated the breathing exercise Nero had told him.
"Summon light orb," Silas answered again once he opened his eyes, this time slowly. "It's one of the easiest recipes, and has the highest tolerance for mistakes due to how simple it is."
"Good. I believe you have all the steps memorised?"
"Ye- yes."
"Good. Then calm yourself down completely, and once you are ready, begin. Do not focus on anything. Just focus on each step individually. Do not think about anything else except the step you are on."
Silas put on his gloves and reached for the first container. Using a tweezer, he gently lifted the base material and placed it right in front of him. He double checked its size and freshness, ensuring that the leaf base had not died yet, before moving to the next process.
Slowly and meticulously, Silas went through the steps. His every action was measured, and flowed smoothly as if he were a machine rather than a human.
Nero had never seen Silas like this. In fact, he seriously doubted if the boy had ever been like this even once in his entire life!
With his mind empty of the countless thoughts that usually filled it, he could give his utmost to this task. He forgot his fear of Nero, and especially his fear of failure. He only focused on the task.
Layer by layer, he added the ingredients and additives. If one were to look at what was in front of him, they would hardly be able to associate it with the beautiful and refined Eldrim cards, but that is exactly what this was leading up to.
Nero stood perfectly still, not even breathing loudly so as to avoid waking Silas from whatever state he was in. He only absorbed everything he saw, from the way Silas held the tweezers, to the way he sprinkled aether dust, or used the many adhesives required in the process. He took in the main steps, as well as the many subtleties they involved.
Finally, after twenty minutes that seemed to flash by, Silas took a 0 star card and placed it atop his creation without any hesitation. The card was completely black on the front, though on the back it sported the design commonly used in the army.
Then, he placed the aether shard atop it, firmly pressing the card down onto his creation. The last step, one which was purely theoretical, and that they had not tested before was all that was left. But Silas showed no hesitation, as if his mind currently did not have the capacity for such thoughts. He picked up a gavel, and smashed the aether shard in one swift motion.
The loud bang seemed to wake Silas from his state of concentration, and a flood of anxiety filled him. Had he... did he really just?
In a daze, he picked up the hammer without even realising it. But then a change caught his eye. The card was glowing.