The Mountain all around them pulsed with living fire. It was as if the environment they were in was both beautiful & grotesque simultaneously, an eternal living wound in the world that bled magma & crimson light.

Even with Ysvara's enchantments protecting them from melting away into ash, the atmosphere still shimmered with immense intensity, every molecule vibrating with the rhythm of molten creation.

Ysvara stood at the forefront of the group, the faint silver light in her black eyes burning brighter in the reflection of the molten plains. Her expression was unreadable, but there was a subtle reverence in the way she gazed upon the colossal mountain ahead.

"Stay close," she commanded softly, her voice carrying over the roar of molten rivers, "The enchantments will hold, but only within a certain range. If you stray too far, even your souls will burn."

None dared to question. Even the most confident or arrogant students like Zeus just swallowed their words as the heat rippled around them as if they were in the maw of a Dragon.

Even Zeus, whose arrogance was legend among the group, swallowed his words as the heat rippled around them like the breath of a dragon.

The path that stretched before them was unlike anything they had ever seen, a bridge of black stone suspended over flowing magma, twisting and spiraling downward into the earth.

Every few paces, molten fissures split open along the path's edge, spilling glowing lava into the depths below. The air shimmered with embers, each spark alive, dancing like tiny spirits of fire.

As they began their descent, the sound of the HeartForge's pulse deepened.

Thoom~Thoom!

It wasn't something the group just heard. Instead, they felt every beat resonating through their bones, and all of their hearts simultaneously synced for an instant with the rhythm of the forge.

Miranda clutched her pendant, her eyes wide. "It's… alive. It's breathing."

"It is," Ysvara replied, not looking back. "The Heartforge is one of the world's oldest regions, home to the oldest remaining Demon Tribe, the Infernus Smiths, they've been forging for our race since before written history, and are the only group of forgers that can match the Dwarves,"

Miranda's eyes gleamed with fascination. "And we're going to meet them?"

"Yes," Ysvara said. "Show respect when you do. They remember the beginning of flame itself."

The deeper they went, the more unreal the world became. The sky above had vanished entirely, replaced by a ceiling of dark stone streaked with magma veins that pulsed like constellations.

Rivers of fire flowed down the sides of the chasm, illuminating titanic carvings etched into the walls, depictions of ancient battles, gods hammering stars into existence, and a colossal anvil surrounded by legions of fire-born creatures.

Albedo walked silently near the rear of the group, his blue eyes reflecting the molten light. The aura of the place resonated strangely with him. The hum of mana here wasn't pure, it was tainted, alive, filled with both divine and infernal essence. Creation and destruction intertwined.

Ysvara led them through twisting bridges and molten tunnels, the air so hot it warped the horizon into fluid waves.

Occasionally, geysers of magma burst from vents nearby, but the enchantments around them flared bright blue, turning the deadly heat aside like an invisible wall of wind.

When they finally reached the end of the final descent, the path opened into an immense cavern.

The Core of the HeartForge.

It was a cathedral of flame.

The ceiling stretched endlessly upward, lost in shadow and light. Rivers of molten metal flowed into a massive basin at the center of the chamber, an enormous forge surrounded by pillars of blackened obsidian carved with runes that glowed with scarlet fire.

The heat was beyond comprehension, yet under Ysvara's enchantments, it felt like standing before a sun glimpsed through glass.

And there, waiting beside the forge, stood the Infernus Smiths.

They were not human, and looked different to most Demons as well.

The Infernus Smiths were all towering figures with dark bronze skin and ember flesh, with their veins glowing like molten metal.

They had horns of blackened iron curved from their skulls, and all of their eyes burned like coals. Some bore arms of stone, others had skin etched with glowing sigils that pulsed with every breath.

Their presence was overwhelming, each one radiating the aura of something ancient, primal, forged rather than born.

Most of them had a kind of wise aura to them, as if they had existed for a very long time and had seen all the cruelties of the world, though there was 2 or 3 of them that seemed younger from their mannerisms.

When they saw Ysvara, the entire group of Smiths lowered their heads in unison. The motion sent a gust of hot wind sweeping across the chamber, carrying the scent of soot and steel.

"Queen Ysvara," a deep voice rumbled.

The speaker stepped forward, a giant of crimson steel and ash-black skin, his chest etched with glowing runes that throbbed in sync with the forge. He knelt before her, the floor cracking beneath the weight.

"It has been a long age since the Queen of Shadow and Flame last set foot upon the Anvil of the World."

Ysvara inclined her head, "And yet, the fire still remembers me, old friend."

The massive demon chuckled, the sound like thunder rolling through the magma-filled halls. "How could it forget the one who's helped us so much these past few decades,"

The students stood frozen, watching the exchange in silent awe.

"This is Branthor," Ysvara said, turning to the group. "High Forgemaster of the Infernus Clan. He has kept the Core burning since before any of your ancestors drew breath."

Branthor's gaze swept across the students, and for a moment, the air thickened. His eyes lingered on each of them, not with hostility, but with appraisal. He could see the mana that flowed through their veins, the spark of potential within their souls.

Then, the ancient Forgemaster smiled. The expression was strange on such a fearsome face, but somehow, it radiated genuine warmth.

"It's been so long since the Heartforge has welcomed outsiders," Branthor rumbled, his voice echoing like an avalanche of stone. "To see such young blood, so full of mana and promise, is a rare gift indeed."

He inclined his massive head toward Ysvara. "You honor us, my Queen, bringing your students to this place. The flames remember your name, but they have not seen faces so new in an age."

Ysvara gave a faint, knowing smile. "Consider it a visit long overdue."

Branthor's grin widened, "Aye. Then come, all of you. Let the Heart speak to your souls."

He turned, motioning with one colossal arm toward a bridge of blackened steel that led deeper into the Core. The students followed hesitantly, their eyes wide as the enormity of the chamber swallowed them.

The group passed through a corridor lined with molten channels that flowed beneath transparent floors. Sparks drifted upward like fireflies, the air shimmering with heat and mana.

The deeper they walked, the more alive everything seemed—the hum of enchantments, the roar of unseen furnaces, and the rhythmic clang of hammers echoing in the distance.

"This section," Branthor said, gesturing toward a massive circular pit where titanic chains dipped into pools of liquid metal, "is where we temper the bones of the world. Every weapon forged here must first endure the Trial of Binding, bathed in magma from the Heart's veins until the flame accepts it."

Miranda stared, awe flickering in her silver-blue eyes. "You make weapons from the core of the world itself?"

Branthor chuckled. "The world, the sky, and the souls of stars long dead. The metal remembers its origin, girl. All creation does."

As they moved on, the air grew thick with shimmering runes—sigils that floated freely in the air, orbiting the forges like living glyphs.

Younger Infernus apprentices worked here, their molten hammers striking anvils carved from obsidian. Each swing sent waves of heat spiraling upward, carrying the scent of molten iron and burning mana.

"Each flame here has a will of its own," Branthor continued, pride glinting in his ember-lit gaze.

Zeus's eyes sparked faintly with golden lightning as he gazed down into one of the molten pits. "So every weapon forged here… has a Spirit?"

Branthor nodded gravely. "Correct, and you need to earn the recognition of these Spirits to wield the Weapon,"

They continued walking, crossing through another archway where enormous bellows breathed magma instead of air. Rivers of liquid fire cascaded down through open channels into vast crucibles, where smiths worked on enormous constructs that glowed brighter than the sun.

One of the younger Smiths, broad-shouldered, with glowing veins and sparks crackling from his fingertips, paused his work as they passed. "Forgemaster Branthor," he rumbled respectfully. "Is this the Queen's escort?"

Branthor nodded, "Students. Learning the language of fire."

The younger smith's eyes lingered on the group with curiosity, but didn't say anything, just continuing his work.

Soon, they reached a colossal platform overlooking the central heart of the forge, a vast lake of molten flame, swirling in endless motion.

Above it hung a floating anvil, suspended by runes of gravity and fire. Every few moments, a spark would erupt from the lake and ascend toward the anvil, like a newborn soul seeking form.

Branthor turned to face them once more, his deep voice lowering. "This, students, is the Forge's Heart. The eternal source of all that we create. Every flame you've ever seen, every ember that's ever burned, was once a whisper from here."

Elara stepped forward slightly, her green eyes glimmering, "It's beautiful," she whispered.

Branthor smiled faintly. "Aye. Beauty, destruction, rebirth, all are the same flame."

Miranda tilted her head, "Do you… ever stop forging?"

"Never," Branthor said simply. "The fire never sleeps, and neither do we. The defense against the Abyss depends on our work,"

The group stood silently for a while, each student captivated by the sight before them. Even Zeus looked awed. The molten lake pulsed with slow, rhythmic breaths, and each exhale carried motes of red-gold light that drifted up like tiny stars, disappearing into the cavern roof.

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