Night fell over the castle. The echo of footsteps faded in the empty corridors as Duncan made his way to the workshop.
But he wasn't alone.
The young priest Elias followed him nervously, clutching his sacred seal to his chest.
"Duncan... I need to speak to you."
The blacksmith watched him silently, then motioned for him to follow him into the forge. The door closed behind them, and the noise of the world remained outside.
Elias sat on a wooden crate, his hands shaking. "You... you don't understand what you've done. Forging a sword with Divine Fire isn't just a miracle. It's a curse."
Duncan raised an eyebrow. "A curse?"
The young priest nodded, lowering his gaze. "The Church speaks of justice and faith, but in truth… it is rotten. High-ranking clerics do not serve the divine. They serve themselves. Power, wealth, control… and anyone who threatens their dominion is eliminated."
He inhaled, shaking. "I am a bastard. My father was a count, my mother a servant. I grew up surrounded by rejection and contempt. The Church took me only because they saw in me a spark of sacred power… but it is weak, too weak. I cannot compete with them. Yet I know their secrets. I have seen their dark rites. That makes me a target."
Duncan stared at him in silence. The young man's voice cracked.
"I am afraid, Duncan. I will not last long. I cannot rely on my faith alone… and I do not have the strength to fight them. I ask you…" Elias knelt, his voice almost a whisper. "I ask you to forge me something. A weapon, a talisman, anything that will allow me to resist. A means to survive."
The blacksmith looked at him for a long moment. He saw in his eyes not only fear, but also determination. A man too young to bear such a heavy burden.
"Elias," Duncan said finally, "if your enemies are truly powerful, then a common weapon will not suffice. You will need something that unites steel and faith."
Slowly, the Divine Fire ignited in the blacksmith's hands, illuminating the workshop.
"Perhaps… together we can forge not just weapons, but a different destiny."
Elias looked at him with shining eyes. For the first time, a glimmer of hope crossed his face.