The forge was eerily silent. Only Duncan's slow breathing broke the darkness.
On the bench, several iron and steel ingots awaited the hammer.
"Let's see how far I can push this flame..." he murmured, raising his hand.
The Divine Fire burst from his palm, not as a red flame, but as a golden light that seemed to sing. The heat was tremendous, but it didn't consume: it transformed.
The iron bent, the copper melted like wax, and even the silver trembled under its power. Each time Duncan struck, he saw the metal react differently, as if alive.
Hours passed, of trial and error. Ingots melted, cracked, pulverized. Yet, from that destruction, something new was being born.
Finally, when he immersed a fragment of steel and gold together in the divine flame, the metal did not break. Instead, it melted harmoniously, creating an alloy that glowed with its own light.
Duncan lifted it with shaking hands.
"Divinium…" he whispered. "The metal of the heavens."
The young priest Elias, who had been watching him silently, widened his eyes. "I've never seen anything like it. This… this could withstand even the corrupt clerics!"
Duncan nodded, but his expression darkened. "This spark is just a fragment. To forge a true weapon, much more will be needed. And to produce it… gold, iron, or copper is not enough."
He touched the glowing ingot. "You need a mineral that can contain the flame without shattering. Something that belongs not to the earth… but to the stars."
Elias swallowed. "You speak of… a meteorite."
A heavy silence filled the forge. The young priest trembled. "Meteorites are extremely rare… and the Church guards some as divine relics. If you truly need them, we'll have to risk a great deal."
Duncan clenched his fist. "Then it's settled. Divinium will not remain a dream. I will go find what I need… even if it means challenging the powers that be."
The ingot glowed in his hands like a beating heart.
It was only the beginning.