Mist swallowed the hills.
Rael moved silently through the fog, each step careful. Lin followed a few paces behind, one hand resting on the hilt of her fang-dagger. Veil, the pale serpent, lay bundled in his cloak—her body pulsing faintly with golden Qi, unconscious but stable. The path ahead curved between jagged rocks and thistle-covered ridges, where the wind whispered strange things and old trees bent in unnatural ways.
According to the caravan's lorekeeper, the blacksmith they sought had once been called Master Yao—the Breaker of Chains, a man who crafted soul-bound relics during the Eastern War. He vanished after betraying one of the grand sects, hunted by both cultivators and criminals alike.
Now, legend claimed he lived somewhere in the Silver-Fanged Hills, surrounded by traps, spirits, and silence.
Rael didn't care about legends.
He needed a vessel. And Yao was the only name whispered with fear and respect.
---
They found the forge by scent before sight.
Burnt iron. Old blood. Black Qi like tar in the wind.
A cave mouth opened into a ravine wall, lit from within by dull crimson light. Strange runes were carved above the entrance—half broken, half scorched. Bone totems hung on either side, strung with beast fangs and shattered weapon fragments.
Rael stepped through.
---
Inside, the forge glowed like a dying heart.
A fire pit fed by burning spirit ore roared quietly. Metal shards lined the walls, arranged with obsessive precision. Half-formed gauntlets, cracked sabers, Qi conduits—all discarded. There were no finished weapons, only ruined dreams.
And sitting at the center was a man with no left arm.
His skin was scorched. His eyes—one blind, the other burning with faint violet light—lifted from the anvil.
"You're late," he said.
Rael blinked. "You were expecting us?"
"No. But the wind said someone foolish was coming." His voice was rough, half gravel. "And the last fool who came here died screaming."
Lin tensed, but Rael stepped forward.
"I need a Heartbound Harness."
The man's breath caught for a moment. His hand trembled on the hammer.
Then he spat to the side.
"You need pain."
Rael nodded. "I have enough of that."
"Not yet."
---
Yao stood.
His presence was like a blunt force—dense, unmoving.
"You brought a beast?"
Rael unwrapped Veil. The pale serpent lay curled and motionless, golden eye barely open.
The blacksmith's expression twisted into something unreadable.
"She chose to bond?"
"No. I didn't force it either."
"…Good."
He turned away. "Follow me."
---
The forge's rear opened into a hollow chamber filled with binding circles and relic racks. Ancient diagrams of soul-binding techniques covered the walls, marked in both blood and ink. Chains hung from the ceiling—some used for holding spirit beasts, others for securing human bodies during forging.
At the center, an obsidian slab.
Rael felt the temperature drop.
"This is the altar," Yao said. "Once you begin, there's no turning back. The bond will cost you."
"I'm ready."
"No, you're not."
He gestured to the scroll Rael still carried.
"That technique—Heartbound—draws blood not only from the beast but from you. It will carve into your spine. If your Qi falters for even a moment, you'll lose more than your bond."
"…What do I lose?"
Yao looked at him.
"Your ability to walk."
Rael said nothing.
Then he pulled off his robe, knelt beside the slab, and laid Veil at his side.
"Do it."
---
Preparation took three hours.
Yao worked in silence, mixing Veil's blood with obsidian ink, binding her core into a temporary vessel to prevent degradation. The room filled with arcane chants and a humming Qi resonance that echoed through the stone walls.
Lin waited by the entrance, arms crossed tightly. She didn't interfere.
Rael lay bare-chested on the slab as the blacksmith dipped his broken needle into the ink.
Then pain exploded.
---
Each stroke of the sigil was like fire running down his spine. The ink wasn't just being etched into flesh—it was merged, sinking into bone, threading through nerves. Rael gritted his teeth as memory and sensation twisted together. Every regret, every death, every violent moment surfaced as Yao's chanting deepened.
He saw his brother's face.
He saw the girl who had begged him to run.
He saw a blade in his own hand.
Then the serpent's eye opened—and light consumed everything.
---
When Rael woke, it was dark.
He could feel every breath Veil took, even though she lay a dozen feet away. The bond wasn't just spiritual—it was sensory. Her heart was his. Her fear, his echo.
[Heartbound Harness: Prototype Stage Completed]
Beast: Pale Veil Serpent (Silver Vein – Young)
Traits Activated: Camouflage Veil, Veil Pulse Detection, Mistform Evasion (Partial)
User Integration: 42% – Status: Stable
Caution: Bond is not absolute. Mutual betrayal will lead to Core Fracture.
Warning: Vital Qi capacity reduced by 11% for duration of bond.
---
Rael sat up slowly.
The harness was a thin line of black sigils etched along his back and arms, glowing faintly in silver.
Veil rose beside him, stretching, her wings translucent. She blinked once, then coiled gently around his arm, her body warm and soft.
"…You survived," Yao said quietly.
Rael looked at him.
"You expected me to fail?"
"I expect everyone to fail," the blacksmith muttered. "That's why I stopped forging."
Lin approached. "Why help now?"
Yao chuckled darkly.
"Because that serpent chose him. And because sometimes… betrayal demands redemption."
He handed Rael a spirit talisman. "This will stabilize your bond for the next week. After that, you're on your own."
Rael nodded. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I made a killer a weapon. That's not kindness."
---
They left the forge before dawn.
The hills were quiet. The mist lifted.
Veil curled around Rael's shoulders like a living cloak.
Lin glanced at him as they descended the ridge.
"…Do you feel stronger?"
Rael didn't answer immediately.
"I feel colder," he said finally.
She smiled faintly. "That's progress."
---
Far in the distance, hidden from view, something stirred beneath the mountain's roots.
It had smelled the forging.
And it remembered the scent of blood.