At the end of the day, during their final lesson, Victoria, Alex, and Stella made their way to their second specialization class, held in the Forge Master Lab. Just outside the entrance, they noticed a girl standing nearby—around 4'5", with long, dark hair cascading like shadows and striking silver eyes that glinted in the lab's artificial light.
Moments later, Professor Marth opened the door. Inside, twelve silver tables were neatly arranged, each with two chairs. Professors Hightower and Manohar were already present. Without delay, Professor Marth began the lecture.
Introduction to Forge Mastering
"Forge Mastering," he began, "is the art of enchanting objects with magic. Alongside War Magic, it is the most mana-intensive specialization, demanding proficiency in all six elements."
Items enhanced through Forge Mastering can be imprinted—linked to a specific user, rendering them unusable by others. A specialized spell can even reveal the bond between an artifact and its imprinted owner.
The Magic Circles
"At its core," Marth continued, "Forge Mastering begins with the drawing of two concentric magic circles using a special ink. Between these, magical runes are inscribed. The number and type of runes depend on the enchantment's nature."
Precision is vital. The circles must be flawless, and their size should closely match the dimensions of the item being enchanted. These circles act as a mana furnace, storing and saturating the object with magical energy.
Any imperfection in the circle allows mana to leak, resulting in a flawed or failed enchantment. The denser the mana, the more potent the artifact—but also the more dangerous and costly. High-density mana can explode if not properly controlled.
The Pseudo Core
"Next," said Marth, "we cover the pseudo core."
A pseudo core is an artificial mana construct engraved onto an object. It stabilizes through intricate mana patterns designed to draw world energy, allowing sustained magical function. Pseudo cores lack consciousness and cannot self-replenish. Only the mage who created or imprinted the core can recharge it.
Pseudo cores must be constructed with care, as any mistake becomes permanent. The material remembers every rune carved, and misaligned pathways can render an object useless. As more enchantments are layered, the core becomes increasingly complex and energy-hungry. Eventually, it becomes more efficient to create a new item than continue upgrading the old one.
Objects can house multiple pseudo cores and mana crystals, but this introduces risks. Desynchronization between cores can cause catastrophic failure unless the user mimics each core's mana signature and carefully regulates their activation.
Magical Materials
"Now, let's discuss materials," Marth said, gesturing to a table covered with various metallic samples.
Magical materials with their own mana flow enhance enchantments, but they also increase resistance to external mana, complicating the forging process. As mana is forced into these objects, their resistance can deform the pseudo core. The Forgemaster must continuously correct imperfections as the mana is absorbed.
Magical metals form through exposure to world energy, often found near mana geysers. Over time, world energy transforms lesser metals into rare and powerful ones:
Silver is the base magical metal, commonly found near the surface. Orichalcum forms from silver with traces of Adamant, and is ideal for most artifacts due to its strength and mana conductivity. Adamant, deeper underground, is rarer and stronger, capable of withstanding numerous enchantments. Davross is the pinnacle—black in color, capable of cutting through iron with ease, and nearly indestructible.
Interestingly, impurities in a metal can help balance hardness and flexibility. Pure metals might be strong but brittle or too soft.
Some metals, like Gold, have disruptive magical properties. While a poor mana conductor, gold is excellent for cloaking magical signatures. Silver, on the other hand, is ideal for general Forge Mastering—able to hold enchantments without external mana support.
Mana Crystals and Bonding
Mana crystals are essential for Bonding—the process of embedding multiple spells into an object. Without them, non-living matter resists enchantment. The strength of the crystal determines the number and quality of spells it can sustain.
However, artifacts suffer erosion over time. Excess magical force can shatter the object or cause spells to fail. Passive properties, such as weight reduction or self-repair, consume mana continuously. These cannot be turned off, meaning artifacts degrade whether or not a user is present. Mana arrays can help maintain power, but they only support single functions.
Magical Ingredients and Elemental Infusion
"Finally," Marth said, "we cover the use of magical ingredients."
Enchanting an object with elemental properties requires specific ingredients. Unlike Alchemy, where ingredients store elements for later use, Forge Mastering uses them to permanently infuse an item.
However, this creates imbalance—the element slowly corrodes the object. To prevent this, a counterweight ingredient must be used (e.g., fire infused with a water-based counteragent). The stronger the effect, the rarer the ingredient required. Multi-element enchantments demand multiple ingredients and intricate balancing.
Some ingredients carry pseudo cores of their own, bypassing the balance requirement. But this adds risk: coexisting pseudo cores increase complexity, making synchronization critical.
The lecture hall was silent as Professor Marth finished. The students scribbled notes feverishly, eyes wide at the complexity and danger hidden behind every elegant artifact. This was not simple craftsmanship—it was precision sorcery, physics, alchemy, and raw magical force, all fused into one daunting art.