Irwin's Journey 428: Silv'am

"Good," Ambraz said as he smiled at his first Progeny.

She didn't start swamping him with questions or seem annoying or entitled, as he knew some Progeny felt right at the start.

She reminds me of Hal…

The reminder of his dead brother made Am'braz think of something else. Something he'd always thought was important and that he knew was something most Proginators didn't do. Something he'd always secretly promised himself he'd change.

"Silv'am," the young Ganvil said, a smile on her face, making him return to the here and now.

Ambraz let the name roll through his mind and hummed thoughtfully.

"A good name," he said. "Silv'am, tell me, which Ancestral memories did you get?"

Silv'am stretched her wings, quiet for a few moments before responding.

"I know of Dréimire and how parts of it might still be surviving," she said, sounding excited. "From that point on, I have a few scattered bits about what happened till our people reached Granvox. I know how to bond and why, and I know a lot of skills and how to pick them."

Irwin hummed happily as Silv'am continued, listing the important things. So far, everything seemed fine. She had the knowledge each Progeny definitely needed. Soon, however, would come the things he was very curious about. One of those was if she knew she was made for Zannia. He knew about only a few Progeny who had been made with a smith in mind, but he did know it was important for them to bring it up themselves. He didn't know why or what would happen if they didn't, but he did know from his own ancestral memories that it wasn't anything good.

"I know you were imprisoned," Silv'am suddenly said, a slight anger in her voice. "Gelwin… I have snippets of him, but not a lot."

Good! Some of my memories have made it into the ancestral memories of my line!

"I know you are bound to a smith, and he is supposedly incredible, though I can't find a name," Silv'am continued.

"Irwin," Ambraz provided.

Sil'am was quiet before continuing. "I have faint knowledge about his species… one of the many variations of the humans. They are called Galladin?"

"They are," Ambraz said, feeling his excitement grow. Atleast his first Progeny already knew this much. He himself had only gotten small snippets of ancestral memories from Brazardian, and most of those were skills his progenitor had created when he was older.

"We are not on Granvox, but on Eluathar… but it gets jumbled here," Silv'am said, sounding confused. "It's a high-rank world. I get that much, but I'm not sure if it is ours or the Galladin's."

"It is mostly theirs," Ambraz said. "However, we will get atleast one offshoot world for ourselves. That said, due to the prodigious natural talent the Galladin have at smithing, we are rapidly growing closer with them as they are perfect for us to bond with."

"Yes. Besides all these memories, I feel a sense of safety," Silv'am said. "And from what I can glean of the oldest memories, that hasn't always been the case?"

"It hasn't," Ambraz said. "Although Granvox is close, it was a gift with strings attached. Many in the Cardsmith's guild see us as tools and treat us accordingly. Bonding to one of us is seen as gaining a carded summon."

Silv'am quietly listened as he explained a few more details. Still, with each thing he explained, his own curiosity about what Irwin had been up to grew. There was still a constant joy coming from him.

"I have a faint sense of someone important," Silv'am suddenly said, breaking through his soft explanation about the different species now present on Eluathar. "I feel like I was made with a smith in mind?"

"You were," Ambraz said, his attention fully returning to his Progeny.

"She feels young," Silv'am said thoughtfully. "Loves smithing and music, like her… father? Is she the daughter of your own bond?"

"She is."

"When can I see her?"

Ambraz felt a slight worry that he hadn't noticed unwind. That was the question he had hoped to hear. 

"When would you like to see her?" he replied softly.

"I… as soon as possible," Silv'am said, her voice regaining the tiny core of steel.

"Good," Ambraz said, unable to stop the grin from spreading on his face. 

He watched Silv'am quietly and slowly decided he would share his plans for the future—the thing he wished for all Ganvils.

"You are my eldest," he said slowly. "But not by a lot. I will create atleast one more Progeny in the next few days."

Silv'am didn't respond, but he knew she was now being flooded by ancestral memories that were so rudimentary they were more like emotions. Things he recalled himself back when Brazardian had told him he had an elder brother only a few weeks older and would be getting a younger one shortly after. It wasn't done a lot, mostly due to a lack of purified soulforce. Still, there was also another reason, one that was based on some of the most ancient of their ancestral memories, those that were more like faint concepts that said having Progeny too close together caused disagreements and war. 

What those memories don't show is the sense of belonging they give, Ambraz thought as he watched and waited as Sil'am slowly let the deeply ingrained memories wash over her, truly incorporating them into her. It was something that would happen many times over the next few months, and she'd have a lot of questions. Somehow, the idea didn't annoy him half as much as with the large group of regular rank ones he'd made. Those felt less like his offspring and more like something he was merely part of the process. 

"I can't wait to meet them," Silv'am said, a wide smile moving on her face. "Will they be like me or you?"

It took Ambraz ten whole seconds to understand what she meant.

"The first one will be… hard to say," he said. "Your younger sibling will be made of a metal that, as far as I know, has never been used before."

"Is that safe?" Silv'am asked, and for the first time, a sense of young insecurity came from her.

"I don't know yet," Ambraz said honestly. "But I will try and see what happens. If I fail, you should not worry. I'll have enough purified soulforce within a month, and I'll definitely create one more Progeny within that time."

Silv'am let out a sigh, then flapped her wings as she floated up and around.

"We are inside your bond's Soulscape… why is it this big?"

"That's something for another time," Ambraz said as the mention of Irwin made his curiosity grow again. "For now, I'll be bringing you outside, and we will meet him. He seems to have done something exciting in my absence, and I think it will be good for you to learn about it."

Silv'am flew closer to him. "Am'braz… Proginator, am I missing something?" she said, sounding confused. "My memories say that a Proginator should have chosen their third syllable?"

Ambraz grinned as he realized he'd almost forgotten that part. 

"That's because I am not yet a World Anvil," he said. "I am rank five and will be for some more time."

Silv'am's mouth fell open in surprise.

"My ancestral memories say that-"

Ambraz bit his lips, almost interrupting her. It wasn't a good idea, not yet. At her age, she needed to let the memories flow naturally.

"-only World Anvils make Progeny? Until then, they are supposed to lack the capacity?"

"Yes," Ambraz said, feeling a grin widen on his face. "Well, let's just say I, and by extension, you, are slightly different from the norm. For now, no more questions. Let us check on Irwin."

As if in agreement, Silv'am flew even closer to him.

I wonder how he will react, Ambraz thought as he pulled both of them out of Irwin's soulscape.

-- Sometime before, real world --

Irwin stared in silent awe at the card in his hand. It was quartz, only barely eighty percent, and bordering on useless, but it was one of the most special he'd ever held. 

"You succeeded," Endil whispered, leaning forward until his nose almost touched the card. "I tried for months, unable to keep the different aspects together, and you succeed in less than a day."

Irwin blinked at that, looking around. There was no sign of how much time had passed; the shutters were closed, and little sound came in from the outside. It was why he usually had a time-rune that showed Merchant Time as he traveled the Portal Gallery.

"How long was I working?" he asked.

"Close to a day, I think," Endil said without looking up, his finger hovering above the card. "I lost track of time myself a few times."

The younger smith looked up with glittering eyes. You'gyn was nestled on his shoulder, mouth a tight line. He hadn't said a word since Irwin snapped out of it.

"You succeeded!" Endil said again, this time almost shouting.

Irwin looked down at the card that showed a tiny flame hovering against the backdrop, and a sense of monumental achievement grew. 

The card, as crappy as it was, meant a pivot point. A moment where everything could change. Would change!

Smiths could now learn to create card seeds and then cards on this seed. It wasn't easy, or even fast, but he knew it meant that if he could teach others, a time was approaching when cards didn't have to be taken by killing soulskilled.

For a few moments, he let the prospect of a world like that play through his mind, and then reality set in. Creating one was hard and slow. It would be a long time before smiths could reforge one, and right now, he could only do it with the music paths, meaning only a tiny percentage of the smiths could learn it. Besides that, hunting soulskilled for cards would likely always be faster.

And it's not like some don't need to be stopped, he thought, as images of crazed demons, only a step away from becoming Addled, played through his mind.

He looked at Endil, his exuberance tempered by reality. 

"It took a day, and the result isn't very good. It's a first step, but we need to simplify the process, if we can, or practice till we get a good result. It's also something only music-path cardsmiths can use, for now."

Endil snorted, shaking his head.

"Nearly all Volcano Academy students who are Giard, who are Galladin, are using the music path," he said. "There are atleast a dozen I can point at that will be able to learn how to do this, and that's not even talking about me and Trimdir. It might take some time, but now that I have seen what I need to do, the main issue is that I need another soulcard. I also need more sensitivity and control."

Irwin looked at the younger smith in surprise. He rarely spoke this animatedly, especially to him. After he had returned, he hadn't spoken to the only other smith from Old Mallorin a lot, but when he had, he'd noticed something. He'd held back, spoken as if to someone who was a superior. There was none of that now, and Irwin was glad for it.

"You are right," he said, grinning as he looked the other smith right in the eye. "Which is one of the reasons you are here. I'm going to help you fill your soullake, and I'll be trying my utmost to recreate some of the cards I used to boost my sensitivity. That last part might take months or years, but when I succeed-"

"Is that smart?" You'gyn said, interrupting him.

Irwin looked at the Ganvil, eyebrow raised.

"Well, if you are hellbent on having Endil focus on that communications card, won't he need more cards to strengthen it?"

Irwin hummed, scratching his chin. Endil flinched at the sharp, rasping sound, and Irwin stopped immediately.

"Soulforce sensitivity seems to match well with a lot of cards," he said.

"Don't forget that Endil doesn't have a diamond rank soulcard," You'gyn said. "He can't have as many active and passive abilities as you can. Also, he is focusing on the music style of reforging. He will need an instrument as part of his next heartcard."

Irwin blinked, then grimaced. You'gyn was right.

"It's fine," Endil said. "Just because my heartcard is only ruby-rank doesn't mean I can't have a higher one after. It just means my soulscape size will be limited, and I'll need to be careful with active abilities that are highly draining."

Ruby-rank?

Irwin focused on the other smith and was surprised to see he was telling the truth. Endil, with the help of You'gyn, had actually managed to forge his own heartcard and done so at ruby rank. 

"Remember what I told you," You'gyn said. "Having higher rank soulcards in your soulscape can destabilize it slightly. This isn't an issue for non-cardsmiths, but you need perfect stability."

Irwin was about to respond when he felt a wave of joy from Ambraz. 

He finished!

He listened with half an ear to Endil and You'gyn talk. He'd been almost fully focused on one body, and he slowly allowed his two souls to split back. As his perception of his own soulscape became clearer, he sensed the new soulforce resonance inside. It was stable, and somehow, it brought an image to his mind of a blue sky peeking through the clouds after a spring shower.

A short while later, he looked up, seeing Endil nod worriedly.

"Irwin, You'gyn is right. It might be difficult to plan out my next heartcard if I need to slot a music card, sensitivity card, and communication card. I'd planned to focus fully on that communications card, but…"

Irwin nodded as he leaned back. "I'll think about it," he said. "But before we do that, I think we are about to meet a new Progeny."

You'gyn slid from Endil's shoulder and thudded on the table, his mouth wide open.

"Wha… who… when," he spluttered. Finally, he managed to regain his senses. "What?!"

Irwin didn't bother responding as he felt Ambraz and the other Ganvil move out of his soulscape.

Two shapes appeared on his shoulder: Ambraz, bigger and made of the familiar dull black metal, and a smaller, silvery Ganvil. There was some resemblance to the larger group Ambraz had made a few days ago, but this one had a slightly less bulky form and was a darker, almost hazy silver.

"Everyone," Ambraz said, grinning widely. "I'd like to introduce you all to my first and, thus, eldest, Progeny. Silv'am."

"How did you manage that this fast?!" You'gyn shouted.

Ambraz's grin widened. "Silv'am, meet You'gyn. He is the Progeny of Gynerigon."

"Hello," Silv'am said, though Irwin could almost sense her disinterest. Instead, he felt careful soulforce probes against his own, like gentle prods.

"The young smith beside him is Endil, one of the Galadin smiths and a highly promising one at that," Ambraz continued. "He uses the same musical-style cardsmithing as my own bonded smith, Irwin, whom you are now sitting on!"

"Your soulforce is almost the same as that of Am'braz," Silv'am said, flying up and around Irwin's head. "My ancestral memories say that it doesn't happen a lot that Progeny meet their Progenator's bonded smiths. Usually, they are dead. Are you going to die soon?"

Irwin blinked while Endil began laughing softly.

"No," he said, his lips curving up. "Unless something bad happens, I should live for a few more thousand years."

As he spoke, Endil's laugh turned into a strangled coughing streal. "What?!"

You'gyn's mouth was still a gaping hole of surprise.

"Am'braz, is that normal?" Silv'am asked, clearly happy but surprised.

"No. The few Ganvils that reached rank six usually lose their bonded smith only a few decades later. The few that managed to get further, like my Brazardian or Gynerigon, usually bond to one of the long-living species."

"Which ones are those? Is the one I'm going to bond with?" 

"The longest-living ones are those that are largely elemental," Ambraz said. "And yes, you will bind to an Ignitzian."

"That is good," Silv'am replied.

Irwin was quietly listening, his lips curved up in a happy smile at what he was hearing. At the same time, he was surprised at how much the resonance he sensed from Silv'am resembled that of Ambraz. 

If she is willing to bond with Zan and vice versa, they will grow rapidly. 

Their soulforce songs were far closer together than Irwin's and Ambraz's had been decades ago.

"Now, Irwin, what had you all excited to the point of almost tripping me up?" Ambraz asked, thudding softly against Irwin's jaw.

"Oh, that," Irwin said, his grin widening as he raised his hand. "Nothing important. Just managed to make this one." 

He held the card between two fingers, showing it to Ambraz. 

"It's not that great, is it?" Silv'am said after a moment. "It's barely holding together…"

Irwin didn't react, feeling Ambraz's stunned realization. 

"How?" Ambraz croaked.

"Endil figured it out. There was too much interference, and we need a few extra steps," Irwin said. "I'll show you soon."

"Am'braz?" Silv'am asked softly. "What's so special about that card?"

Ambraz sighed a long, drawn-out thing. "That card was created from nothing," he said softly. "Both the seed and the resonance were created by Irwin using only his own soulforce."

Although Irwin wasn't connected to Silv'am like he was to Ambraz, she was young, and the shock that ran through her system caused her soulforce resonance to shake like a hurricane.

"I… are my ancestral memories incomplete?" she whispered. "I thought this was deemed impossible?"

"No, and yes," Ambraz grunted while You'gyn began laughing crazily. 

"It's never been done as far as we know. If this is because there was never a need, or no truly gifted smith ever tried it, or… other reasons, I don't know," Ambraz said. "You have been born into an incredibly dangerous but also exciting time."

Silv'am let out a weary sigh. "I… would really like to meet my bond now. If that's okay?"

Irwin smiled at the genuine desire in her voice.  "I'll be heading back to Eluathar in two days. Can you wait that long?"

"Of course, Honorable smith," she said, sounding slightly hesitant. 

"You can call me Irwin," Irwin said with a smile before turning to Ambraz. "We have some things we need to take care of before we can return. We need to create another blood-healing card for whoever goes with Greldo, and we need to help fill Endil's soullake. We should also finish Greldo's next heartcard and fill his soullake because if he is going out with such a small group, he needs to be as strong as possible. That also means he needs more cards."

Ambraz took a deep breath before exhaling explosively. 

"Fine. Give me a few hours with Silv'am. After that, we can start with the cards and use that to fill Endil's soullake. It will also be informative for Silv'am."

Irwin nodded as Ambraz flew up, closely followed by Silv'am and a moment later by You'gyn. 

"Let me show you around," Ambraz said as he headed for one of the small corridors in the ceiling made specifically for Ganvils. "The harbor isn't very big yet, but-"

His face faded into the distance while Irwin turned to look at Endil.

"Well, I guess we can go and talk with Basil to see if Rachias can help again," he said.

Endil nodded, his eyes widening. "So you really had an entire Chaos Whale in your soulscape?"

"Yes," Irwin said, grinning back. "Let me tell you, that was really hard!"

--

Daubutim leaned back in his chair, rubbing his psalm across his forehead slowly. He'd not slept for days now, trying to work through all the things that had both piled up and were added to his desk.

A single paper lay before him, written by Irwin, explaining a few of the things that had happened.

He finally did it, Daubutim thought, trying to ignore the fact that he would need to plan for a whole other set of things now. This, combined with more Ganvils and the small note from Greldo saying he would head out in a week Portal Gallery time, meant he had a bit over a week left to find the appropriate and willing healer. Or someone that would want to become one.

"Love, you should come and sleep."

Daubutim looked up to see Lysbeth standing at the door. She looked slightly worried, though her own eyes were sunken from weariness. She'd likely slept barely any more than he had.

He glanced at the stack of papers and the top one that had the list of Yuurindi that had stayed behind. By now, nearly all of the others had left for their new world. That meant he'd soon have to ask Irwin for the cards, and they would need to change themselves into something not prone to oversaturating the entire world. 

"Love, you are drifting away again."

Daubutim blinked, realizing his mind had started planning, and he shook himself, slowly rising.

"You are right," he said, walking towards her, feeling a slight sense of dizziness. He really did need to sleep.

"How are the children?"

"Fine, though they have asked about you for days," Lysbeth said, wrapping her arm around his waist. "How are things in the Portal Gallery Harbor?"

“Better,” Daubutim said. "Jolnir and Sira have healed all of those that were sick and are scanning all the others. We have actually found a few sick guards, though luckily, not a single one had moved through the exit portal back here."

"Good, and Greldo and Dahlia?"

"They will be leaving in three weeks, as soon as Irwin finishes filling Greldo's soullake and raises another healer to a single soulcard and a heartcard."

Lysbeth hummed thoughtfully, and Daubutim instantly knew where her mind had wandered.

"We can't ask him to fill soullakes constantly," he said. "If not just because we need him to continue improving, I will not force that upon my best friend. Besides, he succeeded."

Lysbeth frowned as they moved through the corridors of their simple estate. 

"Succeeded?"

"He managed to create a card from nothing," Daubutim said, the words feeling like a miracle as he spoke them.

"Thank Yilda," Lysbeth whispered, leaning into him. "Any idea how long he will be able to teach others and how many they can create?"

"No," Daubutim said quietly. "I'll need to wait for him to tell me the duration of his first ones, and I'll need to see how fast he improves to make any predictions. That said, the first one was barely eighty percent, not something we should want to have anyone slot."

"No, but it's good enough for the young ones to practice," Lysbeth said.

"Young ones?" Daubutim asked, glancing at his soulbonded. "They are not much younger than us."

"No? It feels that way, though," she said, smiling softly. "The new generation, those that were born here… they have only heard the stories, not lived them. They are so much calmer and less tense. Sometimes, I envy them for their ability to play in their young years."

Daubutim hugged her closer as they reached their bedroom, a spacious, neat place. It had two doors that led into a walk-in dressing room and another into a simple bathing room. It was where he walked, and he glanced at the stone bath that dominated the other side. It was big enough for a few strokes or for their children to play in. Lines of runes lined the bottom, there to cleanse and warm the water, a luxury afforded to only a few so far.

We need more people interested in learning Runes, he thought, his mind moving to Mikarl Hisarly, their only real runemaster.

"Love…"

Daubutim sighed as he moved to the bathing area and started to undress.

A short while later, the two of them were up to their necks in the steaming water, washing off the sweat of the day.

"You should ask him to fill your soullake," Lysbeth said, her eyes closed, face relaxing.

"I will," Daubutim said. "In a month. He is too busy, and he needs to finish his own heartcard first. That way, hopefully, he can move those Chaos Whales here."

"You are sure that's the right thing to do?"

“I am,” Daubutim said. "Scariander will remain behind, as will a few of the younger ones to help with any others we find. But if they are here, they can eventually help the other smiths."

They continued chatting for almost an hour, discussing things that ranged from the Shadow Walkers guild and Greldo's role to issues with the Leafarit. 

"How are the young Leafarit that bonded with the Yuurindi?" Daubutim asked. He'd led Lysbeth to handle it as she could easily move back and forth with her shadow step.

I need to ask Irwin if he can help her fill her soullake, he thought, holding back a smile as he realized he and his wife thought a lot alike.

Lysbeth sighed, washing her face before answering. "They are bonding fine, and both Zender and Earila's soulforce have stabilized far more than their genes should allow. Still, Zegritar has requested again that they travel to Pinea. He says the other elders want to see them."

Daubutim nodded, filing the information for later.

"How is Cesterdon?" Lysbeth asked.

"Dianor has it under control," Daubutim said, his mind momentarily flashing to his brother, whom he hadn't seen for over a year. "I'll go and see him in five weeks after the other things have calmed down."

Lysbeth nodded, but as he looked over, he saw her eyes slowly drifting shut, her head partially submerged in the warm water.

"Time for bed," he said, helping her up and out.

"Hmm, hmm," she mumbled.

Moments later, they lay in bed, Lysbeth already fast asleep, while Daubutim stared at the ceiling, his eyes storms of lightning.

We need to find a way to get more soldiers, he thought, his mind spinning.

He'd thought about the same issue many, many times now, and the same two things returned again and again. They needed a world with a much higher time dilation. If they could find one like Fiverion or the one Irwin had found near Mudball, they could solve nearly all their issues.

It took hours for him to fall asleep, but when he did, he had the beginnings of a plan.