(The Isolated Valley Path, Leo's POV)

As long as the guests were still around, Amanda did not question Leo publicly, as despite her own personal unease, she did not wish to undermine her husband in front of outsiders.

However, the moment the last lantern dimmed and the final footsteps of Leo's subordinates faded into the night, Amanda's hand slipped away from his... and the gentle warmth she had shown all evening vanished with it.

She turned toward him slowly, her eyes sharpening with a quiet fury that made Leo's spine straighten on instinct, as though he were facing a calamity far greater than any opponent he had ever fought.

"Leo, how confident are you that sending us to Ixtal is safe...?"

Her voice was calm. Too calm. The kind that made Leo's heartbeat hammer in his ears, because this was not the voice of a wife asking a question.

But instead, the voice of a mother protecting her cubs.

"Amanda..." he began, his voice smooth as he tried to pacify her anger, however, it seemed counterproductive, as she already looked at him as though she had caught him committing a grave sin.

"In essence, it should be safe enough," he answered, choosing his words slowly as his throat tightened. "After all, Soron is protecting Ixtal himself. But I cannot pretend it is as safe as the Stilled World. That part is true."

He admitted, as Amanda scoffed.

*SCOFF*

Her disbelief was loud, her expression twisting as if she no longer recognized the man standing before her.

"Darling, listen to me..."

Leo said, as he reached out and tried to close in the distance between them, only for Amanda to shove his hand away, as she glared

ferociously in protest.

"Do not touch me."

She warned, her glare cutting him deeper than any blade.

"This new you.... It's like I don't even know you anymore...."

She began, her voice trembling with a mixture of heartbreak and restrained rage, as she sized him up and down with disappointment. "Because the Leo I knew... the Leo I loved...

He cared for his family more than anything in the universe. And he would do everything in his power to keep them safe!"

Her lips quivered.

"He may not have been as strong as you are now. But he certainly had more spine."

She admonished, as Leo lowered his head in shame.

Every word she said today hit him like a punch to the gut, because

none of it was exaggerated. None of it was unfair.

"You know... in her last days, mother only wanted to spend time with you and Luke. But you were not there."

She continued, her voice cracking, as Leo closed his eyes.

"Same with father. He was so proud of you-so, so proud-but when it mattered most, you were gone."

She reminded, as his chest constricted painfully.

"And even then... Leo, even then, I said nothing"

Her breathing wavered.

"When Caleb and Mairon cried as infants, and I had no one but

nursing maids around me... even then, I said nothing."

Her hands tightened into fists.

"I left my career as one of the Cult's best blacksmiths. Five years, Leo.

I have not touched a forge in five years. Because raising children is a

full-time duty... and still, I said nothing!"

Leo bit down gently on his lower lip, unable to defend himself.

"And even today-" she said, her voice thinning with exhaustion, "Even today, I am letting your decision slide.... And accepting your judgement like a fool, only because I want to believe that you are doing this to spend more time with your children later... and not because you are pushing us away yet again."

She said, as her gaze hardened.

"But hear me clearly, Leo. This is the last straw."

She stepped closer, her eyes burning into his.

"If my children get hurt on Ixtal... or if you do not clean up your act after saving Veyr... then I will not be the gentle Amanda standing here today. That much, I promise."

She warned, as Leo bowed his head so deeply that his hair slipped

over his eyes, shielding the shame written across his face.

"I understand..." he whispered, his words low and shameful.

"Do not worry, love. I promise I will be better after this."

He said, yet even as the vow left his lips, a cold, unsettling truth lingered in the corner of his mind, which made him doubt the authenticity of his own words.

'Will I really be better? Or will something new occupy my mind?'

He wondered, as he gulped a mouthful of saliva and watched Amanda storm off in anger.

(Meanwhile, Within The Forge District, Supreme Master Argo's POV)

*Hiss*

*Shut*

The hiss of hydraulic vents echoed across the dim, metal-lit chamber

as Argo snapped shut the final crate of tools, each piece inside polished to a mirror sheen and arranged with military precision. The old forge master straightened his back, the weight of years resting on his shoulders, though his eyes burned with a bright,

unshakable fire.

"This is it, lads."

His voice cut through the workshop, low and steady, as six of his finest apprentices and senior blacksmiths stood before him, their uniforms crisp, their expressions solemn.

"The greatest project you will ever take part in."

He lifted a compact, rune-etched hammer from the table, letting its familiar weight settle in his palm before placing it carefully into his

travel kit.

"This time, we are not forging a blade for a general, or an Elder, or

even a Dragon."

He looked each of them in the eye.

"This time, we forge a blade for the Lord himself. For the Sect Master,

God Soron."

A silent breath passed through the group, their spines straightening as if the very air had shifted around them.

"This time," Argo continued, his tone grave, "we work for the future of

the Cult. So expect no rest, no excuses, and no mistakes. Every strike of your hammer will shape history. Every spark will be remembered." He grabbed the handle of the storage case, slung it over his shoulder, and nodded once.

"This is the moment you have been dreaming of since the day you

first picked up a hammer, so do not waste it."

A unified, resolute shout responded to him.

"Yes, Supreme Master!"

With that, the forge doors slid open, revealing the hovercraft waiting outside, its turbines humming softly in the cold night air.

The seven of them boarded swiftly, the vehicle lifting off the ground

in a smooth arc as it carried them toward the distant hangar bay.

Within hours, they were to set foot on Ixtal-the holy planet, the birthplace of legends.

Where they would then begin with the project of a lifetime.