Inside, the workbench was already cleared. Metatron set Daylight beside the glowing core. The pistol had been with him through thin and thick; now it would be changed. He pulled his gloves tighter, opened his interface, and overlaid holographic schematics above the gun—barrels, feed path, recoil rails—lines of light that only he could see.
> [Craft Plan: Daylight — Twinfire Conversion]
[Goal: Dual-barrel compact pistol | Split double-column magazine | Molten Core Integration]
Garron watched with a curious frown. "Twin barrels? You trying to make a cannon that fits in a fist?"
Metatron began. "Balance, not brute force. Alternate feed, left then right—keeps recoil steady. A short simultaneous mode for close quarters."
He split the casing, revealing cramped internals. Precision filing, tiny rivets, and a drilled two-bore block followed—two parallel bores bored with surgical care. He fashioned a compact, dual-column magazine: two stacked lanes separated by a thin spine, with a bifurcated follower that alternated pressure and fed rounds left, then right. The follower's spring required a small tempering; he wound it tight and tested its travel.
Garron leaned in, voice softer. "You know your metal. Most can't imagine the patience."
Metatron took the Molten Fang Core in tongs, letting its ember heat halo the pistol's chamber. He heated the barrel block and married it to the frame, hammering as sparks cascaded. The core's glow threaded into the seams—filigree of molten veins sealing the joint.
At the final tuning, he carved a tiny selector in the grip: alternate or burst. He added a short recoil buffer rail to counter the asymmetric impulse of twin fire. Sweat beaded at his temples; the forge hissed warnings.
When he snapped the casing closed, Daylight felt the same shape, but its balance had altered—like a heartbeat with two pulses. He loaded the new double-column magazine and took a breath.
The test was a whisper and a bark—left, then right, crisp and matched. A faint ember smell lingered as the chamber flashed.
Garron whistled low. "You changed the rules of how a gun fires. Who taught you to think like that?"
Metatron holstered the twin-barrel Daylight, feeling its hum against his palm. "No one. I just needed it to keep me alive."
Outside, the forge door swung open to the night. The city waited, and Metatron stepped toward it with a pistol that beat with two hearts.