Chapter 78 — The Shimmer in the Ashes
S.C. 1510 — Early December
Foosha Forest — Furnace Clearing
The morning light filtered through the trees, casting thin golden stripes on the ground. A soft breeze carried the smell of charcoal and warm clay—the aftermath of yesterday's experiment.
Ren crouched in front of the furnace, his eyes fixed on the crude metal bloom sitting in a basket. It was lumpy and ugly, half-covered in leftover slag.
Zemo circled it like a suspicious inspector, sniffing and snorting as if expecting it to move.
Ren lifted the small hammer and tapped the bloom again.
TONK. TONK.
Clear.
Sharp.
Metallic.
His lips curved slightly.
"Better than yesterday."
But "better" wasn't enough.
He wanted something stronger—
something different—
something the world wasn't expecting from a seven-year-old boy in a forest.
His fingers reached into a small pile of stones until they closed around the black mineral he'd found yesterday—the one that sparked.
He held it up to the sun.
The surface shimmered faintly, almost like a trapped glint of silver.
Ren's brows furrowed.
"You're the strange one. Let's see what secrets you're hiding."
Zemo barked softly, tail wagging like he was ready to uncover mysteries too.
Today's Plan
Ren knelt in the dirt and scribbled in his notebook—not cold numbers, but a clear goal:
Objective: Discover what happens when ores mix.
He wrote:
Iron ore
Striped metallic ore
Black mineral
Different smelting combinations
Ren smiled faintly.
"Science isn't just repeating the past… it's letting accidents help you."
Zemo tilted his head as if questioning Ren's optimism.
Ren gathered the ores into three small piles—
or he tried to.
Zemo's fluffy tail swept across the wooden board…
FWUP.
Iron and black mineral rolled together.
Ren grabbed the board—but too late.
Three types of ore sat mixed like a scrambled puzzle.
Zemo froze.
Ren stared at him.
Zemo lowered his ears.
Ren sighed… then smirked.
"You know what? Maybe that's exactly what we needed."
Zemo brightened instantly, wagging with pride for his "assist."
The Second Burn — But Different
Ren placed the mixed ores into the furnace, layered with charcoal.
Then he lit it.
At once, heat pulsed upward.
The new bellows breathed air like a sleeping beast awakening:
FWOOOM—FWOOOM
The furnace glowed brighter than it ever had.
Ren shielded his eyes from the orange-white glow, sweating from the intense heat.
"This… is hotter than yesterday."
Even Zemo backed up a step, ears flattened from the sheer temperature.
A strange metallic scent drifted from the furnace—not the usual iron smell.
Sharper.
Cleaner.
Different.
Zemo sneezed, glaring at the fumes.
Ren laughed.
"Yeah. Something's definitely reacting."
He pumped the bellows a little more.
FWOOOSH!
The furnace answered with a deep roar.
And then…
plip.
A faint droplet sound.
Ren froze.
Another drip.
Then a tiny hiss.
Something had melted.
Something inside had changed.
He forced himself to stop the airflow and let the furnace cool at its own pace.
Zemo curled beside him, dozing lightly.
Ren didn't sleep.
He couldn't.
His mind raced with ideas, possibilities, combinations.
Revealing the Bloom
After nearly an hour, Ren lifted the lid.
Heat still radiated, but he reached inside carefully using bone tongs.
Something glinted beneath the ashes.
Not iron-gray.
Not the dull brown of slag.
Dark.
Smooth.
Shiny.
Ren swallowed, his heart hammering as he lifted the bloom.
It was smaller than yesterday's—
but heavier.
And when he turned it toward the sunlight…
Shimmer.
A faint, subtle glint.
Barely visible unless the light hit just right.
Ren's breath caught.
"…You're different."
He tapped it with the hammer.
TING!
Higher pitch.
Sharper.
More refined.
Zemo stepped back in surprise, ears perked.
Ren ran a thumb along the bloom's surface.
Inside the metal, he saw thin, dark veins—like tiny rivers frozen mid-flow.
Not cracks.
Not impurities.
Something fused.
Something new.
He whispered:
"This… isn't just iron anymore."
He didn't know the name.
He didn't know the properties.
He didn't know the combinations.
But this shimmer—
This small, nearly invisible line—
This was the first sign.
A hint.
A whisper of a future alloy.
An accident Zemo caused.
A discovery Ren seized.
A moment that would shape the metal of his future.
Ren slowly smiled.
"This might be the beginning of something stronger."
Zemo approached, sniffing with curiosity, then rested beside Ren as if acknowledging the significance.
Ren held the tiny shimmering bloom carefully, almost reverently.
No celebration.
No cheers.
Just a quiet moment between boy and fox—
recognizing the first spark
of a metal the world had never seen.
End of Chapter 78 — The Shimmer in the Ashes