The Dragon Emperor of Another World: Awakening of a Legend

CHAPTER 7: Night of Forging

Dasi’s arcane alarm bells wailed into the storm-colored skies, runes flickering crimson across towers and rooftops like a nervous system jolted to life. But the threat that loomed could wait—if only for a few hours more.

Eileen had insisted they delay their departure.

“If they’re coming for you,” she’d said with steel in her voice, “you’d better be at full strength when you meet them.”

And so, while her forge sizzled with finishing touches, Ethan and Celestia took a final detour into Dasi’s heart.

The Arcane Quarter was a kaleidoscope of magical innovation. Floating lanterns drifted through the air above stalls brimming with shimmering relics. Alchemists hawked potion grenades, rune-etched quivers, and scrolls that could call down lightning or open locked doors with a single word.

Ethan marveled at the sheer volume of enchantments on display. “It’s like walking through a spellbook,” he muttered.

Celestia, meanwhile, was drawn to a boutique nestled in a moonstone dome—the signage glimmering with delicate lettering: Lunessence Jewels – For The Enchanted Soul.

“You’re kidding,” Ethan said as Celestia glided toward it.

“I’m not,” she replied simply, disappearing into the entrance.

The shop was quieter than the streets, lit by softly glowing crystals suspended midair. Rows of rings, earrings, and circlets gleamed from glass displays. A stately elf woman behind the counter gave a serene nod.

“I seek something moon-aligned,” Celestia said, her gaze flicking to a velvet tray of silver rings.

“Combat or ceremonial?” the elf asked.

“Both,” Celestia replied. “But mostly... beautiful.”

Ethan stood awkwardly near the door as Celestia tried several rings, slipping them on and off with slow, deliberate motions. She settled on one—black opal set in a crescent of white gold, runes around the band pulsing faintly with lunar attunement.

“It enhances her lunar fire,” the shopkeeper noted. “And may react to draconic physiology.”

Celestia caught Ethan’s reflection watching her in a mirrored shard.

“Well?” she asked.

“You look... devastating,” he said.

She smirked. “Good. I plan to be.”

They stepped out with the purchase wrapped in starlight-infused silk. Celestia slipped the ring onto her index finger, flexing her hand as if testing its weight.

“It fits,” she said, a touch quieter. “Perfectly.”

Next, Ethan led the way into the Tinkers’ Hall—a cavernous marketplace of mechanized wonders. He secured new modular slots for the storage pouch: a magnetic scroll chamber, a rotating trap node, and a collapsible shield launcher.

Celestia studied a booth of miniature golems. One, shaped like a tiny armored lizard, perched on her shoulder and chirped softly.

“No,” she said, removing it.

“But it likes you,” Ethan teased.

“I already have a partner,” she replied.

He blinked. Then grinned.

By nightfall, they returned to Eileen’s forge, their bags heavy with artifacts and oddities.

“Just in time,” Eileen said, rolling up her sleeves. Her braid was soaked with sweat and mana ash.

“Let’s see it,” Ethan said.

Eileen gestured toward the central table. There, resting on a velvet cloth etched with containment runes, was the new gear.

The Voidborne Pouch was no longer just a sack of enchanted canvas. Its surface gleamed with fine-thread runes sewn in amethyst wire, pulsing with an internal heartbeat of magic.

Eileen explained, “It responds to intent. If you think of an item and move to draw it, the pouch will manifest it instantly—sometimes even mid-motion.”

She tapped the side, revealing a hex pattern that flared blue.

“Defensive reflex mode,” she said. “If it detects sudden aggression—arrows, spells, physical contact—it will deploy the appropriate response. A shield, a counterburst, or even a decoy.”

Ethan touched it reverently. “It’s alive.”

“Close enough.”

Then she turned to Celestia.

Her Darkmoon Armor was now complete. Sleek as ever, the cuirass shimmered with new lunar sigils. The runes flowed like ink across her back, forming protective wings of shadow in times of duress. An integrated rune lattice beneath the breastplate allowed her to channel her fire breath into blade-like projections from her forearms.

Celestia’s eyes widened as she stepped into the armor. The fabric clung to her skin like silk, yet moved with the weight of destiny.

“Don’t forget the ring,” Eileen added with a wink.

The moment the opal touched the armor’s matrix, a ripple of moonlight passed across Celestia’s form. Her eyes glowed faintly, and her breath formed a haze in the air.

“It’s syncing with her,” Eileen said in awe.

Celestia exhaled, shadowfire dancing across her fingertips.

“I feel invincible.”

“Not quite,” Eileen said. “But close enough.”

They stood together on the forge balcony that night, wind sweeping through their cloaks.

Dasi’s towers burned with warning lights, and in the distance, the outline of Syndicate assassins loomed like storm clouds creeping over the city skyline.

Ethan looked down at his pouch. Celestia adjusted her vambraces, the moonlight catching on her ring.

“We fight at dawn,” Ethan said.

Celestia gave a savage smile. “Then let them bring the night.”