As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long golden shadows across the cobbled streets of the village, Rei and Tenko walked side by side. The day had been long—filled with small victories, quiet tension, and the ever-present hum of unseen danger. Midgard, their trusty cart, waited on the outskirts, but Rei paused near a food cart nestled between two worn buildings, its lantern swaying gently in the wind.
"I need some vegetables," Rei said as he approached the vendor, his voice even but purposeful.
The cart owner, a stout man with a beard that looked like it had wrestled with soot, perked up at the sight of a customer. "Oh! A customer! Sure, sure. What do you need? We've got plenty—radishes, leaf curls, root bulbs. All fresh from the field this morning."
Rei glanced at the pile of mundane produce. Ordinary vegetables, good for ordinary folk. He leaned forward slightly and spoke with a knowing look. "I'm a martial… so I need special vegetables. If you understand what I mean."
The vendor paused, his expression shifting from cheer to recognition. "Ah… I see. A discerning customer."
In this world, vegetables weren't just sustenance. They were fuel—mystic, potent, and categorized as strictly as any artifact. The first type, normal vegetables, were consumed by the secluded, the farmers, the monks—those who lived simply and without need of magic or strength. The second type, magical vegetables, were coveted by mages, enhancing mana flow and strengthening spellwork. The third, spiritual vegetables, were rare and expensive. Consumed by martials like Rei, they enhanced physical prowess and harmonized with Qi.
The vendor reached beneath his cart and retrieved a covered crate. "Have a look. Just got these from the eastern mountains."
Inside were several glimmering vegetables—rare, vibrant, and thrumming with subtle energy.
Rei studied them carefully:
—Fyrrenroot, glowing with a dim orange light, said to enhance vision under the moonlight.
—Brassalune, a round leafy bulb emitting a faint silver sheen, used to maintain inner calm during battle.
—Scarspire, a fiery red root known for its biting taste and ability to stoke the body's inner heat—favored by warriors before combat.
—Jadepods, tiny green spheres pulsing faintly with life, traditionally gifted to newborns for health and vitality.
—Bloodbulb, dark crimson with veins running across it, believed to fortify one's resolve and strengthen bones.
"These will do," Rei said, placing a few bronze coins into the vendor's waiting hand.
With his purchases stored in a cloth pouch, Rei continued his walk with Tenko trailing beside him, his silver fur gleaming beneath the streetlights. They reached Midgard, and Rei quietly climbed into his small room inside the cart. The space was modest—just enough for a shelf, a mat, and a tiny writing desk.
He placed the vegetables neatly to one side, mentally noting how much more he was spending these days. Tenko's appetite wasn't excessive, but spiritual vegetables didn't come cheap. Still, Rei didn't mind. He looked over at Tenko, who was stretching on the floor, yawning in that oddly human way foxes could.
Rei gave a small smile and walked to the shelf. He pulled out a thick book bound in leather, the title etched in an old script—"Fundamentals of Blacksmithing"
"If you're working so hard to learn sorcery," Rei said, glancing at Tenko, "I should prepare your scepter too. And… I owe one to Kaiser and Luster."
He hadn't forgotten. The scepters were meant to be a parting gift, something from his heart before leaving the family estate. But life had spun unexpectedly. He was cast out before he could even start making them.
Rei read through the wandcrafting instructions carefully. He studied the structure of handles and the flow of Mana channels, He needed to make a similar Qi channel inside the Scepter and keep it balanced. But the traditional design felt lacking—too rigid, too uniform. He decided to experiment.
He began carving the scepter handles out of prepared wood—two for Kaiser and Luster, and a locket-shaped one for Tenko. His fingers moved unevenly as he chipped away the outer bark, forming slender, but uneven handles. Then, deviating from the text, Rei sliced each handle in half and began carving thin, vein-like channels with multiple branches inside them. These Qi veins, as he called them, would conduct energy more dynamically. They weren't mentioned in the book—this was his innovation.
Tenko sat on a nearby cushion, watching Rei with his head tilted. Eventually, he let out a curious bark.
Rei looked over and chuckled. "Curious? Well, I am crafting a scepter just for you, it would make you stronger, and you would be able to attack with projectiles just like a magical beast."
Tenko, sensing the determination in Rei's voice, barked in understanding. Tenko was excited about looking like a magical beast. Deadly beast always envied magical beast, but now that Tenko was going to become the first deadly beast to have the powers of a magical beast, Tenko became more excited and impatient to get that power.
Later that night, Rei put away the carved handles and took a moment to examine his own Chaos Scepter. He ran his fingers along its surface and noticed something strange.
"…What's this?"
Previously blank, the scepter's handle now bore faint symbols—etched in some ancient language, or perhaps not a language at all. They didn't resemble anything Rei had seen. He leaned in closer and noticed something else: the Qi stone embedded at the scepter's top was changing. It now held a faint cluster of violet particles, drifting within the otherwise dull grey stone.
Curious, Rei grabbed his notebook and documented the details. "Symbols... not accidental. And these particles... they look like they're forming a pattern."
He flipped through his herbology book and checked the entry on the Drasil tree, from which the scepter wood came. The section was pitifully short. Frustrated, he turned to a book on minerals. Tenko, seemingly sensing his confusion, nudged an Ore book towards him.
"Thanks," Rei murmured.
He skimmed through it but found the Qi stone's information equally sparse.
"Why are these two so underexplored?" Rei muttered.
He picked up the Chaos Scepter and carefully passed Qi through it. Immediately, the symbols flared to life, humming faintly, and the violet particles began swirling rapidly inside the stone. Within seconds, they formed a tight ring that spun with increasing speed, vibrating the scepter faintly.
Rei gasped, then furiously scribbled down his observations. Once finished, he set the scepter down beside him and lay back on his mat, eyes still thinking long after they'd closed.
But the Chaos Scepter wasn't done.
In the silence of the night, it began to hum faintly. Its Qi stone vibrated slowly, drawing threads of Qi from Rei's body. Not enough to harm him, but enough to sustain itself.
Tenko, who had not yet fallen asleep, turned to look at the scepter. His sharp eyes narrowed with curiosity and a trace of unease. He growled softly, unsure whether to bark and wake Rei—or simply observe.
The night deepened, shadows stretched, and Midgard remained still—save for the pulsing hum of a scepter that had begun to awaken.