He found the devilishly handsome Gaston waiting, arms crossed over his chest on the verdant plain when he reopened his eyes.
His old nemesis' smile grated at his mind, and his brows twitched when he peered into his starless dark eyes.
'I can't believe I'm helping him.'
A torrent of curses flooded his mind. But even if he hated Gaston, he knew the benefits he could bring balanced the risks.
He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, the fresh scent of nature somewhat calming his chaotic mind.
"What will Julius think..."
His shoulders trembled as he imagined his brother's disappointment collapsing on him like a boulder.
"Who cares? I'm not after any of you anymore. I've moved on to bigger and better things."
Gaston's evil chuckles echoed in the plain, disturbing its harmony with a veil of darkness.
"You bastard! I knew I couldn't trust you."
He spat through gritted teeth, his fists clenching and unclenching with the desire to rip Gaston's soul to shreds.
However, he frowned after the nightmare answered.
"It won't be anyone you know. In fact, it won't even be someone from this world. Let's say that some individuals you faced enlightened me. Oh! I revealed too much already."
Gaston placed a finger over his signature evil smile, shrugged his confusion off, and continued.
"I won't ask you for an incredible body since I'm an anomaly in the first place. Instead, use minerals attuned to darkness and possessing soul protection properties. The more, the better."
'Does this crazy man think I work for him or something?'
His lips quivered at the ridiculous demand.
'I'll build you a body out of dirt and gravel, nothing more!'
As he fumed, Gaston's next words doused his anger.
"I told you I'll make you smile after helping me. The materials I'm asking for have to do with that. But you can forget about it if you don't want the surprise I planned."
He frowned at the cryptic words and the mysterious spark flashing in his eyes.
'It's not like he's asking me to reinforce or increase his potential.'
He tapped his finger on his cheek, intrigue prickling his soul.
Despite his aversion to Gaston, he shrugged.
'What's there to hesitate about? I'm already bringing him back, anyway.'
The time for hesitation was long gone, and he had pondered the question already.
"Wait for a moment. I'll ask Shepard if he has some in his treasury, but don't expect high-tiered ones."
Without waiting for an answer, he vanished from the plain and went to the arcanist's room.
After a short negotiation and a few pleasantries with his mentor, he handed him a few gold coins in payment.
A moment later, he returned to his soul sea with a clinking bag filled with lustrous ores of all shapes.
"Don't bother me during the crafting. Even better, go play around. I'll call you once I'm done."
He peered into the nightmare's eyes, his impatient tone mirroring his tensing arms.
Gaston shrugged and sat on the lush grass, closing his eyes to appreciate nature or annoy him. He didn't know, but it didn't matter.
He forgot about him, and with determined movements, purified the ores. He begrudgingly merged a few next, surprising himself.
'I can't craft trash anymore...'
His pride as an enchanter forbade him to do so, especially after the two masterpieces he had created with his own hands.
His lips curled into an amused smirk at the thought as he picked the lower-tiered materials and began shaping them.
Milky flames engulfed his palms, and the rhythmical clangor and luster of obsidian mana hammers echoed on the plain for hours before he stopped.
The smell of melted minerals filled his nostrils, and smoke billowed in a wild dance around the dark organs and frame he had created.
'They should be perfect.'
He passed his hand on their metallic texture, feeling their smoothness, and nodded before turning toward the dimming ritual's light.
Awe twisted his lips as he retrieved the fused ore and a feeling of peace engulfed him the moment he touched the abyssal-looking tier-four material.
'I'll kill him if he complains about the quality.'
He chuckled, tightening his fists around it as sizzling sounds reverberated in the surroundings.
After a quick work, he shaped it into a lifelike heart and a pair of eyes.
Finally, from the organs to the circulatory and respiratory systems, he slotted each element like puzzle pieces until a humanoid, metallic puppet sparkled on the plain.
Head raised in pride, he turned to the lazing Gaston and pointed at the lifelike replica of the man when he once lived in the village as a gang leader. After all, he had only seen him when the bastard harassed Alina and after he woke up in the damned cave.
"I doubt you want to live in the crippled body you had when we met. So, it's your younger version."
"Excellent work! Let me bind it first."
He frowned as Gaston lunged at the puppet, like at a treasure, and seized its cold arm.
However, what shocked him was his words, not his actions.
'Selene said it takes years to bind an item. Don't tell me he can do it instantly!'
His pupils constricted, and a tremor jolted his shoulders in a mad dance as the puppet really disappeared a second later.
"What kind of scam is that? How did you do it?!"
He roared, gripping Gaston's collar.
However, Gaston shrugged as if he hadn't done anything special.
"Why are you shocked? I can see mana down to its smallest particles. Forcing them to resonate with me is child's play."
He backed a step, cursing under his breath at the unfair capacities the cruel prick possessed.
'Tsk. I would have been an archmage before reaching ten with your eyes.'
As he grimaced, Gaston's smile enlarged to reach his eyes, and he shivered when he saw the pervert glint flashing in their depth.
"I'll see you outside. You might experience a sharp pain for a few seconds, though."
He paled as Gaston swung his arm.