Chapter 1: For Hephaestus

"I. . . to think I would actually end up getting sent to another world."

My name is Jason Reynolds, a college student studying for accounting. I always spent my time studying and never hanging out with friends so I whenever I had free time it was always spent alone. Luckily for me I had something to keep me company during those times, Fiction.

Comic books, cartoons, anime, manga, so on and so forth. Whenever I was free I would immerse myself into the stories and adventures that unfolded within the lives of heroes and villains, workers and athletes, whatever the genre was I always enjoyed it. But there was one story in particular that I enjoyed more than others.

I was always a fan of mythology and not any specific one though my favorite is definitely Greek. Japanese, Greek, Roman, etc. This is the reason the Percy Jackson series is my favorite book series and also the reason why my favorite story of all time is the story of Bell Cranel.

Now don't misunderstand, Bell Cranel himself I don't really have much love for. He's a good kid but he's far too naïve for my tastes. The gods and their personalities, the way they interact, the way they are drawn, all of it made me fascinated to see these mythological characters brought to life in such a way. And now. . . Now I'm actually here in Orario, In the same city as countless gods. In the same city as her.

Above all the other gods, Hephaestus is the one I like the most. No, LOVE the most. You can call me weird all you like but the moment I saw her I fell in love. Many times I dreamed and fantasized about being able to meet her. Of course I wasn't so delusional to think it would actually happen but. . . here I am. In the dungeon city of Orario, In the body of a boy named Heine.

Before I arrived, Heine like myself, was a loner, he only spent his time either at home or at the markets. He was a young blacksmith without a Familia and therefore, without a falna. This of course means he has no customers since people prefer the high-quality and more well known works from adventurers in Familias but It's not like he wanted any. He goes to the markets in the southwest of Orario to either buy ores for smithing or browse the weapons and armors to learn more about how to make them. Heine only had one dream, to one day join the Hephaestus Familia.

While others join the Familia to grow as a blacksmith, Heine grew as a blacksmith to join the Familia. This is because unlike most other blacksmiths, He too is in love with Hephaestus. However before his dream could be achieved, he died in an accident in his forge which also serves as his home.

Now in Heine's Forge, I sit and hold my head while taking in all of the memories flowing in. Knowledge on blacksmithing that I did not have before flows in and I have to grit my teeth to not scream at the stinging pain.

After what feels like forever I finally stand up and look around. Taking in the sights of the forge, feeling the heat of the flames, the smell of iron, I look to the anvil where Heine's hammer lies. Along side it a piece of Oricalchum which Heine had just spent his life savings to buy. The purpose of which to craft a sword to present to Hephaestus in hopes of impressing her.

My body feels sore, most likely from laying on the ground unconscious for an unknown amount of time. My stomach rumbles from hunger and my eyelids feel heavy from tiredness. I have to make effort to simply walk to the anvil and use my full strength to lift the hammer which normally takes almost none.

I should listen to myself but there is something stopping me from doing so. Something drawing me, guiding me to work. I grab the tongs and use them to grab and hold the Oricalchum in the Flames as the ancient techniques specially made for forging it flash through my head, the final gift from Heine's. . . my parents.

'I want to wash up, I want to eat, I want to sleep'

These thoughts run through my head as I watch the color of the Oricalchum turn redder as it heats up in the flames. I ignore the thoughts flashing through my mind and clench my hand around my hammer tighter as I pull the red-hot Orichalcum out of the flames and place it on the anvil. I lift my hammer up above my head and pause for but a moment before bring it down onto the searing hot ore before me.

As the hammer strikes true all my tiredness, all my soreness, all my hunger, and all my wandering thoughts disappear and the only thing that matters is what lies in front of me. My mind slowly goes blank as my body moves rhythmically to mold the Oricalchum to my liking. No, not my liking, Hephaestus's liking. This is for her, not myself. This is for her. . . This is for Hephaestus. . . For Hephaestus. . .

'For Hephaestus. . .'

'For Hephaestus. . .'

'For Hephaestus. . .'

----- Line Break -----

"Ugh." There is far too much paperwork today. Then again there is far too much nearly everyday. Instead of sitting here reading and signing papers I could be making something. Normally I wouldn't mind doing this as it is important for the Familia but how am I supposed to focus on words in front of me with that damn voice in my head!?

'For Hephaestus. . .'

'For Hephaestus. . .'

'For Hephaestus. . .'

For the past year Those words have been going off in my head without rest alongside the sound of a hammer hitting metal. I've asked my closest friends and associates if they know anything and yet I've discovered nothing. Instead, some of them are now sure that I've gone insane.

Tsubaki is essentially the only one who believes me but even so it doesn't change the fact that I can't figure out where that voice is coming from. I've speculated that wherever it is coming from has to be from within Orario but despite searching I have yet to find anything at all.

"Damn it. . ." I put the pen down an lean back in my chair as I close my eyes. Normally the sounds are quiet, like someone standing behind me and whispering into my ear, but If I focus on them they become much louder to the point it feels like I'm there. Wherever there is, in the forge standing next to whoever is swinging that hammer, Whoever keeps chanting 'For Hephaestus'.

Despite my annoyance with the constant sounds in my head I sometimes find it peaceful to just focus on them. It makes me calm down and not stress or worry about everything going on in the world. Something that normally only happens when I'm forging something myself. As I immerse myself in the sounds of the hammer and the voice chanting my name, something changes.

"Finally. . . Finally I've finished." The voice says as he brings his hammer down one last time. The resonating sound being far louder than ever before but this time unlike all other times I did not hear it in my head, and I was not the only one who heard it.

Tsubaki comes running into my office moments later and locks eyes with me for a few seconds before I nod and get up. Both of us rush out of my office and out of the tower, then proceed to rush towards the source of the sound. I only know the general direction which seems to be over on the east side of Orario. As we run I feel something change.

My Arcanum is flowing out of my body towards where the sound was heard. This shouldn't be possible. My Arcanum are my powers, my divine right as a Goddess. Even though I can't use them here in the lower world they are still mine. For something to take. . . no this is not taking. I don't feel them disappearing. Instead, a connection seems to have opened up to allow someone else to use them and I think I know who.

I speed up, and as I do so I notice people all along the street looking around and up towards the sky looking for the source of the sound. I then realize that I'm most likely the only one who knows the exact location due to the connection to my Arcanum. I can't let anyone else get to this person, so I turn into the side streets with Tsubaki on my heels, confused but not asking any questions due to her complete faith in me.

I smile as I proceed to take twists and turns to make sure no one can follow me or figure out that I know where to go in case anyone notices me rushing around out of character. Even more so I cant risk Freya or anyone from her Familia noticing. She'll do anything to snatch people that catch her interest and I have a gut feeling that this absolutely will.

Soon enough we arrive at a small house deep into Daedalus Street. The building looks run down which indicates that the owner does not have much money and the surrounding of the building is overrun with nature. Grass nearly up to my knees and vines crawling over the brown bricks that make up the wall. A rickety wooden door and a single window through which I can see light indicating the resident is home. From the chimney I can see smoke rising from what I can assume to be the fire in the forge. I take a deep breath before opening the door and taking a step inside with Tsubaki right behind me.

Once inside, I take a look around at the small rustic house obviously lived in and made for one person before noticing a door in the back with a flame-like light shining through the gap at the bottom. Realizing this is the door to the forge I quickly move towards it and open it reveal the sight of a young boy around the age of 15 or so standing in front of an anvil with a hammer in one of his hands. He has short and shaggy dark brown nearly black hair and fair skin. Both of his hands are limply hanging down at his side. I clear my throat before speaking.

"Are you the one who has been saying my name for the past year?" I ask only to receive no response. I frown at being ignored and move forward and around the anvil to look at the boy face to face.

Once there I realize why I had received no response. His hazel eyes are blank indicating he is unconscious. 'Mind Down' I realize. Does he have a falna? Is he already a part of someone's Familia? I wonder worriedly to myself.

Ignoring the inappropriateness of doing so I quickly begin taking off his blacksmiths apron and his shirt to look at his back. I can feel Tsubaki's eyes boring into to me from behind but I ignore it in favor of seeing his falna only to find none. He's never joined a Familia. Then how? I look down to the anvil and only now notice the blade lying upon it. There's no handle or guard and it has yet to be sharpened but none of those things matter.

I carefully lift the blade with both hands as if carrying a treasure and look closely at it. This blade can really only be described with one word.

"Beautiful" The moment the word leaves my mouth the boy lets out a small sound making me look up at him. His eyes are still blank but they are now shedding tears and he has a bright smile on his face. Then the connection to my Arcanum increases in size and the boy begins changing.

The first change leads to my eyes widening and Tsubaki letting out a gasp. The boy is exuding the same divine aura as Gods. The same aura as me. Second, his eyes and hair begin changing to match the same shade of red as mine and his hair become longer reaching down to his shoulders. Third, his body's muscles become more defined and he becomes slightly taller. Losing the small amount of excess fat on his body has made his face more refined and handsome. Lastly the same voice from before appears once more.

"For you. . . Hephaestus" These words, for some reason touch my heart. I do not know why. I have heard him say my name many times over the past year but this time something feels different about it. As if before when he said my name it was with a distant feeling but now. . . There is a closeness and confidence there that was not before.

"Lady Hephaestus!" I hear Tsubaki call out to me.

I look at her an notice she is pointing at the boys back. I walk around the anvil to lay eyes on the boys back once more only to feel immense shock. On the boys back is a falna. A falna with the symbol of a volcano with two hammer crossing over it. My symbol. Somehow without me dropping my blood onto his back and creating the falna myself, he has joined my Familia.

I carefully look at the details and the more I read the more shocked I become. However, with that shock comes immense excitement and with that excitement comes embarrassment and fear. The excitement is for having this boy in my Familia, No, for him existing. His existence will definitely change everything and bring an immense shock to Orario. The embarrassment is due to the details of one of his skills. Reading it makes me blush and makes my heart race. It also give me hope but that hope is quickly replaced by fear.

'What if he doesn't like my face, what if he sees my eye and runs away screaming like everybody else. I. . . I. . .' Lost within my thoughts I don't notice Tsubaki come up behind me and begin looking at the falna. After a while I feel her poking my side and I look at her only to see her staring at me with a large grin. Quickly understanding she read the falna I blush and look away from her. I quickly dress the boy back up and tell Tsubaki to carry him.

"Are you sure you don't want to carry him yourself?" she asks me, still having that grin plastered on her face.

"Shut up, Tsubaki." I say and walk out of the house. She grabs the boy and soon catches up to me while carrying him, still grinning. As we walk the side streets to avoid being seen as much as possible, I think about what the future may hold now that this boy is in my life for what I feel will be a very, very long time with a small smile on my face.

[Name] - Heine

[Age] - 15

[Race] - Demi-God

[Level] - 1

[Strength] - H100

[Endurance] - H100

[Dexterity] - H100

[Agility] - H100

[Magic] - H100

[Skills] - {Hammer of Hephaestus} - {Forge Library} - {Dimensional Storage} - {Armament Master} - {Demi-God}

[Magic] - {Divine Flame}

[Development Abilities] - {Divine Blacksmith}

{Hammer of Hephaestus}: Gained due to constantly spending your blood, sweat, and tears for a year straight to create a blade worthy of your love for Hephaestus.

- Divine Blacksmith: Can smith weapons and armor on the level of gods as well as apply different effects and magics to them.

- Divine Connection: Hephaestus's Arcanum flows through you granting you a direct connection to her through it allowing you to communicate with her no matter the distance. It also gives the both of you access to each other's senses and should you allow it, Hephaestus can temporarily take control of your body.

- Extension of Hephaestus: You can use your connection to Hephaestus to access and update the falna of the members of her Familia.

{Forge Library}: Grants you a mental library of blueprints of every weapon or armor you have ever created or assimilated.

- Browse: Allows you to browse through all the blueprints in your library.

- Withdraw: Allows you to withdraw a copy of a blueprint from the library into physical form.

- Automate: Allows you to automate the smithing process. The better your understanding of the process the better the result.

- Replicate: Allows you to replicate a weapon or armor. The better your understanding of the original item and how it is made the better the replication.

- Assimilate: Allows you to learn the crafting process of a weapon or armor while destroying it in the process. The more you Assimilate the better the blueprint. Likewise, you can also practice crafting the item to improve the blueprint.

{Dimensional Storage}: Grants you access to a personal Storage dimension.

- Open: Opens a storage space.

- Close: Closes a storage space.

- Swap: Swaps the currently active storage.

- Create: Creates a new storage space.

- Erase: Erases the currently active storage space and everything inside of it.

{Armament Master}: You have an immediate mastery of a weapon or armor the moment you pick it up or equip it.

{Demi-God}: Through your love and dedication towards Hephaestus, The goddess of the forge, you have received access to her Arcanum, remaking you into a Demi-god.

- God eyes: You can see through the lies of mortals as well as Illusions. You can also see details most people cannot and will instinctively be able to tall when something is out of place.

- Language of the Gods: As a Demi-God you have an innate understanding of hieroglyphs.

- Divine Aura: You have a presence that seems otherworldly to mortals and overbearing when you want it to be.

- Divine Body: Your limit surpasses that of mortals allowing you to grow much more and your foundation is stronger.

- Divine Growth: You grow at a much faster pace compare to mortals.