Cane returned the twin stars to equal brilliance. The balance was restored—but the discovery lingered. Red, blue, and green nodes remained visible now, their presence permanent.
He surfaced from Cold Iron.
Fergis was still seated on the floor, flipping pages in Mona, brow furrowed with casual intensity.
"I should activate the nodes and see what they do before trying to link the power node," Cane muttered.
"What?" Fergis glanced up.
"Nothing."
Cane pulled a small piece of Salt Alloy from his workbench, sinking into it with practiced ease. No adjustment to his aspect was needed—there they were: red, blue, and green nodes, waiting.
He tapped the red one.
Instantly, the other visible nodes vanished.
Returning to the surface, Cane turned the scrap of metal over in his hands. It looked unchanged.
Fergis peeked over again, sighing. "Brother… hey, what you got there?"
"Just something I'm working on."
"Feels familiar," Fergis said.
Cane handed him the alloy scrap.
The moment it touched Fergis's palm, his eyes lit up.
"Where did you get this?"
"Storage bin. Why?"
Fergis held it aloft—fire sprang from the metal, dancing in his hand.
"It's attuned to fire more than anything I've ever felt."
Cane said nothing, pulling out two more scraps and repeating the process—blue, then green.
Blue revealed its nature quickly: water attunement. No surprise there.
The green? That would have to wait.
A few minutes later, Clara arrived and perched at the desk, rolling the green-touched metal between her fingers.
"This is neat," she said. "What's it for?"
Fergis was still fiddling with the fire alloy. "You're changing the nature of these metals? Not hiding invisible runes or something?"
"Right," Cane nodded. "No runes. But in theory, they could still be enchanted."
Clara set the piece down and slipped off her focal.
"This is living wood. Guayanar seed and my own essence," she said quietly.
Cane raised a brow. "Yeah, I remember. I worked my ass off making it for you."
Clara didn't smile. She was serious.
"What would happen if you attuned it to my element?"
"No idea," Cane admitted. "Might do nothing. Or destroy it. Don't forget—your platinum acts as a suppressant to the living wood."
Fergis leaned in, eyes gleaming.
"What if it attuned to the wood element while still suppressing the wild growth of the Living Wood?"
"Think so?" Cane frowned. "Is it worth the risk?"
Clara and Fergis both nodded without hesitation.
"Remember, you asked," Cane said.
He immersed into the focal.
The world inside was blinding. Platinum brilliance shimmered all around him, luminous and commanding.
He activated the green node and surfaced.
The focal hadn't changed in appearance. Same shape. Same etched silver lacing.
Clara slipped it over her wrist, her eyes lighting up like a child at winter solstice.
"My boy!" she grinned, pointing dramatically at Fergis.
Her hands pulsed with power.
Snare.
Thick vines burst from the floor, wrapping Fergis head to toe.
These weren't the wispy vines from before—they were thick, fibrous, and unyielding.
"Let me try," Cane muttered, grabbing a strand. He strained, bending it slightly. "Too flexible to snap. Too strong to tear."
Fergis summoned Azar and slashed—sparks flaring as he forced his way through.
"I'm calling that an improvement," he said breathlessly.
Cane touched the psi-rune behind his ear.
Cane: Dhalia, you busy?
Dhalia: Not really.
Clara smirked.
Clara: Come to Cane's room. Bring your focal.
Dhalia whistled as she slipped her focal into place. Cane had just activated the blue node, attuning the base metal to water.
The result?
Way beyond anyone's expectations.
"Goodness," she said, flexing her hand as the air around her shimmered with moisture. "Let's break one of Clara's legs—for science. I have to field test this."
Clara scowled, shaking her red curls. "Hard pass."
Fergis grinned and handed his sword to Cane. "Brother, do your thing."
Cane shrugged. "Sorry. Rebonding the rust stripped all the nodes. You're stuck with what you've got."
Fergis sighed dramatically. "Guess I'll mope with my mythic blade."
Cane (laughing): "Yeah. Tragic."
The four of them huddled around Cane's desk, discussing the implications of elemental attunement.
It was Clara who leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "You should make an elemental ring."
Cane: "Why?"
Clara (pouting): "Because it'd look cool. Didn't you make that First Knight lady a copper rose? You can't make a few rings for your team?"
Cane: "Here we go. He lunged toward her. Give me that focal back!"
Clara shrieked as Cane grabbed at her wrist, sending her tumbling off the chair with a dramatic bang.
She popped up a second later, face flushed. "I'm okay!"
Laughter filled the room.
Cane shook his head, still grinning as he gathered the three scraps of metal attuned to fire, water, and wood.
"I'm not doing this because you begged like an ugly puppy. I'm doing it because it's easy."
He sank into each metal in turn, shaping and fusing them with effortless precision. Moments later, three sleek elemental rings lay in his palm.
He tossed one to Clara.
She slipped it on immediately. "I don't feel anyth—"
Her sentence cut short.
Her hand ignited.
"OH GOD!"
Clara dove onto Cane's bed, using the sheets to smother the flames—only to set those on fire too.
Cane (laughing): "Take the ring off!"
Clara (flailing): "It's HOT! I'm gonna DIE!"
Fergis stepped in, grabbed her wrist, and yanked the ring free with a grin.
Clara collapsed backward, heaving exaggerated breaths like she'd run a marathon.
"I almost died! You did that on purpose!"
Cane (innocently): "Did what? You wanted a ring."
Clara: "The wood ring!"
Cane: "Ohhh… right. That was the fire ring. My fault."
Fergis examined the fire ring before slipping it on.
A subtle glow pulsed along his fingertips.
"This is nice. My element's way more accessible."
Cane: "Like your casting efficiency improved?"
Fergis: "Exactly like that."
Dhalia examined Clara's hand, brow furrowed. "Nothing. Not even red."
"So it didn't really burn her," Fergis muttered, clearly trying not to sound disappointed.
Dhalia shook her head. "No... I think her natural wood attunement clashed with the fire. We need someone without a conflicting element."
Cane stepped over to the wall and traced a familiar pattern on the psi-rune.
"Metal man!" came a cheerful female voice. "This is a surprise. Finally ready to give electricity a shot?"
"What the hell does that mean, Zio?" Cane laughed. "Come to my room in Seven Tower."
"That's demanding," she teased. "But you've earned it. On my way."
Fergis groaned. "You called the lightning queen? If this goes sideways, we're all getting zapped."
Cane ignored him, already working. He quickly forged three more rings, each infused with an elemental node.
"Before she gets here, put on a second ring—one with your own element," he said.
Clara rubbed her hands together with mischievous glee. "Good idea! I'm gonna grow a giant tree right through the middle of Seven Tower."
They tested the theory.
Nothing.
Each elemental ring worked on its own—but when paired with another, the effects canceled each other out.
A few minutes later, Zio arrived—short black hair neatly styled, her former wild static now contained.
"This a party?" she said, strolling in with a smirk. "No wonder you invited me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Clara frowned.
"Just saying… you guys are boring."
Clara looked ready to pounce, but Dhalia caught her by the arm, holding her back.
"I've got three elemental rings," Cane explained, holding up the fire ring. "We need someone with a neutral affinity to test them."
"And my payment?" Zio asked with a raised brow.
"The RED bracer. The one that keeps you from zapping everyone you touch."
"Nice try," Zio said, smirking. "I repaid you with my everlasting friendship."
Clara: "Can he return that?"
Zio: "Nope. Hence the term everlasting."
Cane chuckled. "You can keep one of the rings. Fair?"
"Now that's a deal," Zio said, clapping her hands. "I love first years."
"This one's fire," Cane warned, handing it over. "If it burns, take it off."
"You'll heal me, right?" Zio asked Dhalia.
"And my payment?" Dhalia replied smoothly.
"Everlasting—"
"Nice try."
Zio rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I was joking."
She slipped on the ring. Her expression remained neutral.
"Nothing?" Cane asked.
Zio turned her hand upward.
A small flame flickered to life—no larger than a candle's.
"That's... impressive," Fergis said, recovering first. "She's an advanced elementalist. The ring's enhancing her control."
Zio's grin stretched ear to ear. "You guys get all the good stuff. Can I have this one?"
"Try the others first," Cane said, swapping the fire ring for the wood one.
"Ugh. Wood's boring," Zio muttered—then blinked as three thin vines sprouted from her palm.
"Hey!" Clara barked, face flushed. "You won't be laughing when I beat you with a stick."
"Stop causing trouble," Cane sighed, handing over the water ring.
Both girls smirked, clearly assuming the scolding was meant for the other one.
Zio slid on the last ring.
Her eyes went wide.
"Oh, brother… I want this one."
"Not fire?" Cane asked.
"Nope," Zio said. "I can't test this in here, but trust me—water and lightning? I need space for this combo. I'll field test it and report back tomorrow."
Cane glanced at his bedding, still faintly scorched from Clara's earlier excitement.
"Good idea. Thanks for the help."