The Forge's Past

"Hey, Laitos!" Yuri asked, looking at Brax in front of him, "Do you really know where the Hearth Family is?"

Brax strained with all his might, his cheeks flushed, and once again desperately pulled at his arm, gritting his teeth as he said, "Isn't that right in front of you!"

"Also, my name is Brax, not 'Poop!'"

Yuri flicked his finger at his forehead, and Brax flew backward a long way, landing face down on the snow.

Yuri walked over and squatted down in front of Brax, waving the horn above his head. Brax immediately looked up like a shark smelling blood, reaching out to snatch it.

Yuri snatched it back, saying, "Want to go back? Take me to the Hearth Family and I'll give it to you."

Brax got up and sat sullenly on the ground, stubbornly saying, "I've already told you, I am the Hearth Family you're looking for!"

Yuri gave him a strange look. "You? A little kid? I've heard that the Hearth Family are all born blacksmiths. With your skinny arms and legs, how can you even swing a hammer?"

Although this kid is strong, he's only strong, and that's only because of the gauntlet.

If it's only this good, it won't be able to create the weapon he wants.

"Who says I can't swing a hammer anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Brax jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on.

He proved himself by saying, "In the life of every Hearth Family, there are two things more important than life itself."

"One is a horn, the other is a hammer in my hand! I crafted these boxing gloves myself!"

As he spoke, he showed Yuri the silver-white boxing gloves he was wearing, though they looked like they were still unfinished.

Yuri immediately retorted with disdain, "Don't you have any adults in your family?"

These words seemed to have touched a nerve; Brax's eyes darkened instantly, and he fell silent for a moment...

He kept his head down, his expression unreadable, his fists clenched tightly. After a long while, he finally said, "It's all gone, all gone. I'm the only one left in our tribe."

Yuri raised an eyebrow, beckoned with his thumb, and pointed to the bear-men piled up like a small mountain behind him.

"Was it done by those bear-men?"

According to legend, the Hearth Family perished two hundred years ago, but this little devil looks to be only about ten years old, so he certainly couldn't be someone from two hundred years ago.

In other words, there really is a group of survivors from the Hearth Family, but it seems they arrived a little too late.

"Hmm..." Brax said dejectedly.

"What are those things? They're neither human nor bear," Yuri asked.

There are bipedal humanoid monsters in this world, but this one clearly looks to be more than just a monster.

They know how to set up camp, use magical weapons and armor, and are well-trained with clear division of labor; they even know how to... cough!

In short, they are almost no different from humans.

This was the first time Yuri had encountered such a magical beast; otherwise, he wouldn't have let his guard down upon seeing the firelight and the camp.

Now that I think about it, there wasn't even a furnace here, so how could it have been the residence of the Hearth Family?

"They are followers of the Stormbringer, originally human, but were magically transformed into Bearfolk."

"The Stormbringer?" Yuri asked, puzzled.

Brax explained, "That's the overlord of Thunder Bluff, a demigod who worships power and destruction. He's been capturing us Hearth Family to forge weapons for him because he wants to wage war and create blood sacrifices."

"We refused, so we were slaughtered. Now, I'm the only one left in the entire tribe..."

Brax still remembers that day when the patriarch hid himself in the cooling furnace and told him that he must survive no matter what, to restore the faith and glory of the Furnace Hearth Family.

But how could I, who had always been the least talented in forging since childhood, be short, thin, and physically weak, possibly restore the faith of the Hearth Family?

"I heard you almost perished two hundred years ago, could it be because of that the Stormbringer?" Yuri went straight for the kill, angrily reopening old wounds.

Hey! Can't you speak properly?!

Brax jumped up angrily, but quickly sighed and said, "Legend has it that two hundred years ago, the Stormbringer wanted to wage war, so he demanded weapons and equipment from our gods."

"But our God refused to forge for Him, so He persecuted us, the Hearth Family, and so God and the Stormbringer fought each other."

"That battle shattered mountains, blocked rivers, and fractured canyons... It was precisely because the scope of this battle was so vast that it nearly led to the annihilation of the Hearth Family."

It turns out to be a legacy issue from the past.

Yuri pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you, the Hearth Family, also have a god you worship?"

He certainly didn't think the god Brax spoke of was a real deity; he guessed it was just something to be worshipped, probably Cain to Cain worshipped by the people of Caro Town.

It's just a slightly larger Devil at best.

"Certainly!"

When asked about his god, Brax exclaimed with immense excitement, "The God of the Forge — Ornn!"

"He is a demigod standing at the pinnacle of the forging world. We, the Hearth Family, are all His believers, taking pride in forging works that He praises. He is the faith of all of us in the Hearth Family."

"Only..."

As he spoke, Brax's previously adoring gaze suddenly darkened. "It's just because we held everyone back in that battle that God abandoned us..."

"Since then, we have been trying to create better works to attract God's attention, so that God might notice us again, but we have not succeeded for two hundred years."

"How do you know he abandoned you?" Yuri asked curiously.

That's what everyone says.

Brax's voice was low and somber. "After that battle, God disappeared without a trace..."

"Although He never acknowledges Himself as our god, He often carefully examines our creations and even fought a fierce battle against the Stormbringer for our sake."

"If it weren't for us holding us back, why has He refused to see us for two hundred years...?"

"Perhaps... he's dead?" Yuri said calmly.

"You're talking nonsense! Gods don't die!!" Brax angrily stepped forward and grabbed Yuri by the collar, seemingly forgetting the difference in strength between them.

"Everyone dies, otherwise why would you tell this story to someone you've only known for half a day?"

Yuri stared directly into Brax's eyes, as if forcing him to face reality.

"I just... I just..."

Brax gritted his teeth, trembling as he gripped Yuri's collar, his eyes bloodshot... After a long while, he suddenly collapsed to his knees, powerless.

"I just don't want the Hearth Family to be forgotten by the world..."

Pat, pat.

Melting snowflakes streamed down Brax's face.