Mythshaper

"Are you sure you don't want to buy anything?" Father asked as we left the shop.

After learning how artifacts were made and my mother's sacrifices to craft them for me, I was in no mood to look at any more fabricators. I guessed now I knew the secret process required for artifact creation. It required sacrifice.

It required one to strip away their hard-earned essence threads, and perhaps even the aether roots—the very source of their power. Forming those threads was already a painful process; I could only imagine how agonising sacrificing them would be.

"Son?" he asked, his palm touching my shoulder lightly. "Arilyn?"

"Ah, yes. We'll look into them later."

After examining the Band of Protection, Master Marn confirmed that the work was outrageously excessive—that only someone truly determined would strip away so many essence threads at once. It practically fractured one's essence capabilities in the short term, and the recovery process was even longer. I wanted to confront Mum immediately, to question how she could do that to herself.

With her knowing exactly what she was doing, I doubted I could change her mind. But I could at least stop her from working on the phoenix pendant, which she had indicated could become an even greater artifact. I reckoned it would take an even greater sacrifice, too. I clenched my teeth at the thought when Father’s voice interrupted me.

"I haven't given you anything, and I know anything I buy you will be nothing compared to what your mother has crafted for you. But I hope you'll accept something from me."

Is that what worries him? I thought, looking up at him.

"I will," I said, lessening the weight on his shoulders. "But don’t you think it's a waste to buy fabricators when we could build one ourselves?"

To examine the artifact, the old man Marn—who turned out to be the branch chief—had readily agreed to give me a huge discount on anything I bought. Thankfully, he included any raw materials they had in their forge as well. I was determined to return after dealing with the dreamweaver to buy everything I needed. If anything, the revelation of artifact creation only strengthened my resolve to create something valuable for Mother.