Chapter 15: Village Below the Mist III
---
John did not answer with words. He took the blade in both hands, turned toward a weathered stone pillar resting near the rear of the temple wall, and moved forward without ceremony. There was no anger in his step. No flair. Just a calm certainty.
He raised the weapon overhead. The forge light flickered across its void marked surface.
Then he brought it down. The sword cut through the pillar like a whisper. There was no sound. No clang. No ring of impact. Just a smooth passage of the edge through solid stone. For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the upper half of the pillar slid diagonally, almost delicately, and collapsed onto the floor.
Thud!
Dust burst into the air. A gray plume drifted up toward the ceiling. Chips of stone rolled across the ground. The severed edge of the pillar remained smooth, polished by the sharpness of the void infused blade.
Sera stared at the broken column, her eyes wide with quiet awe. She stepped closer, traced her fingers through the falling dust, and let out a slow breath.
"I see."
John turned away from the ruins and returned the blade to the forge table. The metal hissed faintly as it touched the surface, absorbing the residual heat.
He looked back toward her, his voice steady.
"Now do you understand why I will not kneel to nobles. Or beg to the mages who enslave others in shadowed tunnels."