Cane touched his psi-rune.
Cane: You around, Sophie?
Sophie: I'm visiting Mira.
Cane: I'm on my way with Jonas. He's gonna be me… no, I mean he's gonna be him… the one I was pretending to be.
Sophie: What?
Cane gathered his thoughts. It was easier to think than explain.
Cane: He's assuming the identity of the masked smith. Today, the mask comes off.
Sophie: Isn't he the size of a mountain?
Cane: Uncle adjusted things. Just play along. Pretend you know him.
Jonas walked beside him, sunlight on his shoulders and the presence of his apprentice slowly easing the weight on his spirit.
"Something up?"
Cane tapped his chin. "Well… the Highlander accent's spot-on. Maybe a little too clean, but no one'll question it." He had laughed the first time he heard his own voice while wearing the blacksilver mask—Telamon had laced it with a thick Highlander dialect, which Jonas already had.
"How long have I been here, as the masked smith?"
"Almost five months," Cane answered. As they walked, he filled Jonas in on the details—names, routines, who to wave to, who to avoid. "You're about to meet my girlfriend. Please don't embarrass me."
Jonas snorted. "I'd love to, normally, but I've got to stay in character."
"Mira will be with her. She's Sophie's best friend."
"Mira... she's Brenner's daughter, right?"
"Yep. Good memory."
"And who's Sophie?"
"I already told you—my girlfriend."
Jonas raised an eyebrow. "I thought your girlfriend was Rhiati."
Cane stumbled, nearly tripping on the dirt path. "What? Where'd you hear that?"
"From Telamon. He said something about you two being betrothed."
"You're messing with me," Cane muttered, still walking.
"Nope."
"Captain Rhiati and I are friends."
"Sure. Better not tell her father that."
Cane glanced around, lowering his voice. "Telamon told you about his daughter?"
Jonas nodded. "We talked a lot these past ten days."
"You're making that up."
Jonas laughed. "He's going to turn you into a toad. Does he know about Sophie?"
"Of course. Everyone knows. You're insane."
"Seem to be doing well with the ladies… apprentice."
"Don't even start."
They stepped onto the boardwalk just as Sophie and Mira spotted them. Mira's eyes went wide before she broke into a curious smile, hurrying forward.
Sophie greeted Cane with a kiss. "Good afternoon."
Cane gestured toward Jonas. "Talked Jonas into ditching the mask."
"This is better," Sophie said, hugging Jonas. He stiffened like a statue. "Sorry—it's just nice to finally see your face after all this time."
"Mira," Jonas added, staying in character. "If you hate it, I'll put the mask back on."
Mira blushed, shaking her head. "No… the burn's not bad at all. You've got a nice face."
"So do you," Jonas said, without hesitation.
Cane coughed. "Right. So… drinks at the pub?"
"We'll meet you there," Sophie said, linking arms with Mira. "Picking up a few things for my parents."
"Sounds good," Cane said, kissing her cheek. As the girls walked away, he turned to Jonas. "What the hell was that?"
Jonas blinked. "What?"
"You know what. Flirting with Mira? 'You have a nice face'? Who says that?"
Jonas scratched the back of his head. "Well, she said it first."
Cane shook his head. "You were wearing a mask for the last few months. Of course she said it."
"She's sweet. And I was being polite."
"She's also too young for you."
"No, she isn't."
Cane stopped mid-step. "Ha! So you were flirting."
"No. I just said she's not too young for me." Jonas gave him a sidelong glance. "I'm not the one juggling a girlfriend and a future wife."
Cane groaned. "Don't even joke about that."
After drinks with Sophie and Mira at the pub, Cane walked back to the smithy with Jonas. It felt good to have him around again. Like something that had been out of place was finally settled.
"You gonna be okay here by yourself?" Cane asked, not hiding the reluctance in his voice.
"Cane… this forge is amazing. The living area's perfect—understated, but everything has a place." Jonas glanced around, clearly impressed.
"There's a rune in the corner that links straight to my dorm. I can be here in an instant if anything comes up." Cane hesitated. "Seriously, though—are you sure you're good?"
"You already asked that," Jonas said with a grin, clapping him on the back hard enough to stagger him. "Now get out of here."
Cane chuckled. "Alright. I'll stop by tomorrow." He waved and stepped onto the transport rune.
Jonas turned back to the forge, smiling as he scooped some coke into the fire. Chimi let out a pleased cheer from within the flames.
A knock at the door drew his attention.
He opened it to find Sophie waiting. "Am I intruding?"
"No, not at all. Come in," Jonas said, stepping aside.
"I know we just met today," Sophie began, brushing a bit of hair behind her ear, "but I wanted to really meet you. You're Cane's master, and I didn't get to greet you properly."
There was a calmness about her—gentle, sure. Jonas could see right away why Cane cared so much. "Thank you, Sophie," he said.
She pulled up a stool and sat near the workbench. "He probably didn't tell you about everything he's done."
"He mentioned a few things," Jonas said, pointing toward the alloy bin. "Showed me some star-forged weapons, said he made new blends."
Sophie shook her head. "That's just the surface. Jonas… there's Cane's Folly, the Rift battle, the Interwoven Adamantium robes, the main gun on the Defiant, and the Starsong—a ship forged from a single piece of metal. He helped capture Ferin Shaw. Oh—and he foiled an assassination attempt on a duke."
Jonas blinked. "You're kidding."
"I'm not. There's more," Sophie said, eyes brightening. "But those are just the ones I remember."
She spoke for a while, filling in the gaps Cane would've never mentioned. Her voice was light but proud, every word revealing how deeply she cared. Jonas listened, asked questions, and quietly took it all in.
By the end of their conversation, he understood two things with certainty: Sophie loved Cane without hesitation, and she was fiercely proud of the man he was becoming.
He already knew Cane had grown. He carried himself differently. But now, he could see just how far his apprentice had come. Telamon had said Cane was changing the tide of the war. That his name was known across the kingdoms—as an inventor, an artificer, a smith, and a fighter. A true metallurgist with rare and staggering potential.
Jonas smiled as he turned in for the night. For the first time in a long time, he felt genuinely at ease. People cared about Cane. And Cane… was going to change the world.