Harvey awoke with a start when he heard a knock. He scrambled to his knees, craning to see the front door. The forge was silent, and he rubbed his eyes. He’d been dreaming of a family cruise in the Caribbean and wondered if the knock was just in his head.

  Right when he moved to lie back down and desperately fight to get back on the boat, they knocked again.

  “Coming! Just a second!” Harvey called, scrambling to pull his tattered robe over his head. He swore when he realized he’d poked through a massive tear in the side. He stumbled over the wood scraps on the floor and nearly shouted when one stabbed into his bare foot. Jumping on one leg, he tore the shard out and finished dressing before yanking open the door.

  “Good morning!” Harvey called, looking down at Elena.

  “Hi, Harvey.” She replied. “Did you say morning? It’s after lunch.”

  “Well, it’s morning for me. I may or may not have pulled an all-nighter.” Harvey yawned, stretching his arms as he welcomed her inside. This time, he carefully picked through the messy floor until he got to his socks and boots.

  “That would explain the look.” She replied, following him in.

  “Look? What look?” Harvey asked.

  “You’ve got drool stains on your mouth, and your hair is wild right now.” She added, hiding a laugh.

  Harvey’s eyes shot open, and he wiped his mouth on his robe before running his hands through his hair. The grease nearly made him gag as he tried to flatten it.

  “Well, sorry, but there’s only one mirror around here, and sometimes I forget it’s important not to look like a mad scientist.” He joked. “What brings you here?”

  “Gary sent me to see if you need any help.” She sighed.

  “No way, Gary wants to help me?” Harvey asked incredulously. There was no way the bloodsucker would voluntarily send Scoutmaster someone to help.

  “I just think he wants to get rid of me. I'm supposed to be on the wall crew like yesterday, but he said I’m too weak to waste a tool on, and I’m no good in a fight.” She replied.

  “Why the hell would he say that? You’re not weak. You were doing just fine yesterday.” Harvey replied.

  “I was doing my best, but I’m a soccer player. We’re built to run, not hack trees apart with swords.” She huffed.

  “Well, I honestly don’t know what helping around here is going to look like yet, but I’m happy if you want to stick around! As long as you won’t be offended if I can’t really chat while I’m working.” Harvey replied.

  “I won’t bother you. Just let me know if I can help with anything.” Elena replied.

  “You wouldn’t be bothering me. I’m just still figuring all of this stuff out, and as you can see from my beautiful creation over there I’m nowhere near a prodigy.” Harvey said, pointing at the modified grindstone.

  “It looks a little crude, but from what the loggers were saying, it worked. They asked me to thank you.” Elena added.

  “Really? I’m glad! Hopefully, it will hold up for a while, and we can keep things moving around here.”

  A huge smile crossed his face, proud that his hard work was already paying off. The guilt of spending so much merit on himself while Julian was constantly buying food, sleeping bags, and potions for all the new survivors was still gnawing at him, but he was relieved that his investment was already showing returns.

  Elena cleared her throat awkwardly and asked. “Want me to sweep this mess? Gary rigged a broom out of a cut-up sleeping bag and a stick.”

  “When we get back. I actually got the option to choose a profession last night, but didn’t want to wake anybody up using the Loom. Do you want to tag along?” Harvey asked.

  “I’d love to see that thing in action again, it’s mesmerizing.” A genuine smile lit up her face as she nodded, and warmth spread inside him. They looked nothing alike, but Elena reminded him of his sister Eleanor back when she was her age. She had been deathly shy growing up, barely speaking to anybody other than family and a few friends at church. He was shocked when he learned that she had decided to go to law school. The thought of her standing in a courtroom was almost more alien than him being dropped in a half-dead forest.

  Apparently, the intelligent little girl he’d always known was now on display for the world to see. He hoped she was ok, wherever The System had taken her.

  They left the forge together and headed towards the chapel.

  “Are you getting close to your first skill?” Harvey asked.

  “No, I’m barely level 3.” She replied, dejected.

  “That’s ok, most of the other veilstriders are about the same.” Harvey consoled.

  “Maybe, but with how strong the animals are getting, I’m worried I’ll get left behind. Ever since Gary found me, I’ve hidden with Amy while he kills the monsters.” Elena replied.

  “Sounds like exactly what I did with Julian!” Harvey replied. “Lucky for me, he wasn’t going to let me off the hook whether I liked it or not. I’d be happy to go hunting with you sometime.”

  “Really? You’re not worried I’d get in the way?” She asked.

  “You’re not worried about me!” Harvey replied. “Look, we’re all new to this. I don’t know many people on earth who have spent much time killing birds with a sword. We all need practice, and it’s nice to have someone watching your back while you get on your feet.”

  She didn’t respond for a moment, fidgeting until she finally asked. “Why are you so nice to me?”

  “Honestly, you remind me of my little sister, but I’d like to think I’m nice to everyone. You’re just the first person I’ve met here who actually sounds like they need my help.” Harvey replied.

  They opened the door to the chapel and picked their way through the empty sleeping bags to the loom. Elena took a seat in one of the pews as Harvey placed both hands on the orb. The weave covering his skin glowed as rainbow light poured out, surrounding him until all he could see was the loom. Like before, he felt an unimaginable power resting within it, silently judging his legacy. The weave on his skin shuddered as meaning pressed into his mind.

  You seek to imprint your legacy on the Cosmic Tapestry. Choose carefully, Harvey Thorne. The choice you make now lays the foundation for all that comes next. Your class and profession are your tools to carve a place in eternity.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  The vast consciousness receded, and memories of his life appeared in the haze around him like before. Taking a moment, he steadied his heart before searching for the pieces he needed. He wasn’t scared. If anything, the gravitas of this decision only reassured him that he was right to bet on himself.

  The first memory he grabbed was his long night of reading, and he was shocked to see a fiery red and orange light already glowing brighter than it had when he created his fangbreaker skill. His first attempt using the loom had seen no single memory anywhere close to viable on its own. Considering his otherworldly absorption as he read and the book's disintegration upon its completion, there must be more to the guides than he thought. It was comforting to know the loom already considered he had a great option, but he wanted to see if he could improve it.

  He found the experience of repairing the grindstone, and was elated to see it noticeably improve his budding profession. If he’d come straight here after finishing the book, he would’ve missed a great opportunity. For a moment, he wondered if he should wait and experiment more before coming back later, but impatience got the best of him.

  He experimented with adding more memories, but the only other thing he found that improved it was building his AI. Interestingly, the color of the glow behind his combination changed slightly. Before, it was like a fiery orange sun shone from the loom, but his addition added a touch of silver.

  Satisfied, he gave his mental assent and waited with baited breath as the visions sank into the loom. The red, orange, and silver spools above spun to life, sending thread cascading down, but instead of weaving into a tattoo like the skill sigil on his arm, the thread shot toward him and burrowed into his weave. He felt it writhing beneath his skin as it invaded every part of him, integrating itself with the inky veins that stretched from head to toe.

  It wasn’t painful, but invigorating. Sure, it was uncomfortable feeling the thread dig through him like worms under his skin, but it was like infinite potential being mainlined into the very fabric of his being. Eventually, the loom severed each thread, leaving new glowing lines covering his body. As the rainbow light retreated, the burning glow of a level up erupted from his body. When his sense of the outside world returned, he heard Elena screaming as she rushed over to him.

  “Oh my god! Are you ok?” She screamed.

  “Better than ok. I feel amazing!” He replied, unthinkingly wrapping his arms around her in a consoling hug. She flinched before hugging him back.

  A screen flashed in front of his face.

  Gaining the profession had come with his first level, and he threw both of his free points into dexterity before opening his status screen.

  Seeing his race level improve confirmed that it was a combination of his class and profession, which meant his overall stats would shoot up as he burned through the early profession levels. He’d already seen massive improvement across the board, but seeing his willpower at 21 when just days earlier he’d been trapped at one nearly brought him to tears.

  The world had been so dark, even before his stain appeared on his chest. It had only been a few days, but he’d gone from killing himself to never feeling more alive.

  He patted Elena on the back and pulled her away, wiping a tear from his eye. Concern lay on her face, but he said nothing as he basked in the serenity of the silent chapel. He’d made a promise that he’d never give up on himself again, and today felt like the next step in taking back control of his life.

  Hey everyone!

  First off, thank you so much for reading Forged Legacy! I can’t believe we’ve already hit 77 followers in just over two and a half weeks! Your comments and support have made writing this story twice as rewarding.

  Starting tomorrow, I’ll be switching to daily releases at 9:10 AM PST for the duration of the Writeathon. If you’re enjoying the story, please consider following, favoriting, or leaving a rating! Every bit of support helps Forged Legacy reach more readers during the event, and it's a free way to let others discover a book they might enjoy too!

  Thanks again for being here! My backlog is all the way out to chapter 43, and I can’t wait to share what’s coming next in Harvey's story!