The Forging of Jadefire, Sword of Destiny

Moriko was falling.

The weight of the sky pressed against her as she tumbled through a void, her jade sword still clutched in her grip. The pouch at her hip glowed with a mystical light, the gold nugget inside pulsing as if it had awakened. She barely had time to register the sensation before the world lurched into being around her.

She hit the ground hard, rolling onto a bed of brittle, dying grass. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and as she pushed herself up, she took in her surroundings. This place, wherever she had landed, was once a garden. Now, it was a ruin. Thorny shrubs strangled lifeless branches, and the remnants of a long-dried fountain stood cracked and forgotten. The only sign of purpose was an anvil, worn with age, resting in the heart of the desolation.

Moriko rose to her feet, her body aching but intact. She had been searching for answers about the ancient blade of her great grandmother, the stolen past of her family, the lost tales of her kin. Was this where the journey had led her?

A voice, warm yet firm, broke through her thoughts, startling her.

“What are you waiting for?”

She turned to see an old man approaching. His steps were slow, deliberate, yet light as if the weight of years had never truly settled upon him. He wore simple robes and a tattered brown hat. His hands dirt-stained from tending to the remnants of the garden. But there was something more to him, an enigmatic energy beneath his quiet demeanor. He seems both ancient yet youthful, all at once.

“Let’s shine this puppy up,” he said, motioning toward her blade.

Moriko hesitated but stepped forward. She placed the jade sword upon the anvil and, with it, the magic gold nugget that had burned with mystical light since Warrior #11988 knocked her back & she fell through the pool. Wizard #8437, the keeper of the Enchanted Garden, nodded in approval.

He reached into the folds of his robes and retrieved a small, flickering ember cupped in his palm. A sacred flame. His lips moved in a whispered incantation, words as old as the soil beneath them. Then, with a slow, deliberate breath, he exhaled, letting the sacred flame wash over the sword.

As if fast forwarding through the seasons of the cycle, everything changed in an instant.

Golden light surged along the blade, wrapping it in a halo of energy. The metal did not burn but rather absorbed the magic, drinking it in like parched earth welcoming rain. The jade shimmered, and veins of gold threaded through the sword’s surface, binding with its ancient craftsmanship. As the transformation took place, so too did the world around them.

All around her where there had been ruin, now life erupted. Vines coiled and stretched, blossoms unfurled in a riot of color, and the brittle grass underfoot turned lush and green. And the rose briar... The eternal roses, burst into bloom. Such magic. Such splendor. The garden was alive again. Vibrance pulsed in its very soil.

Sam smiled, his eyes reflecting the rebirth around them.

“You’re ready now,” he said. “You have the tools you need.”

Moriko’s heart pounded as she lifted the reforged weapon. It felt right in her hands, as though it had been waiting for this moment all along.

“The blade gilded, a story of old,

Bringing the prophecy of jade & gold.

High born daughter, to exile rode.

Return to the To the Order, brave & bold.

The ancestor of the Rose that was foretold."

Moriko looked at him, then at the sword. The power of her ancestors surged within her. She had found what she had been searching for, her origin began here with Sam, her great grandfather. Her quest was not just the life stolen from her family, but her true path.

Turning from her new found kin, she marveled at her new blade.. she took a breath and then spoke.

“I name this blade Jadefire”

The name that came to her lips was not just a name but a promise. A vow to protect, to fight for balance, to never let beauty and creation fall to tyranny. And as she spoke it, the garden bloomed anew. Sam nodded, satisfied.

“Go now, child of the rose,” he said. “Bring balance and peace back to the Runiverse. The garden will always be here for you, if you ever need it. I will be here, if ever you need it.”

With her sword in hand, Moriko turned toward her next journey, stepping forward with the strength of those who had come before her and the wisdom of those who walked beside her.

Written by MeepleDad featuring the next chapter in the tale of the Eternal Rose.

Entered by: 0x6809…e343 and preserved on chain (see transaction)