"Astrium? You're not going to even attempt to suggest that such a name is merely a coincidence, are you?"

Astra raised an eyebrow, giving Titus a side eye as she weighed the blade in her hand. The obsidian crafter chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"Of course not Mistress Astra. The metal was created with you in mind, thus it seemed only right that it would be named after you. I'm glad to see that is a wonderful success, if I do say so myself. It's initial discovery was an accident, just something I was tinkering with in my free time, but once I discovered it's unique properties, I knew who it was destined to be in the hands of. All it took was a small part of refining, and we have this wonderful creation before you.

Of course, Julius was the one who carved the runes into the handle, an integral part of the final result."

"On your free time away from forging... You continue to forge?"

He shrugged.

"Yes. Like a game tester going home to play more games. It relaxes me, and it is what I am good at. I can't help it. But I'm sure you can agree, even as a personal project it is a wonderful blade."

She narrowed her eyes as he spoke, taking a closer look at the truly gorgeous and intricate carvings, as well as sparing the creator a glance, before focusing back on Titus.

"It is indeed wonderful, but I can't help but wonder how you made it for me in mind. We've never met, yet you can craft such a masterpiece specifically for me. How?"

It was almost spooky how perfect this weapon was for her. Not only was the metal named after her, and worked perfectly alongside her ability as well as being seemingly powered by it. But the handle fit perfectly in her hand, as if the crafter had a detailed knowledge of her hand.

Not just that, but it seemed almost like it was intended to make up for her weakness when it came to controlling multiple blades. It was a concept she had played with, especially after watching Seth use his legion of arrows, but she could never quite get it.

Whether it was a limit of her powers, or simply her mindset, she could never wrap her mind around controlling so many different things at once. She was only able to move them as one, like a swarm. It worked, but it limited their effectiveness.

This blade, while also being one object like the swarm, removed the need and was much more flexible than the swarm. It cut out the part she was weak with and replaced it with a strength, as well as giving her a flexible weapon.

Titus chuckled at her question, tapping the side of his head in response before looking over to Seth, who was still being held captive by Julius and his experiments.

"We share his memories. Not all of them, but many of them. I don't even know if he is fully aware of it. We can view his memories of his family, of his life before. We see wonderful things and get inspired, it helps us learn too.

But there are also many memories of you, filled with many details about you, more details than some others. So when I discovered the metal and its properties, I could think of no one better.

Think of it as a gift, not only from myself and Julius, but from our Father as well. One gift of many."

Astra frowned as he spoke, her eyes drifting down to the blade that was resting in her hand as Titus silently shuffled off to the side. She traced her thumb against the white jade handle, feeling the smooth and cool texture against her blackened fingers, before wrapping her hand tight around the handle once more.

She felt how the handle moved with the curves of her slender fingers, how it slotted into her palm so that the edge was easier to align and so that the sleek handle had more trouble slipping from her grip. And as she did so, a gentle smile crept its way onto her lips, one she couldn't hold back if she tried.

Titus gently touched her shoulder, bringing her attention away from the blade, and towards the box he held in his hands. It was long wooden box, a bit longer than the sword was.

He was currently holding it open, displaying the swords sheath, which was resting on a bed of smooth Astrium.

Astra quickly, and with some effort, wiped the smile from her face before clearing her throat to regain her composure, not that Titus seemed to mind. She plucked the sheath from the box, which also seemed to stick to her hand, and placed the blade inside its sheathe.

On a hunch, she placed the sheath against her hip, before simply letting go. Much to her expectations, the blade simply stayed stuck to her hip, regardless of the fact it was lacking any form of straps or belting.

She made a few movements, making sure that it didn't restrict her in any way, before nodding in satisfaction.

Once the sword was secure, she focused on the contents of the box again, tilting her head curiously. Slowly moving her hand over the box, the sheer surface that layered the bottom shifted. It moved like a liquid, because that was precisely what it was. Parts of it sticking up, forming a spiked hemisphere underneath her hand.

"Astrium Dust based Ferrofluid. More impact resistant than you'd think. I thought that it would be suitable as a last resort shield. Something you can wear underneath normal clothing or armour for extra protection."

She considered his explanation before nodding softly, using her ability to lift the fluid out of the box. It ungulated as it levitated, forming a spiked ball of shifting liquid. With some concentration, she was able to manipulate its shape.

It couldn't form a cutting edge nor were the spikes harmful as they would simply compress if pushed against something, but she could form it into a shield if need be as well as use it to act as armour, like Titus suggested. Any impact landing on it had its force completely distributed throughout the entire liquid as it hardened rapidly, acting as a non-Newtonian fluid. It was truly incredible.

It landed in her hands, before flowing through the gaps in her armour. The cool liquid spread across her skin, sending a shiver down her spine, as it wrapped around her like body suit.

Of course, Astra wasn't privy to the fact that wearing this liquid suit in this way was an idea based on Seth's own black blood armour, nor the fact that it made them a matching pair. That information was for the twins alone, and Titus couldn't help but smiling at the thought.

Astra rolled her shoulders, testing the feeling of the suit on her body. It was odd, and a little uncomfortable, since it felt like she was constantly submerged in a pool of cool water, but it was something she would have learn to live with so that she could be protected in civilian clothes.

"If you would like, Mistress Astra, I could make a storage device for the liquid for when you don't wish to wear it."

She blinked a few times, halting as she was currently stretching to see if it 'invaded' certain parts of her body and how best to wear it comfortably. She cleared her throat again, lowering her arms and standing rigid like a guard on duty.

She held out her hand, gathering the liquid in her palm before depositing it back into the box before Titus closed the box with a smile.

"Any form you'd like to request?"

"Hmm, I had something in mind. And while you're at it... I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble, if you could make me something else as well."

"I would be honoured to craft something for you Mistress Astra, all you need to do is ask. And when it comes to your repair needs on these creations, I insist you come to me. I would rather die than let someone else handle my babies."

He bowed softly, gesturing for her to follow him back over to the forge as he began to gather papers and lay them out across the table.

Picking up a charcoal pencil, Titus leaned over the table and prepared to sketch.

"Now, What is it that you would like for me to make Mistress Astra?"

"First... Let's talk about this 'Mistress Astra' stuff, it's a little too formal."

She laughed softly, before beginning to detail out her ideas not only for the storage of the ferro-liquid, but also for the special items that she was wanting to create with Titus' assistance. While Titus drew, his pencil sketching fervently across the parchment paper, Astra couldn't help but lift her head, occasionally casting curious glances towards Seth on the other side of the spacious workshop.