Chapter 48: The Venomous Awakening of Gwaine


    <hr>


    I sat alone in the forge, the embers casting flickering shadows against the stone walls.


    In my hands, I held the axe.


    It had been a weapon of war—brutal, efficient, but nothing special.


    Until now.


    <blockquote>


    [POISON AFFINITY INTERACTING WITH LIVING FORGE.]


    [RESTRUCTURING WEAPON: EVOLUTION IN PROGRESS.]


    </blockquote>


    The metal pulsed, veins of emerald energy spreading through its surface.


    The transformation wasn’t violent like past evolutions.


    This was slow, methodical—like something alive was awakening.


    Then, a deep, lazy voice rumbled in my mind.


    "Whoa, dude… this is trippy."


    I blinked. "…Did my axe just talk?"


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    The weapon hummed, its surface shifting as if it was stretching.


    "Name’s Gwaine, man. And I think I’m, like… super strong now."


    I stared.


    Noctis cackled from the rafters. "Oh, this is fantastic."


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    The Evolution of Gwaine


    <blockquote>


    [LIVING WEAPON EVOLUTION COMPLETE: GWAINE, THE VERDANT EXECUTIONER.]


    [NEW ABILITIES UNLOCKED:]


    <ul>


    <li>Venomous Edge: Every strike injects a poison that adapts to the enemy’s resistance.</li>


    <li>Serpent’s Bite: Gwaine’s axe head can extend into a bladed whip for mid-range attacks.</li>


    <li>Toxic Rebirth: If broken, Gwaine can regenerate using ambient mana, evolving further with each repair.</li>


    </ul>


    </blockquote>


    I tested my grip—the weapon felt lighter, more balanced.


    I swung once—and the air hissed, the blade leaving behind a faint, toxic green afterimage.


    Gwaine chuckled. "Oh yeah, man. That’s the good stuff."


    Iris crossed her arms. "…Great. Now you have a stoner battle axe."


    Raika inspected the weapon, intrigued. "I’ve heard of living weapons, but this is next level. A constantly evolving venomous axe? That’s absurd."


    Darius scoffed. "As long as it kills things, I don’t care if it sings lullabies."


    Zephyr grinned. "Honestly, I love it. You’ve got a poisoned berserker weapon now."


    I smirked. "Yeah. And something tells me… it’s only going to get stronger."


    Gwaine hummed. "Oh, absolutely, man. Just keep feeding me fights, and we’ll be unstoppable."


    And I intended to do just that.


    The Black Gull wouldn’t know what hit them.