Introduction: Vaan Redbones, son of a former swordsman, spent his childhood forging blades but now dreams of wielding them. As his class initiation approaches, he鈥檚 ready to prove himself. His half-brother Elijah dismisses his ambitions, believing knowledge, not steel, will shape the future. But Vaan has no use for dusty tomes. He aims to carve his own destiny with his blade.When his newly forged sword becomes soulbound, Vaan is thrust into a world in turmoil. Goblins raid trade roads, orc warbands gather, and rumors of undead are whispered in taverns at night. Torn between proving himself and his growing feelings for Risa, who is pledged to Elijah, Vaan must rise, blade in hand, before chaos consumes all.Writeathon winner, Spring 2025Note:The story contains violence, gore and gets dark occasionally but is not grimdark. Strong but not OP MC.Only RoyalRoad has the story with all its revisions and corrections. If you鈥檙e reading it somewhere else? You鈥檙e basically reading fanfiction of my typos. You can just easily get the edited version in RoyalRoad.com without feeding the fakes....