Restart Again: Volume 1 by Adam Scott (pocket ebook reader TXT) 📕

flexed my right hand, and was happy to find that the visuals matched the reality: My hand was completely healed of my burns. “This is definitely the best discovery so far.” Even though I had started to understand some of the rules of magic I had created even more questions for myself. Could I use this magic on someone else? How specific of instructions can my mana...understand? Is it based on my intentions, and the words are just a catalyst as well?

The continuous stream of thought was giving me a headache. I sat down on the cot and leaned against the cell wall as I rubbed my face. “It’s too much for today. Sleeping on it will do more good than anything else I could try tonight.” Yawning, my exhaustion finally caught up with me. Flipping my sword casually in my grip, I held it up over my shoulder and went through the motions of sheathing it. The weight of the weapon lessened in my hand as I moved, and by the time it was fully “sheathed” the blade had disappeared into the ether, transported safely back to the scabbard in whatever storeroom it was kept in.

I sprawled out on the mattress, laying my head on the pillow and dangling my feet off the bottom of the bed. Standing around six foot three with a slim runner’s build, I ran into the issue of ill-fitting accommodations quite often, and this world had been no different. After a satisfying pop from my hips, I curled into a ball under the single threadbare sheet I had been provided. The temperature in the prison stayed at a consistent cool-but-comfortable level, for which I was very grateful. “Finally,” I muttered to myself, “a night where I’ll be worn out enough to fall asleep.” It was difficult to keep a sleep schedule without any view of the sun, but it was important in maintaining a positive mental state.

A smile spread across my face as I closed my eyes. From the moment I woke up in the morning, I looked forward to going to sleep every night. It gave me the chance, small as it was, to see her again. “See you soon, beautiful.” It wasn’t long until I had drifted off, searching for Amaya in my dreams.

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Rain was pouring off the small enclosure around Ashedown’s forge, falling heavily enough to rival the crackling of the fire within. I wiped my brow, looking off into the storm for a moment, and then returned to hammering the thin strip of metal before me. After weeks of secret tests and practice runs, I was finally making a real attempt at forging a gift for Amaya. The precious metal was much more difficult to work with than my training material had been, and it was costly to come by, so I was moving with slow precise movements today. Careful, well-placed hammer blows wrapped the long strip of annealed gold around a thin iron rod, the delicate metal finally approaching a connected loop.

Once the strip of gold was completely wrapped around the rod, I set down my hammer and tapped the iron against the anvil to dislodge the loop. I studied the gleaming band, rolling it back and forth in the palm of my hand. It was still a crude thing, mostly made up of dents and smudges, but it could technically be called a ring. I smiled with extreme satisfaction at the work so far. Now, I had to heat and reshape it, smooth the dents, sand away the scratches, and polish the metal to a glossy finish. It would take a lot of work, but it would be worth it.

I slipped the ring into my chest pocket and walked to the edge of the forge enclosure, washing my hands in the rain runoff. I took a deep breath and let out a content sigh. The smell of rain always made me happy.

“I love the smell of rain.” I jumped at the sound of Amaya’s voice. She was leaning against a support in the center of the room, laughing now at how startled I was. Her hair was dripping and stuck to her face, and her dress was soaked from her trip through the downpour. “I’m sorry, did I interrupt your...staring into the distance time?”

“You did! It’s a very important part of the smithing process, and I’ll thank you to be more mindful of that in the future.” I circled the small shack and hugged her from behind, resting my chin between the long fuzzy ears on the top of her head. “I was thinking the same thing when you walked in. I find the smell of rain so soothing.”

“Petrichor.” She placed her hands over mine and squeezed them lightly. “That’s what they call the smell that comes with rain.”

“Huh. The more you know.” I spun her around and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. “I’m sure you didn’t head all the way out here in this weather to teach me a new word, right? Did you need something?”

Amaya blushed slightly, perfect white teeth flashing in a shy smile. “No, not really. I just wanted to see what you were working on today.”

I looked around the forge for an excuse, not ready to show off the project I had been working on. Doing my best to not show it on my face I turned to a nearby table and picked up an old practice sword. “Just a bit of this and that, today. There aren’t any big orders in right now so I’ve just been practicing some random techniques in the small forge.” I pointed out some nicks in the old blade. “I’m trying to get better at weapon repairs so I can take more of the smaller jobs off of your father’s plate.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about him. He might not say it, but he likes you, and appreciates everything you do to help with his business.” Amaya came over to the table next to