^^ the castle and Selene ^^

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"Then let's begin to create those circumstances, shall we?"

--- Year 18 ---

I swung the hammer in my hand as hard as I could, barely keeping pace with Smith, and he noticed, slowing down a bit so that our swings were again synchronized.

When he finally pushed the metal plate into the oil to quench it, I wiped sweat from my brow. "Why are we doing this? I'm more than capable of making a shield with-"

"Magic. Faugh." He spat into the forge. Then he glared at me. "Magic never created anything I couldn't, and when a hammer forges something, it's more obedient." I raised my eyebrow, and looked at his son, who was chasing Alex. He huffed. "Fine. There's an exception to everything. I can't make magical limbs or golems with a hammer. But you also can't make them with a hammer, so there." He stacked the shield next to the others.

"What are we preparing for?" I asked, looking at the hundreds of golden shields.

"You're making a Golem for Gwynn. I figure, if we're making a golem, it had better be an obedient one. So, were hammering the metal beforehand." He nodded. I blinked, then laughed. Then some more, until I could barely breath. "What's wrong with you?" He asked, confused.

"I forgot the golem I already made. He's made of gold, magical wood, and crystal, and he stands 75 meters tall. He's perfect! Why waste all this gold to make another, when I already have one!!" I laughed, and then sat down, and connected to the Ley Line under us.

I reached, and eventually found the remains of my forest. It was a wasteland, now, not a shred of life left... except for the lonesome giant sitting in my clearing. I called him, and he obediently stuck his hand into the Ley Line, being absorbed.

I pulled him out slowly, and Alex dragged the boy away from the giant, as I rebuilt him faithfully. He stood tall, and flexed, amused with the level of definition I'd gives him this time around.

Smith whistled slowly. "That's a lot of gold. He follows orders?"

I nodded. "He does."

"Gwynn will love him." He nodded slowly, then looked at the shields. "Now what to do with these..."

"He needs a bit of detailing... and he needs weapons." I suggested, then knelt.

I began manipulating the giants form, pushing the pieces closer than they were supposed to go, increasing his density by making him smaller. Soon, he stood only 5 meters tall, 1/15th of his original size. Layers of wood as thin as paper filled his 'muscles', and his 'organs' were made of crystal, as were his joints.

I increased the armor on strike points and guard points, and then set about altering the appearance. Plates of gold replaced crags and rocky surfaces, and a horned-helmet design replaced the odd head from before. He became perfectly humanoid, as best I could make him.

The Smith whistled slowly. "Now that is a Golem."

I grinned at him tiredly. "Well I'd hope so. How do you like the new body, Adam?"

He hummed, flexing slowly, testing his body. "It's sleeker than the last. I like it very much." He nodded.

"Good." I nodded, and sat down. "Smith?" I prompted.

He grinned and went back into his smithy, coming back out a few minutes later with the biggest sword I'd ever seen, which he then held up to Adam.

Adam placed it on his hip, and I laughed when it became clear that it was a dagger, and nothing more, to the 5 meter tall Golem. (16-18 feet)

The smith laughed, exhilarated by the challenge, and I leaned back to sleep to the sound of a hammer ringing.

---

"Here he is. What do you think?" I grinned at Gwynn, gesturing to my fully-equipped and outfitted Golem, Adam.

"Truly awe inspiring... He follows orders, and is immune to magic?" He asked.

"Not completely immune, because that is simply impossible, but extremely resistant, yes. The crystals in his body trap malignant magic, and he can redirect them at will. And he does follow orders well, just like any soldier. But he's not a slave, so don't make the mistake of thinking he has to follow orders." I warned.

Alex chuckled, but restrained herself from speaking.

He nodded. "I see... Alright. Then let's go see your post, hmm? What's your name, Golem?"

"I am Adam." He responded calmly, and followed us without making too much sound. (I'd made magical water-cushions under the soles of his feet after the first hour of his footsteps jarring my bones.)

"Adam... as in the First Man? Ha. Your maker has a sense of humor." He grinned at me.

"He named himself." I responded simply.

"Oh? Interesting..." Gwynn nodded slowly, humming to himself.

We reached a passage that led into the rocky center of the Island, and started down, Adam ducking his head and shoulders to fit.

---

Adam stood tall in the wide open cavern, and I blinked in shock. We stood in the middle of a lavish woman's paradise, and one woman in particular caught my attention.

Her skin was brown, like Diana's, but perhaps a shade or so darker. Her hair matched perfectly, as did her eyes. She wore a yellow outfit that clutched her skin with not a single detail left to the imagination, and I blushed, but was unable to look away. She was just as beautiful as my mother. Or perhaps... I should say her daughter?

"I wonder... does that make her my grandmother? My mother was her daughter, so..." I wondered aloud.

Her eyes snapped to mine, no longer pretending to not notice me. Her gaze was piercing, as if she could see into my soul through my eyes.

I blinked, and realized she was much closer than I remembered, or perhaps I'd walked forward. She sat directly in front of me now.

"Hello... Mother." I said slowly, still fighting to look away from her eyes.

She blinked, shocked, and I was free. I sat down heavily, and clutched my heart, which was doing a jitterbug inside my chest. It slowly settled into a rhythm, allowing me to breathe.

She grabbed my chin and made me look at her again, but the draw was gone. "You... How are you mine? You smell of Claiborne, but I've never had a child with a Claiborne-"

"I'm the Son of Lugh and you." I cut through the mystery and questions with one statement.

Her grip tightened. "I see... He told me you were left in the woods to die... How like him." She seethed.

"I was found by your daughter, Diana, and her lover, Alia. They raised me. I only learned of my heritage recently." I explained.

She released my chin. "I understand. And what, you've connected with your brother, and you wished to come laugh at the woman who birthed you? Fine-"

"No. I've come to set you free. Adam will guard this place for as long as is required, as payment for your release." I gestured to the Golem, who waved silently. "You're free to come with me, and leave this... well, I thought it was a prison, but... this seems pleasant enough." I chuckled.

She sighed and waved a hand, and I gasped at the changes that took place. The entire room seemed to melt, grow darker. The women I'd seen walking around naked turned into ghouls, dragging chains. The couches turned into beds of nails. And when I looked at my mother, I hissed in anger.

She was still beautiful, but her skin was covered in welts and bruises, her hair was long and matted, unkempt and unclean. The entire room smelled worse than anything I'd ever imagined.

She sighed. "Just an illusion, my dear boy... just an illusion."

I quickly covered her naked form with my coat, and picked her up, but her iron chains stopped me from walking. I calmly set her down, fighting back my rage when I saw the bloody wounds under the manacles.

"Don't think less of me for this, please," I whispered, and then simply Roared, pouring my magic into the room. I set about slowly destroying the dungeon, obliterating the entirety of the place that angered me so.

All the metal collected and was melted into a puddle in the center. I ripped her manacles off without effort, and gave them to it as well.

The walls began to turn to crystal, giving off peels of sound whenever they were touched by my magic, which grew them into giant bars and lattices, enclosing the room. Liquid metal from the pit in the center slowly condensed into a humanoid form, and melded with the White Oak.

A Nymph stepped out of the tree, and I threw Adam at it. They melted into one another, and were absorbed into the tree. Fruit made of gold and iron quickly bloomed, and Adam stepped from the tree, shaking.

He was the size of a human now, but condensed again from his original size, and perfectly detailed as a Nymph. The tree looked like it had been wrought from gold, with iron veins, and I knew it was my mark on the Earth. Nothing like it existed.

The pool of metal refilled with a little of the gold, most likely from his horns and weapons, and he dipped a hand in it, pulling out a sword, and placing it on my belt.

I closed my mouth, my teeth clicking with a finality I didn't truly feel at the moment, and the unholy symphony of Stone, Metal, Wood, and Crystal stopped.

I picked Selene up again, and turned to meet the look of total fear and awe that held Gwynn's features in rapture. He quickly got ahold of himself, but I could tell by the way he avoided touching me that the display had made him afraid of me.

I slowly walked out of the room, and nodded to Adam. "Thank you, Adam. I am in your debt." I said clearly, and walked up the stairs.

As I was walking, Alex caught up. "Okay... that was awesome, but... are you alright? That must've taken a lot of power-"

"I drew from the Ley Lines. I'm fine. But she needs a healer." I hissed softly.

"What kind of Faunus are you? Because no Faunus could do that." Selene asked softly.

"I'm a Forest Faunus, and I have the abilities of a Claiborne." I explained.

"Forest?"

"Literally. My true form is that of a Forest. You'll see." I smiled.

She hummed and then nodded. "Like an Ent?"

"A step further." I grinned, and stepped into the sunlight. I breathed in the warmth, and sighed in contentment. She winced and covered her eyes, and I growled, moving the collar of my coat to cover her eyesight partially.

Alex smiled. "So. Where to?" She asked me.

"Home... I think she deserves to see where her daughter lived and died." I nodded.

"Died?!?" She breathed, eyes wide with shock.

I blinked. "You didn't know? Assassins have been trying to murder us for years. They succeeded with her, and almost me. They also destroyed my forest." I sneered at the thought of that wolf.

She nodded slowly. "Then yes... Let's go there."

I shook my head. "Not yet. First you have to heal, eat, take a bath, and everything else that is necessary for you to be in good health. You can't travel if you're half-dead." I set her in Alex's arms, and knelt, connecting with the forest outside the castle walls.

I found a Wolf of the right size, and drew it to me. As soon as it was in front of me, I gripped its scruff, and became it. I shifted into a Wolf much larger than the original, and lowered my back as it ran away.

Alex hopped on, and I stood up straight. "A Wolf? I thought you were an Ent?"

"He's everything inside the forest. He is the Forest. You thought he was powerful in that dungeon? You should see him when he connects to the Dark Forest. It holds the oldest trees on the planet, and the power it gives him is godlike." Alex shivered, very pleased with herself, and I chuckled.

"Stop extolling my virtues, Alex, you'll make my head even bigger." I retorted, and started running before she could respond.