There was something different about you that night. The murmurs of your harp drifted through Kogane Dori, residing impatiently in the background. My eyes alone were drawn to you, but it was clear that they were not the ones you sought. My arms toiled at the anvil while yours danced nervously across taut strings. Silently, I prayed for you - it was clear to me that there was someone you wished to meet under the stars.

Twilight fell, and the moon had finally peeked over the airship landing. Its light shone down on an adventurer, garbed in Eastern scale mail. Your eyes met - and in that fleeting moment I sensed years of companionship. A bond forged in fire and blood. The welcoming smile on your face gave way to words. A conversation ensued - one that I would never hear, nor understand. I didn't need to, though - the ballad you sang that night was all that needed to be said.

He was enraptured. What was going through his mind as the lilt of your harp marched enthusiastically through it? Under his charred visor I could see his eyelids begin to fall. He was oblivious to the crowd that had begun to disperse towards the pier, eager to watch the stars fall. A distant bell struck once, twice, ten times, but the moment you shared continued undisturbed. The eighth verse of your unending lullaby made way for the ninth. My hands had stopped moving completely, and the ingot I held began to glow red - no, golden within my furnace. This tune was one I had never heard before - and yet, what was this overwhelming sense of nostalgia? Even a humble blacksmith like me could tell that this was a chronicle of a calamity long past. I can only imagine what it must have meant to him and yourself.

The moon retreated behind a cloud, and your song had finally come to an end. In hindsight, only moments had passed. But as the adventurer's weary eyes opened once more, I could tell that the respite he found within your lyrics was eternal.

As the last star fell from the sky, the crowd began to coil lazily into Kugane Dori once more. I realized that the ingot I held had begun to cool. I strained to look for the adventurer's armour amidst the crowd, but he had long since disappeared. Your performance resumed once more - refrained, but peaceful.

Many moons have passed since then. I've known for a while that there's something going on out there - a war between Good and Evil, Light and Dark and what not. A constant, endless battle amongst heroes and gods that a blacksmith like me could never comprehend. I never needed to, with Kugane being so far from the conflict. Truth be told, all of this was starting to feel like a fairytale, or a myth of sorts. But there was something about that night that reminded me that the world outside Kugane is closer to home than I thought. I don't know exactly what happened that night, or who that adventurer was. But I feel like I've possibly witnessed a legend in the making.

I pray that the two of you cross paths again.

(Gaelicap)