The gravity glyph did not flare like Bloomcast.

It sat above Master Raven’s palm in a small knot of solidified mana, quiet and dark, bending the air around it as though the room had gained weight. Even the surface of the Skill Anchor’s tub dipped toward it.

The Cindervein Staff reacted before the glyph touched it. Its red crystal flickered with irritation, and the fire lines along its shaft pulled back as though rejecting a wet cloth.

Master Raven gave the staff a dry look. "There. It already knows it hates this."

NukEncore folded her arms under her chest and lifted her chin. "It has poor taste."

"It is allowed to be dramatic," NukEncore said. "It is not allowed to be stubborn."

Master Raven placed the glyph above the Skill Anchor Device. "Fire wants flow, ignition, release, and eruption. Gravity wants pressure, center, weight, and restraint. If you force gravity into the staff’s core, you will teach the vessel to fight itself."

"Then I will make it learn elegance."

"Hmph. A skill does not become compatible because you glare at it."

"Then let it be intimidated by beauty instead."

NukEncore stepped closer and guided the gravity glyph down through the Skill Anchor Device. As soon as the glyph brushed the staff’s main channel, the Cindervein Staff slammed against the bottom of the tub.

The red crystal dimmed as a dull pressure spread through the room and pressed against Martin’s shoulders. Inside the staff, the gravity glyph tried to clamp down on the fire lines.

Master Raven struck the side of the tub with two fingers.

The pressure broke.

The staff rolled once in the basin and lay there, heavy and almost offended.

NukEncore stared at the staff as though it had personally betrayed her. "It fell because it lacked taste."

"It fell because you aimed at the heart," Master Raven said. "Gravity does not belong in the flame core. You are trying to make a fire staff understand weight. Make it understand position instead."

Martin’s eyes sharpened. "So the imprint target is not the spell core. It is the staff’s movement behavior."

Master Raven glanced at him. "At least one of you is listening."

NukEncore’s lips curved. "I was listening. I simply needed the old man to say the useful part."

Martin looked from the staff to NukEncore’s gloves. "So Bloomcast stays in your hands, and the staff still keeps its value at your side. You only need gravity to control where it moves."

Chaosgraphy tilted her head. "So you want obedient accessories now."

"A proper stage does not discard its props," NukEncore said. She placed her hands on the rim again. "It makes them orbit."

This time, her mana avoided the staff’s core and circled the outer path, guiding the gravity glyph around the fire rather than into it.

The Cindervein Staff lifted from the tub.

At first, it rose only an inch.

Then it climbed higher, trembling as it drifted beside NukEncore’s shoulder. The movement was uneven, and the staff dipped twice before catching itself. Its fire crystal glowed brighter, offended but alive.

Chaosgraphy’s smile deepened. "I admit it. A floating staff suits you disgustingly well."

NukEncore lifted her chin. "Of course it does."

The staff dipped again, and Master Raven clicked his tongue.

"Incomplete," he said.

NukEncore’s smile did not break. "But possible."

"Possible," Master Raven allowed. "The path accepted the imprint, but the orbit is unstable. You need an orbit anchor component. A pressure-seal band, a gravity-thread ring, or something similar. You do not need a stronger staff. You need something that teaches it where to circle."

NukEncore looked at the staff hovering unsteadily beside her. It was far from perfect, yet that trembling orbit still brought her future one step closer.

"My future self already has this," she said softly. "I am simply catching up to her."

Master Raven scoffed, but he did not tell her she was wrong.

The staff slowly lowered back toward the Skill Anchor Device, its faint gravity path circling fire without touching the core.

NukEncore watched it settle before turning around. Her long hair swayed behind her, and the pleasure in her expression made her look even more radiant after the difficult work.

"Give me your shields, Martin!" she said. "I’ll make your dream come true."

Martin smiled. "Yeah, sure."

He passed over his precious items without hesitation.

NukEncore noticed that small gesture at once. Her smile softened with a sweetness different from her usual stage confidence, and for a moment, she simply looked happy to be trusted with something important.

Chaosgraphy only nodded from the side. Master Raven stayed silent and let the youngsters enjoy the moment.

"Be fearless," Martin said.

Master Raven’s eyes shifted to Martin. The old master understood what those words really meant.

Control Devil’s Shield and Broodtide Bulwark were both valuable to Martin, and everyone there knew she could fail. But fear would only make this kind of craft harder, so he gave her permission without making it sound like permission.

Whether NukEncore saw through him, no one could tell.

Either way, her hands steadied at once.

"I do not need to be told twice." NukEncore set Control Devil’s Shield and Broodtide Bulwark into the Skill Anchor Device. "If your shield wants to become worthy of you, it should behave while I am working."

Martin’s mouth twitched. "I’ll tell it that."

"Tell it loudly."

The Skill Anchor Device hummed again, lifting the mana around both shields. Control Devil’s Shield reacted first, its dark surface rippling as the tethered hand hidden in its skill pattern pressed against the mana like something alive trying to crawl out.

Broodtide Bulwark answered with a deep pulse, and its oceanic mana rolled outward, heavy and vast. It did not hiss like fire or clamp down like gravity. It spread like a tide, swallowing space with patient force.

The moment the two patterns touched, the tub erupted into a violent clash.

Dark fingers burst from Control Devil’s Shield and grabbed the Broodtide Bulwark’s edge. The black hand looked ready to crush the shield’s layered plates, but Broodtide Bulwark pushed back with a surge of deep-blue mana. The tub churned as though a storm had formed inside it.

NukEncore clenched her fingers around the rim. "Oh, this one is ugly."