"It is already taking my brother's life!" Elara countered, her voice fierce with determination. "And what is your life now, Silas? You hide here, working metal but feeling nothing. Help me, and perhaps we can find a way to break your curse as well."

When the light cleared, Silas was on his knees, breathing heavily. On the anvil lay a short sword, its blade clear as glass but rippling with the colors of the horizon. It was a weapon of pure, stabilized magic.

"I need your help, Silas," Elara said, her eyes reflecting the distant, glowing sky. "They say you are cursed, but I see a craftsman who can handle the impossible. I need a blade that can cut through magic itself."

Silas looked down at his heavy, iron hands. "You ask for folly, girl. The horizon takes what it touches. It took my humanity. I will not let it take your life."

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