Riveria stepped closer.
"Can it be repaired?"
Rayleigh let the thread fade, then formed another, this one thinner and sharper. It touched the air near Ais's shoulder and trembled.
"Repaired is the wrong word. If this were a normal sword, I could reforge the broken pieces, replace what was missing, and strengthen the core. But Gonryōmaru shattered after Bankai, and the Bankai was not something Ais body or soul could sustain. The bond did not break from outside force; it tore itself apart while trying to carry more power than the vessel could hold."
Ais lowered her gaze. "I was too weak."
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed. "No. You were too early! There is a difference, and if you ignore that difference, you will learn the wrong lesson and do something more reckless next time."
Ais's lips parted.
Rayleigh continued before she could retreat into silence.
"Gonryōmaru answered you because your will was real. The problem was that the path from sealed blade to Bankai should have taken years of growth, resonance, and spiritual adaptation. You reached the end of the road while half the bridge was still being built. That's not weakness buit an absurd miracle with a repair bill attached."
Welf muttered, "That last part sounds like everything you make."
Rayleigh turned toward him. "Welf-kun, I invited you here for education, not betrayal! If you must betray me, do it with good timing."
Riveria covered her mouth with one hand, though whether she was hiding a smile or a sigh was hard to tell.
Ais looked less tense.
Rayleigh returned his attention to her. "If I forge Gonryōmaru again, it cannot be a copy. The old bond is damaged, and forcing a new blade into the exact same shape would be like shoving a key into a broken lock until both snap. Gonryōmaru 2.0 has to be built around what remains, what changed, and what you can sustain now."
Ais listened. "What should I do?"
"First, stop trying to use Shunpo through a broken connection unless you want Riveria-san to develop a new lecture for you."
Riveria's expression turned serene. "I already have one prepared. It has several sections."
Rayleigh nodded.
"Good. Second, we need to map how the residue reacts to your wind, your Falna, and your emotions. Third, I'll need Airmid's help."
Welf blinked. "A healer?"
"A good healer. Normal healing cannot restore this, but Airmid understands Mind recovery better than most people in Orario, and this problem sits at the intersection of Mind, soul strain, and physical backlash. If I only look at the Zanpakutō side, I might miss what it is doing to Ais body."
Riveria looked satisfied with that answer. "Finn will approve it. Loki may complain about another Familia examining Ais, but she will approve after pretending not to."
Rayleigh gave her a sympathetic look. "Gods are exhausting."
Riveria's lips curved. "You chose Hephaestus Familia."
"I chose a goddess with standards. That does not make the species less troublesome."
Welf looked at him. "You say things like that in front of gods too, don't you?"
Rayleigh looked regretful. "Unfortunately, yes. My survival is a tribute to Hephaestus-sama's patience and the fact that I remain profitable."
Riveria's eyes narrowed with amusement. "Unfortunately?"
"For my finances."
Ais tilted her head. "Does Hephaestus punish you often?"
Rayleigh opened his mouth, but Welf answered first, gaining courage from sitting down.
"From what I've seen, not enough."
Rayleigh stared at him.
Welf looked proud of himself for two seconds, then realized he was still in a room with Rayleigh, Riveria, and Ais, and remembered embarrassment existed.
Rayleigh sighed. "Wonderful. Hephaestus Familia gains one Crozzo, and he joins the anti-Rayleigh faction."
Welf looked caught between curiosity and regret. "There's a faction?"
"Tsubaki founded it. Hephaestus-sama funds it when I break things."
Riveria seemed to lose the battle against her smile.
Ais blinked, then asked with complete sincerity, "Can I join?"
Rayleigh looked betrayed!
Welf started laughing so hard he had to cover his mouth.
Rayleigh placed a hand over his chest. "Ais... that wound may take longer to heal than Gonryōmaru."
Ais looked at him, then lowered her gaze in the smallest hint of a smile.
The tension in the room eased, and Rayleigh let it.
Ais needed the information, but she also needed to remember the broken bond was not a funeral.
Gonryōmaru had shattered, and the grief was real, but a broken path could become a new one if she stopped treating herself like a failure.
Rayleigh formed another spiritual thread and let it hover near her.
"One more test. This may feel strange, but it should not hurt. If it does, tell me right away instead of deciding pain is proof of effort."
Ais nodded with seriousness.
Riveria sighed. "She heard you, but whether she obeys is another matter."
"I know. I work with adventurers after all."
The thread touched the edge of Ais's spiritual residue.
A faint rumble answered. It was weak, distant, and incomplete, but everyone in the room felt it.
Ais took a sharp breath.
The pressure lasted less than a second, like distant thunder, but it carried a familiar weight.
Gonryōmaru's storm had not disappeared!
"He answered."
Rayleigh let the thread dissolve. "It was more like an echo, but that is still good news. An echo means there is a chamber for sound to return from. If there were nothing left, the thread would have passed through without a response."
Ais gripped the front of her skirt. "Can you bring him back?"
Rayleigh wanted to say yes.
The word sat on his tongue, but he swallowed it.
"I can try to forge a new vessel that lets the remaining bond grow. Whether Gonryōmaru returns as he was, changes into something new, or refuses me until you are ready, I cannot promise. Zanpakutō are not obedient tools, and soul wounds do not heal because a smith is stubborn."
Ais closed her eyes, when she opened them again, the hope was still there.
"Then I will wait."
"I will really wait. I will not use Shunpo, I will not secretly try to use Shunpo when Riveria is not watching, and I will not ask Tiona to distract her."
Welf whispered, "She's worse than she looks."
Rayleigh nodded. "Quiet ones often are."
Ais looked at them both. "I can hear you!"
Rayleigh smiled. "Good. Then hear this too. If you keep your promise, I will begin the groundwork for Gonryōmaru 2.0. If you break it, I will tell Loki, Riveria, Finn, and Tsubaki, in that order, because I believe in layered punishment."
Ais went pale.
Welf stared at Rayleigh with respect. "That is evil."
Riveria nodded. "But effective."
Ais looked betrayed by her own guardian's approval!
Rayleigh clapped his hands. "Excellent. We have reached an understanding. Riveria-san, I'll send a written summary to Finn and a separate one to Loki with fewer technical terms and more warnings about reckless behavior. Welf, you are staying for the next part."
Welf's laughter died. "What next part?"
Rayleigh pointed at the forge. "You and I are going to talk about why a broken Zanpakutō bond and your hatred of Magic Swords are related enough to make you uncomfortable."
Welf stared at him. "I already don't like this."
"That means we are approaching the correct topic."
Ais looked at Welf, then at Rayleigh. "Can I listen?"
Riveria looked like she wanted to say no on principle, but Rayleigh answered first.
"You may listen, but you are forbidden from turning this into training!"
Ais looked away.
Rayleigh sighed. "You were going to try."
"Only a little."
Riveria placed a hand over her face. Welf muttered, "This Familia makes more sense now."
Rayleigh smiled. "Welcome to Hephaestus Familia's education system. We fix weapons, traumatize common sense, and sometimes discover that our guests are worse than our members."
Ais tilted her head. "Is that good?"
"Nope." Rayleigh opened the door back to the forge.