Kael, the hammer, felt the question as a pause in his swing.
His purpose was to strike, to shape, to bring form to the unformed.
The question was not a material to be worked, but a force that stayed his hand.
It was the quiet resistance of the anvil, asking not to be struck, but to be understood.
For the first time, he considered the space between the hammer and the forge.
The story was not just in the impact, but in the resonance that followed.