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When all was said and done, though, Agrian created seven different artifacts with the Candle before it stopped working for him. Toward the end, it had been nothing but failures each time, and Agrian's frustration had been obvious. He got so mad, in fact, that the very last thing Hector saw him do was light a torch and hold it close to a dangling branch, like he was about to set the whole tree on fire.

For some reason, though, Agrian changed his mind and then just walked away, never to return.

Hector wasn't even sure if fire could destroy something as powerful as a Fusion Forge. Then again, if Agrian had soul-strengthened it, it probably would've done some damage.

Either way, Agrian's decision to abandon the Candle instead of destroying it was interesting. Hector had to wonder if it was out of some lingering sense of respect that the man had for the Candle's other creator.

To his profound disappointment, Hector had never been able to figure out what that original dude's name was. He would've very much liked to rename the Forge after him. He was quite certain that the Forge would have approved.

But Cocora's Candle would have to do. It seemed like the next best name to use, because after going back and observing the original guy's life more closely, Hector had eventually come to the conclusion that the dude was a devout follower of the Goddess of Light.

There were a few clues that gave it away. The reading materials, for one. Many of them had the iconic symbol of the Shining Sun emblazoned on their covers or spines. That was kind of Cocora's thing, even in the modern day. Plus, Hector spotted him praying on a fairly consistent basis--or, looking like he was praying, at least. It looked different from when the guy was meditating, anyway.