Lynne:
I heard the teacher say it was forbidden for Clay to enter, making me stop in my tracks. "Hey!" I snapped. "He's a student here too. Isn't he?"
Yusuke gave me a slight head shake. "You are correct. He is. Yet, it is an ancient tradition. A rule passed down from generation to generation. We are sworn by oath to never let a commoner step foot in that armoury or lay hands on the true weapons of this academy."
"Why is that?" I demanded.
"Nobody knows. It is simply the king's orders passed down from generations. Yet, I can tell you that this is part of the reason commoners do not study at these royal academies." The teacher continued.
"It's fine, Lynne," Clay interjected. I was grateful that he stepped in. I felt like I was about to say something stupid and get myself in trouble.
"But…" I weakly pushed back.
"I don't need a stupid special sword to be strong." He snarled, more towards the teacher than towards me.
"I thank you for your understanding, Clay. I will happily show you to our regular armoury, where you can pick any weapon you please." Yusuke gestured.
That's when I got a snide idea. Risky, but I figured… they needed me. No matter how many rules I break, there wasn't much they could do with me. Even a rule that was centuries old… it needed a revamp anyway.
"He knows where it is!" I interjected. "Hey Clay, why don't you get a head start? I'll join you after and help you pick something out." I said, giving him a small wink. His face twisted in confusion, but he nodded along anyway, walking out the door and heading for the armoury Cecelia had shown him earlier.
Once he was out of sight, I followed the class to those enormous doors I had seen before. The ones that I met up with Elizabeth for shopping. Where she told me not to enter just yesterday, and now we will get to enter.
Yusuke stood in front of the doors. A smile edged across his face. "Welcome to Swordsman Academy's true armoury!" The teacher announced as if this was some long-awaited revelation. They filled the air with excitement. The way the other students were reacting made it seem like they had been waiting for this moment for a long while. I just found out about this place yesterday, yet the excitement was infectious.
"Now, I know you are all awaiting the reception of your blades, but it is only fitting for our prince to enter the armoury first." He then shifted his gaze to me. "As your father did in the past, and his father before him. Set an example for the rest of the student body to follow." He announced that as if I should be proud to receive those words. Yet, for some reason, they felt empty.
"Sure," I stated, stepping forward. My eyes scanned the room. I saw the malice in my classmate's eyes… well, at least a few of them. Even though they had been waiting for this moment a lot longer than I have, I still got to go first for no reason other than my lineage.
He nodded when I stepped forward, turning around and pushing the giant gates open. It looked like it took all his body weight to get them open. Once it was large enough for me to slip through, I did. Past the gates were classic castle stone walls and steps. The place looked dreary, but at the bottom of the steps, I could see something glowing.
"Prince Charlton, it is your job now to figure out which blade belongs to you," Yusuke said, and before I could ask any other question, the gates slammed shut. I stared at the closed gates in confusion for a few moments but figured I'd get no answers unless I walked down those steps.
Each step I took echoed, bouncing off of the stone walls and back into my ears like I was on the set of a horror movie. The stairs were steep, but it did not take long to reach the bottom. However, what I saw when I got there was far from what I expected.
The room was shaped in a circle. The background was as dark as the night sky, with no moon or stars. Yet, lined up along the black nothingness, as if they were floating, were more swords than I have ever seen before. However, these did not look like any regular swords. They were pure white, so bright that they were glowing. It was almost like they had replaced the stars in the sky… if the stars were close enough to the ground to touch and the right size to hold.
I was surrounded by this seemingly empty space, vast enough to take away a person's depth perception. Somehow I was supposed to figure out which one of these many swords was mine. Or was at least supposed to be mine. I just had to discover how to figure that out.
I analyzed each floating sword, but each one of them looked no different from the last. Knowing which was the right one must have something to do with a feeling of some sort. I closed my eyes and tried to focus as best as I could. I wasn't sure what I was trying to feel, or what sensation I should expect, but I tried anyway. Focusing on my surroundings, on the swords that were all around me. That's when I heard the voice.
//"Hold out your hand."//
My eyes shot open. The voice was tender and smooth, a deep woman's timbre. I was disoriented and trying to see where the voice had come from. However, nothing about the room had changed.
//"Will you not do as I ask?"//
The second time the voice rang out, I realized I was not hearing it through my ears. The voice was echoing in my head. Despite my confusion, I held out my hands, steady and firm. As soon as I did, one sword from the wall removed itself and floated down to me, as if I had been selected.
//"So, you have chosen to listen."//
"Who… or what are you?" I asked, watching the glowing white blade hover inches over my hands.
//"I am your blade."//