Celeste and I stared at each other in the eyes. Ryuko and Akira were silently waiting for me to make my next move. I could tell they were eager for me to advance.
"...a sword spirit?" I asked calmly.
"...yeah, I'm what some may call a sword spirit, I'm sorry if I'm intruding on your evening, though."
She seemed polite, almost timid at times, yet I could tell she was sincere. She had a blue, ghost-like appearance and long hair, but she was spectral, meaning I couldn't touch her.
"You're not. But, what are you doing here?" I asked. She sighed.
"Well, I've been trying to find someone to talk to, but all of the others keep running away from me. You're not afraid of me, are you?"
To be honest, I was somewhat freaked out, but I wasn't going to tell her that. Besides, I hadn't even made it into the academy yet, and if I was sent home, I'd likely never see her again.
On the other hand, if I was accepted, I would essentially have a guaranteed spirit. Plus, my sword has been practically begging for one for years now.
"No, I'm not afraid of you. At least, not immediately." I said. Akira interjected~
"Um, yeah you are, you're totally panicked right now."
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"I can read your thoughts and feelings, it's part of my ESP. You're totally shaking in your boots!" I interrupted~
"I am not, and don't try saying that I am!"
Celeste had a worried look on her face. She seemed to be confused about how I truly felt, as she was receiving opposing signals.
"Um, if I'm bothering you, I can go, don't worry about it..."
"No, don't go. I want to talk." I replied, attempting to keep her here.
"Oh? What is it you want to talk about?" she asked, floating towards me slowly. I backed up, and she stopped, keeping the distance between us.
"Tell me about spirits. What are they, and how did they come about? What's their purpose?"
"I see...you wish to know more about my people. Very well, I'll enlighten you," said Celeste, floating into the air. She began to spin slowly in the sky, glowing as she spun.
"What's she doing?" I asked.
"She's transforming. Just wait, you'll see what I mean," said Akira.
I waited for a few seconds as she transformed. Suddenly, I heard a loud bang and saw a girl lunge at me from the air. I shouted, but it was too late, we were going to collide~
"WEEEEE!"
"AHH-" *BOOM*
"Ooooh, what a hit!" yelled Akira as I fell down.
I hit the ground hard and almost blacked out. When I opened my eyes, I realized what had happened. Sitting on top of me, also dazed, was a girl... It was Celeste.
It was now that I was able to accurately pick her features out. She had long azure hair and magenta eyes. She was wearing earrings that had what appeared to be sapphire in them. When she snapped out of her confusion, she quickly stood up and helped me to my feet.
...wait, she helped me to my feet. She's taken on a physical form now...
"Are you okay? Sorry about that, I have a hard time controlling my transformations," said Celeste, chuckling. I brushed myself off, still slightly dazed.
"What the hell was that? You didn't tell me you could transform into a human."
"Hehe, I know. To be honest, it's quite a rare ability. Not many spirits have the luxury of being able to transform into a human." said Celeste, smiling.
"...What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"Allow me to explain. This brings us to a short history of my people, the spirits... listen up, what's your name again?" asked Celeste.
"Hachiro."
"Alright, listen up Hachiro, this is who I am..." said Celeste, readying herself to explain spirits to me.
The spirits are a spectral species that come from a place known as The Spirit Realm. It is a realm hidden away from humanity, which can be accessed through a portal in the Vernati Desert, though, as of right now, the portal is being guarded by a very powerful demon...
It's been this way for quite some time, and while it's easy for spirits to leave the realm and avoid this demon, it's quite challenging for them to re-enter without being caught and slain. Yes, you heard me right, spirits can be killed if the attacker is powerful enough, and unfortunately, this demon is more than capable.
Because of the restricted access to the spirit portal, the majority of spirits who currently reside here have decided to take refuge here until the demon taking siege of the portal is vanquished. I've been trying to find somebody who can try and defeat this monster, but everybody I've talked to has run away from me...
Spirits have been around for millennia, long before the discovery of Minerva as a nation. I myself have only been alive for a couple of hundred years, though, but in that time I've seen a lot happen, and I've learned a lot about humanity, as well as unusuals. I think I can help you out, that is, if you choose me to inhabit your sword.
Celeste ceased her explanations there, arguing that a full history of spirits would take far too long to explain.
"So what you're telling me is you come from another realm, accessed by a mysterious portal in some desert, with an unknown origin, that's being sieged by a powerful demon, forcing spirits to remain on the Earth and not in the Spirit Realm?"
"Precisely, that's exactly it. If we were to defeat this demon, perhaps we could regain control of the portal, but the thing is, this demon is crazy powerful, and I mean it. It's killed many warriors in the past."
Celeste was making this unusual out to be the most terrifying creature on Earth, and beyond that, she kept referring to it as a "demon" rather than an unusual. Was there a difference?
"What exactly do you mean by a demon?" I asked curiously.
"Oh, you refer to most of them as unusuals, yes?"
"Yes, I wasn't aware there was a difference."
"Well, demons are unusuals who adopt the form of humans, as well as possess intelligence, meaning they can communicate with us and make conscious decisions on their own. They're just like people, but evil."
Ryuko nodded his head in affirmation and then proceeded to scratch his chin.
"You left out one small detail, though," he said to Celeste.
"What did I miss?"
"Demons possess abilities that reach far beyond humans, and in some cases, far beyond even the Extraordinary Individuals. You mentioned a powerful demon guarding the portal, yes?"
"I did, do you have knowledge of this demon?"
"I do...though, I'm not sure Hachiro is ready to hear it quite yet, perhaps when he is stronger. Celeste, come here so that I may tell you it."
I was annoyed by this. Ryuko knew something important and didn't want to share it with me simply because I was weak. It wasn't fair in my eyes. I confronted him about this immediately!
"Hey, that's not fair, I'm in this fight with you guys too, tell me about this demon," I said.
"No...for one thing, you haven't been admitted yet, so that would be leaking information to the public which isn't allowed, and besides, I'm trying to protect you, so telling you the whereabouts and information regarding one of the most powerful unusuals in the world might prompt some fatal curiosity out of you, don't go after it!"
"I'm determined to kill every unusual and save the world, I'll learn about this unusual anyway, so why can't you tell me now?"
"Hachiro, killing every unusual is a task almost impossible. The best to have ever lived have only managed to kill a couple thousand, and as far as we know, their population extends well into the millions. I will not disclose any more information to you."
"Celeste, come here," said Ryuko.
He was right, as annoying as it was. Even knowing that such an unusual existed was tempting me to search for it, even if I knew it would immediately spell my end. Celeste walked over to Ryuko and put her ear to him.
As he told her the secrets of this demon, her eyes widened, and she began to tremble. Was this information really that dire?
"Dear lord...this is worse than I thought...and he's only...wow..." said Celeste in resignation. She then turned to me.
"Well, now that you know, you should find somebody capable and-" Ryuko was cut off by Celeste.
"Hachiro, I'm going to ask you a very important question, and I need you to answer honestly, okay?"
Her words carried great power, enough to send chills down my spine. I was anxious about what I was going to hear next. Ryuko closed his eyes and backed up.
"This world has been at war with itself for centuries, and I won't sugarcoat it like your teachers will assuming you're admitted. If you're as serious as you say you are about saving the world, then please, answer me this,"
"Hachiro Karasagi, may I inhabit your sword?" she asked. My eyes lit up, but they were immediately dimmed by Ryuko's response.
"So, you're going to choose him, regardless of what I told you?" asked Ryuko.
"I am. I believe he is capable, he shows no limit to his strength..." said Celeste.
"I know...and that is why I am concerned..." said Ryuko.