Chapter 8 - War & The Demon King

As Basil and I walked toward school, I couldn't help but feel a little curious about his abilities and dreams. "Basil," I asked, "You're pretty good at healing people and you're vines are pretty great too. What do you want to achieve exactly?"

"Are you an old man trying to ask a young kid what they want to be when they grow up?" The sword jested, making me roll my eyes.

"I don't really know anything about them so it's good to know what they want and stuff, nothing wrong with that," I whispered to the sword.

"Who are you whispering to exactly? You've been whispering to yourself this whole time. Also, why are you curious?" Basil asked suspiciously about me.

"Nothing! Just curious as all.. is that wrong?" I backtracked a little bit.

"Of course not haha. Geez! I was kidding. Though seriously who are you whispering to? I can hear that you know. You're not exactly a good whisperer." His seriousness turned into a smile.

"Should I tell him?" I asked the sword first before I answer the question.

"Sure, I mean what harm could it do for a cute little florant to know about my existence? Just tell him not to tattle on anyone and we're clear." The sword agreed to my request.

I introduced my sword to Basil, and he looked at me curiously. I could see he was a bit confused as to why I was introducing him to an inanimate object. The sword was quiet at first, but then it spoke up, and I could feel its energy vibrating in my hand.

"Hello, Basil," the sword said. "I'm Yamiru's sword. Nice to meet you." Yamiru says out loud since only Yamiru can hear the sword.

Basil looked at me with a surprised expression. "Wait, your sword can talk?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it can," I replied with a shrug. "It's kind of weird, I know."

The sword then spoke again, and I could feel its amusement. "Don't mind him," it said to Basil. "He's always been a bit slow on the uptake."

Basil looked at me with a bemused expression, and I rolled my eyes. "The sword says you're a bit girly," I told him. "It thinks you're too cute to be a guy."

Basil's face turned red, and he looked like he was about to get angry. "I'm not girly!" he protested.

The sword just laughed. "I'm just teasing you," it said. "I'm sure you're very manly."

Basil glared at the sword for a moment before finally laughing. "Well, you're not wrong about me being cute," he said with a grin. "But I'm definitely not girly."

We all laughed, and I could feel the tension in the air dissipate. It was nice to be able to joke around with someone like this, and I felt like I was starting to get to know Basil better.

Basil smiled at me and replied, "Anyways as for your question, I want to be a great healer, Yamiru. I don't believe in violence, and I want to help in the war against the Demon King."

I was intrigued by Basil's words. "What war?" I asked.

"I'm surprised you haven't heard of it. The Demon King has been conquering lands lately and it's gotten a lot worst now." Basil sighed.

Basil took a deep breath and began to describe the atrocities that the Demon King had committed, including massacres, murders, and the conquering of territories. He explained that demons usually kept to themselves in the underworld, but now they spread and conquer new lands since a new king had taken over.

As I listened to Basil, I couldn't help but feel a little scared. I wondered if my father had been involved in this war since he had disappeared without a trace a few years ago. "Do you think I might be in trouble?" I asked Basil.

Basil put his hand on my shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "I don't think so, Yamiru. But it's always good to be prepared."

Just then, the sword inside me spoke up. "Your father was dealing with demons before he disappeared, Yamiru," it said.

I gasped in surprise. "How do you know that?" I asked the sword.

"I was there, Yamiru," the sword replied. "I witnessed everything. Sadly I don't particularly remember a lot from it. My memories usually get erased when I have a new owner so I only know bits and pieces of it."

I was both terrified and fascinated by what the sword had just revealed. I wondered what other secrets it held.

Basil then turned to me and asked, "What about your abilities, Yamiru? What can you do?"

I took a deep breath and replied, "I don't really know. I've never really tried anything before."

Basil looked at me curiously. "Why don't you give it a try?" he suggested.

I nodded and closed my eyes, focusing my energy. I tried to visualize a small ball of fire in my hand and muttered "Firebolt." But nothing happened. I opened my eyes to see Basil looking at me expectantly.

"It didn't work," I said, feeling disappointed.

The sword inside me then spoke up again, this time with a mocking tone. "Well, that was a bit of a letdown, wasn't it? I suppose you're not really that good at magic!" it said.

I felt a surge of anger and frustration at the sword's tone. "Shut up," I growled.

Basil placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Yamiru. Maybe you just need more practice."

I nodded, feeling determined to improve my abilities. "You're right, Basil. I'll keep practicing until I get it right."

"Yeah, maybe you should overcome that skill issue of yours." The sword teased me.

"The school is right over there!" Basil pointed towards a very big building. So many students are attending. It was like ten times bigger than my school back in the regular world." I gulped, preparing myself at what I'm going to do.

As we arrived at school, I felt a new sense of purpose and drive. I wanted to become stronger and more skilled to help in the fight against the Demon King. And with Basil by my side, I felt like anything was possible.