(Bonus: Thank you for the 2 power stones Eternal_D chapter 1/2)
"Cursed?"
Regulus couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in suspicion at what David was telling him.
'And yet this world seems to surpass my expectations every time I judge it.'
Looking at David's body language, it was apparent he was embarrassed that his greatest creation was, in fact, equivalent to a chunk of unprocessed iron.
"It seemed like a sword that would turn out like any other, a late-stage 'Jack' sword, but that's it."
Hesitating for a moment before looking at Regulus, who remained silent, signalling him to continue, David spoke of the creation of the cursed sword.
"An accident then occurred in the forge, and a mysterious vile of blood I had previously received from a noble as payment quenched the blade."
For blacksmiths, blood was often used as a substitute for currency due to its essential role in the forging of swords.
A grandmaster blacksmith could even utilise mythical creatures' blood, such as dragons, to imbue inherent traits of the being into the sword.
King Lucien's sword was rumoured to contain the blood of a noble vampire that corrupted an enemy's bloodline upon contact.
Aiming to one day reach the same heights as Grandmaster Rufus, when David was face to face with a mysterious and ancient blood, he took it.
Yet when the blood fell on the sword by accident, David was far too unskilled to seal it properly within the blade or bring out any abilities.
"Upon contact with the blood, a whirlpool of chaotic energy was funnelled into the sword, and by the end of the process, it had reached the mid 'Prince' rank."
At the time, David saw this accident as good fortune and flaunted his creation to some of his close friends, spreading the rumour.
However, the happiness David felt was snuffed out just a week later. Preparing to display his sword to another of his friends, when he opened the case, a sinister aura radiated from the once docile sword.
"Before I could call out to my friend that something was wrong, as if enchanted, he reached out and grabbed the pommel."
The stoic blacksmith's eyes slightly shook as he recalled what happened to his friend afterwards.
"As if frozen, he simply stood upright with his eyes glazed over for a while before- before collapsing to the floor."
"His eyes resembling a dead fish, he was transformed into a husk, as if the once jolly man I knew was never there."
Breathing a sigh of relief that he had finally shared the full truth of the tale with someone else, David half-expected Regulus to report him to the police.
Unlike Marty, who could hardly believe his ears that such an evil blade existed, the handsome blonde remained statue-like even after the tale.
'The symptoms displayed by the man who touched the blade share a likeness to those who used soul-burning martial arts in my past life.'
Although Regulus was no blacksmith, he understood the power of blood. The man who injured him so heavily in his past life was the inheritor of the blood phoenix arts.
'The instability caused by unprepared blood colliding with an unforged sword could have resulted in many impossibilities.'
The thick tension that prevailed throughout the room was finally cut through as Regulus spoke.
"There is a possibility I can understand it if you show it to me. Do you want to take the risk?"
Even though the young man in front of him was his junior and hadn't even entered the academy, David felt as if Grandmaster Rufus was standing in front of him due to the confidence lancing Regulus's words.
The extreme confidence of Regulus, combined with David's desperation to be free from the cursed sword that was occupying his basement, caused him to make a decision he would never make in normal circumstances.
"Follow me, and I'll show it to you."
Leaving Marty behind Regulus and David descended a rickety wooden stairwell, the dust which lay like a blanket upon each step indicated abandonment.
Not wanting to see the sword, which symbolised his greatest shame and failure as a blacksmith, David had not visited his basement in a while.
Reaching the basement's cobbled stone floor, a beam of sunlight illuminated the room. A small slanted window which provided the basement with natural lighting illuminated a solitary sword.
Unlike the rest of the room, which was blanketed by dust, the sword remained resplendent as the afternoon sun danced on the cold steel.
Appearing like a traditional European longsword, the plain sword was void of decoration except for its black leather hilt and pommel, which had the engraving of a drop of blood.
As an accidental creation, David had not crafted the sword to look like the masterpiece. It was only stamping its pommel with a blood mark to represent its birth.
Yet despite the absence of gold or fancy details, the dark steel still seemed to swallow up the observer like a calm night sea preparing to drag you to its depths.
'Well, It's undeniably cursed; it would appear David wasn't lying.'
A sinister aura radiated off the dark beauty that seemed to call out to Regulus like a siren's song.
Yet despite the obvious malice contained within the sword, Regulus's instincts, honed over his many years of battles and dangers, felt the threat of the sword was minimal.
Much to the dismay of David, who believed he was destined to witness a repeat of the last time Regulus walked towards the sword.
'Let's see what this curse has in store for me.'
Smiling at the lack of danger he felt despite his proximity to the sword, Regulus's outstretched hand made contact with the pommel of the sword, and his eyes glazed over.
(We reached rank ten on the weekly Power Stone rankings last night; thankk you for the continued support :) All power stones and collections go a long way. Consider leaving a review as well to express any feedback or support you may have.)