Lady Pherna strolled alongside Prince Kahne, traversing the manicured courtyard. Meiyer led, guiding them past majestic lion statues guarding the entrance. Sunlight danced across intricately carved stone facades.
"I thought one of us will make the bells ring," Lady Pherna said, her dark eyes sparkling, eyebrow arching.
Prince Khane's gaze narrowed. "Why will you wish for that?"
Lady Pherna's smile hinted mystery. "Wouldn't that be interesting? ."
Arnin tapped Lady Pherna's shoulder. "Look at me."
She turned, locking gazes. "Speak."
Arnin spoke without turning to her, his hand still resting firmly on her shoulder. "I don't know who this person identified as Bain is, but if things get too chaotic, come. Some high-ranking demons might appear out of curiosity and cause trouble. That's what I mean by 'if it gets chaotic,'" he said, his voice steady.
He then added, "You and I don't get along, but you should show up—not for my sake," he said, finally looking at her with a serious expression.
"I will fight them even if they are high-ranking demons. I have a heavenly spear," Lady Pherna declared confidently, her eyes blazing with determination.
Arnin frowned deeply. "Who's talking to you?" he snapped, striding ahead without waiting for a response.
Lady Meiyer led them to the entrance of the Laon family hall. They ascended the grand front stairs. The hall was vast and echoing, empty except for their group. At the far end stood an imposing chair reserved for the family head during meetings, flanked by smaller chairs and tables for the lower family heads.
"You can sit wherever you want, except—" she began, but her words trailed off as she noticed Arnin already seated in the family head's chair.
"How dare you! Can't you see that's not for you, Arnin?" she said fiercely, her eyes flashing with anger.
"Forgive me, forgive me," Arnin said with a disarming smile, quickly standing up and moving to a different seat.
The others had already settled into their places. Meiyer walked with measured grace to the family head's seat, turned, and sat down with an air of authority.
She looked at them, then began to speak. "Later, the servants will show you where to rest. Ningtin may have told you about Bain. He doesn't appear every night. For the last six months, he has only appeared twice, so we don't know when he will appear next," she said, her eyes scanning the room.
"We don't know when he will appear again, but he has already sealed Essed. I have discussed this with other martial artists in Essed.
The great advantage is that this is the period when martial artists come to prepare for the competition," she continued, her hands gesturing to emphasize her points.
"For the past five months, Essed has been sealed. A person can go in but can't come out. Are there people who have tried to break the seal before?" Prince Khane asked, leaning forward with a concerned expression.
"We've tried before, and people are still trying," Meiyer said, nodding solemnly.
Arnin sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "If only we had Berserk."
"Berserk?" Lady Pherna asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Lady Pherna, I thought you were knowledgeable. How can you not know what Berserk is?" he asked, looking at her with a hint of disbelief, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Just tell us," Meiyer said, her tone impatient as she crossed her arms.
He smiled. "Lady Meiyer, you are paying me for this knowledge.
Berserk was the name of Lyrien Alsan's sword. It had a mind of its own and was extremely powerful. However, it could be useless in many hands, but when it chooses you, it's very useful and you can harness its powers.
More than 200 years ago, Lyrien found the sword in a cave. He brought it back to his sect in the mountains, which was called Heaven's Path of Jengsin. Jengsin is now known as Alsan.
The sword was blunt and without essence in the hands of other disciples, but in Lyrien Alsan's hands, it was a powerful weapon. Because of that, he was banned from using the sword during training and competitions. Some said the weapon was forged by a demon, while others claimed it was forged by a god. No one knows the truth," Arnin said, his eyes glinting with the tale's mystery.
"If we had Berserk, it would be completely useless in our hands. How do we know it will choose one of us in this hall or anyone in Essed?" Lady Meiyer asked, her brow furrowed in concern.
"I have read something about Lyrien Alsan being banned from using a weapon during competitions and training. It's just that I couldn't remember the name of the sword," Lady Pherna said, her voice thoughtful.
"Actually, one of us can use Berserk," Ningtin said, looking at Lady Meiyer with a serious expression.
"How do you know that?" Lady Meiyer asked curiously, leaning forward.
"Last year, when I met Nameless, we talked about the origin of our swords and how we named them. I spoke about my sword and told him its name, 'Fearless.' Then he told me about his own. He said it was given to him when he was young by his guardian, an immortal," Ningtin said, his voice filled with conviction.
"An immortal?" Lady Pherna asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Mr. Immortal!" she and Arnin chorused, recalling when the immortal mentioned he had been with Prince Khane for a long time.
"Nameless said this immortal called the sword Berserk, and it belonged to a friend who died a long time ago. Nameless took the sword but renamed it 'Wife,'" Ningtin explained.
Arnin grinned as a thought crossed his mind. "So he kept it," he muttered.
"What did you say?" Lady Pherna asked, noticing his expression. It was then he realized he had spoken aloud.
"Who was talking to you?" he retorted, placing his elbow on the table and resting his head on his palm.
Ningtin clapped his hands and spoke loudly, "Now we only need Nameless to summon his sword from wherever it is."
"He is without essence, have you forgotten?" Lady Meiyer reminded them, her tone sharp.
"This is where you come in, beautiful rich lady. I had planned to steal the essence-growing pill from the alchemist in Essed when I arrived, but I have a safer solution. Why don't you pay for it?" Arnin asked with a mischievous grin.
"Are you crazy?! Do you know how much that alchemist said it was? 3000 gold coins!" she yelled, her face flushing with anger.
"My lady, do you have it or not?" Arnin said, standing up with a grin.
"I do, but—"
"The whole of Essed will be forever grateful for your sacrifice, Lady Meiyer Laon. You will be remembered," he interrupted, bowing theatrically.