Slowly, my eyes opened to the glow of the moonlight piercing the window. I must have slept through the day. Lily laid on my arm, still sound asleep. I carefully sat up, trying my hardest not to wake her up. Seeing her hairpin pressing against her head, I carefully unclipped it and placed it on the table next to my bed. Gently, I caressed her head as she smiled and cuddled up into a ball. Seeing her safe and smiling fills me with happiness in return.
I observed my hand for a bit. The hand that slaughtered countless goblins without me even noticing. I wonder what got into me. A voice in my head. Some strange things about "Bloodlust".
"It must be that. That had to be the cause of my madness." I thought to myself.
In a moment of silence, I snapped back to reality for a second and realized my body had been bandaged up along with some medicine on the table. Looking at Lily sound asleep, I figure she must have taken off the dirty clothes and bandaged me up.
"Was I that deep asleep? I didn't even wake up," I thought. "I should also change my pants after training as well. "
Looking at my body for a bit, I inspected the bandages over my burns I incurred from the dragon. I reach to touch it, only to be met with a searing stinging sensation. I can't remember the last time I got hurt this badly. To be fair, that was the first fight I ever had with an alpha dragon. I stood up carefully, trying not to wake her up. I looked at my reflection through the window. My hair slightly burned at its edge.
"I suppose the protection extends to my hair. Neat!" I mumbled as I fondled the burnt hair.
Putting the medicine in my hand, I put the pills in my mouth. Grabbing the glass of water, I slowly drank it, swallowing the pills in the process. I observe the empty glass of water before I put it down slowly on the table. I turned my head to look at the window, seeing my scarred body in the reflection.
"Maybe I should train a bit," I thought to myself.
Running my hand over my scars, they felt rough. Some cuts deep while others were now just discoloration, imperfections on my body. Just then, I felt a hand touch my back. I turned my head and saw Lily standing there, touching and observing one of my scars. Her touching the scar made me have a weird uncomfortable sensation. A light stinging is the best I can describe it.
"Did I wake you?" I asked her.
She took a moment, ignoring my questions. "I was the one who gave this one," she asked quietly. Her hand touched the deep wound across my back.
"It wasn't you. I was just careless that day." I retorted.
She was quiet for a bit before speaking again. "If I wasn't there, you wouldn't have been distracted" her voice clearly showing guilt over the incident years ago. "So it was practically my fault."
I took a moment before giggling to break the tension. "What's with people today taking blame for my recklessness? First it was Rosey and now you too, Lily?" I turned to face her.
She placed her head on my chest as she mumbled "sorry". We stood in silence for a bit.
I took her hand and gently caressed it within mine. "It's alright. Really, I mean it. Besides, you're living with me, and you practically take care of my every need." I placed my hand under her chin, raising her head towards me, nuzzling my nose to hers. "If it makes you feel any better, you have paid me back more than enough for the injury."
She smiled after what I said. After a moment, she yawned, clearly still sleepy.
"Alright, time for the sleepy princess to get some more sleep." I said sarcastically.
She looked up at me. The moonlight reflected within her blue eyes. "Will you stay with me forever? No matter what?" Her voice showed sincerity, and I wasn't going to ignore that fact.
"Yes. I will do everything in my power to stay with you." I embraced her as she wrapped her arms around me. "Forever and until the end of time itself."
She looked up at me with a faint smile. "You promise?" She asked.
"Yes Lily. I promise." I said with a smile on my face. I picked her up as she wrapped her arm around my neck. I slowly made my way to her room with her in my arms. "And with that, now comes the part where you get some sleep." She laid her head on my chest, smiling as I carried her toward her room.
"Alright. But don't come back too late ok " she said.
"I won't. I promise. Just a quick training session".
Satisfied, she closed her eyes. I put her onto her bed and tucked her in. As I turned to walk away, she reached out and grabbed my hand.
"Please don't push yourself too much. You are still injured." She said.
I nodded my head as I bent down to give her a kiss on the forehead. "As you wish, boss". I said jokingly, successfully making her crack a smile.
"Good boy." She said in a bossy tone, patting my head.
Before closing the door behind me, I turned back to see her hugging her pillow, soundly asleep. With my mind at ease from her peaceful sleep, I closed the door. Walking into the kitchen, I once again grabbed my new blade, ready to test what it could do.
The night air was cool. The breeze did wonders for my mood. I suppose while I slept it really did rain. The ground was wet, and the smell of grass and fresh rain replaced my scent of goblin blood. The drizzle of rain helped my body feel cool from my burns. Moving my arm causes the burns to rub against each other sometimes, causing a stinging sensation.
"At least the bandage Lily wrapped lessened the rubbing a little." I mumbled as I touched the bandages. "Thanks Lily." I notice myself smiling from the gesture.
I made my way into the forest where I usually train. On the way, I once again focus my attention on my blade once more. inspect the blade closely, holding it to my eyes, practically inches from my face. "Prototype: Armageddon" I studied the inscription closely, wondering what it means.
"Bridge huh?" I mumbled. "Why would someone carve the phrase 'bridge' onto a weapon though?"
That question wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon, and so I put it out of my mind. In the darkness of night, I saw something I hadn't previously seen.
"Lights?" I asked myself.
Faint lines of light can be detected from the sword upon closer inspection. Running my hand along those lines, they were smooth. There was no opening. Turning the sword over, and over, and over again, I cannot see any runes implanted into the sword itself. Just now I took notice of the sword's weight. It was light. Not just light, it felt extremely light for a sword of silver.
"Maybe it was made out of platinum? Or maybe steel?" I thought to myself. "No, this is lighter than all of them. I've held swords of such materials smaller than this one, and yet they all felt heavier."
An unknown material then. "Maybe Nark made it himself using some materials or processes not known to humans. He is a Divine rank for a reason after all", I figured.
The only thing going through my head was what this sword can do. At first, it felt normal, and then, it transformed. What's with the sensation when I killed those goblins? After a bit of thinking, I also took notice of the voice before those moments. The voices tend to appear right before something strange happens. Well, it was no use asking for a sword.
"Time for some good old tinkering." I declared into the forest.
Upon entering the training ground, I decided to see just how sharp the sword can get. I made an innocent tree my target as I got into my stance. The tree is roughly a foot in diameter, and I wanted to see how deep it can cut. Steadying my breath, I took a forceful swing at the tree. Nothing happened. A slight pressure, and that's all.
"… did I just miss a still target?" I thought to myself in disbelief as I prepared my stance again.
Taking another breath, I swung my blade again. Like a specter, the sword went through the tree, although with another bit of slight pressure. I put one and one together and realized, I didn't miss. My sword went through. Wacking the tree with the side of my blade, the tree slid into 3 pieces. Conclusion: the sword is extremely sharp, sharper than anything I ever laid my hands upon. The blade felt unreal in how sharp it is. I could do nothing but stare at it for a good while, wondering if I am seeing things right.
I looked at the fallen log, and without my stance or proper strength, I swung at the log on the ground. The blade stopped halfway into the log before stopping. I swiftly pulled the sword out of the log and I spect it for any damage. As expected, it was perfectly sharp with no dents or any damage.
Taking my self taught slashing stance, I stepped forward with my right leg. Feeling the sword on my right hand, I proceeded to squeeze my thumb and index finger into the blade while loosening my pinky. Positioning the blade to my lower left, I set my sight on the trunk of the fallen tree in front of me.
Taking a breath, I swung my arm up as I flexed my pinky, causing the sword to slice upward at blinding speed. At the moment of the slash, the world slowed down, followed by a voice. "Prototype: Raindrop". As soon as the voice stopped, the world went back to normal, as my blade drove up. A blue wave shot ahead of me as countless trees fell down wherever the wave touched before it dissipated around 10 meter away from me.
I stood there, silent as the sound of trees crashing down around me continued. Finally, the noisy trees stabilized on the ground, and the sound stopped. I got up from my stance, mouth agape from the carnage I have caused.
Slowly, I lifted my sword and my head moved to look at it. Smoke covered its edge as steam was emitted from the blade. I waited as the smoke dissipated as my heart rate attempted to stabilize. When the smoke dissipated, the sword had opened up. The length is now that of a longsword, and the blade itself is thinner. The edge was engulfed with a blue glow, the same as that of the dim glow I noticed before.
The ticking noise stopped after the smoke cleared out, leaving only the sound of small raindrops hitting my skin. The rain is ticking on the shiny blade as I run my finger along the side of it. Not long afterward, the ticking started again, and the blade swiftly transformed back into its usual form.
"What is this magic?" I asked myself.
Now, some things have been confirmed. One, the voice does dictate a change, and two, this weapon is nowhere near normal. Still, some questions remained in my head. The fire blade, and the blackout with the goblin was yet to be explained. I assume there must have been some condition for it to be activated.
Wanting to test out my theory, I got back in my stance. The blade gripped tight with my thumb and index finger. Taking a breath, I swung the blade, flexing my pinky. Time slowed down once more as the voice once again. "Prototype: Raindrop" the voice said, as the wave was yet again released in the direction. It appears that the blade responds to my movement. This time, I wanted to test yet another theory.
Instead of stopping at one, I swung the sword again, this time downward. Another wave was let out, and another, and another. It appears that when it has changed, its attack will be changed for the duration. After the 7th swing, the blade instantly closed yet again. The ticking noise stopped shortly afterward.
"A fine weapon indeed," I mumbled under my breath as I tried to catch my breath.
Once again, I got into my stance, and attempted to swing it once more. Flexing my pinky, the blade shot up once more. "Prototype: Raindrop" the voice said as I let go of my weapon.
I fell on my knees, hands trembling. I could not feel my legs. I hadn't noticed it before, but my breathing is now erratic. It felt hard to breathe. I could not expand my lungs no matter how hard I try. My heart beat slowly, and my vision was blotted out by dots floating around. My breath tastes like iron, and I laid down, rolling to my back. Grasping my heart, the pain spread through my body. The rain was hitting my face, and yet, the sensation felt hot. I gasped for air, yet it was no use.
It was worse than after the dragon. This sensation was similar to the sensation I felt after the goblin massacre.
"Lily.." I tried calling out. "I….. need…. You…."
My vision got darker, and finally, fell black.
"sebas…." A void called out.
"SEBas…" it called out again.
"SEBAS!!!" Lily cried out.
I felt my breathing, although slowly. I wince my eyes open, only managing as much as a slit to see through.
"Sebas!" Lily cried out. "Oh thank god you're alive."
She sounded as if she had been crying for a long time. I can feel her hand holding onto mine. I felt the bed under me. The smell was similar to that of hers.
"Don't try to move too much. You are still not well." She continued.
She held my hands toward her face "I thought you had died!" she said while crying.
I opened my eyes wider now. Looking at the ceiling, I can tell I was in her room. The smell only confirmed that, along with the soft bed. I moved my eyes to look at her. Her eyes red from crying. Her gown, wet from tears. The poor girl can't even see through her tears, constantly wiping at her eyes with her wet sleeve. I move to caress her face.
"I'm sorry…. Lily." I murmured. "I… pushed myself." I took a pause to catch my breath. " too hard… I think…"
"Stop talking and just catch your breath." She said through her tears.
I laid my head back down, trying to get used to breathing again.
"Rose!!" Lily yelled out the door. "Rose!! Come quick!! He's awake!!"
Footsteps hurriedly stomped through the house. In the doorway appeared Rosaria, also in tears. She hurriedly moved to the side of the bed.
"Rosey…. Nice of you…. To drop by… sorry I… don't look too… pretty right now."
"Thank goodness you're awake." She said, completely ignoring my genius greeting. "I brought you some more medicine. Please take them as soon as you can." She felt my forehead with the back of her hand. "You're not sick, luckily." She took a sigh and calmed down a little. "It appears you're just extremely fatigued from training."
"Just lay low for now and rest. Me and Rose will go make you some food for you to eat.." Lily turned to Rosaria. "Can you come with me out to shop? I don't want to go out alone."
Rosaria looked at me, the. Back at Lily. "But, shouldn't we stay to keep wat-"
"Go with her, Rosey." I took a breath. "She's afraid of speaking… to other people."
Rosaria hesitated a little before nodding her head. Lily turned to me before speaking. "We won't be gone for too long. I promise."
And with that, they left the room, shutting the door behind them. There I laid, staring at the ceiling. My mind wandered from subject to subject. First is the nightmares. Ever since I was 10, the nightmares started. Usually they only last for what appears to be 10 seconds or so. Just yesterday it was as long as a minute or two. The dreams were getting more detailed, yet, not everything is clear.
Then comes the weapon. A weapon that transformed? I've never heard of such things. The owner, Nark. What is he like? Did he know of the weapon? Did he know of its strength? Maybe he knew its features. Or maybe he was also heavily affected by the weapon, and thus he left it for another.
Glancing around the room, the weapon caught my eyes. Part of me was afraid of what just happened, but another part of me knows that I need it if I want to keep getting stronger. Just then, a thought came into my head. Why not just go buy an actual customized weapon made by Em. I just hope 30 gold will be enough for a decent weapon. I slowed my mind a bit.
"Just go to sleep, me. Get better first." I closed my eyes, and fell asleep just as quickly as I woke up.
It was dark. I was conscious of the darkness. I attempted to open my eyes to no avail. Voices, bustling around me. There seems to be a conversation between a male and female. A male voice starts the conversation.
"Nice of you to drop by, Selene."
"Wouldn't miss today for anything"
"Oh really? I thought you hate gatherings."
"I do. Actually, I'm really uncomfortable right now."
"Then how about we head somewhere quieter?"
"A fair suggestion. Where do you have in mind?"
There was a pause before the man spoke.
"How about the balcony? It isn't too cold outside"
"You read my mind, partner."
The man laughed, followed by the women. They both had a giggle from what she said.
"I didn't know you use human slangs."
"Well, are you not my partner? Besides, being alive for as long as I have, you tend to pick up what the youngster uses"
"You're right I suppose. Still, you sound southern when you say it."
"A cowgirl?"
"I'm surprised you know what those are."
"Ninlil taught me."
They paused for a moment as the door creaked open. The voices around got quieter. They must be on the balcony now. The man continued once more.
"The moon sure is pretty."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Still, not as pretty as you tonight."
"No need to be extra sweet to me. You already own me."
"Still. I love you, y'know? It isn't just because we are partners. I just… I just love you."
They stood quiet for a bit. The wind howled softly past. Someone kissed the other person, just a light kiss. Maybe on the cheek, maybe on the forehead. I can't tell. The women spoke up.
"I'm out of drinks. Want to head in to grab another? These human wine are quite delectable for my taste buds."
"Of course. It's getting quite cold out here as well."
"Good boy. Now come along."
The door creaked open before the women spoke once more.
"I love you too, Isamu."
The voices stopped, leaving me in silence once again.