Darkness.
Then a cough.
Lukas jerked upright, choking violently as water spilled from his lungs. He gasped for air, coughing harder until his chest stopped heaving.
He sat up, drenched, breathing hard.
"I'm… alive."
He looked around.
The air was cold. Damp. Echoing.
He was in a cave, walls slick with moisture, the sound of dripping water bouncing in the distance. Faint light spilled in from a crack in the ceiling above.
"Where the hell…?"
His eyes adjusted.
In front of him was a skeleton, slumped against the rocky wall. It wore tattered clothing, robes or armor, like a swordsman from another age. Beside it lay a rusty old sword, barely holding together.
Lukas tilted his head.
"Did this guy fall off the cliff too…?"
He moved closer, inspecting the remains.
The right arm was gone. Torn off, not decayed, a sign of battle.
"Guess he didn't go down easy."
His eyes drifted to the sword.
Curious, Lukas reached out and picked it up.
The moment his fingers touched the hilt—
A whisper.
Soft. Indistinct.
Lukas snapped his head to the left.
Nothing.
Another whisper, this time clearer.
"Focus your mind... reach into your awareness..."
He looked around again.
"Okay, I'm done. Not following some mysterious whisper in a dark cave."
Then the voice returned, more direct.
"Relax. I'm not an enemy. I'm… the sword you're holding."
Lukas stared at the blade in his hand.
It was old. Worn. The edge dull and crusted. But now that he focused, he could feel something, a faint aura, like a heartbeat inside the metal.
"...A talking sword?" he muttered.
"Now that's new."
The sword spoke again.
"It has been… so long since I've seen a living human."
Lukas shrugged. "Well, sorry to break your dry streak."
He casually began to put the sword back down.
"Hey! HEY!" the sword shouted.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Putting you back," Lukas replied bluntly. "I already have a sword."
"You dare?!" the sword snapped.
"I am one of the Seven Legendary Artifacts of this world! You DARE to discard me?!"
Lukas raised an eyebrow. "Cool. And I'm the undefeated boxing champion from another world. So what?"
There was a long silence.
"...Wait. What did you just say?" the sword asked, suddenly sounding confused.
"You're not from here?"
"Nope."
"...You're joking."
Lukas sighed, slinging the sword over his shoulder again lazily.
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
"Prove it," the sword demanded. "Prove you're from another world."
Lukas shrugged without turning around.
"Believe it or not, I don't really care. I'm leaving now, so… later."
He took a step toward the cave entrance.
"W-Wait! Hey, wait!" the sword called out, its voice suddenly panicked.
"Alright, alright! Let's talk!"
Lukas paused and turned back, eyebrow raised.
"What is it now?"
"I'd like to propose a contract," the sword said, more composed now.
"A pact. Between us."
That got Lukas's attention.
"A contract, huh? What kind of deal are we talking about?"
The sword's tone shifted into one of pride.
"You become my wielder. My master. In return, I shall lend you my power and reclaim the glory of my name!"
Lukas glanced at the rusted blade skeptically.
"You sure? I mean… you look like you've been sitting in a swamp for a century. Can you even cut anything anymore?"
"You arrogant brute!" the sword barked.
"I am one of the finest artifacts in this entire realm! Of course I have a restoration function! I just… currently lack the mana to activate it. All I can do right now is talk."
Lukas scratched his chin, thinking.
'Hmmm… well, I do need to get stronger if I want to punch that damned goddess in the face someday. Maybe this is fate.'
He nodded.
"Alright. You've got yourself a deal. Maybe this meeting really was destiny."
"Excellent!" the sword said, its voice practically beaming.
"Let us begin the contract."
"Okay, so what do I have to do?"
"Focus your awareness. Grip me with intent. I will guide the rest."
Lukas narrowed his eyes.
"You're not going to possess me or anything, right?"
"Ugh! The disrespect! No, I am not going to hijack your body!"
Still cautious, Lukas took a breath and focused.
The world blurred. Everything faded.
And suddenly—
He was in a vast white space.
A formless dimension with no ground, no ceiling, just endless white stretching in every direction.
In front of him stood a woman.
Gorgeous.
A tall, curvaceous figure with long, flowing white hair, soft gray eyes, and an air of mystery.
Lukas blinked.
"Whoa… you're beautiful. Didn't expect that from a rusty sword."
She tilted her head with a sly smile.
"This form is a result of your mental projection. Is this your type?"
Lukas crossed his arms and grinned.
"I like all types."
She sighed.
"My new wielder might be slightly perverted… lovely."
She stepped forward and raised her hand.
"Let us begin the bond."
Light surrounded them, glowing threads of energy forming intricate patterns in the air. The light surged forward and merged, forming a seal that embedded itself on both their foreheads.
Then—
Flash.
Lukas opened his eyes, back in the cave. He looked down at the sword in his hands.
It pulsed softly alive.
"The contract is complete," the sword said warmly.
"From this moment forward, we are bound. Until death parts us."
Lukas smirked.
"Well then, partner. I guess we're stuck together."
"Indeed. May I ask, what is your name, Master?"
"Lukas Valentine."
The sword pulsed again, this time with something that felt like a smile.
"A fine name. Mine is Freya, Please take care of me from now on, Master."
Lukas stretched his arms, groaning.
"Alright, Freya... got any idea how to get out of this cave?"
The sword's voice echoed in his mind with a hint of guilt.
"Unfortunately, no. I've been stuck here for centuries. Never really had the chance to map the place out."
Lukas blinked.
"Wait, centuries?"
"Yes. My previous master... he was ambushed. Trapped here. I've been dormant since then."
Lukas leaned back against the cold stone wall.
"Who ambushed him? Do you remember?"
Freya's tone darkened.
"No. The attacker wore a mask. I couldn't see their face."
"How convenient." Lukas muttered, rolling his eyes.
"What about their fighting style? Anything familiar?"
A moment of silence, then,
"That was the strange part.
They used many styles, like they'd stolen techniques from dozens of sword. It was like fighting a shadow that knew everything and nothing at once."
Lukas frowned.
"So… a masked copycat swordsman. Great."
"There was one clue," Freya added. "During the battle, my master managed to wound them. Briefly. I saw a small tattoo… over their chest. A raven. Black, wings spread."
Lukas nodded slowly.
"A raven tattoo. Alright. If we meet them… we'll finish what they started. You and me."
The sword pulsed faintly with warmth.
"Yes… let's call it a rematch."
They sat in silence for a beat, then Freya spoke again.
"By the way… your 'talent' is quite interesting."
"Talent?" Lukas asked.
"Yes. Every person in this world is born with a unique alignment, how their soul resonates with the world's energies. Yours... is highly compatible with Aura."
"Aura, huh…" Lukas crossed his arms.
"Sounds cool, but I have no idea what that means."
"Aura is the force of will made manifest. Through training and control, you can turn your body into a weapon, your presence into pressure, and your strikes into absolute destruction."
Lukas grinned.
"Now that sounds like something I could use."
"But there's more," Freya said. "You mentioned a skill earlier?"
"Yeah. It's called [Devour]. I've already absorbed two skills, one from a dead man, and one from a horned tiger monster."
"Wait…" Freya's voice sharpened. "Devour? You mean... you consumed them and inherited their abilities?"
"Yep. Regeneration and Laser Beam."
Astreya went silent for several long seconds.
"That's… not normal. That skill is… unnatural. No known talent allows something like that. Not even the highest bloodlines of this world can do that."
Lukas shrugged.
"Well, it was a 'gift' from the goddess who threw me into this insane place."
Freya hissed slightly.
"A skill granted by a deity… No wonder it's so broken. And dangerous."
Lukas smirked.
"You saying I'm overpowered?"
"I'm saying that the world might not be ready for you, Lukas Valentine."
Freya's voice echoed in Lukas's mind again.
"Now that I think about it… perhaps your Aura affinity came from devouring that corpse."
Lukas raised an eyebrow.
"You think so?"
"It's possible. If that man had an exceptional talent, and your skill absorbed not just his abilities but his potential…"
Lukas scratched the back of his head.
"Huh. So I'm walking around with someone else's soul residue? Creepy…"
Astreya sighed.
"You're far too casual about these things."
"Hey, if it makes me stronger, I'm not complaining."
Still holding the sword, Lukas glanced around the cave again, squinting at the dark corners and jagged walls. A cold breeze brushed past him, carrying the faint scent of water.
He followed it.
And there it was.
A narrow path, half-flooded, at the edge of the cavern. Light trickled in from above, soft, bluish, and shimmering.
"Looks like that's how I got in here," Lukas muttered.
"Pulled in by the river current… must've flowed right through the cave."
He trudged toward it, boots sloshing through shallow water. The closer he got, the clearer the outside light became. Sunlight. Open air.
"Alright, partner," he said to Freya, lifting her gently. "Let's get out of this hole."
"Finally. If I had lungs, I'd be sighing with relief."
Lukas let out a short laugh and pressed forward, his steps echoing off the cave walls.
And with each step, the world outside grew brighter.