The moment Adriel's gloved fingers brushed against him, Ethan felt an electrifying spark rush through his… sword body.
It could only mean one thing.
"Seriously?!" he yelled instinctively.
Wait, I can talk?! Why only now?! Is it because we're bonded?
Adriel froze, and jerked his hand away. His cool, confident expression was wiped away in a heartbeat. He turned his head side to side, as if hoping someone else had been there.
"Who said that…?" he asked haltingly.
Oh, this is just great. We're bonded now. It's over for him. And me.
Now, there was nothing Ethan could do. He stared back up at the confused boy, panic quickly replaced with resignation.
Adriel definitely knew what he'd done. He had just foolishly become the master of a cursed sword. But it was obvious his mind was trying to deny the overwhelming weight of it.
Ethan decided there was no use in trying to pretend everything was fine, and he should just get it over with and tell him.
"Me, you moron," he said. "The cursed sword you just touched."
Adriel looked down again, and now, he really couldn't play off the truth.
From what Ethan had read in the story so far, only cursed swords had minds, and there was no way to tell if one was cursed or not until you touched it. And by then, you were permanently bonded, and it was too late.
The boy did nothing. Then, his hands flew towards Ethan.
The next thing he knew, Ethan was hurtling through the air like a basketball, his vision spinning uncontrollably. He slammed hard against the stone wall, falling to the ground with a loud clatter.
That didn't hurt. Must be because I'm a freaking sword now. That's pretty cool, but why the hell did he throw me?! What a dick! Not the cool edgy kind, but an actual jerk! Also, isn't the sword I'm supposed to be like half as big as he is?
"What was that for?!" Ethan demanded indignantly.
Adriel didn't answer. He walked over to Ethan, grabbing him roughly. Ethan shuddered at the sensation. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it felt strange to be picked up in a body so different from your own.
"Ugh, that's uncomfortable! Put me down," he snapped.
"It actually was a cursed sword, huh?" Adriel growled. "Just my luck."
Ethan supposed he should be glad throwing him was the worst thing Adriel had done so far. According to the novel, the protagonist was supposed to have a short temper, always causing trouble.
Just as he thought Adriel might skip the temper tantrum, the boy exploded.
"FUCK!" he screamed furiously, before glancing around the cave and remembering monsters might hear.
"Damn it!" Adriel whisper-shouted. "How could I be so stupid?!" He raised Ethan up to eye level, scrutinizing him like a precious jewel.
Never mind, there it is.
"For a second, I thought I'd stumbled across a rare, powerful sword. From the looks of it, I guess it's half true. But nothing's ever free, is it?!"
Adriel looked like he was about to cry tears of rage.
"You're going to devour my soul and possess me now, I assume?!" he demanded, squeezing Ethan tightly.
"N-no! Stop crushing me, man!"
It still doesn't hurt, but this sucks! Is this what I'm gonna feel for the rest of eternity?
Wait--but if I'm the sword itself, maybe that means I have control over if I corrupt him or not…!
Ethan had barely read a few arcs of The Strongest Doomed Swordmaster. He had no idea what happened to Adriel in the end. But judging by the title, he had a pretty good feeling that Adriel's fate was not something he wanted to cause, or at the very least, be dragged along.
"You're lying. Everyone knows cursed swords like you always twist the truth!"
"I swear I'm not! Look, I didn't want to wind up as a sword, either! Do you know how humiliating it is to be held like an object?!" Ethan yelped before he could stop himself.
Oops. I just admitted I'm not a sword. Probably shouldn't have done that.
Adriel glanced down at his right hand, still gripping Ethan tightly.
"Right. All cursed swords used to be human," he muttered, seemingly calming down. "What happened to you? Murder? Or some kind of sacrifice?"
"I--wait, huh?" Ethan was taken aback by the information. He knew the cursed swords in the novel were sentient beings, but since when were cursed swords made from people?
And what does he mean, what happened to me?
"I said, what happened to you?" Adriel repeated, a hint of annoyance creeping into his agitated tone.
Ethan scrambled to think of a response. If he realizes I'm not from this world, I have no idea what he'll do to me! First rule of transmigration, don't tell anyone you transmigrated…!
"Uh, I… yeah, I was murdered," he said, trying to sound like he knew why he was being asked the question.
"If you didn't want to be a sword, then why are you one?"
"Bro, how am I supposed to know?! What's with the questions??"
Adriel set Ethan back on the pedestal, much to his relief. The protagonist seemed to have gotten over the initial horror of being bound to a cursed sword for now, but Ethan had no idea when his temper would flare up again.
Someone had complained online that this guy is written way too unpredictably. I guess it's true.
"You're a massive sword," Adriel observed. "You're giving off a subtle magic aura. It'll be obvious to anyone you're not normal."
He's already planning to take me out of here?
Ethan wasn't sure what happened if Adriel was to simply leave him in the cave. Did binding mean he would automatically be summoned to Adriel? Or would Adriel not be able to go places without him?
He wished he'd read more chapters of the novel now.
"I thought you weren't gonna trust me."
Adriel crossed his arms, glowering down at Ethan. "I've got no other choice. Now, I'm stuck with you until I die, or find a way to separate myself."
He kicked resentfully at a nearby crystal, causing it to shatter into several pieces. "And I better somehow do it before you corrupt me," he continued.
"I won't do anything bad to you," Ethan swore. "Promise!"
"Don't even start," Adriel said sharply. "I'm not falling for your psychological tricks."
Ugh, this guy! I swear, if I still had eyes, I would've rolled them about a thousand times so far.
"You know, I'm definitely, certainly, a hundred-percent not evil. Since we're stuck together now, because of a certain someone, I--"
In a flash, Adriel snatched Ethan back off the pedestal, shaking him aggressively. "Listen, sword. I admit it, it's my fault this happened. But if you continue to taunt me, you're going to regret it!"
Not again! He's seventeen, and acting like a five-year-old! Living with him for the next who knows how long isn't going to be easy…
"Chill out! Getting angry at me isn't gonna change anything."
Adriel, to his credit, listened. He held Ethan less angrily, although a scowl still slid across his face.
"Also, my name isn't sword. I'm not an object," Ethan added as an afterthought, once he was reasonably confident he wouldn't be thrown into the wall.
"Fine. What do you want to be called?" Adriel said flatly, like he couldn't believe he was asking a sword, of all things.
For a few seconds, Ethan considered choosing a cool fantasy name, to fit with the vibe of this world. Something like Lucian or Arin.
No, that's too cliche, he decided. Not that my name is any more original, but hey, at least it's mine.
"Ethan," he declared, like a knight presenting news of a successful battle to their king.
Adriel raised an eyebrow. "Ethan? That's a strange name." The boy paused, and regarded him suspiciously. "To me, it sounds like some sort of wicked spell."
Everything I say is going to look like a lie to this guy. Getting him to trust me'll be an entire journey on its own!
"Not where I come from. Dude, who are you to judge? Your name is literally Adriel."
"Can you not speak like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like a street urchin who never went to school."
Ethan scoffed. "I'll do what I want. You might be my wielder now, but you can't control me!"
Adriel swung him back and forth violently a few more times. "Still want to be like that?"
"Ugh… No, sir."