Chapter 6 - Weapons? (2)

*Raijin*

𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘

Status

Grade: Rare [Sealed]

Description: A fragment of the first thunderbolt given form… 'I wasn't fast enough to chase the freedom I wanted.'

All moves from this katana contains lightning

Lightning affinity +20% when wielding

Colour of lightning depends on owner

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Rank limit: A+

Rank: F+

Crafted by: ???

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Skill 1: Static Stasis (passive): Attacks have a 50% chance to inflict paralysis on the target, with effect dependant on your rank and a 30% chance to disrupt enemy weapon flow. >Luck, Strength<

Skill 2: ??? 

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End

𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘

*Fujin*

𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘

Status

Grade: Rare [Sealed]

Description: A fragment of the first breeze given form… 'I wasn't strong enough to hold the freedom I wanted.'

All moves from this wakizashi contains wind

Wind affinity +20% when wielding

Colour of wind depends on owner

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Rank limit: A+

Rank: F

Crafted by: ???

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Skill 1: Retribution (passive): Damage absorbed is reflected at a 60% rate. (Stackable) >Stamina, Dexterity<

Skill 2: ??? 

==========

End

𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘𝄘

This was probably the second time I smiled today. A childish excitement bubbled within me. Beyond the dual-wielding aspect of the two swords, I felt a strong connection to their descriptions. They too wished for freedom. Both were mythical weapons but they would be considered rare to the naked eye of priers due to their sealed status.

Every sub-rank would strengthen the skill correlated with the rank. Every major rank would release a new skill.

New options.

New possibilities.

It was perfect. 

I could hear my heart thumping within me. There was trepidation stepping into the unknown, but the growing anticipation remained unstoppable. This sensation felt ancient to me. When was the last time my heart pumped with such fervour? The fate of this world lay in my hands yet I was experimenting with a new path to achieve the impossible. I grinned.

"This is what I live for." 

I strive to forge a new balance between truth and lies. 

I will shatter all the shackles that bind me.

I exhaled slowly, but the raw emotions remained, pulsing with intensity. The two handle grips quivered with excitement. I stared at them. Perhaps these two beauties would be the only beings that would ever understand me.

The way of the Daishō was a concept used by ancient samurai in my previous life. One katana was used for striking, attacking, and killing, while a wakizashi, a shorter katana, was used for defending, nullifying, and stabilising. This combination was truly majestic.

By now the grips were rattling with a childish zeal. They wanted to let loose and they wanted my permission. I was the one who would help them reach their destinations. 

If Raijin and Fujin truly wanted to, they could steal my mana. Our contract was not of subservience but equality. Respect went both ways. They wanted me to use my mana to form them. 

To call them. 

To see them.

They had been stranded for so long in the darkness, but now they had finally found light. The edges of my mouth curved slightly. Holding the two handles in front of me, I sat down in a lotus position. Furor stared at me like I was mental.

A slow, controlled exhale emerged from me. I focused. This wasn't like the mana I had used to train the Plum Blossom fists. This task was delicate and slow, and it was a demonstration for the brother swords.

I closed my eyes and let go of the handles. They did not fall. I would not let them. Already my mana reserves felt the toll. I wasn't using a skill like telekinesis. I was holding the handle with pure mana, cushioning them. I could feel it. They innately knew how to use mana and they compressed it within themselves. The two swords began increasing their weight. 

A droplet of sweat rolled down the side of my face. I too had to show them something. With great strain, I forced the mana around me to form tendrils that wrapped around the handle grips. I could feel blood trickle down my nose. My reserves were plummeting, and I also felt the weight of the strain from performing a task like this as an {F+}. A trembling breath escaped out my clenched teeth. 

For each tendril formed, I split them into thinner and thinner pieces until only strings of mana remained. By now I was shivering from the sheer intensity of the task. While higher ranks granted access to superior brainpower and capacity, I refused to limit myself to mere ranks. I wanted to exist outside them.

Now came the most difficult part. Gradually, I fitted each string into every crevice of two handles while cushioning them. The crevices displayed a pattern that resembled a rune or an ancient language. I couldn't dwell on the details for now, but the patterns assisted me. One by one, I allotted each string, with purposeful consideration for every line, curve, and hole. 

The first drop of my blood landed on my trembling hands. My hair was damp, heavy with sweat. I could feel my eyelids trembling and my brain aching, seeking rest, even a reprieve. My throat was parched, burning with every breath that entered and left me. But I kept pushing on.

.

Time passed.

.

By now I was extremely lightheaded. My posture was slumped. Pain meant nothing to me, but my body couldn't keep up. The blood had crusted and sweat evaporated. As I got closer to the last few lines, I nearly fainted. I could feel the extreme exhaustion of my bones creaking with every sway of my body.

Something had changed.

As the last string of mana found its place, the weight of the handles disappeared. My eyelids were heavy with coarse skin and hardened blood, but I opened them.

I didn't know when, but a circle of inscriptions I just slotted had formed underneath each of them. One circle was white for Fujin, and the other was black for Raijin. The two handles pointed at me as if saying they saw me. I too stared at them with bloodshot eyes. They started humming with unbridled energy, syphoning mana directly from the small shop. 

I saw Furor return with a glowing blue orb that dimmed by the second. He directly tossed a spatial ring in front of the handles, releasing hundreds of blue orbs. Thick tentacles of mana poured into the circle. Raijin crackled with a newfound lightning. It seemed to be bristling with controlled chaos. Fujin released completely white winds, sharp and solid with a void-like glow. The lightning left scars across the shop, screeching as it scratched against the metal, leaving nothing in its wake. The wind moved toward the lightning, swallowing its destruction. None of the debris ever got close to me.

A yin-yang symbol formed. One side was black and ominous, crackling with ruin. The other was completely white, unmoving despite the destruction of its counterpart. It was almost completely round and solid. Increasing amounts of lightning and wind were woven into the symbol until it became entirely solid and round, displaying contrasting colours. 

Movement ceased.

Sound vanished.

The handles engaged with their matching parts, aligning perfectly but halting before complete insertion. They were still, waiting patiently for me.

I had been using Stillwater breath while watching the spectacle and had somewhat recovered, albeit slightly.

My eyes narrowed with focus, looking at the two handles frozen midair. They were horizontally embedded within the yin yang. Raijin in the black and Fujin in the white.

With effort, I stood up slowly, trembling like a frail man in the process. I shuffled toward the two handles that pulsed with more and more energy as I edged closer. My bones creaked as my hands raised to receive them. Halfway up, veins of black lightning wrapped around my left hand and bandages of thick wind curled round my right. A small smile found its way on my face. 

It was the third time, all within a day.

My fingers enveloped each handle. Flowing currents of a strange healing force poured into me, completely revitalising me. With a gentle deliberation, I pulled at the handles. 

Raijin was completely black in colour. It was so dark that it blended into the night sky with a contrasting white edge. 

Fujin was the opposite. The edge was black, but the white blade was blinding. It was so bright that you could see it on a field of white snow. 

Two brother swords. 

Two contrasting colours. 

Two personalities

It was like lifting a sponge out of water. The area of the yin yang symbol decreased as the sword exited the surrounding circle.

Finally, I held the two swords in my hands. Raijin hummed with excitement, while Fujin vibrated with acknowledgement. I felt deep within me. It felt as though something had become a part of my soul. But it could wait. 

I turned around to the still gaping Furor. There was a puddle of saliva around his wheelchair. I shook my head.

The academy opening 'ceremony' would be at 3PM and it was already midnight. I opened my mouth but my thoughts dimmed. My vision blurred.

I fell face-flat onto the floor, drifting into a deep sleep.

.

.

.

Across Ashyn

Nowhere on Ashyn was spared. Half of the world was encased in a blinding white; the other, an ominous black. All races and beings raised their heads in reverence and stared in awe. The strong whispered among themselves; some cursed, some pondered, and some were expressionless. 

They didn't know where or how. But one thing was clear: something had awoken. Whether or not Ashyn could withstand this new being was a question that crossed all the minds of the strong. 

The spectacle was brief, but the impact was not simple. For the weak, it was a sign to prepare for the divine. For the strong, it was a reminder. A reminder of their finite lives. A challenge to their authority. 

A small smile adorned Ashyn's stunning features. It left as quickly as it came before she returned to her slumber.

.

.

.

Vexham

The Seven Sins narrowed their eyes in contemplation. They all stared at their god, their master, their messiah.

Cain had changed his posture. He had noticed it. The Seven Sins looked at each other before disappearing into the miasma. 

What they hadn't noticed was the small smile that appeared to exist outside of time for just one moment before Cain changed his posture.

"Grow."

.

.

.

Aeron POV

I was awakened by the low hum of the vehicle I was in. My watch buzzed slightly before a voice recording was played:

"Aeron, this old dwarf is indebted to you. I witnessed a divine scene yesterday and thanks to you, I was enlightened. I broke through to {S+}, a whole jump in rank. My rank cap had always been {A+}. Now it is {SS+}. My eyes have been fully restored and I no longer need the wheelchair. My gratitude knows no bounds.

I took the liberty to tweak your watch to the latest version. But apart from that, I do not know any way to assist you. This taxi will take you to a teleporter to the academy I have already paid for and booked. Please don't feel a need to repay me. It is I who needs to. Even now I do not fully understand the secrets behind the event. The only way you could repay me is to let me see the sword you wield as you grow. 

I will continue forging to better myself. The next time you see me will be when I will assist in further unsealing the beauties. My lips are sealed, for their awakening has alerted Ashyn and its inhabitants. Wield the swords in secrecy until you are strong enough to defend your legacy. 

Remember: pure hearts are but unmined ore—rich in promise, yet untouched by the hammer of fate. 

Don't stray away from yourself, Aeron. 

May your sword guide you through adversity."

I didn't know how I felt about this. I furrowed my eyebrows. I looked out the tinted window. Families and children littered the streets. My expression stared back at me; although my eyes looked the same, the emotions beneath them were unclear. 

I could feel the grips of the two swords deep within my soul. I would wait until the academy before taking them out and examining their changes.

The car came to a halt, breaking me out of my thoughts. I stepped out with practiced smoothness, a movement I had repeated countless times. Only this time, no cameras or flashing lights were raining on me.

I had forgotten that Ashyn had diminished my presence. Perhaps it was a good thing. I walked to the teleporter standing in the middle. A white scan passed over me before a loud hum reverberated. This teleporter was special. There was only one and it went straight to the academy. Paparazzi were always on standby to capture the different heirs before they were warped away. 

But no one came, despite the loudness of the activation. I was grateful. The extent of the reduction was ambiguous. Perhaps only higher-ranked people could notice me. 

A blinding light rushed down on me. I couldn't see, but the space squeezed and compressed me. It was a strange experience, but I didn't hate it. It was oddly comforting. Perhaps I had space affinity or it was related to the scene I saw before I came here. I would need to consider all these factors when creating an Art.

It was as if I was standing before fate itself. Lionize academy had obsidian walls, unmanned but teeming with cannons and turrets of all sorts. It held a certain majesty to it. It was screaming, 'Only the talented can enter.' The castle deep within the walls was white with blue and gold insignias. I could only imagine how the royal castle looked. The academy was a city in itself for students and merchants. The lowest-level 'civilians' were at least {E-} and were bound by a contract for silence. I looked under me. Virrelium lay far beneath the clouds, yet its lights remained visible from here. 

It was a six-year course, and every year, over 50,000 prospects would apply. Only 1500 would pass. Of the 1500, 500 were admitted via special admissions due to connections or privileges only the wealthy had. I had somehow been one of them. At 3 p.m. Today, the world will watch the 50000 scramble for one of the 1000 places. The 500 specials would meet in a banquet hall to watch the competition. I had a rough idea of the people I would meet. The novel had portrayed this event through the eyes of the hero, so I was going in blind. 

I would keep my eyes out for all the main characters. That was my role later, a bystander, invisible in the false pretences. To observe and learn was my goal. I entered the taxi and lifted up my hood. The driver was startled at my presence but proceeded to the tailors. It was a formal meet and greet so smart wear was necessary.

.

2:30 p.m.

I looked at the reflection in the mirror. Adorned in complete black, I glanced at my hair. I would solve it later, but it was enough. Soon, fate would begin to unfold.

.

2.50 p.m.

It was time.