I inhaled sharply as I shot upright, my body jolting as if struck by a bolt of lightning. My chest burned with a searing heat, and I began to cough violently, my lungs struggling to remember how to pull in air.
"Master Master is alive!" a frantic voice cried out. Before I could steady myself, someone threw their arms around me in a crushing embrace.
"L-Let me breathe," I wheezed between ragged coughs, trying to find my voice. "I just woke up from the dead," I teased weakly, though my ribs ached with every word.
Then, I froze. The realization hit me that I wasn't alone..
"Wait… who the hell are you?" I asked, pulling back to inspect her properly.
She was striking, with wild, dark black hair that fell in tangled silk around her shoulders. Her bright yellow eyes gleamed with an unnatural, feline light. It was only then that I realized,she was wearing far too little, her meager garments barely covering her womanhood.
My cheeks burned a furious scarlet instantly.as my eyes slowly inspected her body as my mouth went open and my face going grim,I swallowed hard and a bead of sweat rolling from my face to the white floor
I wobbled backward, losing my balance and falling hard onto my butt. I slammed both hands over my face to shield my eyes.
"H-Hey! Put .....put...on some actual clothes!" I screamed, my voice cracking as I peeked through the gaps in my fingers.
"More clothes?" she repeated, tilting her head with the innocent confusion of a child.
"Master summoned me like this," she said, her voice soft and airy. "So I stay like this."she added proudly putting her hands on her waist
"Master…? Never mind!" I snapped, my heart racing for all the wrong reasons. "Just take my jacket instead!"
I scrambled to my feet, stumbling toward the spot where I had undergone my transformation earlier. I snatched up my discarded jacket and rushed back, pointedly looking at the horizon as I draped the heavy fabric over her shoulders.
"Master gave me his jacket," she said happily, a small, radiant smile forming on her lips as she leaned down to sniff the collar.
"H-Hurry up and zip it already!" I shouted, my back still turned.
"No," she replied, her tone turning suddenly stubborn as she looked away.her cheeks inflating from her stubbornness
"Hey zip it up now!" I lost my patience and moved closer, fumbling with the zipper. It turned into an endless struggle of me zipping it up and her unzipping it; she resisted me the entire time, pouting like a bratty toddler until she finally relented.
"I don't want to wear a jacket," she muttered angrily under her breath her cheeks becoming more inflated, her arms crossed over the oversized fabric.
"I just want to focus on my mission!" I yelled in pure frustration, clutching my head.
Suddenly, a peal of melodic laughter erupted from nearby. I turned my head to see Yuri leaning against a jagged rock, clutching her stomach as she laughed uncontrollably.
"It's not funny," I scoffed, feeling my dignity crumble.
"You should have seen your face!" Yuri gasped, laughing so hard she actually fell onto her back, her legs kicking the air.
"Stop laughing it's seriously not funny!" I repeated, though I knew I had already lost.
"O-Okay, okay," she said, finally catching her breath. She stood up and walked toward me, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.
"How am I alive?" I asked, my face turning grim and dark as the embarassment fades away. "I was sure I'd be dead by now."my voice deeper than before
"That's what I hoped for," she said with her usual bluntness. "But after thirty minutes, your heart started beating again." She crossed her arms, her expression shifting to one of academic interest. "Since you were in your demon form, your body's latent mana slowly healed the damage."
"So let me get this straight," I said, looking down at my altered hands. "If I'm in demon form, my body heals on its own?"
"Correct," she replied with a satisfied smile.
"Okay… second question," I said, pointing a trembling finger at the mysterious girl. "Who's that?"
"Master doesn't know my name!" the girl suddenly shrieked, her yellow eyes welling with dramatic tears.
"ohh Shut up, you baby!" I shouted but the more I yelled, the more the tears weilded up in her eyes and a cry scream like a little girl.
Yuri sighed, the sound of a woman who had spent far too much time with both of us.or atleast so with my unconscious body and a baby like woman.
"After you passed out, your blade Esta turned into her. She didn't leave your side; which was creepy ,she stared at your face for the entire three days you were unconscious."
"Wait you mean that's Esta?!" I screamed, my jaw dropping. "And I've been out for three whole days?!"
"Yeah," Yuri nodded. "Looks like you pushed your body past its breaking point. It took time to recover your strength and your mana reserves."
"Yes! Master knows my name now!" Esta laughed loudly, the sound bordering on the manic. She twirled in the oversized jacket, her joy as sudden as her tears.
"Yes, she's weird," I muttered. "Did you know something like this could happen? That a sword could... do this?"
"No," Yuri admitted honestly. "But I think Big Sister does. She knows everything about the soul-forged." She then looked away, a faint pink dusting her cheeks. "And… mind putting on a shirt or something? It's a bit distracting."
I looked down at my bare, muscular chest every muscle fairly built and traced. "Yeah, well, I'm stuck like this for now," I said. "Still better than looking at her without clothes. So you'd better get used to it."
Yuri huffed, turning on her heel and walking ahead with a sudden briskness.
"Hurry up. The fourth-strongest High Human is three days' journey from here. We have a lot of walking to do if we want to catch him."
"Oh one more question," I called out, noticing the way my stride felt different.
"Why am I taller than before? My pants are practically high-waters now."
"You just can't shut up, can you?" Yuri snapped over her shoulder. "It's because time flows differently here. One week in this void equals one year of physical aging in the normal realms."
"Wait so you're telling me I age a year every week?!" I yelled, horrified I looked down my Expression turning hollow then I looked up to Yuri who stared at me in question. "Then how old are you?" I added
"You know it's rude to ask a lady her age," she said, pausing to give me a playful, feline smile over her shoulder. "But I'll tell you. I'm 406 years old."
"What the hell?! You're old old! How do you still look like you're in your twenties?" I asked, my mind reeling.
"The runes in this place are my energy source," she explained. "When I'm within this boundary, I'm basically immortal. I don't decay.like most demons in this case"
She turned and gave me a surprisingly cute, genuine smile. My cheeks burned again.
"Oh… okay," I said, looking down at my feet,my pants that had been long and reached my feet were now on my shins.
"So... I'll keep aging?"
"Yes," she replied cheerfully, as if talking about the weather. "You'll age until you turn to dust. That's how most demons die in the end."
God damn it. She's way too cute when she's being morbid.
"Alright, let's move," I said quickly, trying to shake off the awkwardness. "We've got a three-day journey."
Esta ran up and grabbed my hand tightly, her fingers small but surprisingly strong.
"Esta hold Master's hand?" she asked, her yellow eyes shining with a desperate, puppy-like hope.
"Yeah… sure, whatever," I said, letting out a sigh.
She beamed, a glow that seemed to light up the white void, and squeezed my hand tighter.
I should ask where she came from… and how she became my sword. Later. First, I need to get out of here before I die of old age.this thought ran a chill down my spine to my legs
As we walked across the endless white expanse, Esta began to hum. It was a beautiful tune simple, elegant, and strangely soothing for someone so childish. It echoed in the emptiness, making the journey feel a little less lonely.
Yuri walked proudly ahead, her hands moving in intricate patterns. She was forming magic circles; ice appeared out of thin air, melted back into shimmering water, and reformed into crystals again. It was hypnotic.
"Can you teach me how to make ice like that?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Oh? That's a first," she said, slowing her pace. "Sure. You're the one who has to get us out of here, after all."
I don't even know how to get out, I thought bitterly. I just jumped into this mess headfirst.
And then it hit me. My ring.
I glanced at my left hand and exhaled a long breath of relief when I saw the band still resting on my finger.
"Esta put ring back on Master's finger while Master slept," she said proudly, swinging our joined hands.
"Thank you, Esta," I smiled, feeling a genuine warmth for the weird sword-girl.
She smiled even wider carefree and innocent, completely unfazed by the fact that we were trapped in a death-trap void.
"Still want to learn?" Yuri asked, clearing her throat to regain my attention.
"Yes," I replied, focusing.
"To create ice, I combine two primary elements,water and wind," she explained, her voice taking on a scholarly tone. "You summon the moisture, then use the wind to sap the heat until it crystallizes."
She summoned a small, glowing magic circle. Water formed mid-air, then instantly froze into a perfect, translucent ice sphere.
"It takes immense control," she said. "It took me two whole years of constant practice to master the stabilization."
"Like this?" I said.
I extended my free hand, summoning a dark black-and-red magic circle. Water swirled into existence. I didn't hesitate; I layered a second circle wind instantly dropping the temperature until the water hissed and crystallized into a jagged spike of ice.
Yuri's mouth fell open, her composure vanishing.she tried hard to control
"How can you do that so easily?!" she screamed, staring at the ice spike as if it were a ghost.
"You explained it well and showed me the flow," I shrugged, truly confused by her reaction. "Didn't seem that hard once I saw the circles."
"You're full of surprises," she whispered, her eyes wide. She turned and began walking even faster than before, as if trying to outrun her own shock.
I looked at Esta. She just shrugged too then tugged my hand, forcing me to keep up with Yuri's frantic pace.
After three days of endless walking and me perfecting my new ice magic to pass the time the scenery finally shifted. The blinding white surroundings vanished, replaced by something much more imposing.
Before us stood a massive, ancient library. Rows upon rows of towering mahogany shelves stretched into the gloom, filled with countless leather-bound books that seemed to hum with forbidden knowledge.
And at its center, sitting at a small wooden desk beside a single, flickering candle...
Someone sat waiting for us.