"Yes I've found the truth about this sword!" Himori suddenly screamed, her voice erupting through the stagnant air of the library path.
"No need to scream," I snapped, the sudden noise like a needle in my ear. I rubbed it irritably, glinting crimson eyes narrowing. "What is its power? That's the only thing I care about."
"This is the legendary blade I read about in the archives just a few days ago!" she continued, her scholarly exhaustion replaced by a manic, sparkling excitement. She clutched the katana as if it were a holy relic. "I tried to brush it off as a myth at the time, but seeing one up close like this is incredible absolutely fantastic!"
"That's not the damn point," I bit out, my patience fraying. "I don't care about its lineage or its name. I want to know what it does when I swing it."
"Okay, okay no need to be so abrasive," she said, waving me off with a dismissive hand before her expression underwent a chilling transformation into professional gravity.
"Its primary power is called Dark Void. The blade creates a symbiotic link with your soul, sharing its reservoir of power with you but only if you activate its secondary state: Soul Devour. Every monster, every being you slay has its soul ripped from its body and consumed by the blade, converted directly into raw mana for you to wield."
She paused, her gray eyes darkening beneath the flickering candlelight.
"And lastly Void Creation. It grants you the forbidden ability to summon dark beings… entities that were once exiled from all realms for their unspeakable cruelty."
"…How much mana does it take to manifest Void Creation?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Himori's face hardened into a mask of stone. "It doesn't just take mana, Justin. It could physically destroy your body."
"…What?"
"The first record of this blade mentions that it once disintegrated a High Demon Lord's physical vessel," she said grimly. "And back then, Demon Lords were on a completely different plane of existence. Their magical capacity was unmatched by anything alive today."
"So… if I use it," I said slowly, the weight of the sword feeling heavier than the library itself, "I die?"
"In all likelihood? Yes," she replied, a small, unsettling smile playing on her lips. "You die quite spectacularly."
"Well then, hurry up and use it," Yuri scoffed from several paces ahead, her cold silhouette barely visible in the gloom. "That way I don't have to deal with this pathetic deal anymore."
"You really do hate my guts, don't you?" I muttered.
"Demon, you're lucky you're still breathing," she said, her voice like cracking ice. She didn't even turn around. "In any other world, I would've ripped your head from your shoulders and used your skull as a crown."
"Sheesh… talk about a total maniac," I whispered to myself.
"Say that one more time and you'll lose your tongue," she snapped, her senses unnervingly sharp. "If you value your life, keep that filthy demon mouth shut."
Yuri really is a piece of work. Cruel, hostile, and utterly devoid of warmth. She doesn't look at me like a person, or even a rival more like a stain on the floor she's waiting to scrub away.
And yet… why do I feel a pull toward her?
Is it just the hormones of being fifteen? Or am I just as broken as she is?
We had been walking for days through the shifting geometry of the library, yet my legs didn't ache. I felt a strange, humming energy. Perhaps it was because Esta wasn't clinging to me anymore wait. I realized with a jolt that even in her human form, she had been a constant drain on my mana.
These cursed weapons were more like parasites. And then there was the ring this silver shackle that constantly ate up my magic.
I raised my hand, watching the purple gem pulse with a faint, rhythmic light. Why was I born with such an overflowing well of magic when others struggled to spark a candle? Is it a gift, or just the inevitable curse of my bloodline?
"I never really had parents," I said quietly, the confession slipping out into the dusty air. "No one to call mom or dad. I used to envy Ayomi watching her walk down the road, holding her parents' hands as if she were the center of the world." I let out a long, hollow sigh. "All I had was a sister. Not even my real sister. Just someone who chose to pick up the pieces of a broken child."
I wondered if the Queen had ever truly loved my father. Why choose a dragon? Why bring a 'mongrel' like me into a world that would hate me for existing? I have no family. No heritage. Just the sister who raised me.
I need to crush these useless feelings and focus. The Witch of Chaos has the answers. She has to.
"Here," Himori said softly, breaking my train of thought. "Your blade."
"No," I replied, looking at the black steel. "You can hold onto it for a bit longer."
Strangely, the blade didn't seem to be draining Himori at all. She looked perfectly fine, her mana stable. That's… odd. Cursed blades are usually selective,or so I thought.
"Oh… alright," she said, falling into step beside me as we watched Yuri's rigid back.
"Why is she so cold?" I asked in a low voice. "And why does she seem to crave slaughter?"
Himori took a deep, shaky breath. "It's not a story meant for ears like yours… but I'll tell you. You deserve to know who you're walking with." Her voice trembled as she began. "When I first found Yuri, she was only eight. She was drenched in blood none of it her own. Her entire village had been... erased. It was a massacre." She swallowed hard, the memory clearly vivid. "She was standing in the center of the ruins, holding a severed hand, repeating, 'I'm sorry, Mother,' over and over."
Ice crept up my spine.
"She was in catatonic shock. I took her in, but for weeks she didn't speak she just stared at the walls with lifeless, hollow eyes." Himori's hands shook as she clutched the katana. "When she finally broke the silence, she told me the truth. The villagers had discovered her father was having an affair… with a demon."
My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.
"They burned him alive. They burned the demon woman too. After that, the village turned their hatred on Yuri and her mother." Her voice broke, a tear escaping her gray eyes. "One day, she came home and found the local men standing over her mother's lifeless body… she was naked, Justin. They had ruined her."
The air in the library felt suddenly freezing.
"Yuri snapped. She lost control of her latent magic. Ice shards rained from the sky like needles. The village didn't stand a chance. She formed a blade of pure ice and slaughtered every living soul in that valley. She told me later that the men's blood tasted sour… children's blood tasted sweet… and the rest was just bitter."
Without thinking, I reached out and gently wiped the tear from Himori's cheek, offering her a small, sad smile.
She gave me a long look
Why did I do such a thing my body tends to move on its own against my will
"But you found her," I said. "And she's alive. She's strong because of you."
"She still doesn't trust a living soul," Himori whispered. "All she wants is power. Enough power to make the world bow so it can never hurt her again."
"…We're more alike than she'd ever admit," I said quietly. "My mother didn't want me either. She threw me away to be raised by a High Human which I still miss darely I hope she misses me aswell. No one even speaks my father's name there isn't a single portrait of him in the palace."
"A High Human,you mean master kiyomi as you mentioned before?" Himori asked, her voice sharpening.
"Kiyomi Saito."
Himori stopped dead. Her eyes widened in genuine horror, her face draining of all color.
"…That's impossible," she whispered, her voice barely a ghost. "We saw Kiyomi die.what do you mean you hope she misses you? She sacrificed herself to give us time to escape the Demons."
"…What?" My voice shook, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"She burned. We watched her body turn into cinders and flames," Himori cried, shaking her head frantically. "You must be mistaken. You have to be. What did she look like?"
"Crimson red eyes. Hair like fresh blood believe it or not she alive and kicking in the human realm," I said, the image of her daily smiles clashing violently with Himori's words.
Himori covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
"She was pronounced dead by the High Council…"
"I wish I were lying,but I am not she is alive" I said, the cold truth settling in my gut. "But every time I asked her what she was training me for… her face went cold. Like she was preparing me for a war she wouldn't see."
A heavy, suffocating silence swallowed us both.