The sky was blue.
Too blue, honestly. Annoyingly peaceful.
Aiden lay sprawled in the grass like a tragic protagonist whose whole life had been ruined by one dramatic sword moan.
He didn't move. Just stared up at the sky, face slack, emotionally bankrupt.
Elara finally sighed.
"You're being dramatic. You lived."
He didn't blink. "YOU screamed 'Call me good girl' at the instructor. In front of everyone."
"I was in performance mode."
"You projected it through the entire courtyard. At full volume."
"You act like it wasn't the best moment of your life."
"I have to come back here tomorrow. With people."
"You're welcome. They'll remember you now."
"I wanted to be remembered for my skill, not because my sword has a crush on the faculty!"
"Crush is an understatement. I'd let him sheath me."
Aiden curled into himself like a worm preparing to be emotionally composted.
Just then, a scroll popped into the air, sealed with a very meh wax insignia.
[NOTICE: You have been selected for a Solo Assessment Field Test.][Meet Assistant Instructor Bell at Gate 3. Recommended Threat Level: Low.]
"Oh good," Aiden muttered. "A solo test. Nothing says emotional recovery like 'go fight something alone.'"
"Don't worry. I'll protect you with my blade, my sass, and my utter disdain."
▬▬ι═══════ﺤ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ
🔸 Later, Outside the Low-Level Curse Zone…
"This should be quick," the assistant instructor grunted. "Just mop-up work. Rogue spirits, mostly rats. Don't embarrass the Academy."
Aiden nodded. Nervously. Elara, for once, was quiet.
They entered the zone.
Dark. Cracked stone. A faint green fog clung to the edges of ruined trees.
First came the rats. Big. Gnarly. Slightly glowing. But nothing crazy.
Aiden sliced. Elara hummed.
"Nice form. Almost like you're not completely hopeless."
"Thanks, I think?"
"+1 to Basic Competence."
They made it ten minutes in before the shift.
The air changed.
Heavy. Cold.
The fog curled tighter, like it was watching.
And then—
BAM.
A humanoid shape slammed down behind them.
Too tall. Too thin.
Skin pulled too tight. Stitched mouth grinning wide, eyes gleaming like wet coins.
Voice like shattered glass dragged over gravel:"Finally… a marked blade."
[ERROR: System ID Match Detected]
Aiden froze.
"Elara?"
No answer.
"Elara, seriously—"
"Get behind me."
Her voice was low. Flat. No sass. No jokes.
"This thing doesn't care if you're a child. It just wants blood."
The monster tilted its head.
"You reek of death, little blade," it hissed. "How many souls have you tasted?"
Elara's blade pulsed.
"More than you. Keep talking and I'll taste yours too."
The monster lunged.
Aiden fumbled the grip. His hands were shaking.
"Elara—!"
She took over.
No witty banter. No dramatic screeches. Just precision and power.
Steel met flesh.
She howled—not from joy, but effort.
The curse was strong. It bled black sludge and laughed when cut.
Elara drove herself forward. She screamed. Not from excitement. From pain.
A spark flew off her blade as the monster caught her edge with its claws.
Aiden felt the hilt burn in his hands.
"Elara?!"
She didn't answer.
One more slash.
Two.
A spin.
The monster's head hit the ground. The body slumped with a hiss and deflated like rotted leather.
Silence.
Just breathing.
Shaking.
Shadows curling away.
Aiden sank to the ground. "You okay?"
Nothing.
Then, finally—
"...No."
A pause.
"And I don't know how to fix you if you die, kid."
▬▬ι═══════ﺤ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ
The monster's body sizzled where it touched the ground, black smoke curling into the air like burnt hair and bile.
Aiden sat with his knees pulled up, knuckles white around Elara's hilt.
His hands were trembling. His breath stuttered in his chest.
Elara hadn't said anything since the last slash.
She was heavy now—heavier than usual, like she was full of something unspoken and old and heavy with memory.
"...Elara?" he whispered.
Still nothing.
He stared down at the blade in his lap. It was glowing faintly—crimson along the runes. Not her usual mocking sparkle. Something older. Something raw.
"Elara, say something. Please."
Finally—
"...That wasn't the last one."
Her voice was quiet. No snark. No sass. No performance.
Just… tired.
Aiden swallowed. "You know what that thing was."
"I know what made it. And I know what it wanted."
Silence.
Then—
"That wasn't just some cursed beast. That was a hunter."
Aiden frowned. "A hunter?"
"Marked blades like me… we were made for one purpose. One horrible, blood-soaked purpose. And now that I'm awake again..."
She trailed off.
A shiver ran down his spine.
"They'll come looking. And they won't stop until they break me."
Aiden blinked. "Why? You're just a system. A sword."
A beat of silence.
Then Elara's voice returned, quiet—but sharp around the edges.
"...No, kid. I'm not just a sword."
"I'm what happens when a soul doesn't stay dead."
Aiden remains silent.
📊 System Message:
+10 to Enemy Awareness+2 to Existential DreadAiden has unlocked the Achievement: First Kill
📈 EXP Gained:
• Defeated: 3x Plague Rats (+3 EXP)
• Defeated: [UNKNOWN Curse Entity] (+120 EXP)
• First Kill Bonus: (+25 EXP)
• System Sync Activated: (+52 EXP)
🔹 Total EXP: 200 / 200
🔺 LEVEL UP!
Aiden has reached Level 10.
Reward: Stat Boost — +2 to Constitution
New Passive Unlocked: [Terror-Resistance I]
You've seen some shit. Panic debuffs slightly reduced.
Your sword is harboring secrets. Proceed with caution.
They didn't speak on the walk home.
Elara didn't flirt.
Aiden didn't joke.
The weight between them wasn't just blood and exhaustion now.
It was the knowledge that something had looked at them—and recognized her.
And worse…
She'd recognized it right back.