A soft, harmonic voice slowly trailed off. Tenderness and warmth in every articulation of his voice as he spoke,
"There were 12 gods that ruled over the lands, each portraying spectacularly, divine powers, and giving insights to humanity that has shaped the world as we know it.
The Three Combat Gods were among these 12,
Arsaeon - The God of War and End, Tsarmus - The God of Magic and Beginning, and lastly, Mershex - The Goddess of Sword and Journey.
The Archducal Kalov Family used to stand at the forefront of the Empire's Military, their prowess with the sword matched by none.
They were warriors adorned and blessed by Mershex as they slew across the battlefields.
However, their role has long since been forgotten for over a century as the Ars Noxus Family took their position at the forefront of strength in the empire.
They were a family who didn't have the blessing of the sword, but instead the God of War.
Death and destruction rained upon any enemy that faced them. Magic, sword, and intellect all compact into one: they were practically an entire army."
When I was born this was a story my dad told me a multitude of times to the point I dreaded when he spoke of it,
he was but a humble baron living far in a relatively rural place. Nothing like the Kalov Swordsmen of the past, but he was my father.
'Thinking about him... do all side characters really mean nothing to him? Their lives, their struggles, their ups, and downs just a forgotten story not worth writing.'
I looked out towards the window; the afternoon had just fully settled in as the clear blue sky stretched across my view, it was completely untouched by the world, a blank blue canvas.
'The Shrine of Mershex, my next destination.'
The train rattled and shook ever so slightly as it thundered across the tracks.
'When Lumen came here, he got [The Living Blade] so I at least know it'll work.'
[The Living Blade] allowed Lumen to have absurd control of his body when holding a sword.
It's a gift that I planned to obtain sooner than later, but before I got on this train.
I had woken up around eight hours before this very moment by the morning light.
My body unconscious probably looked like a moon fairy as it basked in the ethereal moonlight as if the moon was admiring my beauti–
Anyway, when I woke up,
Dark, oozing, heavy black was dripping out of me, my impurities, and I had broken through in the middle of the night reaching F rank.
Of course, I had to make my body accustomed to the sudden influx of mana since I didn't break through in a natural way, but it was relatively worth it.
I was F ranked on par with your average first year academy student now. I was no longer just a weak genius swordsman. I was now a slightly less weak genius swordsman.
'I need to get stronger, of course with [Plot Armor] in the novel I could relatively beat the villains that came my way, but now... Yeah no.'
The train, it carried stories and yet it was indifferent to the lives in its steel casing, it just steadily moved on smoothly streaking across the metal track before it.
"Hah..."
'Why am I like this?'
****
'Zhucheng, The Vermillion City, it's a place where the Ars Noxus family reigns supreme, but I'm not here for that. There were still a couple shrines to Mershex scattered around here.'
Tall, jagged mountains reached up touching the tips of the sky as if they were the fingers of earth. The ocean's water was eerily calm, unbothered by the modern city that laid before it.
Flashing and flickering lights pulsing with life rang across the cities, billboards and neon streets etching up and down. The quiet, muffled roar of the people bustling among the night.
'I heard there's tons of temples, and more rural buildings as you go deeper into the mountains. I wonder how they built such a city; it really is a sight to behold.'
I slid down the sides of the mountains, I had gotten through via an opening on the side of the mountain, that was as far as a train would take me.
There stood a man leaning against a massive stone arch that welcomed you into the city, he looked at me for a couple of moments, possibly admiring my beauty, but he simply closed his eyes and let me pass.
'Is he supposed to be security? Maybe he let me off because of my face. I mean with a face like mine how could I do wrong?'
"Hmm."
The bustling city I had seen before was nowhere in sight as I stepped into a quieter area of the city.
Walking through the place, it was eerily calm, stone and concrete made up most of the area as the further you went down into the center the more modern it would get.
This was a city that loved and admired The God of War so most other churches or shrines were near the border for loyal followers of other gods.
Including the Shrine of Mershex, it used to be at the center of the city, but now it's just simply another shrine.
There it was a simple shrine with a couple of offerings at the foot of a statue. A stone woman stood, her rocky hair cascading down to her waist. Her sword dug into the floor before her as she put her hands over the hilt.
Two other swords dug into the ground around it as if highlighting the main sword's importance.
I sat down, my knees on the dirty, rock floor. I looked up towards the stone depiction of Mershex and silently placed my cheap steel sword before her.
"Oh, God of Sword and Journey, as the last Kalov, please bless our journey once more."
'I hope this works. I don't have any other offerings.'
I clasped my hands together tightly in a praying position, looking down towards the steel sword before closing my eyes.
Shaking, the cackling of steel echoed as I opened my eyes, my sword was trembling and tremoring.
I reached out my finger slightly touching the cool steel of the blade.
A soft, warm, golden glow dimly lighted as golden words etched across the blade of my sword.
Kalov's Child
Do you wish
To defy fate?
Mershex asked me a simple question, but its implications left me slightly shocked.
'Does she know?'
The answer had already come to me long ago, the moment I had laid my hands on that book, the crimson book that seemingly came from nowhere.
'Wait what happened to that book? It should've been there, but it wasn't. I gave me information and just disappeared like nothing happened.'
Kalov's Child?
'Ah right'
"Sorry, I was uh lost in thought for a moment. Yes, I'll defy fate no matter what."
So be it.
I blinked for just a moment and what awaited my vision was a burrow of hundreds of swords.
They lay across the grassy field each sparkling and dazzling in their own unique light.
The beautiful sky, blue skies radiating their gleams, it was a ray of beautiful elements and colors.
Swords of water, fire, earth, and wind.
Swords crafted by the finest.
Swords that trembled with sentience.
[Mershex has laid her gaze upon you]
The sound of fluttering wind against clothes, she looked like a woman made from the dreams of man. Weightless, beautiful, a woman diligently crafted by the sun's kiss.
As light clung to her holy figure, her cloak lined with gold sparkled adorned with holy patterns and lines that ran up and down the cloak.
Her eyes glowed like starlight, vast in depth as if they witnessed the very start of man, an ancient pale light shimmering in its eyes as I locked down on me.
Brilliant light purple hair, weightless as it flowed as if it was swimming in the air, her movements were smooth, fluid, and slow as she reached her finger out towards me.
My sword, a cheap basic steel sword, nothing like the person before me floated around her body as she slightly flickered and misted in and out of this world.
"Aghh..."
The sword, my sword had dug deep into the crevices of my heart, chains made of cool metal encaged my frame as the metal scrapped against my limbs, I heard a voice.
A melodic almost lullaby-like voice softly settled like snow in my ears.
"Defy fate, Kalov's Child."
[You have contracted Mershex]
[Warning: Magic is no longer usable]
[Warning: The Plot has significantly shifted]
[Warning: Plot Armor is beginning to crack]
****
The sleek, steel train blurred across the metal tracks, mana circuiting all around its metal walls.
'My entire body feels like shit, but still, I got more than I came here for. I become a contractor. Originally, Lumen was supposed to contract Kalex.'
[Contractor of Mershex] - All stats are boosted, and growth is accelerated - User is unable to use Magic - Skill: Absolute Sword Dominion
'By far the best blessing is the first one, I'm already at the strength of F+ without breaking through and I can break through easier. However, Lumen was originally an incredibly talented light mage.'
Though me changing the course of the novel didn't really matter to me, I was going to anyway. What really bothered me was what Mershex said earlier.
'Does she know? Does she know that I know about my fate?'