Familiar Meeting

  Even as he accepted everything that happened, he still pondered on what had truly transpired. That place. Was that how it looked inside him? No, even if he hadn’t known it at the moment, he was sure that it felt wrong, as if something was terribly twisted with the place. That orb, had it been his core? If that was the case, then that wasn’t his true core place, or whatever it could be called. It made him wonder how it truly would look, though he wasn’t really interested in having his body ruined again.

  ?He wasn’t quite sure what to do about the surroundings, though. He had no plans of staying here, and even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to. Guards would eventually find him here, and he had used up enough time doing other things. It was time he met with Aisha. Still, there was one last thing he wanted to do.

  ?Walking up to the bodies of Rugo and Scarlet, they were long dead. Did Blade want them to live? Not at all, but simultaneously if it had not been for them, he would have destroyed himself another time. That feeling he felt was from his Authority going haywire, a similar feeling to when he and Severance had fought when the Authority was shared. Yet it felt far worse this time.

  ?Blade couldn’t save them. It was something he had accepted. But he didn’t blame them, or at least both of them. Fully approaching their bodies, they were unfortunately still stuck together. Blade felt like throwing up from the memories, but he forced himself through it, placing a hand on the largest blade that pierced them and shattering it. He only caught one of the bodies, as he created a new sword and threw it through Rugo’s corpse.

  ?Scarlet had been a victim he had been unable to save. Letting her die in this disgusting place left a bitter taste in Blade’s mouth. Therefore, he wrapped her body in sheets and took off. By the time he had walked a good distance away, he had created a shovel in his hand and began digging a hole.

  ?He had placed her gently behind him as he dug, making sure the hole was deep enough. When he was done, he wrapped her body completely in shrouds before slowly and gently placing her in the grave.

  ?Blade knew he could ask for help, but this felt more personal, like something he himself had to do. Scarlet wasn’t the only one he felt he was burying. Even if the ending had become a disaster, it felt valuable, in a way. He then took out his hand as he dropped an orb in it.

  ?“The Jewel of Life

  He murmured to nobody but his own ears.

  ?A Divine-Grade weapon. It wasn’t a copy, but the original from his vault. Holding it up, he let the light reflect on the green shine of the orb as he poured his Mora in it. The effect was almost immediate as the plant life in the area regrew. It cleansed the small patch that was the center of his world, and that was enough. As the effect ended, he put the orb back in his vault before placing back the dirt over the grave.

  ?This burial was for more than Scarlet alone, it was for all the ones he had failed to save due to his own incompetence. Sure, this was probably not enough, but it meant more than any other action he could do. It forced him to think. Not everyone wanted revenge, not everyone needed a reason. Some just do what they do, others are simply born how they are. Feelings are optional, connections malleable. The world was more divided than he could ever imagine, but there were things he simply shouldn’t imagine. And that was okay.

  ?Maybe it was okay being unsure, fine being in the wrong. If he never experienced any of it, how would he be? Who would he be? When he had been lost in his core, he had observed himself and only seen a stupid boy. Yet he was that stupid boy, only now with ideals that wouldn’t destroy him.

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  ?Blade promised himself to never change who he was, but to change his ideals to fit the person he becomes, not the other way around. If he did wrong, he could only accept the result, but know that if he ever truly did wrong, it was to protect someone. He still wanted to protect, and that childish desire would be something he would keep even if he was destroyed for it.

  ?As he finished, he left the grave. A mark for the dead by the living. Not because he wanted to be poetic, but because that was who he was. Yet he was left with a question. What was he to do with the Overseer?

  ?His plan had always been to kill her after everything that had happened, but now that he knew how drastic information could distort one’s view, he felt some doubts grow. What was the right decision? Killing the Overseer or letting her live? Couldn’t say he liked this uncertainty, but he eventually found his answer. The one who should decide would be the first one who had made him want to kill the Overseer.

  ?Aisha had been the one who started his dislike towards the Overseer. He wouldn’t simply push the responsibility over to Aisha, and if she had no answer, he would figure it out himself, but he felt it fair that Aisha at least had a say in the matter.

  ?Now that he had used enough time contemplating, he began running, but not to Aisha’s location. Not yet, at least. There was one more place he had to find.

  ?By the time he arrived, his speculations were confirmed as he found the city, where he had killed Kis, in ruin. More deaths Blade had caused due to lack of information and brittle ideals. Even with great goals, the road could still lead to ruin.

  ?Instead of seeing more, though, he had to leave quickly. Though he had wanted to check it out more, the sight of guards quickly made him leave. It wasn’t really surprising, as Blade had become infamous after the death of Kis. That, combined with the fact that he was already well known because of his actions in the arena, meant it had only been a matter of time before the guards trailed him.

  ?No other distractions this time, now he ran to Aisha. He wasn’t running from the past, nor was he embracing the future. All he cared about was the present and what it could offer him.

  ?While running, Blade hadn’t even noticed that his body had mostly healed after his breakdown. So without noticing, he enjoyed the fast-paced ride, even if it took days.

  ?By the time he reached the village, four days had passed, meaning Blade had spent over three months in the Origin Realm.

  ?When he reached it, though, he saw that the village was doing far better than before. There were also far more people there than ever. In fact, it was just overall better. As he stepped closer, though, he was suddenly ambushed by a monstrous entity.

  ?Barely able to jump back in time, he avoided the initial strike as the monster tore the ground apart by a swing from its arm.

  ?Blade didn’t even know how he could describe the monster, looking as if spikes, and a gorilla-like figure were fused in a twisted form.

  ?Blade summoned Severance, ready to end this as quickly as possible, yet before they clashed, a voice made them both freeze.

  ?Running at them, Aisha screamed.

  ?“Wait, wait, wait! Don’t hurt each other!”

  ?Blade quickly unsummoned Severance as he ran to Aisha, and they hugged each other softly. Aisha was beaming at finally seeing Blade again. Blade shared her sentiment, letting himself temporarily forget as he hugged Aisha.

  ?It had been some time since he felt such relaxation, and it felt better than ever.

  ?After a while, they broke the hug as Blade asked.

  ?“I’m glad to see you again, but I have to ask. What is that?”

  ?Gesturing to the monstrosity. Aisha thought about it for a bit before saying.

  ?“Well, when you were gone I realized I was very weak on my own. I didn’t want you to always have to worry about me, so I made this. This is one of my familiars. I made it to protect us in case of anything.”

  ?She seemed a bit unsure at first, yet at Blade's caress, she got more confident and content with it.

  ?“I see, you did a good job. I’m glad you’re trying so hard.”

  ?Now up close, he got a better look at the details. The creature had black armor-like plating covering it entirely, with its limbs segmented for better movement. It had rows of horns covering its head and three pairs of red eyes and arms.

  ?It truly was well made, and Blade could see the time she had spent making it. The ultimate familiar, one could say, and since she had given it a name, it was far stronger.

  ?In the midst of observing, Aisha asked him the question he had been pondering on for far too long.

  ?“Brother… what happened after the arena?”

  ?Blade heard the lack of confidence in the question, as if she herself was unsure if she should ask. Yet she needed to know, and Blade owed her the explanation.

  ?Taking her to a bench outside the village, Blade told her everything. He wouldn’t hold back any details, she deserved the truth, even if the truth wasn’t ideal.