Chapter 133: Whispers in the Grain
Reyn sat across from Liora at a cozy little café, the scent of warm bread and spice curling through the air. Her amber eyes stared lazily out the window as she hummed a soft tune, utterly at ease. But Reyn's mind was elsewhere—already slipping into the forest beyond the town, into futures unseen.
Beneath the table, his fingers tapped a subtle rhythm, threading illusion magic around himself like strands of silk. A faint shimmer clung to his figure, unseen by any eye.
By the time he stood and turned away, he was no longer a teenage blacksmith. In his place stood an elderly man cloaked in a worn, gray traveler's mantle. The hood hung low, shadowing his entire face, with thick fabric drawn down far enough to conceal even his eyes. Only a rough jaw and weathered lips remained visible, lips pressed into a thin, unreadable line. He leaned on a gnarled wooden cane, each tap echoing softly as he slipped away unnoticed.
> "Let's see what kind of people this town shelters," he mused behind the illusion. "And what kind of strength they hide."
---
Near the edge of the lumber yard, three teens walked together—tall, wiry, and calloused from honest work. Their laughter was bright, their steps restless.
> "They've been working the lumber, no doubt," Reyn observed from the shadows. "But more than strength, they've got ambition."
As they turned a corner, Reyn lifted his hand and whispered a spell. The world stopped. Laughter faded. The town blurred into gray fog. Silence.
"Wh—what's going on?"
"Where is everyone!?"
Through the mist came a figure, walking slowly—tap, tap, tap. The old man. The cane. The silence parted like smoke.
"You wish to carve your names into the world," Reyn said, voice low and strange, echoing unnaturally. "But the chisel of greatness... is patience. If you still seek that path, go to the lumber yard."
And just like that, the world returned.
Noise. Crowds. Normality.
The teens looked around, wide-eyed. The old man was gone.
---
Uptown, Reyn walked directly into a party of traveling adventurers gawking at souvenir stalls.
"Watch it, old man!" the leader snapped, brushing off his coat.
But at the back of the group, a younger man paused, dropping his packs to help Reyn up.
> "A gentle soul burdened by brutes," Reyn noted as he grasped the offered hand. "He doesn't belong with them."
Their hands touched. The young man's eyes glazed over slightly.
"You are more than a porter," Reyn murmured. "Leave these shadows behind. Go to the lumber yard. Claim what was meant for you."
And then Reyn was gone—vanished into the crowd.
"Wait... where'd he go?"
"Forget it," grunted the leader. "Let's keep moving."
---
Later, Reyn perched atop a rooftop, watching a small wood-chopping competition unfold. Axes flashed, sawdust flew. The crowd cheered.
In the final round, a young woman stood victorious—grime-streaked, breathing hard, but smiling. She clutched a worn axe and a tiny pouch of winnings.
> "She doesn't swing for glory," Reyn noted. "She swings to feed her family."
As she turned to leave, his voice slipped into her mind—soft and resonant.
> "Your heart is pure and just. Come to the lumber yard. Power awaits those who would protect."
She gasped and spun. But there was no one.
---
Reyn moved swiftly through alleys and rooftops, until he reached the forested heart of the lumber yard—an untouched, forgotten place steeped in old mana. Here, ancient trees whispered in runes. Here, the trial would begin.
He sat cross-legged beneath a wide oak and closed his eyes.
Three heartbeats answered the call.
And more... unexpected.
> "Let's see what they do when opportunity calls," he thought.
When they had gathered—teenagers, adventurer, and woodcutter—Reyn slowly rose.
He pulled a small seed from his cloak, knelt, and pressed it into the soil.
For a moment, nothing.
Then the ground shuddered violently. Birds took flight. The earth cracked open as a colossal tree burst forth from the soil, its roots twisting like serpents and its trunk climbing into the heavens.
Gasps echoed from the distant town.
"What the hell—!?"
"Did that tree just… grow?!"
Music and chatter stopped. But though they could see the towering tree, the people of the town could not see its base. A shimmering haze cloaked the grove like a veil, hiding what truly lay beneath.
---
Seven stone pedestals had risen from the earth around the tree, each bearing a sword unlike any other—powerful, elegant, silent.
1. A sleek black longsword with silver edges, broad and lethal.
2. A curved teal-blue blade, delicate yet powerful, humming with soft resonance.
3. A dark violet greatsword, ancient and imposing, etched with runes.
4. An icy-blue blade that radiated cold, its edge freezing the air.
5. A scarlet blade shaped like a lily in bloom, alive with rippling heat.
6. A green-accented rapier, shimmering with motion as though dancing in wind.
7. A slender golden and silver sword, runes pulsing rhythmically down its length—like the ticking of time.
Each sword floated with glowing letters above it:
[ Sword Art Collection – Elucidator ]
[ Sword Art Collection – Dark Repulser ]
[ Sword Art Collection – Night Sky Sword ]
[ Sword Art Collection – Blue Rose Sword ]
[ Sword Art Collection – Crimson Lily Sword ]
[ Sword Art Collection – Wind Fleuret ]
[ Sword Art Collection – Time Piercing Sword ]
Reyn's cane tapped as he stepped aside.
---
Back in town, Liora sat at the window, sipping tea. Her gaze followed the tremors in the trees.
She smiled softly.
> "Trying to act all mysterious, are you," she murmured, resting her chin in her palm. "And looking way too handsome while doing it."
---
In the grove, Reyn addressed them.
"To claim one of these blades," he said, "you must draw it yourself—and cut down this tree."
Gasps.
"This tree will regrow for each who tries. But no one may assist you. No borrowed strength. Only your will, your blade, and your hands."
The teens stared at the impossible task.
One stepped forward, reaching for Elucidator.
Glowing letters formed as he approached:
[ Sword Art Collection – Elucidator ]
He gripped the hilt and pulled.
Nothing.
Another tried the blue rapier—
[ Sword Art Collection – Dark Repulser ]
—but it refused her as well.
A quiet boy succeeded in drawing the teal blade. Awe flooded his face.
The fiery sword, [ Crimson Lily Sword ], responded to another girl.
Yet others failed—too heavy, too cold, too unwilling.
The woodcutting champion approached the final sword—[ Time Piercing Sword ].
It came free with ease. She raised it high and brought it down with a shout. Light exploded from the strike—but when the dust settled, only a thin scratch marked the trunk.
She stepped back, breathing hard. "That's it...?"
No one laughed. No one mocked.
They all understood the truth: this was no ordinary test.
---
Reyn watched quietly.
> "They have potential," he thought. "But none will succeed on the first try. Still, the seed is planted."
He looked to the distant town.
> "With merchants in town... word of this trial will spread fast."
And with that, he stepped back into the shadows.