Kaito stood in a secluded forest at the back of the mansion, a vast expanse that was part of Yumi's private property and served as his current training ground. The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth.
"Appear before me, Shikabanehime no Miko," Kaito commanded.
The katana in his hand hummed and emitted a faint light that traced its ominous black, wavy patterns. The temperature around him seemed to drop as a sudden chill settling in the air. From the blade, the figure of Shikabanehime materialized, looking exactly as she had in his mental space. Her red and white shrine maiden uniform billowed around her as if caught in an unseen breeze, her unnervingly pale skin and entirely black eyes fixed on him. She floated closer with eerily graceful movement.
'To summon me so soon, Master,' she whispers with a silken voice that seemed to caress the air. 'How diligent of you. Did you perhaps enjoy my lips that much?'
Before Kaito could respond to her teasing smile, the petite form of Durandal manetrialized before him.
'Kaito, why did you summon her?' Durandal demanded. 'She is a cursed weapon, and I alone am all you need!'
Shikabanehime smile widened as her gaze swept over Durandal with a mocking air. 'Oh, my master is simply bored of you, little weapon. Look at you, disguising your form in his mental realm despite your true essence being nothing more than a mere child.'
Durandal petite form flickered with anger. 'That's not true! Don't listen to this accursed weapon, Kaito. It's merely the result of our lacking resonance; my true, mature form will reveal itself soon enough!'
'How childish,' Shikabanehime scoffed. 'It's clear he prefers me. My master is a man, after all.' She gestured subtly towards herself as if to emphasize her point.
'Kaito has wielded me for far longer than you, an inferior weapon who forced their way in between our sacred connection!' Durandal retorted.
'Time matters not,' Shikabanehime countered. 'For I shall forever be with him, be it in this life or the next. Our soul is now entwined.'
Durandal visibly recoiled. 'Kaito, we need to purify you! She has clearly cursed you!'
"Can you two please stop arguing?" Kaito interjected, pinching the bridge of his nose. The combined barrage of their bickering was quickly giving him a pounding headache.
Shikabanehime immediately ceased her taunts as her gaze softening as she turned to Kaito. 'Very well, Master. I shall be silent for your sake, unlike that annoying divine weapon.' Her black eyes still held a triumphant sparkle as she cast a sidelong glance at Durandal.
'I shall cease my words,' Durandal stated, barely suppressing the fury in her words. 'However, we need to melt that cursed weapon down to slag, Kaito. Immediately.'
The two weapon spirits stared at each other, their gazes sparking with invisible electricity, an unspoken threat of mutual annihilation hanging heavy in the air.
Kaito let out a long sigh. This was going to be a long day.
...
'Using life extracted by my attack, I can allow my wielder to be immortal and gain the ability to adapt to all phenomena. The more life force collected, the more powerful I, and by extension, my abilities, will become.'
Shikabenehime gestured gracefully towards a thick oak tree beside them. 'A demonstration would be easier to understand. Master, could you strike that tree with me?'
Kaito, curious despite Durandal's glaring presence, swung Shikabanehime. The blade sliced through the tree with a startlingly smooth, effortless cut. As the two halves separated, the tree rapidly darkened, crumbled into ash, and collapsed. A dark flow of energy surged from its remains, drawn irresistibly into the katana. Kaito felt a sudden, exhilarating surge of power course through his own body.
'As long as sufficient life force is available, you can remain immortal until it runs out,' Shikabanehime no Miko explained. 'As for adaptation, it operates purely on the principle of survivability. Be it physical restraints, curses, potent poisons, mental manipulation, or even the subtle warping of fate—as long as you are exposed to such phenomena for long enough while possessing the necessary life force to fuel the adaptation, you will eventually bypass its effects and become immune.'
She continued, offering more examples. 'For instance, if you were drowning, whether in water or earth, you would instinctively develop the ability to breathe in that environment, eventually even learning to swim freely through it. If you found yourself lost in an unnavigable space, you would gradually develop an unparalleled sense of direction.'
'The developed ability shall forever be imprinted upon your very soul, regardless of the life force that remains. I shall always be there to protect you.'
'Don't trust her, Kaito!' Durandal's urgent voice cut through Shikabanehime no Miko's enchanting explanation. 'She will eventually drain all your life force and kill you. She's a cursed weapon, after all!'
'I'll do no such thing, Master,' Shikabanehime responded with an unwavering gaze as she looked at Kaito. 'You are different from my past wielders. They were relatively ordinary beings, utterly consumed by their own vengeance. They merely wielded my power, unable to truly connect. They were neither worthy of my blessing nor capable of communicating with me to the extent that we are now.'
'Kaito, she is only saying those things to manipulate you, to later possess you, just like that man we fought earlier!' Durandal insisted.
Shikabanehime turned her dark eyes back to Durandal. 'If you don't trust me, surely you would trust the divine blade herself. Does she not possess the ability to mitigate any attempt I might make at possessing you?'
Durandal scoffed as a faint golden light flickering around her. 'Hmph, I can easily do so. But Kaito, that doesn't mean you should trust her. She could exploit our vulnerabilities when we are weakened.'
'I have made my case, Master,' Shikabanehime said as she gracefully turned back to Kaito. 'I shall abide by your decision. For I am merely a blade to be wielded.'
The two weapon spirits both looked expectantly at Kaito for his next words.
Kaito looked from one to the other, then finally met Shikabanehime's eyes. "I'm sure you have a story of your own, Shikabanehime," he said with a firm and unwavering voice. "Regardless of your past or nature, I'll put my trust in you."
Kaito extended his hand toward Shikabanehime, as her ethereal hand reaches out to accept it.
'I'll not let your trust go to waste, Master.'
Durandal's eyes softened, if only a little, tinged with a hint of disappointment. 'You're too nice, Kaito, but it was expected of you.'