"We are a threshold away from being called an intruder. We are five paces away from the palace, and we are stranded in this garden with absolutely no idea of what to do..." Elanor spoke with frustruation in her voice.
[Well isn't that why my owner had you destroy the statue? To drag the Imperial family's attention away?]
The talking sword replied back.
[My owner is smart when it comes to planning everything. She is ten steps ahead of everyone.]
"..."
It couldn't be mistaken that the same sword who spoke right now, could one day devour the same owner like how it was soaking its words with sugar.
"So what did she plan on doing?"
[Are you dumb?]
"This thing insults?!" Elanor dead-eyed the the sword, while clenching the white handle with a tight grip. "No wonder your owner let go of you that fast."
[Sheesh woman! If you already know by now... The Guardian of Death just made a save passage for you so you don't get caught. She knows that her brothers will be investigating who destroyed the marble statue for a long time. And his family knows well that once Lewis has been provoked, he would be the same thing as a serial killer. He will kill the entire Island population to find out who destroyed it.]
[So his family would have to follow him to make sure he doesn't attempt such a thing and keep him in check. After all, his younger sister had made him that way with her death. So that he has the mindset that can actually save his family in the future.]
[And having his family taken away from this palace... Aren't you having a proper space for the clearing?]
The sword added, finishing its part of the explanation in full. It had a very annoying voice, but it spoke with its will.
"Yeah sure... Thanks I guess..." Elanor added while letting out a sigh. She glanced up at the window of the third storey, right in front of the tall and old tree. "This was room that Aefia used to stay in. Doesn't she miss it anymore?" She unconsciously asked herself out loud.
[She does...] Spectrum replied. This caused Elanor's attention to divert back towards the sword again.
"What does she say?"
[She regrets it by a small percentage only. So she didn't say much about it.]
"I should have known..."
[She misses her family more.]
"Hm...?"
[She misses her brother the most...]
At this point, the sword was continuously speaking about things that Elanor found intriguing to know. She wanted to know more, but she didn't also want to seem like she was plotting against Aefia. She just didn't want to get close to Aefia by mere informations that her sword was spitting. She wanted Aefia to speak them out, not to hear it from a non-living thing.
But at the same time, she wanted to listen about her life in the forest dungeon. Afterall, seeing as how she was currently living, she was practically an orphan with immense powers that even she hasn't yet discovered the edges of.
"Anyways. We are here. So what should I do? She said you could detect those spirits and that you would tell me where they are. Be fast. I need to leave within the next ten minutes." Elanor finally spoke after a long moment of just sighing to no ends.
[You haven't taken me out of my scabbard yet. And you expect a performance already?] The sword angrily replied. With that, she had no other choice but to pull out the navy blue blade with the starry surface.
[I sense a few around you right now. Your presence has luckily captured them towards your location.] Spectrum added after a few moment of inspection. [Do you want me to show them to you? For optimal vision?]
"Do whatever is necessary."
Within the next second, what she saw through her amber gaze was numerous shadow bodied creatures wrapped in a thin fabric round another body. But the bodies where the legs were supposed to be visible were not there and the shadow cloak looked as if it were only floating on thin air.
She was surrounded by only five, and this, she could only calculate how much time she would have left to search for the sixth one. "Where do I stab them?"
[Slice it where their faces are. Or just make the cloak an unusable little thing for them to cover up or seek power from. They are powerful yes. But they are very shy.]
"And then what do I do?"
[...]
"Why aren't you replying?"
Only after a short moment later did Spectrum suddenly light up at a single gemstone point of the handle.
[I can do the killing for you if you want. All you need to do is wield me. I swear by the name of my owner that I won't possess your mind.]
"How do I trust you?"
"Because I only force you to move the way my owner would move me when she is fighting."
"Fine. Do whatever you want." Elanor replied while clenching the sword tightly. Within a blink, she moved forward and sliced through the thin veil of shadow and watched as the cloak fell into two pieces onto the forest ground.
"That was fast!" She gasped as her wrist uncontrollably twisted the blade between her fingers to position the sharp tip through another one's. Like that, she had gotten rid of three while maintaining the same position.
The sword continued to move back and forth and hitting the bullseye without even trying, as if it could see where to cut for maximum results.
[It's all done.] Spectrum added while slumping to the side as it let go of control. [All six have been dissipated.]
[Now I understand that you are tired, but we have to make a run for it before the guards get you. And you have to return me as well.]
As exhausted as Elanor had become, she wanted to sit down and take a rest for a bit. "You said you will use the technique that Aefia uses. You used too much."
[I did use the moves that my owner would have pulled. But honestly, I think I was a little bit slower than how my owner would have wielded me. She could have done better.]
"There is no way a fifteen-year-old can be that agile in this field. She isn't even someone who is supposed to hold a sword."
[That's because situation has forced her. We can't simply deny that she is absurdly skillful in this medium despite being that young. Even when she needs to practice ways to reserve her energy.] Spectrum replied. [And to add to the fact... She would have stayed stood and ran right after she was finished. She would only rest when she was far enough.]
"I can explain the restless part. She does reject taking a proper break."
But as dire as the situation was supposed to be, Elanor didn't get up or do anything. It was until the guards had started to arrive that the Spectrum had to break the rules to just save her.
It took control of her mind, and made her run to the safety of the shadows. By that time, Elanor had found herself standing in front of her own mansion.
"What the heck?!" She looked at the sword at her hand.
[I am sorry. But it was also a command from my owner that you should be kept out of danger of being found out with me at your hand.] Spectrum spoke. [Because it is something she didn't want you to know, and she knew you would have acted this way.]
Elanor clicked her tongue in response. "This girl really is hard to understand. She is too disconnected to even know what she is up to sometimes."
[You were dosing off when the guards were approaching. You should be glad, otherwise your entire estate would have been at a problem. I was simply saving you to keep you from getting through a lot of trouble.]
"Alright fine! Now that you have completed whatever you were supposed to complete... You can return to your most 'passionate' owner." Elanor irritatingly shealthed the sword and unlatched the belt. Then, she held it above her right palm. "Good luck."
She watched as the sword dissolved into her skin and meet the other end. Then, once the end of the white handle was gone, she walked into her estate and the first thing she did was go to bed due to her exhaustion.
***
Just when I was instructing a few spirits about their roles while I was away, Spectrum fell onto my hands from above. And I knew that instant that mission had been accomplished. Luckily, it had come back just when I had finished dealing away with the last one of my little crews.
"You are back early." I asked with a smile. Truth be told, I honestly really liked having it around because it gave me a sense of security. "Was Elanor a trouble?"
[I won't lie to my master... She is very exhausting to deal with. Because she doesn't care about getting cover when she is about to be exposed.]
"Well I know that part. She really is reckless at times like this. And we can't really go against it."
[Master... Might I ask a question?] Spectrum asked after a swift moment.
"Sure?" I didn't know why it would suddently want to know about something from a mere human who is actually a rookie Guardian of the Nation of the Dead. But even so... It was best to keep this blade informated. Otherwise... I don't know when I might really have needed its help in the future.
[Why does your family matter so much to you? Didn't you think multiple times to runaway from them?]
"..."
My entire world blanked out. I had never expected such a question from a sword that I had found at my inventory at random one day. And even if I wanted to answer that question, I still didn't want to answer it. I simply didn't have the courage necessary to face the truth. My family does matter a lot of me. But I can't explain just how it mattered.
"I did choose to runaway... But it was to protect them from my own enemies. I didn't want them to die." I gave it that much only.
[But now that you have found out about your enemy's death, don't you want to return?]
"I do want to..." I was brutally honest.
[Then why are you hesitating.]
Despite being its owner... I couldn't lie to my sword. Because there was a chance that it would someday feel betrayed and take revenge on me. I didn't want that to happen since I needed to stay alive at any cost now.
Instead of replying, I gritted my teeth until my jaw groaned. Then, I unshealthed it and placed my hand flat onto a stone surface. I drew a breathe, and then blurtted out a few words. "Just focus on strengthening."
With a fluid motion, the blade pierced onto the centre of my palm and drew blood instantly. It had to be done if I wanted to strengthen the blade for future battles. Because this was a cursed sword, it could lose its shape if its contact with the master has been worn off. And since it had just been handled by Elanor, it may have grown a bit distant.
Although Spectrum did tell me that the previous owners almost never allowed the blade to be handed to anyone, just so they didn't lose contact, I had my reasons to hand it over. Sure it may have been only two days away from me... But that itself is far too long.
This blade, was something very odd to maintain. Almost impossible, because the more distant the sword grows, the more the owner had to feed it their own blood on a consistent basis. It was so taxing... That one week of distance could require five hundred days worth of blood. I am lucky I met the threshold at a month only.
As the blue gemstone finally started to glow, I withdrew it. The pain was something I had learnt to survive, but if I lost too much blood, I may not have some to give tomorrow. Since I needed to do the same thing the next day, I thought about tightly closing the wound.
[Master. I know I am a cursed sword... But do you really need to go that long extends for me?]
"Yes! I need you since you are useful in multiple ways. And you won't understand until the time arrives. Because I have something in mind."
It stayed silent after that, as it watched me tear a fabric out of sleeve and wrap it around my palm. Then, as soon as I did that. I restored my clothes back.
"This skill of mine always proves itself useful in every scenarios." I let out a sigh. It could even rinse away the bloodstains on my hands and at the sides of my face.
As I watched the last of the blood get absorbed onto the blade, I tilted my head all the back and looked at the night sky. "I am stupid sometimes..."
[Why though master?]
"Because I make decisions which I think I can handle... Then regret a few moments later."
[But you do it because you know the advantages master.]
"..." I let a smile drop on my face. "I have never met such a considerate sword in my life. This may be one reason why I like you."
[Thank you master.]
Spectrum answered with a pleased voice. Then, it started to vibrate, driving my attention to it's direction.
"Spectrum?" I asked with concern.
It continued shaking, as I rushed to my feet with my eyes scanning it from the top of the handle to the edge of the navy blue blade. There was no sort of problem or what-so-ever. And there was obviously no signs of an impending transaction. "Don't tell me I haven't drawn enough blood. I simply held it there long enough."
I instantly broke out in sweat as I watched it slow down. Then, it went completely still.
[There is a different type of presence around us right now master. Please wield me so I can protect you.]
"Protect...?" I whispered as the next second, my hand unwillingly clasped the hilt and I spun on my heels to swing it at a human's face.