"Black or White?"

"Huh…..?"

I was in a hollow room, filled with nothing but endless darkness and the chessboard floor I laid upon. The only other person in the room was the girl who asked me a strange question.

Her appearance was split into two halves, opposing each other like polar opposites. On the right side, she had white hair and a black eye devoid of any light. On the left side, she had black hair and a blue eye shining with brightness. Her lips lined to a mischievous smile, showing off a little of her sharp fangs. Complimenting her appearance was a black and white hooded coat that only reached right up to her thighs, showing off her bare legs. A long tail popping out from the coat swayed from side to side and the pointy ears on her head twitched upright, seemingly eager to hear my next response.

“I don’t get it……” I muttered.

“White.”

A white sword manifested out of thin air. Its blade shining a bright blue glimmer, radiating an aura of purity and righteousness. A weapon brimming with hope, bringing a familiar sense of warmth and protection. My eyes simply felt attracted to the light it gave off.

“The power of righteousness. That which seeks to protect everyone and help those in need. Its ideology is to be virtuous in every action, always trying to do what is good no matter what the circumstance. To make the world a better place, that is its mission. A weapon perfect for someone like you, who dreams of becoming a Hero.”

I reach my hand out to the blade, but the catgirl waves it away.

“Not so fast, fufufu. Aren’t you forgetting something? Your dream of heroism has been sullied completely. The chance to fulfill your dream was taken away from you.”

I bit my lip and glared at her heterochromic eyes.

“T-That’s not true! There has to be a way to go back! I won’t ever give up on my dream, that was the promise I made! No matter how far I’ve fallen, I’ll find a way to be a Hero!”

“Shhh…” the catgirl silenced me with her tail. “Hear me out for a second, will you?”

I took a deep sigh and gave her my full attention.

“Black.”

A black sword appeared next to the white one. Just the sight of it was enough to make me feel sick to my stomach. A shadowy miasma wrapped itself around the blade, giving off an unsettling feeling creeping into my bones. It was a weapon brimming with despair. The energy it gave off was violent, hateful, impulsive and malicious. It was teeming with bloodlust, like there was a monster living inside of it. Something so repulsive was something I could never accept. Yet for some reason, deep down in my heart, was a faint feeling of wanting to grab hold of it.

“The power of malevolence. That which seeks to fulfill its selfish desires and destroy anyone that gets in its way. It has no ideology, only caring about what it wants and doing whatever it takes to satisfy its appetite. To dominate the world, that is its mission. The antithesis of your heroic ideals, fufufu!”

This is ridiculous, why would I ever……

The catgirl leaned closer towards my ear and smiled.

“But if you think about it, that isn’t so bad! This world has given you such a cruel destiny. You always cared about justice, yet the world has treated you unfairly. So why should you care about its well-being? Take revenge on the world!”

“I can’t….I still want to be a Hero..” My hands pulled onto my hair and tears started to form from my eyes.

“Fufufu! But that’s not what your heart is telling you, is it? You seek vengeance from those who wronged you. You want them to die a horrible death, wishing they all suffer the way you suffer now. They deserve it don’t they?” Her smile warped into a more sinister look, her black eye stared deep into my soul.

“I-It’s not true! That’s not how a Hero is supposed to think! I-I would never think of such a thing!” I grasped my fists.

“That’s exactly why you’re still wearing that stupid slave collar. Because you’re too afraid to act upon anything. You’re weak, denying what truly lies deep within your heart. Denying your shadow.”

I held onto the collar chained on my neck, the very thing that holds hostage of my life. One wrong move and it will blow up my head.

“Let me ask you again,” the catgirl sighed. “Black or White?”

“..........”

It’s obvious what I’m going to choose. My heart will never waver against such pressure.

“I cho-”

“Just kidding!” the catgirl pulled down her tongue.

“H-Huh?”

“You don’t have to pick a side! The power I’m willing to give you, is the ability to choose Black or White at any moment!”

“What are you saying? Are you telling me I get to use both powers? How is that possible? Aren’t they supposed to be against each other? You can’t just be good and evil at the same time!”

“Oh, dear Lars. So naive,” the catgirl placed her hand on her forehead. “Life isn’t that simple. People can change at any moment. They can choose to be good one day, turn evil on another day, and become good at the next. It’s called free will. For every moment, there is a choice to be made. And that’s exactly how this power works!”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“I see….but what if I always choose White and ignore Black?”

“That’s alright! Like I said, free will! If you accept my power, then I will be your sword and you will be my master. I will only act on behalf of your best interests. Whatever I tell you, is simply a reflection of your soul,” the catgirl makes a heart-shape with her hands.

“And why should I trust you?” I stared into her eyes.

“If you want some kind of reassurance….my previous master was your father, the Hero Artorias.”

My father….used her power?

“It’s up to you if you want to believe it, but this is your only path to freedom, so you don’t have much of a choice. Would you rather live your life as is or accept me into your soul?”

Tsk……is this really the right decision? If I accept this power, I will become stronger. Maybe, I can use it to become a Hero. Screw it. I’ll take the risk. I’ll sacrifice my life to do whatever it takes to achieve my dream!

“I accept.”

“Fufufu. Very well, then! All you have to do now is grab my hand and the contract is complete.”

The catgirl offered her hand and smiled gently. I took hold of it and grabbed it tightly. Her tail wagged happily in response.

“My name is Gray. Thank you for accepting me, I hope we have a fun time together!”

………..

Ugh….

I lifted myself up from the cold stone floor and sat down by the wall. My throat felt parched, but all I could do was swallow the saliva that had accumulated from my mouth. A churning sound played out from my stomach, begging to be filled with a warm meal for breakfast. Ironically enough, even the disgusting grub they fed us everyday was something I craved for. Just the thought of having to endure this for a week made me feel more pessimistic about my situation. As if I could get any more pessimistic, that is.

I stared into my cat ring on my middle finger.

What happened last night must have been some sort of dream. A catgirl? Seriously? How did I come up with something so absurd? I’m already losing my sanity and it’s only been a night, how pathetic.

That wasn’t a dream, my dear master.

A long black tail curled itself over the metal collar of my neck, its warm fuzzy streak reaching over to tickle my skin. I looked down to see the cat-eared girl laying down on my lap with a playful grin on her face.

“No way….are you real?” I muttered.

Yes, I’m real.

“No, no, this can’t be! I must be hallucinating!” I slapped my face repeatedly.

You’re not hallucinating, idiot.

Her tail began to tighten its grip on my neck, causing me to breathe heavily from the pressure. How is this happening?! I didn’t think being choked by a cat’s tail was possible….

“Achk…please stop! I get it, I get it already! I believe you!”

The catgirl releases her grip and hops out of my lap. She squats down in front of me and lets out a smile.

However, I am not present in the physical world. Rather, I exist in the world that is your soul because of our connection. She points her hands towards her head. Which means that you’re the only one that can see me.

“Wait. So if you’re real, that means I have powers, right?!” I grabbed her hands. “Please tell me, Gray! How do I use them?”

As I said, you have the power to choose Black or White. All you have to do is reach out your hand and call out their name.

“Alright.”

I clear my throat and take a deep breath.

“White.”

Surely enough, the sword appeared before my very eyes.

“W-woah…”

It looked exactly like how it appeared in my dream. A pure white blade appeared on my hand with a shimmer of azure, shining like a ray of hope and illuminating the dark cell.

This is it…..

In order to check the sword’s abilities, just call on the Skill Catalog with your mind.

I did what Gray had instructed and the magical display appeared before my eyes. But unlike the ‘Catalog’ that I was expecting, the only thing that appeared was a single skill.

“Hey, why is there only one skill here?” I scratched my head.

The sword is still at its base level. Its power only evolves along with its owner’s experience. The further you progress in our contract, the more skills you will be able to obtain. I have to warn you though, it’s going to be a looooong grind from here on out.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been working hard my entire life. At this point, I’m used to it.”

Fufufu, are you sure about that?

“Huh? What do you mean?” I said as I clicked on the skill description.

Wait a minute….what is this?!

[White Skill: Illuminate]

[Description: Casts a bright light from the blade.]

I grabbed Gray’s shoulders and looked into her eyes with disbelief.

“This can’t be serious, right? How is this power going to help me get out of here?!”

Pfft. The catgirl looked down on the floor and let out a chuckle.

“Hey! Please answer me! This isn’t funny!” I gripped her shoulders tightly.

So naive.

Gray looked up with a spine-chilling gaze like a blade pointed straight towards my eyes. The sudden shift in demeanor brought goosebumps to my skin.

What? Did you think this power was just going to solve all of your problems overnight? That everything is suddenly going to be okay? That you get to live in some sort of self-fulfilling power fantasy? Life isn’t that simple, Lars. You may have my blessing, but it’s up to you on how you plan to survive from here on out. The struggle, the hardship, the pain, the despair. Everything is your responsibility and you must endure all of it.

Having nothing to say, I pierced my nails through the skin of Gray’s shoulders and let out some tears.

“What am I supposed to do then?! There’s nothing I can do! I’ve lost everything! I’m weak! There’s no escape!” I let go of her shoulders and banged my fists on my head. “If this power can’t help me, how can I get through this?!”

Quit complaining. That doesn’t do you any good.

Arms wrapped around my back and hugged me tightly. Gray leaned her head closer and whispered to my ears.

There’s only two things you can do at this point. It’s either you die with your ideals……or submit to the man who imprisoned you, fufufu!

I can’t……that’s not something a Hero should do……

It’s your choice.