"Why do I have to choose a specific weapon?" I asked my mother, tilting my head.

"You have to master one. You can be good with many weapons, but if you don't master a single one, eventually, you shall meet your end," she replied.

"Why? Wouldn't being skilled with multiple weapons give me an advantage in combat?"

She shook her head. "It's the other way around. Mastery is about depth, not breadth. If you're good at everything, chances are that you're also bad at everything."

I frowned, trying to grasp her words. "... I am confused."

"I've taught you the basics of many weapons, but it's time to choose one to master. Being a jack-of-all-trades leaves you vulnerable. You must sharpen your technique, surpass your limits, knowing it as well as you know yourself. You have to choose a path where you will be undefeatable were you to meet an enemy equally matched. That's how you recognize a skilled warrior, by the level of expertise in their own field."

"Hmm, I see..." I actually didn't really understand, but I started pondering about what kind of weapon I wanted to master anyway. "What's the weapon you're the best at, mom?"

"Oh, I'm undefeatable with anything, sweetie," she replied with a proud smile.

"Huh?! That can't be true! You're lying!" I pouted at her.

She chuckled. "So, which weapon speaks to you the most?"

"Hmm... I really like your dagger, I want to master that."

"Alright, then I'll teach you everything I know."

...

That's right, my mom was undefeatable with everything; while she trained me to use a dagger, she used many weapons in response to teach me all kinds of possible situations and different combat scenarios.

How many times did I win?

Zero.

But despite that, I possess considerable skill with a dagger. Especially when I wield hers... I feel incredibly confident, I feel... complete.

And now, that dagger I lost was right in front of me; so close, yet so far, out of my reach.

"My dagger!"

But not for long.

"So I was right," the man murmured, staring daggers at me. "The Purple Night... To think it would still be around after all these years..."

His words left me surprised. "How do you know its name?" I asked him.

My mother named that dagger. For him to know it, he must have heard it from her, or someone close to her...

"Where is your mother?" he asked, slightly raising his voice.

"... My mother?"

"Yes. Where is she?"

Now I was utterly perplexed...

"She died, nearly ten years ago..." I replied, blinking.

He closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply. "So the rumors were true," he murmured, looking up at the sky before refocusing on me. "Yet, her sins keep spreading in this world like a plague. You are just as tainted as she was..."

"I have literally no idea what you're talking about."

"Fret not, Silver Witch's daughter. You shall meet her soon..." The man took a stance, raising his fists. "Penombra."

As he pronounced those words, his body became covered by a dark aura. He then dashed forward.

So fast! My mind barely had time to react before he was right in front of me.

"Halo Zero." His glove was suddenly surrounded by a dark mist, menacingly spinning.

That glove was without a doubt his divine weapon. But more importantly, a fist was coming straight at my face; my mother's dagger in his other hand.

I raised my elbow to deflect the blow, but felt a sharp pain as his knee struck my side instead.

His move was a feint! And he sent me flying, painfully bouncing on the grass, coughing from the pain; I couldn't even protect myself with my first spell.

"Felinchant," I immediately cast, still on the ground, pushing myself up.

"It seems you really want your dagger back," he said, his voice as low and menacing as ever.

"It would appear you're way more impolite than I thought," I remarked, extracting my dagger from my pocket, now looking uglier than ever when compared to the one in front of me. "Attacking me without even telling your name, or your motives, not answering my questions..."

"Have you reserved such courtesies for those you killed in this city?" he retorted.

"How do you even know it was me?" I countered.

"Oh, please..." he facepalmed. "People may have forgotten, but I vividly remember the marks that revolting creature left..."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Without a warning, he dashed forward once again, but I could follow his movements better this time, thanks to my spell.

"Don't worry, I shall put an end to your life with the blade you cherish so much," he said as we exchanged blows.

Alas, after a few strikes, the blade of my dagger shattered into pieces far too easily; I had barely even used it.

This man hit violently, each blow sending shockwaves from my arms straight to my brain. And now that my dagger had broken, finding ways to disarm him or gain the upper hand was even more difficult. He kept grazing me with my mother's dagger, leaving small cuts behind.

It was insulting.

That dagger belonged to me. And yet, it was being used against me.

The equilibrium broke when he managed to hit me in the stomach, making me spit saliva from the force of the blow. He then seized my neck, lifting me off the ground as he tightened his grip.

"It's ironic, in a way," he murmured as he slowly choked me. "It's been twenty years, and yet... I am still afraid of those eyes. Look... I am trembling. But you are much weaker than her, and I'm about to put an end to your life with the same dagger she used to end so many others..."

If his intention was to kill me with that dagger, then he needed to hurry, because his grip was close to ending me already.

My body tried desperately to break free, to grasp for air. But I was powerless. Even with my first spell active, his spell way overpowered mine. I was close to death...

Then, unexpectedly, his grip slightly loosened. I looked at him, his gaze was filled with concern and disgust.

"You..." he murmured. "You're enjoying this?!"

I scoffed. "Don't get the wrong idea," I managed to reply.

"You're sick!" he spat as he threw me to the ground, making me bounce from the impact.

My body hurt, but I could finally inhale some air while looking at the sky above me, resting my hand over my chest. My heart was beating so fast... I loved its sound.

"To think that the daughter could be even more twisted than her creator..." he said as he approached me, looking even angrier.

"Like I said, don't get the wrong idea."

While I was being choked a moment before, a thought crossed my mind... Could I summon my demon? Or would it aim for me, wanting my life?

Then I remembered... The answer was yes, I could. I recalled that I had already summoned it once after fulfilling its request. So, even if the demon wanted my life, it would still follow my will.

I couldn't fully trust it, but it was good enough, being in this situation.

The man slowly approached, each step crunching the grass beneath his feet, his angry glare fixed on me. I sat up, wincing from the pain in my stomach where his blow had landed.

Just a little more... he just had to take some more steps... Just a little closer...

"Bianca," I whispered.

The demon manifested right behind me, the usual ice-cold gust of wind signaling its apparition, before it rushed towards the man.

"I was waiting for it!" the man exclaimed.

I looked at him in confusion.

Who was this man?! How did he know about my dagger?! My mother?! And even the demon?!

"Don't kill him, demon!" I shouted.

The demon let out a piercing cry in response as it charged at the man, who braced himself for the attack.

"Colpo Funesto." As the man spoke, a dark energy ball formed in front of his fist, fiercely crashing into my demon.

A powerful wind erupted from the impact, forcing me to shield my eyes. When I looked again, I saw my demon standing still in place, while the man lay several steps away, struggling to get up.

"My dagger!" My attention was drawn away as I noticed it lying on the ground, right next to my demon.

I quickly got up, rushing towards it.

"Oh, my dagger!"

I kissed it, I cradled it, feeling its blade caressing my cheek.

"Oh! I've missed you so much!"

"How...?" the man muttered in pain as he got up, getting my attention back. "How is it even stronger?!"

"Huh?"

"You... Witch's daughter!" he spat as he coughed blood. "Cursed be the day that wretched creature gave you life! I'll end this now."

Oh, he really looked pissed...

But I didn't mind; I actually welcomed it.

I raised my dagger, getting into position. "Oh, I am so happy I could literally die!" I giggled. "But I won't..."

Now I felt undefeatable; it was as if I could finally see the world vividly again. Everything was so clear... every color vibrant and purposeful... Everything had a sense now, a meaning!

The demon had done its job; I didn't need it anymore, and gladly, it would appear it understood, since it remained still. I didn't want to kill this man, not yet at least; he had too much information, he knew too much, and I wanted to know why.

Still, fighting someone clearly intent on killing you while trying not to do the same might be quite hard, especially if they're skilled. So... I had to disarm him. But depriving him of his divine weapon was out of the question; it was a glove... So I only had one other way.

"Come," I provoked. "I shall repay you for the pain you inflicted upon me."

The man easily fell for my provocations; emotions cloud judgment, after all. And I was not innocent in that regard. Allowing my attachment to the dagger to dictate my moves had been a mistake, when the solution was so simple...

Were I to fight this man normally, all I had to do was kill him. Simple as that.

But since I didn't want to, and since I had my dagger now, I could play and amuse myself.

I swiftly darted left and right, juggling my dagger around to confuse him.

Oh, I had missed it so much!

"Come on!" I incited. "Come on, come on, come on! Where did all your arrogance go? Hahaha!"

I was thrilled! In strength, he was far stronger than me; but when it came to agility, we were almost equally matched. Right now, I had the upper hand. And I was enjoying every moment of it, feeling my blood warming up my body, reveling as our blows clashed.

He tried to hit me with spells, but I promptly evaded them; he could shoot dark bullets by punching the air with his fist. He was pretty dangerous.

However, I closed the distance, using my dagger to deflect his blows and employing feints and footwork to make him flinch. Then, with a swift motion, I sliced the holsters containing his codex and threw it far away. Fortunately, I had thrown the codex far enough to break his enchantment spell.

I used my weight to unbalance him, with me falling on top of him and restricting his movements with my legs while I pinned his head down with my hand, pointing my dagger at his throat.

A giggle escaped my lips at the sight of his defeat. "Now, it's time for you to talk."

"DON'T LOOK AT ME WITH THOSE EYES!" he suddenly screamed as he tried to break free.

His reaction was peculiar, to the point it made me flinch. That wasn't the response of someone merely afraid; that was the reaction of someone traumatized.

But, unfortunately for him, I ignored it, finding joy in his discomfort, leaning in closer to his face. "What do these eyes mean to you?" I asked, purposefully widening my gaze.

"You witch!" he murmured in anger as I continued to restrict his movement. "I'll kill you the moment I get the chance! Your head will be on a pike to show the world how it's finally free! All the families you've ruined will celebrate on the-"

I pressed the blade of my dagger into his mouth to make him shut up. "If you have this much desire to speak, then tell me who you are, and what's your problem with me," I demanded, slowly withdrawing the blade.

"I have nothing to say to someone who's already dead," he replied.

I laughed. "How cute. Do you really think I would give you the chance to pull off a move? I will knock you out before my enchantment spell even begins to fade."

"You will be forced to fight me."

"You do realize all it takes is a well-placed blow to your jaw, and you'll find yourself in the dream world, right?"

"You'd better kill me, you witch!" He raised his voice. "Because if you don't, the Reapers will hunt you down! I'll gather all my allies to ensure your demise! You'll dread even closing your eyes!"

"The Reapers, you say?" I couldn't help but grin, my giggle turning into an amused laugh. "Good... Good! I couldn't ask for better! Bring them to me, go ahead and try!"

With each laugh, his anger grew, his face twisting with rage, only increasing my pleasure.

"You wretched creature! You-"

"Goodnight." I deftly raised my dagger to the sky, before swiftly bringing down the hilt to send him into slumber.

And with a satisfying thud, he collapsed.