I was about to snack on the fine rice I'd ordered when, suddenly and without warning, an eerie chill crept up my whole body, prompting me to stop completely.

With my mouth slightly agape, I turned to the scenery on my left. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm, everlasting pink hue over the trees. In my little hometown, it is said that the crimson sun brings hope for the future.

Then why all I could feel in that moment was unease and a sense of foreboding?

Blinking, I slowly turned towards her. She also had stopped mid-motion, her hands hovering with the stick in her hand, the fried ball never reaching her mouth.

"Did... did you feel that too, Benedetta?" I asked her.

Her lips twitched, before turning into a subtle, enigmatic smile. "Yes, indeed."

"Do you think... the others felt it, too?" I stammered.

"Hmm... most likely, they did."

"What do you think it was, exactly?"

"Something bad..." she concluded in a low and ominous voice. "Perhaps, Rossana was right."

It was not unusual for her voice to sound foreboding, really; it always carried the weight of a bad omen, despite its softness and delicacy. Yet, her low tone was now more sinister than ever.

"Muriel, would you like to have a duel with me?" she asked.

"Huh? A duel...?"

She nodded.

"Um, alright. But what about the food? You've waited so long for this..."

She glanced at her plate with a bittersweet smile. "I've lost my appetite."

With that, we took our leave, and moved among the trees in search of a nice and suitable spot for a duel, her long and rigid skirt swinging and bouncing left and right with each elegant step.

Dueling was not a new occurrence for us; this happened quite often, actually. She's far more skilled than I am, whether I fight with my right or left hand. However, the way we were about to engage in a duel now felt quite different, quite new... Something noteworthy, undoubtedly...

... After a while, we finally found it: the perfect spot for a duel.

She drew her sword: a long, clear-blue blade, the edge slightly curved upward. "Are you ready?"

I unsheathed my dagger, tightly gripping the hilt with my left hand. "I'm ready."

"Crystal Blue Engraving."

"Of Black And White."

With our main enchantment spells dimming around our bodies, the fight officially began. But before I could even take a step, she cast once more. "Spatial Fragmentation."

The ground beneath us trembled violently, splitting apart as massive rocks shot into the air defying gravity. I staggered, struggling to keep my balance, while Benedetta remained eerily calm, becoming a blur as she bounced effortlessly between the floating stones.

I braced myself. "You're serious..."

It was a flash; she dashed forward. Twisting her body into a pirouette, her sword came crashing down on me like a whirlwind.

Raising my dagger, I blocked the impact. Our blades clashed with a clang, scattering sparks around us. Leaping backward, I used a rock behind me to propel myself at her with all the speed I could muster.

She deftly sidestepped my attack, and we exchanged a flurry of blows, each strike being faster and more violent than the last.

"You're using your wrong hand!" she shouted at me at some point.

As her words hit me, I gritted my teeth. "Damn it..."

I immediately corrected my stance, but that mistake cost me dearly; I slowed down to the point I had to leap backward to create distance. She kept pressing forward, weaving her sword left and right without giving me a breather.

This was a grave mistake on my part, and she was also the one who corrected it the first time...

...

Life can be bizarre, and often in the most unusual way. The way I found out about it was just as weird. My dominant hand… the right one; that's what everyone had taught me since I was little, and what I was sure of, as well. But when I met her and we exchanged blows, she immediately sensed something was off.

That day, after the fight, she treated me to a meal, which I gladly accepted. She asked me to cut different fruits for her; I didn't mind, and obliged, though I admit I found the request quite odd. Afterward, we went to a shop; she wanted to write a letter to an old friend, and she asked me to help her in that regard. Clueless, I accepted. I never realized she was testing me until that point; when I started writing, she immediately understood.

"Why do you write this way...?" she asked me.

"Hm? What do you mean?" I replied, perplexed by the strange question.

"You're writing with your right hand, but the way you let your pen flow... is how a left-handed person would write. The way you hold and cut the food is odd as well."

I blinked in confusion. "Huh...?"

...

But old habits die hard... and even now, I struggle to get used to what I really am, and what really belongs to me.

"Time to end this," she murmured, taking a step closer, raising her sword. Her lips moved slowly, and her movements... also were slow.

"Huh...?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I tried to blink, I couldn't. I tried to speak, I couldn't. I tried to move... I couldn't.

"This is..."

Her movements, though slow to my eyes, were impossibly fast.

"A Distorted Mana Zone?!"

Panic surged through me.

"IN THE OPEN?!"

I was unsure of how to act. I couldn't act even if I wanted to anyway!

An impending calamity was approaching; I could feel it, but I was utterly powerless! I couldn't do anything to stop her movements, nor the words coming out of her mouth!

Mana erupted like flames around her sword, and finally, the spell completely left her mouth.

An overwhelming burst of mana followed, enveloping everything in a blinding blue light, swallowing everything whole. In the same instant, time snapped back to its normal flow. She plunged the sword in my direction, a death ray with no chance of escape or survival, fit to bear the title 'Blade of Exoneration'.

I screamed, thrusting my dagger forward, invoking my strongest defensive spell, hoping for salvation. A shield of light formed by seven stars layered itself before me. It took the spell head-on, but that didn't stop the force of the impact from sending shockwaves rippling through the air.

Trees flew away, the ground shattered, and everything behind me was utterly destroyed in the wake while my clothes and hair whipped in the wild wind as I braced myself.

My arm trembled so much under the strain I had to seize it with my free one to keep it steady; had I wavered even a moment longer, I would've been swept away with everything else. Her spell was so overwhelming that cracks began to form in my barrier, the stars shattering one by one.

Finally, the spell ceased, and just as it did, my barrier completely broke into pieces.

I gasped, catching my breath, resting my hands on my knees for support as I let my dagger fall on the ground.

"Hm," she murmured.

Raising my head, I looked at her. Her gaze was distant, focused completely elsewhere, lost in thought. "What's wrong?" I asked, swallowing hard.

She shook her head. "It seems I still haven't reached it..." she replied, her usual subtle smile returning as she turned toward me. "Well, never mind. This is my win!" she then quipped, clasping her hands behind her back.

I scoffed, wiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. "It definitely is. I don't even know how you pulled that off..."

With a little hop, she patted my head. "Shall we go eat? My appetite is back."

Releasing a sigh, I finally stood properly. "Sure, but... what do we do, after? You know, about the feeling we had."

"We act before it's too late."

- - - - - - -

"Hm..."

The sudden feeling that crept into the air prompted me to cease everything I was doing.

Today, the sun felt nice, and the breeze was cool against my back. I was enjoying a nice and quiet rest on a mountain. Several minutes earlier, I had been occupying my time by killing goblins. They're normally found around this area, but the situation worsened with a dungeon spawning nearby.

Despite that, it was a good day. And after that feeling... I had confirmation of that.

"This truly is a nice day..."

I got up from the ground, dusting away any dirt my clothes might have caught, and grabbed my large backpack.

"I suppose... it's time for me to move."

And so I did. While I didn't have a clear destination, I knew where I wanted to be, and what my ultimate goal was.

To pass the time, I chose to retrieve my little book from my backpack, now slung over my shoulder. I felt like singing. A song an old, dear friend of mine wrote... He was an aspiring musician, and left this incomplete work behind.

Though incomplete, the joy it was able to bring to others is, to this day… disarming. I remember. I remember it vividly. He'd run to me with a smile every time he spotted me from afar, always clutching papers in his hands. He'd ask advice, while I'd spent my free time listening to his conclusions without me saying a single word. We'd spent hours in a little tavern, drinking, singing, bringing together cliques who would watch us from their place. His song, unfinished as it was, was able to unite people; people who shared a similar past, overjoyed to tears at having met those who could they call 'peers'.

Strangers turning to friends, brothers and sisters in a few words, happy to be alive, and to share the joy that came with it through that bond. He was able to do all that and make it look as easy as drinking a tankard of beer. It was contagious. He smiled, I smiled. He loved it.

He loved to make people smile with just a song, whether it was inside a cozy tavern, or beneath the stars by a crackling fire, everyone would tag along. swaying from the left to right and back again, shoulder to shoulder, raising their glasses to the air with eyes full of gratitude.

Even I, witnessing it, couldn't hold back from following him. So, I too, sang…

"The dawn of a new day has come at last.

Rise and observe, the night has passed.

Rise and observe, the sky turns white.

Run to your friends, share the light.

Run to your family, sing with delight.

Step into the world, welcome it with open arms.

Let the silver moonlight bathe your face.

Let her bless your sleep with grace.

Let her warmth mend your wounded heart.

Let her turn the wheel, let her play her part.

Have no fear, restless soul.

Have no fear, salvation has arrived.

Walk into the light, let your spirit be baptized.

Your prayers have been heard, so have no fear.

Those lost in the earth may now find rest.

Those lost in the earth may now find rest..."

The unfinished song met its end.

"Hm..."

I exhaled, sniffing as I brushed aside a stray tear.

"Your hands were never meant to hold a sword, my friend…"