A song drew me once more down a familiar path, only to end suddenly with Lodran standing outside the door. He looked at me, surprised.

"What are you doing here, Human?" He asked.

I was about to answer him, but the song swelled and I found myself ignoring him. He grabbed my arm and I felt an intense rage overwhelm me. It was so sudden, it snapped me out of my reverie, and I had to pull back.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down, even though it meant ignoring Lodran's incessant demands.

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked. "Much as her song draws the dead closer to her, it draws me near."

"Well, you're not going to have much luck entering." He said smugly.

I walked past him, opened the door, stepped in, and closed it behind me.

She sat in the center of the room, her song echoing. Distantly, I knew there was someone pounding on the door, and then suddenly, there was not.

"He has always been earnest." Lady Wyrashe said. "What lay beyond always a treasure out of reach." She looked at me and smiled. "I have no doubt, he will try to kill you before he leaves. You have what he can never attain, the warm regard of his sister, the privilege to stand before me without repercussion, an education that he squandered... Where then does nobility dwell?"

I approached her and held my hand out, and she took it and ran her fingers along the lines. "Tell me, what drives you most?"

"I don't really know." I said. "I feel like I'm always waiting."

"For?"

"The right moment."

She gently caressed my face and ran her fingers across my increasingly lengthening facial hair, her expression was one more of quiet wonder than anything else, to experience something she had been denied for so long.

"Do you love Lissana?" She asked.

"Platonically." I replied. "She's attractive, certainly, but if that was all that I saw in her, I would have no right to be here."

"And if she were to choose you as a lover?" She asked.

"I don't think I'd make a good lover." I said. "I'm better as a friend, honestly."

There was a loud thud on the door, and Lady Wyrashe's expression darkened.

"I believe it is long time that I've spoken with my other descendant." She said. "Allow him in."

I went to the door and opened it, Lodran swung at where the door used to me and nearly hit me. He stumbled forward as I stepped back.

"Lord Lodran Wyrashe." I said. "This is your ancestor, please know that she can kill with a touch, and that being in her presence for too long can be harmful to your health."

He glared at me. "How dare you address me so casually!" He snapped.

"Enough." Lady Wyrashe stated. "How oft you have struck my door, seeking entry so desperately, that I have no other choice but to grant you entry." She took a step toward us. "Am I to your liking, child?" She asked. "Have your gawking eyes been sated? Your burning curiosities quenched? Shall I repeat unto you the sorrowful tale of a woman whose touch is death, whose voice brings death nearer?"

Lodran collapsed to his knees. "I say to you now, I am Death before you, and only one bears the gift to stand well before me, by whose touch I may know the warmth of another body, whose virtue remains steadfast before my countenance. Such a rare gift unto me, you waste our time, and yours."

He collapsed to his hands, his arms shook.

"Take him away, I have given him enough time, mayhap this will teach him."

I nodded and put his arm over my shoulder and carried him out of the room.

"And Rex." She said. I looked back. "Thank you."

"No problem." I replied.

I shut the door behind us and carried him to my room, where I laid him down on my bed. I rang the bell and leaned against the wall.

"What... are you?" He asked.

"I am a Human." I replied.

"What are... you?" He repeated.

"Of little consequence." I replied. There was a knock at the door. "Enter." I said, and an Aelfan servant entered. He looked startled when he saw Lodran.

"Lord Wyrashe was granted an audience with the one beyond the sealed door." I said. "As I do not know where his room is, I brought him here so he could know a measure of comfort."

"I understand, sura. I will take him to his room."

And just like that, Lodran was out of my room. I went to sleep...

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

For today's training, Nash had me practice more on drawing and sheathing a sword. Normally, when a sword was drawn or sheathed, the blade could be dulled, but with sharpening enchantments, the blade never dulled, ensuring a keen edge no matter what.

"You're improving steadily." He said after I practice drawing the sword for the hundredth time. "Being able to draw your weapon and attack as soon as possible is essential for instances when you are ambushed or otherwise caught off guard. This can offer an advantage for a short sword when compared to a longsword, as the blade is shorter, and thus if you are fleet of foot, you can get a strike in before a longsword wielder can get their weapon out."

I practiced swinging directly after drawing the sword, which was awkward with a straight edge. 'Now, if I had a wakizashi or katana, that'd be a different story.' I mused. I held the sword with both hands and took a deep breath. I took a swing, and to my surprise, a faint shimmer flew from where I swung, which struck the wall with a low thud.

"What was that?" Nash asked.

I focused and channeled energy into the sword. When I swung, the shimmer was more noticeable, the impact more forceful. I smirked.

"It seems I can send Mana out of my sword as an attack." I said. I practiced it a few times more until I began to feel exhausted.

"That does make sense." Nash remarked. "You seem to do it whenever you attack regardless, which is why your blows seem to be more potent than your body would seem to imply."

"Because I have a resistance-piercing attack." I said. "Now I just have to figure out what magical element does the most damage overall and use that."

He raised his brow.

"It's a joke." I stated.

"I do so enjoy watching the clueless learn to wield a blade." I heard. I glanced behind me to see Lodran standing near the courtyard entrance. "No matter how well they think they do, they'll never achieve much."

"It sounds like you have a lot of experience on that front." I remarked.

"How dare you..!" He started.

"I promised Lady Wyrashe that I would not resort to violence with you." I said. "Out of respect for her, you should probably do the same." I sheathed the sword.

"Hmph. If you think you're good with a blade, then what say we spar?"

"You don't have to be a rogue to know that's an obvious trap." I said.

"Lord Wyrashe, if you have nothing better to do than bother my Lady's guest, you may wish to seek your entertainment elsewhere." Nash said.

Time froze and I stepped out of the way of Lodran's attack. "I pity your tutor." I said. "How ashamed they must feel at their student being dodged by a novice."

Lodran shouted a spell and a blast of fire engulfed me. His satisfied grin immediately dropped when he saw I was unarmed. I drew my sword again. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'm supposed to be learning how to handle chilly mornings."

He blasted me with another fireball, I swung my sword at him, blasting him with mana. He stumbled backward.

"What..? How in the names of the Gods did you do that?!" He asked.

"I swung so hard I hit you from all of the way over here." I replied. "Sorry about that." I focused.

"Do you honestly believe that swinging a sword around will keep you safe?" Lodran asked. "A Human like you, with such weak magic, to travel anywhere, you would be a liability at best, and dead weight at worst."

"There is no safety in a sword." I said. "It is a tool of death, it does not give life. To wield one is to wield a powerful responsibility, a burden." I looked at him. "It is a burden I was born not needing to carry, and yet, in this world, it is a burden I must carry if I am to survive on my own." I swung it again. "You act as though you're superior to me, as though I will ultimately amount to nothing. Why do you swing at me? What do you gain by trying to harm me, by goading me and prodding me?"

"Your kind are a blight." He said. "You cut down forests and refuse to replant, you carelessly throw rubbish about with no care for how it will affect your descendants. You are too short lived to fully comprehend how meaningless your lives are."

"Is that all?" I asked. I sheathed the sword again and I looked at him. "And what have you accomplished exactly?" I asked.

"I am the Lord of Coin." He said.

"And how did you get that position?" I asked.

"It was passed down to me by my father." He said. "As it was passed down to him by his."

"So, nepotism." I said. "Have you ever done something in your life that you weren't given the tools for? Have you ever done something that actually made a difference in this world?"

"I've killed criminal Humans." He said.

"Were they?" I asked. "Or were you just killing them because you're a racist bastard?"

Nash backed away from me as Lodran drew his sword and held it out, his face an expression of pure hatred. He charged straight at me and swung. I ducked the swing and struck his gut with the pommel of my sword. He doubled over, his expression one of shock. I stood up straight and walked away from him.

"I killed a Faith Vampire with my bare hands." I said. "I took an Avarice Fiend's crystal straight from its chest and made two Contracts with it and survived. I am almost utterly immune to magic, and can penetrate resistances." He stood up and held his sword up. "What can you say that you've done without relying on anyone else to do it for you?"

He charged at me and I focused. He lifted his sword above his head and swung down on me. I dodged into his chest, grabbed him, and wrapped my leg around his knee. I then knocked him flat onto the ground. He gasped for breath.

"Are you going to keep antagonizing me?" I asked.

"You're just a Human!" He shouted.

"And you're a predictable Aelfan with obvious tells who likes to bully others who are too afraid of you to be an actual challenge." I said. "I've been training with Nash since day one, I've picked up a few tricks of his and so far they've been enough to keep you at bay." I stepped away and resumed practicing swinging the sword. "And as I promised Lady Wyrashe, I have not harmed you."

He stood up with his sword raised and I looked at him. "I swear upon Bahamut if you attack me again I will boil your teeth." I glared at him as he looked unsettled. "I'm sure he'd happily oblige."

"I would happily oblige?" I heard. I turned around and felt disoriented when I stood in the room that Bahamut had hosted me in.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"You were dreaming." Bahamut stated. "Though, I do suppose some part of it was real."

I furrowed my brow. Yeah, it had happened, but at a point, my dream had diverged without me realizing. I considered the events until the moment I'd called him a bastard. Instead of ducking and hitting him with the pommel of my sword...

"He... he stabbed me." I said. "Wait, am I dead!?"

"I am not the God of Death." Bahamut stated. "Nor would Lissana allow you to die under her roof. Presently, you are being healed, while her brother is being reminded, by a Human no less, why blind antagonism is never a good idea."

I sat on the bed and winced. "Why did I have to run my mouth?" I muttered.

"Because you do not necessarily know better." Bahamut stated. "You act as though you are on equal societal standing as the Wyrashe family, yet you lack evidence of such. To them, you are merely an oddity, or an excessively rude vagrant. Lissana tolerates your indiscretion because she has grown tired of the barriers that divide her and her people. Your casual demeanor is like a breath of fresh air to her, and her forgiving nature allows you to be so informal. To anyone else, you are horrifically rude, even for a Human. The only way you could act this way, and in a public manner, would be to prove without a doubt that you are of noble birth."

"What, I can't become a noble?" I asked sardonically.

"Not in a short period of time." Bahamut stated. "As it stands, it may be time for you to swallow your pride and play the part of the commoner rather than stubbornly cling to your notions of what is right and equal."

We sat in silence for a long time, though in Bahamut's Domain, time didn't really have any meaning. Still, to me, it seemed like a long time.

"How would one prove a noble lineage?" I asked.

"Having a family name, a coat of arms, holding a Conceit Fiend's crystal without falling into delusions of grandeur, or having a spell cast that shows whether or not you are nobility." Bahamut stated. "Considering your previous encounter with a Fiend, the latter option would be the most wise."

"I wasn't considering it." I said. "I was just curious."

He chuckled. "Indeed." He said. "And yet, bearing Noble blood would solve many problems for you."

"Is this your way of telling me that I actually have some sort of connection with nobility, or are you just teasing me?" I asked.

"Perhaps I am merely curious." He stated. "After all, you have three names. A quirk of your world, or an indication of more? To be equal to all, or to have all be Noble?"

I blinked and opened my eyes to Lissana sleeping in a chair next to my bed. I took a slow, deep breath and almost cried out. I looked at my abdomen, where a bloody bandage was wrapped around my torso. I closed my eyes and healed myself before meditating.

I was able to heal myself two more times before I heard Lissana move. I looked at her and noticed she had a worried expression on her face.

"I'm lucky." I said, wincing. "To wake up to a lovely face, if this isn't a dream, I don't know what is."

She rested her hands on my wound and began to heal me. I relaxed, her skill was greater than mine, and I was starting to feel better. I gave her my Mana, which when it granted her a spell to use, she used without hesitation. Working together, she was able to heal my wound to a shallow cut. She sat in her chair, her face soaked with perspiration and her breathing irregular.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I am exhausted." She replied. "Your ability, though useful, is taxing."

"Good to know." I replied. "Go get some rest, alright? I'll be fine, thanks to you."

She nodded and, after a moment of hesitation, she left...