He was indeed more than just a sword; not any sword could take over someone’s body.

“So... can you do anything else besides using my body?” I asked.

Divinus lingered for a moment before letting out a thoughtful sigh.

[I do feel as if I have more capabilities. However, I believe it’s your premature mana center holding those abilities back.]

I sat up, legs crossed, lost in thought. I suppose he could be right. Zeris had said that bonded weapons connect to their wielder's "soul," but thinking back to our fight with the demonic Abomination, it feels more like Divinus is bonded to my mana center.

It's possible that the people of this world believe mana centers are souls blessed by mana, and those unblessed believe their souls were simply not chosen.

It’s a bit grim, growing up in a world where people with mystical powers hope to be among the chosen, only to be rejected. It must put a lot of pride in those who are blessed. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m sure there’s discrimination between the blessed and the unblessed.

“That makes sense. I guess the more I rise through the thresholds, the more of your power I’ll have access to.”

I rubbed my face with both hands and laid back down on the firm dirt.

“There’s something I want to ask you.”

Divinus remained silent, waiting for me to continue.

“Was... was it you who spoke to me this evening before I found you?”

The question lingered in the air for a moment before Divinus answered.

[I’m not sure what you mean. Before we bonded, I was in a... deep sleep, I suppose you could call it. I couldn’t have communicated with you even if I wanted to.]

A shiver ran through me.

That makes things even more ominous. If it wasn’t Divinus, then who? Or what?

Another chill rolled down my spine, just as Zeris returned with the firewood.

Zeris made the fire and cooked some rabbit meat he had caught while gathering wood. We ate in silence. It was slightly uncomfortable, and I occasionally glanced at Zeris, but he seemed trapped in his own thoughts.

From what I’ve gathered, Zeris is a very prideful man, especially about his swordplay and magic. My guess is he’s replaying that fight over and over in his mind, trying to figure out where he went wrong.

I don’t blame him. To be honest, I thought Zeris was invincible. His speed and swordsmanship are incredible. He’s also a Gilded in the Master phase. He’s no weakling... which means that Abomination was truly dreadful.

‘Hey, Divinus, did you know what that Abomination was? It seemed different from the others I’ve seen... given, I’ve only seen two.’

For a moment, I felt anger, but it wasn’t mine—it was Divinus’.

[That thing is known as a Silenced. Unlike regular Abominations, they were once a tribe of humans. However, after years of cursed experiments and forbidden magic, they transformed into those creatures.]

I frowned, thoughtfully chewing on the succulent meat, the snaps and crackles of the fire filling the silence of my and Divinus’ telepathic thoughts.

‘Why... why was it there?’

Divinus let out a relaxed sigh, almost as if he were kicking his feet up on a couch.

[I have no clue, to be honest.]

Before I could retort, Zeris spoke.

“We will leave the forest tomorrow, so make sure to get some rest.”

I nodded, then made my way to the tent.

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All my muscles ached, my bones hurt, and my mana center still felt strained. The crackling of the fire, the rustling of leaves, and the lingering smell of rabbit meat filled the air as I closed my eyes, the horrifying fight replaying in my mind over and over again, so clear it felt real.

But exhaustion won, and I fell into the embrace of sleep.

***

Leaving the forest was going to take a few days, but Zeris and I quickly fell into a rhythm.

I’d try to wake up before Zeris to meditate and practice my swordsmanship. Refining my mana center was going better than I expected. Zeris had said the first threshold would be the easiest to ascend, but...

I didn’t expect to ascend it so quickly. A day after our fight with the Silenced, I reached the Master Phase. It wasn’t that long ago that I reached the Adept Phase, but I wasn’t complaining. My swordsmanship was also improving rapidly. With Divinus’s help, I could perfectly perform each sword form, engraving them into my bones.

Soon, I wouldn’t need to rely on Divinus—I’d be just as skilled as him and Zeris. By the end of the third day, we were near the end of the rib cage of the Great Dragon—Divinus’s skeleton.

We set up camp and started roasting some meat.

Staring into the flames, the aroma of the meat filled the cold air, accompanied by the distant sounds of crickets and the brush swaying in the gentle breeze.

I miss home.

Ever since coming to this world, all I’ve felt is fear, loneliness...

And anger.

So much anger. Why—why me? What’s so special about me that I was the one chosen and brought here?

Was I always destined for this?

Screw that! Destiny isn’t real, and I wasn’t chosen. It was just bad luck. Bad luck that I ended up here, bad luck that the one guy who was supposed to help me get home shouldn’t be fully trusted, and bad luck that I’ve been in situations where I’ve almost died. It’s all bad luck.

A somberness gripped my heart.

“I’m gonna take a walk. I’ll be back.”

Zeris nodded, sensing my mood and understanding.

As I walked, I gazed at the endless trees. The forest was beautiful—tall, powerful trees with violet leaves and raven-black bark.

The cold breeze hit my back. I wasn’t freezing, but I wasn’t comfortable either. I found a small clearing situated between two ribs. The surrounding area was dark, with a single ray of pale moonlight lighting the circular space.

The black dirt and bright snow contrasted with the pink and purple luminescent flowers that dotted the bushes.

Sitting in the clearing, staring at the large, bright moon, I nearly dozed off.

Then I heard it.

That same high-pitched, maniacal laugh.

Wisp... wisp... wisp...

I stood up.

My heart pounded, my palms became clammy, and my breathing grew heavy.

I pulled on the tether that connected me to Divinus.

The tattoo of the Great Dragon coiled around my arm radiated soothing warmth. White sparks coalesced in my palm, and in a second, the Divine Odachi appeared in my hand.

Its hilt rested perfectly in my grip. It felt like an extension of me. The weight was perfect—heavy enough for powerful blows, light enough for agility and precision.

The giggling wisp appeared, perched on a branch in front of me, its razor-sharp teeth locked in a perpetual evil grin. The Abomination pointed a clawed finger at me and laughed uncontrollably.

[You want me to deal with the creepy gremlin?]

My heart was still racing. I was scared. Even though this Abomination was small, death was always a possibility. I gripped the odachi tightly, my knuckles turning white.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“No. I’ll handle it.”

I needed to defeat this thing with my own strength. I needed to prove my resolve.

With a slicing motion from my left hand, I launched sharp wind toward the base of the branch the goblin was standing on.

The wind sliced the branch almost instantly. The Abomination was caught off guard and fell with no time to react.

Focusing as hard as I could, I imagined a tunnel from me to my destination. Mana coursed through my veins, and I felt the air around me shift.

The ground beneath me shattered as I burst forward. There was no wind in my face, no resistance—just the sound of the earth breaking in my wake. I appeared beneath the falling Abomination in a blur.

Before it could hit the ground, I swung my blade in a single, swift motion, cutting off both its legs from the knees down.

It let out a blood-curdling scream as it hit the dirt.

I stepped back, slightly disoriented. That single act of eliminating the wind resistance had drained my mana center.

Leaning on Divinus, I breathed heavily. The fight wasn’t over, but the Abomination wouldn’t be jumping at me anytime soon. At least, that’s what I thought.

Fighting the intense pain in my chest, I looked up, expecting to see the Abomination on the ground. Instead, it was standing, using its muscular arms to support itself.

It let out another nightmare-inducing laugh and lunged at me.

The moment felt slow. I saw the bloodlust in its eyes, ready to tear out my throat. Instinctively, I let the sword vanish into white sparks and caught the Abomination by the arms.

Slamming it to the ground, I pinned its arms under my knees, preventing it from clawing at me. Its strength was incredible for its size, but it wasn’t stronger than me.

It stared up at me with maddening bloodlust, laughing hysterically, snapping its head from side to side, trying to bite me.

I balled my fists tightly. I punched it in the jaw.

It kept laughing.

I punched it again.

And again! And again! And again! And again! And again!

It just kept laughing at me, my knuckles were bleeding, I was in pain, but I kept punching.

Pelting its face to a bloody pulp.

A beastial scream escaped my throat.

I continued to scream, till nothing would leave my mouth.

“Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Just die!”

Clasping my hands together, I hammered at its face, till I stopped hearing its cursed laugh.

Purple blood covered my face, my hands, I could even taste it.

It convulsed under my final slam, It was finally dead…

I stared at it with empty eyes..

Till they grew blurry, tears fell down onto its caved in face.