(Illua’s POV)

Those last three days have been really agitated. Since I defeated Guiche, wherever I walk the noble kids began to whisper between themselves and get out from my way. Did I become an intimidating figure? Well, that's fine, since it seems that Louise has been with a happy expression lately. We have a day off today, so she wants to go to the city to buy some things. I have no complains.

We walk to the stables that are near the gates of the academy that in the walls between the water and the void tower. There, we get two horses and ride them to the city that's about two hours away from here. After one hour riding the horses, Louise wants to take a break for the horses, since we aren't in a hurry. While we let the horses rest, Louise begins to talk to me.

(Louise): "You really defeated Guiche..."

(Ilua): "I've face worst enemies. Guiche couldn't even be considered an enemy."

(Louise): "You're very confident, huh..."

(Ilua): "Well, I’m older then I look."

An awkward silence. We don't know what to talk with each other, since everything we have talked about was her ordering me around. She's looking uncomfortable. Well, let's break this ice.

(Ilua): "Although it's a bit late, I’ll introduce myself again. My name is Ilua, I’m a wandering warrior, and now I am at your service as your familiar."

As i say that, i get up and kneel in one knee in front of her with my hand on my chest and lowering my head. She doesn't answer for a moment before talking.

(Louise): "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, third daughter of the Duke de La Vallière. I'm counting on you for now on."

(Ilua): "Certainly, Milady."

I said as I gently took her hand and kissed it lightly. Then, I got up and looked at her face, which was slightly blushing. I helped her to mount her horse and then I mounted mine and we rode to the city. We let the horses on the stables of the city and walked around a bit. Everything that Louise bought I stored inside my fog. Now that I mentioned it, I should talk a bit about this fog.

In my world, it's called Death Fog. It was commonly used by strong creatures, such as dragons, demons and divinities. Well, I’m probably the only one that can freely manipulate it. Mostly, it was used by strong beings to trap their enemies and prevent them from escaping. One example would be the Taurus Demon. Once, one of them could go from Lost Izalith to the bridge of the undead burg that was between two towers.

His power was greater than a common Taurus demon, so he naturally formed Fog Gates on the exits of the place, allowing anyone to enter, but not getting out no matter what. I could only get out after I killed it. After a long time, I became strong enough to generate it, and after a long, long time, I learned to manipulate it and use it as I please.

I learned a variety of tricks with it, but that's a matter for another time. We walked for some time until Louise said that she wanted to go inside a weapon shop to buy a dagger for herself. Well, I could give her a dagger from my collection, but I want to look at the weapons of this world. We enter a small weapon shop.

The guy from the counter, seeing Louise's uniform, immediately treat us as respected guests. She then says that she wants a dagger for self-defense. The shopkeeper takes her to the counter to show her some daggers. I don't follow her, since there's something bothering me. I walk around the shop a bit until I stop in front of a barrel that filled with old and rusty weapons.

It's the first time that I see such negligence with weapons... in my former world, you could only find rusty or broken weapons in the hands of the hollows. Every intelligent being took good care of their weapons, since they are vital for you. What a shame. Well, it isn't the negligence that calls my attention, it’s only one of the swords.

In those last days, I notice those marking on my hand, and I felt some energy coming from them all the time, although it isn't something that's harming me. I can feel it nurturing my body little by little. And now, I can feel a reaction coming from it to one of those swords. Is it... this one?

I grab the hilt of the sword. !!! So it's like that... I see. Well, I don't want to bother Louise in buying this sword, and I also don't need it, I just need what's inside it. I focus a bit and absorb it inside the runes in my hand. After so much time manipulating soul force, I learned how to manipulate weak souls. Using sorcery and hexes, I could infuse souls with weapons, something fairly easy.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

It's the same to extract them. Well, after some time, i noticed that in this world, souls are weaker, to the point that you can't take them when you defeat your enemy. Well, it seems that someone infused a soul to a weapon in this world as well. Anyway, after I was done, I looked at Louise and the shopkeeper. He was trying selling a cheap dagger to her for a high price. Humpf, how troublesome.

(Ilua): "Louise, don't buy it."

(Shopkeeper): "Wha-?!"

(Louise): "? Why?"

(Ilua): "Although the price is high, the dagger is completely cheap, with the worst materials and it's clearly dull. I have better ones that I can give you, you don't need to spend your money like this."

(Louise): "Oh, I see... the guards will be surely happy to know about this. Let's go, Ilua, we are going back home."

She said as she turned away and walked out of the shop. I also walked out, ignoring the angry shopkeeper. We walked back to the stables and rode back to the academy. After that, I followed Louise around as she studied and I stood guard. It looks like she quite liked my attitude. Later, at night, when she was sleeping, I opened the window and jumped off.

I fell on the grass without making any sound. Then, I sat on the ground and leaned on the tower and took off my right glove, revealing my hand that has some thin scars and where the runes rest. Then, I focus on it, making the glow in a soft blue.

(???): "To imagine that I would meet an Gandalfr that is able to manipulate souls with so much ease."

I smiled lightly.

(Ilua): "It's nice to meet you too, my name is Ilua, and yours?"

(Derflinger): "My name is Derflinger, it's nice to meet you, Gandalfr Ilua."

(Ilua): "Derfflinter... Derffginger... Whys is your name so hard to say?!"

(Derflinger): "Well, now that you took me out of my blade, you can give me a new name if you want, since Derflinger was the name bestowed to my last vessel."

(Ilua): "Well, in that case, I’ll name you after the weapon that normally use. For now on, your name will be Frayed for now on.”

(Frayed): “Why Frayed?”

I chuckled.

(Ilua): “It wasn’t me who named the blade. It became famous for its appearance, thus receiving the name. don’t misunderstand though, the blade is quite tough and won’t break even if a dragon bites it. Trust, I tested it.”

(Frayed): “…. Alright.”

From my mist, I take a katana in its sheath. The sheath is black, covered in black roots. The blade is dark, with roots growing a bit more through the middle of the blade. Focusing a bit, I transfer the soul to its new vessel.

(Frayed): “Wow, this weapon… what’s with this power… also, this power that’s inside it…”

(Ilua): “It’s your roommate, Midir. His soul was made this blade be born.”

(Frayed): “What will happen if both our souls are inside the blade? It won’t be a problem?”

(Ilua): “No, although he’s much more powerful than you, he doesn’t have any conscience, different from you. Also, I won’t let anything bad happen.”

(Frayed): “Thanks. So, what’s the story of Midir and you?”

(Ilua): “I was planning to transfer my memories to you but…”

(Frayed): “I still would like to hear your story with him.”

(Ilua): “Aright… from where I start? I think… it was a during the War of Fire, when the humans united against the dragons. I was the leader of a small independent group of strong people, we hunted some dragons that had the fame of being loners, but were stronger than other dragons.”

(Frayed): “What do you mean?”

(Ilua): “Well, when I started hunting for dragons, I was pretty strong, but I couldn’t fight in the frontlines together with the knights of Gwyn, a king from that time. Thus, I formed my own group of powerful people to hunt the dragons. Some dragons conquered fame on the battlefield for being stronger than their race, and mostly lived alone. So, we hunted these guys.”

(Frayed): “I see. You said that Midir was a friend, despite being a dragon. What happened?”

I sighted, putting Frayed inside it’s scabbard and taking a more comfortable position.

(Ilua): “I regretted my decision. As the war was nearing its end, I noticed that the life for the humans being ruled by the gods wouldn’t be so different from being ruled by the dragons. I realized that strength is everything, and the weak will always be below. So, before the war was over, I befriended a few dragons, and hid them through the world. I even hid one in the place where the war happened, a place called Ash Lake.”

(Frayed): “So Midir was one of these dragons?”

(Ilua): “No. in that time, he was but an egg. When the gods discovered the egg in my possession, I proposed to raise him to be a warrior against our new threat, the abyss. When he hatched, I trained him to be a dragon that could use the power of the abyss as its own, and he got the nickname of Darkeater Midir.”

(Frayed): “Why you had to kill him?”

(Ilua): “After that I raised him, the gods discovered that I was cursed with something that covered almost all the humans, we became carriers of the Dark Sign, turning into the accursed undead. So, like most of my kind, I was locked away to “await the end of the world”.”

(Frayed): “I see… so you faced Midir…”

(Ilua): “At the end of times. After many things that happened, I was one of the few that made to the end of my world. There, I met Midir. Old, senile and consumed by the dark, weakened to the point of not being able to stand by himself. But even after the gods who helped to raise him died, he never forgot his duty, and until the end he fought against the abyss. He couldn’t recognize me until the end due his corroded mind. I couldn’t simply let his soul rot away, so I created a weapon of it, so that we could see the end together.”

(Frayed): “……… I’m sorry.”

(Ilua): “For what?”

(Frayed): “To be inside this blade. It means way too much for you, I don’t feel worth of it.”

(Ilua): “Hahaha, don’t worry, we both still have much to see of this world, and I’m sure that Midir wouldn’t mind sharing the space with you. Now I’ll transfer my memories to you, ok?”

(Frayed): “Is this alright? to give me your memories?”

(Ilua): “Yeah, it’s alright. now my friend, let me tell you my story a very tragic and that didn’t had a good end…”

(Frayed Blade)

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