As the golden light fills the room, I feel a sensation that I have felt before - one that haunts me even after all these years.

Pain from burns, my worst enemy from Earth.

It's a burning pain, from minor burns as if my body is being set ablaze. It's a feeling that I have come to associate with danger, with the supernatural.

My hands begin to tingle, and I instinctively grip the sword tightly, hoping to somehow prevent the pain from spreading. But it's no use - the sensation quickly spreads throughout my entire body, radiating through my arms like a wildfire.

I can't take it anymore. "Ahh! AHH!" I scream, releasing my grip on the sword and collapsing to the ground. My hand is throbbing with pain, but strangely, it hasn't been burned - it's just the sensation that lingers.

"Kaian, are you okay?" Jake rushes towards me, while Luke panics and tries to drag me out of the room. I'm barely conscious, but I can feel the pain subsiding, leaving me drained and disoriented.

Slowly, I manage to catch my breath. "When I touched that sword, it felt like my whole body was burning," I gasp for air, my body still slick with sweat.

"What happened, guys? I heard someone scream," two boys come running towards us, one of them I recognize as Lance, and the other has brown hair and dark brown eyes. I can barely make out their faces through the haze of pain and confusion.

"I think that sword burned Kaian when he touched it," Jake explains, his voice tense with worry.

"Oh," Lance looks genuinely surprised.

"Lance, that sword, I think it's a magic sword," the brown-haired boy speaks up.

"Yes, I think that's the reason that room was shut, William," Lance replied back.

They soon enter the room.

"Its so hot!" Lance said

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Lance, had taken several steps back as soon as he had entered the room. He wiped his forehead, which was already damp with sweat.

But William seemed unfazed by the heat he slowly walked towards the swords.

William's footsteps echoed in the dimly lit room as he approached the swords. Despite the intense heat, he appeared to be completely unbothered by it. Unbenost to anyone his eyes glowed a bright golden color that matched the hue of the stone in the sword.

"Be careful, William," Jake cautioned, his voice trembling slightly.

William ignored him and reached out to grasp the hilt of the sword. As soon as his hand touched the cool metal, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the room. Everyone shielded their eyes, momentarily blinded by the sudden brightness.

When the light faded, the room was filled with a warm, golden glow. The temperature had returned to normal, and the oppressive heat had dissipated. Even the sword, which had been radiating an intense heat just moments before, was now cool to the touch.

William stood there, holding the sword, as if in a trance. His eyes were closed, and his body was completely still. It was as if he was communing with the sword, listening to some message that only he could hear.

After several minutes, William slowly opened his eyes. The golden glow had faded from his eyes, but they still shone with a strange intensity.

"I accept the contract," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

~~~~~

In the early morning, sometime before sunrise, Lin and the young man are traveling in a horse cart to the capital city of Aravanthia. The air is chilly, and the sky is dark, but they can make out the silhouettes of trees and hills around them.

The young man named Octavian complains to Lin about the bumpy ride, "Damn how much time is left? I cannot even sleep in this cart. We should have booked a train or airship."

Lin grumbles back to the young man, "First, I am not the one who ordered everything and ate like a glutton and spent all our money. Second, airships and trains are not for common people in Aravia, and refugees are a whole different thing."

Octavian persists, "You should have planned our budget, you are my knight, Lin."

Lin retorts, "Oh! , I have been doing that for the past 2 years, but someone just spends everything, even on my insistence, and you will have to learn you are My lord Octavian."

Octavian asks, "Is there still much time left? Did we receive anything from the top brass? Since this is a 'so' important mission."

Lin replies, "Yes, we received information that a mage named Victor is currently behind the scenes ruler, and also the hero summoning is about to happen. From their information, we don't know much because most of our spies were killed during the purge by King Thaddeus."

Octavian curiously plans their future, "So right now, we need to get some money to pay our monthly sum to those loan sharks. How is the value of this continent currency with the universal?"

Lin answers, "Hmm ... according to the current rates, 5 slogs should be equal to a bronze coin, but you still need to remember them."

Octavian says in frustration, "Seriously, stop nagging, it's just too complicated. Most of the time, the universal system works, and is it even worth to work for money here? The value of this continent's money is too low. We owe amounts in platinum coins!"

Lin calmly responds, "We will still need to work. According to my plan, we will work at the adventurer's guild to get something to eat and also investigate this matter. While we can ask the government to pay for us and pay back eventually, that's the only way."

Octavian agrees, "Alright, we will do as you ask. So we get an inn and go to the adventurer's guild to get a mission."

Lin corrects him, "No, we cannot waste our little amount of money on an inn and food".

Octavian replied, "Alright, we have already been homeless without a proper roof for a year, nothing new."

Octavian then asked, "How much time till we reach the capital?"

"About 2 hours," Lin replied.

Octavian then said, "Alright, good luck. I am gonna try to sleep," as he tried to find a comfortable position to rest.

To be continued...