“It’s ok. Everything’s going to be ok”

She’d said the words to him over and over again as she’d hugged him. He hadn’t understood why. He hadn’t done anything bad, she hadn’t hit him, and she hadn’t been hit. Tonight had been one of the good ones.

And yet she was more worried than usually. He hadn’t been able to understand it. And that’d worried him more than anything. Made him feel like a little kid again.

He hadn’t said anything though. Just tried to enjoy the hug.

She’d muttered to herself, then kissed him atop the head and muttered some more.

“… I can’t. I’d hurt you. I’d be just as bad as him and I… I’m sorry”

“Mom? Mommy?”

“It’s ok baby. You have to be strong. You have to be strong”

“I don’t understand”

She’d looked at him with so much sadness and pity in that moment, a weight

“Mommy’s so sorry. I love you honey. I love you”

“I love you too” he responded.

Then she’d tucked him into bed like she usually did on the good days and read him one of the stories he’d begged her to read him when he’d been younger. He’d been too old for the stories, but it was nice for her to finally read them to him.

He’d gone to sleep a bit confused but happy. He’d dreamed of a fun and loving home that night, where Dad and Mom could coexist, where they didn’t have to be the monster and the banshee with each other.

But when he’d woken up, his mom had been gone. And she’d never come back.

Caleb opened his eyes, sitting up slowly as his senses adjusted to the surroundings. Eriana glanced back to him, then looked back outside, through the thin slits of light that illuminated their hiding spot.

Right, he thought. We’re waiting for more cultists.

[Finally awake?] she muttered.

“Sorry”

[It’s fine. You can go back to sleep if you want]

He frowned.

“I don’t think now’s exactly the time for sleeping. You should’ve woken me up”

Eriana shrugged, still staring out of the thin slit between the planks. Caleb stood carefully and quietly and peered through too. He blinked adjusting to the light, then wiped wetness from his eyes frowning before focusing on the path ahead.

“How long’s it been?”

[I don’t know? Three hours? More. The sun’s risen, so it kind of throws the plan out the window if they see some of the destruction. I don’t think they’re even coming anyway. Reinhard’s probably just getting desperate.]

Caleb nodded, then sat back down, grabbing his sword. It wasn’t as well weighted as the other one, but he could sense the power in it, the one he’d used yesterday. There was far more. It probably had something to do with the sword’s magic not being tied to being able to switch between the physical and magical dimensions.

He furrowed his brow, then glanced up at Eriana’s sword. He could feel the power radiating from it, all the untapped potential. It was practically growing with every second. He wanted to take it, test it out.

Eriana momentarily glanced at him, narrowing her eyes.

[What the hell are you doing?] she said.

“W-what?”

[You’re doing something dangerous. My sword told me]

“What? I’m not”

[Don’t lie] she said coldly. [You’re fast but I’m faster. I could kill you before you unsheathe that]

Caleb stared at her shocked for a moment before his eyes flicked back to the sword.

“C-can your sword sense intent?”

[So, you were doing something] she said, her magic flaring.

“I-it wasn’t anything malicious, I just… my power is weird. It works with magic potential or whatever and your sword just has a lot. I think, for a moment I wanted to take it. It wasn’t serious though” Caleb said.

Eriana furrowed her brow for a moment before nodding satisfied and turned back to watch the path.

“Is that it?” he said, confused by the sudden change in attitude.

[You were telling the truth] she said.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Your sword can tell that?”

[Not exactly but yeah. It’s… I don’t know, it’s just weird.]

“Pretty cool” he said.

[Yeah, but it feels like I could be doing more.]

“How so?”

[When I levelled up I wasted my stat points on strength and speed instead of mana]

“Well you can always level up again”

[Not if I die first]

Caleb went silent, as Eriana frowned, clenching her jaw tightly.

[What level are you?]

“Level 3” he said.

[Really?] Eriana said with a frown.

“Yeah, it just came with the skill”

[That makes sense] she said, clenching her jaw.

“What do you mean?”

[Swordy’s only warned me about a couple of stronger monsters, Layla, you, the Brigadiers and the lightning priest] she said. [I think it means you’re all stronger than me in some way]

“Swordy?”

[It’s… what I’m calling it] she said, flushing slightly red.

He nodded, choosing not to respond.

[It’s a perfectly reasonable name]

“I didn’t say anything”

They both went silent, Eriana’s face still slightly red as they looked back at the road, watching it together. But the name of her weapon quickly drifted from Caleb’s mind, as he stared out at the various stars of mana dotted out throughout the town.

He focused on the sense, staring into each star, watching their twists and flows, the currents of power that defined a person’s essence. It was beautiful to just watch, to just enjoy. He looked over the ambient mana in the air, the buzz of it less beautiful but still just as calming to watch. It helped him forget.

His smile faded slightly, and he glanced to Eriana.

[What?] Eriana said, her face flushing again.

“Last night… did I do the wrong thing?” he asked.

[What?]

He looked away furrowing his brow as his eyes

“Roeca” he mumbled. “I practically forced her to heal Kana instead of Cut”

[Well, she chose to, didn’t she?]

“No. The people here, they respect us too much. They’ve probably been taught their entire lives to revere magic, the gods and demi-gods. And she still hesitated”

[She still chose to]

“I just feel like… do you remember that girl? Back in Arrell?”

[What girl?]

“The one Angelina and James came with. She died in the infirmary”

[What about her?]

“I didn’t have a skill yet, but I didn’t pick one even though I could’ve saved her”

[Ok?]

“I… I feel like this is the same thing. Or similar somehow. Except Roeca helped Kana”

[Right]

“I just feel like I forced her to make a decision I wouldn’t be able to. If I was in her shoes, I don’t think I would’ve saved Kana. No. I know I would’ve saved Cut. And… it makes me sick”

[Alright, where is this going?]

Caleb glanced to Eriana, the annoyance clear on her face.

She doesn’t even care, he thought. And why should she? It’s not like she did anything. She’s got no reason to feel guilty.

“Don’t worry” he said, turning away.

[Oh, don’t be like that]

“No. Seriously. Don’t worry”

[Come on. You shouldn’t even feel guilty. I mean, you would’ve died if you took a healing skill and saved that girl. And Cut wasn’t even a real person]

Caleb froze.

“What?”

[I mean you said this world wasn’t really real, just for us to level up right?]

“No, I-”

[Ok, maybe not verbatim, but it’s what you meant]

“No. Well I- yeah, bu-”

[Then why’re so torn up?]

“I was wrong”

[Sure. You said that already]

“I actually mean it”

[What? When did you change your mind?]

“Yesterday. Those cultists…” he trailed off recalling the fear in the man’s expression before he’d killed him.

[Really? Why?]

“Cause it’s wrong”

[It sounded solid to me]

“It wasn’t”

[Uh, ok I’m probably not understanding this. Explain it]

“Why? It’s wrong”

[Really? Made a lot of sense to me. The town, the guides, the fighting and all that. The system or record or whatever you call it too. Like being in a videogame]

“I was wrong” Caleb repeated uncertainly.

[You sure?]

“Yeah I…” he paused and looked away.

[You don’t sound sure]

“Well, it’s… I don’t know. I’m not completely sure, but it’s… I don’t know. I think I’m just misunderstanding things. The stars probably don’t mean as much as I think they do”

[Stars?]

“Oh, sorry. I can see stuff, magic wise. All the people from Earth have like… more in terms of mana. Something extra at the core compared to those that aren’t from Earth”

[So, they are NPC’s?]

“What? No. I just said they’re probably real”

[I’m confused, what made you say they weren’t real before?]

“Uh… there are a bunch of things. Like the convenience of situations for fighting, having mentor figures that help us fight groups of monsters that we wouldn’t be inclined to fight on our own, and small differences in characteristics that make them better for the environment. Even putting us into situations where any reasonable person would fight to protect. But I think I’m just assuming things. Adding reasoning, justification to something I already think is true.”

[Why?]

“Everything I said could be true and the people and monsters can still be real. I think a part of me just felt safer if it believed none of this was actually real”

[… I get that] Eriana mumbled. Caleb glanced to her, frowning. She didn’t say anything, just stared at the floor, as the mana swirled around Swordy with more intent.

“You okay?” he said

[Yeah] Eriana lied. [I don’t… I… my dad… don’t worry]

Caleb watched her for a few moments longer, furrowing his brow further.

“Y-“

[I said don’t worry] the note of vitriol returning to her voice.

“Sorry” he said, looking back out onto the path. As he stared through the gap, his confusion grew.

Eriana was so strange. When he’d first seen her, he hadn’t known what to make of her. The second time, with Rad and the boars, she’d seemed so happy. Overly joyful to be here. She’d even been excited during the fight with the huge scorpion-spiders. But after that, she hadn’t smiled since they’d been defeated by the sword-hand red devils.

It’s like all the joy had been sapped out of her the second they’d started losing.

I guess I don’t like it that much either.

[So I guess it is like a videogame]

“Hm?”

[Even if whatever you’re saying’s right or wrong, the trial is kind of like a videogame. Defeating the big evil thing, killing monsters, levelling up.]

“Yeah. I guess”

[What was it you said before. It’s like everything was put here, this world and situation manufactured just to train us]

“Uh… yeah”

[Like tools to make us stronger]

“What? That’s not… don’t say that. Tools sounds wrong”

She nodded silently, her brow furrowing.

[I wonder what happens when we get home]

The words were like knives to the heart, and Caleb stifled a cough, immediately feeling his side throb.

“Y-yeah” he mumbled. “This whole thing, magic I mean, it’s really amazing, when you think about it”

[Yeah. When we get home we’re going to be freaks of nature. I mean, I could probably cut a tank in two]

“I hadn’t even really thought about that” he said. “But yeah I guess”

[There were two million of us, right? I wonder how many people lived. Just imagine how many incredibly strong people are out there. Like Roeca and Reinhard. How many other people have incredible skills better than mine?] she thought.

“Probably not many”

[Says you]

Caleb chuckled to himself before a sudden spike of magic flared up in the distance. He turned to look out at the road, eyes wide. It was a large group, unmistakable. And this time there were three powerful people, leading them forward.

“Shit”

“They’re here?” Eriana asked.

“Yeah” he whispered.

[Perfect] she said, the power in her sword flaring. Caleb glanced to her, then unsheathed his own, his hands trembling once again.