Dawn comes. And with it, a pounding in my head.

I find my way to the nearby well and drink until I can't retain any more.

"Ha-" I pant. "I'm alive."

The sword laughs, "Humans and their poisons."

My traveling gear finds me and I turn to the South.

"Not sticking around?" the sword asks.

"To watch a civil war from the front lines

"No, I think I got my share of it yesterday."

"Oh, come on," the sword protests. "We didn't even fight anyone. This place is ripe ground for battle."

I pay no mind to the descent as I leave town and journey on to warmer climates.

My trail leads me once more to the guards at the checkpoint.

They're more diligent in their questions on my return.

Afraid of letting radicals pass, I suppose.

But, they let me pass and I make my way.

The days of my journey are peaceful.

This is a life I'm comfortable with.

"As the void expands," the sword coaches, "feel its core."

I sit, cross-legged, meditating on nothingness.

"From within that ball, you should find something."

I focus on the abyss.

Suddenly, my eyes snap open.

"What the hell was that?" I demand.

The sword chuckles, "Scared to see yourself?"

My brow knits, "What do you mean myself?

"That was..."

"Primal," the sword finishes my thought.

I breathe in deeply.

My eyes close again and I focus on the abyss of my mind.

What I thought of as nothingness hides worlds.

My consciousness meets the construct of my subconscious.

It takes effort not to look away.

The construct approaches me, gradually coalescing into a form I'm familiar with.

Rather than looking at something foreign, I find myself a stranger in this world.

It examines me with anger in its gaze.

"You're beginning to see yourself as you are," comes a voice from far away.

"To grow as a cultivator, you must bridge the gap between your spirit and your body."

I spend hours looking into my soul.

All the pain and anger that I've held back from finding an outlet.

I take the abuse and, gradually, the image of me begins to relent.

Rage gives way to confusion as we each try to make sense of one another.

Slowly, the gap between us shrinks and it falls into me. And, I into it.

A sense of peace comes over me as I look out on the world my soul inhabits.

"What is this?" I hear myself ask.

As if from far away, "This is a world of your creation. It hides in the abyss.

"When you're ready, you can explore it.

"But, for now, come back to the material world. It's already been 3 days. And, I'm getting bored."

I startle out of my mind. "3 days?"

"Aye, boyo. You went on a deep dive.""

I feel a hunger in my belly and a thirst on my lips.

In haste, I find my flask.

After guzzling the water, I turn to the sword.

"How is that possible? I couldn't have been meditating for more than a couple hours."

"Time travels differently in the soul, bearer.

"There's not much risk of overdoing it when you learn to live off of the chi of heaven and earth.

"But, you're lucky you had me here to call you out.

"Coalescing your spirit world is the first real hurdle in the path of immortality."

I'm munching on some dried meat when I puzzle.

"What is it?"

The sword glows, "Your spirit world is refined to fuel you with chi.

"For now, you must absorb the chi of the material world. This will fuel the growth of your spirit world.

"But, one day, you will be able to subsist off of your own source of chi."

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I'm confused on many points. But, I set them aside as I clean up camp.

My feet tread the earth as I walk absentmindedly onward.

"You said I could explore it."

The sword glows, "Yes."

"What will I find?"

The sword chuckles, "Everything."

I'm unsatisfied with the answer. But, hold my tongue.

Our journey lasts for several days.

There are small villages along the way. But, I don't stop at any of them.

My destination is the town of Teya.

The city is thriving, with vendors hawking their wares as soon as I enter by the gate.

Fruit, vegetables, and meat are joined by baubles and curios.

I search the town for its guild hall and make my way to it.

"Remember," I say. "No glowing."

The sword mumbles something as I enter the seedy den.

Several faces turn toward me, before returning to their own business.

However, in the minority, I see a party of dwarves drinking with good humor.

I find the bounty wall.

"What will we be fighting next?" the sword asks with anticipation.

"Looks like there's a drow incursion into the empires' land out East."

"Dark elves," the sword is positively giddy. "I haven't fought one of them in a long time."

There's a garrison on the fringes that serves as the forward operation base.

The guild doesn't miss me as I turn and leave the building.

The city streets are energetic as I make my way out of town.

The garrison is a day's journey along the road.

When I arrive, I learn that the scouting party has already deployed.

"You can wait in the barracks," one of the secretaries says. "There'll be another group going out tonight."

I find an empty bed and lie down on it.

"You've never fought a drow, have you?"

"No."

The sword is silent for a moment.

"Don't worry," it says. "I'll take over if you get in over your head."

I sigh, "I'm sure you will."

The sword keeps talking as I close my eyes.

I don't know when I fell asleep. But, I come into consciousness as dusk breaks upon the world.

The cry of pain and the clattering of steel greet me.

"Come on, bearer. We're missing all the action."

My feet find me and the sword comes out.

I charge my way to the garrison's exit.

A troop of men holds a failing line against dark-skinned adversaries.

"Kill them all!" I hear one of the drow command his warriors.

I'm confused by how I understand their language for a moment.

But, I disregard my confusion as I join the melee.

I may not be as proficient in the art of the sword as the sword itself is. But, I've picked up some of what it has displayed for me.

The sword glows brightly as I swing down on an enemy.

The man brings up his sword to block the strike. But, the legendary sword cleaves through it like a hot knife through butter.

The drow man is confused as the blade cuts into his shoulder.

Pain distorts the man's delicate features as he loses an arm.

I turn from the bleeding man and face a woman.

Her angular cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes are somehow alluring.

But, blatant hatred darkens her already dark face.

A pair of sickles curve, cruelly in her hands.

As she slashes down on me, I block the attack.

The sickle hooks around my blade and comes dangerously close to one of my eyes.

Her second weapon comes at me from the side.

I bend away from the strike and feel the bite of the blade, superficially, cut my belly.

I collect myself and charge her.

Still recovering her posture, the woman twirls.

Her blades clash with my piercing strike.

I'm thrown off balance. And, I feel death looming over me as she slashes out.

Vertigo hits me as I'm torn from control of my body.

"Amateur hour is over, partner."

I watch my body, faster than I can comprehend, swing wide and shatter the pair of sickles.

The woman is in shock as my body bridges the gap between us.

It almost seems like an embrace as we come together.

But, the mouthful of blood she coughs up attests to the truth.

Her legs crumple beneath her. And, my body looks on her pitiful form gasping for air.

I feel the sight of dark blood and the tears leaking from her eyes disquieting.

"You're up, bearer."

As quickly as it happened, I find myself in control of my body again.

I look once more at what is now a corpse.

I take a deep breath and rejoin the melee.

It takes some time to push back the dark elves' assault.

But, soon, the enemy commander calls back his forces.

I'm breathing heavily alongside 20 others.

Bodies from both sides litter the ground.

It's a solemn moment to survive while others are lost.

"That was awesome!" the sword says ecstaticly.

I look, blankly, at it.

"Oh, don't give me that look. I'm a sword. Of course, I like fighting."

"And, the killing?" I ask.

"Swords are sharp for a reason."

I let the morality pass and look to my fellow adventurers

Men and women. Humans and dwarves report to the commander of the garrison.

The woman is a fierce figure with short-cropped blonde hair. Her armor was chain mail with a blue tabard showing a fortified turret.

"Thank you, all," she says. "The drow are growing more audacious with each passing day.

Several voices affirm her statement.

"For those of you willing, the scouting party still needs to go out tonight."

The gathering seems unmotivated to hunt after the fierce battle.

While the gathering disburses, I walk up to the commander.

"I don't know you," she says gruffly. "But, you proved your mettle on the battlefield."

She smiles, "Your sword is... interesting."

I scratch my head as I think about the light show the sword put on in the heat of battle.

"I assume you're on the roster?"

I nod my head.

"Good, get yourself ready if you're going on the night raid."

She parts from me and I am left with the bodies.

A team has set about collecting the dead and I think about how easily life can be taken.

I turn from the scene and find a gathering in the garrison.

"The drow are closer than ever before," a voice pronounces. "We need to be vigilant. They are experienced in stealth magic.

"Watch your asses out there."

The ruggedly handsome night commander sorts through us as we wait for the whole raid team to assemble.

"You're new," he says when he comes to me.

"Yes, sir."

His eyes fall upon my sword.

"I heard about a new guy with an enchanted blade. Was that you?"

"Enchanted?" the sword says. "This man has no eyes for quality.

"To think they would describe this legendary sword as something so common."

"Yes. This is my enchanted sword."

The sword is silent for a moment.

"Ettu Askilar?"

I suppress a smile as I return my focus to the man before me.

"Glad to have you. I'm Joennas. Stick with the team and you'll make it back alive."

I nod as he continues to organize the raid.

Finally, our mission begins and we march out into the night.

The moon is full and we navigate the moonlit fields.

Our formation is that of a chevron. And, we cut a wide swath through the terrain.

About an hour in, I see something.

Rather, I see nothing as a ripple on the surface of the world.

An arrow appears from nowhere and pierces the man next to me in the formation.

"Drow!" the alarm goes out while the pierced man falls to the ground.

More arrows come flying in as the chevron falls in on itself.

"Where are they, dammit?" comes one gruff voice.

"Watch for the ripples."

Joennas calls for the patrol to calm down.

"Oh, silly mortals," the sword speaks from my hands.

The sword glows with a blinding light.

The display only lasts a second. And, when it's over, leaves the dark elves exposed.

"Kill them!" the formation breaks and our archers line up their targets.

I lag as the soft belly of the enemy is gutted.

Some drow runs. But, it is still a massacre.

I watch the team once more take up the chevron.

We continued the night without further complications.

As we return to the garrison, Joennas goes over the after-action report.

It's grueling and we all want to sleep.

Finally, we are let loose.

"Askilar," I hear behind me.

I turn to find a short woman with a witch's hat looking up at me.

"Yes?" I'm unsure where she picked up my name.

"May," she pauses. "May I see your sword?"

"Haha, boyo. The lady is only talking to you to get to me."

I pull the sword out and present it to the little witch.

She looks at it with deep scrutiny.

"It's not enchanted," she marvels.

The sword glows.

Her eyes turn back up to me. "What is this?"

I smile, "Just a sword."

She looks skeptical and the sword sounds hurt.

"Just," it begins. "Just a sword? Really?"

The woman touches the sword and chants a short spell, "Identify."

Arcane runes simmer along the flat side of the sword.

"This," she fumbles for words, "is old."

I'm curious as to what she learned about the sword.

But, I simply sheathe the blade.

The woman's eyes never leave the sword.

She looks like she wants to say something more. But, she doesn't.

I wait a moment before turning to find a bed.

Soon, I close my eyes to the world and let sleep take me.