When he regained full consciousness, he found himself lying in a soft bed. His memory was blurry of anything that happened that night. But he knew just enough to know he didn't want to think about it and refresh those images. Instinctively, he reached out his hand to where his sword usually was, but it wasn't there. He panicked and set up, only to realize that he wasn't in the fort but in his room in the Feuerstein mansion. Nonetheless, not having his sword made him uncomfortable, and as he slowly crawled out of the bed, this was the first thing he had to check on. The sword was everything to him now. After what had happened, he never wanted to let go of it again. His arm hurt when he used it to push himself onto his feet next to the wall. Vern looked at it closely and realized it was bandaged, although he couldn't remember hurting it.

Now that he focused on his body, his shoulders, and legs also notified Vern painfully of their existence. Actually, every part of his body felt pretty bad. He gritted his teeth, ignoring this as the sword had to come first. Without it, he was nothing. So he slowly made his way to the door, staying close to the wall.

As he reached out one of his stabilizing hands to the door handle, he couldn't hold his balance and fell forward. He still managed to grip the handle, so his body didn't hit the ground but smashed into the door instead. At least the pain just blended in with the rest.

›What are you doing?‹

Vern heard the familiar voice and remembered Velvet's existence as he appeared through the floor.

›You can't be without supervision even for one second, can you?‹, Velvet scolded him.

›What the hell is going on?‹ Vern asked, loosening his grip and letting his body sink to the ground.

›Well, I could tell you, but you going to hear about it in a few seconds anyway‹, Velvet replied.

At this moment, Vern felt someone trying to open the door. He rolled his body out of the way to let them in.

Irina barged in first, closely followed by Kieran and Alvyn.

»Oh, are you alright?«, Irina asked, crouching down to look at him. »You shouldn't leave your bed on your.«

»What … what happened? And where is my sword?«

»Well, let's get you back in first before we talk«, Alvyn said, and together with Kieran, he helped Vern back into his bed.

»We'll tell you what happened, but to be honest, it isn't much«, Kieran told him as Vern lay down. »You're the one who was there after all.«

»Yes, yes.« Vern nodded. »But first, did you bring back my sword with you? Or is it still in the fort?«

»Err, it's downstairs«, Alvyn replied. »So don't worry.«

»Uh, please get it for me, please.«

Irina, Kieran, and Alvyn looked at each other, confused, but then Kieran left the room to get it.

While Vern waited, he noticed that Alvyn wore a mana ring, and so did Irina. He looked down at his hand to check if his rings were still there and noticed a glove covering his left hand.

»Ah, yes«, Alvyn commented as he watched Vern. »We decided to hide the fact that you had two mana rings on you. How did you get them anyway?«

Vern took it off, and the three rings were still all there. »Yeah, well … our instructor had them on him, and during the attack, I managed to get a hold of them.«

»Sounds hard to believe, but well … considering what happened …«, Alvyn said as the door swung open.

»Ah yes, thanks a lot«, Vern said, eagerly stretching out his hand to receive the sword. As he gripped the handle, he already felt much better.

»Oh, what's this?«, Irina exclaimed as she watched the sword glow purple.

»Yeah, well … how do I explain?« He looked at the others and put down the sword next to him on the blanket. »It's kind of … like your artifact weapons and also works that way.«

»Really?« Alvyn raised his eyebrows. »Did you also get that from your instructor?«

»No, no, I … borrowed that from someone else very recently, so I haven't had the chance to tell you«, Vern assured, feeling like this was turning into an interrogation.

»Alright«, Alvyn replied. »So concerning what happened. All we know is that today at night, we were urgently informed that a horde monster had been spotted assaulting the fort you were in. So we immediately wanted to move out to help you, and after making this clear to our father, we got these juicy rings.« He raised his hand so the mana ring was hit by the light coming through the window. »And then we ran over, and yes, that's basically all. The monsters ran off, we found you in there and took you back. That was about twelve hours ago, I'd guess.«

Vern nodded.

»Also, you can rest the entire day, but tomorrow morning, we'll head to the royal castle again so you can make your report there.«

»That sounds good.« Vern smiled. »Thanks for getting me. Now for my part of the story.«

They sat down on the floor, and Vern told them everything that happened, only leaving out Velvet's involvement and his break-in. His tales were somewhat disjointed by nature anyway, as his memory was still a little fuzzy. So he hoped they would let any inconsistencies pass for now.

» … and then I heard you come«, he finished. »Did anyone else survive?«

They all shook their hands, and Vern clenched his fingers into a fist.

»It's alright«, Irina told him. »You barely managed yourself, and before you got the mana rings from your instructor, you couldn't have done much about it anyway.«

»Hmm, and how did you get the sword?«, Kieran asked, looking at it intrigued.

»I picked it up the day before from someone … it's the person who knows stuff about the Eldritch.«

»And why does it glow like that when you hold it?«, Alvyn asked, reaching his hand out to pick it up. Vern felt uncomfortable watching him swing his precious lifesaver testing through the air. It just stayed plain black while he had it.

»Well, that has probably to do with it being an Eldritch weapon, and I can use it because of my encounter in the mountains where I died. At least that's the assumption for now.«

»Ah, I see«, Kieran said as he took the sword himself in hand for inspecting. »Looks like you'll be the fourth hero now.«

Although the last part was a joke, it had a lot of truth to it.

»Anyway«, Vern said as he finally got it back. »There's something else I forgot the mention. During the attack, I noticed that the monsters knew my position when I was in the open. They probably had an eye in the sky.« He pointed at the ceiling.

»Oh, you mean like a bird?«, Irina asked as she seemed to remember something. »Like that weirdly behaving bird that just watched us while we entered the Black Forest?«

»Exactly. It's probably still there, so I think it's best if we get rid of it before the meeting tomorrow.«

Kieran and Alvyn looked at each other and walked toward the window.

»No, don't«, Vern said, leaning forward. »Don't tell it that we know by staring at it.«

They stopped, and Irina pushed him back down. »You're supposed to rest for now. We have just prepared some food. So you'll stay here, and we'll bring you some.«

»Alright, alright«, Vern said and compliantly didn't move another muscle.

As they left, Vern felt how tiredness overcame him and closed his eyes. Half an hour later, Irina brought him some soup. Aside from a few more interruptions, Vern slept the rest of the day.

He woke up early the next morning. Although his body was still sore, his mind was refreshed, and he managed to walk around on his own without an issue.

Two hours later, they headed out.

The Eldritch lay on his back, staring into the darkness. It contemplated its failed attempt to get the sword. To be fair, it hadn't much time to plan the raid, but it still wondered if it could've done better. Maybe it should have shown up itself? No, too risky. It couldn't command monsters outside the bailiwick without staying close to the creator of life. So it could've only shown up alone. It concluded it had made the right decision, even though it didn't work out. At least the human had led him to this godly weapon, which it had to acquire at all costs. But how would it do that? Maybe another simple ambush would do …?

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Suddenly, it heard its scout alert him, and he took over its eyes. The target had left the house. From high up, the eagle's eyes still provided enough details to distinguish every human below. Two carriages parked in front of the house, and the group split up, two boarding one each. As the two carriages headed out to the streets and took different routes, it focused on the one its target sat in.

The carriage traveled through the city, taking a strange pathing that didn't seem to lead anywhere. It wondered what this was about, but eventually, the carriage stopped next to a tower, and the target emerged from the inside.

With its eyes focused on him, it hadn't noticed the projectile that approached fast from the top of the tower, and a brush of wind was all it felt before its scout's vision faded to black.

It groaned in the darkness and immediately sent more birds out in the hope of reestablishing visual contact. But it knew it probably wouldn't work as they had figured it out.

The circumstances had become worse. Now that the enemy knew about it, an ambush outside its bailiwick would be difficult to execute. And it feared these heroes very much. There was no way it could successfully deal with all of them together. Dying … it wondered if it was such a bad thing. All its life, it had pursued true immortality with its brethren, but now, it didn't even know if they were still out there. It had to assume the worst … that it was the only one left. But it knew there was at least some faint reminiscence of its brethren in that human. If it wanted to guarantee its survival, it could run and hide. However, it could never leave behind its precious bailiwick. All his work … to be destroyed? This wasn't an option.

Maybe, if it had to die, perhaps it was worth it when it would help one of its kin achieve victory. Maybe, it was the only way left. At least, it was a contingency plan, if nothing else.

Vern looked up after Velvet had told him Irina had hit her target. In the sky, he saw several black dots, slowly tumbling to the ground, as the bird was no more. Now they could move around freely without the Eldritch's knowledge. Although he doubted that would last for very long. But he had planned for this. He went to the shop across the street and bought a few straw hats. After putting one on himself, he offered another to Alvyn, who refused.

»No absolutely not«, he replied as he looked at the hat his brother wore. Instead, he took out the cloak he had taken with him and put it on.

»See, I can just do it like this«, he said, putting on the hood over his head. »Besides, it would be obvious if all of us walked around with straw hats, wouldn't it.«

Vern couldn't argue with that. They left the carriage and ordered the coachman to return to the mansion. After waiting for a few minutes in the shadow of the tallest tower in the city, Kieran and Irina had made their way down.

»So many … steps«, Irina said while she and Kieran tried to catch their breath.

»Good job«, Vern said. »Here is your reward.«

He handed each a straw hat, which they reluctantly put on. Then they walked onto the crowded streets to their designated meeting spot.

›There are a lot more birds now, much higher in the sky‹, Velvet reported after some time.

›Do you think they know where we are?‹

›No, I don't think so.‹

They arrived at a building that didn't stand out from the surroundings. Only the people standing outside could suggest that this was a special place. The royal knights watched them vigilant as they approached but let them pass without a word. All of them wore casual attire on the outside, but at close range, Vern could see the chain mail beneath.

Before they had made their move to kill the Eldritch's recon unit, they had informed his father and the other royals of the situation, asking them to meet this way. Therefore, the king and the three dukes found themselves in this rather plain environment as they received Kieran, Alvyn, Vern, and Irina.

Seeing them, they removed their hats and hoods and sat down on the vacant chairs.

»We've fulfilled your request, and I hope you'll tell us everything now«, the king said, getting straight to the point. »Afterwards, we'll discuss the details of the operation.« He glanced at a man sitting at the table, which Vern could identify as the captain of the royal guard thanks to the knowledge of his previous life.

»Yes, I understand«, Vern replied and cleared his throat. »I'll fill you all in on what happened now … it started as a normal night for me. I was alone in my room since my roommate … was on guard duty. Suddenly, I heard a commotion outside. Screaming and fighting. Apparently, monsters had breached the gate. I geared up and headed out, but as I met instructor Marlow in the corridor, he told me to go to his room and wait there. He said those weren't normal monsters, and I couldn't do anything to help. He made this very clear, so I followed his orders. There, I also noticed that he wore a mana ring, so I thought he could deal with the situation.« He paused for a moment, but nobody interjected, even though they already looked like they wanted to ask questions.

»As I went upstairs, I heard more commotion in the corridors. The monsters had already entered the building and came in my direction. I ran and hid, ending up in one of the weapon chambers. But they followed closely and knew where I was. They were about to break down the door … when … when I suddenly found this.«

He put a bundle of cloth on the table and unwrapped it for everyone to see. »With it, I defended myself, as it could kill all the monsters easily.«

»Really?«, the knight captain said with a doubtful look. »The reports stated that there were only mana-enhanced beasts involved in the attack. So a normal sword shouldn't have done anything to them.«

»Yes, that's correct«, Vern replied and took the sword by its handle. Immediately, it started to radiate a purple shimmer. »As you can see, this isn't a normal sword, though.«

Everyone besides Kieran, Irina, and Alvyn, who he had prepared this story in advance with, looked at him dumbfounded.

»Can … can I hold it?«, the knight captain asked.

»Sure.« Vern gave him the sword, and as it left his hand, the glow also vanished.

»Hah.« He weighed it in his hand for a while before returning it. »To me, it looks like a regular sword, but what's with this glow?«

»I don't know exactly either«, Vern replied. »However, when I use it, it glows, and I can cut through basically anything. For others, it doesn't seem to be that way.«

»So you are suggesting it acts like the artifact weapons?«, Oleg asked. »That's impossible in the first place. But then you also claim to have stumbled on it in a weapon chamber by accident?«

Vern shrugged. »Well, I can only tell what happened to me. How you interpret this is up to you.«

Oleg wanted to respond, but the king cut him off with a hand gesture. »Please continue your story. Then we'll discuss this further.«

»Of course«, Vern said, bowing his head respectfully. »As I got this weapon, I used it to defend myself successfully, realizing I might be of use now. However …« He paused, and his face darkened. »when I went up to the tower to get an overview of the situation, everyone was already … dead. I … I didn't know what to do, but some wolves attacked immediately after, so I had no time to think about it. I fled rather aimlessly and stumbled across instructor Marlow again. He desperately fought against the monsters in the corridors. However, he only managed to scratch them, and as I wanted to help him … he … he was torn into pieces. Consequently, I rushed in to take vengeance, and as I felt my mana run low, my eyes met the mana ring on Marlow's finger. So I took it and tried to survive until help arrived. I found a good spot which enabled me to fend off the monsters long enough for that to happen … and well, that's basically it.«

»So you're claiming that you killed all the monsters yourself?«, Oleg asked. »With that sword which acts like the three artifact weapons?«

»Yes, exactly«, Vern replied calmly. »Although it may be hard to believe, I think you've seen that the sword is … somewhat special. But if you don't believe my side of the story, I suggest you ask the opinion of the ones that came to my aid. All the eyes in the room focused on the two boys and the girl sitting next to him.

»We've already heard their report«, Grewis said. »Although it does seem unlikely, we should consider that my son has indeed the potential to become the fourth hero.«

»That's nonsense!«, Oleg responded. »It can't be that there is all of the sudden a fourth weapon. Considering that each one was specifically made for each bloodline, there can't be another one.«

»Well, we should consider the possibility«, Kieran's father spoke up. He had only quietly listened so far. »It may be hard to believe, but as I see it, all the criteria seem to fit. For one, he has this sword that can slay monsters, and most importantly, he seems to be the only one able to use it to its full potential. And as he is a descendant of one of the bloodlines, it may indeed be the correct conclusion.«

Oleg shook his head but couldn't come up with any valid objections to his points.

»But why was that sword there in the first place?«, he asked instead. »Who put it there? Why did nobody know what it was? I just can't believe this.« His questions weren't directed at anyone in particular but just the utterings of a confused man, which Vern could fully understand. After all, his story wasn't especially watertight. So many coincidences were hard to believe.

»Anyway«, king Artis broke the emerging silence. »I doubt we can answer any of these questions at this point. What I am more interested in personally: Why did you think we are being spied on?« He directed his gaze at Vern.

»Ah, yes. Three things made me come to this conclusion. For one, when we entered the Black Forest where the Eldritch appeared, I noticed a bird had watched us before. Although seen in isolation, this might not mean anything, it was strange nonetheless at this time. Next, during the attack on the fort, the monsters seemed to always be able to track my position when I was in the open. And thirdly, I observed one bird constantly circling high up in the sky afterward. I hadn't paid attention to it before, so it was likely there the whole time and could explain the Eldritch inactivity in taking action as it was collecting intelligence.«

»Now that you say it«, the knight captain added. »There were indeed strangely behaving raptors over the city for some time. Usually, they wouldn't be around here but in the field where the prey is.«

Vern nodded at him, thankful for him supporting his story. It would make everything else also look more believable if at least one part made perfect sense.

»It's certainly plausible«, Oleg admitted. »Monitoring what the heroes are up to is sensible. However, I don't understand why it decided to attack the fort like this. The Black Forest is on the other side of the city, and therefore I don't see any strategic value in doing this. There are much better targets to destroy first if it wants to weaken or combat prowess.«

»We certainly won't be able to know for sure«, Grewis replied. »But we shouldn't assume that our enemy thinks like us. It might be much less strategic in its operation than we expect.«

Oleg didn't seem to like this explanation, but he didn't object as there was nothing he really knew. Vern was a little surprised that his father gave his story much more merit than he had expected. He even blinked at him encouragingly several times during his report.

»Either way, we'll have to come up with a strategy to deal with it«, Artis said. »I think we should include Vern too, as he can prove his claimed abilities like this to us.«

He looked at Grewis for confirmation, who nodded with a slight smile on his face. »Very good. We're planning on commencing this operation on Monday morning. The details are as follows.«

They finalized the plan, and at the end of the meeting, Kieran, Irina, and Alvyn handed over the mana rings they had borrowed. Vern, unfortunately, had to do this too, but they all were promised to get fully recharged ones on Monday. However, it would still mean Vern had given up one of his rings, as it would always stay in a borrow–only status. This was the concession he had to make for his story, and at least he managed to keep one for himself.