Chapter 8: The Blade That Remembers
569 Words
The morning air was cold, mist curling through the quiet trees.
Chris walked along the forest trail, heading for his next solo quest — a simple monster subjugation near the Duskhollow Woods.
He’d taken dozens of quests like this before. It was routine now: go alone, finish quietly, return before dusk. No questions. No attachments.
But that peace didn’t last long.
As he neared a clearing, he heard the clash of steel — sharp, rhythmic, desperate.
He stopped.
Through the trees, flashes of red light cut through the fog.
Curiosity — or maybe instinct — drew him closer.
There, in the heart of the clearing, a red-haired swordswoman danced like a storm.
Her hair flowed freely behind her, her movements sharp and graceful. She wore no armor, only a light crimson cloak that swirled like flame.
In her hands, a blade glowed with red vines — pulsing tendrils of living energy that lashed out with every strike. She was outnumbered, surrounded by brutish lizardmen wielding jagged spears.
Each s***h of her sword sent out waves of burning magic, slicing through the horde like ribbons of light.
Chris watched in awe.
(She’s strong… faster than anyone I’ve seen.)
But then — the forest shook.
From behind the enemy lines, a second group emerged. Reinforcements — twice as many, snarling and armed to the teeth.
The woman faltered for the first time, breathing hard. Her vines flickered, her sword slowing.
Chris’s eyes widened.
“Wait—” he whispered, stepping forward.
The lizardmen charged all at once. The swordswoman turned, slashing desperately, but one spear found its mark—
a sharp strike to her side.
She gasped, dropping to one knee. Blood splattered the ground.
Something inside Chris snapped.
The air around him went silent.
Time seemed to slow.
The symbol on his hand burst into black light, tearing through the glove.
> [Voidedge Resonance: Awakening]
His mind went blank. All he could feel was rage — raw, burning through every thought.
In an instant, the Voidedge Sword formed once more in his hand — the same obsidian blade, its edges rippling with violet energy.
The lizardmen turned toward him, but it was already too late.
Chris moved like a shadow.
Each swing erased the world itself. The monsters didn’t fall — they vanished, consumed by the void.
Their weapons turned to dust, their screams silenced midair.
When the last of them disappeared, the forest grew eerily still. Only the sound of rain dripping from leaves filled the silence.
Chris stood frozen, staring at his reflection in the dark blade. His hands trembled.
“I… did it again…” he whispered.
The Voidedge pulsed once — faintly, almost affectionately — before dissolving into smoke, leaving his hand empty once more.
He turned toward the woman, rushing to her side. Her breathing was shallow, her eyes barely open.
“Stay with me,” he muttered, placing a glowing hand over her wound.
> [Skill: Heal]
Light filled the clearing, green and pure. Slowly, her breathing steadied. The bleeding stopped.
Chris exhaled, relief and guilt washing over him in equal measure.
(I can’t keep doing this... Every time I lose control, that sword... it comes back.)
He looked at his trembling hands — one glowing with healing light, the other scarred with the darkness of the void.
Two powers. Two sides of himself.
And he no longer knew which one was truly his.
- Writer
