“Oh right, before I forget, here” I generously handed Blackie a weapon.

          “The f**k is this?”

          After I finished building the forge from the stones in the cave, I ventured off into the new depths of the cave to find Blac-Babaris hiding in the back with a knife and some wood I had brought him from outside

          “My own dear weapon that has been with me as long as my name…” My gaze lost focus as I recalled the fond memory.

          “…what kind of person gives a child this thing as a first weapon?!”

          “What? Did you not receive a weapon as a child?”

          “Of course I did! I got a sword as an infant like any normal child, but this, this looks like the illegitimate child of a meat hook and a scythe had relations with the bastard of a serrated claymore and a halberd.”

          “That…is surprisingly accurate.”

          It was a fairly large weapon with a staff like handle between two blades. The larger end was curved and had a round spike tip that melded into the wide 3/4^th circle blade with serrations on the outside and the smaller bottom blade was similar but with a much flatter slope and the rounded spike tip was replaced with a normal flat point. Overall, it was a bigger than I was and a tad shorter than him.

          “Where did you even put this? How did I not see you grab it or at least see you carry it?!”

          “The center of the handle collapse, folding it in two. When I was younger, I would remove them completely and have one in each hand!”          

          It was Babaris’ turn to lose focus for a moment as he tried to picture it, only to shudder. I felt a little insulted.

          “How old were you exactly?”

          “About 20 I believe.”

          “Remind me how quickly your race ages?”

          “For a human, I would have been about the physical age of 5.”

          He paused again, but quickly shook his head, apparently unwilling to even imagine it. I’ll have you know I was an adorable child, I know this because Anabiel and I were identical and she was often said to have been the most adorable child ever born to the angels, and I, as her twin, obviously was the same.

          “I was under the impression angels were named at birth or as an infant.”

          “They are now, but I was among the first archangels when we received our names from the Lord.”

          “I see… and your lord gave you that?”

          “Kind of contradicted his words as he named me, I never have figured that out…”

          “What do you mean?”

          “You remember how I told you I am the little angel of suffering, right?”

          “…Yes?”

          “He told me, ‘You will know suffering all your life, and it will make you all the kinder for it.’ and proceeded to hand me that.”

          I saw him eye the weapon, which I had named Gemi since it had two blades, and then turn to look at me to ask a question I have asked myself many times over my life.

          “…Did he want you to learn from suffering or inflict it?”

          “I still have no idea.”

          Though, now that I think of it, no one ever told me that I was adorable when I was little.

          At least, not after I got Gemi…

          “…In any case, its name is Gemi. Considering how well you took care of Rizy and Anzy’s weapons, I’m sure you’ll take care good care of it.”

          “…I feel like it will curse me if I don’t…”

          “…Best not to test it.”

          “Certainly explains a lot of the mangled bodies I would find after some battles… I never could figure out what kind of blade could do that until I actually saw this thing…”

          Faint admiration towards the blade appeared on his face, but it was swiftly replaced by confusion as he stroked the blade along the middle of the top section. His hand paused as he quickly removed it before starting poking it.

          “I’ve tried making duplicates-"

          “Why”

          “But try as I might, I can’t get the different blade types to come out right. Either the serrations come out or the blade is curved, or the point melds to the blade but it’s brittle and breaks if you swing it too hard, or countless other problems that cannot be solved no matter how many centuries of trial and error I throw at it.”

          “Did you try using the blood of the innocent? Souls of the damned? Eye of newt? Cause I am really sure that this is not naturally occurring. Plus, the ‘metal’ feels suspiciously porous like bone…almost like it wants to drink my blood...”

          “Oh, it’s just trying to say hi. Just… don’t cut your finger on it until it stops doing that.”

          “…what do you mean by that?”

          “Now that I think of it, we forgot extra clothes, didn’t we?”

          “Boney, what did you mean by that”

          “I’ll run off to see if I can find a human town before it gets dark, humans are creatures of the day after all!”

          “Boney! Aena! Wait! Don’t leave me with this until you explain!!”

          “Be right back!”

          “NO”

          I was joking about not getting cut, but he doesn't need to know that. It's not my fault he looks adorable when he gets teased...