What happened to me? Why am I here? How did I get here? Right. I was vomiting blood after doing the test. Huh. What was I doing right before the test… It almost feels like I’m missing something. Why does it feel like I’ve missed something… Something that I shouldn’t have forgotten. Hm. Well, at this point, it doesn’t matter.

| ...ke up! |

| Hello! Wake up~! |

What happened to her? She seems.. A bit different.

| Waaakkkeeee Up~~! |

“I’m already up... Please stop shouting.”

| Jeez, took you long enough. |

“What happened?”

| I’ll need time. |

“Huh? For what?”

| To check what happened to you. |

“Any ideas on what happened to me? My body feels so weak.”

| I have to say this is surprising, you seem to have two vessels in your body. Which caused them to conflict with each other when you tried to use it. |

“What’s that even supposed to mean..?”

| You can use light magic, and dark magic. You’d probably have to learn to use combination magic. |

“I don’t even know magic flow, yet I need to combine different types of magic..?” 

If I have spatial magic, which is what stored my sword. I’ve heard about spatial magic from merchants and that it’s extremely useful but that means I have dark magic as a primary element. Considering the fact that I have two of the rarest elements, with dual compatibility. The fact that commoners can’t use magic, the fact that I talked to a demon… These things can’t be coincidences. 

| Maru, After the magic conflict: I discovered something, you’re... dying. |

“How much time do I have?”

| By my guess... I’d say just about seven years. |

I just covered myself with some of my old clothes in the shack and then started walking to the dukedom. If I make it there fast enough, then there’s no way that I can’t escape from the dukedom’s soldiers. But, it was then that I noticed that there were soldiers here already. So I started running in the opposite direction to the village, in hopes that I could escape. But then I sensed something, it was an arrow aimed for my head. And suddenly my body reflexively dodged. I turned to look behind me, it was a soldier with the duke’s insignia upon his chestplate.

And suddenly all the soldiers came out of the forest and surrounded me, and then I saw him. The man exuding an aura I couldn’t mistake. I saw this man when I was a child. The Duke of Varland. Vargitz.

“Young man, who are you?”

“Maru. Maru Alck.”

“Are you a noble?”

“No. My father was a baronet.”

“Alck...” 

“Did you know my father?”

“Perhaps.”

“Now, answer me honestly boy. Did you kill varkhaz?”

The duke’s eyes were glowing red. It was like I was prey to him; the predator. Maybe, I could lie. I won’t lie. I won’t back down. 

“Yes.”

“It was you, I see.”

It was as though I was nothing more than an annoyance to him. His power was of another level. He charged me in less than a second. Am I really that powerless? Maybe I am. 

Does anybody care about such a weak person? Even with the duke attacking me with everything, It’s like I don’t feel anything while dodging him. Every attack makes me weaker.

He punched me, I didn’t think a swordsman would use his fist. Just shows how stupid I am.

My entire body hurts.

Why can’t I fight him? I can't even use my power properly.

“Snap out of it! Are you truly the person who killed my son?! Own up to your actions!” 

That’s right. I was the one who killed Varkhaz. I was the one who slaughtered him.

“Yeah old man! I was the one who killed Varkhaz! I killed him with my own hands, I watched him suffer. I watched him die!”

“And I’ll do the same to you too.”

The duke charged at me. I tried blocking his attack using my sword, but my sword simply broke under the weight of his attack. I jumped back reflexively.

| Maru. I’ve obtained the < Blade of Moder >. |

“How can I use it?”

| It uses your blood. |

My blood huh? Funny. I wonder if I can do that even with my body’s condition.

Maru was at the end of his limits, his body bruised, his breathing heavy, and his hands shivering. 

“Sarah, what should I do?”

| Please just run away! |

“I can’t do that, now can I?”

| Just run, this isn’t worth it. |

“You think so, huh? Well, that’s fine too.” 

“Now then, I summon thee, Blade Of Morder!” 

It was a blade of blood, made for obtaining blood. 

The blade summoned itself by sucking maru’s blood, with a dark red shade it was made, the blade of Moder. 

Maru ran at the duke, with everything he had left, and sliced him, But, it was to no avail, as the only thing that maru cut was air. The duke was now behind maru, maru tried to turn around, but was only kicked. He had landed but could not get up.

The duke slowly approached the injured maru. Maru had now accepted his death. His body bled out, and his bones were broken, but he didn’t give up, with every ounce of his being, he tried again to get up, to fight back, to be the light in this dark world of injustice. Where only the strong rule. But he couldn’t get up, and slowly his vision faded and he was losing himself.

“Is that all I was worth?”

As he asked himself that, his consciousness faded as he looked at the duke.