[Isuke], the human responded.

Isuke.

Eleonora repeated instantly in her mind.

Isuke...

Such a short name...

But she had to remember it.

Isuke, I-su-ke, Isu-ke, Isuke...

Eleonora repeated the human's name in her mind over and over again so as not to forget it.

[Isuke, could you tell me more about how you got here?]

If Eleonora could figure out the reason, she could come up with a good plan to deal with the situation.

Several seconds passed until Isuke replied:

[It was a class accident. I think a classmate misused the teleportation device, and we ended up here]

Teleportation device?

What was that?

That's what Eleonora wondered.

It was the first time she had heard of such a thing.

[What do you mean by teleportation device?]

[It's complicated to explain, but... it's a device that allows you to travel long distances. Unfortunately, it malfunctioned, and several of us ended up here, but they're already figuring out how to get it working again], Isuke explained.

[A device that allows multiple people to travel long distances? Does such a thing really exist? If that's true... I don't have much time left. I have much less time than I initially thought, Eleonora]

Breathe...

Focusing on her breath to keep calm, and with some fear, Eleonora asked:

[How long does it usually take to fix that problem?]

[I don't know], Isuke immediately responded.

You never know anything!

How can you not know something so important?

Eleonora started laughing once she made sure the human couldn't hear her.

The situation was horrible.

It was much worse than she had imagined!

Thinking she would have to wait indefinitely for someone again...

It was terrifying.

And to think she was about to waste her time discussing stupid things!

Should she try to contact another human?

That was what Eleonora thought, but she dismissed the idea because, although Isuke was an idiot, he had given her useful information.

If only he weren't so foolish!

Throughout the centuries, Eleonora had had all kinds of candidates.

From those pretending to be heroes to those who simply used her to acquire a good status.

That's why she could detect the mentality of her candidates fairly quickly to help them, but this last human...

Should she feel lucky?

Now that Eleonora's mind was a bit calmer, she began to understand why some humans cut off their connection with her because of Isuke's response.

Fear of the unknown.

All those humans had been dragged to an unknown place, and if an unknown voice asked them to come rescue her...

Yes, it was very likely they would consider it a trap, besides...

What could she offer in return?

Just offering them a power they would only see by making a contract with her wasn't enough. Besides, considering that such devices existed...

It was difficult.

The situation was very complicated.

[Isuke, could you find out how long it will take to fix that problem?] Eleonora asked with some doubt.

She was afraid.

[Sure, but if I do that, I think the connection will be cut], Isuke replied.

[Why?] Eleonora asked immediately.

Had she done something wrong?

[If I'm not mistaken... the humans you lost contact with are in an area near the professor. If I go there, it's very likely I won't be able to talk to you for a while], Isuke explained, calming Eleonora's worry a little.

Certainly, Isuke was somewhat right. If she lost contact with him, it would be quite tedious to establish the connection again due to the large number of humans there.

Moreover, how should she confirm it was him and not another human?

An idea crossed Eleonora's mind.

[Don't you have a friend you can ask for help? You know...]

[Oh, you're right. That's a good idea]

The more Eleonora talked to Isuke, the more she realized how idiotic he was.

[Please, do it,] Eleonora said as she sighed.

◇◆◇

“Oh! Are you over your anger already?” Alexia said, seeing Isuke calling her with a hand gesture.

Getting up from the ground and leaving Leo behind, Alexia walked over to where Isuke was sitting.

“Can you do me a favor?” Isuke asked directly.

“What do you want?” Alexia asked, confused.

“Find out how much time is left for the device to be fixed,” Isuke explained, but Alexia stared at him.

“Why don't you go yourself? It's not that far,” she said, pointing to where the professor was with the other students.

“I can't,” Isuke replied.

Alexia looked up at Isuke before asking:

“Are you injured?”

“Yes,” Isuke responded instantly.

The truth was he lied so that she would go.

Letting out a sigh upon hearing it, Alexia approached Isuke to try to lift him, but he resisted.

“What are you doing?”

“Staying here.”

“Why? Can't you see it's dangerous? Leo and I were keeping an eye on you, but everyone is almost with the professor now. Isn't it logical to be with them?” Alexia tried to drag Isuke, but surprisingly he had the strength to resist.

Upon closer inspection, Alexia noticed that Isuke was leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree.

“Alexia, just go. I have to stay here for now.”

“What do you mean, for now? Leo! Help me move this idiot to...” Alexia stopped her speech when she noticed that Leo had gone to where the professor was.

◇◆◇

[It seems it will take around 7 days. The device needs to charge, and due to the mana in the environment, that will be the time it takes], Isuke explained hastily.

7 days.

Hearing that time frame calmed Eleonora a bit, but it also created some uncertainty.

Even though she didn't know about that technology, if it was something that absorbed mana from the environment to function, it was highly likely that if they changed their location, the device could charge faster.

This was problematic.

If they moved further out of her range, she wouldn't be able to contact them, but if they got closer...

 

Wait. While trying to find a solution, Eleonora noticed something she had easily ignored for a long time: that sensation of leakage.

For centuries, she had felt her energy seeping through the cracks of her physical body, like a sword, but due to her ability to store and generate energy, she could easily ignore that feeling. It wasn't as unpleasant as being surrounded by snow, but...

What if she tried to transform that energy into mana?

That question left Eleonora frozen, unsure of what to do.

Should she try?

[And Eleonora... how does your power work?]

Why did he have to ask that now?

[What? What do you want to know?] Eleonora responded, trying to stay calm. She was nervous, but she didn't know why.

[Your ability to communicate directly with people's minds is a curious skill. What else can you do?]

What else could she do...?

If Isuke had asked Eleonora this question earlier, she would have answered without hesitation and with some pride, but now that she had heard about that teleportation device...

How outdated were her abilities?

[Eleonora?] Isuke asked when he didn't hear any response from Eleonora for several minutes.

[Yes. I'm here. I heard you,] Eleonora responded.

She couldn't hesitate.

Not now.

[I... am a sword. If you make a contract with me, you'll be able to use elements like earth, air, water, fire, lightning, and your body... will become resistant and won't age! You'll be able to regenerate limbs, as long as they don't cut off your head, of course], Eleonora explained with some enthusiasm, but she couldn't stop doubting.

Had she forgotten to mention any elements?

Was she saying it right?

Even though they communicated telepathically, it was still possible to stumble or...

[Incredible]

Hearing those words excited Eleonora.

Was it incredible?

Did she hear correctly?

How long had it been since she heard those words?

[Is it incredible?]

[Of course! I've never heard of a sword like that]

[Well, I have more!] Excited, Eleonora continued:

[In my human form, I can help you train. I promise you, if you make a contract with me, you won't regret it. I'll do my best to fulfill any of your dreams]

Despite considering Isuke an idiot, if he helped her, she would repay the favor a thousand times!

[You're the first sword I've heard of that does all that. Aren't you some kind of lost treasure or hero's weapon?] Isuke asked, showing some excitement.

Did this human like heroes?

Well, if that was the case...

Coughing briefly, to make sure she heard correctly, Eleonora explained:

[For a long time, I've been used to fight against beasts, demons, dragons...]

What came next?

She had forgotten her speech halfway through!

[Really?] Isuke asked, surprised.

[Yes! Some have called me the sword of God or of the heavens, and at some point, they considered me a sacred sword...]

The more Eleonora spoke, the more her doubts returned, because she couldn't remember most of the nicknames she had been given over the centuries.

Also, she didn't want to mention any nickname that wasn't compatible with this candidate, such as: sword of death, devil's sword, cursed sword, sword of vengeance...

If she let slip any of those names, she was screwed!

[Wait, but as far as I know, sacred swords don't do that,] Isuke said, interrupting Eleonora.

Shit!

What kind of powers did the sacred swords of these times have?

[Sorry, it's just that, as you can understand, I was created a long time ago, so I may be different from other types of sacred swords you know...] Eleonora explained nervously.

[Fair point...] Isuke responded.

Yes!

Eleonora was pleased to have managed to sound convincing.

She hadn't lost her touch!

[Isuke,] Eleonora said with some joy.

[What happened?]

[Could you tell me about what the sacred swords of this era do?] Eleonora asked, maintaining a certain excitement in her tone, but the truth was that she wanted to know the abilities of her competition.

[Well, usually, only those who have pure sacred energy in their bodies can wield sacred swords. If they have any impurity, like mana or aura in their body, they won't be able to use the sword.]

How demanding! Eleonora thought immediately, since in her time, ego swords offered abilities to their candidates without limitations, and of course, Eleonora's lineage was the best at that.

[I see...]

[So... What limitations would there be in making a contract with you?]

None!

That's what Eleonora wanted to answer, but she didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

Thinking for a moment about what to say, Eleonora replied:

[Once the contract is made, you won't be able to break it until you die, but if you plan to die, you must do it in a place with many people!] Eleonora explained with some anger, but she felt satisfied after saying all that.

Gosh! This week was problematic, but this chapter is ready and I will schedule the next one in a few hours for 4/23/2024.

It took me more than anything because my glasses broke and my PC was damaged (it took me 2 days to fix it and the glasses a little more of the same).

But well I finish this week updating happy and preparing more chapters for the future to go calm and comfortable.

Let's go for those 40 chapters!