Chapter 8 The Black Knight Begins a New Life

The knight slowly rose to his feet.
He was slightly dazed. First, he looked at Kureha, whose eyes were shining with tears. Then, he looked at the surprised Snow.
He then directed his attention back to Kureha. She was wearing black armor similar to his. Zavisha tilted his head slightly to the side, his gaze questioning the sight before him.
The girl's eyes lit up, and she threw herself into his arms.

"You idiot! How could you let yourself be defeated so easily?" she exclaimed.

"Oi, oi. Let me go." He patted her on the back. "You're choking me." The fog finally lifted, freeing his thoughts.
The girl released him from her embrace.
Snow couldn't believe his eyes. He was sure he had destroyed the knight's soul.

His hand twitched.

The soul wasn't cut properly.

I wanted to cut the soul of the knight within this weapon.
But if I couldn't do it...
Does that mean the soul within is actually a copy of the one of the real knight?
Wait...
Wouldn't that mean the summoned weapons are copies of the originals?

Snow was confused. He tried to organize his thoughts, but now wasn't the time.

The knight stood up and helped Kureha get on her feet.
The girl couldn't believe it. A moment ago, her wounds had been so unbearable that, now that she was wearing black armor, it felt as if they weren't there at all. She clenched her fist, covered by a metal gauntlet, and smiled. She felt energy flowing through her, giving her new strength.
The two, in their respective black armors, smiled at each other and then turned toward their enemy.
They held their black swords tightly in both hands, ready to use them.

Luke finally managed to free himself from the lance. Gritting his teeth at the sight of the wound caused by the blow, he ran to Snow.
"Uncle, I'll help you."
"I don't need your help, stupid mutt."
"I think you do need it." Luke then gave Snow a look filled with madness. "You better agree. After all, you hurt my princess.”
"If you're upset about that, you should have stopped me."
“I did hurt yours, so I thought it would be better to stay silent, observe, and focus on freeing myself.” He held out his hand. "But first, I need a weapon."
Snow clicked his tongue and handed him a small dagger that glowed similarly to his Stormbringer.
“Is it an upgraded Mini Stormbringer?”
“Shut up and focus on the fight,” Snow snorted.
"That's right, Luke! How long do you plan on making us wait?" Kureha declared.
"If they’re taking so long to prepare, maybe we should have just attacked," the knight proposed.

"You're right. Let's..."
"Wait!" the knight stopped her. "Kureha, didn't you say you wanted to see some flashy moves?" a thought came to his mind.
"Yes, I did," she said, tilting her head as she tried to remember. "Yes, I did!" she screamed happily when she remembered the event in the forest.

"Then I have something for you."

His sword glowed with dense black light.

He stood up steadily, gripped his sword’s handle with his right hand, and placed the blade behind him. He put his left leg forward, slightly bending his knees, and turned his body to the side.

He swung his sword with all his might.
A beam of light slashed through the entire room, cutting through the columns.
Snow and Luke spun around, rooted to the ground.
At that moment, they realized that the knight had been holding back his strength this whole time. He probably wouldn't reveal it fully anytime soon. Snow thought.
Cracks appeared in the ceiling and, in a split second, grew from small cracks into deep fissures that gradually began to collapse.
"How nice to destroy these disgusting drawings," the knight said happily upon seeing the cracks.
"Not bad," Kureha nodded. "Can I do that, too?"
"There is a strong possibility that you can," Zavisha responded.
"Great! Then let's go!"

They both picked up the pace and charged at their respeceted opponents.

Luke could barely block Kureha's attack with the dagger he had been given. The blade was too light for him. Kureha came at him again, slashing clumsily, her strikes wild and unrefined.
But what she lacked in technique, she made up for with sheer aggression.
She didn’t fight like someone who wanted to win.
She fought like someone who couldn’t afford to lose.

Luke stepped back, parrying her next blow just in time. The impact jarred his wrist. Pain flared in his injured foot as he shifted his weight to avoid a follow-up strike. He gritted his teeth. Every movement sent a jolt of agony up his leg, making it harder to concentrate. 

Kureha attacked again. Luke's dagger scraped against her blade with a sharp metallic screech. Luke twisted his arm, deflecting her attack to the side.

But he could feel the strain. 

Why hadn’t he summoned his weapon when he could? It would’ve been over by now.

Her next swing came from overhead. He raised the dagger with both hands, catching the blow barely.
Her black blade locked against his.
He staggered.

Kureha broke the lock and slashed low, forcing him to leap back.

Luke was furious. 
Why did he have to fight her?

To fight that girl who was supposed to be his one and only princess but turned out to be a relentless warrior.

Zavisha, on the other hand, took on Snow.
The moment their eyes met, the air between them seemed to tighten. Zavisha knew exactly what kind of opponent he was facing. Snow was unpredictable. He could conjure weapons out of his hair and turn the tide of battle depending on the weapon that would appear.
Zavisha couldn't afford to give him time to create a new weapon if he wanted to defeat him.

Like Kureha, he didn't hold back, throwing powerful attacks left and right. However, unlike her, his strikes were disciplined, brutal, and precise. He swung his massive sword with full force, forcing Snow on the defensive from the very first second.
He raised his sword, gripping the hilt tightly with his right hand, and attacked Snow from above.

Snow managed to shield his skull from the blow with his Stormbringer.
However, he couldn't block the knight's left fist that slammed into his chin before he could react.
His mask began to crack.
He gasped, struggling to breathe, stars flickering in his vision. He tried to stand, but his limbs felt sluggish. The blow had scrambled his balance.
The black knight charged at him again.
More blows were exchanged.

Zavisha moved swiftly toward his opponent and attacked fiercely.
Snow brought Stormbringer up just in time to block another punishing strike, the force driving him back again.
Thinking the blow would come from above again, he lifted his weapon.
But Zavisha quickly crouched down, threw his sword up, and tripped Snow with his right leg.
The enemy in the white mask fell down.

It was the same trick he used on his brother Piotr once before.

As the black sword fell, the Black Knight caught it in the air and used it to completely destroy Snow’s mask which broke into two perfect halves.

Snow-white skin hid under the mask.

Furious white eyes glared at Zavisha from beneath white lashes.

The black knight's sword vanished from his hand.
"Are you showing me mercy?" Snow asked.
"Of course not. I intend to capture you alive. You'll be interrogated eventually," he said, smiling. "Right, Kureha?" he shouted at the girl. She was improving at dealing with Luke, who was growing weaker at blocking her amateurish blows.
"Yes!" she replied cheerfully.
"Will you go quietly, or will you have to lose consciousness?" the knight asked cheerfully.
Snow bowed his head and sighed. When he raised his head toward the knight again, his face was stoic. It was as if he didn't care at all about what the knight might do to him.
"Neither."
Snow's mask lit up, began flashing red, and made a terrifyingly loud sound.
Zavisha dropped his sword and covered his ears. Kureha did the same, contorting her face. Luke, on the other hand, smiled broadly at the sound.

A portal opened behind Snow, and another masked figure emerged from it.

The figure's mask was green, with a black leaf in place of the right eye.
It was definitely a woman.
She wore a long, green ball gown that revealed her shoulders and accentuated her bust, doing nothing to hide her assets. Her hair was loose and streamed down her back. Her hands were covered with gloves. In one hand, she held a pistol.

"I never expected the alarm to come from you, Snow," she said. Her voice matched the dignity of her attire. "I thought an experienced Enforcer like you would never find herself in this kind of trouble."
“You better get me and this damn mutt out of here before he catches us.”

Snow had barely finished speaking when Zavisha immediately charged at the unknown woman.
Seeing this, she raised her pistol and fired at him. An identical portal to the one behind her appeared in front of Zavisha. He fell through it and out of another portal that appeared about ten meters away.
The woman turned back to Snow.
"Then get up and enter the portal." she said.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Luke shouted. He pushed Kureha, who had focused her attention on the woman in the green dress, and disappeared through the portal.
"No!" the girl screamed, extending her hand toward the blond man who had already fled her sight.
Snow rose.
Zavisha was already advancing at great speed in his direction.
Snow's pale lips began to form words. He moved them so that the knight would understand his message.
The black knight ceased his movement, allowing Snow to disappear through the portal as well.
The passage vanished with the stranger as quickly as it had appeared.
"Damn it!" Kureha slammed her fist into a barely standing column. The entire place was on the verge of collapse.
The knight approached her.
"We have to save the queen and the gift. Quickly,” he said.

"Who?"

"That's what the pale man said. He probably meant the boss." Zavisha turned in the direction where Boleslava had been taken.

"Let's go fast!"

***

They found Lawana leaning against one of the columns. Nearby, an unconscious stranger in a pink mask lay on the ground.
"It's probably the gift," Zavisha said, and heaved the unconscious man over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Meanwhile, Kureha tried to wake Lawana up by gently patting her cheek.

Boleslava opened her eyes.

When she saw Kureha and the knight, she knew it was over. She started to stand up, but when she began to waver, Kureha caught her and let her lean on her arm.
"Thank you."

The chief looked around.
Fragments of the cracked ceiling began falling to the ground. The columns swayed as if they were about to fall onto the floor and shatter it into tiny pieces.
"Great. You didn't hold back, did you?" she said, looking at them and raising her eyebrows. "We have to run! It's about to collapse!" Boleslava shouted at them, clutching her sore shoulder. They both nodded and started running back the way they came.
Kureha began shining the dark light from her sword into each corridor one by one. The shaking ceiling above her head did not make her task any easier.
Fortunately, in the fifth corridor, she saw the glow of what she was looking for. "This way!" she said, waving her hand toward Lawana and Zavisha, who quickly ran to her side.
They went inside and ran through the catacombs as fast as they could.
"Faster!" Bolselava commanded.

Kureha scanned the floor for beads and guided them in the right direction.
After running around frantically, they found themselves in a room in front of the stairs leading back into the cathedral.
Several people dressed in unique uniforms approached them. Their bright white wings, which gave them the appearance of angels, were the most striking feature.
"You're in for a stern talking to for being late! Lawana hissed at them. "I didn't expect such negligence from my unit!"
"We're very sorry, but we had difficulty getting inside," one of the arriving police officers explained.

"Did the priest not let you in?"
"Not exactly. Each time we passed through the floor passage, we ended up in the square in front of the academy, near the fountains."

Bolselava narrowed her eyes.

"Um." Kureha raised her voice. "It must have been the woman who took those two with her through some kind of portal."
"Yes, that is most likely what happened," the chief confirmed.
Suddenly, they heard a loud thud behind them.

"We'll hear further explanations later. We're getting out of here!" Boleslava shouted, and her voice echoed through the chamber. One of her subordinates took the chief from Kureha, while the other dealt with the masked Order of Unification member that Zavisha had captured.

The rest of the Chief of Police's unit and the ambulances they had summoned were waiting for them outside, in the square in front of the church. The medics immediately took over Bolselava, but she waved them away and directed them to Kureha instead.
"I don't need help anymore. You'd better take care of this girl."
Kureha wanted to tell her that it was unnecessary to worry.
She was wrong.
As soon as her armor disappeared, her wounds became visible to everyone.
They began to hurt unmercifully.
She felt dizzy.
Before she collapsed, a knight caught her and then handed her over to the medical staff.

***

Kureha found herself in the hospital.
When she opened her eyes, she didn't see the white hospital ceiling first, but rather the face of a black knight leaning right in front of her.
"Aaah!" she screamed. With all her strength, she pushed the knight away, causing him to fall over. The girl sat up and grabbed the blanket, covering her body with it, right up to her reddened cheeks.
The knight wasn't particularly concerned about her reaction. He simply got up and headed for Kureha's sleeping father, leaning against the right side of the bed.
"Robert! Kureha's up!" he announced loudly, shaking the sleeping man's shoulder. Robert rose and looked at his daughter.
In an instant, his eyes filled with tears.
"Kureha!" he exclaimed, throwing himself at her and hugging her tightly. "I'm so glad you're alive, my dear child!"
Kureha's eyes glazed over. She sniffed slightly and returned her father's embrace.
Zavisha smiled warmly at the sight.

Now that she was calm, Kureha could finally take a good look at her black knight.
Her eyes widened.
He wore a black turtleneck over a dark gray jacket and dark jeans. A silver cross on an equally silver chain adorned his neck.
"What are you wearing?" she asked, pointing at him.
Robert released his daughter from the embrace and pointed to himself proudly.
"While you were unconscious, I decided to surprise you by dressing him up as best I could. He's quite the handsome fellow, isn't he? I could have a son-in-law like that!"
Kureha blushed. She grabbed a pillow and threw it straight at Zavisha.
"What have I done?!" he shouted, catching the pillow before it could hit him. Kureha ignored him completely and turned to her father.

"Has he tricked you into spouting such nonsense?
Robert shook his head.
"No, but you know, he's a nice guy. I like him.” Then, leaning into his daughter's ear, he added in a whisper, “He's better than many other guys. I won't be offended if you say that...”
Kureha gently pushed her father away pursing her lips.
"And you have nothing to say about my father’s crazy jokes?!" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Huh? Why would I refuse to marry a beautiful and brave woman?" Zavisha replied with a cheeky grin.

Kureha turned beet red and immediately changed the subject.

"Besides, why are you buying him clothes? He has his own!"

"Child, he certainly won't be walking around in clothes from the ancient past. I gave him a modern look. Look how handsome he is!"
"He's not your doll." Kureha hid her face behind her hands. "You could have saved some money." She sighed.
“You don’t skimp on beauty. Zavisha isn't my doll; he's a model. Paintings of handsome men like him sell well, so you know. These clothes are an investment."

"I'm done." Kureha lowered her head in resignation.

A knock sounded in the room.

Bolselava walked in. Seeing that Kureha was conscious, she smiled and stood firmly with her arms crossed.
"Welcome back to the world of the living after half a day of sleep," she announced.
Kureha looked at her in surprise.
"Only half a day?"
"What? Did you want to laze around longer?" Boleslava sighed. "All your wounds have healed as if by some kind of magic."
Robert and Zavisha nodded in agreement with Lavana.
Kureha lifted the blanket. She was wearing hospital pajamas consisting of a long T-shirt and knee-length pants. She didn't need to see her leg to know that she could move it freely.
However, when she looked at her calf, she couldn’t believe there was no trace of the wound Luke had inflicted on her.

It's probably thanks to the armor.
Thanks to him.

She smiled to herself, then refocused her attention on the chief.

"Besides the standard congratulations on your speedy recovery, I came to tell you something more important." Boleslava pulled a business card from her jacket pocket. "When you graduate from the police academy, I'd like you to contact me. I'd be happy to have you join my unit.”

For a moment, the world stopped for Kureha.

She reached for the card, and once she had it in her hand, she stared at it as if she had trouble processing what had just happened.
"But only after you graduate from the academy and strengthen your bond with your weapon—I mean, your partner." Boleslava smiled at Zavisha. "I have a truly promising duo before me, and I don't intend to miss the opportunity to recruit you. Who knows? Perhaps, in time, you'll earn the title of captain and have your own unit, like your mother.” She hinted at her speculations for Kureha's future.

Kureha looked at her, her eyes lighting up.

She quickly straightened and saluted.
"Thank you!"

"You'll thank me when you finally join my unit," she said. Boleslava glanced at her watch. "It's time for me to go. I have an academic spy to interrogate.”
“What?” Kureha stood up and glared at the chief.
"Don't worry. I'll let you know what's going on later. After all, you're one of the people involved. Bye-bye!"
She left as quickly as she had arrived.
A doctor entered the room right after her.
"Mr. and Mrs. Thornlee, right?" he inquired.
"Yes," Robert replied timidly.
"Are you the family of Modar Police Academy Professor Loi?"
At the sound of that name, Kureha and her father clenched their fists.
They felt something catch in their throats.
"I would like to inform you that Mr. Loi has regained consciousness. He is well on his way to a full recovery.”
Tears welled up in Kureha's eyes, and a broad smile spread across her face. She hugged her father tightly, who also beamed at the good news.
“So the professor is also returning to the world of the living. That's good to hear," Zavisha said quietly to himself.

***

"Is everything ready?" Boleslava asked the officer who was following her through the white corridor of Modar's police headquarters. They were heading to an interrogation room on the second level below ground. They had to pass through several sliding doors that were opened with passes and biometric locks that required eye scans and thumbprints.
After passing all the security measures, they entered a small room where they could see, through glass, a red-haired, golden-eyed man handcuffed to a chair.
It was Arnold Tesral.
"Let me talk to him," announced Boleslava, confidently stepping inside and coming face-to-face with the spy.
The man was seated at a small table with his hands and feet shackled. A metal collar around his neck was intended to prevent him from using a summoned weapon.
On the table in front of Lawana was a familiar pink mask with a black heart symbol in place of the right eye.
"Who would have thought that one day your family's invention would be used against you?" she said, pointing to the collar around his neck. "I didn't expect a professor so well-versed in weapons and their summoning system to be a traitor." She snapped her fingers. "I should have guessed, though, since they were able to copy the weapons we summoned. Someone well-versed in the matter must have been helping them. So, how was using my Excalibur? Was it a nice experience?" she asked, bringing up a topic that might encourage an enemy to spill their secrets. One that might anger him.

And it worked.

"Don't mention that life-eater to me!" he snorted.
"You hate it? Then why did you use it?" she continued.
"Because it was the only one I formed a bond with."
"Oh, how interesting. A familial bond?"
"No! It's a unique match! If you've had contact with the original owner or someone who possessed the copy, you can inherit the copied weapon! You can become their heir because the weapon chooses you!" He widened his eyes and pursed his lips.

"You won't say anything more?"
"No, I have no intention of betraying my family."

"It's a shame this family has already betrayed you," Boleslava remarked.

"You're lying," he said through clenched teeth.
“If I'm lying, then explain how you ended up here with no one coming for you.”

Arnold closed in on himself.
Boleslava took a deep breath.

"You know, I really didn't want to use this," she said, touching her side. In a split second, a sheath appeared beside it, and a gleaming gold sword was slowly drawn by her.

She stroked the blade with the tip of her index finger.
"Now you have no choice. You'll have to listen to me and respond like a polite and charming mutt," she said with a cold, sinister smile.
Albert bit his tongue.
He tried to bite it off.
But didn't make it in time.
"You are to answer every one of my questions."
Her voice made the walls tremble slightly.
The first question flew from her lips.
"Where did the guards from the police academy disappear to four nights ago?" she asked in a hard voice.
"I got rid of them using a fragment of the soul devourer that Snow gave me. He said it was a blade ready to devour bodies and souls." An uncontrollable torrent of words flew from his mouth.
"Why didn't you just let the attackers in and they had to kidnap a student?"
"I couldn't lose my cover. If I had opened the door with my keycard, I would have been linked to them immediately because the readings are recorded with the time and the name of the person belonging to the Academy. I helped from the inside by clearing the area," he explained with a twisted grimace.

"That makes sense," Boleslava admitted. "Why did they attack the academy?"
"It wasn't meant to be an attack. It was meant to destroy the connection.”
“What connection?”
"For Elven Summon to work, each cable must be connected to the marble floor. The floor contains runes that move mana in the earth and sky. This collects a huge amount of energy, allowing the summoning of weapons." he said.

"All of the machine's cables must be connected to the runes,” Arnold repeated.

"That's the basis. What about this?" Boleslava asked.

“One of the cables connects to the dummy and a substitute part of the floor. The real fragment of the runic floor is far away. Driving a cable from the altar at the Academy to the spot where the dummy is located connects to another hidden cable. That cable then transmits energy to a fake Elven Summon in a different location. When an Academy student summons a weapon, a copy appears there immediately. This system has been in operation for about a hundred years. My mother helped them before, and now I do it. They were at the school to destroy this connection.”

Boleslava furrowed her brows.
"Why did they want to destroy it?"
"Because our Father foresaw the summoning of a weapon that would thwart his plan to reunite our family. He called it the Black Wolf."
The chief laughed loudly when she heard this.
"So, trying to stop Zavisha's summoning led to his summoning? How ridiculous." Once she had calmed down, she asked another question.
"Why couldn't Cadet Kureha Thornlee summon the weapon?"
"Luke and I always disconnected the connection in the dummy floor. Without it, the Elven Summon malfunctions and doesn't have full energy. We knew her mother could summon something dangerous, so could she. So we reduced the machine's energy during her summoning."
Boleslava combed her hair with her hand.

"Okay, now then..."
"You won't ask me anything else."
“Why?”
The chief shuddered.
Arnold’s eyes instantly began to weep tears of blood. He began to choke on something. He coughed with all his might and spat out a worm that writhed on the table.
Boleslava took a step back, disgusted.
The worm entered the mask, which cracked upon contact and sounded an alarm. It was the same one that Kureha and Zavisha had heard in the catacombs. Lawana quickly covered her ears.
This time, a portal opened before her eyes.
But it wasn’t the lady in the green dress who emerged.
Instead, a silver blade pierced Arnold’s heart and devoured his flesh.
The portal disappeared.
"You won't let me know any more, will you, Emnild?"

Disappointed by the interrupted interrogation, she lowered her gaze and left the room.
She quickly explained the situation to her subordinates and ordered them to check for attacks elsewhere.

In her office, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that no other possible threats had appeared beyond the portal in the interrogation room.
She leaned back in her chair, folded her hands, and lost herself in thought.
There had to be something more.
Why had the sword that killed Arnold appeared at that precise moment?
Her thoughts wandered back to the interrogation.
She played the recording again.

One of the cables connects to the dummy and a substitute part of the floor.

Luke and I always disconnected the connection in the dummy floor.

Boleslava rose abruptly from her chair. She felt something catch in her throat. Goosebumps spread across her body.
Without thinking, she rushed to the phone and dialed.
"This is Robert Thornlee," a familiar voice said from the other end of the line.
On the one hand, it was good that he was using her phone number after his wife's death. She thought to herself.
"Give me Kureha on the phone."
She could hear whispers in the background.
"It's Chief Lawana. She wants something from you."
"Yes?"
As soon as she heard the girl's voice, she asked.
“Did you have to connect any cables to the runic floor when you summoned Zavisha?”
Kureha fell silent for a moment, surprised by the question.
"Yes, I did. I already mentioned that when I testified to everything."
Boleslava felt faint. Her vision darkened.
"That's it. Thank you." She hung up and nervously threw the phone on the desk.

On the other end, the entire group wondered what her sudden call was about.

***

As soon as Kureha returned from the hospital, her father threw a small party and invited his close relatives. He had also wanted to invite the chief of Modar's police, the distinguished young lady Boleslava Sophia Lawana, but she said she had other plans and couldn't attend. Their apartment was too small for gatherings, but the playground in front of it was a more suitable size. Robert obtained the necessary permissions and used the space to prepare the tables, the meal, and illuminate everything that evening, with the help of Kureha and Zavisha.

Laughter filled the neighborhood.
“It’s so nice to see Kureha grow into a beautiful young woman,” said Aunt Trevor, who used to be neighbors with the Thornlee family when Remi was murdered. "It's good you moved away. She could grow up normally," she said.
Robert laughed hollowly.
"Haha, maybe you'd like another drink, Auntie?" he suggested.
"But I've had enough."
"Not enough to avoid touching on delicate topics, though." Robert refilled her glass, smiling, but with an irritated, blank look.
Kureha stood, leaning against the metal frame of the swings and watching the commotion.
"Hey, Kureha!" one of the guests shouted. "Call your boyfriend!"
“How many times do I have to tell you? He’s not my boyfriend; he’s my weapon! I summoned him!”
"Summoned him to be your husband!"

"Could you finally stop with those jokes?!" she screamed, clearly annoyed.
“If you don’t want him, I’ll take this handsome guy!” one of the women joked.

"I think you've had too much to drink," Kureha commented with a deep sigh.

Now that they mention it, where is he?

She looked around but couldn't find any sign of the Black Knight anywhere nearby. She walked among the guests.

Hmm.

A memory of the test flashed through her mind.

She smiled to herself and looked up. In front of the Thornlee's apartment entrance, leaning against the railing, stood the person she was looking for. Despite the bright lights from the playground, he was difficult to spot thanks to his choice of clothing. The black clothes perfectly camouflaged him in the shadows.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked, coming up behind him.
"I am currently enjoying a brief period of rest."
“I don’t blame you. They can be scary. They want to marry me off to you.”
The Black Knight laughed.
"Wouldn't you like that?"
“Don’t even joke about it.” She waved her hand. "Besides, I haven't known you long enough. A few days isn’t enough.”
"So, if you get to know me better, are you willing to consider me as your life partner?" he asked cheekily.
Kureha blushed.
"No! Nothing like that! That’s not what I mean!” she exclaimed in panic. "Yes. It's about being partners. But! You know, like a super police duo!" She began waving her arms energetically. "We need to understand each other much better in order to work together even greater!" she added proudly.
Zavisha sighed with laughter at her attempts to explain herself.

"Are my memories not enough for you to understand me?" he asked in a somber voice.
Kureha looked at him, surprised by the question. She stepped closer.
“Well, yes. They're just memories.” she answered. “I know what happened to you and why you ended up like that. But that's not enough. I can't get into your head, and I won't know your thoughts.” she sighed. “Knowing your thoughts, huh? That would be useful." She touched her chin. "I had such an enlightening moment when your thoughts suddenly appeared at the end of the video of your life!"

"Hah, I could say the same about you."
Kureha froze.

"Well, right. You did mention that if I saw yours it means that you will see something of my life, too. I don't know if I want to know what did you see." Her voice trembled.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of.”

"Phew, what a relief."

"Your reaction makes me look forward to more dematerializations. I think you have some interesting things to show me," he said teasingly.

"Don't even try!"

A moment of silence fell between them. They both looked down at Robert, Aunt Trevor, and the other guests, who were all enjoying themselves. Kureha smiled. She felt warmth in her heart.

“You have a similar sense of justice to me.” the knight said breaking the silence.

"You think so?" Kureha bit her lip, then continued the conversation as naturally as possible.

“Yea. It feels really good when you have someone that supports you. The moment I appeared here I felt lost and out of place. Which is not surprising.” he turned around. Behind him lights of the party warming up the darkness of the night. “I’m glad it was you who summoned me. You’re exactly the support that I needed to find myself in this completely new world” he added with a smile.

Kureha touched her chest. She felt as if she couldn’t let out any words.

Her lips trembled a bit before she could just answer with short:

“I’m glad I could help.” She walked over and stood next to him, leaning on the railing.

"It's just a shame you couldn't introduce yourself properly right away. It took you God knows how long," he joked.
"You have to remind me of things like that just when things were starting to get nice!" She kicked him in the calf.
"You're such a violent woman! If not a throw a pillow, then a kick.”
"If you keep joking like that, you'll get hit more often," she said, beaming at him.
The Black Knight fell silent at the sight of her smile. A small blush appeared on his cheek.
"Hey, lovebirds! How long are you planning to coo over us like that?!" One of the guests had found them. "Come back down!"
"Maybe you can encourage me somehow," Zavisha asked.
"Oh, if that's what you want, Mr. Weapon of our Kureha." A confident smile appeared on the man's face. "We have vodka."
"I'm coming down now," the Black Knight replied without hesitation.
"Hey!" Kureha shouted as he quickly jumped onto the balustrade and then jumped down. This surprised the poor man, who was dragged along to drink the promised vodka.