Volume 01 - Chapter 3: Three's a Curse (Part 06)

We return to the park and gather before the sword, all at a loss. Mizuka rubs her chin with increasing intensity. Barmaid clings to her, smiling her same sunny, mindless smile. Between hunger and exhaustion, my mind is in a fog. Even so, something must be said.

“Any ideas?”

“Had I any, we wouldn’t be standing like scarecrows,” snaps Mizuka.

“So, after all our running around, we learned nothing?”

“Nothing useful in helping us reclaim this fragment.”

“Maybe we should go over what we learned again.”

“It would prove pointless. All we discovered is this stone and the lake are connected. Meaning, the girl and I are connected. Something we already knew.”

“What if we learned more about you or the lake?”

“The only way we can is by retrieving the sword and hoping it restores some of my memories.”

“What about those sister swords?

“Yeah! Maybe we’re sisters.” Barmaid’s eyes twinkle.

“N-Not necessarily. Just because I was bound to that particular lake does not mean I’ve any relation to the sword associated with it. As for you, we’ve no idea if this sword is the one mentioned in the book.”

“There’s nothing we can do?” I sigh.

“Not at the moment. I hoped to finish this today, but we’ve little choice but to concede and continue our investigation tomorrow. Let’s head back to the inn.”

“Wait…wait. Let’s try something else.” No way am I letting Mizuka drain my coin before feasting at Sparrow’s End.

“Like what?”

“Umm, well, hold on a second.”

“No, I’m growing sick of this sword. I swear it’s laughing at me.”

“L-Look at the blade. It’s pure silver—it must be the sword mentioned in the book. Let’s assume, no…pretend you two are those sister swords. If so, why not try pulling out the sword together?”

Mizuka’s eyes pop, and she yanks a stumbling Barmaid to the sword. “Why didn’t I think of this before? With our combined myra…no, because it cannot recognize only one of us as its owner, it needs both to claim it. Excellent work, Leo.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” I join them under the tree’s thick shadow.

“This has to work.” She grabs the sword. “Come now, girl. Don’t you want your name returned to you?”

“I-I do. But, I’m not sure…all the times I failed flash through my mind whenever I come close.” Barmaid grimaces, one hand gripping the other.

“Cast aside your worries. All those failures will soon be overwritten by victory.”

Mizuka grabs one of Barmaid’s hands, interlocks their fingers, and pulls her closer. Barmaid gives a fierce nod and grabs the sword, her hand overlapping Mizuka’s. We wait in silence for nothing to happen. The sword remains captive. The girls push, pull, and kick the stone, but their struggle proves futile. Barmaid’s shoulders slump as Mizuka unloads every insult she knows upon the sword.

I open my mouth to apologize, but find I cannot speak. The mark on my chest aches, shining red and blazing brighter as I edge toward the sword. A voice inside my head screams: ‘Take it!’. Burning. Pain. Brain splitting in two. I must have it, make it mine, keep it safe, pure, unsullied by the evils of this world. My feet move to the stone. My hand reaches for the hilt.

“Leo! What are you, stop—” screams Barmaid, but she’s too late.

I grab the sword, my hand covering the girls’. A jolt rips through my body, shattering every nerve. White fills my vision as a towering pillar of light erupts from the stone, tearing through the night sky. I leap back as both girls let out a short cry.

The light fades in seconds, and my hazy vision reveals Mizuka staring at Barmaid. She stands tall with the sword held tight in both hands. Its mighty silver blade reaches for the heavens, catching pale moonlight and gleaming bright; its sapphire a shining star.

“I…we did it! I got it back!” Barmaid hugs the sword with an expression of absolute bliss. “After all this time…I didn’t think I’d ever retrieve it, ever call it mine again. But it’s like Master said, none of my previous failures matter now.” She strikes several poses with the sword, swinging it like a child with a new toy.

“You,” Mizuka approaches Barmaid, “why are you still here?”

“Master…? What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

“You should have…well, I can’t be sure, but in all likelihood, you should’ve disappeared.”

“Disappeared?! Why would I do something so scary?”

“You didn’t know? Well, I suppose you wouldn’t. See, you’re nothing more than a fragment of myself—an existence with no significant substance. Once you became whole by reclaiming your sword, I should’ve absorbed your power, and by extension—your existence. Your physical body would disappear as a result of merging with myself,” explains Mizuka, matter-of-factly, without a trace of remorse in her terrifying words.

“I-I may not be worth much, but you could’ve at least warned me beforehand.” Tears threaten to spill from Barmaid’s wide eyes.

“…I suppose so.” Mizuka rubs her forearm, looking left.

“That’s the least you could do for this poor girl you’ve been dragging around all day,” I say, mark still aching.

“Listen. I was surprised. I don’t understand what that blasted warlock did to me, so don’t blame me for not knowing how any of this works.” She pouts a moment before facing Barmaid. “I didn’t mean to scare you. And I don’t mean to imply I want you to disappear. I-I’m glad you’re still here.” Faint crimson paints her cheeks.

“Master…I’m glad I didn’t disappear either!” Barmaid flings herself onto Mizuka, the sword held between their slender bodies, jostling between their breasts.

“G-Get off before one of us is stabbed.”

Barmaid retreats, throws the sword to the ground, and hugs Mizuka again.

“Don’t toss it aside! What happened to all your joy at retrieving it?!”

“Master is more important.” She nuzzles against Mizuka’s chest.

“Yes, yes. I’m happy you’re happy, but don’t cling to me so much.” She makes a wry smile and pats Barmaid’s head.

Yet this endearing moment doesn’t last long as Barmaid pushes away Mizuka and bolts over to me. Glaring in genuine rage, she grabs my shoulders, arms angled high. Dizziness leaves me unsteady as those glorious, pillowy masses brush against my stomach.

“Leo!” She shakes me back and forth with all the strength she can muster, which isn’t much. “I told you not to touch my sword, but you did anyway! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”

“S-Stop yelling and relax. I…had to. Something forced me to grab it. Besides, we got it out, didn’t we? What does it matter how?”

“Yes…but there might’ve been another way. Not that it matters. You’re beyond saving. You’ve placed yourself in the absolute worst danger, Leo.”

“…How so?”

“You…you’ve been cursed.” She bears the same hopeless sorrow she wore when stopping me from grabbing her sword earlier.

“Cursed?!” Asks Mizuka, recovering from the shock of being discarded. “What do you mean ‘cursed’?!”

“Cursed is cursed. Claiming my sword cursed Leo. Remember what Marigold said? The younger of the sister swords had a curse placed on it before disappearing.” Barmaid releases me but sticks close, cowering before the fuming Mizuka.

“You mean to say you are…this sword is indeed one of those sister swords?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Meaning…you got your memories back?” I ask, looking over my arms and legs for any gray spirals and finding none.

“Memories?” She presses a finger to her forehead. “They’re back!” She hugs me; blood trickles from my nose. “I know everything about myself, where I came from, my power, my history, and…my name.”

“Well?” Mizuka flashes a warm smile. “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

She hops back and nods. “My name is Caliburn.” She bows, her voice clear, a touch more mature. “Please continue to take care of and use me as you see fit, my Masters.”

“I’m glad to finally meet you, Caliburn. I suppose it’s only fair to tell you my true name as well.” Mizuka curtsies but takes a long pause before continuing. “…Excalibur. My true name is Excalibur.”

“Caliburn…Excalibur…Cali, Calibur? Mizuka, don’t you think your names are similar?”

“N-No, what would make you suggest such a baseless thing?” She mutters, showing us her back.

“Well, most of her name is in yours. Plus, I found you at the lake and Barm—Caliburn near the stone. The natural conclusion would be you’re the other sister sword.”

“L-Leo, don’t—”

“Master is my older sister…?” Caliburn shakes—hard.

“T-That’s not…it’s just a coincide—”

“Sister Master Mizuka!”

Pouncing like a mountain lion, Caliburn wraps her arms and legs around Mizuka, rubbing their faces together. Mizuka’s useless resistance leads to their toppling to the earth.

“We’ve been separated for too long, my Sister! Deep in my heart, I knew something was missing, that there was someone I longed to meet.” Caliburn looms over Mizuka, hands pressed flat against the dirt, both wearing scarlet cheeks. “We’re finally reunited. My sword, my name, and my Sister! All in one night. I’m so happy!”

“T-This is why I didn’t…no matter,” fusses Mizuka, in-between gasps for air as Caliburn smashes against her face. “But I can take only so much. If you don’t remove yourself within the next five seconds, I’m going to pun—be nice to you forever.”

Not in five, but two seconds does Caliburn rocket to her feet, offering a hand to Mizuka, who takes it.

“Thank you…m-my sister, I’m not unhappy to be reunited with you as well.”

Caliburn nods a thousand times, body tense as she struggles to resist jumping on Mizuka again.

Mizuka coughs once. “Back to the issue at hand. What of this curse?”

“Curse? Oh…yes, Leo’s curse. Worry, but don’t worry too much. It’s not a fatal curse like the one placed on Millie’s father. That said, I tried to stop all those people from pulling out my sword for a good reason.” After composing herself and adjusting her disheveled uniform, she collects her sword and swings a few overhead slashes. “Not only does the sword bear a curse, but myself as well—us being the same entity,” she begins, her speech pattern having changed along with her vocabulary. Regaining her memories seems to have made her both more mature and intelligent.

A person who can claim Caliburn must fulfill three conditions. The first two are what Marigold spoke of in her story. One, the potential wielder must possess phenomenal strength, and two, a kind heart. While many with those qualities tried to claim it, all failed because of the third condition. They must also possess an indeterminate destiny.

All living creatures with a soul are born with an indeterminate destiny but show signs of how their lives will unfold by the end of their adolescence, thereby determining their destinies. Some will work for justice; others for evil. Some will prosper, while others suffer in poverty. Such fates can be overturned with enough effort, but few possess the strength to do so.

A person with an indeterminate destiny, however, has a personality that could lead them to countless potential ends. Their actions do not tend toward one direction or another. Caliburn tells me I have such a destiny, a thick fog obscuring my heart and soul. Mizuka agrees, claiming that’s why she was so desperate to form a contract with me in particular.

While a few challengers fulfilling all three conditions did try to claim the sword, they failed because of a fourth, unintended condition—that Caliburn herself has to like the potential wielder.

Were the sword a mere sword, it wouldn’t care who claimed it. But as the sword manifested as Caliburn and developed a personality, she and it became rather picky. And as Caliburn never bothered to acquaint herself with any potential wielders, no one was ever going to claim her sword.

“By that logic, why couldn’t you or Mizuka pull it out?”

“Because my…our destiny has been determined.” Melancholy coats Mizuka’s whispered words. “It was decided a long, long time ago. A better question would be why Leo of all people was deemed worthy.” She forces a mocking smile.

“I hate to agree, but I definitely don’t fulfill the first two conditions and don’t see how you could’ve come to like me in but half a day, Caliburn.”

“Y-You do.” She presses her fingertips together. “I don’t know about your strength but can tell you possess a kind heart. And despite our short time together, I’ve come to like both you and Mizuka.” She breathes deep, placing her hands over her heart. “Even though you knew nothing about me, you treated me as if we’d been lifelong friends. Most people see me as just a barmaid and treat me as such. Mizuka’s the first person, or whatever we are, I’ve ever felt I could get close to. And you, Leo, you didn’t just exchange the usual pleasantries with me but took a genuine interest in me, in my life here, how I felt about it all. You talked with me, asked me questions, answered mine. You smiled and laughed with me and were the first to call me by my true name. I know such things sound simple, but they’re more than anything I ever received during all my time in Gamaloth.” She scratches her ruby red cheek. “I don’t really know what I’m trying to say, but…thank you. Yes, that’s it. That’s what I’ve wanted to say all day. Thank you.”

Caliburn’s dazzling smile leaves both me and Mizuka without words to say.

“D-Did I say something wrong?”

“…No, I—we were just surprised. I’m…glad you feel that way, Caliburn.”

“As am I,” mumbles Mizuka, hiding her smile with a hand. “But let’s save the sentiments until after you’re done with your explanation. Poor Leo has yet to learn what curse has befallen him.”

“Yes, Sister Master…Where was I?” She puffs up her cheeks and pokes them, blowing out air.

Upon the sword, upon Caliburn, and now, upon myself, lies a curse: ‘The Chosen King’, she calls it, words dripping like poison from her lips.

Whoever claims Caliburn will attain glory and riches, but his life will end in failure. No matter what he does, no matter for what cause he fights, and no matter how far he runs, he can never escape this fate. For every blessing the sword brings, the curse creates an equal amount of suffering. Failure and subsequent death is the only way to break the curse, at least as far as Caliburn is aware.

Hence why the sword requires someone possessing extraordinary potentiality. Only someone with strength of body, mind, and character can bear such a terrible curse. Why the sword…why she chose me is a mystery. I’m weak, lazy, and a coward. Even so…

“I’ll bear your curse.” I approach Caliburn, pressing my nails hard against my palms. “I was destined to fail from the beginning. Without Mizuka, I wouldn’t have even made it this far. Such a curse is an easy burden compared to the boring life I would’ve led. Don’t worry about me. Don’t think I’ll blame you for my suffering. Don’t ever hate yourself for not being able to stop me. I grabbed the sword of my own will, and I’m prepared to deal with the consequences.”

“Leo…you.” She presses her tear-stained face against my chest.

“Remember those words, Leo.” Mizuka’s tone turns serious. “The glory I lead you to may not be everything you imagine it will be.” Her eyes are hollow, a strange something smoldering beneath. I can’t stand to look at them.

“I’ll…keep that in mind.”

“That’s all I ask. By the way, come here and show me your brand.”

“You mean the mark? Sure.” I let Caliburn step back before removing my shirt.

“A-Again with the stripping…can you not just lift your shirt?”

“This is faster. Easier to see.”

“Whatever.” She leans close and traces a tickling finger across my chest. “Thought so. See that?”

Another mark formed in the exact place where the flames burned fiercest. A sword. Below and left of the first. Similar, but smaller. Rather than a new mark, it’s more like reclaiming Caliburn restored a missing puzzle piece of the first.

“It’s me! Or…my sword.” Caliburn runs her finger along it as well.

“This is my brand. It symbolizes myself and denotes that which belongs to me.” Mizuka thrusts out her chest.

“Do you have one?” I ask, despite my better judgment.

“Leo…don’t you know better than to ask a girl what lies beneath her clothes?” She growls, each word formed in freezing ocean depths.

“…What about this sword in the middle, is it you? I mean, yours?”

“T-The sword? Well, I’d love to tell you, but I’d say it’s high time we make good on our promise to Millie. You know what to do now, don’t you, Caliburn?”

“Me?” Caliburn frowns, poking her temples. “I do! I remember!” She states that as a cursed sword, she knows much about curses, given how much time she spent trying to figure out how to break her own. “Vastupen. A worthless curse. More like a practical joke. A beginner could break it. Poor Millie. Whoever cast it better hope I never find him.” Her candy voice doesn’t match her spiteful words.

“Then off we go,” says Mizuka, giving the stone one last kick before departing.

Caliburn gives chase with her sword dragging the ground behind her. Trying and failing to ignore the fact I too now suffer a curse, I follow after them with heavy footsteps and heart.

***

An hour before dawn, Mizuka makes a quiet rap on Millie’s door. Without a sound, she appears behind us with bleary eyes and a kitchen knife in hand.

Mizuka swallows a scream. “H-How did you—”

“Quiet.” Millie presses a finger to her lips. “I can’t take any chances if that masked freak’s still in town. Anyway—back so soon?”

We tell her we’ve accomplished our task and have returned to break her father’s curse. Beaming, she leads us up a hidden ladder to her roof and down another into her home, the front door being locked. We creep into her father’s room and she places a lit candlestick on his nightstand. He is as before, squirming in place as the ashen snakes dig into his diseased flesh.

“Another day or two and it might’ve been too late,” mutters Mizuka. “Caliburn, hurry and end their nightmare.”

“Yes, Master.” Approaching Millie’s father, Caliburn casts the sheet covering him to the floor.

Placing both hands on his chest, she soon finds herself forced to retreat due to his thrashing. She asks the rest of us to hold him still, and I bind his legs, while Mizuka and Millie each take an arm. Bloodshot eyes bursting open, he bellows in terror and rage, demanding to know who we are, to free him, but we hold still. He is no stronger than a child in his current state.

Caliburn presses her tiny hands hard against his hairy chest and shuts her eyes. Chanting a long string of unintelligible words, likely in Mizuka’s ancient language of Sabigo, she struggles to keep her hands in place.

A circle of light packed with eldritch runes and nonsensical, geometric patterns forms at her feet. As her chanting reaches a fever pitch, tiny dots of light float up from the circle and form an orb above her hands. In a flash, she grabs it and forces it inside his chest. An ear-shattering clap stuns us solid as a circular band of green light shoots out from Millie’s father.

“It’s…done.” Caliburn slumps to her knees, bangs drenched in sweat.

Millie examines her father in suspense, waiting for what’s haunted her all this time to disappear. Mizuka claims the spiral marks will take at least a month to fade, but he is without a doubt free from the curse.

Color returns to his sunken cheeks. He lies still, once labored breaths steady. While anyone ignorant of the situation would assume he’s on death’s door given his dismal appearance, he’s already leagues healthier than he was but a moment ago.

“Dad’s really…he’s finally…going to live.” Millie bursts into tears, joining Caliburn on the floor, who pulls her close.

Me and Mizuka watch in silence, sporting warm smiles. I’d forgotten that in between journeying through foreign lands and fighting monsters, the heroes in my storybooks lent a hand to anyone in need. Whether an entire town besieged by a dragon or an impoverished family suffering in silence, both are worth saving. Not that I did much but am happy to see them spared from what would’ve led to disaster. One my own family might one day face. One I won’t be around to prevent. My cheer turns to heart-wringing guilt.

Once Millie calms, she wipes her father’s face with a wet rag and covers him with a fresh sheet. She bids we gather in the living room, where she gets on her hands and knees, thanking us without end. Failing to suppress her prideful smile, Mizuka insists she raise her head. Millie also apologizes for the trouble she caused by stealing the book, but Mizuka brushes her off, saying it’s but water under the bridge.

“Rather, I’d have you tell me of this masked man. When and where were you to sell him the book?”

“When I don’t know, but he said he’d be at the general store on the north end of town.”

She narrows her eyes. “What else can you tell me about him? I need every detail, no matter how insignificant.”

A man in a mouthless mask of black lacquer with narrow slits for eyes. Shadowy robes similar to a public official’s or holy man’s obscured his towering figure. A deep voice unmistakably belonging to a man, but lacking identity; each word spoken in monotone.

“Other than that, nothing. It was dark, I was tired, and we didn’t speak long.”

“Then we’ll just have to pay him a visit tomorrow to learn more. But for now—sleep.” She faces me with a lovely smile belying raw malice. “Leo, when we return to the inn, I expect a room far better than that wretched broom closet.”

“Feel free. I’ll sleep in the park.” The morning sun now peeking over the horizon should keep me warm.

“And how should I pay for a room?”

“I don’t see how that’s my problem.”

Grabbing my shirt, she’s seconds from shaking me to death when Millie raises her voice.

“Why don’t you sleep here? It’s the least I can do. In a way, I…owe all of you my life. My whole family does. If you hadn’t been here, he…”

Caliburn wipes Millie’s next round of tears before they fall. “Everything’s alright now. Put it out of your mind. Pretend it never happened. Things might be hard for a while, but you’ve made it through the worst part. Besides, you’ve already proven yourself quite the survivor. And I’ll be there to help until your father is healthy again. I’ll save enough leftovers for your whole family.” She yawns, moving toward the entrance. “I’m sure these two would love to stay, but I’d better be going. I’m already in a world of trouble for skipping work yesterday. If I’m not there for opening today, they might put me out with the leftovers.” She giggles but stops upon seeing Mizuka giving her a bewildered expression. “…Something the matter?”

“Why not stay with us?”

She raises an eyebrow. “Like I said, I have work in the morning. If you’re worried about my needing a bed, don’t. I have my own room at the tavern.”

Mizuka laughs, approaches Caliburn, and pats her shoulder with unnecessary force. “No, no, no. You’re coming with us, dear sister.”

“…I don’t understand. Do you mean you want me to come with you? To…leave Gamaloth?”

“Obviously. I’d ask if you’d rather stay, but so long as you possess a fragment of my power—I’m never letting you out of my sight.”

Caliburn turns to stone. Excitement and hesitation fight for supremacy in her twisting expression. She looks between us two outsiders and Millie. One representing change, the other familiarity. One a new life, the other potential stagnation. She faces the same dilemma Mizuka proposed to me and is equally indecisive.

“I…” Caliburn breathes a long sigh and slaps her cheeks. “I’ll go! I want to be with you two. I’ll miss my days working and living here, but now that I have my sword, it’s time to move on…I must.” She faces Millie. “I’m sorry, Millie. I just said I would help, but now I’m…”

Millie barrels into her. “It’s fine. You’ve done more than enough for me already. I’ll miss our chats, but you’re special. Breaking my father’s curse like that…you deserve to go somewhere much better than this dump.”

“Thanks, Millie. It might be the wrong time to ask, but could we…be friends?”

“Weren’t we already?” She snickers. “Of course we can. Quit acting like a little kid. And now that we are, it means you have to come and visit me every once in a while, got it?”

“I will!”

The two share a long hug, and Caliburn drags Mizuka into it as well despite her protests. With a fragment reclaimed, a curse broken, and another curse bestowed, we heed the call of sleep. I take the couch, while the three girls pile on Millie’s tiny bed.

Reflecting on the day’s events, I realize I haven’t a clue what happened. To a commoner farmhand, magic, warlocks, and curses are but fairy tales. Yet it seems such ideas were not born from an overactive imagination but based on reality. Alas, I can make no sense of it, so don’t bother trying. As sunshine pours through the cracked windows of Millie’s home, sleep soon takes hold.