Volume 01 - Chapter 5: For Whom the Tales Are Told (Part 04)

The sky sure is beautiful. Hazy blue with ribbons of pale orange and warm crimson, a bright white orb peeking over the horizon. To witness a glorious sunrise on my legendary journey rather than when I’m preparing to work the fields is beyond pleasurable. However, I would change just one thing. Something I should really stop avoiding. A simple thing. See, humans are meant to walk upon the earth—not fly through the sky.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Wind fills my throat, choking me.

I bind one hand to the sword, the other gripping Caliburn with all my fast-fading strength. If I let go of either—I’m dead. No second chances. My body slams into the dragon’s each time it changes direction, jerking from left to right, rolling, doing flips, trying to fling me to the ground.

It tears through the sky. Raging wind berates my ears and batters my clothes, tearing them further. My shirt is one stitch from splitting in half.

The mountain we burst from sits far below but never goes out of sight. The dragon must not want to leave this area. If I can make it descend, I can meet the others. Assuming they escaped the cave-in…I’m sure they’re safe…hopefully.

No. I can’t worry about them now. I need to find some way to ground this dragon. Let’s aim for its head. Which means I must scale its body, as it twists and turns, with no idea how to do so and one hand holding Caliburn…

“Now!” I release the massive sword when the dragon levels horizontally.

I slide back to near the edge but stop myself by grabbing a thick scale. Ruby red, thousands of bumps and ridges along the surface, layered like the rocky roofs of Hleigar. Each run down, but there are gaps distant enough between each to grab and climb.

One after the other. Take it easy. Nice and slow. You’re halfway there, Leo. The dragon shoots up vertically, loops in a circle, and plummets back down, flinging me off in the process. I fly through the air, thinking about what my life amounted to, my family, the girls, all the places I’ll never see, and the hero I’ll never become, but only for a second. I smack into the sword still stuck in the beast and grab its handle. Such was expended all my good luck for the rest of my life…

Back to square one.

This time, I stay in place by wrapping Caliburn around the other sword and grabbing a scale. Thus begins my second climb. Caliburn’s glow is all but faded. I accelerate, heaving, head pounding, whole body ablaze. Before I know it, I reach the dragon’s giant, spiky head.

Wait…what was I supposed to do when I arrived? Were I a dragon, what would make me plummet to the ground? Gold? Food? Women? No, it can have those whenever it wants. Negative reinforcement, then…yes. Pain. However, piercing these iron scales is impossible. What isn’t protected by scales? Those massive, gleaming diamonds, of course—the eyes.

I edge closer as it thrashes its neck. I hold on by wrapping Caliburn around it. Meaning, I can’t stab its eye. Not that I could in the first place. Caliburn is too long to achieve the needed angle. Something smaller…in my boot, the small knife I took when I left home.

After the dragon calms, I retrieve the knife and drag myself closer to its eyes. An enormous, diamond eye meets mine, glaring in irritation. I drive my knife into it, pushing the blade in deep.

The beast roars louder than ever before, and stops in midair, letting itself fall, fat belly to the sky. It plummets as I hold on with all my might, using its eye socket as leverage. Halfway to the earth, it flips over and reorients itself but doesn’t stop descending.

With a boom, the dragon smashes into the ground and slides, flinging dirt and grass as it carves a path with its massive body. I’m sent flying and also crash, my body skipping and skidding until I stab Caliburn into the earth to stop.

“Leo!”

All three girls run toward me with astonished expressions.

“Good…they’re safe.” I heave a sigh of relief as I sit up and lean against Caliburn.

“Leo, are you hurt?” Koishi kneels and inspects my bloodied body.

“For now…just don’t ask me to move for a couple months.”

“You need to be more careful about how much damage you take. The shock you receive once Caliburn’s power wears off might kill you.”

“K-Kill me? Not the injuries, but the pain?”

“Yes, so please—don’t push yourself.” She leans close, taking my hands, her shimmering eyes moist.

“He won’t die.” Mizuka stands over us, arms folded. “You’re not allowed to fight anymore, Leo.”

“What about the dragon? It’s still alive.” In fact, it’s back on its thick feet, whipping its tail in a fury.

“Obviously. But as Koishi said, if you take any more damage, you’re apt to die, which would cause me innumerable problems.”

“It would be a problem for me too…What should we do about it?”

“Ask it to stop.”

“…Huh? Are you serious, Mizuka? It’s a dragon.”

“A dragon indeed. A being far more intellectual than you humans. I spoke with many dragons the last time I was awake. They may be greedy but are reasonable beasts at heart. I’ll see if I can’t win over this one.”

“I don’t know, Mizuka. It doesn’t seem open to conversation.”

“Only because you interrupted its sleep. A sentiment to which I deeply relate. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Mizuka approaches the fuming beast with her head held high. It looks past her, seeming unaware of her existence.

“Good tidings to you, honorable dragon! We apologize for disturbing you! Might you tell me your name?! I once knew a family of dragons in this area! Perhaps you are one of their descendants?!”

Without warning, it swipes a massive claw at Mizuka who ducks at the last second. Cursing at it, she runs back to us.

“Reasonable indeed,” mutters Wolf, choking back a laugh.

“S-Shut up! Something’s wrong with that wretch. How dare he not even respond!”

“Now what?” I ask.

“Kill it. The sword stuck in it no doubt belongs to the girl, which means it belongs to me. And I’d like it returned. Besides, we can’t very well let the brute loose. It might destroy Hleigar.”

“Can we actually defeat that giant, angry monstrosity?”

“Not us, but she can.” Mizuka motions to Wolf, who wears her usual hard expression, no trace of her former sorrow remaining.

“By herself? Impossible. Its scales are impenetrable.”

“As if.” Wolf stretches her arms forward. “I can take that fat lizard.”

“Leo’s right. Punching it won’t help, but we do have a weapon that can pierce through.” Mizuka points to the prize in the dragon’s back.

“Ah…the sword wouldn’t be there if it hadn’t cut through in the first place.” I stand, knees shaking, pulling Caliburn from the dirt.

“Exactly. If the girl can reclaim her sword, she can slay the dragon.”

“You telling me to use a sword? No thanks—not my style.”

“Do you want your true power and memories returned or not?”

“Will it make me stronger?”

“Much, much stronger than you are now,” whispers Mizuka, wearing an evil grin.

“…Fine, I’ll take it. Climbing up there might be diffi—easy, super easy for me.” Wolf jogs in place, boxing the air.

“I’m glad you’ve made up your mind as it’s coming to—”

An enraged roar resounds as the dragon barrels toward us, claws pulverizing the ground they tread upon. Wolf springs into action, running toward it, slower than usual. Fighting the Downer so many times must have exhausted her.

They meet near the tent we rested in earlier, sharing glares. We landed much further from the abandoned mines than anticipated. We three move to stand in front of them, close enough to observe but at a safe distance. The glow of my sword flickers like a candle in the wind. Even if I wanted to, I’m incapable of fighting.

Wolf bounces left, dodging a swipe from the dragon’s razor claws. She keeps moving, trying to get behind it, but its tail slamming the ground before her stops her dead. The beast turns in a flash, faces her once again, its belly expanding as it sucks in heaps of air through gaping nostrils.

“Run!” I yell, the many stories of dragons I’ve read flashing through my mind.

Seconds after Wolf soars backward, an immense stream of red and orange flame spews from the dragon’s mouth, scorching the ground black, dotting it with cinders. Several tents erupt in flame, their thin wood and fabric crumbling to pieces. Wolf shields her face, running left, trying to escape the extending blast.

“So it is a dragon.” Mizuka rubs her chin without a care in the world.

“W-What else could it be?!” Sweat from the heat drenches my face.

“Well, until it breathed fire, I’d assumed it was a lesser dragon, such as a wyvern or drake.”

“Those are still dragons!”

“Quit shouting.” She shoos me, wiping her forehead with her other hand.

Wolf continues her struggle to mount the dragon. The trail of blood leaking from its empty eye socket gives me an idea.

“Go to your right! It can’t see out of its left eye!”

“Say that earlier!” Wolf barely avoids another swipe.

She stops and bolts right, sending the dragon into a panic. Instead of lurching with its claws, it twists as fast as its stumpy legs will allow, thrashing its tail at random, each flick missing Wolf by a considerable margin. She leaps, tries to mount its back, but hundreds of sharp, yellow teeth rushing toward her stop her ascent. Turning in mid-air, she places a hand on its nose and pushes off, landing several paces away.

Heaving, she clears some distance from it by weaving through the campground. The dragon, angrier than ever, tramples straight through, paying no mind to the tools, tents, and piles of ore in its path, grinding them all to dust under iron claws. Realizing the pointlessness of her actions, Wolf stops and faces the beast once again, olive skin shining with sweat. She’d never admit it, but she won’t last much longer.

“Come and get me!” She raises her fists.

They charge each other. Seconds before she’s swallowed whole, Wolf jerks right and bounces forward. The dragon tries to bite her like before, but Wolf hits the ground and slides under the dragon’s belly, popping out on the opposite side. Unable to react fast enough, it can’t stop her from kicking off the ground, flipping through the air, and landing on its back, an arm’s length from the sword.

She grabs hold, both hands wrapped around its long handle. A bestial scream breaks from her throat as she pulls with all her might. A blood-red pillar of light bursts from the blade, swallowing Wolf.

“Take this!”

Wolf’s voice pierces through the fast-fading light as she appears high in the sky with greatsword in hand, violent glee on her curving lips, matching the blade. She crashes down, blade cleaving through the dragon’s neck, separating head from body. A geyser of black blood gushes from the hole, showering Wolf. She licks her lips, yanks her blade from where it’s embedded in the earth, and points it at the dead beast.

“How’s that?! Stupid lizard! Nothing can defeat me!” She laughs, swinging her sword in random directions.

A minute of her gloating passes before she stops and approaches us, dragging her sword along the ground. We meet her halfway; Mizuka asks how she’s doing.

“Much better.” She wipes blood from her eyes. “I can’t believe I was missing so much of my power.”

“Like you weren’t strong enough.” My tension drains as I collapse and lean against Caliburn again.

“You yourself are whole again, girl. However, your power isn’t the only thing you’ve regained.” Mizuka smiles and extends her hand to Wolf. “Care to tell us your name?”

“…My name?” She grimaces, but quickly shakes her head and nods once. “My name is Grendel. And this,” she sticks her sword in the ground, “is Naegling.”

Their hands meet as Mizuka whispers something in Sabigo. A ring of red and golden light forms on the ground beneath them. Wolf…no, Grendel pales and tries to escape, but Mizuka holds on tight, smirking.

“What are you doing?! Let me go!”

“Sorry, Grendel, but some of your power is mine. Don’t worry, you shouldn’t disappear.”

“D-Disappear?! Wait, no, I’d prefer that to you taking my power. Let go!”

“See? Had I asked nicely, you’d have refused. This is my only option. Besides, as my fragment, you’ve no right to resist.”

“I answer to no one!” Her body twitches, but only once. She’s frozen solid. “W-Why can’t I move?!”

“A simple paralysis spell. One someone of your caliber should be able to break with ease.” Mizuka’s laugh is cut short by a wince as she presses a hand to her forehead.

“Master, are you alright?” Koishi steps close.

“Fine, I’m just…remembering.” Sorrow forms on her lips. “Grendel…I’m sorry, you—”

“Shut up. I don’t want your pity.” She glares, pale blue eyes hollow and cold.

“…So be it.” Mizuka lets go, the ring of light quickly fading. “Done.” She approaches me. “Your hand.”

“What for?”

“Now.”

“…Fine.” She grabs my hand with a snap.

Burning pain rips through my chest, emanating from my brand. Not this again. As my face crumples, Mizuka releases my hand and lifts my shirt.

“M-Master?! Doing such things in broad daylight…you’re so bold!” Koishi blushes, mouth twitching.

“T-That’s not what I’m—” Her cheeks match Koishi’s as she recoils, still holding my shirt. “I’m checking this.” She points at my still aching brand.

The power transfer restored another piece of the puzzle. A sword, one resembling Grendel’s. A massive, curved blade sitting on the outside. Turned upwards, it hangs like a crescent moon, seeming a section of a larger circle.

“Perfect.” Mizuka steps to Koishi’s side. “With that, I’ve regained another fragment. Good work, everyone.”

“You witch! I did most of the work, and you have the nerve to steal my power. Who do you think you are?!” Recovered, Grendel stomps forward, bearing down on Mizuka, who stands her ground.

“Hmph, if I hadn’t come along, those Wheezers would’ve killed you long before you found the Downer. And! How dare you call me a witch. Take it back.”

“No. It’s a fitting title for a conniving spellcaster like yourself.”

“Conniving? I am not!”

“I’d say that’s pretty accurate, Mizuka.” I suppress a laugh. “Had you not seduced me with your naked body, we wouldn’t even be here.”

“L-Leo! I told you to forget that!” She seizes my shirt, shaking my limp body with crimson cheeks.

“See? Only a witch would sink so low as to deceive her own companions.”

“S-Shut up, you, you…brainless barbarian!” Mizuka tosses me aside and faces her aggressor.

“Ha! Better that than a calculating coward.”

“Enough! Why am I arguing with one of my fragments? This is no different than arguing with myself…” Mizuka grabs her head and shakes from side to side, but soon stops. “We’re leaving.”

She turns and strides toward Hleigar. Grendel scoffs, starts after her, but stops upon seeing my and Koishi’s fear-stricken faces.

A familiar bubbling charges the still air. Black bubbles hiss and pop from inside the headless neck. A profusion of maggots surfaces from within the corpse, wriggling around the wound. The body twitches, tail swaying, claws digging into the ground. A hideous mass of flesh takes the maggots place, mashing together, forming a long, scaly neck, and finally—a fat, ugly head wearing a blank expression.

“The dragon…!” Koishi grabs Mizuka’s shoulder.

“What now?” Mizuka flips around, terror replacing her irritated glare.

“Looks like it’s back for more.” Grendel grins, hoisting her sword onto her shoulder.

“Wait, Grendel.” I do my best to stand straight. “You can’t possibly have the energy left for another fight. Let’s—”

“Retreat? You’re real fond of that tactic, aren’t you?” She levels Naegling at me, its menacing tip a hair’s breadth from my nose. “Forget it. Reclaiming this gave me enough power to fight for another three days.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s immortal, apparently. We went through this before. Even if you behead it a million times—it won’t die.”

“Maybe with the…thing from before, but we haven’t tried killing this lizard a second time. It’s worth a shot.”

“Indeed. A dragon of that size can only have so much myra to charge its regenerative power.” Mizuka points to the beast. “Slice it to pieces, Grendel.”

“With pleasure.”

“W-Wait a second…” My voice falls as Grendel bolts toward the dragon.

“Everything will be alright, Leo.” Mizuka forces a smile and moves closer. “Here.” Lifting my arm, she crawls under, draping it over her small shoulders.

“M-Mizuka?” The coolness of her nape and the smoothness of her skin set leave me dizzy.

“What? I’m not so cruel a master as to make my servant stand on his own in such a miserable state.”

“Ooh, Leo…keeping Sister all to yourself. How could you?” Koishi playfully rubs her eyes.

“I’ve no patience left for your jokes.” Mizuka puffs her cheeks.

“So, if I make a joke about how lovey-dovey you two look, you’ll punish me?”

“K-Koishi! Don’t think I—”

Bam! Grendel blocks a swipe from the dragon’s claw. We’re rendered silent and stare toward their mad dance. She’s much faster, making laps around the beast, aiming first for its thrashing tail. A split second before the thick whip sends her flying, she jumps and bisects it on her way down, swinging her massive sword as though it were a feather.

The dragon spins, roaring in agony. Grendel is already out of sight, lifting Naegling high before chopping off its back-right leg. Unable to turn, it tramples forward in a panic, but losing its other back leg brings it to a stop. Slumping to the ground, it concedes, watching with empty eyes as its front claws suffer the same fate. Without missing a beat, Wolf glides into the air and drives Naegling through the base of its neck, its head falling to the ground with a pitiful thud.

“Try again!” She laughs, taking several chops at its still body, blood spraying each time she removes her sword.

“Should we stop her?”

“She’ll tire of it soon enough.” Mizuka fidgets, the tops of her milky-white breasts gleaming with sparse sweat.

“S-Sure, but won’t it regenerate?”

“If it does, doing so should take some time.”

“Hmm…why didn’t it regenerate its eye earlier? Why wait until dying?”

“It’s impossible to know for sure, but its revival spell might be one that only activates upon death or major injury. Perhaps the dragon was keeping it a secret to catch us off guard.”

“Death…all those maggots…” The memory of them squirming in its severed neck makes my stomach churn.

Mizuka looks up at me in shock. “Did you say ‘maggots’?”

I nod and detail what I saw; Mizuka was looking away when the dragon revived.

“That explains everything. Grendel didn’t kill it; it was already dead. And it didn’t revive, but reanimated. The reason it didn’t answer my questions is because it hasn’t a shred of its original intellect remaining—its undead.”

“Like a…zombie?”

“That is the crude term for it, yes. It must be the work of some filthy necromancer. To murder such a dignified creature and turn it into a puppet…” Glowering, she curses under her breath. “Regardless, it falls on us to put it out of its misery. And ours.”

“What if it revives…reanimates again?”

“Kill it again.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

“…I’ll think of something.” She frowns, eyes wandering.

After her thousandth swing, Grendel stops, faces us, and waves, a huge smile on her blood-soaked face. A cacophony of bubbling reaches our ears. One of the dragon’s claws regenerates in an instant, steam billowing from its pulsing flesh. Before Grendel can escape, the dragon swipes, catching her left arm mid-dodge. A fountain of blood erupts from her wound as she howls, leaping forward several times, landing near us.

“Grendel!” I shudder, watching her scarlet mix with the beast’s black. “That’s enough! Let’s get out of here!”

“I’m fine! I can still…still fight.” She wobbles but stays upright, left arm hanging like a pig in the slaughterhouse.

“You can’t. You’re hurt. Killing that thing is impossible.”

“Nothing’s impossible, you…coward. I just need a second to…” She falls to one knee, hand still wrapped tight around Naegling.

“It would come to this, wouldn’t it?” Mizuka sighs and points at Grendel. “Koishi, patch her up fast!”

Koishi dashes to Grendel’s side, kneels, and whispers while holding her hands to the wound. A faint white light appears, slowing the river of blood.

The dragon remains still, continuing to regenerate, but much slower than before. It must’ve used a great portion of its myra to restore that one claw.

“Leo. I want you to listen carefully to what I’m about to ask of you, understand?” Mizuka glances up, blushing, her soft breath tickling my nose.

“…Understood.” Was Mizuka always this cute?

“There’s something I haven’t told you…something I’ve been, well, hiding. Remember when I said I don’t have as much myra as I should?”

“Isn’t that because your power is in fragments?”

“Yes. However, myra is not my sole source of power. It accounts for but half of my total potential power.”

“…And the other half?”

“A mere fraction of it remains.” Her eyes cloud. “I’ll explain later, but for now, I need you to do just one thing, Leo.”

She slips from under my shoulder, takes my hand in hers, and holds it to her chest.

“I need you to believe in me.” She stares deep into my eyes, a golden fire blazing beneath hers.

“Believe in you?” Her heart beats faster as her grip tightens.

“Just that. If you believe in me, I can regain some of my power.”

“I don’t understand. What about you am I supposed to believe in?” What does she mean? Is believing in someone the same as trusting them? No, her trembling lips tell me she’s hoping for something else.

“In my power, my legend, who I am, what I am…I don’t know how to say it…I’ve forgotten almost everything. It’s difficult to even believe in myself. That’s why I need you, Leo. Reflect on everything you’ve experienced. Finding me at the lake, pulling Koishi’s sword from the stone, fighting the Downer with Grendel, and now, a battle with a dragon. What does it all remind you of?”

“…My storybooks.” Unrealistic. A fantasy. Like a dream. Nothing I’ve been through since I met Mizuka should’ve ever been possible, and yet…

“And what did you find in those?” She leans closer, twinkling eyes like stars.

“Legends…legendary heroes, monsters, and…swords. There’s always a sword. In every legend, wielded by each hero.” Koishi’s in the stone, Grendel’s in the dragon, but not Mizuka’s. She should have a sword, too. She called herself The Undying Blade, yet she has no sword.

“Yes, our legend is no different, Leo. If you’re the hero, then I’m…”

“The sword.” I pull her into my chest. “Mizuka, no, Excalibur. If that’s what you need, I’ll believe in you. With all my heart, I believe in you. So please, reveal your true self.”

“Thank you, Leo.” Ethereal green light envelops us as her indecipherable language pours from her pink lips in a steady rhythm.

She steps back and raises her arms high with palms to the sky, chanting in an unfaltering rhythm. A blinding orb of light forms above her; golden, as if all the world’s treasures were collected and compressed inside. The orb shifts, cracks like an egg, and bursts, revealing the greatest of all treasures.

A sword. Long, straight blade bearing a golden shine. A pure platinum handle, the cross-guard inlaid with precious jewels of every color. Beautiful. No amount of praise would ever be enough to describe its sheer magnificence.

I have no longing for it, no urge to grab hold of it, only that vague desire to treasure it burns in my soul. Maybe because I already claimed it in a way. As I am bound to Mizuka, so am I bound to the sword—to Excalibur.

Mizuka smiles, lowers her arms, and points a finger ahead. Fully revived, jaws snapping, tail dancing, the dragon glares with icy eyes, waiting for us to strike. Grendel stands and thanks Koishi before telling her to fall back. Her arm no longer bleeds but remains limp against her side.

“Ready, Grendel?” Mizuka moves forward, Excalibur floating along with her.

“Ready enough to take my revenge.” She pulls Naegling from where she embedded it in the earth and points it forward.

“Then listen up. I’m going to cast a spell that will keep it from reanimating. But I need time to prepare. Can you distract it without dealing any damage?”

“I can’t attack?” Grendel scowls, nose twitching.

“Not until I cast the spell.”

“Why not? I’ll happily kill it as many times as it takes.”

“There are several reasons, but we’ve no time for a lesson in spellcasting. Now get over there and try not to die.”

“Such inspiring words.” She laughs. “Why do you two put up with this witch?”

“Master is not a witch. Her coldness is part of her charm.” Koishi smirks.

“Agreed. Underneath her cruel words lies a kind heart. Her inability to be honest is cute.” I meet Koishi’s playful gaze and mimic her expression.

“Super cute.” Koishi nods several times as Grendel raises an eyebrow.

“E-Enough! We’ve no time for this idiocy.” Mizuka makes a sweeping motion with her hand as the dragon stomps toward us, tired of waiting.

“Just don’t take too long with your fancy spell.” Grendel rockets forward, sword skipping along the ground behind her.

Mizuka chants in Sabigo with eyes closed and hands held toward Excalibur, words spilling faster and faster. The sword shines brighter and rotates in place, gaining speed with every revolution.

Grendel blocks a swipe with Naegling, the blow throwing her back several paces. Somersaulting in midair, she lands on unsteady feet. The beast’s belly swells once again, but instead of running, Grendel slides underneath, the flames connecting with nothing. Dodging another swipe, she slams her sword into the ground, using the momentum to fling herself forward and lands just outside the thrashing tail’s reach. The dragon flips around, taking Grendel by surprise, opening its mouth, razor teeth coming to swallow her whole.

“Stilmot!” Mizuka swings her arms down, a mass of golden light shooting from Excalibur, slamming into the dragon a second before it chomps.

It roars and freezes in place as the light encases its entire body, trapping it like a fly in a spider’s web. Grendel wastes no time in leaping toward its claws, chopping off each limb with little effort despite her injury. Front claws, back claws, tail, and once again, the head hits the ground as she cleaves through its neck, a new coat of blood dousing her skin.

Three severed heads and several limbs lie scattered about the campground, each from a single, now-lifeless body. One Grendel pays no more attention as she drags herself back toward us, a smile on her exhausted face.

A smile soon fading as she howls and falls to her knees, a black haze covering her body.

“Grendel!” I force my aching legs forward, but Mizuka screams to stay back.

“I hoped this wouldn’t happen, but there’s always a price for power.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“Something similar to your curse, I suppose. Not a true curse, but an exchange. If she uses too much of her sword’s power, it will corrupt her mind and turn her back into…regardless—she won’t die, but we might.” Mizuka grimaces, raising her arms to Excalibur.

“Don’t tell me—”

“Aghhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Grendel flies toward us, faster than ever before, slime dripping off her blackened body.

“Leo, here!” Mizuka dashes to my side and presses her hands against my chest. A wonderful warmth spreads through, relieving some of my exhaustion. “That should help. Distract her while I come up with a plan.”

“M-Me?! How?!”

“I don’t know! Just keep her away from me and Koishi!”

Before I can protest, the mad beast Grendel hurtles toward me with empty eyes. I raise Caliburn to block her first overhead swing. What insane power. If not for Caliburn, my arms would have snapped into a million pieces. She pulls back and swings down again in the same spot, over and over. The ground swallows my boots as she drives me further into the dirt with every blow.

As she slams into Caliburn again, I shift it left, causing her sword to slide and glide into the ground. She growls as I backstep, ready my sword, blood pumping hard, sweat in my eyes. One mistake and I’m dead. Is this what it means to be a hero? Always knocking on death’s door?

She leaps and swings sideways, meeting my sword as I shield my stomach. The blow knocks me off my feet, and I land on my shoulder, pushing myself up to block another slash from on high. From the left, the right, and left again, I block them all, hands numb. Grendel stops, howls, and jumps into the air, insane smile peeking from beneath the haze.

Holding Naegling at the same angle she used to slay the dragon, she falls—a black, bloody crescent moon crashing down on me. I raise my sword, knowing it’s pointless. Such an attack is too devastating to block.

“Parilis!”

A green orb flies from Excalibur, smacks Grendel in the chest, stopping her in mid-air. She plops to the ground, laid flat, limbs splayed. I too fall. Right next to her, taking the same position. Our swords lay with us, our hands still gripping their handles, each for different reasons. Mine to stay conscious, Grendel’s to kill. But neither of us can lift a finger.

“It’s over.” Mizuka wipes her forehead. “In case you’re wondering, I paralyzed her again, using a much stronger version of the spell.”

“Will it…last?”

“Long enough for her madness to dissipate.”

“…Is she going to be alright?”

“Better off than you,” she laughs, motioning for Koishi to follow as she approaches. “Now, for this…” She snaps her fingers. Excalibur emits a bright light and disappears.

“Your sword…” I mumble, still wanting to admire it.

“A wondrous sight, no? However, manifesting and controlling it takes too much myra.” Panting, she sits, stretching her slender legs. “And given the high-level spells I also cast, I’m rather exhausted.”

“Ah, Master, allow me.” Koishi beams as she kneels behind Mizuka, grabbing her shoulders. I sit up, curious.

“Hya~ W-What are you doing?” Mizuka stiffens, blushing.

“Giving you a massage…Or, do you not want one?” Koishi’s voice fills with dejection, but her goofy grin remains intact.

“…Fine, I’m too tired to retaliate. Do as you wish.”

Eyes flashing, Koishi digs into her shoulders, gasps of pleasure leaking from Mizuka’s lips.

The growling of a struggling Grendel trying to break free disrupts this pleasant scene. A fishing net of yellow light binds her. Her skin remains pitch-black; the haze soaked not only into her mind but her body as well. She thrashes about with all her might yet cannot move even an inch off the ground.

Koishi’s massage and Grendel’s struggle last a few more minutes until both stop, Mizuka demanding to be left alone, Grendel calming. The haze fizzles and fades. The taint on her skin drains and regains its olive hue. As light returns to her aqua eyes, she breathes a long sigh.

“All done?” Hands on her hips, Mizuka stands over Grendel.

“…I sure hope so,” she replies, voice pained.

“Good, then here.” Mizuka claps and the net of light evaporates, freeing Grendel.

“…Sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize. I told you to fight. And despite both of us knowing what would happen, you followed my order. You have my thanks.”

“No, I shouldn’t have let myself lose control. Thanks for stopping me. I don’t want to turn into…” She stares at the clear sky.

“…Into what?” I ask, despite her glistening tears threatening to spill.

“My…mother.” What she called the Downer; the word she whispered a thousand times. “Inside me is a monster like her, waiting to break free. But. It’s a monster I chose to accept.” She sits up, wiping her eyes. Koishi and I lean close, eager to learn what happened inside the cavern. Mizuka remains still, not disinterested but wearing an expression suggesting she already knows Grendel’s story.

The Downer, Grendel’s mother, was waiting for her. She wanted Grendel to return to her side, stay in the cavern together with her, and live in the way humans expect them to—as monsters. Beasts howling in the night, stealing, killing, and devouring whatever they like.

Her mother never wanted to live that way. She too was like Grendel once, human, but not; a touch too different to be trusted. So, unable to join them, she became the monster humankind said she was.

Yet, she could only withstand the solitude for so long. Before the beast inside completely consumed her mind, she found someone who trusted and loved her despite her monstrous inclinations. Even so, she resolved to send him away before he too became a victim of her curse. But she still couldn’t bear the loneliness.

Thus, she figured if she couldn’t be a part of human society, she’d make a community of her own by giving birth to other monsters. The first of her children was Grendel.

At first, she raised Grendel as a monster. But as she was born of a union between a being half-human, half-monster and someone fully human, Grendel leaned far more to the side of humanity. Her mother saw this all too clearly and found herself teaching Grendel the way of humanity instead.

She wanted Grendel to live a better life than her; to join the humans, and live as they do in full. Once Grendel had grown and was more human than monster, her mother sent her from their cave and into the world of humans.

However, she soon realized she’d made a mistake. Just as she cast away her humanity for the monster, she’d taught Grendel to cast away her monster side for humanity. But one is not better than the other. Both sides make them who they are. So, she determined to bring Grendel back to their cave. She wanted Grendel to accept both sides of herself and not end up like her, leaning too far to one side and despising the other.

It was only when Grendel traveled to this part of Seiren that her mother ‘activated’, Mizuka adds, saying the Downer might not have existed in this world until Grendel arrived in Dragonwall, upon which her mother summoned her. The Wheezers acted as guides to bring Grendel into the cave and reunite her with her mother, which is why they never truly tried to harm her. Both they and the Downer allowed themselves to be killed countless times to remind Grendel of her monster side.

“Only after fighting her, killing her so many times, did I realize what I was…a monster—just like her. If she were ever to be set free from her curse of isolation and immortality, I would have to accept her. I had to take in all her misery and hatred…meld with the monster I tried so hard to suppress. So, I did. I remembered who she was, what she meant to me, and what I had lost. Now, I am Grendel, both human and monster—the last of my kind.” She holds a fist over her heart, face down, hair masking her crying eyes.

“And…our friend.” My vision flickers; nausea tears through my core.

The last bit of blue fades from Caliburn as it slips from my fingers. Fiery pain rips through every part of my body. Flashes of white and red blaze in tune with my pulsing brain. I vomit a mouthful of blood, shivering as it paints my trembling hands. Without strength to even scream, I slump over, the chill of death crawling up my spine.

“Leo!” Cries a voice, then another, and another. Over and over until they fade further and further away. All I see is…all I hear is…

Void.