POV: Kael
The arrow split Sir Gareth's sword in half.
I stared, mouth hanging open. The boy—Riz—had shot Sir Gareth's weapon right out of his hand, breaking it clean through the middle. That was impossible. Nobody was that good.
"RUN!" Riz yelled, already nocking another arrow. "I'll cover you!"
Chaos erupted. Knights charged toward Riz's rooftop. The bounty hunter dove for me. Villagers stampeded in every direction.
"Move!" Leo screamed in my head.
I ran, clutching my bleeding arm. Behind me, more arrows whistled through the air—not at people, but at feet, forcing knights to jump aside. Riz was creating a path for my escape.
But why? He didn't even know me!
I ducked through market stalls and around corners, following Leo's frantic directions. My lungs burned. My vision blurred from pain and exhaustion. I couldn't keep this up much longer.
"There!" Leo guided me toward a small church at the village edge. "The door's open!"
I stumbled inside and slammed the door behind me. The church was empty and quiet. Candles flickered near a small altar. I collapsed onto a wooden bench, gasping.
"Your arm," Leo said urgently. "You need to stop the bleeding."
I looked at the cut. Deep, but not terrible. Using strips torn from my already ruined shirt, I wrapped the wound as tight as I could stand. My hands shook the entire time.
"That should hold for now," Leo said, though he sounded worried. "But you need a real healer soon."
"I need ANSWERS!" I snapped suddenly, all my fear and frustration boiling over. "What IS this, Leo? What are we? Why does this work? How can a sword talk? How can you guide my movements? EXPLAIN IT!"
Silence.
"Leo?"
"I... I don't know," he admitted quietly.
"What do you mean you don't know?!"
"I mean exactly that! I don't understand this any better than you do!"
I wanted to throw him across the room. Instead, I just held him tightly, staring at the blade. "You said you used to be human."
"I was."
"Tell me. Everything you remember. Please."
Leo was quiet for so long I thought he wouldn't answer. Then, slowly, he began to speak.
"I remember... a small apartment. Swords on the walls. I collected them. Studied them. They fascinated me—the history, the craftsmanship, the stories behind each one." His voice grew distant, lost in memory. "I had a friend. Marcus. He thought my hobby was weird. But he accepted it anyway."
"What happened?"
"There was a sword. A replica. Beautiful, but flawed—it had a crack in the blade. I felt... connected to it somehow. Like it was calling to me." He paused. "I fell. The blade went through my chest. I died."
My breath caught. "That's horrible."
"It didn't hurt. That's the strange part. There was just... cold. And then darkness. So much darkness." His voice cracked. "I was trapped. Alone. Unable to see, hear, or feel anything. Just existing in nothing. Do you know what that's like? To be completely isolated from everything for years? Decades?"
Tears filled my eyes. "No. I can't imagine."
"I went a little crazy, I think. Talked to myself. Made up stories. Anything to stay sane. Time lost all meaning. Was I trapped for fifty years? A hundred? Two hundred? I don't know."
"But you're here now. With me."
"Yes." His tone softened. "When you grabbed the sword in that cave, everything changed. Suddenly I could sense again. Feel through you. See through your eyes. Hear through your ears. It was like waking up from the worst nightmare in existence."
I ran my finger along his blade. "Is that why you were so grumpy when we first met? Because you wanted a hero and got me instead?"
"I was terrified," Leo confessed. "What if you dropped me? What if you left me somewhere? What if I lost my only connection to the world and ended up in that darkness again? I'd rather die—really die—than go back to that."
"I won't leave you. I promised, remember?"
"I know. And I believe you. But Kael..." He hesitated. "I don't know WHY this works. I don't know why I can talk to you. I don't understand how our connection lets you fight like a trained warrior. I have theories, but no real answers."
"What theories?"
"The legend called this sword 'Stormbringer's Echo.' Maybe it was always meant to have a spirit inside. Maybe the original blacksmith created it that way—a weapon that could bond with a wielder and make them stronger. And somehow, when I died, I became that spirit."
"But you said you felt connected to the sword before you died. Like it was calling you."
"I know. Which means maybe..." He trailed off.
"Maybe what?"
"Maybe I was supposed to be here all along. Maybe dying wasn't an accident. Maybe it was destiny."
The word 'destiny' hung in the air between us. I hated that word. It implied everything was planned, that I had no choice in my life. But sitting here, wounded and exhausted, holding a talking sword that made me feel braver and stronger than I'd ever felt before... maybe destiny wasn't so bad.
"When I hold you," I said quietly, "I don't feel alone anymore either."
"Really?"
"Really. Sir Gareth always made me feel worthless. Like I didn't matter. But you... you make me feel like I can do anything. Like I'm not a failure."
"You're NOT a failure. You never were."
"How do you know?"
"Because a failure wouldn't have survived everything we've been through. A failure wouldn't have cut an arrow out of the air, or defeated three knights, or escaped from Sir Gareth twice. You're brave, Kael. Braver than any legendary hero."
My tears fell freely now. Nobody had ever said things like that to me before. Nobody had ever believed in me.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"No. Thank YOU. For grabbing me in that cave. For not leaving me behind. For being my partner."
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment. The candles flickered. Outside, voices shouted—the knights were still searching.
"We should probably figure out our next move," Leo said finally.
"Like what? Every knight, bounty hunter, and greedy villager in the kingdom wants to capture us. We have no money, no supplies, and I'm hurt. What CAN we do?"
"We find answers. Real answers. There must be books about legendary weapons. Records. Something that explains what Stormbringer's Echo really is and why we're bonded."
"Where would we find that?"
"The capital city. It has the kingdom's largest library. If answers exist anywhere, they're there."
"That's three days away! And we'd have to get past checkpoints and guards and—"
The church door burst open.
I jumped up, raising Leo defensively. But it wasn't knights.
It was Riz, the boy with the bow. He grinned at me, not even breathing hard.
"Hey! You're fast. Took me forever to track you down."
"Who ARE you?" I demanded. "Why did you help me?"
"Like I said—name's Riz. As for why..." He shrugged. "I don't like Sir Gareth. He's corrupt and cruel. Enemy of my enemy and all that."
"That's it? You risked your life for a stranger because you don't like someone?"
"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds dumb." He walked closer, studying me with curious eyes. "But also, I heard the rumors. A girl with a legendary sword. A weapon that talks to its wielder. I had to see if it was true."
I held Leo protectively. "What do you want?"
"To help! Look, you're trying to get to the capital, right? To clear your name or find answers or whatever?"
"How did you know that?"
"Because that's what I'd do. And I know the best routes—the ones that avoid checkpoints. Plus, I'm an excellent thief. We'll need supplies, and I can 'acquire' them without paying."
"I don't steal!"
"You're wanted as a thief anyway. Might as well earn the reputation." He said it so casually, like breaking the law was no big deal.
"He's trouble," Leo warned in my mind. "But... he might also be useful. And we DO need help."
I studied Riz. He couldn't be much older than me—seventeen, maybe eighteen. His clothes were worn but practical. Weapons hung from his belt, including that incredible bow. He looked confident, almost cocky.
But his eyes were kind.
"Why should I trust you?" I asked.
"You shouldn't. I'm a thief and a liar. But I'm good at both, which makes me the perfect travel companion." He held out his hand. "What do you say? Partners?"
I looked at Leo, then back at Riz. Every instinct screamed this was a bad idea. But Leo was right—we needed help. We couldn't survive alone.
Slowly, I reached out and shook his hand. "Partners. But if you betray us—"
"Your magic sword will cut me into tiny pieces. I get it." He released my hand and turned toward the door. "Now come on. We need to leave before—"
The door exploded inward.
Not kicked open. EXPLODED. Wood shards flew everywhere.
Through the smoke stepped the bounty hunter from earlier. But she wasn't alone.
Behind her stood a figure in a dark robe, face hidden by a hood. Power radiated from them—I could feel it in the air, taste it like metal on my tongue.
Magic. Dark magic.
"Found you," the bounty hunter said with satisfaction.
The robed figure raised one hand. "The sword. Give it to us now, or I'll burn this entire village to ash."