The caravans eased down a slope toward a sea so still it seemed suspended in time. This was the first time in Hazahnahkah’s life he shuddered, goosebumps along Hwayoung’s skin. It was the most perfect and unnatural formation he had ever seen. No waves. No wind. No sighs. No life—only the patient, impossible stillness of molecules in eternal accord. Only a realm of impossible atomic order: each molecule hovered in precise alignment with its neighbors, frozen in a lattice of perpetual equilibrium. The usual chaos of thermal motion—vibrations, rotations, collisions—had vanished, yet no heat was lost. Energy existed in an impeccably balanced molecular meditation. And then, this great and unimaginable phenomenon grew even more unimaginable; Hazahnahkah realized this was not one ocean—these were individual rivers—lined and crossed like flawless patchwork beneath the sable diamond sky.

  Yurreth stepped away. “Swordpriest.”

  Galfarys stiffened. Even in Hwayoung’s limited organism, Hazahnahkah could feel the man’s tension. He was scared. The many masks he had worn up until this point melted off, but this was not obvious to anyone but the Sword. He took off his satchel and revealed two very strange items that Hazahnahkah had not expected him to carry.

  A brush and palette.

  “What is this place?” Hazahnahkah and Hwayoung asked.

  Galfarys paced slowly into the river, pulling up a second satchel filled with dozens of brightly colored elixirs. “Where you heal.”

  Yurreth’s servant frowned. “Have you worked with Serpent’s Spill potency before? Our Rapscallion would want Hazahnahkah better than new and nothing less.”

  “I will try my best.”

  “But is your best good enough, Swordpriest?”

  “Mine is.” Ysan stepped forward, into the water.

  “You are not a Swordpriest,” the servant said. She frowned towards Yurreth, brooding. “You could damage The Key beyond use.”

  “I have delicate hands so I am good with delicate things,” Ysan argued. “And I am no stranger to things that are strange to me—”

  “You have one hand. You may observe.”

  Clearly, Ysan’s skills were not trusted by Yurreth’s best. Galfarys took Hwayoung’s hand. “You’ll float,” he said.

  Hazahnahkah eased the girl’s nerves and laid back, slowing his breathing. This was very easy for him to do, but he could sense his wielder struggling with letting go. Perhaps he needed to be more empathetic to her at this moment, and not focus so much on the big picture of things. He gave her time to acclimate, and eventually, the little muscle fibers which itched to tread water finally knew peace. She shut her eyes, but strangely Hazahnahkah could still see. She kept a tense clutch on Hazahnahkah’s old and riddled blade body. Even if her chin dug the hilt deep into her collarbone. The Sword decided it was best to let her release him herself, and if not let it be.

  “Will I be able to fight on equal terms with Knife after this?” Hazahnahkah asked.

  Yurreth frowned. “That is up to you. Runic therapy is designed to bring out power based on intention. I am sure you have this, yes?”

  Hazahnahkah wasn’t sure anymore. He was still curious about his maker, and he had forgiven Hwayoung even though he was too stubborn to say it. More than anything, he wanted Knife to pay. “No good can come from feeding murderous intent.”

  “To have a Ramble is to walk one’s way,” Yurreth replied. “You must be true to your feelings or only bad things will come of them.”

  “Even if the feelings are bad?”

  “There is no such thing as a bad feeling.”

  Maybe Yurreth was right. Maybe murder wasn’t bad if it was to protect people... But Hazahnahkah wasn’t sure if he was doing this to protect people anymore. Knife had done terrible things to him. Terrible things he probably couldn’t even remember. Hazahnahkah needed to stop suppressing these selfish urges, because after all these years they weren’t going away. He felt betrayal when Hwayoung had lied to him. Feeling something made it real. Hazahnahkah had been running away from his true feelings for a long time. He had been so interested in his wielders and their worlds because he was trying to get away from himself.

  Galfarys drew his first line in Hazahnahkah along the fuller. A slow, deliberate sweep of spring green. The sword felt like a refreshing chill running down its spine, the weight of the brush pressing a thick yellow that clung to the steel. Together these were a mint as cold as the purest winter air. It snapped up Hazahnahkah’s consciousness back to his old body and nearly took it entirely. Now he could feel both Hwayoung and himself at once. Two places in space, two spaces in one. It all felt so lightweight, so free he could not feel his blade. Ah, yes, this overwhelming abundance of freedom was only what Hazahnahkah could feel was harahm. Next came layers of violets, oranges, blues, indigos and more. These pigments were thicker, oilier. It spread with a faint resistance, and swirled with ardent reds. These sweltered together, a clammy carefree summer. Some ingredients were an elixir of many eras Hazahnahkah once forgot, resources men and women spent their whole lives looking for: skyfire resin, swordfish ink, comet salt, phoenix coral, black pollen, stolen dawn, and breath of wind. Each brushstroke blooming, billowing, and breaking as loudly and as briskly as a ystallo woods. Galfarys was very intentional. Any artist would see it. Galfarys painted around the wounds, for they were still there, and between them he made runes of braving brown. They fell and scattered upon Hazahnahkah like fall leaves. The Sword no longer felt separate from this paint. The colors of six seasons were sinking into it. Swordpriest runic therapy was phenomenal. The fractals, patterns, and connections Galfarys painted upon them were furthering the enhancement of Serpent’s Spill water.

  Attuned: Has a reciprocal relationship with Hwayoung where one may be particularly sensitive to the other’s feelings and thoughts.

  Cherished: Both Hazahnahkah and his wielder have improved capacity to improve attributes, develop powers, and ideate new abilities via symbiosis.

  ???: A mysterious ability based on Hwayoung is developing through [Cherished]. Fully developed when the relationship reaches 100.

  (Debuff) Maimed: +50% damage from all sources. → Maimed (x4) +200% damage from all sources. Source: Vrast. → Healed fully.

  (Debuff) Libeled: Regeneration slowed by 50%. → Libeled (x4) Regeneration slowed by 200%. Source: Vrast. → Healed fully.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  (Debuff) Pilfered: The following ability has been [Pilfered] by Vrast and cannot be used: [First Terror]. Source: Vrast. → Healed fully.

  (Debuff) Disassociation: Hazahnahkah has no recollection of events preceding Ysan picking him up. Source: Unknown.

  “You may feel some pain,” Galfarys whispered. “I assure you it’s natural. Serpent’s Spill only grows more potent with time, and it will bring your attention to the damage in your blade. Should this place truly be its source then it will feel strong.”

  There had already been pain, but it wasn’t the jolting invasive agony of the cuts Knife had dealt the Sword. It was a good pain. It brought awareness to the imperfections in Hazahnahkah’s reflective surface. The waters filled up the cracks and scapes, bit by bit, starting with those terrible terrible holes. By the time Hazahnahkah was fully submerged, Hwayoung’s sensations became as far as that low-hanging star in the sky. They grew dimmer and dimmer, pulsating between gentle and intense as Galfarys drowned his finished work and let it, and the girl which held it, slip into the river sea.

  - A successful journey… beyond the threshold of reality. Both [Hazahnahkah] and [Hwayoung] have learned [Jaguar Stance].

  Jaguar Stance: Sacrifice 50% of Energy for a 50% increase in Agility + the amount of Energy sacrificed. Afterimages may appear after movement.

  - [Hazahnahkah] and [Hwayoung] have been baptised with runic therapy in the incredibly restorative and empowering waters of Serpent’s Spillage, the source of all Serpent’s Spill water, gaining +30,000 to Attribute points to train freely. They have begun developing [Serpent’s Spillage-Developed Ramble].

  Health (source of vitality and abilities): 900,000,000,000

  Energy (source of stamina and abilities): 900,000,000,000

  Agility (speed of actions): 61,100 → 91,100

  Regeneration (rate of recovery per hour for Health and Energy): 100,000,000,000

  Tenacity (resistance to unwanted effects): 100,000,000,000,000

  Strength (physical or mental reality manipulation potency): 1,000,000,000

  Health (source of vitality and abilities): 5,000

  Energy (source of stamina and abilities): 3,500

  Agility (speed of actions): 12,000 → 42,000

  Regeneration (rate of recovery per hour for Health and Energy): 100

  Tenacity (resistance to unwanted effects): 200

  Strength (physical or mental reality manipulation potency): 150

  It was interesting that both of them were both deciding to develop their Agility when they could have trained anything else from all their experiences.

  Deep below, Hazahnahkah could hear Hwayoung so clearly. More clearly than he ever could before. “Are you still mad at me?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Hazahnahkah said, more annoyed than angry.

  “You don’t sound angry.”

  The philosopher in Hazahnahkah slipped out. He couldn’t help but quip. “Love is a commodity that is regulated, not finite… I cannot hold your feelings for Nazaki against you—he is after all, still in danger, and I am, after all, not alive.”

  “You’re alive.”

  “For better or worse.”

  The girl seemed to be able to sense his newfound nihilism through the waters. She heard his voice in this darkness, and once again the Sword felt seen. He did not quite trust this feeling. Was it coming from himself, or from the sea? He grunted, but before he could say anything Hwayoung placed her hand up against an indentation where one of the holes Knife had made once was. What remained was a crystalized filling. It seemed even Serpent’s Spill was not enough to fully heal Hazahnahkah.

  “I think the patterns are pretty, even if they hurt,” Hwayoung said.

  “They don’t hurt now, so maybe I should keep them.”

  “They make you memorable.”

  Hazahnahkah wasn’t sure if she was teasing him or not. This was clearly implying he was not memorable before. “Why would you ever need to remember me?”

  “Galfarys painted me too,” Hwayoung said. “I think I’ll stay down here for a long time.”

  “Oh…”

  “I want a Ramble of my own, and time to develop it. I hate how dependent I am on you. This is my one chance. Better than any other I’ve had.”

  “I understand. Who will you give me to?”

  “Didn’t you want to return to Ysan?”

  “Only if she wants me,” Hazahnahkah replied, weary. He wasn’t emotionally accustomed to deciding where he wanted to go. He was intimidated by such a decision. “I think I will develop a Ramble that allows me to choose who picks me up, and how.”

  The light of the low star above bounced for only a moment in Hwayoung’s eyes. She blinked. “How?”

  “I have a very good imagination, but I have seen many things. … Inspiration is often greater than imagination is. I would like to combine them.”

  “Is emulating what you’ve experienced before imaginative?”

  “Building upon it is,” Hazahnahkah answered.

  “... Can you save Nazaki for me?”

  “If you can thank me later.”

  Hwayoung snickered. “Deal.”

  “You can’t stay down here too long,” Hazahnahkah added.

  “Okay, okay, fine.”

  “Would you be able to remember me without these holes?”

  “Hmmm… Probably not…”

  Hazahnahkah hummed to himself. He supposed he was glad he didn’t have the choice of healing from them. “And who will give me to?”

  “Yurreth.”

  This caught Hazahnahkah by great surprise. Yurreth conquered her city, her kinsmen, her country. He had assumed Hwayoung’s promise since then was to end Yurreth. Apparently, he was still just getting to know the surface of Hwayoung. “Why?”

  “Everyone does bad things, but nobody really finds out why. I’m really excited to see where she’s taking us—all of Serpent’s Ramble—and I want to be there to witness it. I want to see why. Then… and only then. I’ll make up my mind on how to feel about... my own parents… and the world they brought me into…”

  “But… I thought you wanted to kill Yurreth, isn’t that why you fought her? I had always thought you blamed her for your parents not...”

  “I wanted to become a Rapscallion. Powerful. Feared.”

  Hazahnahkah was taken aback by this. “Why?”

  “I’m not that good, Haz.”

  “Then what was your promise?”

  “To live.”

  Hwayoung: Disillusioned 199/100 → Connected 200/100 → [Hwayoung-Developed Communication Ramble]

  Ysan: Lamented 100/100

  [Hwayoung-Developed Communication Ramble] → [Speaker].

  Speaker: Hazahnahkah can manifest telepathy with his [Second Terror] to create physical sounds. Consumes less than 1 Energy and hour.

  [Serpent’s Spillage-Developed Ramble] → [Painter's Palette Ramble]

  Painter's Palette Ramble: Using 10% of Energy, Hazahnahkah can create ten gallons of paint. This paint can be used to physically create and influence interdependent entities, items, or phenomena that Hazahnahkah understands. Consumes 1% of Energy per minute for each interdependent entity, item, or phenomenon still acting.

  Hazahnahkah: Forgiving 90/100 → Connected 100/100 → [Hazahnahkah-Developed Communication Ramble]

  [Serpent’s Spillage-Developed Ramble] → [Swimming Ramble].

  Swimming Ramble: Unobservable.

  [Hazahnahkah-Developed Communication Ramble] → [Relay Ramble]

  Calling Ramble: Unobservable.