Valen Ashbluff

Jin's question lingered in the air as we settled back into the car, the soft hum of the engine a backdrop to the thoughts churning in my mind. "What will you do now?" he had asked, and it was a fair question. The Myrkwrought merger was done, a strategic win for Noctalis, but there was no room for complacency. 

I leaned back and stared out the window, the lights of Ashenreach flickering like distant stars. The truth was simple: I needed to grow stronger. Yet, despite all my efforts, the goal of making my sword resonate remained elusive, shimmering just out of reach like a mirage. 

It was logical, really. I had only recently broken into Integration-rank. To have achieved Sword Resonance so soon was literally impossible. And while my progress had been swift, reality had started to catch up with me. Integration-rank was a different beast; it marked the point where even the most talented began to slow, the meteoric rise of power becoming a steady, painstaking climb.

"The next big step is claiming my three rewards after New Year's," I said, glancing at Jin. He nodded, understanding the significance without me having to explain further. The isolation chamber alone was worth its weight in gold for what it could offer me in terms of growth.

Yet, as the conversation lulled, another thought crept into my mind—one I'd been wrestling with quietly. Leaving Mythos Academy. The idea seemed almost absurd, but there it was, scratching at the edges of my resolve. I shook my head to dispel the notion. No, that wasn't an option. Not yet, at least. The Academy was more than a place of learning; it was a crucible where alliances were forged and rivalries sharpened. To walk away now would be to sever the very connections that could be the key to everything.

I sighed, the weight of the path ahead pressing down on me like an iron mantle. Growth, in all its unforgiving patience, would come. But for now, the road lay before me, winding and uncertain. 

"Let's focus on what's next," I finally said, more to myself than to Jin. The car rolled on, carrying us back into the heart of the city, where the future waited with its secretive grin and challenges yet unseen.

Back at the estate, I parted ways with Jin and headed for my room, the weariness of the day clinging to me like a shadow. Just as my fingers brushed the door, a Death Knight appeared, its expression as stony as its purpose.

"Arthur Nightingale, the King summons you," it intoned, its voice resonating with an unnatural timbre.

A chill ran down my spine. I followed without question, the silent hallway stretching before me like an uncertain path. Soon, we reached one of the grand dining halls, where Valen Ashbluff sat alone, an imposing figure carved from resolve and mystery. His presence was so commanding it felt as though the air itself bowed in his wake.

"Sit. We need to talk," he said, his voice resonating with a quiet authority that allowed no dissent. Luna's presence stirred in the back of my mind, a whisper of concern, though she remained silent.

"Do you know why your sword doesn't resonate?" he asked, his gaze piercing straight through me.

The question jolted through me, and I nodded, eyes wide.

"It is simple, Arthur Nightingale," he continued, each word weighted as though spoken from a precipice. "It is impossible for you to achieve Sword Resonance as you are now."

The room seemed to shrink around me. "What do you mean?" I managed, the question slipping out with more urgency than I intended.

Valen's eyes, dark and fathomless, locked onto mine as he rested his chin on a steepled hand. "Your progress is admirable, but futile. You cannot resonate your sword because your soul has yet to fully merge with your body."

The weight of his words crashed over me, my heart pounding a furious rhythm. How could he know? This truth had been buried, invisible to even the keenest observers. Yet, here he sat, unearthing it with the casual grace of a man flicking dust from his cloak.

"I am the most powerful necromancer in this world," he said, his tone almost wistful. "My eyes see beyond the veil, further than even I sometimes wish. Without unity between soul and flesh, how can you expect your sword to sing with your will?"

The revelation left me breathless. I was silent, the room's grandeur suddenly stifling. Before I could ask how or why, Valen leaned forward, an offer gleaming in his gaze.

"There is one way for you to achieve what you seek," he said. "After the Field Trip, return here. I will grant you access to the isolation chamber of our house, for as long as it takes."

I swallowed, the implications spinning in my mind. "Why would that work?"

A thin, knowing smile ghosted across Valen's face. "Our chamber is unlike any other. It is a place where the echoes of the dead and the remnants of souls are woven into its essence. It will force you to confront what divides you, to merge where you are now fractured."

The room fell silent, the magnitude of his words settling over us like the stillness before a storm.

"Why?" I asked, the question hanging in the air like a blade, poised and sharp.

Valen's eyes darkened, their depths unfathomable. "Ignorance is weakness, Nightingale," he replied, each word carrying the weight of a lesson learned too late. "There are questions you must find the answers to on your own. They are not mine to give."

The meaning behind his words seeped into me, slow and unsettling. If Valen was right about my fractured soul—because I had been cast into this world, a stranger in an inherited body—then it was a revelation that cut deeper than any sword.

Without true resonance, I would never touch the Wall, let alone ascend beyond it. Immortal-rank, Radiant-rank—all those dreams would be mere phantoms, drifting further out of reach.

I opened my mouth, ready to ask another question, but Valen silenced me with a raised hand. "Your sword resonated during the Festival, but it was no triumph of your will," he said, a subtle edge of pity in his voice. "It resonated not because you wielded it, but because something—someone—else momentarily guided it from within your shell."

The truth struck like a thunderclap. The realization left me stunned, my thoughts swirling in a storm of confusion and revelation. The resonance during the Festival wasn't a fluke, but neither was it a testament to my progress. It was a reminder that my soul, half-anchored and split, could not yet command the full harmony of body and blade.

Valen leaned back, his expression softening just a fraction. "Find what binds your soul and body apart, Arthur. Only then can you wield a blade that will truly sing with your will."

I nodded slowly, the weight of his words pressing down on me. This wasn't just about mastering Sword Resonance or surpassing the Wall; it was about piecing together the splintered fragments of who I had become in this world—and discovering what that truly meant.