Become my Blade

Her body felt numb in my arms, the chains rattling slowly as I caught her.

It was then that the man smiled, looking down at me. "Now tell me, Dally, do you think she will be a puppet or a tool?"

I looked up at him, unable to do anything. Her body slipped from my grasp despite my desperate attempts to hold on.

She stood up, blood still dripping from her body. Her chest was split almost completely open, yet he placed his arm around her neck, like she was nothing more than a doll.

"She's such a good puppet, don't you think?"

Gabrielle's eyes shifted, her glare icy with hatred. She locked eyes with me, her expression twisted with disgust. Without warning, he leaned in and plunged his hand through her chest.

He ripped out her heart and devoured it, laughing all the while.

I froze. I couldn't move. It was impossible.

As he consumed her heart, Gabrielle's body twitched, almost as if she could still feel the agony.

Then, her body healed, as though she'd never been harmed. A sword of darkness manifested in her hands, the shadows dancing around its edges.

At that moment, I felt the chains that bound me fall away—and they appeared around him instead.

He seemed to vanish, teleporting to the throne, sitting down with a tilt of his head. A grin stretched across his face as his throne materialized through the mist.

It was then when I realized just how ignorant I was. "Become a better person," he'd said. Yet you dare taint my sister's body with your hand.

I stood, my body shaking with rage, and took a step forward. But before I could get any further, Gabrielle blocked my path, her sword raised to my neck.

"He? So, you must be Blade Kid." The man on the throne smiled cruelly, his voice dripping with mockery. "How unfortunate for you... Tell me, do you want to know my name?"

"You plan to use her as your puppet? Did you truly think I would allow such a thing?"

His grin deepened. "Allow? Didn't I tell you? All beings who die in my presence become puppets. Dally, you're going to be my newest one."

With that, she swung her blade with lightning speed, closing the distance between us.

I dodged, desperate not to harm her, and shoved her aside. Then, I dashed toward the throne, my blade flickering to life, the aura around it crackling with power.

But out of nowhere, Gabrielle appeared before me. From the very shadow cast by the beam of light, she moved with inhuman speed and pierced my chest.

I barely had time to react. I dodged most of the blow, but the tip of the blade still found its mark, and darkness began to seep from the wound, corroding my skin.

There was no time to dwell on the pain.

She swung again, aiming for my neck. I dodged back, but she moved faster than I could react.

She punched me, sending me flying back across the floor.

Blood dripped from my lip as I struggled to stand. My vision blurred, but I focused. She raised her blade again, swinging it down in a brutal arc toward my head.

I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike, then kicked her legs out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground.

I tried to hold her down, but the moment I touched her, darkness began to crawl up my skin.

I leaped back, heart racing. Gabrielle watched me, her eyes cold and unfeeling. With a flick of her wrist, she yanked me to the ground and slammed me into the stone.

Before I could even attempt to get up, her blade pierced through my shoulder.

"Is that the best you can do against your dear little sister?" he taunted from the throne, his voice full of cruel amusement as he chuckled.

I pushed Gabrielle off and tried to move toward the throne again, but the very shadows around me grabbed my body and flung me back.

I crashed into the table, the force of it knocking me off balance. She was already there, her blade slicing through the air in a horizontal strike.

The tip of her sword slid across my chest as I dodged back, the cold black darkness tainting my skin as I fell to my knees.

With a look of pure agony, she pierced my leg, causing me to scream silently. Then she kicked me, sending me flying backward.

The table shattered, and I was flung through the walls of the castle, crashing into the dark stone.

She was relentless, each punch pushing me through another room until finally, I broke free from the castle's walls and flew out into the black sand.

Before I could even comprehend what was happening, I caught a glimpse of silver eyes watching me as I flew.

In that moment, I realized what I had to do.

As I stood up, I caught her next fist and pushed her back. My body burned with pain, but I didn't care. I pulled the sword from my leg and shattered it.

I took a deep breath, summoning the last of my strength. I tossed my sword toward her, and in the same motion, I summoned another katana with the remaining mana I had left.

"Alright, sister," I said, my voice gruff. "Let's have a dance, to celebrate my death."

She caught the sword and glared at me, her eyes filled with hate so cold it sent a chill down my spine.

Without hesitation, we walked toward each other, blades drawn. And then the world shifted.

It was as if we were sucked into a dream.

We stood atop a mountain, the green grass flowing in the breeze, the azure sky stretching endlessly above us.

A bright star shone overhead, casting its light on the serene landscape. But even in this peaceful setting, I could feel it—the darkness inside her sanctum, twisting everything around us.

We stood across from each other, both wielding our blades, ready to clash.

And then, we did.

Our blades moved with blinding speed, each strike shaking the very realm.

The mountain beneath us cracked with every slash, the air itself quivering from the force. The world seemed to tremble as we danced on the edge of destruction.

I lunged forward, aiming to pierce her neck, but she deflected it effortlessly, swinging her blade downward. In doing so, the very planet itself seemed to tear in two.

A massive explosion shook the sky as the planet began to heal itself from her devastating attack.

Every time our blades clashed, a constellation would shatter, a small piece of the universe dying with each strike.

I swung again, a horizontal slash aimed at her chest.

"SHINK!"

My blade seemed to slice through the very air as she stepped forward, unyielding. She wasn't just fighting me—she was protecting something, something deep inside her.

I swung once more.

"SHINK!"

The blades collided, this time with a force that nearly knocked me off my feet. She had created a shield—an impenetrable bubble of pure nothingness.

But I couldn't stop. My mana was running low, my body weary, but I pushed through.

In a final act of desperation, I used the last of my power, swinging my blade with everything I had.

When our blades made contact again, her shield shattered, but she countered with a parry and a thrust.

The battle became a cycle—she formed shields, and I destroyed them. We rose higher and higher into the sky, each clash of blades shattering the planet beneath us and making it anew.

The force between us was unstoppable. But then, finally, she dodged one of my swings and placed her hand over my chest.

I didn't have time to react.

She blasted me backward, and I flew so fast I broke through the confines of the newly-formed planet in an instant. I crashed into the star looming above us.

The heat seared through my back, the pressure overwhelming. The star was small, about the size of a building, but its weight, its light—it was real, crushing me with its intensity.

Then, she appeared before me.

Her figure was almost lost against the darkness of space, her dead eyes locked onto mine. But for a brief moment, I saw something else—a glimmer of light.

Without warning, she plunged her blade through her own chest, and I watched in horror as she looked at me, her expression unreadable.

"Gabrielle!" I screamed, panic flooding my chest as I rushed toward her.

I caught her body as it fell from the star, my heart racing with desperation. But as I held her, my hope shattered. She was cold—colder than the night itself.

She looked up at me, her lips curling into a faint smile. "May my power bestow upon you, brother."

"Gabrielle, I'm sorry... I'm sorry. It's my fault. I bound my power, sealed it away for petty revenge. Please... live."

Her sad eyes locked onto mine. "The only reason I was able to break free from his control is because he's preoccupied fighting Caelum. And because I'm here... once I die, this place will be gone."

She lifted her hand, caressing my face gently. "But brother, I hope you will live. I hope you will survive."

"What use is living in this world if you're not here, sister?" I choked out. "What use is my revenge if you're not here to witness it?"

"Upon my death, I will grant you my strength. And though it may have been taken from me... now I give you my heart. Even in the land between, I will watch over you, my big brother."

I tried to say something else, but the world around us began to collapse. I looked down at Gabrielle, who had exhausted all her power, and with it, the very realm itself began to fade.

"Dear sister... please, why did you have to die? Why not me?"

And then, darkness.

But it wasn't over.

I opened my eyes again, feeling the black sand crumble beneath my fingers as I knelt. Before me lay a blade and its sheath.

The sheath was grotesque, made of flesh and veins of blood.

The blade was long and curved, almost like a katana, but longer—its crimson hue reminiscent of blood.

The guard was a black rose, its petals dark and jagged.

The handle, too, was made of the same grotesque flesh as the sheath.

I realized then, with a sense of clarity I hadn't had before.

My sister had always longed to...

I grabbed the blade and its sheath, and with a heavy heart, I sheathed the sword.

"It seems your wish has come true Gabrielle, you have become my blade."