Vera

Akt loved the sword. Whenever he swung the blade, his heart always felt at ease. The bright sliver arc that accompanied every swing he made would drive his worries, loneliness, and sometimes even rage away. It was his hobby, career, and life's passion. His everything. However, no matter how unexpected, it was a fact that Akt did not always love the sword.

Akt grew up like any other kid. As the strongest swordsman on Earth, one would definitely assume that he had trained instensly since childhood in order to attain his mastery of the sword. However, that could not be further from the truth. As a child, he lived a normal childhood. Apart from the hardships that he had to go through, everything about him was as normal a child could be. Well, that certainly was true if one did not account the fact that he had manifested an Ability. Having powers meant that he was bound to be different from other children no matter how hard he tried to blend in, and that had always caused him trouble here and there. Of course, such case was only normal as Ability users were not only worshiped for their inhumane prowess but also feared and hated all the same.

However, despite that, he did not have it as hard as the other superhumans. Apart from having a non-combat type ability, which lessened the animosity directed towards him, he also had people around who showered him with endless affection. This allowed him to grow up into a somewhat normal kid albeit stronger than normal. It could be said that he was extreme lucky.

Akt was raised in an orphanage, abandoned as an infant in front of the institution's doors. Unfortunately, the place he found himself in was not supported appropriately. As a result, the orphanage often struggled to make ends meet. This meant that the children under the facility did not receive the proper necessities they were owed, making their lives so much harder to live. Still, Akt thought that life was not so bad. The hardships that they had to suffer through made everyone in the orphanage cherish the company of one another.

Through all those years, the identity of his parents remained unknown. Even so, Akt held no hatred. The living condition may not be so good, but he had the other kids as his siblings and the sister who took care of them as family. To say that he had no complaints would be him lying to himself. Only he knew how many times he had cursed whenever things got rocky. But he came to love the peace amidst the suffering and learned to cherish what he had. He grew up into a fine and gentle child who never used violence against others. In this way, it could be said that he was as normal as a child could be despite his ability and innately strong body.

For him, as long as he had everyone, he was already satisfied.

He did not need anything else.

On that fateful day however, everything changed. In a world where variables such as superhumans exist, destruction may come just as easily as breathing, without any pre-cursor of disaster.

--

"Why? Why…" A white-haired boy muttered. In front of him lay the ruins of what used to be an orphanage— his home, or what was left of it.

In adversity, he remained smiling. During hardships, he remained steadfast. Even if he had to starve at times, he endured with a silly grin on his lips. However, seeing the debris scattered everywhere and the lifeless bodies sprawled around left his mind in total disarray.

'Was everything we went through still not enough?'

His fists were clenched so tightly that that they bled, and his lips, ridden with bite marks, dripped with red. However, he did not have the mind to care. He only felt that the world as he knew it collapsed in front of him.

"Such a shame that I did not arrive here sooner…" A voice sounded behind the boy.

He turned around and was met with the sight of a beautiful woman. She had a smooth, black hair that swung side to side with every step she took and a pair of mesmerizing silver orbs as eyes. A despondent expression painted her face as she stared at the devastation. Her expression could evoke pity even from the coldest of men. The boy would certainly be hard struck and speechless if he saw her in normal circumstances, but he did not have the presence of mind to do so. He could only ask,

"What do you mean?"

The woman turned to him and replied softly, "If I had passed by this place sooner, I could have prevented it…"

She could not help but feel guilty. She had all the power, but still did not make it. A single missed opportunity was all it took for the boy to lose everything. If she was only here at that time. If she passed by this place first instead of another… Such thoughts brought even more hopelessness as the boy thought of it. So many what-ifs, but none of them happened. Tears streaked down his cheeks as muffled sobbing sounded.

The woman seemed to have realized her mistake and panicked. 'I should not have said that…'

Of course, what she said was the truth. The woman had all the power to save a small orphanage from a rampaging superhuman. For her, such thing was just a piece of cake. Unfortunately, she was not omnipotent. If she had known that it would happen, she could have prevented it. But she was not. Still, it was a truth that she would rather not say if she could turn back time.

Unable to think of anything else to comfort the boy, the woman could only say, "Hey, how about you come with me?"

The boy looked at her but did not answer. He only stared at her with his tear-laden, dull golden eyes lifelessly. The woman fell into panic once more, not knowing what to say until she remembered the thing on her waist— a sword. She took it out from its scabbard and swung it in an elegant arc after which she offered, "If you come with me, I'll teach you how to handle a sword."

The boy seemed unimpressed and replied, "But I don't like weapons…"

"But if you don't become strong, something like this might happen again. How would you prevent it then?" The woman's eyes turned stern as she pointed at the ruined orphanage. She would rather not use that as a way to convince the boy, but she felt like she had to do something after seeing such lifeless look in his eyes. She knew that she had to give him a reason to live. A second wind to keep his fire burning.

Hearing that, the boy's eyes still shone the same dreary light but nodded nonetheless. It might not be much but the woman was already satisfied. She could not expect more from the boy after what he had just experienced. She only took his hand into her soft, warm hand and said,

"Alright. Let's go."

--

A loud sigh echoed in the room. The sun was already blazing hot when Akt awoke from his sleep. He must have passed out from agony last night, he thought.

Putrid waste and pus-like material that smelled horrifying covered his entire body. It must have been the impurities that the manual had stated his body would discharge after entering the Body Tempering realm. However, he did not seem excited at all. The vigor he had the previous day was nowhere to be seen.

His mind was still occupied by the vivid dream he had last night. Even as he lay on the bed, everything still felt so clear, like the events from his dream only happened yesterday.

Akt grabbed his chest and pulled on the clothing draping over it. His heart tightened, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He felt extreme longing from the depths of his heart… longing for that life he had back in the orphanage… longing for that woman who had saved him from the pits of darkness.

He felt extremely uncomfortable, his mind in chaos. Flakes of impurities fell off his skin as he stood up abruptly. Then, he reached out for his sword and unsheathed it from its scabbard. A glimmer of silver glow lit the room as the sunlight bounced off its shiny surface. He could only calm down once he held a sword in his hand.

He stood in a stance; the sword placed in front of him.

"[Analyze]" Akt muttered. This time however, he did not use it on anything but himself— his memories in particular. When he closed his eyes, an image of that woman was constructed in his mind. Her phantom stood in front of him as it held a sword.

Swoosh.

He swung his sword rapidly as he fought her illusion. His body mimicked a battle. It was as though she was in front of him once more. He moved faster and quicker, but her phantom also seemed to move even faster than him no matter how hard he tried. It felt like she was always several steps ahead, reading him like a book and knowing where he would move.

A chuckle escaped from his lips as he felt the whole thing ridiculous. Even as a phantom, she still beat him so overwhelmingly. He was called the strongest swordsman on Earth, but what people did not know was that the title they had given him was not true in the slightest. In his life, he had never won against that woman. Not even once.

"Say, Vera. Will I ever meet you again?" Akt whispered.

He could still recall the promise that woman had given him. That they would meet again once more. However, his heart was filled with heaviness when he remembered the fact that he was already gone on that world. And that she may never find him again.

His movements stilled; her image vanished.

Akt shook his head hard to clear out such thoughts. He was unwilling.

No, it could not be like that. He would not allow her to break her promise. He would become strong in this world and reach the pinnacle of the sword just like she had, he swore. Then, he would definitely find a way to go back. And when they meet again, he would best her in the way of the blade. And finally thank her for everything.

"I promise you, Vera. I promise."