Sword Immortal

Starfoster Academy, Clinic Room.

In one of the beds, a young man with black hair trembled, waking up.

Aurelius slowly opened his eyes, feeling soreness all over his body. Good thing the dream that he just had distracted him from that soreness.

"What a strange dream…"

Aurelius murmured while vacantly staring at the pale white ceiling.

The dream was vivid and realistic, even the bloodied battlefield and screams of agony from the people felt real. He didn't know if he should be amazed or be creeped out by it.

'Regardless…'

Shaking it off his mind, Aurelius rubbed his eyes and temporarily shrugged off the dream. 

He did read once that dreams like that do happen, incredibly rare but it happens. It doesn't mean anything much though.

The most important thing right now is—

[Where am…I?]

"Yeah, where am I?"

Aurelius echoed with a yawn. Was it just him or did he hear a different voice? It sounded like two voices overlapped.

Maybe it was just brain damage done by Crapson. Nothing the medical clinic can't fix. Otherwise, why do you think the school allows bullying to occur?

They can afford it. Props of advanced technology. Or magic. 

[Don't ask me. I'm asking you kid, where the hell am i?]

"..Huh, strange."

There it is again, Aurelius furrowed his brows, also the voice was familiar. He couldn't exactly pinpoint where he heard it before…

"I'm just exhausted. I should take some pills later on."

Yeah, that sounded just about right. It had been a while since he had taken some pills.

[Don't ignore me kid. Where the hell am I?]

'...Huh..'

Aurelius paused, opening his mouth before closing it. He knocked his head a little before flicking his ear and pinching his neck.

[Are you crazy, kid? What the hell are you doing to yourself?]

'Deep breaths, deep breaths…'

"I'm okay. I'm not hearing things.."

Aurelius whispered quietly, deeply inhaling before exhaling. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm… okay.

"I'm not—I'm not that craz…"

[You lack manners, didn't your parents teach you to not ignore people when they talk to you?]

"Hahahaha… no way?"

[Kid. Are you deaf?]

What the actual fuck.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit…"

Aurelius put his hand on his head. There was a fucking—a fucking voice in his head and it sounded like an old man.

Before he could even process everything, his natural wordsmith instincts propped up.

"Who, who are you? Beware, my mind is covered with ten thousand illusions of strong buddha, god, shiva and a lot. Don't do anything reckless."

[Really? I may be old but I'm not that old to fall for such a lie.]

"...I'm not lying."

Aurelius coughed. He could hear the person's disappointed sigh by his response. 

[Look kid, I'm inside your mind. Probably. I mean. It's all dark in here… seems like you don't think at all. I could've sworn I just died on the battlefield… now I'm stuck inside a kid's head.]

"Why are you inside my mind? Can I ask you to kindly get off? I think of hot women every ten seconds. Are you sure you can handle the mind of a hormonal teen?"

Aurelius probed, rapidly making excuses. Though the latter part was half true though, he did think of sexual stuff frequently.

Also, he noted internally about the battlefield part. Sounded important and also familiar. If he could calm himself down, maybe he could figure it out.

Hardly could happen though. When was the last time a case of an old man barged in the mind of a teenager? 

Though by the unique abilities of Miracleborn's such a thing wasn't far fetched… was that it? Did he crack the code? He was being subjected into being a cruel, testing doll for a Miracleborn?

"Is that it? I'm just a playing toy, a ragdoll for you evil—piece of, erh, Miracleborn?"

[Now, now kid. Don't rush to conclusions. I don't even know what Miracleborn's are. I'm just an old vagabond with a sword—]

"...Ah holy pepperoni pizza. I remember now."

Aurelius was shook. He felt his eyes go dizzy. He knocked his head.

"You—you're that damn old fart Sword Saint in the dream. No wonder the voice is familiar, but… didn't you like, die?"

[...What do you mean old fart, you rude bastard?!]

"That's irrelevant! Didn't you just die?! Why the hell are you in my mind?"

Aurelius asked himself before his eyes rolled as the realization dawned him.

"Is this that trope? Huh? Are you looking to invade my body, overrun my soul and kill me in the process? I'm going to die, aren't I? You're going to kill me and take my body, old fart. Absolutely shameless. Absolutely fucking shameless. But is there any other way? No, if there is you wouldn't be here. J-just make it quick, alright?" 

Aurelius choked bitterly, his lips trembling.

[For the last time I'm not an old fart and calm down! I'm not going to invade your body! I just got randomly thrown in your mind!]

The voice erupted in exhaustion.

"So you can't take it right now. Is there supposed to be a trust requirement for it…? Thank god."

[No, I'm not going to take your body, kid… Wait, Look out!]

Aurelius sighed in relief. There was a requirement, thank god… though why did he feel dizzy all of a sudden. No, more than that. Why did he feel like a sharp thing inserted itself inside over his neck?

"Ah..ahgr…ah…"

Aurelius twisted his head slightly, barely managing to catch a sight of a tall man with a white coat beside him.

"Oh dear, it seems like you need brain treatment. Why are you shouting just after waking up?"

The clinic doctor said, sighing in exhaustion.

"No…"

Aurelius whispered before his eyes rolled and body fell to the bed, returning to his slumbering state from earlier.

"I suppose I have to call in Elise for this type of treatment. Student Aurelius seems to have suffered severe brain damage."

The doctor pursed his lips before shaking his head and walked away from the room. 

***

[Now, what did you call me earlier, you rude bastard?!]

"Look—uh, sword saint. Old sword. Or just old man… it was just a slip of the tongue. I didn't mean it, I swear!"

In a dark space, two metaphysical figures immaterialized. One was a man in his forties with a desolate air surrounding him, while the other was a boy with deep black hair.

[My true name is Wu Shi Valenmist.]

"Okay Wu Zhi Valenmist-o, I'm sorry for that earlier. I tend to chatter uncontrollably when I'm panicking, really. On the bright side, I rarely panic."

[Sigh… I'm putting myself below you if I don't accept your apology. Regardless, what's your family name, boy?]

Aurelius sighed in relief, feeling his nerves relax. 

At least the sword grandpa isn't a hostile entity… Well, for now, atleast. Aurelius lampooned silently and stared at that man floating in front of him.

Wu Shi Valenmist was a tall and long haired man that had the fashion of a hobo. He did likened himself as a vagabond, maybe he really was a hobo.

Behind the shredded asian clothing the man wore were long deep seated scars from his battles. Each scar seems to emit a particular dark energy. 

"My name is Aurelius Agravain, a non-Miracleborn."

Aurelius said bowing slightly.

[Aurelius… huh? A good name.] 

Valenmist nodded before his brows furrowed in confusion.

[Tell me then, Aurelius. What year is it right now?.]

"Time… as in year? 2117."

Aurelius answered.

[It's already that long…?] 

Valenmist whispered, his eyes nostalgic. He did faintly expect the time to be drastically different… the void was absent of time afterall.

[...How has Reverie been after my death? Is the Xin Dynasty still in authority?]

Reverie was Valenmist' world. He was born under its sky and died under its sky the same. A thousand years of staying in the same world gave him appreciation for its nature and purpose.

While he was deep in thought to himself, he noticed that the kid took his time responding to his question.

Valenmist furrowed his brows and looked at the kid in front of him.

[Kid?]

"Uhh…?"

Aurelius sported a confused and bewildered expression, as though he had no idea what Valenmist was talking about.

"Reverie? Xin Dynasty? I'm pretty sure there's nothing like that in Insignia."

Hearing that, Valenmist's eyes widened and his voice was in slight surprise. Has time destroyed even the history of Xin? Possible… but how did the World's True Name get forgotten?

No matter how he looked at it, it's impossible. The World wouldn't allow that.

Valenmist thought of something.

[Could it be..?]

No. It's almost guaranteed. No wonder he felt the energy around the world foreign and so different. So strange and… restrictive.

Valenmist took a deep breath before asking the kid in front of him.

[Aurelius… tell me everything about Insignia. I think—no, Im sure that this is not my home world at all.]