Ugly duckling

Kai couldn't help but almost feel proud of how revolting the sword looked.

Still, it was often the most ugly things that were offered the greatest transformations when they grew, just like the story of the ugly duckling.

Though Kai wasn't really sure if he could compare a duckling to his horrendous looking blade, or how a duckling could be considered ugly in the first place with how cute they are.

However, Kai couldn't help but admire his foul weapon.

It's blade was a dark crimson colour that almost looked like the flesh of some repugnant abomination, which, to be fair, it basically was. The unpleasant way his blade looked only added to its ghastly charisma though.

But while it's blade was like a curse to look at, the hilt was actually quite beautiful.

It was an ashy gray colour and had a web of etchings scattered along it's body, kind of like a more corrupted and sinister version of the intricate lines that adorned all of Failure's creations.

Overall, the blade looked much less threatening when compared to the Blade of Eradication Kai had received, but he thought that his Uncommon sword had a sort of revolting charm to it, one that attracted Kai subconsciously. He always liked a good underdog story after all, and what better underdog story than one of a hideous blade?

Kai wasn't actually sure how that would work as an underdog story, but if there were countless subdimensions as he had been told, then there had to a movie created about basically everything.

Kai wouldn't be surprised if he would be able to watch a movie about a flower becoming sentient and taking over a whole planet. Honestly, that sounded less far fetched than five apples being excreted by some cosmic devourer beast and becoming gods with the residue they had been left with.

Still, Kai definitely wanted to pitch a story about Failure to someone he met, he was sure it would do numbers if even a third of the gods in the vast multiverse were as oppressive as Eye of the Moon.

As for the name of that movie though... Kai would come back to that, he still had to examine his hideous blade after all.

It was only after he took a closer look at it was Kai shocked with what he saw. Honestly, he felt ashamed that he had never noticed it before, but it's not like he had ever taken out this blade for anything other than the odd fleeting fight Kai had engaged in.

In the centre of the revolting blade, hidden inside the flesh like metal, was a small, almost unnoticeable soul.

It was much smaller than Kai's own soul and was the same colour as the actual blade, that was probably why it had taken Kai so long to notice it.

Unlike the other abominations souls that Kai had seen, this one didn't have those horrible looking lines coating its body. Actually, this soul looked kind of pretty.

Kai smiled like a proud father. It really was a case of ugly duckling syndrome.

But none of that really explained why Kai had felt the hideous blade jolt in the middle of the battlefield though, it was almost as if it ahad woken up or something.

It could be said that maybe the soul had only awakened then. It was actually a pretty plausible reason that the soul in his blade had only awakened after stabbing that Veiled of the Dark Side in its own soul, but Kai felt that it was something more than that.

Something else entirely...

But what could that something else b-

Kai's eyes widened as an idea popped into his mind. Quickly, he opened the description of his abominable blade and read it over.

[Life Eater (Uncommon)]

After only just gaining sentience, an unnamed abomination was struck down before it could even form an idea of its own. A blade forged by the flesh of an abomination. The blade is able to grow stronger by absorbing the life of those it fells. Provides +7 Strength as well as enhancing Mana circulation in the wielders body.

Kai had only glossed over the description when he got the weapon as that was all it was, a weapon.

He had obviously taken in the small stat boost, how it enhanced the Mana circulation in his body and how it passively got stronger by absorbing the life of anything Kai killed with it, but he had basically ignored everything else about the gross blade.

But that was where Kai realised his mistake, and why he had to check the description of his Telepathy skill once more just to be sure.

[Telepathy (Common)]: Allows the user to establish a telepathic link with any sentient being, be it humanoid or creature. Cost of Mana is based on level difference. Sentient beings below your level cost 3 Mana per minute to uphold the link, and for every 5 levels above yourself the cost of upholding the link doubles.

Any sentient beings...

If Kai was right, then that would mean that...

Seeing no harm in his idea failing considering that he was all alone bar Umbra so no one would be able to make fun of him, Kai set up a telepathic connection with his atrocious sword.

And to his slight surprise, it worked.

"Hello? Testing, testing. Anything sentient in there?"

The line remained silent for a few moments, almost as if it had left Kai on hold like an overworked employee. Just as Kai thought his theory was actually wrong and was about to shut down the connection, he heard a voice enter his mind.

Only the tone of voice and what it said was completely out of Kai's expectations.

"Am I really... that ugly?"

The pitch of the voice sounded male, but with how much it was cracking and how heart broken it sounded Kai could have easily mistaken it for a woman's voice.

"Uh..."

Kai was stumped for an answer. Its not like he had been secretive with how he thought the blade looked, he had always gone around calling it disgusting and any sort of word that was a synonym with disgusting, he never really thought anything of it after all.

Now though, Kai couldn't help but feel a little guilty. It's not like he had known his horrend- his blade was sentient, but that didn't really seem like a fitting excuse or answer for the current situation.

And Kai just couldn't bear to have his trusty sword sounding so depressed.

"No, you're not ugly. You just... have a certain charm to you, and I like that charm you have."

Life Eater remained silent for a few moments before finally responding.

"Really?"

It did not sound convinced, and even though Kai had no idea how it could possibly work, the blade sounded like it was on the verge of tears.

"Yeah, you're not ugly. I just have a... colourful vocabulary when it comes to things. Like you must have heard how I used to shit talk Noelle after our fight if you heard me describing you all the time, thats an example of me and my big mouth. I barely mean anything I say, and I'm sure if you were to ask Umbra I'm sure she would say that you're not ugly either."

Umbra was fast asleep, meaning Kai was safe from any sort of potential mishaps that could have happened if she were awake.

However, to his surprise, Kai felt as if something that was gazing at him had turned to look at something else.

It seemed like his trusty sword had some sort of ability that allowed it to see, or even just perceive the things around it.

"But Umbra is pretty... You always compliment her..."

Kai felt another pang of guilt strike his heart. Just what had he done to this poor blade's self-esteem?

"I- Uh... You are a very pretty thing too. Just look how sharp your edge is, and how pretty and mesmerising your hilt is. I'm sure you would be able to attract all the lady blades if I were to take you out and show you around."

Kai knew how off that last part sounded, taking out his blade to impress the ladies, but it would be his blade impressing the lady blades, so Kai would be safe from any potential suitors that had two edges that could decapitate him.

Kai thought he was losing it when he heard a sniffle ring out in his mind, but it turned out that he actually had when he heard the blade speak once more.

"Really..?"

Kai smiled softly and nodded at the blade, not bothering to wonder how crazy he would look if anyone else saw him right now.

"Yeah, you're a great blade. So helpful, there's a chance I could have died if it weren't for you."

Kai wasn't really sure if that statement was true or not, but the Domino and Butterfly effects were both strong things, so who knows what would have happened if Kai had never received Life Eater.

However, there was still one more pressing aspect Kai had to get to, and since Kai now knew the blade was sentient, what better way to find out than to just ask the blade itself.

"But, my cool looking blade, I need to know why you trembled after killing that Veiled of the Dark Side. I'm curious about that after all, and I would rather not have to resort to my colourful vocabulary again."