Nave was staring at me, eyes wide open.
He noticed my wound—it should've been bleeding, and yet it was clean.
His gaze turned more cautious.
— "How is this possible?" the thought crossed his mind.
A normal person wouldn't have survived such an attack. I should have been lying there, dead, and yet… I was breathing perfectly fine. As if nothing had happened to me.
I slowly got up from the ground, holding my head.
— "You still alive over there?" I called out to him, trying to ignore the dizziness.
Nave held his breath.
— "I should be the one asking you that," he replied, as if in relief.
He clenched his hands, like he wanted to say something more, but instead he fell silent for a moment.
— "I didn't ask you before… Do you know how to fight with any weapon?"
— "No." The answer came quickly and honestly.
Nave reached out, and suddenly, a sword appeared in the air.
I froze.
The weapon simply emerged from pure nothingness.
— "You can take it," he said, handing it to me.
I grabbed the hilt and raised the blade, gazing at it in admiration.
The sword looked otherworldly. Entirely black, with a blade split into two parts, leaving a hollow space between them. Two orange bands, identical to the ones on Nave's cloak, adorned its surface.
It's beautiful.
— "Thanks!" I said with a wide smile.
Probably the best gift I've ever received.
I slowly rose to my feet and did a few practice swings with the sword.
I felt clumsy, but at the same time… oddly familiar.
As if I already knew how to use it.
I stopped and gripped the sword with both hands, staring into its blade.
I could see a sliver of my reflection in it.
It was the first time I'd seen myself.
I raised a hand and gently touched my hair.
That's really me…
White. Short at the front, longer in the back, tied into two pigtails.
Eyes… yellow.
Nave seemed non-human to me, but now… I looked even stranger.
— "Why are you smiling at the blade like that?" he asked.
I quickly looked away, sheathing the sword that came with its own scabbard.
— "N-nothing! I just… it's the first time I've seen my reflection," I explained quickly, flailing my hands as if it were no big deal.
Nave nodded slightly, wondering why I hadn't known what I looked like until now.
— "Never mind. We'll be in the capital in an hour."
He tied a piece of cloth around his neck, covering the wound.
I wondered why he did that.
During the forest beast's attack, Nave had been hit in the exact same spot as me. Strange that the creature attacked that way. It seemed suspicious...
~~~~
An hour of walking later, we reached the city gates.
They were massive.
My eyes lit up.
— "This city is huge!" I said with excitement.
Nave simply pulled up his hood, as if trying to stay hidden.
We approached the gate. Nave placed a hand on the panel.
— "Locked," he informed me.
I sighed.
We sat to the side, waiting for someone to open the gate.
Fortunately, it didn't take long.
A middle-aged man was passing by with a cart full of wheat. As he got closer, the gate slowly began to open.
This was our chance.
We quietly slipped into the city before the guards could notice us.
I stopped in the middle of the square and looked around in awe.
— "Wow… so this is the capital!"
— "You can call it Sonill. Southern Sonill."
— "It's huge," I added, still admiring the buildings.
I was excited.
But then reality hit me.
I made it here… so now what? What am I supposed to do with myself?
The smile faded from my face.
Suddenly, someone approached us.
A knight. Medium-grade armor, spear in hand.
— "Hey, you two! You're not from around here!" he shouted, pointing at us.
I blinked, confused.
The guard scanned me from head to toe, and his gaze immediately stopped at my neck.
He frowned.
— "Hey… isn't she possessed?" he whispered to one of his men.
I heard it.
Before I could defend myself, two guards approached and cuffed my hands.
— "Emm… Excuse me, what are you doing?! I don't know what you mean, but I'm definitely not possessed!" I tried to explain, but it didn't look like they were listening.
What the hell is going on?!
Nave flinched.
His hand immediately reached for his sword.
His eyes were blazing with fury. I was probably the only one who could read his reactions like that. After all, we had spent several days together.
But then another guard came up to him. Said something quietly.
I couldn't hear the words.
Nave tensed, his hand gripping the hilt tighter.
But after a moment… he let go. Put the sword back in its sheath.
He turned around. And started to walk away.
I stared at him, wide-eyed.
Did he just leave me?!
My heart pounded in my chest. Nave looked back at me for a brief second.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something… but stopped himself.
He looked away.
Walked off in the opposite direction.
My eyes were wide open, again.
What just happened?
I tried to make sense of it. None of it sank in.
I was too weak to break free. And resistance was pointless.
I sighed and took a deep breath.
Time to think positive. At least something's happening.
I forced a strained smile.
What have I gotten myself into?
~~~~
I followed the guards. After a short walk, we descended underground.
The corridors were dark, lit only by torches. The black brick walls made the place feel more like a prison than a guard post.
We stopped at the end of the tunnel.
"You'll have to wait for someone to confirm your possession," the guard informed me.
Is he seriously explaining this to me? Isn't it usually the case that the possessed aren't even aware of their surroundings?
I sighed.
I wonder how long this will take. Hopefully they'll just confirm I'm fine and let me go.
Several hours passed.
Total boredom! Where's that person they mentioned? Even the forest with the beasts was more interesting than this...
After a while of grumbling, I heard footsteps.
I looked up.
Is this it? Are they finally going to let me go?
A woman with violet hair entered the cell.
She was wearing a white and violet uniform, with six stars on her shoulder.
She looked amazing.