Re;Blade

Chapter 27 - The sword and the swordsman

Tetsuko did not need sleep.

She didn't need food. She didn't rest. She didn't need to breathe.

As a sword, she didn't have a human body.

And yet, there were times when she felt tired. There were times when she was out of air. There were times she lost her consciousness.

Tetsuko didn't have a human body, but she did have a human soul.

And like any living being, she needed to rest.

When night came, she rested, just like back in her world, when she still had a flesh and blood body instead of a metal one.

However, instead of closing her eyes and sleep, she simply let her consciousness drift away, let her senses stretch as far as they could, catching anything without processing what it was.

To her, the sensation was the same as being in a trance.

It was enough to make her feel rested when the sun rose.

However, one of the last human things she could do as a sword, that brief rest, was no longer possible to her.

As the night came, Tetsuko couldn't let her mind drift. Not when there was a dark, twisted, and strong coursing inside her metal body.

And the soul in the sword had no idea what to do with that energy. She couldn't devour nor expel it from her body. It was inside her, like cold blade forever piercing her.

At least it's not trying to devour me... unlike him, Tetsuko thought, glancing at the nobleman who wields her.

Alonso was on the bed, restless. Despite the late hour, he tossed around and didn't get any sleep. He panted, sweated, and winced, as if he was in the middle of an intense fight for his life instead of trying to rest.

In a way, he is... ever since he was caught by Nicolas, the soul in the sword thought. If he lower his guard, his existence will die...

Even from her sheath prison that dampened her senses, she could feel the same dark and twisted energy coursing inside Alonso, trying to devour a little more of his soul.

And its objective was clear; it wanted to take him over completely.

But my wielder is stronger than I thought... he's giving his all, struggling even more than Nicolas...

It had been a few weeks since Alonso escaped the former Sword of the King's lair with the help from that soldier.

In a struck of luck, the lord's troops' camp was still there.

Guess it wasn't luck, but loyalty...

Enrique had refused to go back without his master. Despite the captains telling him to give up on Alonso at the time and call for a search once they reorganized their troops, the retainer remained there.

And then luck smiled at them; Alonso had managed to escape with the help of a brave soldier who infiltrated Nicolas' bandits.

I wouldn't call it luck, Tetsuko thought. It was part of Dale's plan... though I still don't get where that soldier comes in...

But either way, thanks to Enrique's loyalty, Alonso was saved from the brink of death. A little more and his body wouldn't have lasted, even with food. I bet even Lucky Chaos didn't plan that.

The moment Alonso was back in his castle, Dale's energy grew weaker. As the noble received intense treatment, that dark and twisted energy became nothing but a trickle in a river.