Shadow Author

Being in an even closer proxy to the girl my mind was shaking with every passing second.

If I could think clearly I would be speculating if there was some sort of outward influence affecting my train of thought however nothing of the sort crossed my mind.

"How long was I in there?"

"A century."

The voice of the girl was still sweet even if her reply was short.

When I managed to make sense of what she said I figured that the timeline made sense.

After going through such an experience once it was easier to understand the second time.

"How long has passed in the real world."

"Real?"

I frowned.

"How long has it been outside?"

"Ten hours."

Using some basic math I deduced that one hour was equal to ten years.

"What are you exactly?"

"…"

Given that she wasn't able to respond it answered more questions than if she had.

"I see, I have one last question to ask before I leave."

The girl remained still as she waited for me to ask the question. I didn't know if that was due to her not wanting to show emotion that would result from me leaving so soon or because if she talks less I'd leave faster.

I figured both but more of the latter since she gave such short answers to my questions.

"Do you want to be free?"

After I asked my final question the girl didn't move or show any reaction, she also didn't bother to respond. However, when I asked I made sure to look deep into her eye, and once she heard what I said the small flame flickered.

Having all my questions answered for the time being I was more than ready to return to my reality. Plus I was on my last strand of Aether as the even-sized room the two of us were in had shrunk considerably.

Being forced closer to the girl due to the ever-diminishing room getting smaller all I would have to do is move a centimeter closer and we would be touching.

Yet for some reason when I thought about reaching out and touching her, alarm bells started ringing in my head.

Therefore, being satisfied with coming close enough that I could hear her breathing, see her fully, and smell her sweet fragrance I gave up on the idea of holding on to her.

I didn't know why but I felt like the moment I indulged myself I would never be able to live without her or let her leave me.

Therefore with one last look of longing, I canceled my supply of Aether and the world vanished.

.

Returning after so long one might expect that I value more things or take less stuff for granted however I didn't have any of those thoughts.

As I opened my eyes the first thing that welcomed me was Miss Smith as she quickly stood up to meet me.

It took a while to readjust to my surroundings and remember that I was still in the classroom.

Once my thoughts started flowing I stretched my body as the whole time I was gone my body was stationary while standing up straight.

Miss Smith only watched from a short distance as I moved my arms around before cracking my neck.

Once I got the blood moving through my body I stopped and turned my attention to Miss Smith.

Yet she didn't say anything and just stared at me as if she half expected me to be a ghost.

I smiled.

"I'm back."

It took a second for my words to register in her mind but once she finally understood tears started dripping down her face.

'The curse.'

I knew the reason she was crying, after all, I had a whole century to think about it. Miss Smith's reason for showing me the sword in the first place probably wasn't due to her own volition.

Nightfall grows in strength by absorbing the power of those who cannot complete the trial. That was more than apparent to me and it also meant that the girl was feeding off the power.

Therefore, in order for the sword to grow stronger it needs more participants to attempt the trial. That's why after one fails they are cursed to help the sword find a suitable candidate to be sacrificed.

This was knowledge I was able to deduce while in the void as I didn't even have to ask Nightfall about it. Though I'm sure that even if I wanted to, my mind would be too distracted.

I didn't know how to feel about the girl but there was one thing that I was sure of… she was dangerous.

While I was thinking to myself Miss Smith finished composing herself and wiped away the last trace of any tears.

"Am-Am I free?"

Breaking free from my thoughts I smiled back at her.

"You are."

Miss Smith's emotion couldn't be captured with words as she endlessly gave me thanks.

"Thank you, thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me. I've been under that curse for so long, I thought I would never be free."

I simply kept smiling as I didn't care nor want to expend useless energy on entertaining her.

There was no need for me to be a hero as what the two of us went through was beneficial.

I freed her from a curse she couldn't escape and in turn, I unlocked the full power of Nightfall — a sword I never would have known existed or got my hands on had it not been for her.

Therefore I didn't respond to her gratitude but instead turned my attention back to the sword.

Although I was far too weak to make use of even the first rune, I wanted to inspect the change that occurred to the ball at the bottom of it.

Flipping the sword over the ball didn't look to be any different than it once was. It didn't seem like there was any change at all.

Slightly disappointed by the revelation due to the sword's uniqueness stemming from the fact that it had a ball in the first place I decided to touch the ball thinking that a connection might have to be made for something to happen.

My thoughts were right on the mark as the second after the tip of my finger touched the ball everything started happening all at once.

First, the ordinarily black ball flashed all kinds of colors as if a rainbow explosion took place within it. Then all the mana that I had built up in my body was sucked away in an instant leaving me exhausted. Finally, a painful burning sensation filled my mind as I looked down at the top of my right hand where a mark was appearing.

My wrist also buzzed but I didn't have time for it.

Drained of mana and fatigued I didn't have the mental capacity to understand what was happening which is why I only stood there gritting my teeth as the mark became clearer with each passing second.

The mark that was forcefully engraving itself on me was more painful than I expected and took over a minute to finish.

Once it was finally done I was ruggedly breathing as I stared down at my hand where a symbol made itself known.

It was a half-crest moon.

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