Summoned to a Shattered World

Birthright Chapter 4 - A Light Beneath the Boughs

As I wandered through it on my own, I realised the forest was a lot less like a terrestrial one than I'd thought. The trees were thin-limbed and covered in sharp edges. Small plants grew from within recesses in the trees while brightly coloured mosses seemed to cover almost everything.

Wondering if it was really such a good idea to be out here alone, I proceeded regardless and found a small clearing in the forest. I lifted the sword up over my head and tried a downward cut. It sliced through the air with a satisfying sound.

Nodding, I brought my new weapon in close. "So, you're a magic sword, right? What sorts of things can you do?"

Despite the gravity of my situation, I was excited to find out what my new ally was capable of. I hadn't really thought about having a magical sword of my own before, but it was pretty cool. Sure, it didn't look flashy but that didn't matter, so long as it had power.

The sword sighed out loud. Hearing a sword exhale was strange, especially given that it's not like it had lungs or anything. I guess a sword talking in the first place is pretty weird.

"My strength is not what it once was, but I am far from powerless. As to what I can do... to put it simply I can conjure ice."

Ice? It didn't sound too great, but I was willing to take what I could get at this stage. "Alright. Show me then."

Glowing with silver-black light, the sword vibrated in my hand while the hilt was ice cold to the touch. I guess it fit their theme, but I really could have done without the cold. It enough to make my bare skin immediately break out in goose bumps.

I swung the sword, with the point just above the ground, and it left a wall of ice behind. Though only chest high, the wall was more impressive than I would have thought. Unlike the clear, blue ice I'd been expecting it was black and covered in sharp barbs. Definitely not something I wanted to touch.

"That's neat and all, but don't you have anything more immediately useful for battle? You are a sword after all."

"Not in this state. Most of my power is still dormant."

"Okay, and how do we get it awaken then?"

"For that I require a great font of mana, far beyond what you're capable of supplying. Conversing is also extremely tiring for me, so try not to make a habit of it. Now I must rest for a while."

My arms were starting to go numb at this point so I told the sword to knock it off already. The glow and the cold emanating from the sword, along with the ice on the ground, vanished. It wasn't the most impressive ability, but I could see it being useful.

Setting the sword aside, I rubbed my arms for warmth and took stock of my situation. From what I could tell so far, I was trapped here in the service of a Demon Lord. Someone who'd murdered several people in cold blood just to bring me here.

I frowned, for some reason I couldn't manage much shock or alarm at this. Had I always been like this? No, I was pretty sure I'd been fairly normal back on earth. It must have something to do with whatever that demon had done to me.

I let out a crazed bark of laughter; stealing my freewill wasn't enough? She also had to fuck with my mind? Maybe I should just kill myself, my chances of survival seemed pretty slim, anyway. And even if I did survive, what kind of life would I lead?

Despite the gloom that encompassed me, I don't think I could actually do it. The situation seemed hopeless, but I didn't want to give up. And some part of me didn't want to abandon the demon. I laughed again. Was I that stupidly devoted to helping this terrible person? Or was this another part of whatever she'd done? I really hoped it was the latter, at least it wouldn't be my fault then.