Knight Casefiles Book 1: Revelations

Revelations [Chapter 4]

Chapter 4

It was very seldom that I could allow myself to cut loose. Sure, I could go all berserk in the small dojo that I asked Amelia to have installed in the mansion but she always frowned at me whenever any of the equipment we bought got all cut up or blown to pieces. She once confiscated all my wooden training swords because she assumed I was secretly sharpening them behind her back. Technically, I was, but vivre et laisser vivre.

The fact is, though, there’s only one sword for me: Gram. Yes, that Gram. Balmung if you want to get technical.

It was the sword that Sigrun was given to keep safe since time immemorial. A Weapon of so much power that any regular human would die if he tried to wield it without proper training. It could literally drive mortals insane if not kept in check and, since I didn’t recede into a vegetative state after I first touched it, Sigrun thought I’d be the perfect choice.

In the course of the three years that I’d known Sigrun, I’ve only held Gram a handful of times. According to her, if I didn’t go through the proper training, the sword would fry its metacapacitor (read: ME) regardless of whether or not I had the right stuff to be a Knight. Today’s training was yet another way of preparing me for eventually wielding it full-time and I couldn’t wait for that day to come.

I stood in a clearing, still clad in my jeans and black shirt, under the glow of a waxing moon that seemed to be urging me on. It was drizzling again, my shirt clinging to my body in a mixture of precipitation and perspiration from exertion. Despite the regular beat of my heart and the calmness of my breath, I could feel almost nothing but excitement.

My own aura mingled with Gram’s, intensifying it. Usually, I could only call up my aura on certain parts of my body at a time, but with Gram’s power, it was now present in full, clothing me in a translucent medieval armor that glowed bright enough to bathe the clearing in a wide circle. 

Lightning flashed and I readied myself. My grip steady, I pivoted and swung Gram into a nearby tree. There was almost no resistance as the sword cut cleanly through the wood. It began to fall and I leapt out of the way as it fell to the ground just as the thunder caught up. The soil was moist and the tree was too small for me to worry about anyone hearing the crash. Even more so that I had timed the whole event to the deafening roar of thunder.

I fell to my knee in exhaustion, as I allowed my breath to finally speed up. Gram gave off an effervescent blue glow but I knew it was more than just a light show. I could feel the gentle pulsing of power as it emanated across the woods. It was only a matter of time before Sigrun realized where I was. I hadn’t told her where I was going, pocketing one of her concealment runes when I snuck off with Gram.

I needed to be alone.

With a grunt, I collapsed on the ground and allowed the drizzle that was slowly getting stronger to wash off whatever grime I had collected in my little rampage. Gram’s light, as well as my armor, began to dim as it felt my resolve to use it waver.

Along with my consciousness.

In my mind, I was at the funeral again. It was raining as well, and the only people there were my sister and I. At least, I always saw it like that. In reality, there were a handful of personnel, a few relatives, and a truckload of employees looking for something to get out of our parents’ deaths. My parents didn’t really have anyone close to them. It was always just the four of us: me, Amelia, mom, and dad. And even that wasn’t the picture of happiness.

Dad always had to work, and mom always had to keep up appearances. Sure, there were all those luxury vacations we spent with them but, in the end, they were empty. It was those brief moments that used to seem inconsequential that I truly treasured – dinner with the whole family, scrabble when the power was out and the generator was mysteriously out of order, sitting with my dad in the car while we waited to pick up mom.