The Shattered Night

43| Piper

As the emblazoned silver sword shines like a crystal in front of my gaze, fate itself suddenly has become as silent as stone. The illuminating weapon so dangerous that the king wanted to behold himself, had been close to me all along. The holiness of the sword glows like an angel in heaven while each carved line towers like a storm above my head. I can't even find the will to breathe as the pounding of my heart gets louder. It is like a miracle has been dawned upon destiny, for luck has never been on my side.

An uneasy cloud hangs adrift on the ceiling as all the others ponder what to do next. The most powerful weapon in the world was right in front of us to have, and yet, no one knew what to do. Maybe the truth was that we had all been spellbound that nothing else mattered. Although all someone had to do was take a few steps forward and get hold of the Iron Sword, there was still a disturbing energy that lurked between the borders and the weapon itself.

Deep down in my heart, millions of questions started to arise. What if there was something more to it? The fact that my mission's content had already appeared right near my eyes seemed too good to be true.

There is a shift of movement beside me as India tugs on her sister's hand. The small girl's whisper is filled with fear and astonishment at the same time, which gives me an even greater urge to rip the sword away from its current place.

"Mary, why are we all staring at that giant light? Will it kill even more people?"

My shoulders tense as my ears take in India's gentle but deadly words. This girl was still so young and had so much of the good parts of the world to experience, and yet all that was present in her mind was the image of blood and the thought of murder. Although she had accidentally rid her mother from the world, could that one action really have made such a big of an impact? Thinking of it again, India had been trapped in a prison for all her life. There was no way she would ever be able to see hope the same again.

Mary silently smiles at her younger sister while trying to comfort her distress. Even she knows at this point that no more bad thoughts need to be included. "Don't worry Indie, it's all just going according to plan. You don't have to worry. No one will die."

The older girl then shifts her gaze at me intently, and for a moment, our eyes lock. Through all the blazing light that gives the darkness a new hue, I can sense Mary's turbulent emotion that threatens to spill out my own. Like a sudden spiraling explosion coursing in my blood, I feel my lethal magic starting to pulse and break. The strange bond that my power has with the sword is intriguing, though a part of me doesn't want the answer to reveal itself. Some things were better left hidden after all.

"So this is what you came for?"

Mary's defensive voice tears me away from my inner turmoil back to the problem reality is giving me. The moment I hear the tone of her words, I think that maybe this quest wasn't the best with strangers.

"Now that it's here, all you have to do is pull it out right? It shouldn't be so hard."

The girl gives me a strange look as she takes a step forward. The sword, as if on cue, illuminates even brighter. We all watch hesitantly as Mary stares gravely at the weapon while debating what next moves to take. But during those exact moments, I know that I have to act fast or else troubles could start to brew up. This was my own task I had to finish, and no one could take the last steps except for myself. I wouldn't let a stranger steal what I had to get done.

"Wait one moment!"

As Mary starts and turns around to look at me, I take that split moment to lunge at the sword without a second thought and place my hands firmly around the hilt. The moment my own fingers meet the weapon's blazing light, a sudden sense of adrenaline starts to surge throughout me and force my demons out of their cage. All the blood rushes to my brain and droplets explode one by one within my body as the sword and I merge as one. As if this was all meant to happen, a flashing and painful vision of my whole life suddenly knocks my breath out.