Chapter 11: Azeron The Great:
Starlight stared at the small white mouse curled in his hand. It shivered weakly with a dim light emitting from its soft fur. He was sitting in the lush green grass of the cave's room.
The battle with the Rat King had already finished long ago, and the chamber had been cleared of all danger. The group had decided to spend the night there and wait for the next day to come before venturing down the ravine again.
His silver sword was lying on his thigh, the blade sunken in the grass. His luscious golden hair, alabaster skin, white cloak, and the ethereal light glowing from his cupped hand made him look like a beautiful prince, resting after an intense battle.
'This rune needs a name, though. Let's see… maybe Little Lantern Mouse, Light Guardian Mouse. Ah… I got it, Little Guardian Light Mouse!'
…
"You're giving this to me?" Starlight asked in shock.
Godric studied him for a moment, then laughed. "Yeah, the others won't care; it doesn't suit them. Besides, you're the weakest out of all of us, and we need you to guide us through the forest."
Godric leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, "But me personally, if it wasn't for you stabbing the beast, I wouldn't have been able to kill it without struggle, so this is your reward."
After handing the rune to him, Godric got back up and walked away, holding the spirit core in his hand. Starlight looked over at the sound of a loud blow. Aster had just finished his fight with the Rat King's general.
Starlight also got back up, holding the sword in his left hand and the little mouse in his right. He followed Godric, dragging the sword behind him.
He was still a little shaken from the battle with the Monarch, but now that he was holding a real-life rank three Rune, he almost couldn't breathe. He stared at the little mouse, which curled into a ball in his palm, and studied it.
The mouse breathed weakly and was shivering. He looked at it with pity, but he did expect it to be alive.
'A wild rank three Rune is a wild rank three Rune after all, it won't die just because its wielder did.'
Wild Runes don't have owners, and weaker monsters don't have Relics, so they can't attach runes to them. And because the Rat King didn't own the Rune, it wouldn't die with him.
Leaving the soft grass, Starlight stepped on the hard stone. He studied the five Champions; Liriel was still in the same state as before the fight, weak, but could almost walk; her injuries were almost fully healed. Aster had just finished his fight with the rat general. He looked completely fine; it was as expected. He was a Traveler, and the general was a Wretch. Bram and Lyra were in a similar state; both had a few bruises, but were not affected much. Aside from Liriel, Godric was the worst. He directly fought with the Monarch, putting aside the small wounds he got in the fight; his movement seemed much more strained than usual.
'It must be the backlash from his Relic's ability.'
Godric gathered the group and congratulated everyone on their victory, then he gave out orders; they were staying the night here. Lyra would fly back up the ravine and grab the rope, while the rest of the group would recuperate.
After his speech, Starlight helped Liriel to the chamber, he walked with Liriel leaning on his shoulder. He wasn't much help, though, as the mundane human body couldn't hold a Traveler; she mainly used her sheathed sword for support.
They walked past the corpse of the Rat King and settled near the small pond. He helped Liriel sit and took a spot beside her.
…
A feeling of happiness spread throughout his body. He had just named his first unknown rune, a monumental moment in the Divers' career. It marked a new chapter in one's journey to strength within the Void.
It is estimated that there are an infinite number of Runes, and because of this, how could every Rune be named? Many times, when a Diver would receive an unknown or unnamed Rune, they would name it and mark it as their own discovery.
Not all Runes were living like the Little Light Guardian Mouse; in fact, they were quite rare. There could also be a marble mouse somewhere, too. Even if it had the same ability, it would have a different name.
Technically, it wasn't his first Rune ever, as his mother had left plenty of goods for him before she died. She had left him an assortment of Artifacts and Runes for when he actually became a Diver. But all of these were locked in a vault somewhere in Liongaurd, the main stronghold for the government.
Well, almost all of them. They only let him keep the Shroud of Ivory, as it was the strongest defensive Artifact that he could use without a problem. His mother had left Armour, but they were all too big for him, and wouldn't fit his body.
'Once I become a Diver and get essence, and become their owner, I will be able to change the size.'
"Have you named it yet?"
A chilling, but soft voice spoke out beside him. Starlight looked over at the origin of the voice, Liriel, who was holding her sword in her lap, while leaning close to Starlight. After a moment, he gazed back at Little Guardian Light Mouse.
"Yeah… I suppose you want to know?"
She silently nodded and glanced down at the white mouse curled in his two palms.
"Little Guardian Light Mouse," he responded.
Liriel lingered for a moment, then slightly nodded and spoke again.
"What about the sword?"
Starlight looked down at the sword questioningly, then shook his head.
"No… I didn't think about naming it, I don't know how to use a sword, and whoever does end up using it should name it." He said somberly while caressing the leather hilt.
Liriel looked at him with confusion in her eyes.
"Have you heard of Azeron the Great?" She asked curiously.
'Azeron the Great?' Starlight thought for a moment, then shook his head.
She looked at him for a moment, then started to speak.
"Once, long ago, there was a Knight. His name was Azeron the Great, a Knight of a once-great kingdom that fell. Longing for revenge, he created the Knights of Blood and wandered the land for centuries. Eventually, he found the target of his revenge and initiated a bloody battle. After killing his enemy but losing all of his companions, he stood there, surrounded by the flames of his rage. A god descended upon him and ended his life."
Starlight listened attentively, trying to take in all the information. The Knights of Blood, a god descending on him. All of this was new to him.
She stopped for a moment, breathed in, and continued. "During his youth, he had an amazing talent for using his relic; he could shoot fire of amazing heat, but he still longed for more. Azeron gave up on his life as a mage and instead took up the sword. Although he had no talent, it didn't stop him from pursuing the blade. Eventually, after two hundred years of work, he became a Knight, the pinnacle of the blade."
"My point is that no matter your talent, you can still wield the blade; who decided that just because you were never trained in the sword, that you could never use it?"
Sparks of light burned in Liriel's eyes as she said this. But soon, they disappeared, and she turned back to look at her sword.
Starlight sat there stunned. He completely forgot about the story of Azeron the Great. 'What… I… can learn how to use the sword? Is she telling me to keep it and learn how to use the sword? I can learn from the government, right? No, I might not even last that long if I don't even know how to fight.
Starlight shifted in his spot and opened his mouth, but closed it right away. He breathed deeply then asked, "Can… can you teach me how to use the sword?"
Liriel looked over with a smirk on her face. She looked into Starlight's eyes, his deep black eyes were lit up with light.
"Hehe, do you even know what type of sword yours is?" She asked with a slight chuckle.
Frowning, he looked down at the sword and shook his head.
"It's called a Longsword, a similar type to mine; it's an Artifact of the Rare rank," Liriel told him as she looked at the sword lying in his lap.
Hearing this, Starlight couldn't help but look at the sword in a new light. Since he was still a mundane human, he couldn't tell the ranks of Artifacts and Divers. The Shroud of Ivory had been given to him by the government, so he knew all the details, but about the Coin of Light, he had just been guessing. The Coin of Light was just a normal coin with an exceptional ability, so he had guessed it to be Spiritual. He could also tell that the Champions were Travelers because he had seen Geralt fight, and they were similar in strength to him.
Now that he actually got a weapon of the Rare rank, he felt too overwhelmed. Starlight now had rank five armor, being the Shroud of Ivory and a Sacred sword; he was simply too strong for someone who hadn't even awakened as a Diver yet. His arsenal as a mundane human could only be considered second to the Diver-to-be children of the great clans.
However, there was a glaring downside to getting all this powerful loot; there is always an equal and opposite reaction. If he was managing to get weapons of the Rare rank, then that would mean that he would have to fight monsters of the same rank. In terms of Artifacts, Rare was rank three, and in terms of monsters, the Monarch he had just fought to acquire said Artifact was, in a sense, also rank three.
The stronger the Artifact, the stronger the Monsters. Luckily, he basically had five bodyguards of the third rank, too. But then again, they could turn on him at any moment.
"So is that a no?" Starlight asked as he turned to look at her.
"I never said that. Now get up and hold your sword." Following her commands, he rose to his feet and held the silver sword in front of his body with both hands.
The thin blade was about a meter and a half long, while the handle was two feet long. Starlight could barely hold the sword without swaying; it was simply too heavy, or he was simply too weak.
"This won't do, you need to get stronger… physically. Honestly, I don't even know how you survived in the forest for so long while being this weak." Liriel said as she watched him from her seat.
"Haha… I was just lucky." Starlight struggled not to do something that would blow his cover. When he first met the Champions, they demanded a story. He said that he got lost in the forest after venturing out of his village. Of course, this was a lie. But luckily, this place did end up having villages around the forest, or they knew that he was lying, and they just went with it.
Starlight had hoped that this was not the latter; if it was… he simply didn't want to think about it.
"Enough zoning out, did you hear what I said?" Liriel called out, annoyed.
"N-no, sorry, could you please repeat?" Starlight asked with an apologetic smile.
Liriel lingered for a moment, then sighed, "Fine… one thousand downward slashes and one thousand thrusts, every… single… day!"
Starlight stared at her, shocked, 'That's too much, how am I supposed to manage that?'
Of course, he didn't say that out loud, not wanting to offend Liriel or have her go back on teaching him when she hadn't even started.
"Now assume your position," Liriel told him.
He obliged and stood straight, holding the sword in his hands, right on top of left. He raised the sword and swung it down with a fierce look on his face.
Watching him swing the first strike, Liriel had a frown on her face. It was not a good slash. It was too sloppy, it had too little power behind it, and his posture was completely wrong.
Liriel scowled as she called out. "Wrong, wrong, wrong."
Starlight flinched at her judgment. He was about to ask what he did wrong, but she cut him off before he could even open his mouth.
"Your grip is completely off; you should be holding the sword with your dominant hand near the crossguard, and your other near the bottom, not pressed together in the center."
She studied him for a moment again, then continued. "To make up for your lack of power, you're going to have to place more emphasis on the swinging of your hips and having your arms follow. Your stance is all messed up, too. One foot should be forward, and your knees bent, ah… and make sure to have them a shoulder width apart."
Following her comments, he adjusted his posture and swung again. Instantly, he noticed that the strike was much better than before, but it was not good enough for Liriel. She constantly barraged him with comments and improvements to his stance.
After half an hour, Liriel finally stopped and instead studied her own blade. Starlight assumed that this meant his basics for that stance were good enough for her, so he continued swinging his blade for hours.
…
"Huff, finally finished." Starlight dropped his silver sword and wiped sweat off his forehead. He collapsed, falling to the grass. He had just finished swinging his blade one thousand times, and his entire body burned.
Slowly, he crawled over to the small pond, struggling with every movement.
Splash!
Starlight brought water into his hands and splashed it on his face; it dripped down his chest and soaked into his pants. After fifty swings, he took off his cloak, and twenty later, his shirt.
At the beginning, his form sucked, and he could barely swing the sword without losing his balance, but later on, the process got smoother, and he could swing the sword somewhat properly. But he still couldn't fight with the sword; he generated too little power and only knew how to slash downward.
Liriel had said that what she was teaching him currently was not how to use a Longsword, but he should still learn the basics. Near his last few swings, she had commented that he had very little talent for the blade, but he shouldn't let that get to him.
Although his mood was heavy with her statement, he was still reassured by her words. Even if he didn't have talent for the blade, he was too weak to choose which way to get strong; beggars can't be choosers.
After washing off his sweat, Starlight cupped his hands and brought some water to his mouth, drinking thirstily. Reluctantly, he got back up, stumbling with his aching muscles, eating away at his energy.
"You don't have to do the rest, since we have to go down the rest of the ravine, you need to save the rest of your energy," Liriel called out to him while lying spread out on the grass.
Internally, Starlight was happy that he didn't have to do any more, but he showed a reluctant expression on the outside.
"You don't have to make it seem like you want to do more; it won't work on me. I've been in your position before, and I know what you feel." Chuckling, Liriel said.
"... Sorry," Starlight called out. He picked up his sword and walked over to the cave's wall, where he had been sitting before. He also grabbed his shirt and shroud, embarrassed as he put them on.
His scrawny figure would not impress anyone, least of all two of the most beautiful women that he had ever seen, Liriel and Lyra. It wasn't that he wanted to impress them; he was probably ten years younger and still a kid. But that didn't stop him from feeling a little bit insecure.
Before walking towards the cave's wall where he was before, Starlight decided to check the time. Since he was in a cave, which had a roof covering any natural light from entering, the only way to tell the time was by going to the entrance.
Walking from the gentle grass to the rough, stone floor after so long was an interesting change; the grass and the luminous green surroundings of the cave's interior room gave off the vibe of being in mangroves back in the actual Void, not that he had ever been there.
When he reached the entrance, the sky was a shade of orange and pink. Normally, if any normal Diver saw this, they would be stunned. Starlight was there when he first saw the sunset. But eventually, after seeing it more often, it didn't have the same shock, but it was still stunning.
Since the Void doesn't have an atmosphere, there would be no colors during the sunset. The Void also doesn't have a sun, so the terms sunset and sunrise are just when the stars in the sky start to dim.
But then why would there be colors scattered across the sky now? Trials took place in the Voids' past; this was widely assumed by the fact that in some Trials, there would be locals, like the Champions of White City. But there has never been a case of clouds and different colors for the sunset and rise in a Trial before.
Starlight paused, thinking about this, and walked back to the chamber. When they first entered the cave, it would have been around three p.m., and after venturing through the cave and the fight with the Rat King would have been four p.m. Now that Starlight had swung his sword one thousand times, with many breaks in between, it was most likely seven now.
After reaching the cave's chamber again, he passed Aster, Godric, Lyra, and Bram and greeted them respectfully. Then, he walked to his spot and lay down. Instantly, he felt a wave of relief and comfort wash through him. He had just gone through the longest workout of his life, and now he was finally relaxing.
He felt the call of sleep taking over him, and he accepted it. Since the attack of the wolf monsters, he could barely sleep, but now, he was so tired he didn't even care.
Before he fully embraced it, his pocket shuffled, and a small white mouse crawled out of it. Before he went to train, he had put the Rune in one of his secret pockets, a place he deemed the safest for it.
It crawled out and scurried onto his shirt, lodged between his chest and the shirt. Starlight smiled for a moment, then lay his head down and fell asleep.
…
"Wake up, it's time to go. Wake up!"
"Starlight!"
'Wha-' Stalight's head shot up, instantly he felt lightheaded. After it faded, he adjusted his eyes to the situation. Liriel was sitting beside him, shaking him. Starlight slowly sat up and leaned against the stone wall.
"What's… going on? Starlight asked her blurry figure while yawning.
"We're about to leave. Pack your stuff."