-"Eno."-Artoria looked at me, her hair covering her eyes, but I could feel her intense gaze locked on me.-"Tell me, how should I punish you?"
-"Can you not?"
-"Heh."-She approached me, standing a few millimeters from me.
She grabbed the front of my cape, clutching it tightly. As I was wondering what she would do, she collapsed, clinging to me as her only support. I caught her quickly, feeling how her shoulders trembled. It was my first time seeing her cry like that, so I didn't know what to do.
-"Don't… Never… Please don't leave…"-She mumbled.
-"I'm going nowhere."-I assured her.
She just hugged me tighter, crying silently. Only after more than half an hour had passed did she calm down, but she didn't leave my arm, keeping her head low as she spoke.
-"Eno. Never put yourself in serious harm's way for me. Nothing is worth losing you, even the crown."
-"I'm…"
-"No. Promise me."-She interrupted me.-"I don't want to hear excuses or assurances, only a direct promise."
I looked at her and couldn't help but smile. I kissed the top of her head and spoke quietly.
-"I can't promise that."
-"You have to."
-"At most, I can promise to face everything together with you, not alone."-I tried to appease her.
She was silent on that, nodding after a moment.
-"Promise."
-"I promise."
-"Eno, I love you."
-"Mhmm. I love you too."-I kissed her head once again.
-"I'll find a way to solve this curse."
-"Don't mind it. I'll manage."
-"No. You said it: 'face everything together' . I already have an idea."
-"Oh?"
-"Well… I had to contact spirits for something, and they might have a way to solve your issue."
-"Did something happen?"
-"… it broke…"-She spoke almost silently.
-"What broke?"
-"…sword… My sword."
-"Wait. You mean the sword in the stone?
-"Caliburn."-She nodded.
-"A pity. It was a good sword."
-"Pity?"-She looked up, her eyes confused at my reaction.-"Don't you feel angry? Disappointed?"
-"Why would I? I'm not a craftsman who sees everything as a masterpiece. To me, a sword is a tool, nothing more or nothing less. It's to be used, and if it breaks, so be it, find new or reforge it."
-"But isn't this sword why I'm a king?"
-"Do you truly think so?"-I looked into her eyes.-"Are you here just because of this sword?"
-"Not just… But it was a catalyst."
-"No matter what, an item only represents the meaning that someone gave it. Merlin bestowed the meaning of kingship on that sword, so it started your journey, but it definitely didn't cause it. So now, you can reforge it and give it new meaning, something that can represent not just the start but the whole of your journey. Even if it's going to be just a ceremonial sword, make sure it doesn't just stay a broken sword in your heart."
She contemplated my words, nodding after a while.
-"You are right. I'll make this sword into something more than just the start of my fate."
-"That's the spirit."-I smiled.
We slowly steered our conversation to the subjects that needed addressing. Artoria agreed to most of my arrangements about the trial and governing of Wales, but she rejected appearing alone, telling me that I'm to be by her side for the whole trial. Even when I told her about people thinking that I'm trying to replace her, she just smiled and told me that she doesn't care who is the king or queen; we are one.
So we settled on starting the trial in five days, using the time before it to get the new sword from the fairies. After that, we started talking about everything that had happened over the past years, because even though we wrote letters to each other regularly, we couldn't include everything we wanted in them. Before we noticed, it was already the next morning, so we just ate breakfast and prepared to depart.
As we were about to slip out of the city, Gawain caught us, the veins on his forehead visible from meters away. In the end, we had to take him alone as a guard, even though Artoria tried every way to imply that we wanted to be alone. By the end of their 'argument' , Artoria was in despair, while I was honestly impressed by how much of a straight man he was.
After finding a horse for him, we rode into the nearby forest, Artoria leading us to where the meeting was to take place. The location was some distance away, so we rode the whole day before we arrived at a quiet lake, the crystal clear water reflecting the twinkling lights of spirits floating around. In the center of the lake was a small island, a few stones with barely enough space for three people to stand.
But there, pierced into the ground, were two swords and a spear. After we secured our horses, well, their horses, as Arion acted offended even at the idea of being bound to some tree, I used magic to bring us to the island. Looking around, I soon found an inscription written in the Fairy Letters below the golden sword.
-"A mighty majestic sword, built to symbolize hope and eternal victory, born from the essence of the planet, crafted by the greatest of crafters, blessed by the greatest of gods. It's a sword born to be wielded by Man. Not just any mere man, only those who are worthy, only those who would become kings and legends."-I read the inscription aloud.
Gawain instantly stepped back, hearing that this was a sword for a king. Artoria looked at me, but I shook my head.
-"The Man here means humanity, and I don't satisfy this requirement. Only someone who can represent humankind can wield this sword, and only a King of Humanity can draw upon its full power. My origin is complicated, but from what I uncovered, I'm not a mortal, so I'm not fully part of humanity. The fact that Gaia contracted me instead of Alaya only proves that further."
Artoria nodded and placed her hand on the handle, drawing the sword from the ground. She raised it into the air, holding it up to her face to look at the blade. From the side, I could see how the sword fused with her, its light permeating her being, changing her into a perfect image of king and human. I looked at her worriedly, especially as I noticed that she seemed to be in some kind of trance, but she soon opened her eyes.
She then looked at me, and I found a great bit of exhaustion appear in her eyes, but when she saw me, it disappeared, replaced by relief and love far more intense than just seconds before. Before I could ask, she shook her head and mouthed that she'll explain later, motioning with her eyes toward Gawain. I nodded and looked toward the second sword, feeling even stronger rejection from it than from the first sword. Next to it were a few lines of Fairy Letters, so once again I read them aloud.
-"This sword is a reflection of the sun, the final light remaining on land. May night retreat from this brilliance, its enduring protection shine upon this earth. Its flame shall cleanse all the impurity of this world, and its light will thwart any and all evil."
Artoria instantly noticed the clash in the natures between me and the sword, so she turned to Gawain. He was visibly attracted to the sword, so noticing our silent consent, he took it out from its place. I could feel the unmistakable heat of the sun emanating from him, forcing me to hide behind Artoria to stop the uncomfortable itch I felt.
I observed Gawain carefully, watching to see if something similar to what Artoria went through would happen to him, but there were no signs of any trance or power assimilation aside from the blessing of the sun he had acquired. This made me look at Artoria's sword once again, wondering what it truly was.
Then I looked at the spear. It looked simple, a sliver, almost metallic, shaft and spearhead made of an unknown material. Looking around, I tried to find an inscription associated with it, but I couldn't notice anything. As I was to stop looking, a mirage of letters appeared before me.
-"Beyond the skies, the far side of the earth. This is the wedge of light that stands at the ends of the world."
My brow furrowed at this short description, but I could feel that this spear had some connection to me. Knowing that just thinking about it without any more information was pointless, I just grabbed it and started to lift it from the ground. I felt a power I couldn't yet name enter me as the surroundings faded to white.
Before I could reopen my eyes, I felt a scorching heat surrounding me and sand blown by the wind hitting me. When I finally could see the surroundings, I saw a desert spreading out around me, nothing but sand until the horizon. There were some ruins here and there, but aside from a few familiar knights and me, no other life was near.
Speaking of the familiar faces, next to me knelt a group of knights, all were the future members of the Round Table, but I knew only a few, quickly noticing that both Mordred and Bedivere were missing. And before them stood Artoria, but she was different from the Artoria I knew. Not only was she fully grown up, but her whole aura was also so different, almost inhuman. I looked at her, and she met my gaze, and I saw that there were no emotions in those green eyes. She seemed to recognize me and nodded to me in greeting, not minding me not kneeling to her.
-"Rise, my knights."
-"King, you called us once again."-One of the knights spoke up.
-"Yes. I need your service."-She nodded
Artoria spoke her will, not explaining but ordering. Talking about the Holy Selection of pure souls to continue humanity. Her approach caused a rift between knights, many asking her to reconsider, but she ignored them and turned to me. This caused others to notice me, but due to them origination from proper history, none knew me.
-"What about you, my Justiciar?"
I continued looking into her eyes, looking for any signs that she was someone else, but I could feel that she was Artoria, so I nodded and answered her.
-"I will uphold my vows. Even if hell awaits me."
She nodded and returned her attention to the other knights.
-"I'll give you a choice: you can accept my summons or leave with honor intact."
A few minutes later, only those who accepted remained. Artoria then raised her spear, light erupting around her, slowly turning the surrounding desert into a white city. Feeling that this construct had some gaps, I also raised my arm, filling the gaps with my Originium Glintstone, solidifying the emerging fortress. Artoria accepted my assistance, even including my crystals in her project. Before some knights could recover from their stupor, the new Camelot rose before them.
When she was finished, Artoria instantly walked into the Camelot, leading everyone into a throne room. There she sat on her throne, looking at everyone before her. She then looked to her side, but nothing was there.
-"My Justiciar."
-"King?"
-"Stand on my side."
I nodded and walked to the spot next to her throne. Only then did she start to arrange tasks for everyone. Some were sent to gather people, and some were ordered to defend the city. My task was to oversee everything while she focused on the Holy Selection. Everyone accepted their assignments, but before we could disperse, she spoke about one more matter.
-"I will bestow upon you gifts."-She took out a Holy Grail, using its power to imbue everyone with its power. There were a few who rejected it, but most accepted. I watched this happen, not being included for some reason, observing the technique to better understand the workings of the Holy Grail. After the gifts were distributed, Artoria sent the knights away, leaving only us two alone.
-"My Justiciar."-She began after everyone left.-"I hope you also can accept a gift."
-"If you think it'll help me, then I won't refuse it."
-"Give me your hand."-She stood up and walked to me.
I nodded and extended my left hand.
-"Not that, the other one."-She shook her head.
I furrowed my brows but did as she said. She then took off my gauntlet, revealing my blackened hand. Without any change in expression, she put the Grail in my hand, using most of its power to bestow the gift to me. I closed my eyes, and soon, the Grail disappeared into my body, filling me with power.
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…
Personal skills:
…
The Law: C → Divine Core of Law: A
Origin of all Sankta. Elevated by Gaia into a seed to replace the original Law, blooming due to the power of the Holy Grail, though it still has unexplored power. The mark of Divine Spirit. It gives absolute control over spirits and magical energy in the vicinity, turning one's will into a decree for the world to follow.
…
______________________________
When I reopened my eyes, they turned into the white glow of divinity, my mind entering into a cold numbness. The black curse disappeared from my hand, but it wasn't because it was dispelled, but because righteousness and justice were no longer important to me. My words were now the law; no morality or mortal concepts could control it.
I looked at Artoria, and she just nodded and returned to her throne. Knowing that the audience had ended, I left the throne room and walked to a place assigned to me. It wasn't a simple room or some mansion outside the castle, but the tower overlooking the entire city.
I watched the empty streets and how the golem knights slowly emerged from their forges, when Promulgator appeared by my side.
-"Eno…"-She spoke carefully.-"Are you all right?"
-"I'm still me."-I answered, but my voice was much colder than before.-"I'll get used to it, don't worry about me losing myself."
-"Sigh. At least one problem got resolved."-She spoke about the curse.
-"Not yet, it was just alleviated, but it won't harm me now. I hope you can help me a little."
-"Sure. What can I do for you?"
-"Before the Holy Selection starts, I hope you can arrange some things around the Camelot for me."
-"Will you truly follow that absurd plan?"
-"Yes. As I said, I'll uphold my vow to always stand by her and face what is to come together, but I won't let her commit the same sin as I did."
Promulgator nodded, but her eyes showed some doubt. But she still did what I asked for, arranging a special formation covering the city. I meanwhile focused on my tasks, quickly gaining the knights' recognition and respect. Not even a month later, the first Holy Selection took place. I watched how Artoria performed the ritual, taking the worthy ones while leaving the rest for disposal.
I looked at the hundreds of confused people, their faces a mix of fear and panic. The Enforcement Knights waited for my order, but I didn't give them one. I simply waved my hand, claiming all souls of the people gathered below in one swift move. When it was done, I turned around and left, my attention no longer needed here.