'Incredible...truly, she's beyond deadly. Despite restricting herself to my power level, the gap between us is still this wide. Even if I had two swords myself, there's no way I could pull off this kind of graceful cooperation between them...I have so much further to grow.'
Of course, if Alyse heard Zara's thoughts, she'd probably keel over in anger. The idea that Zara – who has lived less than a hundredth of the time that Alyse has been a sword master – has managed to hold out this well against her is hurtful enough, but it's doubtful if she could stomach that Zara actually entertained thoughts of besting her without a strength or magic advantage.
Ding!
Squelch!
"Ngh-...grrr!" (Zara)
She can't help but let out a low growl as Alyse's second blade slips past her defenses once again, leaving a deep gash on her upper thigh. She quickly retaliates, thrusting her sword forward and abandoning any attempts at defense to take advantage of the window in Alyse's guard.
As her blade slides towards Alyse's shoulder, Alyse is unable to evade fully as her sword slides past Alyse's neck, leaving a shallow cut that begins to leak blood. She immediately feels a rush of satisfaction.
'Finally...now we're both bleeding, at least.'
However, Alyse just smiles.
"Gotcha." (Alyse)
No sooner than the words register does she sense Alyse's other blade closing in on her completely exposed side. She instinctively recognizes that it's too late to avoid the blow...she's overextended herself, and she has no time to dodge or to parry the blade. All she can do is take the hit.
Zara grits her teeth, both in self-frustration and anticipation of the pain.
'Dammit, I got distracted! That's as good as a loss!'
She can see that Alyse has turned her blade so that the flat of it will strike her. It won't be lethal or even fully incapacitating – she'll probably have a rib or two cracked – but she knows that's only because Alyse doesn't want to hurt her too badly. If this was a real fight, this would likely be a finishing blow.
However, right when she's expecting to feel the sword slam into her side...
THRUMMMMMM!
She glances down in shock to see that Alyse's blade is hovering a mere centimeter from her side, the blade vibrating madly with a soft, metallic hum, as though it's momentum was suddenly halted from the base of the sword. Her expression twists in confusion.
'She stopped it?'
She was fully prepared to take the strike and accept the humiliation of a loss. After all, she did intentionally antagonize Alyse, so getting let off without a little pain really would have been far too magnanimous for a swordsman with the level of pride Alyse has clearly displayed.
She turns a questioning gaze to Alyse, expecting an explanation for why she's been spared from the strike. However, all she sees is a bewildered expression on Alyse's face that mirrors her own confusion. Then, before she can fully process the implications, a voice echoes in her head.
[What the hell, you two!?]
And after a brief silence...
[Fufufufu...oh my, it seems I've missed something quite fun.]
Even though the voices are not voices, per se, she can recognize them all too well. She lets out a deep sigh, the impending pain of Alyse's strike already replaced by disappointment.
'Looks like my fun is over...'
She glances around, looking for the source of the voices, but all she sees are confused expressions pervading the people around her. The only exceptions are Alyse, whose face is now sheet white with her pupils constricted to pinholes, and Alto, who is wearing a small, expectant smile. Clearly, they both recognize the significance of the voices.
It seems that Mizuki has returned with Nina.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
A deep sigh escapes my lips.
"In retrospect, that could have gone a lot worse." (Mizuki)
Nina lets out a small giggle and cuts me a playful look.
"Indeed...you're lucky that little Ilina only asked for some more quality time after hearing about Cara. You know that you'll have to do that for me, too, right?" (Nina)
I roll my eyes at her. But I can't seem to match her levity with my own voice.
"I almost killed him, Nina. If Ilina hadn't stopped me, Jorah would really be dead right now. After all that work to convince the elves that I'm not a danger to them, I almost wrongly murdered one of their nobles right in front of their queen." (Mizuki)
I'd like to think that's an exaggeration, that I wouldn't really have gone through with it so easily, but...that would just be a comforting lie to tell myself. I was a breath from snapping Jorah's neck without a second thought. While nobody – not even Jorah – seemed to hold it against me after we talked everything out, and I'm thankful that it didn't cause a diplomatic incident, I'm not sure if that'd be the case if everyone knew just how serious I was.
That bothers me.
It wouldn't be the first time I killed someone, of course, and I've never lost sleep over it. But this would have been different. This time, I was in the wrong.
In the past, I was always sure that the people I killed were deserving of death, and that I'd been thorough, fair, and objective in deciding their guilt, so why would I be remorseful about killing them? If anything, wasn't I indirectly helping others? Those people made their choices knowing the potential consequences...I'm not to blame for them reaping what they sowed.
So why...why was I so quick to decide that Jorah definitely deserved to die when he clearly didn't? In the moment, I was inclined to blame it on the Note setting me on edge. But is that really true? I've thought it before, but it's weird how okay I was with killing in general when I first came to this world. That's not normal, right? Even if I didn't feel guilty, I should have at least hesitated, the bloody scene should have shocked me, I should have been shaking with adrenaline...something. But I've only ever felt calm.
Do I really care about strangers' lives that little?
I've heard that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Is that what's happening to me, or was I always like this? I've never had concerns about my own morality before coming here, but would I even notice something like this back on Earth? There was no violence in my environment on Earth, nor did I wield any personal power...there was nothing to show me if I really valued people's lives.
Sure, when I'd talk with others about world affairs, I've always advocated for humane actions, but was that really how I felt? Did it come from a place of empathy, or was it just a sterile, didactic conclusion of mine, like I was entertaining a philosophical exercise from a book? Does it even matter, if my decisions were the same?
Even now, I don't feel like I'm actually upset or guilt-ridden, I'm just...uncomfortable. Yet, it's not that I'm uncomfortable with the nature of my actions, per se, just that they seem incongruent with my expectations and my perception of myself. It's as though those inconsistencies bother me more than their actual implications.
Doesn't that in itself suggest I don't value people's lives like I thought I did? Am I sure that I care about other people at all?
My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by Nina's flippant voice.
"Well, I don't know about wrongly murdered...it was Jorah, after all." (Nina)
I blink in confusion, remembering where I am and what's going on. When Nina's words register, my lip twitches despite the concerns weighing on my mind. I glance over at her, and I find a pair of bright, emerald-green eyes staring back at me.
After teleporting us back to a secluded area outside Eden to avoid prying eyes, I'm flying us towards the city with her hugged against me. Feeling the soothing warmth of her seeping into me, I take a moment to study her. I see the rays of sunlight filtering through her light brown hair, and her pale, pink lips twisted into a playful smile as she stares up at me with her chin on my chest.
At the same time, I can feel her emotions though our Bond. Despite her playful tone, there's a hint of concern for me. But, it's paired with a strong affection and a kind of unshakeable assuredness that feels vaguely calming. I can practically hear her telling me that she wouldn't care even if I had killed a thousand of Jorah's this morning – she would wade through a river of blood right beside me, if that's where my decisions led.
Of course, it's all too clear at this point that she must have gleaned some of my earlier internal dialogue via our Bond, and she's trying to reassure me. Yet, even knowing that, the quiet exchange almost immediately soothes my mind, and I feel an inexplicably warm sensation spread through my chest as I involuntarily smile back at her.
Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind I know that I should be concerned about the fact that all it took for me to stop worrying about my little moral conundrum was to know that Nina doesn't care, that there's something sinister about the implications of that. But looking at her, and realizing how she makes me feel, I nearly laugh at some of my earlier thoughts.
How silly...of course I care about other people. I care about her, don't I? About Ilina and Alto and others.
As the last of my concerns seem to almost inexplicably slip from my mind, my small smile widens into a blatant grin.
"I love you." (Mizuki)
Nina's eyes widen.
"I...wh-..." (Nina)
Hearing her stuttering, my grin only grows.
"Pffft...I don't get to see you flustered very often. It's kind of cute. What's the matter? You knew that already, didn't you?" (Mizuki)
I smirk at her playfully, and to my surprise, she just snorts indignantly.
"Hmph...of course I did. You're just normally not so...verbal, about it." (Nina)
I raise my eyebrows at the accusation.
I guess...she's not entirely wrong. I've only said it explicitly one other time, as far as I remember. Without our Bond, that would probably be a lot more problematic...how strange that I hadn't noticed until now.
I shrug at her and smile lightly.
"I guess you're right...I should probably fix that." (Mizuki)
Nina's grip around my waist tightens, and she leans her head into my chest affectionately.
"Good." (Nina)
We stay like that in pleasant silence for several moments, until the faint sound of ringing metal reaches my ears. I feel Nina perk up, and I narrow my eyes as well.
"What the hell is that?" (Mizuki)
I quickly pick up the pace and fly us straight into Eden, still invisible, and make my way towards the sound's source within the city.
As we grow nearer, I can identify the sounds as particularly violent sword clashes, and I make out a crowd within the Park. They appear to be encircling two sparring figures, and my pupils constrict when I notice who they are.