The Runic Alchemist

"What is courage?"

"Huh?" escaped from Lucian's mouth.

The metal-woman stopped the fighting to ask such a random-ass question? Damian felt like he may have made some mistake here.

The metal-woman repeated, "What is courage for you?" Her eyes shifted from Lucian to the Drakyn standing in the distance. "For him, it's an ability to stand against everyone who denies his claim to the throne—no matter the cost of lives. What is it to you?"

Lucian pulled herself up and returned her gaze onto the Drakyn, flicking her blade to remove the blood.

"..It's not that complicated," she muttered. "Courage is knowing you're fucked—outmatched, outnumbered, bleeding—and still taking the next damn step."

She glanced at the metal-woman, cold blue eyes steady.

"It's not about being right. It's about not breaking."

"You don't think you are in the right to stop him?" she asked back.

"Maybe, maybe not. I am doing it for others. It's just.. for me."

Lucian and the metal-woman stared at each other for quite some seconds. At last, the metal-woman looked down, a small smile on her face. "At least you don't lie to yourself," she muttered.

Lucian's eyebrows raised in confusion. The metal-woman gave a look to Damian and then the Drakyn. Then she said, "I was given a skill that I never used. Do not change, or I will be really mad."

Now everyone present was confused, along with Lucian. What the hell was this weird lady saying? What skill?

The answer, however, came in the very next moment as the metal-woman closed her eyes. Her white body started radiating with blinding light—they had to cover their eyes. In seconds, the clothes Damian had wrapped around her were incinerated. The heat from her was quite noticeable. The whole battlefield around them had noticed the blinding light and had stopped moving altogether.

Damian quickly created a thick air shield in front of Lucian, diluting the light and shielding her against the direct heat. But after a second, he felt the spell break.. Someone overpowered his 5-inch thick air shield?

Before he could remake it, the light subsided. When the light completely disappeared, the metal-woman was gone. In her place, a big pure-white double-handed sword was floating in the air.

Lucian's eyes widened. Damian was surprised too.

Didn't she hate being just a thing to use for others? She herself had said to him once that she wanted to see the whole world, meet other people. Did she.. die?

Lucian stepped forward. She buried her old steel sword in the snow and hesitatingly touched the hilt of the white blade. The second her fingers touched the blade, it radiated with a flash of light blue once and then disappeared into thin air—as if it never existed to begin with.

It was the most confusing-ass shit ever. Damian noticed Lucian's eyes widening in shock. Did she think she killed her or something?

But the thing Lucian did next made even Damian open his eyes wide. She stretched her hand to the side, and a second later the white sword materialized in her hand like it was coming out of her. That motion—he knew that very well. It happened every time he summoned his own spear.

Did that sword just soul-bond with Lucian in front of everyone? What in the hell?

Soul-bound weapons were real conscious beings? Who was his spear then?

A red muscular demonic horned ugly hound's image came to mind.

No.. It can't be right. Was he seriously swinging around a real, goddamn demon in his hands all this time? He had lost consciousness in his first trial—he never did know whether he lived or died by that Lord of Hellhound's hand.

Lucian's lips formed a smile and she gripped the sword tighter, channeling a powerful force of dark blue aura into it.

The Drakyn in the distance also held his sword tighter.

Damian used a waygate and got out of the barrier.

Setting aside the true nature of his spear, Damian focused on the clash about to happen beneath him.

Everything went quiet.

Then the ground cracked beneath their feet.

Both of them moved at the same time—so fast, there were afterimages.

When they clashed, the shockwave blew apart the broken snowy battlefield, sending dust, snow, and rocks flying. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed everywhere.

Lucian kept moving, her aura flaring around her like a phoenix rising out of her blue fire. She dodged the Drakyn's heavy swings, sparks flying as their swords met again and again.

The fight was brutal. Fast. Loud.

She slashed across his chest—blood spilled out, red and bright.

He roared, wings spreading wide as he released the intense blue flames. Along came his sword, down with all his strength.

Lucian didn't step back. She stepped in.

A continuous stream of ice generating and melting, protecting her. She burned a little at places, but it wasn't enough to stop her.

Her blade stabbed straight through his stomach, glowing with that deep blue energy.

Many times Lucian had landed attacks, but never once had it penetrated the hard skin of the Drakyn before.

The Drakyn's body jerked. His sword slipped from his hand. He looked down at the wound, then at her face.

"..That is impossible," he said quietly.

Lucian didn't say anything. She twisted her sword and pulled it out.

The Drakyn collapsed. First to his knees, then onto the ground.

He didn't get back up.

The wind slowly stopped. The battlefield fell silent again.

Lucian just stood there. Covered in blood and burns. Breathing hard. Her sword shaking in her hand.

It was over.

She had won.

But it didn't feel like victory.

After a few silent moments, she looked up. Damian cancelled the barrier. Then she grabbed the dead, bleeding body of the Drakyn along with his white sword, used a wormhole, and landed on the air step beside him and Sam.

"I need to show them.." she whispered, still breathing hard.

Damian held her and moved the air step towards the busy battlefield. The cries of disbelief and loud whispers spreading throughout the army remained in the background.