"So cool!" Yin yelled, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"You really made these for us?" Yang asked before politely bowing. "Thank you."
"No problem, kid." Kurobe rubbed the back of his head with a smile while Kaijin simply chuckled in response.
I, however, wasn't listening to their conversation, not at all in fact. My focus was entirely on the object laid out in front of me. (T‑they... they really went all out...)
It was a scythe, one that almost seemed to resonate with my senses, its form pulsing slightly with magical energy. Its shape was both sharp and angular, with a colour scheme that was mostly ashy black with some dark blue segments here and there. A glowing blue chain emerged from the bottom, wrapped around the snath of the scythe.
It was the blade however that really got my full, undivided attention in that moment though. Its surface was a dark midnight blue that seemed to be made of some kind of crystal or glass, yet looked as if it had been formed out of pure light, glowing and shimmering ever so slightly. It was beautiful in a way I couldn't quite explain; I felt a pull toward the weapon as a whole, one that felt both familiar and foreign at the same time. It was something that left me in a bit of a daze if I'm being honest.
"Suu?" Rimuru's sudden call pierced the haze that had settled over my mind.
"I feel... I feel a connection..." I mumbled, shaking my head slightly to anchor myself.
"A connection?" Yang asked, confused.
"Ah, I thought something like this might happen," Kaijin muttered with a nod of understanding.
Rimuru turned to the dwarf with a confused expression and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Tell me, Lady Suu, do you feel a similar connection to the weapons these two are holding as well?" Kaijin mused, gesturing to the things the twins now held within their hands.
Yin held a katana, black as night with shimmering white and silver edges; it was sleek and the perfect length for her particular frame and fighting style. Yang on the other hand, well, she held a bow that, while smooth, looked like it was made of metallic feathers of glittering white, with several smaller segments highlighted in gold.
"Yes... but it's... it's weaker. Why?" I asked, genuinely perplexed.
"Because we used less of the feathers that you gave us when making theirs compared to yours," Kurobe explained with a light shrug.
"You see, before we started forging I ran a few tests on those feathers you gave me," Kaijin continued. "I wanted to see what kind of effects they would have, so we could get an idea of what would happen if we used them in the forging process."
"And you found something?" I asked, genuinely curious now.
"I believe so," he mused, nodding slowly. "Turns out, while phoenixes are considered a type of monster, they have similarities with spiritual life‑forms like demons and spirits." I didn't fully understand what he meant, but it was still surprising to hear. He wasn't finished, though.
"Your body is corporeal and made out of magicules just like other monsters; however, the way those magicules act is somewhat more similar to spiritrons. Despite being separated, the feathers, which have now completely merged with these three new creations of ours, are still resonating with you. It is as if your senses are still registering them as a part of your body to some degree."
"What does that mean exactly?" Rimuru asked, voicing the very question that I myself had been about to ask.
"For the twins? The part of your energy within their weapons will slowly settle, and the connection to you will gradually dissipate over time as Yin and Yang use them," Kurobe hummed, his arms crossed in front of him.
"For you though, if you keep using that scythe, infusing it with more of your power over time, then the effects could be..." He muttered, glancing at Kaijin, who was quick to follow up and finish the explanation.
"Similar to how spirits can split parts of their essence off to create new spirits, it appears you can do the same thing in a way," the dwarf said with genuine fascination as he stepped forward and ran his hand across the blade of the scythe. "Simply put, with constant use there is a chance that this little dear here could gain an ego and a life of its very own."
"Wait a second, you mean Lady Suu's scythe could one day suddenly start talking to her?" Yang asked with wide eyes filled with wonder.
"Yay! That means we could get a new friend!" Yin cheered happily, causing Kaijin to chuckle in amusement as Kurobe began to elaborate.
"We don't know how the ego, if one will even begin to develop in the first place, may end up manifesting," he admitted simply. "It could be something dramatic, like the formation of a fully sentient will, or it could become something far more subtle. In the end, we simply do not know."
(This... this definitely wasn't news that I was expecting to hear today...) I thought, feeling genuinely bewildered by the revelation.
Honestly, the idea that my weapon could potentially gain sentience was... strange, to say the least. On one hand it sounded kind of cool; on the other, it made me feel rather uncomfortable. Simply put, I didn't really know what to think or do in response to this sudden piece of information.
"Did the feathers have any other effects?" I asked, turning my attention back to them.
"They did, actually. While they didn't affect the weapons on a physical level, they greatly enhanced their magical compatibility," Kurobe admitted with a nod.
"Basically, any magic‑based skills, enhancements, or other such abilities used on them will have a far greater effect then they would have otherwise."
(Well, that's definitely interesting...) I mused internally.
Honestly, I found it rather intriguing to say the least. (For now, though, I'll just add it to the list of things that I'll need to test later.)
"Thanks for your hard work," I hummed, bowing slightly to them in thanks.
"It's no problem at all, little miss," Kaijin chuckled in response while Kurobe smiled at me warmly.
"Now then, don't you think it's time to give them names?" Rimuru suddenly asked, clapping his hands together to get our attention. "After all, it wouldn't do to not give them proper names, don't you think?"
"Name them?" Yang muttered, tilting her head slightly.
"Yeah, yeah! I want to name mine, I want to name mine," Yin said, looking absolutely ecstatic.
(I suppose he does have a point.) I contemplated. (But what name should I give it...)
"Does naming have any effect on material things, like naming a monster does?" I asked after a moment of thought.
Kaijin answered. "For a normal weapon or item, the answer is no, naming it won't cause it to evolve or suddenly gain sentience."
"However..." I noticed him hesitate for a second.
"However, I truly don't know what will happen in this context," he muttered, arms crossed as he thought for a moment before continuing. "It might have some effect, but I doubt anything overly dramatic will happen. I don't think it'll suddenly start talking to you, is what I'm trying to say."
"If we compare it to what happens when you try naming a lesser spirit, beings that have no consciousness of their own, yet can still be named, at most it will somewhat accelerate its development, pushing it closer to eventually gaining an ego. Of course, I'm guessing that it will only have such an effect if you yourself are the one to name it."
(Makes sense, I guess...) I mused internally as the silence settled in the room.
"So then, any ideas?" Rimuru asked, breaking the quiet atmosphere.
"I was thinking of Blue Ash, but if it ends up gaining awareness then that's kind of a weird name in that context," I admitted with a sigh.
Rimuru thought about that before shrugging and saying, "Well, you don't need to decide right away. You still have plenty of time to think on it."
"You can always use Blue Ash for now and name it properly once you've come to a conclusion," he suggested, and I slowly nodded.
"I guess..."
(((A/N: Thanks for reading and showing your support. Please leave a review or comment if you feel like it. Additionally, for those who were wondering, the weapons look something like this:
Scythe...
Katana...
Bow...
Hope you like them.)))