"He's my relative," Kael blurted out, the lie feeling heavy on his tongue.
The students exchanged skeptical glances. "Then why is he just standing there?" one asked.
Kael looked down at his closed tiffin, his mind racing. "He… he came to return my lunch box. I forgot it this morning. That's all."
"Okay," a boy challenged, stepping forward. "Then how did he get into our classroom without anyone seeing him at the gate?"
Before Kael could dig his hole any deeper, the door swung open. A girl stood there—or rather, a figure disguised as a student. "Kael, listen! The teacher is calling for you. Now."
She didn't wait for an answer. She grabbed his wrist and hauled him out of the room. Dark Smiler followed silently, his presence a cold shadow trailing behind them. They reached a deserted storage room at the end of the hall.
Dark Smiler shifted into his soul form, his blue eyes glowing. "Who are you? And why are you helping us?"
Kael rubbed his wrist, looking at her. "Yeah, I've got the same question."
The girl smirked, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Dark Smiler… don't tell me you've forgotten me already?"
Dark Smiler tilted his head, then recoiled. "Oh! You're that letter girl!"
The girl's face turned bright red with fury. "How can you call me that in front of a person!" she hissed, stomping her foot.
Kael stared at her, the realization hitting him. "Oh… so you're the one. It's true then."
"What's true?" she snapped.
Kael gave a small, honest shrug. "You really are cute."
The girl froze. Her face went from red to a deep crimson. Without a word, she spun on her heel and bolted out of the room as if her life depended on it.
Dark Smiler stared at the doorway, then at Kael, utterly baffled. "How can you just say that to a girl you just met?"
Kael rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, the truth is the truth. Anyway, you should hide. You're drawing too much attention."
With a faint shimmer, Dark Smiler vanished into a cloud of dark dust.
When Kael returned to class, he braced himself for a mountain of questions. *Crap, they're going to grill me about the tall guy,* he thought.
But as he sat down, the room was normal. Students were chatting and eating as if nothing had happened. Shiya leaned over to him, whispering, "Only Tatsuka and I remember. Everyone else… their memories of that man just faded away."
"Whaaaat?!" Kael shouted, standing up.
The entire class stopped and stared. Kael felt the heat rush to his face. "I—I'm sorry! Just a cough!" He sat down, laughing nervously. "So, what actually happened?"
"A girl came in," Shiya continued in a hushed tone. "She knelt, placed her hand on the floor, and a green magic circle erupted beneath her. When she opened her eyes, the circle shattered, and everyone just… forgot. Then she ran away."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Did she have crimson hair and red eyes?"
Tatsuka slid into the seat next to them, a teasing grin on his face. "Yes. And she's the one who saved your skin. So tell me… what's the relationship? Is she our future sister-in-law? Hidden talent, Kael!"
Kael's face burned. "W-What are you talking about?! It's not like that!"
The rest of the school day passed in a blur of teasing and confusion, but as night fell, the atmosphere shifted.
At midnight, the air in Kael's room grew thick.
He was deep in sleep, but his body began to thrash. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. They weren't golden anymore. They were voids—utterly black, swallowing the moonlight. He began to chant in a voice that didn't sound like his own.
भो परमेश्वर, अस्मान् रक्ष —
मानव-चिन्तनात् परतः —
पञ्च सन्ति, एकः तु यथार्थ-स्वामिनं प्रति निवर्तते ।
प्रायश्चित्तम्!"
("Oh, Supreme God, protect us—*
Beyond the reach of mortal thought—*
There are five, and one returns to the rightful master.*
***REDEMPTION!***")
A swirling vortex of dark clouds opened above his bed. From the center of the void, a hilt emerged. Kael reached out and grasped it. The blade was long, forged of a white metal so pure it seemed to emit its own divine light, perfectly balanced by a guard of shimmering gold.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, the light faded.
Kael woke up at dawn, gasping for air. He checked under his bed, behind his curtains—nothing. No sword. No magic. He drank a glass of water, chalking it up to another vivid nightmare, and fell back into a restless sleep.
"Hey! Wake up!"
Kael groaned as Dark Smiler shook him awake. He squinted at the clock. "It's 4:00 AM! Are you crazy?"
Dark Smiler's expression was dead serious. "Today, your training begins in earnest."
"Are you alright?" Kael asked, skeptical.
Dark Smiler placed a hand over his heart. "You can believe in me, Kael."
"That's the biggest problem," Kael muttered, but he got out of bed anyway.
They reached a secluded part of the park while the stars were still out. "The Cursed," Kael began, using Dark Smiler's title. "I saw something in my dream. "It—"
"Let me guess, the girl again?" Dark Smiler interrupted with a wave of his hand. "Not a big deal."
"No! I saw a sword. A white blade," Kael shouted.
Dark Smiler froze. He leaned in close, his blue eyes searching Kael's. "A white blade? Did you say the word? Did you say *Redemption*?"
"REDEMPTION!" Kael yelled, frustrated.
The space tore open. The dark cloud returned, and Kael's hand instinctively caught the golden hilt. The divine white blade hummed in the morning air.
Dark Smiler fell back, his face pale with shock. "You… you completed the incantation? Without dying?"
"Is this sword rare or something?" Kael asked, feeling the incredible weight of the power in his hand.
"I will tell you about the sword later," Dark Smiler whispered, still staring at the blade. "For now, put that away. Practice your magic. Use the wooden sword I made for you."
Days turned into a blur of sweat and steel. Kael was a natural; within a week, the wooden sword felt like an extension of his own arm.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Dark Smiler finally sat him down.
"There are five types of **Redemption** in the entire universe," Dark Smiler explained.
"Five swords? So there are five owners?" Kael asked, his eyes shining with curiosity.
Dark Smiler nodded. "Yes. But they are not equal. The sword you are holding… it is actually mine. I don't understand how you finished the incantation. Usually, the pain of calling it is like being shredded alive. It should have killed you."
Kael's heart skipped a beat. "Does that mean… you're a Supreme Being?"
Dark Smiler straightened his back, a proud, regal smile crossing his face. "I am. And that sword? It is unique. It has the capability to copy any other blade in existence, upgrading its design and power to a divine level."
Kael looked down at his hands, his voice trembling. "Does that mean… I'm holding the most powerful weapon in space?"
Dark Smiler's smile vanished, replaced by a look of grim gravity.