Michael strained his voice trying to pull her up as the sight of the owner came into view. The nearby commoners looked at him, shaking their heads knowing he was already up to no good.
"Pull me up!" Evelyn called after him. "Michael!"
"I'm trying—" Michael yelled back. "How much did you eat?!"
"I'm definitely beating you up after this!"
Michael was so weak. His arms were probably just as thin as hers. He's been eating nothing but one potato in the last two days, there wasn't that much fuel for lifting another person. He saw the look on her face, the face of worry.
Evelyn turned around seeing the wave of commoners clear for a bigger obstacle flowing through. Then there was a flash of light. Michael fell over to the other side of the wall with no other force pivoting his weight.
Michael gasped, crying out her name at the thought that his grip had broke. Until he looked at his right hand, finding out the golden sword she transformed to.
"Are you crazy?!" he shouted at the sword. "Everybody saw that!"
You didn't pull me up, the voice shouted back, what was I supposed to do?
Michael gritted to himself and pressed his ear to the wall. Apart from the murmur from commoners, the owner shouted threats over how he remembered the faces of Michael and Evelyn and swore that they wouldn't get away again.
Michael slid his back down and sighed. He hoped nobody had seen what happened. In the best perspective of the commoners, the random girl flashed into nothing and Michael fell over.
I'm sorry, the voice said, I just wanted to feel what eating was like.
"No—" Michael stopped her. "Don't say sorry."
She appeared in her spirit form, kneeling and looking down at him.
"Let me walk for the rest of the day, deal?"
She nodded.
He hated the sound of her voice whenever she apologized. It felt like something was crumbling inside of him. Even looking at her now, kind of made him sick to his chest.
Are you mad, she asked, you sound mad.
Michael furrowed his brow. "What—no, I'm not mad at you."
Then why do you feel like this?
The realization hit Michael. She was a sword, she could hear and feel anything that he thought.
"I'm sorry," he said. "It's just that things got too close, and I got really scared."
Evelyn looked into his eyes. Even as an imaginary ghost, her eyes still glowed bright through.
Michael thought he was taking things too seriously. It was already obvious that he couldn't pull up Evelyn even if they had all the time to escape. His arms would have probably been torn off if he kept pulling. The idea of ego swords didn't even exist in this world yet he's stressing so hard for no reason. Evelyn was the reason they're still here.
He thought about the situation if Evelyn didn't transform and she was caught by the owner. Michael would have jumped down, tried to free her from his arms. The owner would have smacked him across the face, knocking him out that easily. Then, he'd go right back to the worker's union. She would have been sent out to be studied as a weapon, never to see each other again.
You're scared about that, she said, you should have told me.
Michael curled into his knees. He didn't want to lose Evelyn. She was the best thing that's ever happened to him. He regrets shouting at her, he regrets calling her fat, and he knows she's hearing all of this.
The sword flashed. He felt the touch of a soft hand.
Evelyn leaned her head against Michael. "I'm still not taking back the fact you called me fat."
"I know," Michael muttered in his arms. "I'm sorry."
She pressed her fist against his cheek. "Punch."
"Ouch," he responded in a low voice.
She must have understood his feelings for her now. He wasn't sure if he made things more uncomfortable and awkward but she sounded like she didn't care. It was already obvious enough, from the desperation in his voice and the echoing thought of losing someone like her. He wanted her to know.
Evelyn stood. "Alright, let's go."
Michael lifted his head. She had a soft smile. He grabbed her hand as she pulled him up. There was a flash of light, feeling her hand turn into a handle of a sword. He fell back to the ground with nothing to hold his weight.
"Hey, what the—" Michael chuckled. "What was that for?"
A girl's laughter played in his mind.
"You did that on purpose."
Sorry, the voice said, I just wanted to try that out once.
"Was it worth it?"
Yeah, the voice said, you smiled again.
***
Finding another place to sleep for the night was another challenge. Michael absolutely made sure he was far away from that restaurant picking somewhere to sleep. The sound of that owner's voice felt serious about the dedication to find who they are. Michael traveled quickly through the city moving through connecting alleys so he wouldn't catch any suspicious glances from commoners while holding a sword. Though, a kid sneaking through alleys was already creepy enough. He just didn't want Evelyn to be tired again.
The best place he looked for was a barn. She didn't like the suggestion but she was a sword, there was no nose or sense of smell whenever she was a sword. Sleeping in stables was already normal for Michael. And the best part yet, the piles of hay even acted like decent bedding. He just couldn't talk about the smell in front of her as she already knew through his mind.
It was dark. Nighttime and the streets already cleared. Michael hopped over the fence and squeezed through gates as guards passed by to just enforce the law of curfew. He moved calmly and quietly through the horses so they wouldn't be jumped by the sight of him. He even hugged Evelyn to his body so the shining sword wouldn't agitate them, if that was even a thing.
Michael dropped his body on a pile of hay. It was an empty stable but he had neighbors of horses sleeping alongside him. He held Evelyn as he stared at the roof.
"Hey, Evelyn," he called. "You there?"
The sword hummed in response.
"Are you awake?"
It's still night, the voice said, don't wake me up again.
"Can I ask you something?"
I'm not getting out there, the voice said, no way.
"That's okay, I can talk to you like this."
The sword hummed quietly.
"Why did you choose me?"
There was silence. Apart from the annoying crickets outside and the small dozing from sleeping horses, Michael thought she forgot to respond.
I didn't forget, the voice said, are you sure you're not mad at me?
"I promise you, Evelyn, I'm not mad at you. I should be mad at myself, you saved me about twice by now and I haven't done anything for you back. That's why I'm wondering—why did you choose me?"
I'm an ego sword, the voice said, I choose who I want to choose and I choose you.
"You said you've lived for more than eighty years, haven't you come across anyone that's—I don't know, more better than me?"
She appeared, floating beside him.
Michael turned over.
I've felt the presence of many warriors, she said, any one of them could have been amazing ego masters. But I know, for a certain, that none of them was like you.
"Because, I'm a slave?"
That's right, she said, you're nothing more than a slave.
"Ouch."
She laughed. If I had bonded with anyone else, I wouldn't have laughed like how you make me. I would feel trapped, even in my own sword asking for the permission to even live as myself.
Michael held the sword in his hand. "Then, are you having fun with me? As your bond?"
I am, she said, I don't think anybody else can replicate this. You didn't ask for power, you didn't ask for anything else, you just wanted a hot meal, right?
Michael remembered back at the arena, when she had bonded with him.
I admired your sense of freedom and how much you wanted to have it despite knowing you couldn't do anything.
"Then you helped me."
She smiled.
"I wanted to get away from the union, live my own life. And right now, this is way better."
Especially because you like me so much, don't you?
Michael covered his eyes, turning away from her ghost.
Michael, she laughed, you know I can hear you. Every thought passing through your mind, every little fantasy—
"Alright, stop!" He dropped her. The voices stopped. He couldn't hear her anymore. Her laughing voice was gone, her presence disappeared, and the connection severed. He looked back at the sword, pulsating for him to return.
Evelyn couldn't return to her physical form if Michael didn't touch her hilt. She couldn't transform into a sword if he didn't hold her hand. And she couldn't talk to him if their bond wasn't active.
Michael grabbed the sword back. "Evelyn?"
The connection was there again, but she felt a little off.
"Evelyn, are you there?"
I'm here, the voice said, just a little shaken up.
"What did I do?" Michael worried. "Did I just hurt you?"
You cut our bond, the voice said, it's fine. Don't worry about it, I just felt a little weird when that happened.
"Did I hurt you?" Michael persisted. "Are you okay, really?"
A flash of light appeared in the barn, almost blinding Michael since it was already dark. Michael even took a few seconds blinking his eyes to return his vision. Hearing the horses nearby, they didn't enjoy that either.
Evelyn apologized to them as if they could understand her.
Michael leaned to her. "Evelyn?"
"When I was a sword," she felt her hands. "I was waiting. I was waiting for a long time, for someone that I could bond with. Thinking about the other ego swords out there, they're probably bonded way faster than me. It took me a while to find someone that I knew I could be happy with."
He wanted to reach for her hand.
"They used me to fight, threw me away when I wasn't good. I was picked up again, thrown away again because I couldn't cut sharp. I knew if I bonded with them, my powers would only be used as a weapon. Then…I would just be a sword to them."
Michael didn't understand why it was so hard to reach for her hand.
"But for you," she reached for his hand instead. "You invested in me as myself. You knew I was different but you first wanted to find out where I came from."
Michael thought even the way she giggled was pretty.
"You know, the idea of powering over our enemies is great but this isn't so bad either."
"Really?"
"No," she clinched over her nose. "This is disgusting. I can't believe you said this was normal for you."
"So, you're not sleeping—"
"Nope." There was a bright flash again. The horses snorted in discomfort as Michael had to apologize on her behalf.
Michael held the hilt in his hand.
Also, the voice said, don't cut me off again. It actually hurt.
"Wait—what?" Michael panicked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"
Whatever, the voice said, your thoughts are really loud though. Especially when they're about me.
"Then…that means—"
Yep, the voice said, you thought I was too heavy for a girl. I heard about that one too.
"I'm going to put you away now."
Michael placed his sword beside him and closed his eyes. He thought about how swords were able to sleep. He also thought about another reality where Evelyn slept next to him in her physical form. He also made sure he wasn't holding her while imagining that.
He sighed in relief. He wasn't. Though, a part of him wanted for her to hear that.