"Someone worthy?" Rian repeated quietly, still on his knees on the wet ground.
The echo of the voice resonated inside his head — soft but clear, as if someone were speaking directly into his ear.
"Who am I talking to?" he asked out loud, looking around.
The crevice where he'd fallen was an enclosed space, with walls of damp rock and the small pool of water behind him. The only light came from above, where the hole in the frozen floor let in a grey glow.
There was no one there.
"There's no need to be afraid!" the voice answered, clearing itself as if preparing a speech. "Because right now, you're with me!"
Rian blinked.
He looked left. Rock.
He looked right. More rock.
He looked behind him. The pool.
"Are you messing with me?" he said, frowning.
"Messing with you?" The voice sounded genuinely confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"Is this some kind of trick?" Rian asked, getting to his feet with difficulty. The pain in his legs and back reminded him the fall had been very real. "Did you make the ground break?"
"No, no, no!" The voice rushed to deny it, and its tone shifted to something more playful as it caught the hostility in Rian's voice. "I didn't do any of that! This place is where I've been sealed away for centuries. I had nothing to do with your fall!"
'Sealed for centuries?' Rian thought, narrowing his eyes.
"Alright," he said, trying to sort his thoughts through the pain. "Why are you sealed here? And where exactly are you? Because I can't see you."
"That… is a long story that doesn't really matter," the voice replied. "What matters is that I want to make a contract with you!"
"You haven't answered me," Rian pressed. "Why were you sealed here?"
"That doesn't matter right now!" The voice sounded nervous. "What matters is—"
"It does matter," Rian cut in. "And you still haven't told me where you are. I can't see you anywhere."
A brief silence followed.
"…I'm to your right," the voice said, quieter now. "Walk a few steps and look down near the wall."
Rian moved carefully, limping slightly. His eyes swept across the stone floor until he spotted something propped against the base of the wall.
A sword.
Or what was left of one.
The blade was silver, but covered in orange rust that spread from the tip all the way up to nearly the hilt. Grime from the floor had caked onto it, and the handle was worn down, the leather cracked and dry.
"You're… this?" he asked, pointing at the sword.
"Yes!" the voice answered proudly. "That's me! Now please, pick me up."
Rian didn't move.
Instead, he looked carefully around the sword. If she said she'd been sealed, there should be something — chains, a magic circle, anything.
But there was nothing.
Just a rusty sword lying on a dirty floor.
'Sealed for centuries and there's no seal anywhere?' he thought, frowning. 'Something doesn't add up.'
"Why do you want to make a contract with me?" Rian asked, not moving any closer.
"If we form a contract, I can grant you tremendous abilities and great power!" the voice said with enthusiasm. "You'll be far stronger than you are now!"
"And why would you do that?" Rian asked, crossing his arms.
"Because… that is my purpose," she replied.
"Your purpose?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because that's what I was created for!" The voice grew a little agitated. "Now please, pick me up!"
'Too convenient,' Rian thought, taking a step back.
"This sounds incredibly suspicious," he said out loud. "You're not going to take over my body or something like that, are you?"
"WHAT?!" The voice sounded so offended it almost hurt somewhere behind his eyes. "How could you think me capable of something like that?! That's what filthy cursed swords do! I am nothing like those! I am a transcendental sword!"
'Cursed sword…'
A sharp twinge shot through his head.
"Ugh—!" Rian pressed a hand to his temple, squeezing one eye shut.
That word… it felt familiar. Like he'd heard it before, or read it somewhere, or—
But he couldn't remember where.
The pain passed as quickly as it came, leaving behind an uncomfortable feeling he couldn't shake.
'I can't remember,' he thought, frustrated.
"Look," Rian said, letting out a breath. "The offer sounds too good to be true. Way too good."
He took another step back.
"W-wait!" The voice changed tone instantly. The pride was gone. The offense was gone. It sounded nervous now. "Why are you walking away?"
"I'm going to try to get out of here on my own," he answered, looking up. The opening was far above, but maybe he could climb if he found enough footholds. "I need to regroup with my team."
"Why?" the voice asked — and now there was something else in it. Something that sounded almost like fear.
"I have a hunting mission to finish," Rian said, taking another step.
"WAIT!"
The shout rang through his head with enough force to stop him cold.
"I… can be very useful to you," the voice said, and this time every trace of pride had vanished completely. "I can help you. I really can."
A pause.
"Please… don't leave me here alone."