Nora stared at the ancient book floating before her.
The spaceship hummed softly as it traveled through the endless darkness between planets. Sophia was listening to music. Mark and John were busy playing virtual games.
Nobody paid attention to Nora.
Which was exactly what she wanted.
The glowing book before her was her Legacy Practice.
The Thread of the Seven Arms.
Golden lines stretched across the pages like countless strands of destiny.
Nora turned the first page.
A sentence appeared.
"A sword forged from steel cuts the body. A sword forged from spirit cuts fate itself."
Nora blinked.
"A spirit sword?"
She continued reading.
Most initiates relied on memories, relics, enchanted weapons, or data given by the system.
Nora couldn't.
Her flaw prevented her from using system-created weapons.
At first she thought it was a curse.
Now she realized it was forcing her to walk a different path.
A harder path.
Perhaps a stronger one.
The book shifted.
More words appeared.
What is a Spirit Sword?
A Spirit Sword is not forged by blacksmiths.
It is not created using metal.
It is not bought.
It is not inherited.
A Spirit Sword is born from the soul.
It is the physical manifestation of a person's will, essence, destiny, and understanding.
Unlike ordinary weapons, a Spirit Sword grows alongside its owner.
If the owner becomes stronger, the sword becomes stronger.
If the owner's spirit evolves, the sword evolves.
If the owner's will breaks...
The sword breaks as well.
Nora felt interested.
This sounded far more useful than ordinary weapons.
The book continued.
Every Spirit Sword possesses three foundations.
Will.
Essence.
Identity.
Without all three, a Spirit Sword cannot exist.
Nora closed her eyes.
"Will... Essence... Identity..."
The first requirement seemed easy.
She had plenty of will.
The second requirement was harder.
Her essence reserves were low after the mission.
The third requirement confused her.
Identity.
What did that even mean?
As if sensing her confusion, the book changed again.
A new sentence appeared.
Identity is the answer to one question.
Who are you?
Nora frowned.
The answer should have been simple.
Yet strangely...
It wasn't.
Was she a daughter?
A student?
A devil?
A seer?
The Heir of Crimson Fate?
A future guardian?
A survivor of one hundred loops?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
The book remained silent.
Waiting.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
The spaceship continued moving.
Nobody disturbed her.
Eventually Nora sighed.
"I don't know who I am."
The book glowed.
To her surprise, the page turned by itself.
Correct.
Nora nearly threw the book away.
"What?"
The words changed.
Those who believe they completely understand themselves are fools.
Those who know they do not understand themselves have taken the first step.
Nora stared at the page.
For some reason...
The lesson made sense.
The book then displayed the first exercise.
Step One. Shape Your Spirit.
The surrounding essence trembled.
Golden threads emerged from Nora's body.
The Seven Arms of Destiny appeared behind her.
They looked transparent.
Ghostly.
Beautiful.
The threads stretched around her.
Thousands.
Millions.
Every thread represented a possibility.
A future.
A choice.
A connection.
The book instructed her.
Gather your essence.
Nora obeyed.
She slowly pulled essence from her core.
The process was difficult.
Her core was nearly exhausted.
Sweat appeared on her forehead.
Her breathing became heavier.
But she persisted.
The gathered essence floated before her.
A small silver mist.
The book continued.
Now shape it.
Nora tried.
The mist immediately exploded.
Sophia glanced toward her.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
Sophia narrowed her eyes.
"You nearly blew up the room."
Nora coughed awkwardly.
Sophia returned to her music.
Nora focused again.
This time she was more careful.
The silver mist floated before her.
Slowly.
Patiently.
She shaped it.
The mist stretched.
Compressed.
Expanded.
Collapsed.
After several failed attempts, it finally resembled a sword.
A very ugly sword.
A very crooked sword.
A very disappointing sword.
Nora stared at it.
"...I made that?"
The sword looked embarrassed to exist.
The book responded.
A sword reflects its creator.
Nora immediately dismissed it.
"No. We are trying again."
Hours passed.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each failure taught her something.
Eventually the shape improved.
The blade became straighter.
The hilt became clearer.
The balance improved.
The sword no longer looked like a broken stick.
The book finally allowed her to proceed.
Step Two. Imprint Your Will.
Nora frowned.
The book provided no explanation.
She thought carefully.
What was her will?
What did she desire?
Power?
No.
Freedom?
Partially.
Survival?
Everyone wanted that.
Then she remembered.
The loops.
The deaths.
Christopher.
Sophia.
The countless failures.
The endless suffering.
The promise she made to herself.
She would protect people.
Even if fate itself opposed her.
At that moment...
The spirit sword reacted.
Golden light spread across the blade.
The entire weapon began glowing.
Nora's eyes widened.
The sword had accepted her will.
The book displayed another sentence.
Good.
Now the final step.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
Even Sophia noticed.
"What is happening now?"
Nora ignored her.
The final page opened.
Name the sword.
Nora blinked.
"That's it?"
The book remained silent.
The sword floated before her.
Waiting.
Nora realized something.
A Spirit Sword was alive.
Not alive like a human.
But alive enough to possess purpose.
And a purpose required a name.
She stared at the blade.
Countless possibilities entered her mind.
Then she remembered the golden threads.
The visions.
The future.
The destiny she constantly witnessed.
A smile appeared on her face.
"I'll call you..."
The sword vibrated softly.
"...Threadbreaker."
The moment those words left her lips—
The entire blade exploded with golden radiance.
The spaceship trembled.
Mark jumped.
John nearly dropped his game.
Sophia removed her headphones.
"What did you do?"
Nora ignored everyone.
She was staring at the sword.
The weapon had transformed.
Its blade became translucent gold.
Countless threads moved inside it.
As if an entire web of destiny existed within the weapon.
The sword felt alive.
Not dangerous.
Not hostile.
Familiar.
Like an extension of herself.
The book displayed its final message.
Spirit Sword Created.
Name: Threadbreaker.
Rank: Initiate.
Class: Growth Type.
Ability: Cut Connections.
Nora froze.
"Cut connections?"
The explanation appeared.
A normal sword cuts flesh.
A spirit sword cuts concepts.
At its current level, Threadbreaker could weaken connections between creatures and their powers.
In the future, it might sever contracts.
Break curses.
Disrupt fate.
Or even cut destiny itself.
Nora's heartbeat accelerated.
This wasn't just a weapon.
This was a path.
A path unique to her.
A path no system could give.
The sword slowly dissolved into particles of light.
It entered her soul.
Waiting to be summoned again.
The book closed.
Its final words echoed inside Nora's mind.
The first sword is born.
One day, seven shall exist.
And when the Seven Swords of Destiny unite...
Even fate shall tremble.
The book vanished.
Nora remained silent.
A smile slowly appeared on her face.
For the first time since entering the academy...
She felt that she had truly taken her first step toward becoming something extraordinary.