In Charles's right hand, the black sword glowed with a soft golden light pulsing from its hilt, as if it were alive.

He still held Nora in his left arm, keeping her steady while processing what had just happened.

The feminine voice echoing in his head had thrown him off.

Not only was it a talking sword, but it could read his thoughts.

That was new, even for someone used to the system's quirks.

Nora, still in his arms, watched him with a mix of curiosity and concern.

She hadn't said anything since he pulled the sword from the ground, but her silence was starting to feel heavy.

Charles, meanwhile, tried to stay calm as the voice in his head spoke again, this time more insistent.

"Hey, human!" the voice said, high-pitched and clearly annoyed. "Don't ignore me! I know you're listening. Tell me who you are, or I'll make you regret it!"

Charles frowned, staring at the sword in his hand.

'Seriously…?' he thought. 'I went through all that effort just to deal with a sword that's gonna yell at me in my head all the time?'

As if sensing his intentions, the voice shifted from indignation to something closer to panic the moment it realized Charles was considering tossing it aside.

"Wait, wait!" it said quickly. "Don't toss me! Please, don't do that! Just give me a moment to explain, okay?"

Charles raised an eyebrow, though he knew the sword couldn't see it.

He decided to respond in his mind, keeping the conversation silent so Nora wouldn't get suspicious.

'Fine,' he thought. 'Give me one good reason not to leave you right here. Because so far, you're just a headache with a hilt.'

The voice paused, as if processing his words.

Then, with a calmer but still proud tone, it replied:

"Listen up, human. I'm an ego sword, one of the most powerful weapons in existence. Only the worthiest can wield me. If you use me, you're destined for greatness. Greatness, I tell you! Do you understand what that means? Power, glory, victories that'll make your enemies tremble!"

Charles snorted, nearly laughing out loud.

The sword sounded like it was reciting a rehearsed sales pitch.

'Greatness…?' he thought sarcastically. 'You sound like a street vendor. What are you, a merchant disguised as a sword? What's the catch?'

The voice made a sound like a tongue clicking, clearly offended.

"How dare you!" it exclaimed. "I'm not a merchant! I'm an ego sword, created for a higher purpose. I'm not one of those common weapons you find at some market stall. I'm unique! And, for your information, I already know you can control the lightning element."

Charles froze for a moment, surprised.

It wasn't that the sword had figured out he had powers—that was obvious with the sparks crackling around him.

But the fact that it called it "controlling the lightning element" instead of accusing him of being a mage made him pause.

In the Storm Clan, any unusual ability was deemed magic, and magic meant betrayal.

The sword recognizing his power as something else suggested it might know more than it seemed.

'Okay,' he thought, trying to stay calm. 'Let's say you're as special as you claim. What do I get out of using you? Because so far, you're just giving me headaches.'

The sword's voice perked up immediately, as if it had been waiting for that question.

"Glad you asked!" it said, almost cheerful. "I can amplify your power. Your lightning abilities will be stronger, more precise. And my blade… oh, my blade can cut through anything. Anything! Armor, rocks, even the flesh of giant creatures. With me, you'll be unstoppable."

Charles frowned, still not fully convinced.

'If you're so amazing…' he thought, 'why were you stuck in the ground in a forgotten cave? That doesn't sound very epic.'

The voice paused again, this time longer.

When it spoke, its tone was a mix of annoyance and sadness.

"That's a story I don't like telling…" it said. "I ended up here because of a stupid human. My last wielder was powerful, but his companion couldn't stand how strong he was. She was jealous, you know? So she drugged him and hid me here in this cave so no one else could find me. She wanted to make sure no one could use my power."

Charles felt a chill.

The story sounded vaguely familiar, like something he'd heard before.

But suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through his head, making him grit his teeth.

"Ugh," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head to clear it.

The sword noticed his reaction and spoke again, its tone more serious.

"What's wrong with you, human? It's like you've got some kind of curse. Something's blocking your memories. It's not my specialty, but… I think I can help with that."

Charles blinked, caught off guard.

A curse?

That was new.

Before he could respond, Nora's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Rian…" she said, her tone worried. "You okay? You've been quiet for a while, staring at that sword like it's got you hypnotized. Did something happen?"

Charles turned to look at her.

Nora was still in his arms, her expression a mix of confusion and impatience.

He realized he must look strange, standing in the middle of the cave, holding a sword and staring into space.

"Relax, everything's fine," he said quickly, trying to sound convincing. "Just… thinking. Let's find the exit now."

Nora raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it.

"Thinking…?" she repeated, with a touch of sarcasm. "That's a new one. I thought you just acted without thinking. But fine, genius, get us out of here before I die of boredom…"

Charles smiled, grateful for her light tone.

He decided not to mention the sword's voice for now.

Instead, he said aloud, more to himself than to Nora:

"Let's find the exit."

The system's interface flickered in his vision, as if catching his words. A message appeared:

[Understood. Calculating optimal route to exit the cave.]

A loading bar appeared briefly, followed by another message:

[Route calculated. Follow the blue arrow to reach the exit.]

The blue arrow reappeared in his vision, pointing to a tunnel on the left.

Charles adjusted the sword in his hand and startedwalking, still carrying Nora.

But before he could take more than a few steps, the sword's voice echoed again in his head, this time with a tone of surprise.

"Well, well…" it said. "I didn't expect this. You're a system user? That's… interesting. I didn't think someone like you would have one."

Charles stopped dead, eyes wide.

'What?' he thought, clearly shocked. 'You know what a system is? Have you met others like me?'

The sword let out a sound like a soft laugh.

"Oh, yes," it said. "I've never been wielded by a system user, but I've faced a few. They're… complicated."

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