The rain kept pouring, soaking Charles and Nora's tunics as they moved through the unfamiliar forest.

Nora rode piggyback on Charles, her arms around his neck and legs secured by his left hand, which held her firmly to keep her from slipping.

In his right hand, the black sword glowed with its golden light, casting a soft radiance that barely cut through the night's darkness.

The air smelled of wet earth and leaves, and the sound of raindrops hitting the trees filled the silence.

Charles was lost in thought, trying to process the blurry memory that had flashed through his mind.

That glimpse of another life—a multiplayer game—left him uneasy.

Before he could dwell on it, a strange sound broke the night's quiet: a sharp, piercing beep, like a car horn, echoed in the distance.

"Ugh!" Nora exclaimed, covering her ears while tightening her grip on Charles's neck. "What the hell was that noise? It's awful! Where's it coming from?"

Charles frowned, looking toward the sound.

For a moment, he considered investigating.

But the sword, as if reading his thoughts, let out a mocking giggle.

"What, human?" it said in his head. "You're not seriously scared to go explore, are you?"

Charles clicked his tongue, annoyed by the sword's tone.

He didn't want to waste time in an unknown place, especially with Nora on his back and the clan possibly looking for him, so he ignored the sound and muttered under his breath to the system:

"System, guide me back to the Storm Clan."

The system's interface flickered in his vision, showing a loading bar that spun for a few seconds.

Then a message appeared:

[Calculating optimal route to the Storm Clan…]

[Route found.]

The blue arrow reappeared in his vision, pointing in the opposite direction from where they'd been walking.

Charles turned his head slightly, but Nora, catching his murmur, frowned and gave him a light nudge on the shoulder.

"Rian…" she said, her tone mixing exasperation and amusement. "Look, you don't have to be so paranoid around me. I'm not gonna rat you out to the clan or anything. We're a team, right? So relax and stop acting like I'm spying on you."

Charles blinked, surprised by her words.

He realized he had been overly cautious around Nora, but it made sense.

He still didn't know her that well, but loosening up a bit to relax wouldn't hurt.

"Alright," he said, chuckling. "I'll keep that in mind. Let's head back to the clan."

He turned, following the blue arrow floating in his vision.

But as he looked ahead, something made him stop.

The path they'd taken out of the cave was right behind them, but upon closer inspection, he saw the exit was at the base of a steep mountain.

The opening they'd escaped through was carved into the rock, meaning to return to the clan, they'd have to climb that mountain.

"Great," Charles muttered, his tone blending frustration and resignation. "Now we've got to climb a mountain."

Nora lifted her head, eyeing the rocky slope.

"Well, considering how far we fell inside that cave… it makes sense it's in a mountain."

"Well… no other choice."

Nora sighed but didn't say more.

Charles adjusted his grip on her and started climbing, using his strength and agility to navigate the slippery slope.

The rain made the rocks slick with wet moss, and each step was tricky.

To make the climb easier, he channeled small bursts of electric energy into his legs, boosting his speed.

Blue sparks crackled briefly around his boots, giving him an extra push to ascend.

"Ha!" Nora exclaimed, her tone more amused than scared. "This is fun!"

Charles grinned, though he was focused on not slipping.

Nora laughed at his reaction and tightened her grip around his neck.

"Keep it up, packhorse!" she said.

Charles rolled his eyes but couldn't help laughing.

The climb wasn't easy, but Nora's attitude made it more bearable.

He treated the effort like a kind of training, a way to test his strength's limits.

But his confidence betrayed him at a critical moment.

As he leaped to reach a higher ledge, he misjudged the distance.

His boots slipped on the wet rock, and for a split second, he felt himself lose balance, falling backward with Nora on his back.

"Damn it!" Nora shouted, clinging to him tightly.

Before he could react, a blinding golden glow enveloped everything around them.

Charles and Nora instinctively closed their eyes, dazzled by the light.

In that moment, Charles felt the sword vanish from his hand.

Instead, a warm, small hand grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the ledge with surprising strength.

The force steadied him, and he managed to plant his feet on the rock, avoiding the fall.

The golden glow flashed again, so intense they both had to shut their eyes.

When the light faded, Charles felt the familiar weight of the sword in his hand again.

He opened his eyes, confused, and looked around.

They were safe on the ledge, but no one else was there.

Nora, still on his back, blinked and glanced around, clearly rattled.

"What… what the hell was that?" she said, her tone mixing surprise and nervousness.

Charles frowned, staring at the sword in his hand.

"I don't know," he lied, though he had a strong suspicion. Addressing the sword in his mind, he thought:

'Was that you? Did you transform?'

The sword let out a smug giggle.

"Obviously it was me!" it said cheerfully. "I told you I could turn into a human, didn't I? But since I know you don't fully trust me yet, I switched back to sword form quick. So, how's that? Was my help useful or what?"

Charles swallowed hard.

The idea that the sword could transform into a human and act on its own made him uneasy.

But what worried him more was the reminder of the contract.

Now he had to honor that hour of freedom a day—or two, according to the sword, since it was "cumulative."

The sword made a tongue-clicking sound, clearly annoyed.

"Hey, don't think of me like that!" it said. "And stop complaining so much. My condition's super simple. One hour a day—what's that compared to the power I can give you? Besides, my job as an ego sword is to fulfill your will. You can trust me, human."

Nora, still confused, cut into his thoughts.

"Rian, seriously…" she said, her tone calmer but firm. "If that was another of your weird powers, it's fine. Just tell me so I know what to expect. But please, give me a heads-up next time you do something that might blind me, okay?"

Charles laughed, grateful for her attitude.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, adjusting her on his back. "Come on, let's keep climbing. I don't want to spend all night here."

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