Charles stood in the hallway just outside Lira's room, the black sword in his hand.

The corridor's air was cool, carrying the scent of wood and burnt wax from the torches.

Lira's door was closed, and no sound filtered through from the other side.

Nora and Lira were inside, talking privately about the sword, and Charles couldn't help feeling a bit left out.

The tension from the encounter with Kain and the conversation with Lira still weighed on his mind, but now, alone, he decided to satisfy a curiosity that had been nagging him for a while.

He looked at the sword in his hand, its black blade glinting under the faint torchlight.

'Hey,' he thought, addressing the sword in his mind. 'You never told me your name. What is it?'

The sword let out a low laugh that echoed in his head, its tone a mix of amusement and mockery.

"Ha! Really?" it said, clearly enjoying the moment. "You're curious about my name now? After everything we've been through? What a nosy human."

Charles frowned, tightening his grip on the sword's handle.

'Cut the mystery and just tell me,' he thought, his tone trying to sound firm but betraying impatience. 'You made me sign that stupid contract, so the least you can do is tell me your name.'

The sword laughed again, clearly amused by his reaction.

"Ooh, so grumpy!" it said, sounding almost offended. "Relax, human. I was just messing with you. My name's Eleonora."

Charles raised an eyebrow, though no one could see it.

"Eleonora?" he said softly. "That's it?"

The sword made a sound like a huff.

"What do you mean, 'that's it'?" Eleonora said, her tone puzzled. "What were you expecting? Something longer? Something more… mystical? I'm Eleonora, period! It's a name worthy of a sword like me."

Charles rolled his eyes, though a small smile crept onto his face.

"I was expecting something more… I don't know, special," he said, still keeping his voice low to avoid drawing attention in the hallway. "Something that explains why you're so… weird."

Eleonora let out a louder laugh, almost as if offended.

"Weird? Please!" she said. "But since you're so curious, I'll give you something to chew on. If you say my name three times out loud, I'll switch to my human form. How's that sound?"

Charles blinked, surprised.

"Human form?" he said, still whispering. "For real? But wait, you transformed before without me saying anything. What are you hiding?"

Eleonora made a sound like a tongue-click.

"Me? Hiding something?" she said, her tone exaggeratedly innocent. "I don't recall any of that. You must be confused, human…"

Charles frowned, annoyed.

"Don't play dumb," he thought, his tone firmer. "You told me yourself and did it a few hours ago when I was climbing the mountain to help me."

Eleonora laughed again, but this time it sounded more resigned.

"Alright, alright," she said. "You got me. Truth is… I made up the bit about saying my name three times. Just wanted to see if you'd fall for it. You seemed so excited about my name having some special power, I couldn't resist teasing you a little."

Charles groaned, feeling a mix of frustration and amusement.

"You don't need to make stuff up to impress me…" he said softly. "Just tell me the truth. How does your human form work? And why are you so… cryptic about everything?"

Eleonora paused, as if weighing her response.

"Well," she said finally, her tone more serious. "The human form is real, but it's not as simple as saying my name three times. Don't worry, human, you'll see it when the time comes. For now, just enjoy my magnificent swordly presence."

Charles rolled his eyes again but decided not to push further. Instead, he seized the moment to check his status. Barely audible, he whispered:

"Status."

An invisible screen appeared in his mind, displaying the familiar details he liked to review.

Name: Rian Cole

Element: Lightning

Level: 7

Stats

Health: 100/100

Energy: 57%

System Intelligence: 4

Control Level: 3

XP: 4195/6400

Upgrade Points Available: 0

Charles smiled at the experience total.

He was close to reaching Level 8, meaning he'd soon be able to upgrade his system or control level.

That was always good news. But as he studied the numbers, a doubt crossed his mind.

In the past, the system had offered skill upgrades that didn't appear on the main screen.

Did that mean there were more hidden options?

Did he need to ask specifically to unlock them?

'Maybe I should try asking the system directly,' Charles thought.

Before he could pursue the idea, a sharp pain stabbed through his head, like a needle piercing his brain.

"Argh!" he exclaimed, clutching his forehead and staggering slightly.

The hallway seemed to spin for a moment, and he had to lean against the wall to keep from falling.

Eleonora's voice rang in his mind, this time laced with concern.

"Hey, human!" she said. "It's happening again!"

Charles gritted his teeth, trying to ease the pain.

'What do you mean, again?' he thought, confused. 'What's happening?'

Eleonora responded quickly, though her voice remained tinged with worry.

"It's hard to explain…" she said. "But I can feel something messing with your thoughts, like someone's… poking around in your head. It's the same thing that happened in the cave, remember?"

Charles frowned, struggling to ignore the pain.

He vaguely recalled Eleonora mentioning something similar before, but with everything that had happened—the encounter with Nora, the guards, Kain, and now Lira—he'd completely forgotten.

"The cave?" he thought, frustrated. "What are you talking about? Refresh my memory."

Eleonora sighed, clearly exasperated.

"Gods, human, your memory's a mess!" she said. "I told you you're cursed. Something's messing with your mind, and it's not the first time I've sensed it. It happened in the cave too. Someone or something is interfering with you, and it's not just a normal headache."

Charles felt a chill run down his spine.

"Cursed?" he said softly, ensuring no one in the hallway could hear. "And what am I supposed to do about that? Got any ideas on what it is or how to fix it?"

Eleonora paused, as if thinking.

"Not that simple," she said finally, her tone more serious. "Mind-affecting curses are tricky. Could be magic, or something darker. My advice? Find a healer or someone with curative magic. Someone who knows how to handle this kind of thing."

Charles felt his stomach sink.

'A healer?' he thought, incredulous. 'Seriously? Where am I gonna find someone like that in the clan?'

Eleonora laughed, though it sounded tenser than before.

"Then you'll have to leave the clan, human," she said. "Because if you want to fix this, you need someone with skills you clearly won't find here. And don't look at me—I'm just a sword. An amazing sword, sure, but I don't have healing magic."

Charles sighed, rubbing his forehead as the pain began to subside.

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