Daiden felt a repulsion; it gusted from the rift and wrapped him in a barrier that offered immunity. The winds prevented intervention from the Soul Doll even; it pressured for a truce, to allow for Daiden to embrace his position as an Awakened. He calmed with a deep breath and gulped at his margin for error; there was none. His hands trembled, reliant merely on his sense of touch, as he sorted through a variety of items. He had only one chance, nothing more. His mind studied the evidence in front of him and searched for an answer from within the rift.

In the meantime, the two strangers to the Earthen Realm relented. Their eyes locked onto the man reborn as an Awakened; it puzzled one of them – the Soul Doll, while the other restrained to a state of quiet observation. As an Evaluator, Aelius had witnessed multiple methodologies for success. There was no one way to pass the test; he knew it better than most. But his eyebrows perked at the attempt on display; not often did an Awakened transcend to such a level. He stifled a laugh at the circumstance that led to such an incident, a mistake from the Contractor – the beheading. His mind wandered from the thought and settled onto the possibility of a manipulation; he grimaced at the idea but dismissed the notion in due time.

“In worship we strengthen, in worship we walk the path of blood,” prayed Aelius. “Show me your purpose, God Ehedus. Show me why I shouldn’t treat this child as any other idiot.”

Aelius narrowed his eyes to focus on Daiden; his arms appeared to tear from the pressure on the other end. The former frowned at the attempt; it implied a raid higher than what was allowed by the rules of his world. It implied a high probability of failure. Aelius grumbled and turned away from the sight; he pondered with the idea of interference, but refrained given his role as an Evaluator.

“Maybe I expected too much from him,” thought Aelius, with a disappointed look on his face. “Truly; was there any point to potential without intelligence? The boy is destined for mediocracy.”

“Stop looking at me like that, old man!” yelled Daiden, in that instant. He snapped Aelius from thought and pressured for attention with a smile. “Keep watching. You’re an Evaluator, aren’t you? Then keep watching; as hard as it is, this is merely another step towards fulfilling my promise.”

“What promise?” wondered Aelius, in bewilderment. The declaration felt empty, but urged recognition somehow. He felt it crack then, his otherwise non-responsive exterior. “Very well. Show me.”

Daiden grinned excitedly at his Evaluator’s acknowledgement. His hand rummaged with greater ferocity, but the Earthen Realm refused him the luxury of time. The rift had started to weaken, and the barrier along with it. The Soul Doll readied at the sight, and Daiden paled in witness of the situation. He hurried unsatisfactorily, denying everything his hand touched.

“Where are you?” whispered Daiden, in frustration; the rift now pressed against his arm. “I know you’re there; I could feel you from the moment this hole opened!”

As the rift narrowed, Daiden noticed his arm bleed. It cut without resistance, with indescribable sharpness. He believed in a miracle still, and rummaged with passion. His finger scratched something then; it synergized with him without effort, it called to him with clarity. Daiden pushed himself further in; he was now shoulder deep inside the rift. His body leaned against the fabric that protected the Earthen Realm as seconds turned to minutes. It represented his pursuit for perfection; the search left him desperate.

“Apologize for my beheading more properly, God Ehedus,” requested Daiden, with a frown. “Don’t leave me with nothing to show for after all that talk!”

An answer followed.

“There you are!”

Daiden pulled fiercely, scrapping skin from shoulder to wrist; the barrier thinned to non-existence in that moment, and the Soul Doll charged at its very first opportunity. Everyone heard it then – the sound of a collision; it wasn’t flesh, but a weapon.

The light shimmered from what appeared to be stone-cut, crystalized and hardened to take an unnatural, dirty green colour. It revealed cracks around several parts, reflecting years of inactivity. The aura trembled between shades of green and black; it alluded to something evil almost – pained, resentful.

Daiden held it with confidence – a long, straight sword. He admired its simple yet elegant design. His eyes observed to identify marks of deterioration; it didn’t concern him. He looked expectantly towards Aelius, and tilted his head with a question, “This can be fixed, correct?”

Aelius nodded with a blank expression on his face. He grumbled when Daiden redirected his attention to the Soul Doll. His eyes shuddered a little, but calmed in perspective of the situation. He wondered if it meant something, anything.

“He’s unlikely to grow much given his chosen path,” thought Aelius, shaking his head with pity. “But there’s such peculiarity around his weapon. I’ll need to ask a blacksmith to appraise it; well, that is if he passes this test.”

Daiden felt his throat itch in resonance with his weapon. It shivered in his arm, as if shaking away years of dormancy. He could experience it, emotion from what could only be described as an inanimate object.

“You’re beautiful!” admired Daiden, genuinely. “I wonder though, do you have a name? You must have one!”

[It does, Daiden Lost.]

Daiden smiled at the voice in his head. “God Ehedus. You’re watching over me still, I see.”

[I wasn’t supposed to,] admitted Ehedus. [But you opened a rift in the Earthen Realm; it granted me some permission to bear witness to the second phase of your awakening.]

“I appreciate your support in helping me find a suitable weapon, God Ehedus,” thanked Daiden, sincerely. “I wasn’t sure I could make it in time.”

[Ah. But I didn’t help you, my child; my position does not allow me to do much more than spectate,] revealed Ehedus, with a laugh. [Don’t underestimate the determination you hold to fulfilling your apparent promise. It sounds entertaining, to say the least.]

Daiden blushed at the comment.

[I can’t spend too much time here, however, Daiden Lost,] whispered Ehedus. [You hold a dangerous weapon, and your path is not an easy one. Your road to growth is straying from normalcy; prove to me that you’re worth the trouble, in worship and in a path of blood.]

“Yes!” promised Daiden, with a subtle nod.

[Then I grant you this weapon in permanence, the one that urged for you, the one that chose you,] announced Ehedus. [Remember it well, Daiden Lost, the name of your sword – Takshaka.]