Journey to Become the Zenith

The Sword That Chooses

It caught the eye of nobles too.

Something had changed.

Some of their soldiers - fighters familiar with combat, wounds, and fallen comrades - had grown tense. Not a word spoken, yet shoulders squared slightly, hands coiled around blades, eyes flickering from warrior to spellcaster... every sign present. A quiet alertness replaced ease.

A quiet tension.

Growing.

Unsettling.

Fully grasping it was beyond the nobles. They missed pieces, stumbled through meaning like a room without light.

Yet that sensation stayed real.

So they waited.

Staring now at Videl. Eyes locked, unblinking. Her presence filled the space. Quiet tension settled around them. Focus narrowed sharp. All attention pulled her way.

Still here, waiting on her reply.

Over by the edge, Shawn stayed put, arms loose at his sides, eyes quiet yet locked on something ahead. Not a twitch moved him, just steady breathing and attention stretched tight.

His face showed nothing like pride.

Only interest.

This is who she turned out to be

His eyes moved slow across her face.

Every detail.

The way she stood.

The way she breathed.

Almost like the space near her would quietly shift. A subtle warp followed where she moved.

Videl still behind Shawn

It was hard for him to say so.

She’s strong.

A ghost of a smile pulled one edge of his mouth upward. The hint showed just enough to notice, yet barely there at all.

Back then, strength wasn’t something I carried. Now it shows up without asking.

That alone -

It did the trick. He was impressed.

Seconds passed.

Time stretched, though the moments were brief.

The silence stretched.

Heavy.

Thick.

Just before steel slips free, time holds its breath.

Then -

Videl spoke.

”First off...”

Quiet came out of her mouth. A soft way she spoke made things still.

Clear.

”This sword - my sword, Amura - isn’t something I stole.”

Forward she moved, just a little. A small step took her ahead.

”She was given to me.”

Folks among the lords shifted, uneasy. A hush followed close behind.

Some frowned.

Others scoffed quietly.

Then -

Her gaze sharpened.

”Second... if you want her... then come and take her.”

The air shifted.

A challenge.

Open.

Direct.

”But I must warn you - ”

She kept her voice low.

Yet it meant something.

”This sword chooses her master.”

A faint pause.

”The moment a person she doesn’t acknowledge touches her...”

Still fixed ahead, her gaze held firm.

”She will harm that person.”

Silence.

Then -

With a single glide -

Videl drew Amura.

A sliver of shine ran along the metal when the light touched it, just sitting there like that made the space around seem denser. The weight wasn’t in the object but in how everything slowed near it.

Without hesitation -

She drove it into the ground.

Thud.

A hush carried the noise forward. It slipped through the air like a whisper meant for someone else.

Yet it carried.

Firm.

Unshakable.

Then -

She stepped back.

And gestured.

An invitation.

Stillness held the nobles in place.

They stared.

One person squinted slightly. A few others tightened their gaze too.

Others exchanged glances.

Some released soft, sarcastic sighs.

A sword that chooses its master?

To them -

Strange how it came across. That noise made no sense at first listen.

An excuse.

A trick.

A bluff.

It seemed like Videl just wanted to make them jump. People thought her words were meant to spook, nothing more.

That moment of doubt slows their step.

So they stay away from the gun.

But still -

Stillness held the room. A pause stretched longer than expected. Nobody moved ahead. Silence stayed unbroken.

Even so, her words carried weight -

Something else sat in their thoughts instead.

Her.

Or more accurately -

What she might do.

If someone tried.

Wasn’t it you lot who were after Amura? Videl asked, voice loose, nearly offhand.

”Come on... try and take her.”

Her fingers eased open a little, palms turning skyward.

”I won’t do anything.”

A small bend touched her mouth.

Almost a grin, yet not quite.

”I’ll just stand here... and watch.”

The nobles stiffened.

”If any one of you is able to hold onto Amura for a minute or so...”

A pause.

”Then you may have her.”

That -

Hit.

Not as fear.

But as insult.

Beneath that quiet look -

Something else sat there too.

Confidence.

Unshaken.

Unapologetic.

Finding calm within, Videl knew exactly what she was thinking.

They won’t stop.

Only when there’s no way around it.

That is why her next move looked nothing like before.

It was familiar to her, that one.

She’d picked up one thing -

Without realizing it.

Victor...

Almost, she recalled how he used to stand.

His manner of meeting others’ eyes. Sometimes it lingered, sometimes it slipped away fast.

Not with excuses.

Not with explanations.

But with certainty.

Challenge them.

Break them.

Make them understand.

That was her move. She went ahead with it.

If they noticed, holding Amura was already beyond them -

Then maybe -

Just maybe -

They would stop.

But pride -

Was fragile.

And dangerous.

A noble moved ahead.

A flicker of tension crossed his features. Jaw tightening, the weight behind his stare sharpened. Irritation, simmering since Videl showed up, now pooled in his gaze.

”A commoner...”

Words slipped out low, just barely heard. A quiet voice moved without meaning to.

That one sat wrong with him.

Her voice rubbed me wrong. That way she spoke just felt off.

Her confidence rubbed me the wrong way.

She didn’t seem right just standing like that -

She stood there, like she’d already won before they even began.

She looked at them like a storm pauses before breaking - quiet, sharp, full of weight.

His pride burned.

Without another word -

He stepped forward.

Footsteps pound with more force than needed.

His hand moved.

Reaching.

Footsteps moved close to where the blade stuck in the ground.

Ready -

To take it.

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Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Journey to Become the Zenith* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you supported my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it helps me develop as a writer and lets more readers enjoy the story. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!

With love,

Scorpio_saturn777

Creator of Journey to Become the Zenith

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