Chapter 5: Laevateinn

Inside the Ryujin residence, six years ago.

"Egun, do you want me to tell you an interesting story?"

"Yes, master!"

A little Egun looked at the figure of his master with admiration in his eyes. His master was wearing a tunic and a mask that covered his face. His voice was distorted, so Egun couldn't tell if he was a woman or man.

But he didn't care.

This was the master who had been guiding him during the two years he had been at the Suijin residence. In a place unknown to him, it had been this master who had clothed him and taught him countless things.

"Here in Japan, there is a legend that says that when an object reaches 100 years of age, it gets a life and is called "spirit artifact". At that time, the object ceases to be an object and becomes a Yokai. We call these Tsukumogami."

"Woah, is that true? It can't be, can it? Yokais don't exist. They are only legends."

"Do you think so? But it may not be so. How do you know they do not exist? Have you ever seen a Yokai?"

"No..."

Egun's master caressed his head. This boy was so cute when they messed with him.

"Well, how about I show you a Yokai?"

"Hey, really?"

The hopeful look in little Egun's eyes could melt anyone.

The master took a suitcase he had prepared for that day and handed it to Egun. The suitcase was long, but it was very thin at the same time.

Without hesitation for a moment, Egun opened the box. Inside was a crimson spear. Flame marks appeared on the sides of the spear that ended in a sharp point. Egun was instantly attracted to the crimson spear. It was a strange connection that the 11-year-old could not understand.

"What is this?"

"It is a mythical sword that passed from the hands of the Nordic god Loki to those of the leader of the southern fire giants and sovereign of Muspelheim, Surtr, and finally passed into the hands of another Nordic god, Freyr. Its attribute is the fire element, and it is a sword-spear, it's a perfect weapon for you. Laevateinn is its name, although it is also called 'rod to cause damage' or 'staff of destruction'."

"Laevateinn..."

"Yes, Laevateinn. It is a spear comparable to that carried by the god Lugh of Celtic mythology, but unlike that one, Laevateinn never loses its flame. Other stories say that Laevateinn was born from the same mistletoe that killed Odin's favorite son, Balder, which is why it is called the 'branch of ruin'."

"Is this spear so incredible? Can it throw flames?"

The teacher laughed slightly at Egun.

"I don't know, and I don't think anyone knows. It is said that only its legitimate bearer can take Laevateinn to its fullest splendor and show the flames that once threatened to destroy the world in Ragnarok."

"Such an incredible weapon, is it really okay for someone as worthless as me to take it?"

"Foolish child, you are the heir of the Ryujin family, and you are the only disciple of your master. Do you think your master would have agreed to train you just because the Ryujin family had asked me to? No, it is because of the incredible talent you have that I chose you as my disciple. Now, take this spear and tell me your sensations when you exert it."

Egun nodded and took the spear carefully. He was barely 1.5 m tall, and the spear was over 1.7 m long, so seeing a little boy take such a spear was a bit funny.

When he picked up the spear, Egun felt his hands burn. It seemed that the spear was wrapped in flames. But to Egun's surprise, that burning was comfortable for him.

Egun panicked, the burning was beginning to spread from his hands to the rest of his body. He felt millions of little worms running through his body from top to bottom and from bottom to top.

That feeling disappeared as soon as it came. Throughout the process, Egun did not open his mouth to complain or show any attempt to resist, gaining the appreciation of his master once again. It was not the first time Egun's willpower had surprised him, but he never believed he would be able to get used to this. He had attempted to carry Laevateinn in the past, but could only hold her for a few seconds before releasing her due to the extreme temperature the spear emitted.

The master had told him that no one had managed to remove the flames from Laevateinn, but had not said to him that the weapon itself was as hot as the lava from an erupting volcano, about 1,200 Celsius degrees.

"It's very comfortable!"

The teacher sighed when he heard Egun' words. The world was unfair...

"So, is this spear a Yokai?"

The master sighed once more. He did not know if it was a Yokai or not, he had only told him a meaningless legend to get his attention, but the boy was taking it too seriously.

"Of course. Listen to me, Egun. If there's ever a chance when you are at the gates of death and have nothing to hold on to, you must call your spear from the bottom of your heart. Perhaps you are its rightful owner, and if that is the case, she will come to your aid. Remember, Egun, you and your spear, the two of you together, you are invincible."

…

"You don't understand, do you? Look at the sky and look at the moon today."

Egun looked up and saw it.

A full moon.

The wound that Egun had left had already finished regenerating, but Egun's problem didn't end there. Zelig's body, which before still had more or less human appearance but covered with fur, began to react violently.

His body began to grow, and his clothes tore. His arms and legs ripped, and his face metamorphosed into the shape of a wolf.

Zelig no longer had a trace of human in him. He had become a black giant wolf.

"Roarr!!!"

In front of Egun was a black giant wolf, about 3 meters tall. The wolf had his mouth open, showing his big fangs.

Before Egun could react, a big paw of hair hit him and threw it flying, where it ended up hitting the wall.

Gough

Similar to when Egun had beaten Zelig, now it was Egun's turn to fall to his knees and vomit blood. The blow had been too hard, and Egun calculated that he had 4 to 5 broken ribs.

"Where is your pride now, Lucifer? Look at you. You barely have the strength to stand. Now, if you don't resist, I may give you a quick death, but if you still want to fight, I'll have to keep playing with you."

Egun barely rose from the ground. Contrary to Zelig's expectations, Egun rose from the ground and smiled at him.

"Do you think this is enough to kill me? This is bare scratches compared to training with my teacher."

The wolf approached Egun. His face was a few centimeters away. Egun's blue eyes faced the bloody eyes of the wolf.

"Once again, I have to admit that you are a Lucifer; your pride is incomparable. Well, any last words?"

"Yes."

"Go ahead."

"Laevateinn, my spear, you have accompanied me on countless missions so far, are you going to abandon your master in his last moments? If you consider me your partner, come to my call."

"Laevateinn!"

"He is already delirious, Egun Lucifer is a dead man. I don't want to kill you, my friend, but orders are orders, I can't go against that person's orders..."

Whistle!

Gough

"It burns! It burns!"

The wolf spat blood and quickly retreated. The blood dripped on the ground from the center of the wolf's body. Where Zelig used to be, a crimson spear stood proudly.

"A proud spear can only follow an equally proud master, can't it, Laevateinn?"

Egun didn't understand what was going on. He saw himself at the gates of death, and the memory of his master's words appeared in his mind. Desperate to do nothing, he decided to give him a chance.

There were werewolves, so why shouldn't there be spiritual artifacts?

Egun grabbed the spear that had accompanied him for the past six years. A Lancer can only show his full potential when he has his favorite spear in his hands, and now Egun had his.