ever seen a morphing sword

The damp scent of stone and earth filled the air as Sir Jaeger groaned, his consciousness returning like a slow tide. His body ached, muscles stiff from the impact that had knocked him out.

He blinked against the haze clouding his vision, his instincts screaming at him before his mind could fully catch up. Something was wrong.

Cold night air swept over him, and as his senses sharpened, his gaze drifted upward—only to freeze in sheer disbelief.

The cave's ceiling was gone. Not crumbling or cracked, but utterly obliterated. Jagged edges of rock jutted out where the roof once was, the gaping void exposing the star-strewn sky. Moonlight poured in, bathing the ruins in an eerie silver glow.

"What the hell happened here… while I was unconscious?" Jaeger muttered, his voice low but sharp with alarm. His breath came short, his pulse quickening as he scanned his surroundings.

Then he looked down.

Zed lay sprawled on the stone floor, motionless. A rusted sword rested beside him, its edge dull but caked in something dark.

Jaeger's heart lurched.

"Young master!" His voice rang out as he rushed forward, kneeling beside the boy.

With urgent hands, he checked Zed's body, searching for wounds, for any sign of bleeding. His fingers trembled slightly as he pressed against the boy's wrist—there it was. A pulse. Steady but faint.

Jaeger exhaled, tension unwinding from his chest.

"Thank the gods… No injuries."

A sharp pulse of memory struck Jaeger like a blade to the skull.

That creature—those eyes, glowing like molten silver, the sheer presence it radiated. It wasn't just strong. It was beyond anything he'd ever encountered. His mind replayed the moment—the overwhelming pressure, the way his body had locked up before he could even react. The last thing he remembered was falling, the weight of his own insignificance crushing him.

His breath came uneven as he scanned the ruins. His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.

Was it still here?

His sharp gaze swept over the shattered cave, the jagged remnants of its roof now framing the night sky. But there was no movement. No trace of that monstrous aura. Only silence.

Jaeger clenched his jaw. That thing… what was it?

"The sheer power it radiated was off the charts… No, this was beyond power. That creature—no, that being—was easily a peak Transcendent… maybe even higher."

With a steadying breath, Jaeger bent down, carefully lifting Zed onto his back.

As he did, the rusted sword beside Zed stirred.

Unseen. Unnoticed.

It hovered for a brief moment before shooting toward Zed's hand—latching onto his palm like a magnet. No sound. No resistance. The blade simply attached itself, as though it had always belonged there.

Jaeger, oblivious to the strange occurrence, adjusted his grip on Zed and took a step forward. His boots crunched against loose debris as he moved through the ruins, his mind still lost in thought.

That being… what was its goal? Why was it here?

More importantly— what happened when I got unconscious

Jaeger wandered through the ruins, his steps aimless, his mind clouded with thoughts. He had no idea where he was going—only that his feet carried him in circles, lost in contemplation.

"How did the young master even know about this place? It's still hard to believe he simply dreamed of these ruins."

His grip tightened on Zed's unconscious form.

"He's become a mystery to me. Most of the time, he's playful and carefree—just a normal child. But then… he'll shift. Stubborn. Unyielding. And sometimes… he feels like an entirely different person."

A quiet sigh escaped him as he realized he had been retracing his steps through the rubble. I'm circling the same damn spot.

Shaking off his thoughts, he glanced up. The shattered ceiling of the cave ruin revealed the vast sky above. He had been walking around aimlessly when, in reality, the way out was simple.

Activating his Rhu, a faint glow rippled around his legs. With a single leap, he propelled himself upward, clearing the massive crater that had once been a cave.

As he landed atop the ruins, a cold droplet splashed against his cheek. Then another.

Jaeger stilled.

Rain.

A sudden downpour swept across the barren landscape. Without hesitation, he formed a thin layer of Rhu around himself and Zed, preventing them from getting wet.

But his mind had already frozen.

Rain. In Golden Wave.

His gaze snapped to the horizon, watching as raindrops kissed the dry, lifeless earth.

Impossible…

Golden Wave was a land cursed by the heavens—an infertile wasteland where not a single drop of rain had fallen for centuries. Countless scholars, magicians, and alchemists had spent lifetimes trying to reverse its fate, yet all had failed.

And now…

Jaeger clenched his jaw, emotions rushing through him like a raging storm.

Joy—because this meant the land could be fertile again. Excitement—because Lady Aurora would be thrilled to hear this news. But above all, a deep, unsettling bewilderment.

"How? Why now?"

He looked down at Zed, still unconscious in his arms.

No… it couldn't be. Could it?

A nine-year-old child had done what generations of scholars and sorcerers could not.

His fingers tightened slightly around the boy's small frame. His voice barely above a whisper.

"You have become such a mystery to me, young master."

The rain continued to fall, soaking into the earth that had long been denied it.

Jaeger's sharp eyes spotted his horse in the distance, grazing lazily near the ruins. Without wasting time, he adjusted Zed in his arms and made his way over. The storm had passed, leaving behind damp air and the scent of wet earth—a scent Jaeger had never imagined he'd smell in Golden Wave.

He secured Zed onto the saddle, careful not to wake him. But as he stepped back, his gaze landed on the object clutched tightly in the boy's small hand.

A sword. Or rather… something that used to be a sword.

Its blade was so corroded and rusted that calling it a weapon was almost laughable. Deep cracks ran along its surface, and whatever engravings had once adorned it were barely visible beneath the decay.

Jaeger frowned. Why is he still holding onto this junk?

Curious, he reached for the hilt, intending to pry it from Zed's grasp. But the moment his fingers brushed against the rough metal—

His vision snapped to black.

It wasn't just darkness—it was emptiness.

Jaeger felt himself somewhere else, floating in an abyss that devoured all light, all sound, all presence.

Then, a dreadful sensation—like something was pulling at him.

His Rhu.

His very essence was being drained at a terrifying pace, faster than anything he had ever encountered. Instinct kicked in. With sheer will, he ripped his hand away from the sword—

And reality slammed back into him.

He staggered, breath ragged, his pulse hammering in his ears.

"What… was that?"

His eyes darted to the sword still in Zed's grip. It hadn't changed—except…

A faint glow pulsed from the ancient carvings along its ruined blade.

At first, it was barely visible—just a weak flicker in the rust. But with every passing second, the glow intensified, deep red light bleeding from the engravings like a waking beast.

Jaeger took an involuntary step back.

And then, the realization hit him.

His blood ran cold.

His mouth felt dry as he whispered, almost in disbelief—

"You've got to be kidding me…

It's a Soul Blade."

As Jaeger stood frozen in shock, the faint glow along the sword's rusted surface pulsed violently before the metal shattered—not into broken fragments, but into writhing, shifting shadows.

Before his very eyes, the sword morphed.

The jagged remains of the blade twisted and stretched, forging themselves into a serpentine form. A black-scaled snake, its body sleek yet ancient, slithered across Zed's arm with unnatural fluidity. Its eyes burned with the same crimson glow that had pulsed from the sword moments ago.

Jaeger tensed, reaching for his own weapon, but the serpent ignored him entirely. Instead, it coiled around Zed's forearm, spiraling up his arm like a living gauntlet. Then, as if drawing from some unseen source, it began to pulse.

Jaeger watched in silent horror as the snake released the Rhu it had absorbed earlier—pouring it directly into Zed's body.

The boy stirred.

A breath hitched in his throat. His fingers twitched. And then—

His eyes fluttered open.

For a brief moment, Zed's gaze was distant, unfocused—still caught between the realm of dreams and reality. The first thing he saw was Jaeger's face, staring at him with wide-eyed disbelief.

Zed blinked lazily. His mind was fogged, his body still sluggish, as if waking from anesthesia.

"...Why do you look like that?" he mumbled, voice heavy with sleep. "Did I miss something...?"

 Sir Jaeger's face was tense as he locked eyes with Zed.

"Young Master, I need you to stay calm and look at me ."

Zed, still groggy and half-conscious, gave him a lazy grin. "Why? its not like I'll fall for you if I stare too long? Sorry, Sir Jaeger, but you're not exactly my type , i prefer women ."

Jaeger twitched. This brat...

"Just listen to me for once and—"

But before he could finish, Zed did exactly what he shouldn't have done—he looked down.