CHAPTER 133: APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING

Charlotte’s breath caught as her eyes roamed across the endless expanse of gleaming steel and blackened edges floating in the void.

She had heard her mother and Mika talk about the Sanctuary countless times, always with reverence and warning, but seeing it with her own eyes was another thing entirely.

The abyss stretched in every direction, swords of every shape, size, and origin drifting like constellations in a pale, white sky. And all of it, the countless blades and their restless spirits, belonged to her mother.

This was the source of Yelena’s power, the very thing that made her feared and respected across the world.

Charlotte’s admiration was written across her face, her wide eyes glimmering as though she stood before a miracle. She wanted to drink in everything, to imprint this sight forever in her memory.

But then, something caught her.

A single sword, far in the distance, shone brighter than the rest. Unlike the others that gleamed with steel or cursed iron, this one was unlike anything she had ever seen.

Its blade was smooth ebony, so polished it almost appeared white, glowing with a pure, untainted light. Her gaze locked on it without her realizing.

Her breath slowed. Her body stilled. She couldn’t look away.

Something stirred in her chest, a pulse that wasn’t her own. The sword seemed to answer her stare, its glow intensifying.

Though it was impossibly far, she felt it creeping closer, as if each second it pressed nearer, reaching for her, sliding silently toward her forehead.

Her mind dulled, thoughts slowing, smoothed over by an unseen force. It was beautiful. It was calling her. It wanted her—

Smack!

"Kyaa!~"

A sharp sting bloomed across her ass. Charlotte yelped, her whole body jolting as she clutched her butt with both hands.

Her cheeks flared red as she spun around to find Mika standing there with his hand still half-raised, his expression utterly unrepentant.

"Ow, Mika! What was that for?! Why are you spanking me all of a sudden? Just because I’m relying on you here for my safety doesn’t mean you get to bully me!" She whined, her voice flustered and indignant.

"I did it for your safety." Mika just sighed, his gaze steady on her. "The very safety you’re scolding me about right now."

Charlotte blinked, her anger faltering.

"You were staring at that sword for too long." He said firmly. "If I let it keep going, it would have crept into your soul and hollowed you out."

"The Charlotte I know wouldn’t be standing here anymore. Instead, there’d be some old bastard who once wielded that thing, grinning out of your body."

"...And forgive me, but I’m not letting some crusty sword spirit take my Charlotte away."

Her lips parted in disbelief. She looked over her shoulder at the glowing weapon, her voice rising defensively.

"But, but Mika, it looked so pure! It didn’t look cursed like the others! Not all shadowy and evil! It looked...good."

Before Mika could answer, Yelena’s voice cut in, sharp and steady.

"Charlotte.. " She said, her tone carrying the weight of experience. "Appearances mean nothing here. Some swords drenched in darkness are steady, even noble. But the blades that shine the brightest..." Her eyes narrowed at the hovering weapon. "They’re often the most deceitful."

Charlotte swallowed hard, watching her mother’s gaze harden.

"In fact, that sword you were staring belonged to a cultist." Yelena went on, her voice low, as though even speaking of it was foul. "A man who worshipped blood. Its blade was forged from powdered bone, the bones of hundreds of humans he slaughtered."

"...That’s why it looks like ebony. That’s why it gleams with false purity. It drinks the essence of the dead."

Charlotte shivered violently, instinctively stumbling back a step. Her stomach twisted as the realization sank in, she had almost let herself be claimed by a weapon made from human remains.

But then a steady weight settled on her shoulder. She looked up to see Mika smiling down at her, calm and reassuring.

"It’s alright. Nothing’s going to happen to you. Not while I’m here."

But then his gaze shifted outward. Cold. Sharp.

And immediately, the swords around them, thousands upon thousands, began to tremble. The entire void seemed to quiver as every floating blade vibrated violently, a metallic chorus of fear.

Charlotte’s panic spiked, her eyes darting around as she clutched at Mika’s arm.

"Mika—! Mika, what’s happening?! The swords, they’re angry! They know I don’t belong here, they’re going to attack us, aren’t they?!"

But Mika only smirked. "They’re not angry. Just scared."

Her brow furrowed. "Scared? Scared of what?"

Yelena’s eyes softened, flicking briefly to Mika before she answered flatly. "Who else, but him."

The swords rattled harder, as if in confirmation, as Mika finally looked up and met their endless ranks with a predator’s gaze.

Yelena’s gaze flicked to Mika, her lips pressed into a thin line as she the won’t on to say,

"It’s true that I rule this Sanctuary, but even I must tread carefully here. These swords...they whisper, they plot, they test me. They’ve tried to consume me before. Some of them could succeed, if I faltered." She shook her head, her tone colder. "But Mika...ever since he entered this place long ago, none of them dare move against him. They fear him."

Charlotte stared at him, awestruck. "Mika...what did you do? What did you do to make them all fear you like this?"

Mika’s smirk returned, playful yet edged.

"Well, one time, a cocky little sword thought it could sneak up behind me. Tried to jab me in the ass, if you can believe it."

He shrugged as though it were nothing.

"But before it could do anything, I caught it. Made an example out of it. And let’s just say the others...learned their lesson."

His gaze swept across the trembling blades, his smile curling darker.

"And if they’ve forgotten, I can always remind them."

At once, the swords shuddered harder, some even cracking from the force of their trembling.

Charlotte swallowed hard, clinging to him, but before she could speak, Yelena’s sharp voice rang out.

"Enough, Mika!" She snapped, stepping forward. "Stop terrifying them! This is their resting place, whether holy or cursed—these swords are fragments of history, once wielded by warriors, gods, monsters."

"...They deserve respect, not fear. You can’t treat them like thugs on the street."

But Mika’s voice came back, low and indignant.

"They were bullying my Charlotte. What kind of man would I be if I let that slide? She’s mine to protect."

Charlotte’s heart skipped. She gasped softly, eyes sparkling as she threw her arms around him, burying her face against his chest.

"You really have changed..." She whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. She looked up at him with a bright, teary-eyed smile. "I always loved you, but back then...you were so shy. You never showed me how much you cared. But now, you’re saying it. Showing it. Even here, in front of all these swords, you’re declaring I’m yours."

"...I love this Mika. This new Mika."

She pressed her cheek tighter to his chest, nuzzling into him to which Mika only smiled, his arms wrapping firmly around her waist.

Meanwhile, Yelena, standing just a step behind, pressed her lips together tightly. Her chest ached. Because while she watched Charlotte glow in his embrace, she felt something dangerous twist deep inside her.

This new Mika was warm. Bold. Possessive. And though she tried to bury it, Yelena couldn’t deny, he was making her feel things she should never, ever feel.

And that terrified her more than the swords trembling in fear...