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I hefted the blade I was told to craft above my head. 'At least I can lift it. Now, can I use it?' I thought, lowering it back down to look at the lack-luster hilt and edge. I'll have to shine it later, because training began soon. "My first training session with you. Lets do our best, alright?" I asked. Sirren had taught me that weapons had souls, like us, and could hear what we tell them. So far I hadn't heard it answer, but she said that came with practice. ~"Every weapon has special abilities folded into it at it's birth. When you gain the trust of one weapon, it tells you the ability it has. If you make the weapon, it is likely to have an ability that you need and grow to trust you sooner."~ 'Lets hope she's right about this.' I thought, remembering her words. I slid the weapon into it's specially made sheath and tied it to my back. Then I practiced puling it from and putting it back in the sheath. "Smooth. Good, I didn't make the sheath too tight," I told myself, smiling. My mind suddenly went back to that day, so many weeks ago. The night my mom died. I had smiled at her the same way I had just then. My smile faded. "I will avenge you, mom. I promise." "Well, not if you're late to training," Locia said from behind me. I jumped and she smiled at me, like nothing had happened. I tried to smile back, but the memory still burned against my mind. "Mom..." I whispered. Locia heard and put a hand on my right cheek. "Don't worry. When nee-sama is done teaching you, she and I will help you get back for your revenge. I know it hurts to think of it, but that's how you keep her alive in turn as well. It may hurt, but the pain goes away when you think fondly of the person you lost," she said, a motherly love in her tone. I almost blushed, just before I remembered the day we had first met. Something about her said weak and defenseless to me that day. 'I have to protect her,' I thought. That's why I had picked up the weapon in the first place. She pulled on my ear and said, "Now, come on before we're both late." I laughed as she pulled slightly harder and walked out of the room.

When we made it to the training grounds, Sirren told me to put away my blade. At first I looked at her with a confused look, but when she insisted I did as I was told and propped my weapon against the wall of the house. She looked at me sternly and asked, "Could you hold your hand up for me, Hekio?" I looked confused, but did as instructed and let her inspect the palm of my right hand. She looked long and hard, eventually closing her eyes and breathing heavily. I fell away almost as she looked it over. "Today, we're going to work on what that majick that you used yesterday. I have never seen any such before, and I want you to duplicate it for study, Hekio. Understood?" I laughed and closed my hand into a loose fist. "There's no way that was a majick. I'm terrible at using the arcane arts!" I laughed. She smiled and said, "It was some form of Wind and Fire attributed majick, so I suggest you start trying to double it, child." I stopped laughing and began to focus, like I was taught in school. I pushed all the energy I could manage towards my palm and tried to forge what I had used weeks ago. "Majicks are not just used for cheap trickery, Hekio. They deal with the emotions that are in the user's heart at that moment. Try to remember the feelings you had," she said, trying to push me over my point. My teachers in the past had all said I just couldn't use the arcane, that I was just broken down for a warrior. I pushed myself harder. If i could use the arcane, I could protect whoever I wanted, just that much more effectively. I pushed and pushed and suddenly saw my mother's dead face again, behind my closed eyes. I felt tears start to roll down my cheeks and stopped, falling to one knee and holding my head down. I fought back the tears as I began to shake and yelled at myself mentally as I let such stupid emotions take me over. Rage emerged and I pushed against it to no avail. "Hekio. Please, calm down. It's alright," came Locia's voice. Suddenly an arm was around me and a hand was on my head. I couldn't fight anymore. I wasn't able to use the arcane, not unless my life depended on it. I fell into whoever was holding me and cried for the longest time. "Oh, dear me. Calm down, child, before I smack you a good one," came some new voice. I lifted my head, anger on my face, to see who was talking to me. "It's me, young one. By the house," It said. I looked over and saw no one, but my blade. "Bingo!" the voice came. "But... You're just a sword... How are you talking?" I asked. "Don't you remember anything that Elf told you? I am the soul of your handmade weapon," it said. I smiled and stood, shakily, then walked towards the sheathed blade. "Pull me out, why don't you, and see what you've made." it said. "But what's your name?" I asked. "It's transcribed on my hilt, boy. Take a look." I lifted the weapon and peered at the hilt. "Exuro Caelo...?" I asked, trying to sound the arcane words out. Locia smiled and Sirren answered, "Yes. Is that the name of your sword, Hekio?" I looked at it and ran my hand over the soft material on the handle itself. "Yes. Yes she is." I slowly pulled her out of her sheath and felt my eyes widen. The coarse dark metal I had initially used, had been replaced with a brilliant glowing blue metal. I pulled her the rest of the way out and tossed the sheath to the side. "So light. Not even a slight bit of a problem twisting and dipping you." I told her. "Hekio, make note. I may have my own soul, but I am not worth losing your life over. I will protect you no matter what it costs me, but don't get yourself killed over pride or me. Got it? I am a weapon and a tool, so call me Exuro." she said. I forced myself to nod and heard a slight humming noise come from all around me. "My ability is to increase your refinement with the arcane and improve your majicks use. I can help you as long as you wear me." she said. I felt an immense power inside me awaken. Fire licked at Exuro's edges as I lifted her above my head. I felt the pressure subside and lowered her back down. "As you wish, Exuro. I won't waste my life because of you. But for those I care about, I shall fight until the end," I said. Exuro seemed content with my answer and she fell dormant. " 'Burn.' " I turned to Locia with a confused look on my face. "The word your sword gave herself in the arcane language means burn, 'Burn Heaven' to be precise. My dagger's name is Lumen Inferno, or Light Hell. It appears we should stay together, Hekio," she said. I smiled at the statement and turned back to Sirren. "So you wanted to see that one majick I could do?" I asked. She nodded respectfully and crossed her arms. I raised my bandaged left hand and let my palm glimpse the sky. "Exuro." I said, feeling the same pressure from earlier gathering about me. Almost instantly, a perfect orb of flame curled up from my hand. Sirren watched with amazement as i smiled and began to toss the small flame into the air. It always came back down right into the same spot on my palm. "That is the same majick that The Shadow uses. You are his youngest son." She said, like there could've been a doubt. I know I looked like him. I had seen him in books all over the place. I'd had to cover my face once to keep from getting attacked. "Yes. I am. But I won't turn away from the ones I care about." I wanted to take that back, instantly, but I had meant it. From that day, everything got a lot harder for training and Locia never acted motherly to me again.

Description
I hefted the blade I was told to craft above my head. 'At least I can lift it. Now, can I use it?' I thought, lowering it back down to look at the lack-luster hilt and edge. I'll have to shine it later, because training began soon. "My first training session with you. Lets do our best, alright?" I asked. Sirren had taught me that weapons had souls, like us, and could hear what we tell them. So far I hadn't heard it answer, but she said that came with practice. ~"Every weapon has special abilities folded into it at it's birth. When you gain the trust of one weapon, it tells you the ability it has. If you make the weapon, it is likely to have an ability that you need and grow to trust you sooner."~ 'Lets hope she's right about this.' I thought, remembering her words. I slid the weapon into it's specially made sheath and tied it to my back. Then I practiced puling it from and putting it back in the sheath. "Smooth. Good, I didn't make the sheath too tight," I told myself, smiling. My mind suddenly went back to that day, so many weeks ago. The night my mom died. I had smiled at her the same way I had just then. My smile faded. "I will avenge you, mom. I promise." "Well, not if you're late to training," Locia said from behind me. I jumped and she smiled at me, like nothing had happened. I tried to smile back, but the memory still burned against my mind. "Mom..." I whispered. Locia heard and put a hand on my right cheek. "Don't worry. When nee-sama is done teaching you, she and I will help you get back for your revenge. I know it hurts to think of it, but that's how you keep her alive in turn as well. It may hurt, but the pain goes away when you think fondly of the person you lost," she said, a motherly love in her tone. I almost blushed, just before I remembered the day we had first met. Something about her said weak and defenseless to me that day. 'I have to protect her,' I thought. That's why I had picked up the weapon in the first place. She pulled on my ear and said, "Now, come on before we're both late." I laughed as she pulled slightly harder and walked out of the room.

When we made it to the training grounds, Sirren told me to put away my blade. At first I looked at her with a confused look, but when she insisted I did as I was told and propped my weapon against the wall of the house. She looked at me sternly and asked, "Could you hold your hand up for me, Hekio?" I looked confused, but did as instructed and let her inspect the palm of my right hand. She looked long and hard, eventually closing her eyes and breathing heavily. I fell away almost as she looked it over. "Today, we're going to work on what that majick that you used yesterday. I have never seen any such before, and I want you to duplicate it for study, Hekio. Understood?" I laughed and closed my hand into a loose fist. "There's no way that was a majick. I'm terrible at using the arcane arts!" I laughed. She smiled and said, "It was some form of Wind and Fire attributed majick, so I suggest you start trying to double it, child." I stopped laughing and began to focus, like I was taught in school. I pushed all the energy I could manage towards my palm and tried to forge what I had used weeks ago. "Majicks are not just used for cheap trickery, Hekio. They deal with the emotions that are in the user's heart at that moment. Try to remember the feelings you had," she said, trying to push me over my point. My teachers in the past had all said I just couldn't use the arcane, that I was just broken down for a warrior. I pushed myself harder. If i could use the arcane, I could protect whoever I wanted, just that much more effectively. I pushed and pushed and suddenly saw my mother's dead face again, behind my closed eyes. I felt tears start to roll down my cheeks and stopped, falling to one knee and holding my head down. I fought back the tears as I began to shake and yelled at myself mentally as I let such stupid emotions take me over. Rage emerged and I pushed against it to no avail. "Hekio. Please, calm down. It's alright," came Locia's voice. Suddenly an arm was around me and a hand was on my head. I couldn't fight anymore. I wasn't able to use the arcane, not unless my life depended on it. I fell into whoever was holding me and cried for the longest time. "Oh, dear me. Calm down, child, before I smack you a good one," came some new voice. I lifted my head, anger on my face, to see who was talking to me. "It's me, young one. By the house," It said. I looked over and saw no one, but my blade. "Bingo!" the voice came. "But... You're just a sword... How are you talking?" I asked. "Don't you remember anything that Elf told you? I am the soul of your handmade weapon," it said. I smiled and stood, shakily, then walked towards the sheathed blade. "Pull me out, why don't you, and see what you've made." it said. "But what's your name?" I asked. "It's transcribed on my hilt, boy. Take a look." I lifted the weapon and peered at the hilt. "Exuro Caelo...?" I asked, trying to sound the arcane words out. Locia smiled and Sirren answered, "Yes. Is that the name of your sword, Hekio?" I looked at it and ran my hand over the soft material on the handle itself. "Yes. Yes she is." I slowly pulled her out of her sheath and felt my eyes widen. The coarse dark metal I had initially used, had been replaced with a brilliant glowing blue metal. I pulled her the rest of the way out and tossed the sheath to the side. "So light. Not even a slight bit of a problem twisting and dipping you." I told her. "Hekio, make note. I may have my own soul, but I am not worth losing your life over. I will protect you no matter what it costs me, but don't get yourself killed over pride or me. Got it? I am a weapon and a tool, so call me Exuro." she said. I forced myself to nod and heard a slight humming noise come from all around me. "My ability is to increase your refinement with the arcane and improve your majicks use. I can help you as long as you wear me." she said. I felt an immense power inside me awaken. Fire licked at Exuro's edges as I lifted her above my head. I felt the pressure subside and lowered her back down. "As you wish, Exuro. I won't waste my life because of you. But for those I care about, I shall fight until the end," I said. Exuro seemed content with my answer and she fell dormant. " 'Burn.' " I turned to Locia with a confused look on my face. "The word your sword gave herself in the arcane language means burn, 'Burn Heaven' to be precise. My dagger's name is Lumen Inferno, or Light Hell. It appears we should stay together, Hekio," she said. I smiled at the statement and turned back to Sirren. "So you wanted to see that one majick I could do?" I asked. She nodded respectfully and crossed her arms. I raised my bandaged left hand and let my palm glimpse the sky. "Exuro." I said, feeling the same pressure from earlier gathering about me. Almost instantly, a perfect orb of flame curled up from my hand. Sirren watched with amazement as i smiled and began to toss the small flame into the air. It always came back down right into the same spot on my palm. "That is the same majick that The Shadow uses. You are his youngest son." She said, like there could've been a doubt. I know I looked like him. I had seen him in books all over the place. I'd had to cover my face once to keep from getting attacked. "Yes. I am. But I won't turn away from the ones I care about." I wanted to take that back, instantly, but I had meant it. From that day, everything got a lot harder for training and Locia never acted motherly to me again.