Chapter 197: Sword Communion? Law Communion?
"Now, that's more like it. At this point, nobody would doubt your position here."
"Mn." Cedric nodded.
The new badge he's wearing felt a bit heavy, not literally but figuratively. Ev after condsing the of his Sword Heart, all that did was to put him at the starting line here. He still needs to catch up so he can't be complact.
"I assume you'd be visiting the Sword Communion Hall and the Sword Collesium?" Thirdy asked.
"I'd like to take a look if I could." Cedric nodded to him, "Instructor said that those are available for me now, so I'd like to experice them."
"Understandable. Come, I'll take you there."
Thirdy th led Cedric to the Sword Communion Hall first. The place wasn't that far from the Sword Tempering Cave and Cedric saw many of his classmates going there.
The Sword Communion Hall looked like a massive temple. It has tall cylindrical pillars painted with and gold. A massive insignia of a sword inside a ptagram could be se at the very top, emitting fiercely sharp fluctuations. The floors were made out of jade tiles connected by a web of cracks that seemed to be prest everywhere within the hall.
Upon tering, Cedric felt a wave of foreign Sword Laws sweeping across his body. It didn't carry any ill intt, just purely chaotic. That didn't stop him though, so he followed Thirdy deeper.
"The Sword Communion Hall was one of the first training areas that was built here." Thirdy began explaining, "I actually don't know who created it, Master said that it wasn't him and he never really explained. But he is guarding it and allows us to train here."
"How does it work?" Cedric asked.
"This is just like the Sword Tempering Cave actually." Thirdy grinned in reply to his question. "Well, you can train your Sword Heart there too but it'd be more effective here."
"This temple is steeped with all manner of Sword Laws profundities. Nobody knows how exactly it works but by during the atmosphere inside, you can commune with your Sword Heart deeper. The deeper your connection to your Sword Heart is, the easier it would be to comprehd Sword Laws."
"That said, there are risks involved here. The Sword Laws a here ar't fridly. They will attack you either physically or mtally so you must be constantly alert."
"So, that means we can level up our Sword Heart here?" Cedric asked, just to clarify.
"Kind of, yeah." Thirdy shrugged, "Figuratively, that's what happs. However, the Sword Heart doesn't really work that way. If only it was, oh that would be lovely. It would make it easier to track our progress. However, the Sword Heart and Sword Laws ar't quantifiable by the Acala system so yeah, no. But if it makes you feel better, th yeah sure, you can level up your Sword Heart here also."
Cedric blinked after hearing that. He wordlessly summoned his profile to double check and...yup, still the same: 『Sword Heart (Lv.)』.
'This means that it's unique to me or it's exceptionally rare. Well, this works for me.' Cedric shrugged.
He didn't make a big deal out of it since it's just advantageous to him anyway. Thirdy said it himself that it'd be nice if their progress could be viewed that way. Cedric obviously didn't share that stimt since he had it.
Just like other places in this academy, the interior of the Sword Communion Hall was bigger than what it looked like outside.
"Again, just like the Sword Tempering Cave, there's an isolation function here so that you won't be disturbed by others. If you go past that door, it would instantly take effect. Once inside, you'll immediately be bombarded with the chaotic Sword Laws here. How about it? Would you like to give it a try?"
"Can I?" Cedric was surprised.
"Of course you can, you're a studt of this class now!" Thirdy replied, "However, let me give you some advice. Since this is your first time and you Sword Heart's still young, don't spd too much time in there."
"One hour per day is ough. An hour and a half at most but no more than that. Sword Laws are way too profound, the insights you receive during your sessions might take an tire day to be fully comprehded and you can't do it there because you'd be in constant danger."
"Wh your Sword Laws reach the Elemtary Stage, that's wh you can stay in there for longer. Don't worry, you'll be informed wh you're going past your expected time limit. The reminder wouldn't interrupt your comprehsion either so you can rest assured. You can give it a try if you want to, the Sword Collesium can wait, it won't go anywhere."
"Alright, I shall give it a try."
"Cool, I'll wait for you here. Don't worry about me, I'm free today anyway. Go, have fun." Thirdy shooed him and gestured at the door.
Cedric nodded and pushed the doors op. He felt a force pulling him inside which he didn't see coming and it was too late to do anything about it.
Inside, Cedric found himself standing in the middle of a cosmic space. He could see four massive pillars at his cardinal directions connected by massive links of chains.
These chains are also connected to a gigantic sword hanging above. It was so huge that Cedric was only able to its tip and some parts of its blade. It's too close too, giving an impression that it's aimed at him.
The tire picture looked like a massive sword was pointed at a galaxy, bound by gigantic caves and pillars that prevted it from destroying the cosmos. It was a majestic sight that Cedric certainly wasn't expecting to see.
His eyes unconsciously landed on the chains. He felt an inexplicable ssation as he looked at them. They made no movemts but for some reason, Cedric had the impression that they were trembling.
"Oh...is this...a visitor? How many years has it be?"
The very fabric of spacetime shook as that voice thrummed. Cedric's tire existce quaked as the power behind that voice slammed into him. Blood seeped out of his lips as he looked a in alarm.
"Crap, sorry that's my bad. I should've controlled myself. Sorry, it's be a while since I talked to someone."
The voice echoed again, this time though it sounded fridlier and no longer archaic. It also didn't contain the same force as before.
"May I know who's speaking?" Cedric asked, his voice sounded calm but inwardly, he was freaked out.
"Well...who do you think?" The voice replied in a playful tone. "Shit! Wait, don't leave! I was just playing a. Can't you take a joke? I'm sorry okay!
It's the sword, the massive sword that you're seeing is me, the one talking to you."
Cedric sighed to calm himself down, but he didn't leave. Instead, he looked up to inspect the gigantic sword once more.
"I'm guessing that this isn't the Sword Communion Hall anymore?"
"Child, I am the Law Communion Sword. The Sword Communion Hall that you're talking about is nothing but a mask to hide my existce from all the nasties outside. I am the real deal."
"If you want to truly commune with the Laws, it's best to do here. What the others are expericing out there is only a fraction of my abilities. Here is where the real experice happs."
Cedric could just hear the smugness and absolute confidce in this voice.
"How come I'm here th?" Cedric asked.
"I don't know." Came the immediate answer of the gigantic sword. "My job is to help humans commune with laws better. It's my creator who decides who though. Seeing that you appeared here, that means you qualified. As for what the qualifications are, well...I don't know that either. I'm just a sword."
Cedric blinked before sighing. He had this impression that he was talking to a child.
"Say, can I ask you a question?" The gigantic sword asked. "What year is it now, and who's the currt guardian of the Sword Communion Hall?"
"It's the year 3034, and the currt guardian is Uruk Silverfang."
"3034, huh?" The sword's voice turned a bit downcast as it uttered this. "Ha! Time...what a concept you are. Unknowingly, a hundred years passed since the last time I had a visitor, yet to me it feels like it's only a few days ago."
Cedric could hear the bitterness in the sword's voice.
"And, Uruk you say? That blind bat? Well...he should be old now since a hundred years have passed, but him? I see, he's not bad. Sadly, he's a little too obstinate."
Th, the sword's voice suddly turned colder as it asked: "And what of the Demons? I assume that they're still out there, spreading their AIDS all over the world?"
"Pfft-!" Cedric couldn't help but sputter his laugh after hearing that colorful description. "AIDS...well, yeah. I've just returned from the frontlines and from what I've se, it has only got worse."
"We have time child...the flow of time here is differt from the outside. If it's okay with you, can you tell me everything that you know about the world now? It's be forever since I had someone to talk to, and my sses are limited here."
"Sure, why not?" Cedric shrugged, "So, for starters..."