I'm back with another chapter for Nightshade. I never thought I would enjoy writing the character that is being focused on this time. Enjoy.

Chapter 5

A Friend

Thunder suddenly woke me from my slumber. I sat up and frowned as rain poured through the branches of the tree which I was resting under. Despite the downpour around me, I was completely dry. If the wind changed direction, that may have changed.

I sighed as more thunder rumbled overhead. I wasn't going to get much more sleep. Even if I did, I would likely wake up with a dreadful cold. Sighing again, I decided to make the most of my time by drawing my new sword.

The blade twirled in my hand, completing a full rotation before firmly stopping in my palm. It was heavy, but that felt good. I moved my forefinger in the S shape to bring up the Stacia window. The sword sat at an Object Control Authority of 38, below my own of 41. Which meant that my theory was correct that anything below your Object Control was able to be used, but the closer it got, the heavier the blade. What amazed me was the Durability. It sat at 320826/391901. It almost felt unbreakable despite the entire thing seemingly made from glass. It also had a Unit ID of WLSS924.

Lightning struck a tree next to me, setting it ablaze. Thankfully, the rain would likely put it out before the blaze grew out of control. Even so, it told me that I shouldn't remain here much longer if I didn't want to get fried. I grabbed my travelling cloak which I had been using as a pillow, my bag of tools and food, and the belt which held my two sheaths.

I hated the fact my blades was always hanging from my side. Something about it filled me with dread. However, I didn't have any means to change that right now.

I stepped out into the rain, keeping my head down to stop any water from getting inside my cloak. According to the map that Killian had given me, there should be a village about an hour and a half away if I went at a brisk pace. Going there would be more productive than finding another spot to sleep. I began walking. The rain didn't let up as I did. The ground was becoming so saturated that my boots were sinking into it as I walked, which wasn't exactly helping me in my quest to get to the village as fast as possible.

A cry of anger came from my left a few minutes in. I looked to see a man standing outside a wagon. The wheel had fallen off and it didn't look like he was having much luck putting it back on. On top of that, the wagon was sinking and the horse drawing the carriage was getting impatient. I walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Need a hand?"

"Oh thank god. I've been trying to do this for the past ten minutes." The man pointed to the wagon. "Think you can lift this so I can secure the wheel?"

I nodded. I didn't have much strength, but it should be enough to hold the wagon up. I gripped underneath the side of the wagon and begun lifting. The wagon only raised an inch or two off the ground, but it was enough. The man begun to fix the wheel while I did my best to keep it lifted. Just as my arms begun to burn with exhaustion, he had finished.

"Thanks a lot. Hopefully that'll not happen again." He pushed his long hair out of his face, which happened to be a pale shade of purple. He was tall and thin, but had sharp eyes and a warm smile. On his belt was a sword and strangely enough, a whip. "Eldrie Woolsburg."

"Light."

"That's it? No second name?"

"I don't remember to be honest. I only have memories worth a few weeks."

Eldrie frowned. "It's not unheard of. But then what are you doing out here?"

"I plan to enter a tournament in Centoria. I believe that I was supposed to be an Integrity Knight, but I wasn't summoned properly."

Eldrie nodded. "Well, apparently there are only two ways to become one. Become one through battle or to be summoned by the Pontifex. Some don't believe the second one is likely." He jumped onto the wagon and offered a hand. "Well then Light, it appears our destination is one in the same. As thanks for helping me out, would you allow me to take you to the nearest village for something to eat?"

"Well, if you're offering." I took his hand and he pulled me up onto the wagon. The front seat was sheltered so I could take off my hood. Eldrie cracked the reins and the wagon remained stationary despite the horse pulling. I put my hood up again. "I'll push it out."

"Thanks." Eldrie sighed, his head in his palms.

The wagon was certainly moving faster than I ever could have on foot. Luckily, as soon as we got onto a main path, the wagon didn't risk sinking again. The rain was even starting to ease up, even though the thunder remained.

"So, do you fight with both sword and whip?" I decided to ask him about his fighting style, as I hadn't seen someone carrying around a whip in Vetal, let alone use one.

Eldrie nodded. "It helps manoeuvre your opponent into a position favourable to you, or make one of their limbs yours to control. I won a local duelling contest mostly thanks to it." He laughed suddenly. "There was this guy who tried to pay everyone to drop out, and I just took his leg out from under him in our fight. It was over in five seconds."

I smiled. "So why are you wanting to become an Integrity Knight?"

"Honestly, I just want my mother to be proud." I could instantly tell from his eyes that he really loved his mother. It made me wonder who my parents were, if I had any to begin with. "Even so, please don't go easy on me if we ever cross swords during the Four Empires Unity Tournament. Even if I lose, as long as I know I lost to a worthy swordsman."

I nodded. "Same to you."

"So what about your style of swordsmanship? It's not everyday you see someone wielding two swords. One looks far more impressive than the other." He was referring to the Night Shadow Blade.

"I have yet to use my purple sword. It was a reward for competing in my local duelling tournament. But this one…" I drew the short sword. "It was the first gift I received from a friend." I smiled sadly. I didn't get to say goodbye to Myne. I had wanted to apologise for breaking her gift to me, and show her that it was repaired.

Eldrie nodded and patted me on the shoulder. "I think you and I will get along just fine." As he said that, the village came into view.

I jumped off the wagon as he parked it in a stable and paid for the storage. I took the opportunity to look at the village. It was called Solvent. It was barely a quarter of the size of Vetal as I could see that there were only about ten buildings on the main street. Even so, it looked homely and had a warm atmosphere despite the rain. Even at this early hour, a lot of people were setting up stalls or opening shops.

Eldrie took me to a small building made of smooth stone and wooden framing. Inside was a small crowd split between several tables. We found a table and sat down on the wooden benches. "Go ahead and order. I'll pay for it."

I shook my head. "At least let me buy the drinks."

"Normally, I would refuse. But I get the sense you have a stubborn side when it comes to stuff like this." Eldrie chuckled to himself. "I've learned not to try and argue with someone who's stubborn."

I felt myself relax. Eldrie felt like someone I could trust. I grabbed some silver coins from a pouch on my belt, another parting gift from Killian. A waiter came over. Eldrie ordered something that sounded way too posh for me and a glass of red wine. I just ordered a pork rice bowl and a glass of orange juice. The waiter took our payment and walked back towards the counter.

"So, you're heading to the Swordscraft Academy?" Eldrie asked. I nodded. "Ah, well I'm going a different route but we'll ultimately end up in the same place. I'm becoming part of the Norlangarth Knighthood."

"Why are you in Wesdarath then?" Our drinks were placed on the table.

Eldrie grasped the stem with the tips of his fingers, slowly swirling the blood red liquid around the bottom of the wine glass. "My mother wished for me to run an errand to make sure I had enough funds while away. I love her, but she worries a little too much sometimes."

I nodded. The food arrived soon afterwards. It didn't take long for my stomach to start growling at the sight of the dish. I don't remember having a full meal while inside the Church back in Vetal, only whatever was supplied to us. Seeing a meal so full of colour and having a smell so full of flavour…it was something I never realised I wanted until I had it.

"So your sword, what exactly is it?" Eldrie asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. All I know is it used to be a flower that was made from the same material as the blade."

"You seem to not know a lot."

I couldn't argue with that. "I do know how to use a sword though. And I remember two things from my past clearly. A battle where all I wanted was to kill, and another where…" A lump in my throat formed. I forced it down and continued. "…where I had lost someone."

Eldrie looked confused. "That's very strange. After all, the Taboo Index ensures that you can't be harmed. After all, I couldn't even enter the Dark Territory if I wanted to. Maybe you really are an Integrity Knight."

I shrugged as I stabbed a piece of pork with my fork. "That's what I want to find out."

The sounds of rain begun to subside. It didn't take us long to finish our meals. Once we had, we headed outside where the sun had begun to break through the clouds. "Well, we probably should get going." Eldrie smiled. I nodded. We retrieved the wagon and begun to head out of the village. I got my map out and looked up at the sky to determine the direction we should be going in. Centoria should only be a few hours away, so we should reach it by evening meal.

As we went along however…something began to grow in my chest. A feeling.

I'm no longer alone.

"You okay?" Eldrie nudged me.

"It's nothing. Just a feeling, that's all."

The sun was high in the sky as Centoria came into view. Clean white walls formed a border that encased the city. From it, I could see walls stretching for miles, separating the Wesdarath Empire from the rest. Between these walls and the mountains surrounding the entire place, the Human Empire was beginning to feel more and more enclosed.

"Well, thanks to your memory loss, I guess you don't know if you've been here before. But welcome to Centoria." Eldrie stretched his arms to the sky, exhausted from having to draw the wagon all the way there.

I jumped off as Eldrie began to slowly park the wagon outside the gate. We headed inside to find a beauty of a city. Peral white buildings lined the streets, held together by stone and wood. The amount of glass made it difficult to see at certain angles. Some buildings had black designs over the doors, showing the occupation of the residents. The stalls that lined the streets once again had food of higher quality and quantity than I had seen elsewhere in this world. Cheese rolls the size of small barrels, fruits that filled the air with a ripeness that could only have come from being freshly picked, meats that were cooked in every way imaginable…you named it, they probably had it.

But above all this, dwarfing it all, was a massive tower. I had seen it before on the approach to this place, but even then, I couldn't have imagined it would be this tall. But even then, it seemed to stretch even higher, as the top was covered by a thick mist. It seemed to be made from the same white stone that created the wall around Centoria.

"I hope I don't get lost trying to find the Swordscraft Academy." I muttered under my breath.

"Head down the main street until you see a garden area on your right, and it should be in those gardens." Eldrie let out a yawn. "Well Light, it was a pleasure. If it weren't for you, I might still be stuck in that ditch." He offered his hand.

"No problem." I took it. "Next time we meet though, it might not be under such friendly circumstances."

"Indeed. And should we meet on the battlefield, may our battle be glorious." We shook hands before leaving each other behind.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Kiku?" Higa frowned as he leaned back in his chair. "I know that you owe Sean for use of the Infinity Project, but putting these two into the same world as each other isn't going to end well."

"It'll be fine." Kikuoka pushed his glasses back up his nose. "True, I had my doubts too. Hopefully blocking Light's memories will help."

Higa shook his head. "He's already starting to remember."

"Now that is a problem." A man and two women approached the duo. "Ah, Dr Rinko. A pleasure. It's nice to see you've finally decided to join us." He spread his arms wide. "Welcome to Rath."

"Lieutenant Colonel Kikuoka." Rinko raised an eyebrow in concern. "Why are you dressed like that?"

Kikuoka saluted the man that had escorted Rinko and the other woman as he took his leave, tightening his kimono more. "I've been in the middle of the ocean for a month. I can't always be wearing my uniform." He stood up straight and walked over to them. "I see my persistence has paid off. It's a dream come true that you joined us."

"I can't guarantee if I'll be of any use." Rinko frowned.

"You're one of the three people I feel are indispensable to this project." Kikuoka nodded.

"Then I'll ask you this Mr Kikuoka." The other woman took off her glasses and gripped her hair, removing it to reveal bright orange hair and eyes. "Where is Kirito, and why is Light here?"

So then, I think it's time for some exposition on who Light is and how he got into Underworld. I've already said he's a survivor of another Death Game, but why is he there in Underworld and what this Infinity Project? Well, stay tuned. A lot of this will be explained in the next chapter. Honestly, I was kind of torn between bringing in one of my characters from The Land Beyond into the real world story. But ultimately decided against it for now. After all, Rinko would have a much harder time sneaking in.

But to my surprise, Eldrie was a nice change of pace to write. I think him and Light have a nice friendship to start off from. I may have taken some liberties with his personality, but we don't exactly know what he was like before he became an Integrity Knight. That's the main reason I'm placing Light and Kirito i different places, and putting Light in the Wesdarath Empire. It give me a lot of freedom.

Anyway, I hope you look forward to the next chapter. Thank you to all who favourited and followed. Criticism is appreciated as always. Until next time, stay cool.