GOD OF SWORDS CHAPTER FIVE

THE HIDDEN SWORD

In the forest outside the dormitories; 6.30 a.m.

"Kai."

The string was drawn, the Black Key already in place.

In my mind there was only the target and the arrow.

"Hanare."

The Key was released, a hiss following its flight.

I was the arrow, and the arrow was striking through.

"Zanshin."

I remained in position, waiting for more targets, my ears dividing the sound of normal birds to the metallic screech which came with the birds of the Stymphalus, while my nose continued to be filled with the stench of rotting flesh.

Not exactly how I would like to wake up.

At least they were relatively few, twelve.

Just enough for the kid to train her senses and her precision with her Mysteries.

Of which the kid saw ten. Still not ready.

"Oh, that was mine!" came a girl's angered voice from my left, around twenty meters away.

I turned towards that voice and I replied to the short haired girl, who had two spheres of water behind her, and a shield, a silver hoplon, strapped around her left arm, while her silver xiphos remained at her side for this time:

"What, kid? I would like to avoid being hit from behind by a thirty centimetres dagger of bronze because you were too slow. Take it as a lesson to be faster."

"I killed ten of them!"

"And only one of them needs to hit you, remember that."

The girl growled some more, but after I continued to stare back at her without faltering, she turned away and muttered, annoyed:

"But you said to not overestimate them too…"

"Because then you would be too tired to fight against stronger or more numerous enemies, yes. That's why you have to train your senses, you sometimes you were using too much Magical Energy to kill some, and too little for others, which made you take more time to slay them." I reprimanded the kid, trying to make my point come across.

She didn't need to be coddled. It would be damaging for her, and for me in return.

I needed someone able to fight enough that I didn't need to take out my own aces.

The girl continued to look away, but the annoyance, present only a few moments before, was now replaced by another, completely different emotion.

Shame.

I sighed at that, and continued my analysis of her first field use of that particular Mystery:

"But you were able to fight off ten of those birds, while also being able to deflect their feathers with your shield. Good work, all in all."

I really should have trained her to not show her emotions openly.

Really, I should have done that.

It was somewhat embarrassing to see a demigod, child of the Earth-shaker, pumping her fist up to the sky and shouting "believe it!".

At least she would be prepared for her role, and for when I…

"Oi girl, we have to move. I would like to avoid to be found outside our dorms, and to give them a reason to punish us. While for you it's an hobby, for me it's just boring."

"Shirou, I have deadly globes of water and I am not afraid to use them. Choose your next words well."

While the words were probably, in her mind, threatening, as the saying goes 'Between saying and doing there is the sea'.

It was like being targeted by an angry chipmunk, and equally as threatening.

"Oi, don't diss me!"

"Remember that this week you have a trip, and you must-"

"Pay attention to Grover, the new teachers who will be with us during the trip and to not forget my weapons. You are too much of worry-wart, Shirou! It's just an end of the year school trip! Don't you trust me?"

"No."

I was pretty sure she missed a step there, but I continued to walk back to the dorms.

I was too taken by the new problems which had come a week before.

'It is troubling indeed, old soul. The coming of not one, but two individuals heavily protected by the Mist is not what you would call a small variable.'

The goddess voice echoed inside my head, and I grunted slightly outwardly, while inwardly I said:

'If we weren't already alerted by the Satyr, then we wouldn't even have noticed them. And even now we still don't have any information about them.'

'Well, other than their fascination with Penelope.'Finished the voice, making me grit my teeth at the reminder.

It was an accident that the Satyr and was in the same school as the kid.

It was a coincidence that the Satyr and a "professor" were in the same cursed year.

It was a pattern, though, that the Satyr, the Math "professor" and another Latin "professor" were in the same, damned, class.

Even more in this, exact, moment.

Oh, they were in mine as well, but didn't pay attention to me in the slightest it seemed.

Now there were several questions in my mind:

How did they come here?

How did they find the kid? The amulet was good, and I was continuously improving it, and the Goddess had made sure that they were as fool proof as possible.

But, the most pressing question was whether the kid was ready.

I had already talked with her mother about this situation, but making her withdraw from this school now would be too suspicious, and would only put both of us under a spotlight.

Until the end of the year, which luckily was close, she would have to hide herself, without showing her cards, or she, and consequently I, would both become known unknown variances.

This was also the reason for which training was done this early, and the boundary field was turned off after it: to keep the curiosity of both parties in "possible resources/easy prey", instead of "dangerous unknown to be eliminated".

For now, we would continue to prepare ourselves, so that, if the time came, we would be as prepared as possible.

I wouldn't become a slave again. Now when I was this close.

-In class, a few hours later-

My hand twitched.

There was a distinct odour of almonds in the classroom.

My eyes were focused not on the slow and unsteady movement of the chalk on the blackboard, but on the inhuman that was parading around with the wheelchair.

It smiled at the child who had just written the title for today's "lesson", and spoke with honeyed expertise, his head slightly bowed in mocked appreciation:

"Thank you for your help, miss Reyse."

The young child went to her sit, while the monster turned towards the class, a smile so grandfatherly that made me just mistrust him more.

A white Change of the legends in ancient literature was there, and so there started another interesting lesson:

"Well, I would say that the title is self-explanatory, but it is quite interesting, is it not?"

Its tone tried to convey interest, and to its credit many student did follow, but I was far too taken at being ready to run to follow completely.

"After all, isn't it strange that gods, changed? See how the Ares became, from a bloodthirsty, and quite often, instinctive warrior to the symbol of tactics under the Romans, or how Zeus became much more calmer as Jupiter. So how would you say that it happened, mister Kajiya?"

Oh, being singled out by a monster, quite good.

I fake-thought about it, but the answer was easy, after all.

"The ideals of society changed."

The monster rose an eyebrow, and waited for me to continue.

I didn't.

Then Reyse-whoever-it-was continued:

"Because the ideals of society changed, the stories changed as well. The narrators wanted to show something different, I think, and also the culture became better."

There were grumbles around, but the answer was right, as far as mundanes can say.

Plain, simple, but right.

"I wouldn't say became better, but changed, but you are right miss Reyse." I could see something disapproving in its eyes when he looked at me, but I couldn't, and didn't want, to understand the reason for such emotion in it.

"Now, what about we read Zeus in the Iliad and Jupiter in the Eneid, then you spot the differences? For each answer, I will give you a quarter of a point at the next exam."

Clever monster.

Unfortunately, I didn't and won't trust you.

-A night in the same week-

"How is it going there, Shirou?"

No, I wasn't using a telephone.

While it would be extremely useful, somehow monsters had control of the repetition lines, so it would be suicidal to use it.

The internet had the same problem, as I had found out one year before, probably due to the monopoly.

Probably a lot of young demigods were going to weep due to that, and many more would weep, but this problem effectively cancelled any kind of fast communication for any kind of distance that I knew of.

Not exactly an ideal situation, not when controlling that the gods didn't come down was the only way to avoid being found out.

Having a quick communication device was vital.

That's why I had a walkie talkie in my hands.

Naturally it didn't work with radio frequencies, even if I wasn't sure that the monsters could really catch those, but it worked through the use of several runes arrays, along with 17 different identification arrays, all smaller than a penny.

All of this to make the thaumaturgical equivalent of two cans connected with a wire.

A really long wire, but if one of these were to be destroyed, the other would become fduseless.

And I was in a room with three teenagers.

But there was a much more impending matter:

"Is the Thunderer still angry?"I asked, my nails drilling in my palm, while my eyes were closed, tired:

"Yes, the top of the Empire State is still shooting weak lighting, while the rain still hasn't stopped. Penelope really shouldn't come here." Answered the device with the voice of the girl's mother.

This was troubling.

"Tomorrow the kid will go to the Metropolitan, along with the three moonlit suspects, alone, while the Thunderer and the Earthquaker are pissed off at each other and I am here, unable to do anything. I feel that tomorrow will be a good day, all in all." My tone was crisp, sarcastic and annoyed, my fist shaking and my brow trembling.

I wasn't happy at all.

I didn't have any way to reinforce the kid, and if the kid went all out, she would show that she was the daughter of the ground shaker.

Which would also lead them to me.

'You know that it's not the only reason you are concerned, right?'

'Not the moment.'

Now I was on the verge of shouting, and at night it wasn't exactly the most fun activity to do.

Unfortunately, I couldn't do more, and knowing this personal inability was making me more annoyed than before.

After sighing deeply, I said to my listener, trying to make sure to not show any of my deep irritation:

"I hope that it doesn't come to that, but, if for some very probable reason, the kid shows her possible parentage, you will have to be one to say it openly first. All right?"

If the kid came to know her true parentage by her mother, I could still be able to train her, using her familial love to make sure she didn't do anything too stupid while I was still here.

But if the kid learned it from someone else, she will do something extremely stupid. Like running away, maybe thinking that her mother was in danger due to her presence.

Not something I wanted nor needed, because it would lead me .

"… I know. I will tell her this summer, at our yearly holyday in Montauk in two months. I want for her to have at least one last summer of being normal, before being sent to that… path."

I wanted to shout at her.

To at least argue with her, making her understand that this was not a game, that we couldn't wait.

In the most aggressive way possible.

But then, I stopped.

Maybe it was the pause. Maybe it was her tone, maybe something older.

Or maybe I just didn't care.

It stands that, in any case, I simply said:

"All right. You can do that, but do not wait longer. Even if I think that two months are too long of a time, and I still don't think it's a secure course of action, I will try to give her that. If there are any important updates on the situation, use the alarm."

"Thanks, I will do that."

The call ended.

I just wanted to sleep.

I chose to trust the kid.

I hope my luck didn't rub off her.

[The aspiring hero]

-The day after, metropolitan museum of art, New York city-

"Is that all an Eumenid can do!?"

I know Shirou would scold me for "Talking while fighting", followed by an hit over my head, but I think I can be excused for it.

Having to fight against a winged and (a bit) uglier math professor was a good excuse, in my book.

And taking time. Definitely taking time

"Don't worry, sweetie, it's only the prelude for your torture!"

The voice wasn't that good, too, kinda like a chain smoker.

Uh.

Maybe I should ask that after-ohRootthosethingsaresharp.

Now, some may ask why me-, I, it's I,-am in this situation.

For this, I will need to-avoidthatotherclaw- recap these last three, boring hours.

-Around one hour before-

'Centaur, fast and strong, they use bows and clubs to fight. They are extremely rowdy and loud, kinda like the Yankees fans. If possible, bring the fight close to them and make them lose control of their limbs."

It wasn't like I could do a lot more here.

Between making sure I looked like I was definitely paying attention to what (or whatever he was) said and hiding from the monster (because no way it was an human)-

*CRACK!*

"I was thinking, you jerk!"

Those nails aren't clean, I don't want to be touched by those!

Bad touch, and worse germs!

"Be silent, whelp!"

She charged… dropped… swooped on me again, following the same straight line.

Now, if only I could use my sword it would have been useful, along with my shield.

But-!

*Swooosh!"

But it probably would have been slightly suspicious to bring my whole backpack for a school trip.

Just slightly.

"Now you are silent, so you do know of your crimes then, perjurer!"

Now, this Fury thought to be faster and endurer than me and that it could take me by tiredness.

The second was true, but the first, well.

I had ways to get three times faster, and stronger, and I would be ready for it-

"Die, mongrel!"

Now.

Reinforcing my own body was a step that took me three years to reach.

Not on the level of that sadistic monster, but enough for what I needed now.

This time, I did dodge just enough to not be hit by those nails, while preparing to punch against its torso.

When my fist impacted, it knew that it was far stronger than normal, but I had already stopped it and made it fall on the ground.

Before it could do anything, I stepped on its head with my whole strength.

It whined the first time, but the after the third time it started to become golden dust.

A fourth, and my foot went through.

It wasn't exactly fun, nor was it the first time when I found out that monsters had a body like us.

Not good for my shoes, but at least they will be cleaned after a few minutes.

It took only a few seconds for its body to become dust, and nothing remained from it.

Good thing, I wouldn't have had to hide something on the way out.

Bad thing, I didn't have any cool prize.

Good thing, I wouldn't have had to say to Shirou what happened.

Bad thing, he would find out in any case.

"Oh darn it."

There were so many problems in that moment.

"Penelope, is there any matter with the bathroom? I was quite concerned for you, and you still have to apologise to miss Bobofit."

How-why-what!

While I would have liked to believe you, mr Brunner or whatever you were, I couldn't.

And now I slightly regret it, but at the time?

You were like a bad villain! I don't care if Dr X was on a wheelchair, you were with that woman-with-bat-wings-and-dirty-nails-which-name-I-cant-use!

And you didn't register to my senses! That's like, uber ninja like! Scary ninja!

He stared at me for a few moments, then sighed deeply and, after rummaging inside his pocket, took out two small tickets, with written on:

Nikos Brunner

Instructor

Halfblood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

"If you need anything, both of you, then call this number. I expect you at the camp this summer. I know it will be quite interesting to have you both there, and be aware that my office's door is always open."

These words were given in grandfatherly manner, which made me shiver at the fact that the thing knew about Shirou's training!

This was not a drill, this was DEFCON ten at least!

And what in the name of the non-existent-God would a normal ass-kicking me think when you gave them two business cards with written "Halfblood hill"?!

A few hours later, in the forest.

"So, do you have any ideas, Shirou?"

Still nothing.

Darn it, I shouldn't have passed him the other business card, he was staring at it for hours for the five minutes since I gave it to him!

So I tried to attack him, like he taught me whenever I didn't pay attention.

The meanie just sidestepped and continued to stare at that card, without saying anything.

That was really rude of him.

Like, really rude.

So I continued to try to aim to his openings, and he just continued to move, before even I started the attack!

Really really rude!

After another loooooong ten minutes, along with at least a gallon of sweat because I could have reinforced myself in the middle, he finally talked:

"What do you make of this, kid?"

I threw another punch at him, but the meanie sidestepped at the right moment and just left me breathing heavily for air, while my muscles felt slightly stiff every time I moved.

Not gasping, breathing heavily.

"You use too much energy, but this is not training, kid."

Dammit, you are just one year older.

"What I was asking for was your opinion about what happened to you yesterday."

Well.

Yeah, not good.

"So, I know that the Dodds is in reality a Fu- an Eumenis, and I also know that Mr Brunner wasn't there to kill me, because it didn't try to attack me from the back while Dodds attacked me."

I started pacing back and forth, rubbing and twisting the end of my hair while argumenting what I thought:

"That would mean that it and the Dodds weren't connected to each other, or that it's a big ruse, right?"

"Is it a question or an affirmation?" asked the meanie, his tone flat and I could almost see the brow up.

"Affirmation." I was pretty sure of this, though: "While Dodds lost because it underestimated me, Brunner didn't look like it would, not only that, but monsters aren't that good at ambushing and blending in."

"The Dodds was quite good at that, remember." Chimed in the meanie, immediately putting an hole in my theory.

Dammit.

"Yes, but it was an Eumenid, meaning that she is used to stalk meanies, right? So she would have been able to blend in as an unlikeable professor, because, like, it's her kind of target."

Nothing is meaner than a Math professor, after all.

Wait, Shirou was and is.

Dammit.

And stop facepalming! My idea is not that bad!

Even now, it makes sense!

But that didn't stop me, and so, glaring at the meanie, I continued:

"There is also that Brunner was able to give me the business card. Do you think it would do that if it wanted to kill me? You remember that it was able to go pass my senses, right?"

"It could just be that you are bad with them, couldn't it?"

He was glaring at that business card, like it had personally given him names, pulled his leg and left him in the mud.

Also, his tone wasn't sarcastic.

It wasn't sarcastic.

It wasn't sarcastic.

…

Am I really that bad?

…

Then I will train harder!

"Shirou, today we will train our senses!"

I was ready!

My arm was pumped, my blood was risen!

My heart was drawing fire, my eyes were full of courage!

Maybe I swapped out something in there, but it doesn't matter!

"Wait, what?" Shirou's eyes came up for the first time since a long time, wide and almost disbelieving, while his feet moved already to get up.

Which means that he also did want to train!

Good, he was still my teacher after all!

"I need to be better than I am now, so hop hop! We only have until the summer break, then I will go to Montauk and I will not be able to train!" I dragged him on his feet, just to be sure he would have gotten up then.

He sighed, but I could see his smile.

He shook his head, but he pocketed the card.

He rubbed his eyes, but my senses, even if they really were not good, could start picking up magic.

His voice came out resigned, but I could hear the you-make-me-go-to-the-asylum-but-I-like-you tone:

"Well, let's see if we can put something in your head before we part ways, shall we?"

The old teacher

In the meantime

"Sir, I am sorry."

In my many, almost too many, years I had taught heroes, I had seen different ways through which people, be they halfbloods, godsblooded, mortals or even gods coped with failure.

Some raged, making the skies themselves the culprits of the failure; others were more down to earth, blaming others but themselves; a few were self-critical, able to understand what went wrong and how to correct it.

Then there is the category of which this young Satyr was part off: those who blamed solely themselves, even when the fault didn't lie on them.

With this kind of young students, the best way was hard, undeniable logic, similar to how Socrates would in the old times, millenias ago, much before the mortal were even aware of each other in both sides of the pond...

Pay heed to what's happening now, Chiron, not on old glories of a past long forgotten and long remembered.

"Grover," starting with a complete truth, so that he will not start to find ways to make it lie in his eyes: "You are aware of how the gods are seen in today's world, are you?"

I already knew about it: there were many young demigods that, when they first knew about their parent, were quite understandably weary about them, about how they would react to them, and how they would have a short and unhappy life.

The young Underwood also was equally aware about this matter; his own field made it so, and he was sometimes the one who breached the argument to the children themselves.

So the nod was almost automatic but, when the question was on his lips, I continued, turning out towards the window, so to give a more disinterested look: "Alongside this misconception of how the gods behave today, you also have to remember that both young Penelope and Shirou are trained, which leads to-"

"Baaah, they are being used by someone we don't know! We have to help them immediately!" the young Satyr came to the most extreme and also absolutely wrong conclusion, and forgetting the crutches to the side, he snapped to his feet, his caprine legs for all to see.

I just stared at him, for a few moments, letting him come to the most logical conclusion while I poured my own cup of coffee.

To the person who first imported it in Italy, so many years ago, even if used as a medicine, I could only hope that he was now in the Isles, for he gave me the seventh most important thing that I had been given in this immortal life.

When young Underwood would reach his conclusion, the cup would be at most at half.

While he was far too anxious, the young man was clever when calm enough, and quick when not calm.

Unfortunately only time will rob away that anxiousness. That, and success.

"Sir, could I ask you something?"

I paid attention to the young man again, my normal musings being interrupted by the present, and I nodded towards him.

He coughed inside his fist and, while with one hand he started to explain what he thought:

"They can't be directed by someone else who wants to harm the Camp."

I didn't make a sound, and kept my face neutral, letting the young Satyr reach his conclusions without me tainting his own thoughts:

"If they were, they wouldn't be here, trained, but still under the sight of you and one of the Eumenids. But they are still trained, meaning that someone they know, someone who is wary of us, is the teacher. But that someone doesn't have actively evil intentions towards us."

I nodded a millimetre, emboldening the young man:

"But then, who would be the one who trained them? Maybe a legacy we didn't know about? Or directly a demigod from the Camp we thought dead? But they live in New York proper, we should know about them, at least… or even an humanized? They are becoming increasingly common, after all… but it would have to be a kind that used weapons and they are rare… By those above, don't let it be a minor god, it would be a clusterfuck…"

The word wasn't what I should have let him use around anything connected to divinities, due to how… fickle they still were; instead it would have been better to just give the young Satyr something more to think about, to teach him of course:

"They are also able to manipulate the Mist in almost unbelievable ways, Grover, meaning they would have to have someone to teach them that branch as well."

"BAAAAH! Who in the name of the gods could they be!"

While it was quite amusing seeing the young man, the question was truly daunting to undertake.

Because it would mean that there was someone that was outside our knowledge for so long that they were able to teach two young demigods in such a way that even I myself would find almost incredible for their ages.

And this was a frightening thought.

This is also why I didn't call both families: it would be dangerous if they were under someone less than forgiving, and it could be dangerous for the kids themselves.

"Grover."

The young Satyr, taken out from his musings, tilted his head, waiting for my words while distractedly chewing his nails.

"You will go to Montauk, thanks to the information you gathered around, and talk with the mother of Penelope. I will go to Shirou's house, in case there will be problems. Can you do that?"

The nod was immediate, and the look of surety in his eyes was equal, and that made my old heart smile.

That determination was why he was still in this duty, after all.

Now, let's see the way to go to East Harlem.

New York proper, Upper east side, some days later

"Master, do you want anything else?"

Students have a rather distorted view of their teachers, both during and after their teachings have been done.

They either see them as monsters of old, come from Tartarus itself, or they are gods above those who already exist.

Unfortunately for my own humbleness, years made the trials look sweeter than they were, and as such the first group became overly shrunk.

This, for example, was a daughter of Aphrodite who came from a well established, but mundane, family.

Her training was harder than her bracket, but against others it was nothing, above all considering how the contemporary demigods were much less prideful than those who came before.

For this very reason I took in stride each whine, beg and insult, along with every scrape, scratches and bruises she had.

Now look at her: almost thirty years old, able to go toe to toe against named monsters, along with directing the Eight Refuge.

Ah, to see his students grow, such a feeling.

"Oi teach, I know that I am that good at making coffee, but if you want to remain here you will have to pay."

Now, if only those students remained awed by him, it would be truly perfect, but "win some, lose some" as they would say today.

"But miss Hope," I answered, sipping the coffee that the woman had offered me, "it is such a good coffee. You became much better at it."

The woman huffed, her afro bobbing slightly, then smiled widely:

"It's "missus" now, teach. Also, there is a possible cute cousin that you have to take to the camp. Now shoo shoo!"

I laughed at that, and, finished my coffee, I stated rowing on the contraption that I was hiding my legs in.

Ah, to see my students grow.

From the warm and cozy feeling of the small bar, I came to the noisy, but cold, city.

It was always unsettling to go in here.

At least, the shop the future student I would teach was close.

"The Katana Blacksmith".

A repair shop, and a smithy, interesting.

"Good morning sir, how may I help you?" A slightly raspy voice greeted me, and I saw an old Qatai-Asian woman behind the counter, greeting me.

But her eyes were quite sharp, for a mundane.

Narumi Kajiya didn't seem like someone to slight.

"Ah, good morning, I am Mr Brunner, teacher at your grandson school, and I am here to talk about Shirou. I understand that it is sudden, but it's quite important for me to speak both to him and his mother."

She eyed me, and I felt the hair on my arms stand, but then she nodded and, opening the door behind her, shouted: "Shirou! Misato! Get over here! There is a teacher who wants to talk with you two!"

"Mum! We are in a bonding time by hammering things! Can't it wait?!" came a younger voice, whining and exasperated.

The older woman completely turned to the door and shouted again:

"Get over here, brat! I know that it's just tempering, so move it!"

I could hear some curses in Cipan-Japanese, and then the mother and, most importantly, son duo came out.

The steel coloured eyes weren't surprising, but the fact that the mortal was a woman was.

Not unheard of from the parent of a brain child, but also surprising.

Well, let's start:

"I apologise, Miss Kajiya, but may we talk about an important matter?"

An handful of hours later

This was slightly unnerving.

I was playing a game of I know-you-know, while young Shirou knew that I knew, and probably knew that I was aware that he knew.

The mother wasn't in the game, but she also didn't speak up about the details of her coupling, not until I went out when she asked.

And now, I and young Shirou were in my own care, directed for the camp.

And he was silent.

He was already aware of it, yes.

But after feeling the apartment, I couldn't find who taught him. But someone had to.

Not even Herakles was that good when he was that young.

But then who could.

Also, the coupling was strange.

While Misato looked like she was a splendid woman, she didn't seem like someone the Goddess of Knowledge would go for.

While her ability with the hammer was almost incredible, there wasn't anything else, and this was strange.

But the colour of the eyes was too much to simply chalk up as case.

It could also be possible that there was a legacy in there, but it didn't seem the case with his mother.

So how…

I chuckled at this.

Something that could surprise me at this time, truly-

What in the Tartarus!

It felt like a wave from the ocean had hit me, and my passenger inhaled sharply suddenly as well.

And that feeling came from the camp, and now I could also feel something that felt too much like a warm liquid against my arms.

"Press the gas!" shouted my passenger, and I made sure to store his calmness for later while I did what he ordered.

There were turns and turns, until we came at the last, but then the strangest thing happened.

Not only the feeling of being crushed by waves became less, but the feeling of warm liquid stopped altogether.

That meant that whoever the demigod had slayed the monster.

And, in the end of the road, there was a demigod.

A black haired demigod with a silver shield and lance, who was pointing the weapon to a very scared satyr, green eyes glaring into his, while there was a crowd coming out the camp.

And, when he went out the car, she could hear her shout:

"What the fuck happened to my mom, beast!"

AN

Yes, I am alive.

I didn't have the will to write, though, until very recently. Only some small dares I did were able to shake me, as it can be seen with Unlimited days after.

Now, though, I am much more keen to write.

Also, my English became better, not perfect at all, but better at least.

Hopefully, my writing also did.

(also, before anyone talks about Penelope's mistakes, they are wanted).

I cannot apologise for not saying anything, or posting any kind of update, but it was a trying time, both for normal, and abnormal reasons.

Now, this chapter will be posted, then I will start another dare I did with other authors. Which will be fun indeed.

Have a good day, ya all.

Manram