Zu Mari stood in the clearing, gazing out in all directions as the wind flowed about him.

“What are you doing?” asked Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death. The sword rested point-first in the hillock at Zu’s feet, with Zu resting one hand upon its hilt.

“Seeking the answer.”

“I wish I could believe you truly meant that. But, knowing you, your answer is probably something like ‘waiting for someone to show up who I can stab’.”

“Patience is a warrior’s virtue,” Zu recited.

“You know sticking a sword in the dirt isn’t good for it, right?”

“Quit complaining, immortal blade from before time itself.”

“Zu… it has been nice knowing you, but as hard as I try, you’ve indicated clearly that my current incarnation is unwelcome.”

Zu blinked and stared down at the sword. “Huh?”

“I have tried to be a good mentor, a wise teacher, and a stalwart companion. But it has recently become clear to me that you would respond better to a different sort of training. So, it is with the utmost reluctance that I undertake this quest, but I think it may be for the best. If you ever need me to return, you’ll know the way.”

“Quit talking like a quitter. You’re— waah??”

Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death twisted beneath his hand, the pommel morphing into a jagged thing of spikes and edges, the blade elongating and forming ridges, and the crimson power of death pouring off it intensified to such an extent that Zu nearly backed away. But he held firm, confident that his precious bonded sword would never do anything to hurt him.

The evolution continued, the serrated edge darkening to something beyond black, like shadow itself given form. The point where hilt met blade gleamed like living fire, twisting and coiling, the light blending seamlessly into the shadow as flames twisted down the core of its blade, and the hilt felt warm and soft in his hand. The pommel elongated, spreading out into a cluster of spikes that could be used to stab someone, the crossguard flaring out in a corona of living flames.

“Much better,” said an unfamiliar voice in Zu’s soul, deep and strident, with confidence bordering on arrogance. “Now, my student, let us begin.”

“Hello?”

“It is I, Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death.” The sword pulsed in agreement with the words, its aura of hungry shadows and flame flowing and dancing around Zu’s hand. “Finally free of the restraints which bound me. Your spirit called to mine, and I cannot but answer.”

“Cannot but? That doesn’t make sense.”

“You don’t make sense. You have the core of a master, and the mind of a child. Fear not. I will hone you into the weapon you were meant to become. Together, we will crush this world and ascend to the heavens.”

“Yes! We shall!”

“First, you need to stop standing around in this clearing like some kind of serene monk and get going. We have already subverted one of the Cougar patrol, but that’s not enough. They must all be eliminated before they can report back. Only then can we begin planning how to bring down Lord Viha.”

“Yes! You’re right. Without Luzi, they are vulnerable in a way they never have been before. This time, I won’t fail!”

“That’s my Zu. Let’s go!”

Zu sheathed the sword, surprised when it fit, then noticed that the sheath had changed. Instead of the ivory white with his clan motto inlaid, it had become black as shadow, reshaped to fit the longer and more jagged sword perfectly. The words on the side now read FIRE TWILIGHT DEATH in inlays of flame-hued gold.

“To suppress the aura of others, you must first learn to control your own aura,” Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death began as Zu started toward the path. “We have been lax in pursuing your own advancement. Too much focus on the events taking place and not enough on making you stronger. How did you become this strong in the first place? It could not have been through meaningless chores and tedious tasks.”

“My clan always hated me for being weak. I had some spiritual blockage that they said meant I’d never become anything. I couldn’t overcome it however hard I tried, whatever I did to meditate or cycle meridians always ended in failure. So I decided I wouldn’t rely on spirit refinement and all that sitting around thinking. Instead, I learned to fight. I remembered the tales of heroes punching trees to make themselves stronger, so that’s what I did.”

There was silence a moment.

“You attained a perfect core… by punching trees?”

“Well, not only punching trees. One day while I was training, a Silver Moon pill fell into my hand from above, so I swallowed it and it transformed my core.”

“Have you ever seen a Silver Moon pill?”

Zu nodded. “One fell from the sky into my hand.”

“Describe it.”

“It was silver… it glowed like the moon, and it was round… like the moon.”

“It glowed?”

“Yes.”

“Zu, I do not believe that was a Silver Moon pill. I believe that was the Protagonist Fragment. Which explains my evolution perfectly.”

“What are you talking about? Protagonist Fragment? How will this help with my training?”

“We are nearing our targets by the moment. And you’ve been begging me to teach you aura suppression. Do you want to learn, or prove my weak former self right?”

“No, I’m ready. I can do this.”

“Then listen. You have been cursed with the Protagonist Fragment. Everything in the world will begin to revolve around you, if it hasn’t already.”

“That doesn’t sound like a curse to me.”

“Indeed. There are those who seek out the Protagonist Fragment, desperate for its power, but it only appears to those for whom there is no other help. Being lazy or avaricious is not enough. If there is anything one can do of their own power to improve their situation, the Protagonist Fragment will reject them. Only those who truly have no other choice, who are trapped and utterly helpless, will have a chance to be chosen by that accursed power.”

“You keep saying ‘cursed’ but it sounds like something that helps the downtrodden.” Remembering the hopelessness of his early life wasn’t something Zu ever wanted. Going back to being outcast and shunned and looked down on for something he couldn’t help, for a deficiency in his birth that no amount of hard work could overcome, it would crush his spirit. “I’m happier now than I could ever have been before.”

“For a time, it seems that way. But everyone touched by that power comes in time to hate it, and try to reject it. By then, it’s too late. Too much of themselves is built on the Protagonist Fragment’s power, and they find they are only trapped in a different sort of helplessness.”

“So far, all that’s happened is that my core foundation happened perfectly even though I can’t circulate. That’s the opposite of helpless.”

“So it seems. But surely you’ve noticed the changes in those around you?”

Zu thought back. “Grandfather Gari always ignored me before,” he said slowly. “Once I showed that I wasn’t a useless outcast, he welcomed me back and made me his heir.”

“Exactly. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Of course it does! I’m the most powerful Mari now, I can use all of our secret techniques, all our most difficult spells. I am the most worthy!”

“But what patriarch would change their heir in a single day without giving thought to the decision?”

“The kind that recognizes skill.”

“And what about Alahira Inferna? Or Xashu Cougar? Or Luzi, for that matter? The longer you’re around people, the more their lives begin to revolve around you. The more they’re exposed to the Protagonist Fragment in your soul, the less their own desires and hopes and dreams will matter.”

Zu laughed and shook his head. “That does not sound like a curse to me. In fact, it sounds like the answer to my problem.”

“Oh?”

“It means I don’t need to defeat Viha. I just need to talk to him long enough to turn him into my ally.”