Immortality…
Most people call it a curse, while others claim it's a blessing.
The truth is, it's a mix of both—it has its ups and downs, its beauty and its horror.
The most common thing people say—the thing they always bring up—is that you'd have to watch everyone you love die, one by one.
Friends, family, lovers… all fading away while you remain the same.
Centuries pass, generations rise and fall, and yet you keep on living, untouched by time.
Then there's the darker thought—the one people whisper when the idea really starts to sink in.
The thought of living long enough to see the end of everything.
The stars dying out, the universe growing cold and silent, and you… still there.
Floating in the endless void with no one left to talk to, no light left to chase.
And maybe they're right. Maybe that's what immortality truly is—a slow, inevitable isolation.
But then again, maybe it's not that simple.
Maybe for the ordinary people who would just have the undying nature with no other power, it would be suffering.
But for beings like gods, higher dimensional entities who can create worlds—universe even, immortality has no downsides.
Because immortality isn't complete with just living forever, but with the addition of powers to create new beginnings.
Immortality is about living forever but merely what you do with forever.
In Kaelis' case, it isn't immortality in the sense that he has eternal life or cannot die.
When his ability, Sap of Swords, awakened at the age of seven, it transformed his very soul—and by extension, his existence—into that of a blade.
From that moment on, the concepts of life and death were erased from his records, for a blade does not live nor die… it only rusts.
The only way to truly kill him would be through the complete annihilation of his soul, which requires special means of interacting with the soul.
Because although his soul can rust, as long as he continues to polish it—by refining himself with new materials, swords, and attributes—it will continue to evolve until the very concept of [rust] is removed.
Though he is technically immortal now, Kaelis doesn't see it as a blessing or a curse—but as freedom.
For someone who can step between worlds, when one world grows old and familiar, he can simply leave.
When everyone he knows fades to dust, he can find new faces, new skies, new stories waiting beyond another horizon.
For him, time loses its edge.
Death isn't a looming threat, and boredom is something he can outrun.
He doesn't have to watch the same stars die—he can find new constellations under different skies.
Entire civilizations can rise and fall without trapping him in their decay.
He has become a wanderer of realities, and if what he believes is true—then the number of worlds available to him is infinite.
Kaelis has become an existence who can even end himself, if he ever chooses to.
…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Phssht!
"Graa—"
"Raughhh!!"
Gunshots rang out repeatedly with the sound of sword swing at slicing kabanes left and right.
"Mommy? What's going on?"
A young boy asked, his small voice trembling as his mother held him tightly, pressing his head into her bosom. She herself shivered in fear.
"Shh honey! I-it's gonna be alright!"
This is a recurring sight inside the train.
Parents holding their children tight, afraid they might disappear the next moment while some on their knees praying.
"I hope everyone's fine…" kajika said, concerned for everyone's safety.
"DO NOT LET THEM GET INSIDE!! KEEP FIRING!!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Shrrrt!
At this moment, on top of the train, the soldiers, along with Kurusu, were fighting against the hordes of kabane attacking the train.
Even though the attack had been anticipated, they had not expected the kabane to bombard the train as it approached the tunnel entrance.
Some had already managed to breach two sections of the train, namely the second and third cars.
They had claimed the lives of a few passengers, but before they could inflict further damage, Kaelis swiftly dealt with them before heading to the top.
The number of kabane on the train was overwhelming, and it continued to increase as those inside the tunnel latched onto the cars as the train passed.
So he decided…
"Hey Kurusu, mumei! Go down below and prevent any kabane from entering the train!" Kaelis commanded.
"Roger!"
"On it!"
"Guys! Hold on tight to something and duck!" He then turned to the other soldiers.
"What why!"
"Just do it!"
They immediately did so unconsciously.
Vroom!
"What!?"
A Rapier with an ornate, gold and black, medieval-style sword hilt with intricate designs appeared in his hand.
The blade shimmered faintly, almost humming with energy.
Time slowed, the panic around him reduced to muffled echoes as he assumed his stance.
Feet planted, body taut, he gauged the distance to the swarm. Then, with the lightest push, he accelerated.
Whooosh—SHREEK!(insert mlbb Lancelot ultimate sound effect)
The air screamed against him as his movement blurred into a streak of silver light.
The kabane lunged instinctively, but the sheer speed made them stagger in confusion, unable to track his form.
The soldiers didn't even catch a glimpse.
They only knew a person was in front of them then a flash—he was gone.
A heartbeat later, a low, resonant crack rolled through the car.
It was subtle at first, like a distant stone breaking, but then multiplied, resonating from the walls, the floor, the very air.
The kabane convulsed, shuddering violently, as if some invisible force had cleaved them from the inside out.
Limbs flew, torsos split, and the creatures collapsed into piles of ragged, shattered pieces.
Passengers blinked, eyes wide, some too shocked to scream.
After all the kabane that was on the train, whether hanging on the sides or piled on one another, they were cut into pieces.
At the far end of the train, after the kabane have fallen off, the only humanoid creature that could be seen was Kaelis standing straight.
Back turned, sash flowing and all that, with not a single blood on him looking imposing.
A hush settled over the survivors. Somewhere, a young soldier whispered, "What… what was that?"
Kaelis's lips curved faintly, behold my magnificence!
The rapier hummed softly in his grip—ready for the next wave.
Chapter 15 end.