Title: I Woke Up in Another World With a Talking Sword (And It Won't Shut Up)
The first thing I felt was pain.
The second thing I felt was something cold pressed against my cheek.
I opened my eyes.
"…Why is there grass in my bedroom?"
I bolted upright.
No bed. No ceiling. No phone buzzing with my alarm.
Instead, blue sky. Endless green fields. And—
"Ah, you're finally awake."
I screamed.
"AAAAAA—!"
"Wow. Rude. I waited three centuries for a wielder and this is the greeting I get?"
I scrambled backward, heart pounding. The voice hadn't come from a person.
It came from the sword lying next to me.
A silver blade. Black hilt. And—was that an eye carved into the guard?
"…I'm dreaming," I muttered. "Yep. Definitely dreaming."
Sword: "If this is a dream, you should probably stop drooling on me."I froze.
"…The sword just insulted me."
Sword: "Correct. And for the record, your drool has terrible mana quality."
I stared at it for a full ten seconds.
Then I slapped my own face."Ow."
Sword: "Ah. Acceptance phase. Happens fast with you types."
"YOU TYPES?!"
I stood up, pointing an accusing finger at the weapon.
"Okay. Either I'm hallucinating, or I died, or I'm in some kind of fantasy world."
Sword: "Ding ding ding. Third one. Congratulations."
"…Why do you sound proud?"
Sword: "Because you're my new wielder. Name's Astrael, the Sword of Eternal Echoes."
The blade shimmered faintly.
I swallowed.
"…And I'm guessing I don't get a choice."
Astrael: "Oh, you absolutely do."
I relaxed.
"Really?"
Astrael: "You can wield me… or you can walk three steps that way and get eaten by a mana wolf."
I turned slowly.
Three glowing red eyes stared back at me from the tall grass.
"…I choose the sword."
Astrael: "Excellent decision! Grab the hilt. Try not to die in the first five minutes—my last wielder did."
"THAT'S NOT REASSURING!"
I grabbed Astrael just as the wolf leapt.
The blade hummed.
Power surged through my arm.
And for the first time in my life—
I swung a sword.