The sword floated in front of her, spinnin once to prepare himself.
"Before that," he said, "tell me your name."
She blinked, then replied calmly, "Femi Saiko."
"Got it," he said. "Then you don't need to call me sword anymore."
"My name is Gojo Jyorito."
She looked at him for a moment.
"Oh… so you do have a name."
"Yeah," Gojo replied, his tone softer.
"I was once human too."
She didn't press further.
"Alright," Gojo said, snapping back to business
"Here's the plan. Spiders are weak to fire so you use fire and kill it!."
She froze.
Silence stretched.
Then she spoke carefully, "I can use… 2.7 state wind magic."
Another pause.
"So why are you telling me?" Gojo said slowly.
"I said use fire. Not wind."
"I can only use wind," she replied. "I don't think one person can use more than one element unless they're born with some special ability."
"What—?!" Gojo shouted.
"When I was playing, I unlocked all seven elements! Maxed them out! And you're telling me you can only use wind?!"
He groaned. "Why are you kinda useless?"
Her expression hardened instantly.
"Huh?" she snapped.
"I'm not from your game and all seven elements? How is that even possible? And don't call me useless, didn't you say you know everything? Then predict it."
"T-That's not how it works!" Gojo fired back.
"The game wasn't story based! It was just leveling up, killing, and completing missions! I don't know everything!"
She crossed her arms.
"Then you're more useless than me."
He fell silent.
A moment later, he spoke, frustration leaking through.
"At this rate… we might be trapped here forever. That spider isn't leaving."
Femi looked back at the spider.
It was still there, legs twitching, eyes fixed on her like she was already dead.
Then something clicked.
Her hand slipped into the chest one last time, pulling out the small knife she had almost forgotten. It was simple, light, and sharp nothing special at first glance.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Hear me out."
Gojo hovered silently as she spoke. The longer she explained the quieter he became.
When she finished, he shot backward in midair.
"Are you crazy?!" he shouted.
"That's dangerous! Insanely dangerous!"
Femi didn't reply.
She dropped her bag gently onto the ground and tightened her grip on the knife. Then she reached out grabbing Gojo firmly by the hilt.
"That's the only way."
She held both blades in her hands and started walking forward.
"Hey, wait! Listen to me!" Gojo kept yelling. "Your body can't handle that! One mistake and you're dead! Do you hear me?!"
She didn't stop.
As she stepped closer to the barrier, the faint glow surrounding it reacted. Light rippled outward, and a thin mist seeped through her skin, cold and sharp, crawling along her veins.
She passed through.
The spider's many eyes widened.
Femi stopped a few steps away, standing straight despite the pressure crushing down on her body. Her golden eyes were calm and cold.
'If I hesitate… I die.'
She lifted her head slightly and spoke.
"Yo…"
Her lips curved faintly.
"Don't you wanna dance again…?"
The spider screeched in pure rage.
Its body spun violently, legs digging into the stone, and then it launched itself at her with terrifying speed.
Femi kicked off the ground, wind surging beneath her boots. The force twisted her body unnaturally, but it gave her just enough speed to slip past the first strike. A massive leg slammed where her head had been, stone exploding outward.
"Too slow!" Gojo shouted.
She didn't answer.
She twisted midair, dragging wind along her limbs, forcing her body into positions it wasn't meant to take. Her knife flashed, scraping across the spider's shell. Sparks flew, but the blade barely scratched it.
The spider shrieked and countered instantly.
A web shot out, wrapping around her leg. She slashed it apart, but the delay cost her. Another limb crashed into her ribs, hurling her across the chamber. She hit the ground hard, breath tearing out of her lungs.
'Move!.'
She forced herself up as venom splashed where she had been lying seconds ago.
Wind gathered around her waist.
"—Circulate. Compress. Boost."
The spell detonated beneath her feet, launching her forward. She ducked under snapping fangs, ran straight up one of the spider's legs, and drove her knife down.
Crack.
The blade chipped.
She leapt back just as the spider thrashed, the shockwave slamming into her spine. Her vision blurred. Blood filled her mouth.
"Femi!—!" Gojo screamed.
"Shut up!" she snapped.
She landed badly, ankle screaming in protest. Wind wrapped around her again, holding her upright by force alone.
The spider didn't give her time.
Legs stabbed down in a relentless storm. Each impact shattered stone, each near miss ripping her flesh. Her cloak tore. Her shoulder split open, she felt warm blood soaking through the fabric.
Her breathing turned ragged.
She pushed harder.
Wind screamed around her body, boosting her speed beyond what her muscles could handle. Joints burned. Bones creaked. Every movement felt like tearing herself apart from the inside.
She dashed, slid, jumped, barely avoiding death again and again.
The spider adapted.
It predicted her movement.
A claw caught her mid dash and slammed her into a pillar. Stone cracked around her body. Something snapped in her arm.
She screamed.
Her knife slipped from numb fingers and skidded across the floor.
"No—!"
She dropped to one knee her vision swimming.
The spider loomed over her, fangs dripping.
Her mother's face flashed in her mind.
A memory overwhelmed her.
"You'll die protecting that child!"
Her mother's voice had been sharp and certain.
Femi's lips trembled.
Then she smiled.
She pushed herself up.
The spider lunged.
She grabbed her knife just as its weight crashed down. Metal screamed.
Crack.
The blade shattered completely.
For a split second, everything went silent.
Her heart sank.
Then she tightened her grip on Gojo.
Both hands wrapped around him, holding him close to her body. She lowered her stance, wind coiling around her legs so tightly it began tearing at her skin.
"Femi wait—!"
She didn't and dashed.
The ground exploded behind her as she accelerated straight at the spider. The spider twisted, trying to dodge, all its eyes locked on her hands.
But.
There was no sword.
She smiled.
"—By the flowing currents, heed my will."
Wind surged outward.
"Pull."
The air reversed.
The spider was yanked violently toward her, its massive body dragged off balance. She slammed into it, arms locking around its head and torso.
Its claws punched into her back.
Pain exploded.
She screamed as venom burned through her wounds, blood spilling freely.
"GOJO!"
She tilted her head slightly, smiling even as her vision darkened.
Behind her—
A streak of motion.
Gojo burst forward at terrifying speed, blade flashing into existence just as he pierced through the spider's head. The edge barely missed her skull, slicing her ear as he passed.
The spider convulsed.
Gojo spun inside its skull, tearing everything apart from within.
The monster shrieked once, then went limp.
Its grip loosened.
Femi collapsed.
Before she hit the ground, Gojo flattened himself beneath her, catching her fall.
Her body trembled violently.
She laughed weakly, blood staining her lips.
"I will not…" she whispered, eyes half lidded, a small smile still on her face.
"…be proven wrong."