The ceremony continued.
But to Kael, the voices around him seemed distant.
He kept staring at the Broken Sword.
The sword looked like a piece of junk.
But his instincts told him otherwise.
Elder Marcus approached.
"Hand over the sword."
Kael raised his head.
"What for?"
"The second examination."
Kael handed over the Broken Sword.
Elder Marcus's fingers touched the hilt.
WUSH!
The air around them changed.
Elder Marcus immediately pulled his hand away.
His gaze sharpened.
Kael noticed.
"Is there a problem?"
Marcus stared at the sword.
"Grade F."
The answer came too quickly.
Kael knew he was lying.
But Marcus offered no explanation.
A participant named Rian Velor approached.
He was the noble young man who had obtained a Grade B Flame Sword.
"Kael."
Kael turned around.
Rian pointed at the Broken Sword.
"If you want, I can buy that weapon."
"How much?"
Rian smiled.
"One copper coin."
Several people laughed.
Kael nodded.
"Cheap."
Rian laughed.
"It is."
Kael took the sword back.
"Then why don't you buy it?"
Rian fell silent.
The laughter around them stopped.
Kael walked away.
Darius chased after him.
"Kael."
"Hm?"
"Don't worry about him."
"I don't."
Darius looked at the sword.
"Even so..."
He scratched his head.
"It really does look pathetic."
Kael laughed.
"Maybe."
They walked out of the hall.
But after a few steps...
Kael stopped.
There was something on the surface of the sword.
A thin line.
Not a crack.
An engraving.
Kael touched it.
In an instant, his mind filled with visions again.
A forge furnace.
A man.
And the sound of a hammer.
DANG!
Kael saw his own hands.
Older.
Stronger.
His hands were gripping a black hammer.
The man said:
"Perfect weapons are too easy to find."
DANG!
"That's why..."
The hammer slammed into the sword.
"This sword must be broken."
Kael opened his eyes.
He was back on the street.
Darius stared at him.
"Are you all right?"
Kael nodded.
"Yeah."
But his thoughts were spinning.
Those memories were real.
Someone had deliberately broken the sword.
And that person...
had the same hands as him.
Kael stared at his palm.
Who was that man?
Why couldn't he remember the man's face?
And why did the Broken Sword recognize him?
Behind them, Lyra Veyne stood silently.
The girl watched Kael.
Then she watched his sword.
Her expression turned serious.
She had once read records about ancient weapons.
And the phenomenon she had just witnessed...
was not normal.