Two nights came and passed with ambivalence, my eyes glued to the endless entertainment and imagination of the television screen. I almost caught up on the films my grandfather had recommended, hopping from mind-bending thrillers to peaceful fairytale-esque adventures into childlike wonder and imagination like a child hopping from the pool to the hot tub. I watched intently, taking breaks to play games between, never really leaving my spot except to get water or use the restroom. The games were short and sweet, but unchallenging; when you have the reaction time I do, the only real challenge to be found in the games are frustrating design choices. The entire time, I didn’t eat a single thing, my appetite not showing up in any fashion; the entire time, I dared not look at my reflection, afraid of confronting myself again.

  Soon, I found myself walking down a dusty road in a run-down village, where the main market was the size of my grandfather’s house. The people looked at me with distrust and distaste, but I had more pressing things to worry about than the concerns of other people. I found myself at the gate of a small home with an impressive building beside it, a small family sign posted outside reading An. My phone screen read 11:34am, almost a full 30 minutes early, and so I sat outside their gate, looking out at the mountains and trees that surrounded me on all sides. I didn’t think something like this could be found so close to the city; it felt like I lived my entire South Korean life in a fear bubble, trapped in the same 20 city blocks with no one to reach out to but Aera.

  Aera.

  She was here somewhere, right? Last I saw her, she was under a spell, being sent home. Silaqui told me the spell would run out at some point, and she would come to, knowing that I had sent her away. I didn’t know if she had snapped to attention yet, but I assumed not; if she had, I think I would’ve heard from her by now. She would’ve found a way to take the folds to New York and meet me, hunt me down if she had to, because that was how she felt about me. I shivered at the thought of seeing her again, but the next thought surprised me; I wondered if she was okay, living with her family again, dealing with that oppression, the life I had forced her back to. I knew she had hurt me irrevocably, yet I felt this strange desire in my chest swirl when I imagined her face, this intense heat that threatened to singe the back of my throat.

  I was surprised by the gate opening next to me, an older gentleman stepping out and looking around before spotting me upon the ground.

  “Hello again, Avery” they spoke, a slight air of dignity to their tone.

  “Hello, sir. Did I place an order from you?” I asked, clearly unsure of the nature of our business together.

  The man simply invited me to follow him, and led me into the larger building with the chimney, a forge, where to my surprise I discovered two twin pixies hard at work carving runes into small knives. They peered up at me, a look of indignation in their eyes, and they continued with their work. The man led me to a box wrapped in cloth, and handed it to me.

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  “Your custom Hwando is ready, runic enchantments imbued and ethereally enhanced. Thank you for your generous payment, and for your faith in my craftsmanship.” He did a humble bow, and I felt a bit embarrassed.

  “Thank you for your hard work, sir. I’m sorry if I seem confused, I… I honestly don’t remember the specifics of our transaction. What did I pay you for this?”

  “Hmm… Maybe you were intoxicated? You looked very different when we spoke last… Your aura was different too. Made my associates on edge.” He gestured to the twins, still giving me the cold shoulder. “You paid 50 million won in cash, sir.”

  Oh. Well, there goes the emergency fund my grandfather left me. I took a deep breath and looked down at the wooden box in my hands, feeling a spiritual pull from within. This little blade had better be worth it.

  “Thank you again for your craftsmanship sir. May your business blossom in the future.” I bowed back, a respectful bow, like I was back in the dojo once again.

  As I took my leave, he took a finished knife from one of the pixies and placed it in my hand. “For you, as a token of appreciation. You told me never to speak of our business, but I want you to know your contribution keeps us afloat. Goodbye, strange elf. May we cross paths again.”

  As I left the place behind, I admitted that my other self definitely knew a quality swordsmith when they saw them. I made the long trek home before opening my new weapon, but inspected the knife along the way; its beautiful steelwork was only matched by the delicacy weaved into each enchantment and runic art carved into it. The knife was a utility knife, with an interdimensional sheathe that allowed it to be stowed away as if it were only a handle. With the additional reinforcement charms placed upon it, this knife alone was strong enough to slice through a diamond if the angle and force was right, and with an adjustable sharpness, one could resharpen or dull it on command. If the sword were even half as elegant as this, I may have found my new weapon of choice.

  As I arrived home, I placed the wooden box on the ground in the center of the living room floor, and slowly undid the ribbon around it. As I opened the container, I beheld the red scabbard of the Hwando, its black and red cloth-bound handle ending with a loose ribbon. As I unsheathed the sword, I beheld the steel, black as midnight, with runes carved all the way down its obsidian surface. The pull I felt earlier now was electric in my hands, as if the sword was begging me to hold it; I obliged, grasping it with both hands and forming a basic sword stance. I felt a small crackle in my fingertips, and knew the blade had attuned to me in that moment, though what that meant was unknown to me. I looked in the box more and uncovered a small paper depicting each rune and its effect. The typical strengthening and sharpening runes were there, with a summoning rune, and a channeling rune added as well. I wondered what those meant, but was a bit anxious to ask about the properties of the sword I myself had commissioned.

  As I beheld my new weapon, I realized that perhaps, with this, I wouldn’t need Vanta to be a Champion. Perhaps I was just fine as I was.