Return Through Magic

Chapter 3: The Path of Destiny

After a while, the man who had been transported to another dimension finally calmed his heart and tried to accept his current fate.

Yuki thought about his chance to meet Hana again. Though difficult, he tried to convince himself that everything would be okay.

"Alright then!" Yuki took a deep breath before getting up from his lying position. He sat comfortably, staring straight ahead, trying to recall his conversation with the Shinigami, hoping to find a clue.

"Door, seek what is forgotten, find what is hidden, and destroy what stands firm. Then, the other clue…" Yuki muttered, still trying to process everything.

"Aha!" Yuki snapped his fingers as he remembered something that might help him.

With newfound enthusiasm, Yuki stood up and extended his hands forward, mimicking Spiderman's web-shooting pose.

"Come forth!" he shouted loudly, but nothing happened.

This time, Yuki raised his hands above his head. "Come forth!" he yelled again, but still, nothing appeared.

Undeterred, Yuki crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. "Come forth!" he spoke softly.

But what he hoped would appear did not materialize.

"Come forth!" "Come forth!" "Come forth!"

Yuki kept shouting with various poses until he was exhausted. He felt ridiculous for making such nonsensical gestures. Thankfully, he was alone. If anyone else had seen him, he would have died of embarrassment.

Finally, Yuki extended his right hand forward in one last attempt.

"Come forth! Seiryū no Inazuma," Yuki shouted with all his might.

Suddenly, Yuki's arm emitted a sapphire blue lightning bolt that struck forward with great force, sending him tumbling backward.

"Argh…!" Yuki grimaced in pain, sitting on the ground and clutching his arm.

When Yuki looked up, he was shocked to see an eight-year-old girl with long, straight blue hair standing before him, slightly bowing.

"Master, are you alright?" The small girl extended her hand to help him up.

"Ha?" Yuki was startled when the girl addressed him as 'Master.'

He stood up on his own without the girl's help. "Who are you?" Yuki pointed directly at her face.

The little girl, dressed in a simple, knee-length blue dress, smiled sweetly. "I am the one Master just summoned," she replied.

"But... but... I was summoning a sword, not a little girl like you," Yuki said, confused.

"I am the sword you called," the girl replied with another smile.

"Ha?" Yuki couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You don't believe me, Master?" the girl asked.

Yuki quickly shook his head. "If you don't believe me, place your hand on my head and say the keyword 'sword mode.' I will transform into a sword. If you want to see me like this again, say 'human mode,'" the girl explained softly.

Yuki was hesitant at first, but his curiosity got the better of him. He followed the girl's instructions.

"Sword Mode!" Yuki said, placing his hand on her head.

Immediately, the little girl transformed into Seiryū no Inazuma, a silver sword adorned with sapphire blue gems, now in Yuki's grasp.

"Cool! That annoying god wasn't lying about this sword," Yuki exclaimed happily, realizing the Shinigami had told the truth.

"Ahem!" The Shinigami's voice suddenly echoed, causing Yuki to cough nervously, afraid of angering the god who had brought him here and might take back the cool sword he now held.

After a few moments of silence, Yuki regained his focus on the sword in his hand.

Excited, he swung the sword in random directions. For the first time in his life, Yuki held a real sword, and it was incredibly cool. Unconsciously, he unleashed the power of Seiryū no Inazuma, sending a lightning bolt that incinerated a tree in front of him.

Yuki was stunned by the sword's power. He hadn't expected a casual swing to destroy a large tree, and now he felt guilty for burning down the only tree on the hill where he had been dropped.

"Hey! I didn't know you were this dangerous," Yuki said, lifting the sword with a fearful expression. "Hey! Talk! Why are you silent?" Yuki urged the sword to speak, but it remained silent.

"Oh no! What do I do now?" Yuki was at a loss.

"Oh right!" Yuki slapped his forehead, remembering the girl's instructions before she transformed into a sword. He pointed the sword forward.

"Human mode!" Yuki said the second keyword.

Instantly, the sword transformed back into the small blue-haired girl.

"Why are you so terrifying as a sword?" Yuki asked hysterically.

"Isn't that why you summoned and needed me, Master? Humans are crazy about power, aren't they?" Seiryū no Inazuma replied, puzzled by Yuki's question.

"Who said that? I'm not crazy about power. I summoned you because I didn't know where to go," Yuki said, exhaling deeply to calm his anger, mindful that he was talking to a little girl who might cry if he spoke too harshly.

"Master needs a map?" the girl asked innocently.

"Yes, I need a map. Where do I go from here? The annoying god said I should ask the sword for directions to continue the mission he gave me," Yuki explained, bending slightly to speak to the girl who barely reached his waist.

"Master, I'm a sword. My job is to slash, cut, and destroy enemies. I'm not a map," the little girl replied with an adorable smile.

Yuki felt more frustrated seeing the girl's charming smile.

"Ah!" Yuki ruffled his own hair in frustration.

"You! Seiryū no Inazuma," Yuki glared at the cute girl.

"Yes, Master. Ready to receive orders," the blue-haired girl said, bowing, lifting the hem of her dress with her left hand, and placing her right hand on her chest as if ready to follow any command.

"Your name is too long. From now on, I'll call you Seira. Let's go. We need to find a village to get some food. That damn god didn't give me anything to eat," Yuki said, walking down the hill, followed by Seira, the sword girl.

And so began Yuki's journey in the magical world.