Dawn was breaking. The world outside was wet from the night’s storm. The air was as fresh as any Will had ever known. It was a beautiful day. And yet, he shivered in the early morning light.

‘What’s wrong, boy?’ Buri asked, coming to stand beside Will.

Looking to the old man, Will smiled. ‘I needed some air…’

Buri harrumphed. ‘So, you wandered out of the house for air? Wasn’t there a sufficient supply inside?’

‘I…’ Will tried, but Buri waved a hand.

‘I’m only teasing, Will… I know what you’re feeling.’

‘You do?’

Buri nodded. ‘You’re scared. Terrified, if I’m correct.’

‘I don’t know if I’d go that far…’

‘Aren’t you?’ The man asked, dipping his head, his strong eyes boring into Will.

‘Yes, sir… I am.’

‘A better response than I got from your friend…’

Will arched a brow. ‘Raj? What did he do?’

Buri waved a hand again. ‘He pretended to faint… It’s reasonable, I assume. Neither of you want to be put in the middle of our little war, and yet… that’s exactly what I’ve asked you to do…’

‘It’s not like we have a choice… I mean, even if we left, they’d probably send someone after us, too.’

‘That’s a tactical idea… I suppose they would. Send someone to make sure you don’t have what he wants.’

Will nodded. ‘I’ve heard about it… But I always sort of thought it was part of the legend, you know? Master Buri, cutting through the side of a castle to take out a despot… I never really believed the Taintless Blade was real.’

Buri laughed, patting Will on the shoulder. ‘If only it were a legend, Will…’ He shook his head. ‘Alas, things are never as easy as we wish them to be. Sometimes the Divinity puts things before us. Tools, which could as easily be used for evil as they are for good. I think He puts them before us as a test. To see what we do with such power.’ He paused, taking a slow, even breath. ‘I hope I’ve done well with the power I’ve wielded. But the time to use such power is past… At least, it is for me.’

Will furrowed his brow, looking to the man intently. ‘You’re going to give up your sword?’

‘I can’t see another course of action. Even with the help of your friend, Rajhu… We’re too few in number. We need every warrior we can muster. Some of us are simply too old now, Will. As much as we did, as high as we rose…’ he shook his head. ‘Time takes its toll, you know…’

‘But…’ Will tried. ‘Do you really think that guy will use your sword for good?’

The man smiled, his eyes sad. ‘No, Will… I suppose he won’t.’

Looking up, Buri scanned the sparsely treed yard. The early morning light seemed to paint the short grass in shades of orange and pink. He stood for a long moment, silent.

‘Would you accompany me somewhere, Will?’

‘Sure, but… shouldn’t we start making plans? General Val’kez will be here soon.’

‘Yes… So, we will make plans. Come on, I have something I need to show you…’

The old man turned, hurrying toward the large building. Will followed as Buri climbed the steps of the porch and slipped into the building. The lounge on the main floor was empty now, as it had been most of the night. He lead his way through the room, trailing off to the right. Beside the bar, hidden by a wall, a small staircase climbed to the second floor in an unwavering line.

‘What’s this all about, Buri?’ Will asked.

The man was silent as he climbed the stairs. Reaching the second floor, he walked down the long hallway. Doors lined the walls, large silver numbers hanging from their faces. He stopped at the last door on their left. Will saw a tattered number clinging to the door, but it was in a strange script he’d never seen before.

‘What’s this?’

Buri opened the door, stepping in.

It wasn’t a large room, but it was tidy in its layout, making it seem less crowded than it actually was. A large glass window was built into the roof, letting in the soft dawn light. Even so, it was enough to reveal the contents of the room, and in so doing, its purpose.

Every wall was lined with swords of every imaginable variety. Each weapon was placed and hung with intricate care. Hundreds of them hung against the four walls. Wooden displays dotted the floor as well, each full of swords.

In the corners of the room, large wooden barrels stood, stuffed full of even more of the masterful looking swords.

Will turned around several times, looking, but not able to take in every one of the weapons. There were legends here. True legends.

‘It’s my collection. Some of these aren’t mine, actually… I’ve bought a few, and more were given to me by swordsmen and women from my travels…’

Will found the capacity to nod, then turned again, his eyes falling on a glass cabinet in the centre of the room. Only one sword was within, and unlike most of the swords on display, this one was firmly rooted in its scabbard.

Buri walked to the glass, touching it softly. The surface shimmered and vanished in a barely audible rush. With two hands, he reached in and lifted the sword from its stand. He turned to Will, holding the weapon up.

‘This is my prize… The sword that took me from a boy who dabbled in swordplay, to the man so many called the master…’

‘The Taintless Blade…’ Will whispered. ‘So it is real…’

‘Yes, Will. It is… And more than that, it’s powerful. More so than you could possibly imagine… This sword is different. It’s not a creation of man. And so, it’s powers are greater than even I have been able to understand.’

‘What do you mean?’ Will asked.

‘I mean, it’s not just a sword… It’s a warrior, a priest, and a vulture… This sword, alone… could defeat empires. I can’t let it fall into the hands of a braggart. And yet, I’m constrained from using it anymore… I’m too old for this blade, Will… I don’t want what it brings.’

Will eyed the man suspiciously. ‘Then what do you plan on doing with it?’

Buri smiled. He looked down on the scabbard, running the back of a finger across its surface.

The sword looked heavy in his hands, but he held it deftly, as well he would, having wielded it for so many years… The scabbard was of polished blue, with silver strappings at the tip and the mouth. A strong cross-guard of polished steel stood out from the wrapped hilt. The pommel, too, was polished.

‘The Taintless Blade had never indulged to telling me its own desires. At least, that’s what I’d thought… It has guided me through my travels, protected me from evil… and what it asked, I never understood.’ He looked up. ‘Though it spoke, though I heard, I never truly understood…’

‘Buri, I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about…’

The man chuckled. ‘I suppose you wouldn’t… This sword isn’t forged of man, but of Wishcharmers…’

‘What?’

Buri nodded. ‘It’s true, Will… And there will be much more you learn about this forgotten group in the years to come… They are feared, above all else… They were the greatest of the Powers of the Universe. Even this sword, itself, is alive… When I asked it, time and time again, what I should do with it, when my fighting days were done, it always answered the same. “Give me unto thy own will…”’ He laughed, ‘I never understood… But I do now…’

Gripping the hilt tighter, Buri drew back, pulling the blade free from the scabbard. A loud sound rung out as it was released, like glass scratching stone.

In a flourish, a perfectly clear blade was drawn out from the scabbard. Buri stepped to Will, laying the blade in his hands, as it shimmered in the low light, catching the sun. The sword was larger than Will had imagined, but none of that compared to the impossibility of the blade.

‘It… It’s…’

‘Diamond,’ Buri finished. ‘And forged, too… Look, the fuller is of the finest workmanship…’

Will had to agree with the man. A finer sword, he had never seen. And yet, the whole thing was made from a material he’d thought impossible to forge.

Will stared down at the blade for a moment longer, then pushed it toward Buri. The man stepped back, shying away from Will and the sword.

‘What are you doing?’

‘It’s you, Will. You’re the one the Taintless Blade has chosen. As I wielded it, now you must, too.’

‘Buri, I… I’m no master swordsman,’ Will insisted. ‘I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to use such a… such a powerful weapon. I’m not the right person for you to pass this to.’ He shoved the hilt into Buri’s hands and stepped back, wiping his hands on his pant-legs.

‘You are, Will. I’ve watched you from the time you arrived…’

‘Which was yesterday!’

‘…You have a different way about you.’

‘You can’t know that! Buri… You can’t just expect to know the right person from seeing them…’

‘I have been waiting for the next bearer of this sword for a very long time. I have known what that man would look like, what he would sound like, for a very long time, Will. Regardless of your faith in my judgement, I am correct in this. With all that you are going to face, with the trials that are ahead of you, the Taintless Blade is yours.’

‘What trials?’

Buri shook his head. ‘Will, you are the companion of a Wishcharmer. Do you know what that means? Every country, every soldier, every Power of the Universe will seek you out. They will hound you for one purpose… To kill you.’

‘What?’ Will snapped. ‘I’m not a Wishcharmer!’

‘It doesn’t matter if you are or not. You’re his friend! The Wishcharmers are seen as a curse, as destroyers of stars, of worlds! They are spoken of as an unstoppable plague that will bring about the end of everything!’

Will stopped, his heart hammering in his chest. The stories, the Magi, the way Rajhu’s friend had reacted… It was all linked to this Wishcharmer business.

‘Is it true?’ Will asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

Buri was silent.

Will looked at the man, his eyes finding the master swordsman’s. He shifted, avoiding Will’s gaze. The simple reaction sent a cascade of terror through Will, making his skin crawl. It couldn’t be true… Not all of it, not with Rajhu…

‘Buri…’ he said, his voice growing an edge. ‘Is it true?’

The man looked up, the sword lowering in his hands.

‘Will, there is much about the world that we can’t understand… The Wishcharmers… They’re-’

‘Sir Buri! Sir Buri!’

There was a great commotion, drawing Will’s attention. He turned as Buri looked up. Rajhu rushed through the open doorway, skidding to a stop before he collided with Will.

‘Rajhu, you’re awake…’ He forced a smile. ‘What can I do for you, my boy?’

Raj took a rattling breath, his eyes wide. ‘They’re here!’

Will felt his stomach lurch. ‘Already?’

Rajhu nodded. ‘Many soldiers…’

Buri growled under his breath, sliding the Taintless Blade back into its scabbard. ‘Val’kez…’ he breathed.

‘What do we do?’ Rajhu wondered.

Buri sighed, slowly looking to Will. He lifted the sword again, extending the hilt to him.

‘We are warriors, Rajhu…’ Buri frowned.

Will nodded. He saw himself reaching out, his hand grasping the hilt of the Taintless Blade. As his hand met the soft cloth wrapping, he felt something surge through him. He couldn’t explain it, but it set afire every sense he had. He felt the purity of rage shift through his veins. The need to protect Rajhu, and the people of this little home arose in him like a storm. He pulled the sword from Buri’s grasp and looked up, meeting Rajhu’s eyes.

‘Warriors fight.’

The words felt like thunder from his lips. They were not a platitude, but a commandment. A promise.

As he moved from the room, the sword firmly in his grip, Will knew, in his heart, that things had now changed, and would continue to do so, from this moment, and forever.