Chapitre 39: Anthem

"Solis…?" Noir asked sleepily, awakened by the absence of the warm body next to him. Receiving no response, he sat up immediately and rubbed his eyes before looking around the room.

There was no sign of his fiancé. There was no noise from the bathroom, either.

Noir jumped up from the bed, threw on a dressing gown and ran downstairs at lightning speed. Solis wasn't downstairs, either.

Anxious, Noir ran out into the garden – and found Solis practising with a sword.

A very familiar sword.

Noir stood stunned for a long time. How on earth had Solis managed to lay his hands on his Master's sword…? And looking at Solis's smooth movements now, Noir could easily see his Master's techniques – after all, Noir himself used them, not to mention he had seen them practically every day for the first eighteen years of his life! But Solis didn't know swordplay at all…and he'd never even shown any inclination to learn, although he enjoyed watching Noir practice.

Solis spotted Noir and put down his sword. He gave Noir a big smile and asked, "How did I do?"

Noir was silent for a moment. Then he said quietly, "I thought you didn't know how to use a sword."

"I didn't," Solis replied frankly. "At least, not until this morning."

Noir couldn't take his eyes off the sword in Solis's hands.

Solis chuckled. "It feels very familiar," he told Noir. "I don't know how it appeared on my desk; there was just a note saying it's a gift from "Gwen_Allen" and to use it well." He swung the sword again. "As soon as I touched the hilt, I felt I could use it perfectly. So I came out here to practice and thought I'd try out some of the moves I've seen you perform before," he said. "I didn't expect it to flow so naturally, like I'd been doing it all my life, somehow."

"That is my Master's sword," Noir whispered. "He is called 'Anthem'. Have you met the sword spirit yet?"

Solis blinked at him, confused filling his grey eyes. "What is a sword spirit?" he asked.

"When a sword master becomes skilled enough, their sword gains its own consciousness and can manifest itself in humanoid form," Noir explained. "That's called a sword spirit. When a sword develops a sword spirit, it gains a name, too. The one in your hand…that's Anthem."

"So, this sword is special?" Solis asked.

"Very special," Noir replied. "Normally, only demi-gods have swords which can be awakened, and there have been only a handful of mortals who could do that."

Solis was appropriately impressed. "Does yours have one, too? Does your sword also have a name?" he asked.

Noir nodded. "You've seen how fast I am when I'm using my sword, haven't you? The first time we met – remember how I stopped bullets with my sword? That can only be done when a sword spirit has been awakened – ordinary swordsmen wouldn't be able to," he said.

Seeing that Solis was still very much himself, Noir relaxed a bit and took out his own sword. "This is Melody," he told Solis. "She's not as powerful as Anthem, but she's always been an excellent companion to him." He tapped the blade in a certain pattern and the sword glowed brightly.

"Melody? Do you want to come out and meet my fiancé? Anthem is also here, and he's recognised my fiancé as his owner," Noir said to the sword.

"Recognised me as his owner…?" Solis repeated. "What does that mean?"

Noir smiled at him. "The fact that you were able to pick him up without being burnt means that Anthem has recognised you. He's one of the most powerful swords ever created, you know, and he doesn't let anyone touch him except the one he acknowledges as his owner or someone he considers a friend. Till date, other than Master, only Melody and I have had that privilege," Noir explained.

Before Solis could ask more questions, the sword in his hands glowed brightly, resonating with Noir's sword.

Then two translucent figures – one male and one female, appeared out of thin air. Both of them had exquisitely beautiful features, like black and white paintings. They floated a few inches above the ground and looked as if your hand would pass right through them.

"Oh, so you're the reincarnation of Tygr," the female – presumably Melody – said to Solis, tossing her hair arrogantly. "You'd better be good to my Noir, or I won't forgive you!"

Noir rolled his eyes. "Solis, meet Melody, my sword spirit," he introduced. "Melody, this is Solis, my fiancé."

Solis and Melody shook hands solemnly. Solis swallowed his surprise – he had actually expected his hand to go right through Melody's. She was surprisingly solid, however.

Noir turned to the male sword spirit. "Anthem…" he murmured. "It's been a while." He held out a trembling hand.

Anthem smiled slightly and pulled Noir into a hug, and patted him on the back, as if consoling a child. Noir couldn't help himself and burst into tears.

Solis watched them helplessly and his chest hurt again. But not much – so he knew that Noir was only a little upset.

"How skinny you've become, little Noir," Anthem said after a while, when Noir finally stopped crying and wiped his tears away. "Is the reincarnation of Tygr not feeding you well?" he asked and turned his head to glare at Solis.

Noir immediately moved close to Solis protectively. "Solis treats me very well," he said in a rush. "It's just that I've been a little upset over the last few days about Master and his sealed memories in Solis's head and then Lev showed up and…"

Anthem chuckled. "You're the same as ever, little Noir," he said fondly. He turned to Solis and looked at him steadily. "Well met, Solis," he said.

Solis, too, greeted the sword spirit politely and shook hands with him.

Anthem turned back to Noir. "Don't worry too much, little Noir," he said softly. "All will be well."