One With Nature

Puppet Body Arc: Epilogue

"Back home, finally!" I groaned as I woke up in my real body.

I left Scathach after telling her that I can, in fact, do better than the weapons she offered me. If I'm gonna carry a singular weapon to be significant only to me, I want something good and actually suit me.

Between the kinds of weapons I can make, I guess I'll make a sword because that's what I'm used to the most in my puppet body. Scathach did train me on other weapons, especially the spear, but they didn't just click with me.

That's gonna be hard though. I want something strong and will actually last me a while, but I don't know how to make something like that.

I can try to create something like Shé, Yang's sword... but I don't think I can.

Disregarding the fact that sword brings me bad memories, Shé was one of a kind sword. It was a swordsmith's wet dream and their worst nightmare at the same time.

It was indestructible, never gained as much as a scratch, and too sharp. Yang had to tie it by the hand-guard and handle when she wanted to move around because I couldn't create a sheath that can actually keep it.

I guess I can try creating a sword from my Earth Prime element... but that wouldn't work either.

For starters, it would be too strong. Any weapon- no, any THING made from Earth Prime element is basically an Ea. That's just unnecessarily overpowered.

Not to mention that my puppet body would disintegrate from coming in contact with that element. I guess I can create a handle and hand-guard from different elements, but even Divine Metal would break apart eventually from constant contact with it.

Honestly, I can't help but wonder how Ea was even made. The only explanation I can think of is that it was created by pure luck. Like throwing random parts of a bicycle together and, by pure random chance, ending up with a fully functioning car.

I guess I can try that... but knowing my luck, it would take a while before I actually get results, and I the longer I take the less impressive its gonna be.

"Dammit, why is making a weapon hard," I groaned as I looked up at the blue sky of my Reality Marble. "I never really needed a weapon back then. I can just use my-"

I stopped mid my actual 'back in my day' moment as my eyes widen. I looked at my hand and I smiled as I finally realised what I want as a weapon.

Third POV:

Scathach simply watched as Zack's puppet body began to move again. Standing up, he looked at the ground and began writing Runes on it. When the Runes were finished, the Runes glowed, connecting to ones Zack had left outside of Nature's Law and transported something into the castle's courtyard.

What appeared was a sword. The sword was a double edged sword with an arc at the tip instead of the usual pointy triangle. The sword appeared black and covered in silver Runes but the edge itself, to Scathach's surprise, was made of wood. The handle was silver and the arm guard was made of three layers of golden metal that Scathach recognised as Divine Metal. The layers were organised in levels on top of each other with the top one holding into the blade.

"This is what you consider 'better'?" While Scathach sounded mocking, she still kept her eye on anything that would stand out in the blade. She knew Zack's boasting would definitely not result in a simple wooden sword.

"I know it's better," Zack picked up the sword and held it upwards. Looking at the balde, he seemed to concentrate before suddenly, much to Scathach's shock, the edge of the sword turned from wood to metal. "Ha! It works!"

Scathach stared in bewilderment as the sword's edge changed again. This time, it transformed into actual fire. The blade changed again, turning to water that somehow stayed in shape. Zack switched the sword's edge a few more times go other elements before finally turning it back to wood.

"What is that?" Scathach asked. She had seen weapons that alter their form before, but not one that changes the material so easily and quickly.

"This is a sword made from my real body's right arm," Zack answered, placing the sword on his shoulder. "It's way more in tune with my Elemental control than any normal element. It's the one true, pure Elemental sword in the whole world."

"That is impressive," Scathach confessed before crossing her arms. "But it's still not as impressive as you made it out to be."

Zack just grained, he lifted the blade again and focused. The edge changed once more, but this time, Scathach did not know what it was. It looked like glowing, red energy.

The Queen's instincts flared up. Whatever Zack turned his blade into, Scathach knew it was dangerous.

He brought the sword close to one of the weapons she offered and, to Scathach's shock, the weapon began breaking apart and disintegrating as soon as the sword got close to it. Zack looked at her smugly as he turned his sword's edge into wood again and pulled it back.

"What... was that?" Scathach asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Zack's reply succeeded in making the woman's eye twitch.

Taking a deep breath, Scathach asker a different question. "Alright, what are you going to name it?"

Zack looked up at the blade and simply stared at it for a few moments before finally speaking up again. "Baraka."

Scathach raised an eyebrow. She didn't recognise it as a word of any language she knew. "What does it mean?"

"Nothing," Zack shook his head with a nostalgic smile. "It's just the name of an absolutely normal human that was brave enough to speak to a monster."

First POV:

I'm finally done with everything in this place. Scathach said I was free with all debts paid after I see her off in her room.

I had a pretty good idea on why she asked it to be there, but hopefully I'm wrong.

I opened the door to what can only be described as a royal bed chamber. A large, luxurious bed filled with pillows dominated most of the room and on that bed was Scathach, laying back.

She was also naked.

"And this is...?" I trailed off, waiting for her to explain.

"A reward, in a sense," Scathach said as she bushed herself upwards with her elbows. "Despite your attitude, you have became a fine warrior, and you are recognised as the strongest in the world. I deem you worthy to bed me in your final day here."

I just stared at Scathach for a few seconds before speaking with the strongest deadpan tone I can muster. "Yeah, thanks, but no thanks."

Scathach's whole body froze up. "What?"

"I have no concept of sexuality, and unlike other Elementals, I'm not so desperate for entertainment that I would have sex for the sake of it," I explained to her with a shake of my head. The puppet body is just being controlled by my consciousness. I don't actually turn human. So, my mentality doesn't actually change in anyway. "Thanks for everything. I really am grateful, but I'm not really... interested in this," I finished motioning to everything around her.

"Well, this is disappointing," Scathach sighed as she sat up.

"Yeah, well, sorry to leave you hanging, but I'm leaving now," I said as I turned back and opened the door. "By the way," I stopped while looking over my shoulder, looking her over. "No offence... but Medusa was prettier."

I left after that with the last thing I saw on Scathach is an expression that looked like I had just slapped her across the face. I went outside the castle and returned to my real body.

I moved from my real body to the Castle of Shadows, picked up the puppet body, and left the Land of Shadows altogether. I went to the Empty Bridge and decided to rest there for a bit.

Staying in the puppet body for too long is mentally draining.

(A/N: Discord Server: https/discord .gg/ Q4gCynRsw3)