4 Become One

After finishing the shopping, the total amount that was used from my bank account was enough to feed an entire city for a whole week.

As an Earthling who lived a pretty average life, I could only shake my head at the absurd amount of wealth attached to the Agnus name.

However, as someone who had Bell's memories, it felt like a regular day at the office.

With a trunk full of purchases, Jerman began to drive the two of us home.

With the windows down, I felt the wind breeze across my face, as I admired the oddly therapeutic sounds of the city. For a world that was poorly described by the shitty god, the ambiance and the beauty were simply unimaginable.

It was a world that anyone would want to live in.

There was this sense of peace but even with danger around the corner, you feel safe because you have people that are willing to put their lives on the line for the greater good.

Happiness can't be bought with money but the stability it grants should've been enough for Bell to be satisfied with his life.

No man in his situation would ever risk ruining it all for some random girl that happened to bump his shoulder.

I looked up at the pinkish sky that was painted lightly with a golden hue.

'You suck at writing,' I thought to myself, hoping that the shitty god would hear my thoughts.

"Jerman, isn't the sky just simply beautiful today?" I asked.

I saw in the mirror his eyes peeked outside his window for what must've been less than half a second before returning to the road.

"Indeed, young master," he responded.

Chuckling, I lay down as if I was on my bed and began to lightly doze off.

It was strange; in two days I had a battle with a demon I needed to fulfill and yet, I wasn't struggling to find serenity in my heart whatsoever.

As the car pulled up into the driveway, I sat up as if I knew we had arrived.

Staring at the bracelet that was on my wrist, I was satisfied with the haul I got in a few hours of shopping.

Waiting outside the door was Cyro who must've finished his work early. My older brother was a paladin of the First Order which meant that he was as much of a celebrity as he was a warrior.

As I headed towards him, he tossed something into the air which I was able to easily catch without even looking.

"What's this?" I said, looking at what was in my palm.

"It's a warrior elixir," said Cyro.

Even as a reader who knew about all the crazy things that occurred in this world, I couldn't help but pop my eyes out of their sockets as I heard what he told me.

"How did you get this?" I asked him.

Cyro smiled, "Who do you think I am? I'm the youngest paladin of the First Order."

He was bragging but not in an egotistical manner. It was almost as if he was joking about the prestigious but heavy title that was branded on him.

"I was able to capture one of the rats that were trying to summon a demon in this city so as a reward, captain allowed me to pick anything from the treasure room," he explained how he acquired the elixir.

"And you chose this? Not for yourself... but for me?"

Cyro ran his hand through my hair and told me in a sweet brotherly voice, "I'm your big brother. Isn't it natural for me to spoil you?"

Giving him a hug, I thanked him.

Internally, I was cursing out the shitty god again for his terrible unjustified writing.

An hour later, the two of us met again at the dinner table where we ate with the whole family as per schedule. Everyone must've had a wonderful day because as we spoke, no one brought up anything negative that happened.

"By the way son, what is that weapon Jerman brought into your room?" asked Father.

Everyone looked at me. Cyro had also seen it earlier but didn't question me. That didn't mean he wasn't curious though.

"It's my new sword," I responded.

"You don't like your old one?" asked Mother.

"No, that's not it. I still like my old sword but this new one... it's an artifact," I told them.

Just based on my memories, aka Bell's memories, alone, I didn't have to worry about revealing such a secret to them. But now that I've spent a week with them and gotten to know them personally, I understood that I could trust all of them with any secret.

None of them would ever get greedy because not only did they have everything they could ever want, but their love for the family was large enough to fill up the ocean.

"An artifact?" asked Rubi, eating her vegetables with a sour face.

"Yes. An artifact," I answered, softly pinching her on the cheek.

"How did you find it?" asked Cyro who also had an artifact of his own.

If my sword was like a thin blade that could slice through the air, Cyro's greatsword was one that could generate earthquakes in the air with every swing.

"At this random weapons shop," I responded.

"Lucky," grumbled Rubi. "I want an artifact too."

"When you turn five, I'll get you an artifact," said Father.

"Yay!" she cheered before returning to the intense battle between her and the vegetables.

It was this kind of joyous atmosphere that made me feel as if I was a part of the most beautiful family in the world.

Why would Bell ever risk losing this? I could only scoff.

"Have you already marked it?" asked Mother.

"Not yet. I was hoping to get Brother to teach me how to do it," I answered.

I knew how to do it based on my readings but with an opportunity to bond with a person as cool and loving as Cyro, why would I ever pass it up?

"I'll help you, little bro," he told me. "Let's do it after dinner?"

"Hey. Be sure to finish as soon as possible and come back downstairs you two. We don't skip family time unless it's an emergency," Mother reminded us.

"We know," both myself and Cyro responded.

"Good."

As I unwrapped the bandages on the blade, I watched as his eyes began to light up.

He didn't look as if he desired it for himself but rather, he looked more and more satisfied with the weapon that was going to be protecting his little brother.

"This is a very good artifact," he told me.

"Thank you."

"Alright. Obviously, the first thing you must do is hold it how you would use it," he told me.

If a bracelet was the artifact then it must be on your wrist. If the artifact was a mask then it must be on your face. If the artifact is a pair of eyeballs, then you must pluck out your own and replace them.

Following that logic, if it's a sword, then wield it as if you're ready to slice something or someone.

"Now, close your eyes. In your head, try to feel that connection between you and the artifact. You feel it?"

"Yes."

"How does it feel?"

"It feels colder than ice but there's also this warmth that is gently flowing," I answered.

"Good. Become one with that feeling."

"How?"

"It sounds silly but you just have to do it. It's different for everyone."

Having already marked other artifacts including the bracelet on my wrist, I pretended to struggle for a bit before finally taking the feeling of the connection and merging with it.

"I've done it," I said with a huge smile on my face. It was an exaggerated smile in order to make my acting more believable but the joyous feeling inside was genuine.

"Alright. Now that you've connected to the artifact, in your mind, ask it for its name."

Feeling cold as if I was about to freeze to death but also warm as if I was relaxing on a hammock during a sunny day outside, I asked, 'What's your name?'

'Gon,' it responded in a sweet feminine voice.

'Nice to meet you Gon.'

"Do you now know the name?" asked Cyro.

"I do."

"Don't tell me or anyone else. That's the sacred name of the artifact that only the marker is allowed to know. If anyone else discovers it, the connection between you and the artifact will be severed. For now, grant it a second name."

'From now on, you shall be known as Junipa,' I told Gon.

'Junipa. I like it.'

"Now, call out its second name. That's the last part of marking an artifact," my brother told me.

"Junipa," I said out loud.

"Open your eyes," said Cyro.

As I did as he instructed, I saw that an aura was growing from Junipa.

"This is one of the most beautiful artifact aurae I've ever seen," Cyro genuinely told me.

As the aura reached its peak beauty, it slowly began to transfer onto my body, vanishing into my soul.

"There. That's how you mark an artifact," said Cyro, patting me on the back.

"Thank you," I told him, beginning to wrap the blade with the mermaid tear-soaked bandage.

"No problem."

The two of us returned to the living room and played an intense board game where we ended up losing to Mother who was able to conquer the entire board.

Holding an asleep Rubi in his arms, Father began heading to her bedroom to put her to sleep.

A maid was cleaning up the mess that we made.

Mother gave us two brothers a goodnight kiss on the cheek before leaving for her and Father's bedroom.

I told Cyro, "Good night," before heading to my own room.

As the Agnus household finally went to rest, I closed my eyes and began speaking to Gon/Junipa.

'When were you made?' I asked it. It was a question that the story never addressed.

All we got was the process one of the female protagonists took to cure it then the main character marking it and using its special abilities in battle.

'Around a thousand years ago.'

'You're pretty old. What major battles did you fight in?'

'I participated in the First World War where I was responsible for the death of over a thousand men as well as the Battle for Gehova.'

The First World War in this world referred to a great battle between humans and demons where the demons ultimately came out on top.

The Battle for Gehova wasn't a battle that I was aware of. Even Bell's memories didn't ring a bell.

'What is the Battle of Gehova?'

'It was a secret battle in the underworld by a group of the strongest humans. They were sent by King Leon the 3rd to defeat some of the most powerful demons who were plotting to open a huge gateway between the underworld and the overworld.'

Learning about such an interesting piece of history that the shitty god never mentioned, I couldn't help but feel as if I was robbed as a reader.

'That's where my first master died,' Gon continued. 'I fell into the flames of the underworld and when I reawoke, I was in your hands.'