"Can’t say I remember your name. Is it okay if I just call you Flame Sword?" Ty asked, his voice echoing slightly under his skull-shaped helm.
"That’s fine. We only spoke a few times after you rejected me anyway," the sword responded, a sharp edge of bitterness in its tone.
"Sorry about that. It wasn’t personal, but--"
"Enough!" The Demon King’s voice thundered, cutting off Ty’s apology. "Hurry up, or I’ll turn you into a pair of boot chains, sword."
In response, the sword let out a low rumble and, with a coughing noise, ejected a single gauntlet. It clattered onto the ground between them. Ty gasped as he picked it up, his bony fingers wrapping around it with curiosity and surprise.
"Gross," Todd muttered. "You can eat stuff?"
As Ty picked it up, he immediately noticed the hefty weight of the gauntlet. The curves running down the center caught his attention, and his eye sockets widened with curiosity. His thoughts raced as he considered what the gauntlet might do.
"I might have struggled to carry this back in my old body," Ty mused, his voice tinged with wonder.
The gauntlet held an orb-like center that pulled at his attention. A strange sensation washed over him as the gauntlet began to shine with blue light.
The metals on the gauntlet’s outer surface began to melt and reshape themselves. They encased Ty’s skeletal arm, fusing gauntlet and bone together.
Over a dozen clear orbs erupted from Ty’s chest, swirling and merging with the central orb on the gauntlet. The whole piece emitted a bright blue glow.
As the transformation took place, Ty felt a tingling sensation radiating along his bony arm. The gauntlet had melded seamlessly with his skeletal form, creating an intricate and powerful piece of equipment, unlike anything he had ever seen before.
The blue light steadied. The Demon King watched it for several seconds, then raised one hand. He tore the gauntlet free of Ty’s bones and drew it into his waiting palm.
"Hey, what’s the big idea?" Ty protested. "I was just getting the hang of it."
The Demon King, with a sense of regret, explained, "Sorry, but this would cause issues with your disguise on the planet and hamper your ability to have proper growth."
Ty pondered this for a moment. "I suppose, but what do you mean by growth?" he asked, seeking clarification from the enigmatic ruler of the supernatural realm.
As the sword did a slight bow in the air before jetting off down the halls, wishing Ty good luck, the Demon King sighed and placed his two fingers over the bridge of his nose.
He began to explain, "While your main objective is to clearly retrieve the weapon, you are also far too weak to even fight Erebos. This planet will have plenty of opportunities for you to grow stronger, but relying on this enhancer will dampen the quality."
He continued, "As a platinum-grade soul, you still have more abilities to unlock, and locking yourself into using this gauntlet will just hamper your progress."
Ty thought it over quickly, considering the Demon King’s words. Finally, he gave a nod and said, "Thank you, I suppose that makes sense. I guess it’s about time we get a move on. How do we even get there?"
The Demon King pulled a blue and red crystal from his pockets and flicked it over to Ty.
Ty caught it and examined it before asking, "Is this..."
But the Demon King cut him off, saying, "Yes, though it lacks enough power for your spirit to perform the same travel it did before. It still needs to self-charge for a couple of months.
But once it does, you will know by its golden aura. It’s a sign of my good faith and an opportunity to see her again."
He continued, "While you are away, I will ensure a close eye on Jade and have some emergency provisions in place in case of an emergency with Erebos trying anything."
"The departure point is the circular glass window behind you," the Demon King said. "The room will send you straight to Planet Scyle."
The group gathered together as stars endlessly filled the space behind them. The Demon King handed Ty a metallic four-pronged object glowing blue.
"Once you have retrieved the sword and hopefully solved some of the issues on the planet, use this to return," the Demon King instructed.
Todd stood near the glass pane, gazing down as the floor below them glowed brightly with a blue hue. Lines of light danced around their feet.
The Demon King smiled, snapped his fingers, and said, "Do take care, and please try not to bring anyone here again."
"No offense, you two, but I already have limited space."
They both nodded slightly in response to the Demon King. With another snap of his fingers and a brief flicker, they disappeared.
An energy force jetted out, phasing through the mirror-like wall and rushing toward the stars.
The Demon King stood in silence for a moment as Kirana walked in with a folder in hand. She said, "I found some new info from a friend. It looks like his family history has more than just ancient people; there are some ties to the Angelic race.
We need to do more studying, but I wanted to get this to you before they left."
He took the folder and replied, "Thanks, Kirana. Tell me, do you believe in coincidences?" He put a finger under her chin and continued, "Well, on rare occasions, sure, but more times than not, there’s another force at play."
Then, he tossed her the gauntlet the sword had brought in, and she caught it with shock filling her eyes.
"How did this get back here?!?"
The Demon King responded, "Yeah, the fact that this appeared along with Ty’s slow evolution, it’s too much of a coincidence, and I believe a hand is forcing some of this.
Go study any signs for unwarranted summons anywhere in my domain, and let me know what you find."