Sil woke up and learned from his clone that nothing unusual happened with Layla, giving him a sigh of relief.
Leaving his bedroom, he decided to play some music as he went through his ship. As much as he would've liked to stay at the hotel for a different change in scenery, he needed to stay close to keep an eye on Layla.
Since no one was watching, Sil danced along to the music, mouthing the words as he sang. He wasn't a good dancer but no one could judge him. He created a few clones to help with the daily chores such as sweeping, cleaning, organizing and more.
Once he was done with that, Sil began typing away at a new log.
[Log 208,761] {Sil} it's been two days since I found Layla. The good news is that she's showing signs of recovery. She looks more lively, but still unconscious.
{Vicky} That's good to hear.
{Logan} Any other news?
{Sil} Everything has been repaired as best they can given the two nights here.
{Vicky} Ah yes, the mailbox teleporter. With that fixed, I'm sure you can send me something for me and my husband sometime soon. ;)
{Logan} I am aware that you are leaving this planet soon, but I would enjoy it if you returned one day. I have a favor I'd like to cash in for when you do.
{Sil} Oh no.
{Vicky} Oh yes!
{Sil} Come on, I'm busy. There's no way I'm sending you a tank of whatever is in the air at the Lupanar zone.
{Logan} You said it, not me.
{Vicky} So…
{Vicky} Once Layla wakes up and it turns out she isn't trying to destroy your ass, will she be joining you?
{Sil} No, I'm taking her back home as soon as possible.
{Vicky} Really? I thought you'd enjoy the company at least.
{Sil} You know I have a mission that only I can do. If I take her with me, then I'll need to dedicate my concentration on keeping an eye on her to make sure she won't disappear.
{Logan} You should reconsider this, Sil. If she left suddenly even though she had the cursed faction by her side, then simply bringing her back won't solve the issue.
{Vicky} Plus, wouldn't taking her home just set you back?
{Vicky} As much as I'd like to see you again, I don't want you to just drop someone off only to leave within a day.
{Sil} …
{Vicky} At least give her the option.
{Sil} I'll consider it.
{Vicky} Good. I'm sure you need someone around to make sure you don't go crazy.
{Logan} Your previous relationships do not count. They barely lasted a week.
{Vicky} Ah, I still remember the slime guy.
{Sil} My ship's pipes still remember him…
{Vicky} Wasn't he from 25 years ago? How aren't your pipes cleaned???
{Logan} *23 years.
{Sil} That's what I've been wondering.
{Sil} Wait a second…
Sil noticed from one of his clones that something was happening. He immediately got up and ran to the location.
—
Layla's eyes were heavy, a heavy fog in her thoughts that were slowly beginning to slowly recollect itself. She focused on what she could sense. A faint light, a cloth blanket, something attached to her, a general sense of numbness.
Her eyelids creaked open, vision was coming back. Shifting her head, she could see that she was in a medical room that wasn't fully lit but still had a dim light from a lamp. Layla also noticed a bag hanging on a metal stand that was injected into her body. A sudden primal adrenaline rush coursed through her.
She sat upright quickly, dragging the stand with her, and ripped the needle off of her arm. Was she being drugged?
Layla's body involuntarily shook, and her vision grew blurry again. Her strength was expended, but how? Her last memory was when she was back on the cursed faction ship, thinking about the disarray of the leadership. It wasn't going to last any longer, not a single head to steer everyone to the right direction. She was walking somewhere, thinking about becoming the leader until Sam could be found. Where to? The smaller space vessels. Why? The sword was whispering something to her. About what? That was when her memories faded and she woke up here.
Her eyes widened. Her sword!
Patting around herself on the bed revealed nothing aside from her being in a hospital gown, then she looked around the room to spot a paper note on a table next to the bed. Grabbing it, she read its contents.
Layla, I don't know how, but I found you out in the depths of space while I was on my mission.
If you aren't possessed by your sword, then know that you're on my ship. As far as I know, you didn't hurt anyone else before meeting me. Don't worry, you're in safe hands. I'll be with you shortly.
Before Layla could even begin to guess who's ship she was on, a blonde haired man with a shaved face, green eyes, and a very toned body came into the room. She recognized this man even though it's been more than enough centuries and a different name used to belong to him.
"Sil? Is that you?" Layla cautiously asked, her words laced with concern and relief.
—
She placed a hand on her forehead, her head ached as it always did after using the sword, but that was likely not the only cause of her headache.
Layla and Sil were sitting in the hospital room still, this time Sil brought a chair for himself to get Layla caught up on everything.
"I believe that ever since you left, you were constantly on the move, never stopping once," Sill crossed his arms, "I'm impressed you even made it this far given the short amount of time. I myself have taken several pit stops with my own personal ship. It's no wonder you collapsed for so long."
Layla slowly blinked, digesting all the information thrown at her. She was getting the gist of it and had her own questions.
'I wonder why the black sword took me out here?' She thought, 'there has to be a reason.'
Instead, Layla asked a different question.
"Where is my sword?"
"The black sword? I hid it," Sil replied.
"What? Why?!" She exclaimed, already getting out of bed, "How am I meant to defend myself?!"
As soon as she stood on the floor, her body wobbled, but she still held strong, and was looking frantically around the room for her strongest weapon.
"I don't know about you, but if it possessed you for who knows how long, then it's not a good idea for you to keep it."
"I'm in celestial territory. That's my only ticket to keeping up with everyone," she retorted, "you know I'm not a godslayer."
"I know, and after i'm done here, im taking you back home."
Layla stopped in her tracks, "What?"
Sil paused before responding, "I need to take you straight back to earth. I don't mean to be rude, but you aren't exactly strong enough to be a godslayer. it's dangerous here, and I don't want you to get hurt."
There it was again, that insult that never seemed to leave her despite all of her best efforts. She had trained her telekinesis skill for so many centuries, reaching what she would've believed to be beyond a level 8 back in her schooling years, along with practicing her swordsmanship skills in that time. That was when she remembered her sword's ability.
"That's not true," Layla began, "I'm not weak— I'm not useless—!"
"Layla, not everyone can join me on my mission. If I could then I wouldn't be traveling alone—"
"Then let me go with you!" she retorted back, "I can prove myself, I just need my sword. I need it to be strong!"
"If you need a weapon to be strong, then you shouldn't have it, especially when it can possess you."
Layla clenched her fists, anger and frustration bubbling up inside of her.
"Sil," she began, "I know that sword. It has taken control of me before, but it's never harmed anyone who didn't deserve it."
"And yet, it attacked me," Sil commented.
"You told me that you attacked first," she pointed at him accusingly, "the sword isn't perfect, but I'm the only one who can draw out its power right. It's gotten stronger because of me. If the sword took me out here, then it must be for a reason."
"What would be the reason then?"
"I don't know," Layla admitted, "But if the reason why I can't join you is because I'm not a godslayer, then give me the chance to make my case."
Sil thought about it, then nodded his head to give the go ahead. Layla took in a deep breath, and began her argument.
"The thing about celestial energy is that it's like a diamond. You can't exactly break or even scratch diamonds with a lot of different types of materials, and only other diamonds can break diamonds. Celestial energy is special because only celestial energy can really counter celestial energy," Layla began, "However, if someone is powerful enough and they can consistently break through celestial energy without using it, then they're called a godslayer."
"That's right, but what are you getting at?" Sil replied. He already knew this, it's what he'd been doing the past 600 years, however he was curious about how Layla was going to conclude her reasoning.
That was when Layla had a slight smug smile as she straightened her posture, "It doesn't matter how strong you think I am, or how weak, if I had a particular sword that was able to nullify all forms of energy, then it doesn't matter if I'm a godslayer or not."
He knew that Layla had a point, but just because she had a sword that can cut through celestial energy, doesn't mean that she could compete with a celestial.
"I've had over 600 years of experience fighting celestials," Sil responded, his eyebrows slightly tilted in a way that expressed concern, "This sort of thing isn't for just about anyone, and I certainly don't want you to be in harm's way."
"And I had an encyclopedia at my hip that existed long before Immortui got imprisoned," Layla placed a hand on her hip as she said that. "Dare I say that he might've existed before vampires were even created."
"Intellectual knowledge is different from experiencing it yourself. It's one thing to know how to act in a situation compared to when you're in it."
"And who's to say that I don't have experience!?" Layla shot back, before recollecting herself, "Sorry, but I've fought with the cursed faction for centuries, fought against Graham, even against the beast that created the dalki, and survived. That beast might've even been on the level of godslayer."
"You survived against Graham because I was there— everyone was there—" Sil corrected, "I know you have fighting experience, but that's not the same as fighting a celestial."
"You're ignoring the point about the beast, and here's a reason why I've lived this long— I've earned my place to be here— to be part of all of those important fights," Layla emphasized, "Sil… Give me a chance. Please."
Sil didn't say anything to that immediately. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want the company, it was partially why he wanted Swinn to work for him. However, being on the ship as a repairer was different from being on the frontlines like he was. If Layla didn't have her possession problem with the sword, and didn't fight, then he would've been fine with it.
But… It wasn't like he could expect her to be perfect, and he did say that he was going to consider having her on board.
Sil turned around to the door, waving his hand, "If you really think you belong here, then prove it."
Sil summoned a mini portal above the counter space, popping out the black sword. Layla ran over to grab it, its power was now back in her hands. She was going to need it now that she was to travel with Sil.
"Thank you."