Divinity

--- [Isabella’s perspective]

Even as a kid, you naturally get more and more independent as you grow older.

By the time I was six years old, my parents couldn’t always watch me anymore; they couldn’t stop me from pulling out the sword.

Every time I unsheathed it, someone else entirely took control of my body.

When she was out, I could only watch.

When I was out, she could only watch.

She’s not just an alter ego, she’s literally a different person.

From birth, there have been two people stuck in the same body.

Neither one of us is the ‘real one’, we’re both equally real.

The one who suffered from this the most was her.

Due to the nature of our existence, she could only come out when the sword was out too.

Walking around with an exposed sword isn’t exactly the most socially accepted thing; especially as a kid…

Due to that, she was forced to ‘stay inside’ for most of the day.

She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t communicate in any way.

She was just stuck…

Always watching…

At home, I’d always want to let her out because I felt so bad for her, but my parents were opposed to it for the most part.

Obviously, they didn’t want me around an exposed blade, but more than that, they didn’t really believe she was a real person.

They saw me as their real daughter, while she was just some delusion…

They sent me to every doctor and therapist in the village, but none of them could help.

They thought there was something wrong with me; maybe it was a trauma response or something…

But no…

There’s genuinely another person in my head.

They tried getting rid of her, but obviously, it didn’t work.

Experiencing all this as a child…

Not being loved by her parents…

It really messed her up.

She resented our parents a lot, and I couldn’t help but sympathize.

I was the only one who understood her and recognized her as her own person.

I am Isabella, and Sabrina is Sabrina…

Between always carrying around a sword, the constant doctor visits, and being viewed as crazy, I’d get bullied a lot.

Everyone would pick on me…

They’d call me names or refuse to play with me.

Constantly having everyone look down on me made me really timid; although I try my best not to, it still affects me to this day…

When Sabrina watched me, the only person who cared for her, get bullied, she’d grow more and more bitter.

She was furious at the bullies for what they did, and she was annoyed at me for not standing up for myself.

Whenever I’d let her out at school, she would always immediately go chasing the bullies and threaten to hurt them if they didn’t stop.

This only made the rules more strict…

Soon enough, I was never allowed to let her out.

Not at school, and not at home.

The only time she’d get to be in control was when I was in my room behind locked doors.

She’d never tell me, but I could tell she felt lonely.

All she wanted was to be understood and accepted.

Not just by me, but by the world.

Together, we decided we wanted to become hunters.

There might not be anyone in our exact situation, but there are still so many hunters out there with weird stories like ours…

If there is anywhere in the world her wish could come true, it would be in a hunter guild.

Maybe, just maybe, we could even find friends…

I’m not sure we have, at least not yet, but over the years we’ve been hunters, we’ve gained a lot of allies we hold dear.

People who I know will have our backs, even in life-or-death situations…

When we started training to become hunters, we were still children.

I trained as hard as I could in the little spare time I had, but it wasn’t enough to get as strong as I’d need to pass the F-rank exam…

Sabrina on the other hand…

She had nothing but time.

Despite us living in the same body, we are still different people.

We have our own thoughts, personalities, desires…

That applies to our Divinity manipulation skills too.

All the time she spent stuck in our head, she was training her concentration; the most essential skill to get better at both BDM and SDM.

She grew so much stronger than me that I couldn’t really compete with her.

When we finally decided to take on the F-rank exam, I could have been beaten by almost anyone there.

Yet the moment she took over, nobody could stop us.

Not only was she stronger than me, but she had another big advantage too…

She had access to the full capabilities of our ability, the sword.

I can only ever use it sheathed; that’s never how it was meant to be used…

Sure, in its scabbard or not, it’s equally indestructible, but that’s not all there is to it.

The edge is sharper than anything else I’ve ever encountered.

Very little force is needed for it to cut through even the hardest materials.

Combine that with its indestructible nature, and Sabrina’s overwhelming strength, and it’s practically impossible to defend against.

I might not be strong enough to beat Volkan, but I have no doubts Sabrina is…

--- [Sabrina’s perspective]

Volkan rushes at me, just like he did to Isabella before.

With the sword itself in my right hand, and the scabbard in my left, I’m ready to take him on.

I block each and every one of his strikes with the scabbard.

“This is the guy who gave you trouble, Isabella? Really? Quit slacking on your training!” – Sabrina

“Who the hell are you talking to, crazy bitch?” – Volkan

“Like you’re one to talk…” – Sabrina

Like a beast, he continues to swing his arms at me in a wild and unpredictable manner.

Every time his fist gets close to me, the flames flare up.

It doesn’t go far, but the fire shoots out of his fist every time.

He doesn’t have to hit me directly hurt me…

Luckily, he’s as slow as a snail.

Deflecting his attacks is no issue.

He grows more and more frustrated with every attack, but he still is not reaching me.

“Let’s end this.” – Sabrina

I know Isabella doesn’t like seeing this next part, so I close my eyes for her.

With one quick slash, his head is severed from his neck…

His body falls to the floor, and his head rolls to the side.

I put the sword back into its sheath, giving control back to Isabella.

“Congratulations Isabella, you’re the winner.” – Leanne