Storm Sword Wynnyd

The Storm Sword Wynnyd is a spirit sword protected by Tempest, the Wind Spirit King. It allows a wielder to bypass the usual affinity requirements of spirit magic and became Eugene Lionheart's first true sword after his reincarnation. (Chapters 18–19)

History

Lionheart inheritance

Vermouth Lionheart wielded Wynnyd during the ancient war and could create storms with it. The sword was later preserved among the Lionheart treasures. Eugene selected it after the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony because it was the most practical of Vermouth's remaining weapons: it could give him access to wind spirits with relatively little mana and without requiring an innate attraction to spirits. (Chapters 18–19 and 89)

At first Eugene lacked even the minimum mana needed to call a spirit, so Wynnyd functioned only as an exceptionally sharp sword. As his mana developed, the blade became his catalyst for wind spirit magic and his means of speaking with and summoning Tempest. Eugene also lent it briefly to Aroth's White Tower Master in exchange for long-term use of the Cloak of Darkness, but the attempted contract with Tempest failed and the sword returned to Eugene. (Chapters 19, 48–52, and 122–123)

A changing contract

Eugene later agreed to lend Wynnyd again so that a more experienced summoner could contract Tempest and bring the Spirit King's full value to the coming war. The transaction separated possession of the blade from the spirit contract: Wynnyd was handed over for the attempt, but it was subsequently present in Eugene's cloak while Tempest answered the summoner's call. Once the contract succeeded, Eugene rarely needed to draw the sword because Tempest's power no longer depended on Eugene carrying it into battle. (Chapters 401, 473, and 510)

The final storm

During the assault on the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene drew Wynnyd for the first time since Tempest's new contract. He infused the sword's storm with divine flame, combining his power with Tempest's and the World Tree's responding spirits. When Eugene brought Wynnyd beside the giant Divine Sword offered by the Light, Wynnyd's blade shattered. Its fragments became light within the storm and opened a passage through which Tempest's true body could fully descend. The sword was destroyed as a separate weapon, but its end enabled the strongest manifestation of the bond it had mediated. (Chapter 592)

Abilities and properties

• Wynnyd bypasses the normal affinity requirement for wind spirit magic. A wielder with sufficient mana can summon and command wind spirits even without an innate attraction to them. (Chapter 18)
• Wind spirits channeled through the blade can form a cutting wind around its edge, project distant blades of wind, and intercept attacks. Once summoned, the spirits bear much of the continuing energy cost themselves. (Chapters 18–19)
• The sword serves as a catalyst and communication channel for Tempest. Possessing it does not guarantee a contract with him, as demonstrated by the White Tower Master's first failed attempt. (Chapters 48–52)
• Its functions still require a minimum amount of mana; Eugene could not use its spirit abilities immediately after receiving it. Later, his own growth and Tempest's separate contract made the sword less necessary in ordinary combat. (Chapters 19 and 510)
• Wynnyd could carry power beyond ordinary wind spirit magic. In its final use, Eugene's divine flames entered its storm before the blade transformed into light and facilitated Tempest's unrestricted descent. (Chapter 592)

Ownership and custody