Sometime long ago...
"Sieg says he wants to be an Arcane Knight." Orion sighed. "Your older brother is so weird. How come he can't be more like you, Davi?"
Davi hummed and tossed his reel out into the lake. His small arms struggled to hold the pole up as his father sat behind him and taught him how to fish.
"I don't know why he isn't like me," Davi said flatly.
Orion rolled his eyes at the young boy's response. "It was a rhetorical question."
"What is raytorikel?"
"Rhetorical, and it means a question you aren't meant to answer." Orion hummed. "It's more like a statement, I guess. Sometimes your brother can frustrate me a ton. I want him to be a Spell Sword, but all he cares about is becoming a Knight. Do you know how annoying that is?"
"No?"
"Of course you don't." Orion snorted. "Hey, what about you?"
"What?"
"Who do you want to be?" Orion pressed. "You won't be a child forever after all."
"Who do I want to be?" Davi stopped, and the fishing rod lowered.
Who did he want to be?
Well, it was kind of funny. After all these years, he still had no idea.
***
Present day...
"I'm glad we were able to have this talk. It's been a while since you and I got to meet face to face, Davi. Come on. Why don't we have a chat? I'm sure we have a lot to talk about." Orion grinned.
The reel spun out, and the bait hit the surface of the lake's water. It broke past the top and bobbed up and down before finally turning still.
Davi stared intently at the water and then glanced down at the fishing pole in his hands. His fingers were curled around the handle, and he couldn't stop his arm from shaking. He hadn't bothered to cast his own line out.
Orion quietly sat at the surface of the lake, his feet barely dipped into the water as he watched his lure with great intent, waiting for a bite.
Silence hung between the two of them.
Quietly, Davi looked around. As shocking as it was, he was back in his village. He saw the buildings vastly in the distance, and the cool wind on his skin was both alien and familiar at the same time. Everything felt right. Like he was at home. But that's the thing. His home was gone.
For just a moment, the flicker of what was left of the village went through his mind. A burnt-out husk that sat at the bottom of his vault, covered in ice and snow, bathed in shadows that only recently broke thanks to a new sun that he created.
This was insane. How was he here? And yet he knew the truth. Orion, his father, or rather this thing that claimed to be his dad, told him. This was all happening in his head. Yet again, he had blacked out and appeared in a deep slumber. Just like when Bloom killed him, just like when his battle with Adam ended, and now just like with Neptune.
Davi gritted his teeth. The others were in trouble. They were still up there battling Neptune, and his own body was about to be controlled by the Ebony Knight. He needed to do something.
His teeth sank into his hand. Davi bit down as hard as he could, drawing his blood, and he held his palm out. It dripped down, and he winced when no door was created.
"Shit."
A heart demon.
He thought he had fixed that little flaw, but it seems not. His heart was still aching, and all the failures of his life were like a dagger. Evelyn and Olivia had tried to help him and even performed a version of Joint Cultivation with him in the dreamlike world, but that hadn't been a full fix.
Of course, this should have been expected. After all, he didn't love Evelyn. Love was indeed powerful and could defeat a heart demon, since a heart demon was brought on by negative thoughts, emotions, and self-doubt, but the love Evelyn had only caused the demon to swell and mutate. She could do nothing for his heart.
It had been Olivia who truly helped settle it and put things back in place, but on her own, it wasn't enough. Like a piece of the puzzle that was missing the edges.
"You know, I brought you out here to fish." Davi's thoughts scrambled when the figure of his father spoke up. Orion glanced back at Davi and grinned. "Come on. Sit down. Fish with your old man. Weren't you always bugging me to take you out here?"
"That was years ago," Davi muttered.
"Yeah." Orion's head bowed slightly. "I never did have the time. I was always busy."
"Busy obeying mom."
"...Yeah."
Davi stared down at his father before he turned away. "I need to go."
"Davi, wait-"
"No." Davi shook his head. "I don't have time to do whatever this is. My friends need me. Everyone's in danger. If I don't hurry, I'm not going to be able to save them-" Davi froze suddenly when a pair of arms wrapped around him and Orion held onto him.
"If you aren't careful, you won't be able to save yourself," Orion said quietly.
Davi recoiled and struck back with his elbow. He used all the force he could muster up and shoved his father away. "Let go of me! What are you doing?"
Orion winced and then chuckled. "Davi. Listen, time isn't moving right now. You don't have to be in a hurry. If you rush off, all you'll do is resume the process of being taken over by the Ebony Knight. You'll die." Orion sat back down and patted the grass next to him. "Come on. Let's just relax."
"It's your fault if I die." Davi hissed, and he felt his expression almost break. "I- You- You and Mom put that thing in me, and now it's killing me. You did this to me. So why the hell are you here now pretending like it's all fine and inviting me to fish? You're dead. You died so long ago. I- I moved on. I lived my life. So why?"
Orion let out a soft exhale, and his hand shook slightly as he gripped his fishing rod. "The Hawkers don't come from any particular noble clans, and they also don't have any powerful traits that were passed down through bloodlines. The Hawkers do have some unique abilities, however. The elves possessed an ability that allowed them to communicate with the souls of other elves and speak on a level that went beyond words. Our clan has a similar thing. It even shares the same name. We carry the dead with us. For those who can see the inner world within them, they've described it as seeing the images of hawk-like creatures. These things are something akin to a spirit but also different. They're not real and are shadows of the person they used to be. Something like a ghost. I guess when I died, a copy of me appeared in your vault, and that's who I am now. At least I think."
"You think?"
Orion's lips curled up into a sly grin. "Talking to these hawks should be impossible. What you and I are doing now, this place we're in, that isn't something our clan can do. I'm not doing it, and I doubt you are either, yet here we are, both existing in a place where we can share a final talk. As I said earlier, time does not move. Everything out there is frozen. This is a still realm. So, come on. Take a seat. Relax."
"I can't relax." Despite saying that, Davi did sit down. He held his fishing pole, but again he did not cast his reel out. For a moment, silence stretched out between him and his father. "If you're the version of my dad that is that giant bird, then have you been watching my life unfold?"
Orion shook his head. "My last memory is of the dragon."
"The Great Dragon of Roads…"
"So, you know its name." Orion rubbed his forehead and sighed. "And judging by your eye color, it seems the Ebony Knight's blade was successfully placed into you. I figured as much. I think it's his power that is making this world. The process of devouring and subjugating another soul is vast, and we're sort of in his own inner world, which is in turn being reflected back as yours. He's a very scary man. So strong that his raw mana was able to freeze time itself."
"I guess it makes sense he's that strong," Davi muttered bitterly. "You and Mom wanted a good weapon, right?"
Again, Orion's head bowed. "I'm not asking you to forgive me. I don't want that. Not even a little bit. Hate me. Despise me. Curse my name to the very end. You can spit on my grave and denounce me as your father. Do whatever you want. I just ask that you and I talk. That's why we're here. There are so many things I wanted to tell you. I never got the chance, however, because of that damn Knight."
"The Ebony Knight?"
"Yeah." Orion gave a nod of confirmation. "The plan had changed drastically out of nowhere. The Ebony Knight used me to create you so that it could eventually implant its being into you. The process was derailed, however, thanks to a new idea being formed. You weren't the perfect body. You were close, but it was like you were missing half of what was needed. That said, you were still the best the Knight had. That was unless it somehow managed to get a dragon's body."
Davi let out a bitter sigh. "Yeah, I gathered all that info already. My mom summoned the Great Dragon of Roads because she wanted its body rather than my own, right? This pissed the Dragon off, and so it killed everyone. The end result: Mom went back to her first plan and shoved the sword into me."
"For the most part, that's correct." Orion hummed. "Or at least, it sounds right. I died before it ever entered you, but from what I can guess is that something drastically went wrong. See, you should have been taken over immediately by the Knight, but its ego and its hate weren't able to corrupt you. You resisted it. Somehow your heart was able to keep it at bay, and it took until now for it to finally be able to grab you."
Davi absently grabbed at his chest and felt a weird sensation. Now that he thought about it, it was always when his heart was aching that the Ebony Knight acted. Now, his heart had been stabbed and ceased to beat. That had given the Knight the best chance to try and grab him. His heart was able to resist the effects of the Ebony Knight, but why?
Well, that was pretty obvious when he thought about it. The thing that beat inside his chest wasn't his heart.
For just a second, Davi remembered his first-ever death. The nail of a dragon pierced his chest, and he died.
The thing he inherited was another being's heart. One that could hold off the darkness of the Ebony Knight.
Orion awkwardly shifted as the silence got to him. "I don't know how much longer this place will last, so let's carry on, shall we?"
"Whatever."
Orion winced. "I want to tell you some stuff about the Ebony Knight, so listen up. Within our world, there are beings who were able to reach great levels of power. The famed Sea God, the King of Hell, and even Haru herself. The Almighty came to our planet and created the first sparks of life, which in turn kept making more life. The Angels stood at the very top as the greatest beings, with the Lord of Order being their strongest; however, the beings I mentioned were all able to reach levels of power that rivaled the Angels and, in some cases, such as with Haru, went even further past them and entered a level of strength equal to the Almighty. Haru is the greatest of all these beings and is worshipped as a god; however, even before she was born, there were others who were all known for different reasons, such as the King of Fairies, Oberon, or the Great Dragon King Sigurd. Do you know what happened to all these beings?"
Davi tried to be indifferent and not care, but that was very difficult, as what he was being told was very interesting. "I have no clue?"
"Most of them left this world," Orion explained. "Literally. Somewhere past the Lord of Orders' domain, trillions of miles away, is the border of our universe. Many left and tried to reach the edge. Where they went, nobody knows. Many of the Angels all left this world behind, but some like the Lord of Order stayed behind, and when he noticed how many people were making for the border, he put a failsafe in."
"A failsafe?"
"The Ebony Knight," Orion revealed. "The Ebony Knight was born from a union between a woman named Ceil and the Lord of Order. This is one of the reasons the Knight was so powerful. The other reason is that he was unlocked."
"And that means what exactly?"
Orion gave a soft chuckle. "Remember how I told you about all those beings? Well, none of them should have existed. See, people like Haru are special. It doesn't matter what your race is. You could train for a trillion years, and you'd never reach the level of power that even the weakest angel had. Not even the Dragons, the closest to the Angels, could match them. And yet some beings were still able to go past the limits of their creation and step into a realm of divinity. These beings all did so in different ways, but it involves a method known as 'Rome'. Out of all the beings, Haru did the best, and it is said she sacrificed seven pieces of herself and allowed her form to be remade. She walked past the doors of Rome. As far as I know, only she did this. Every other being simply reached Rome but wasn't able to get past the doors. When they did reach Rome, they were blessed and changed, becoming new beings. That's how they became gods. Do you know how they reached Rome?"
"How?"
"Because it was their destiny."
"What?"
"Before they were even born, before their grandparents' grandparents were sperm, before even the dragons were created, each of these divine beings was destined to become the thing that they were. Something set a course of action in motion. You cannot just become a god. It must be decided before you even exist. Haru and everyone like her would always become the thing that they were, and so they existed only to fulfill that role. They were like machines. Built for a single thing. That's what made the Ebony Knight special. He was unlocked."
"So that meant he could also become a god?"
"It meant he could become anything," Orion corrected. "You and I don't know what our destiny is. We don't know what is in store for us, and we don't even know if we have control over our own fates. Maybe we can do whatever we physically can, but there will always be a limit. You and I aren't destined to be a greater being, so we'll never reach that point no matter how many times we try. It just isn't possible, and this is true for every being besides the Ebony Knight. Because he was the child of the Lord of Order, he was given the power of something known as the Administrator. This power made it so that the Ebony Knight could become anything. He had no limit. He could be any God. Haru would only ever be the Lightforged; Oberon would only ever be the Fairy King, but the Ebony Knight wasn't bound by such things. If he tried, he could become a second Lightforged. He could turn himself into the Dragon King or even a new title like the Phoenix of Black. He was a being that had no limit on the life he could live, and yet, ironically enough, it was because he lacked that limit that he was most limited of all. His power drove him mad, and he was put down by the hands of Haru, failing to kill her even after his betrayal, for her power was so great he couldn't picture himself as being above her."
"That makes it all sound like the Ebony Knight was a self-insert into a story." Davi almost snorted. A super strong being who was the child of an angel and blessed with godlike powers and had no such thing as fate who was able to go toe-to-toe with the actual strongest being who weirdos shipped him with… Yeah, the Ebony Knight was just like those weird fanfic characters Olivia told him about one time.
"Of course, for a being like the Ebony Knight, death wasn't the end, and when he did die, he was able to leave a piece of himself behind. He created the Soul Sword. That's where you come in."
Davi gave a curt nod. "Yeah. You put that sword in me hoping he'd one day take over my body, right?"
"It isn't like that…"
"Oh?" Davi gave his father a hard stare. "It isn't? You didn't plan for me to become a weapon?"
"I…" Orion glanced down in shame. "I never wanted you to become the Ebony Knight."
"Then why did you put the sword in me? Why did you let me be controlled by Mom?!" Davi couldn't help but raise his voice, and his expression turned to one of anger. "It seems like you were very willing to go along with the plan back then. I'd almost give you the benefit of the doubt and say you were under her control, but I remember your eyes vividly, and they were never blue, were they? You did everything of your own free will."
"It's true. I was never under her control. Not like you. That said, I never agreed with her plan." Orion ran his hand through his hair and let out another heavy sigh. He almost seemed to age in that moment. "The reason I know so much about the greater beings is because of an old story. Do you know the story of Adam?"
Davi's eyes narrowed. "Which one?"
"The first human."
Davi let out a relieved sigh. "Carry on."
"The first ever human created was Adam. He became a being known as the King of Hell." Orion explained. "In the beginning, people used to worship him like a god, but that all stopped when Haru became a thing. She stopped the worship of nearly every greater being besides her. Adam, the King of Hell, left to the edge of the universe, as many other beings did, but he's very unique because it is said he came back to our world. Adam came back to the planet and spent the rest of his life here before he eventually died. His power had greatly faded away, and he refused to say what he saw on the other side of the universe, but he did explain about fate and destiny and how his story had always been set in stone. A clan was created to carry on his teachings and carry out a prophecy that Adam held. Adam stated that one day he would return to this world. The King of Hell would walk the planet again. That clan, the one that served him, is no longer part of this world, wiped out by a group of Haru worshippers, but a splinter group did break off from this clan, and it renamed itself to the Hawker clan."
Davi's eyes widened. "Wait? Really? That's where our clan comes from?"
"Where it did," Orion corrected. "The Hawkers were all wiped out despite trying to separate, and so the story of the King of Hell died with them. Many people know Adam was the first human, but most have no idea about his true title or power since he was outshined by Haru, whom history favored more."
Davi gave a slight nod. "So, what does that have to do with me?"
"I wanted you to become the next King of Hell."
"What!"
Orion gave Davi a serious look. "The Soul Sword is not a perfect thing. It's possible to hold off its power or even shatter it or absorb it. The fact that it took this long to take you over is proof. The Ebony Knight was unlocked. He was the Administrator. That meant he could become anything. If he wasn't careful, it meant he could become you fully. You'd be able to absorb all that he was and gain his ability. With that, you could become anything. I told you before that I didn't want you to become the Ebony Knight. I wanted you to instead absorb his power and fulfill Adam's prophecy. I wanted you to become the next King of Hell."
Davi stared at his father in shock. His world was spinning. His dad had some grand goal for him like that? He was supposed to become some king of hell? That was a shocker.
It also meant that from the beginning, his father had been using him as well. Maybe in a different way from his mom but still…
In the end, he was just a tool.
Davi felt his hand tighten around the fishing rod's handle, and it began to crack. "Do you know what you did? Do you know what it was like growing up in that village? Having no friends? Being looked at as if I were a monster? Do you know what it was like to watch it all come to an end and live on feeling guilt because I ran away and didn't save anyone? Do you know what it's like to live in a world that moved on without you and you just have to figure out laws and rules as you go? Do you know what it's like to be a puppet whose strings keep getting pulled by person after person because everyone seems to want to use you? Do you even understand all the pain and suffering I was put through? All the things I did? All the things that happened to me? That are happening to me? All so you and Mom could get a weapon?" Davi felt his eyes start to sting. "I- I think I hate you. You ruined my life, Sieg's life; you hurt me so badly, and all for some stupid story that you're only just now telling me about. Why? What the hell? That's not fair-" Davi growled and wiped at his eyes in anger. "That's not how a father should treat their child. None of it's fair. Above all, I hate that you told me to live. I hate that on that night, the dragon attacked, and you smiled at me. Actually smiled. And you told me to run. I kept picturing what I'd say if I ever got a chance to see you again. Sometimes I thought I'd be happy; other times I thought I'd attack you, but all I feel is pain. My chest is hurting so much, and I'm mad and sad and happy, and it just makes me want to scream. It's not fair. You can't just show up and drop so much information about me like this. How could you?" He couldn't stop it. He was crying. Actually crying. "I'm sorry I ran away all those years ago. I'm sorry I left you to die, Dad."
Orion wrapped his arms around Davi once more. "Idiot. I'm glad you did. I'm a horrible father, but I am still your dad. Of course, I'm happy you and Sieg survived."
"I don't know how to feel. You did so many horrible things."
Orion gave another soft smile, and his eyes were full of sorrow. "Again, I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I just thought I should tell you that. Your mother and I had very different goals for you, and we weren't really working together. Your mom wanted you to become the vessel for the Ebony Knight and eventually become a new being known as the Lunar Knight. The Ebony Knight believed that if they could reach that level of power, they'd rival Haru and be able to finally surpass her. I never wanted that fate for you, but I didn't want anything better for you either. From the very start, the moment you were born, I was using you. That night that the Dragon attacked, I actually felt relieved. Part of me thought it was a fitting end for me. I'm scum. Plain and simple. A terrible human being who doesn't deserve to call himself your father. But I am your dad." Orion stepped forward and placed a hand on Davi's head. "And I'm happy." His own eyes started to fill with tears. "I'm so happy that you were able to escape and grow up. You've gotten so big. I hardly recognized you."
Davi wiped at his eyes again. "Yeah, well, life wasn't exactly easy because of you. I suffered a lot, you know."
"I'm sorry…"
"It wasn't all bad, but yeah. There were a lot of crappy moments, and most of them were thanks to you and Mom."
Orion suddenly shook his head. "That's another reason I wanted to talk to you. Please don't blame Titania."
"What do you mean?"
"She never did anything to you. She can hardly even be called your mother." Orion's look of regret grew. "Before you were even born, she took up the Soul Sword, and Titania ceased to be. I never even met her. She was wiped out and devoured by the Ebony Knight, as much a slave as you were, yet one who never even got a taste of freedom. Her body was beyond ruined, and it was in her despair that she looked for the blade. Her picking it up is what caused her to cease to be and gave the Ebony Knight a new body. You never met your own mother because all that was left was a body and a will, which the Knight used to create you so it could later swap. The sad reality is neither of us knows who Titania was, so please don't hold any blame to her. She's as much a victim in all this as you were. Hate me and hate the Ebony Knight. The two of us are the ones who created you."
Davi felt like he had been punched. He knew his mother had the corruption of the Ebony Knight, but he always assumed it was like a split. From the sounds of it, though, Titania was dead before he was even born. From the very beginning, his mom was the Ebony Knight.
"Are there any other secrets I should know about?"
"I have so many things I want to tell you," Orion admitted. "But I don't know how much time I have left, so I'll try to hurry things up." Orion placed his hands on Davi's shoulders and steadied him. "Davi. Do you remember what I taught you when you were a child?"
"How to use a sword?"
Orion shook his head. "How to help people."
"You said I should help if I could?"
"I said you should, but also you should make sure a person can help themselves," Orion added. "It's good to help someone if they need it, but there comes a time when a person will be alone. In that moment, they have to help themselves. Do you understand? Right now you're in that situation. You don't have anyone who can come to your rescue. You're drawing the Ebony Knight's sword, and he's going to take you over unless you can save yourself."
"That's easier said than done."
"I know, but you have to try." Orion urged. "The Ebony Knight is a bitter man. He's evil and cruel, but he's also a coward. He's willing to abuse his power and thinks that because he can become anything, he can do whatever he wants, but that's not true. Screw that." Orion spat out. "And screw destiny. I don't care about that anymore. As far as I'm concerned, the Hawkers died with me. You're not bound to the prophecy, and you're sure as hell not bound to the Ebony Knight. You're you."
"Do you even know who I am?" Davi asked a little sheepishly. "It has been a long time after all."
Orion rubbed the back of his neck a bit awkwardly. "I guess it has. I'd love to learn. Would you tell me about your life?"
Davi hummed. "Where to even begin? You know it's all a bit of a long story, and you said we might not have time."
"This is important. After all, this is likely the last time I'll ever get to see you." Orion said quietly. "Please. I want to know who my child became."
"Well, it all started in a small village named Fri, where I met an amazing woman."
Davi told his father everything. He told him about Fri and the Salamanders, Daisy and Garon, the Arcane Knights exam, and Tori, Bloom, and the evil seven, the dungeons, and all his failures. He left nothing out.
And while he talked, he and his dad quietly fished. Again and again, they talked, and bit by bit, that pain in his chest started to fade.
"It's quite a tale." Orion chuckled softly.
"It had its ups and downs. A lot of downs. The ups were nice though." Davi admitted. "I'm not happy where a lot of my life went, but I don't think I'm really against it either. As people, we're made up of the lives we live and the things that are thrown our way. We all walk a path, and the hardships in that path are what shape and refine us. I guess if I could do it all again, I wouldn't change anything. The good, the bad, it's all what came together into shaping me and making me be the person who got to meet people like Ken and Olivia and the others. I think if I view it like that, it makes it a bit easier to swallow everything. I'd even go so far as to say I'm happy with how some things turned out."
"I'm glad." Orion patted Davi on the shoulder just in time for the air to crack. Jagged and glass-like, it started to spread, and Orion winced. "Well, shit. That's that. Times starting to run out. Looks like this is the end of our talk."
Davi stood back up. "So I'll be back with the sword?"
"Yeah." Orion nodded somberly. "Remember. You have to beat it. He's going to try to force his will onto you. In order to beat the Ebony Knight, you have to be the bigger person. Literally. The life you've lived and the life he lived will clash. You have to have a stronger desire to live than he does. No matter how hard he pushes you, you must push back and force your will on him. If you do that, you can absorb the blade that he is and gain his power."
"I don't know if I want to absorb it," Davi admitted. "I really don't like the idea of becoming a god. Don't get me wrong, the power up would be nice, but I really don't want to leave this planet behind like the others did. I'm not looking to become the next Haru."
"Then don't."
"What?"
Orion gave his son a stern look. "I was an idiot. I believed that I could use you to bring glory to the clan that I lost and that it was what was best for you. I was scared of what kind of path you could follow because there were so many unknowns. At the time, it seemed like it would ensure you lived a good life, but now I see that was a foolish notion. You did live a life. Maybe not the best one, but I'd still say it was good. You have friends, an older brother, a teacher, and so many people who know who you are and care for you. I'm so happy to see that you were able to do all of this without me. I'm proud of you, son. So, so proud. Break the sword. Give up the power. Live your life and become whoever you want to be. It's all up to you, Davi. So, who do you want to be?"
"I-" Davi stopped and took a deep breath. "I don't really understand everything, but I don't think I'm all that angry about the hand life dealt me. After all, I got to meet Olivia, Ken, and so many others." The image of the two women burned in his mind, and the ache in his chest faded some more. "I want to save them."
"Then you have to save yourself," Orion announced. "Of all those beings I told you about, I know that there were nine of them. Nine Godlike beings. The Ebony Knight is one of them. You face this God, but he is a God of cowards and fear. You are you, and he is he, and it will stay that way. Save yourself, Davi. You have to have the strength to do it. Don't let fear decide your fate. Don't let someone else control your strings. You're not a puppet; you're not a robot, and you're not some person in someone else's story."
The cracks began to expand, and a chill started to flow. Ice and snow rained from above, and everything started to flicker. "It's about time." Davi turned to the crack in space. "I'm about to return to my own world. I'll either die or…"
"You won't know until you try."
"Yeah." How does one beat a God? He couldn't even beat Neptune? "I'm glad we got to talk." Davi glanced back at his father. "Thanks."
Orion's smile grew. "I'm glad you lived."
"Me too." Davi turned back to the crack and was about to step through.
"Wait."
"What?"
Orion looked serious once more. "I had something I needed to tell you, but I almost forgot after all the talking."
"Well, you better hurry; the cracks are growing."
"There are two of them."
"What?"
"The Ebony Knight has two souls," Orion explained. "He devoured his lover and ate her, and thus she became one with him. Two souls exist within the same body. That said, I sense that something has changed. The being trying to take over you right now is the Ebony Knight, but it's just him. The soul of his lover left. She existed within Titania and was one half of the Ebony Knight, but I don't know where she went now."
"That doesn't sound good?" Davi winced.
"Yeah." Orion nodded. "Titania, or I guess the Ebony Knight, once told me a bit about it. The other soul goes by the name of Maya. So be on the lookout for it. Who knows whose body it's been hiding in?"
"Maya?" That name sounded really familiar.
He didn't get long to think about it, though, as a second later everything shattered and the world faded away. Orion gave him one last smile.
"Goodbye, son. I love you." Orion watched the world around him start to shatter and break. He closed his eyes as he felt his consciousness start to fade. "Now, I guess I should pay Sieg a visit."
Davi felt himself fall, and for a moment he saw hands. Infinite in size, they stretched out all across reality, flowing toward and through him. The hands then cleared, and he saw a tree made of wires and circuits, screens forming acorns and colorful lights dancing across it as a massive pair of butterfly wings stretched out. After that, he saw a being standing in front of the tree. He wore a bright blue suit that was skin-tight, and he had a cape on. He looked almost like a superhero from a comic book with fiery blonde hair and blazing red eyes, and he had the symbol of a butterfly on his chest. Standing before him was some great being that was made of bones and hands shaped into the image of a caterpillar. The image then changed, and he saw hundreds of planets and then a gigantic wall made of ice and a throne that was frozen within.
Then he saw something so vast and dark, and every star in the universe blinked and turned as if they were eyes as a shadow flowed around him and seemed to study him, but the darkness faded as a bright blue glow enveloped him, and he now stood in the palm of a great being.
Its body was forged of blue flames, and it was miles high, standing on the universe with a flowing red cape fluttering behind it.
The Brightest Star, the Lord of the Sun and Cosmos, closed its fist around him.
It gazed down at him, and then he blinked, and it was gone. Actually, it had never been there, and Davi realized that those were memories that the Ebony Knight had. Memories that were flowing into his mind.
Davi's eyes widened, and he found himself looking at the Soul Sword. The ebony claymore danced with blue fire and frost as a chilling wind erupted from it. Shadow hands jutted from the blade, slapping at the air, and the voice within the blade began to laugh. It was a mix of the Knight's voice and his mother's.
The sword was free, and he was holding it up.
[YES! YES! I AM FREE!]
Davi screamed as ice flowed from the blade, and it started to freeze his arm.
[AT LAST! I DID IT! I WILL BECOME THE LUNAR KNIGHT. I WILL SURPASS YOU. I WILL DEVOUR YOU. HARU! HARU! HARU!]
"N-No." Davi gritted his teeth and grabbed at the wrist that was freezing, but that hand was also quickly covered in ice, and the shadowy hands began to wrap around him. His flesh burned and cracked as the ice spread and the hands clawed at his face and tried to shove their way down his throat. "I won't let you!"
[IT IS TOO LATE!]
"No."
[YES.]
"No!"
[YES!]
Davi gurgled as the hands shoved their way down his throat and reached their way into his body. He tried to drop the blade, but by now it was frozen to his hand. He couldn't let go. It was stuck. His legs also froze in place, the ice claiming them. More and more crept up his body, and flashes of memories forced their way into his skull.
He saw a planet on fire and a sea of twisted mechanical beings with glowing red eyes. He saw a world not unlike Esteria with towers of stone and metal and technology just as advanced, guarded by people in colorful costumes. He saw spectacular worlds and oceans of blood. And then he saw the sun and the palace built upon it where the Lord of Order resided.
A being of metal and light forged for war fought him, and no matter how hard he tried, he failed to win. It rammed a sword of space and time through his chest, and he fell from the sun back to the planet. As he fell, one of his old friends appeared before him.
Arthur Roads smiled. "Well, Du'Lac, you're not looking good. Hey, how about we make a bet?" The Great Dragon of Roads, the guardian of Rome, smiled.
[I'M GOING TO REACH IT! I'LL LEAVE THIS FALSE WORLD BEHIND AND RECLAIM ALL THAT I LOST! NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STAND IN MY WAY! NOT ANY OF THE LORDS, NOT FULL MONARCH, AND CERTAINLY NOT HARU! I WIN! I WIN! I WIN!]
Davi felt his blood boil, and his eyes started to pop out of his skull from how hard the overwhelming force pressed down on him. His entire body was covered in ice now, and blue fire surged from the claymore. The nest of swords started to melt and boil, but it also froze and cracked. The cold was relentless. Malice and a pit of hate turned into a deadly chill.
Davi gasped and felt his mind start to fog and cloud. He was fading. He was dying. At any second, he would cease to be. No one was going to be able to save him either. He was alone. The only one who could save him was himself, and it wasn't going to work.
He was about to die.
"You're a good person. It's so frustrating."
Davi's eyes widened, and he saw Ken. No. This was a memory, but it was his memory. The red-haired woman was giving him a disappointed look, almost as if she were judging him.
"Well, the process of trading energy is a very delicate thing. There are various methods and ways to do it, but the only one I know involves… sex."
"I will not let you harm Davi."
So many images of Ken flashed through his mind. All the weird flirty things she said, all the times she healed him or insulted him, and the time she threw herself in front of Adam's blade and demanded he kill her first. Then the image shifted.
"Thanks. For taking me on this adventure."
The image changed, and Olivia was smiling at him now.
"I like you a lot. I basically already told you how I felt earlier, didn't I? I'm glad we're friends, and I'm happy that I know you. You've fulfilled my life a lot better than others have."
"You don't have to worry about that, Davi. You're nothing like the Ebony Knight. You're you. You're a hero. You're my friend."
Just like with Ken, flickers of his time with Olivia went through his mind. There were so many that it was hard to pick any good moments that stood out because he always liked being with her.
Again, the image shifted, and this time he saw himself talking to Adam.
"Life isn't fair," the other him said bluntly. "Just because bad things happen doesn't mean you should give up and pretend that everything is fake. An existence like that has no meaning."
"Says you," Adam sneered.
"Yes. Says me." His other self confirmed.
Was this his life flashing through his mind? It really did seem like he was about to die.
But he didn't want to die. He wanted to spend more time with all his friends. He wanted to have just as many moments with Ken as he did with Olivia, and he wanted way more moments with Olivia. He wanted to have a good talk with his brother and thank the captain for all the work she did. He wanted to make sure Susie got to live a good life, and he wanted to do so much more.
"You know, before I became the captain of this guild, I had a few choices I could have made. I'm sure if I went down another path, I'd be a vastly different version of myself. Perhaps I could have done more for 'him' back then, but instead I picked the easier path, and now, here I am. I don't know who you wanted to be, but the you that is here now is the one you're stuck with. That doesn't mean you can't keep changing, though. It is impossible to go back in time and change the future, so you'll truly never be that other version of yourself that you wonder about, but that doesn't mean you can't emulate him. If you've thought about that other life as much as I have, then surely you've thought of why that other version of yourself seems happier or healthier. It isn't just because of a single path. Believe me. We're made up of thousands of choices, thoughts, and feelings. Life shapes us into the beings we are, and we'll change bit by bit with every passing day. There is nothing stopping us from trying to better ourselves and fix the errors in our lives. See, the best thing about paths is, follow one long enough, and it is bound to arrive at a fork in the road, and perhaps, just maybe, that other path would have led to that same fork, and you can see which one they would have gone down and select it for yourself."
Laerton's words rang through his mind. He had tried. He really did. It wasn't possible to be that version of himself, though. He couldn't even emulate him. The lives he and that other Davi lived were just way too different.
Still…
That didn't mean he had to just give up and accept that. Sure, he might never be that other version of himself, and he couldn't emulate anything but what was stopping him from growing and becoming even better?
"Mask Cores can use Core Masks and utilize other spells that they normally can't by masking their Mana type."
"You want to surpass me, huh?" Davi blinked, and he looked up, finding Davi. Or at least a version of himself. One with blonde hair and a Core that was as warm as the sun. "That's not a bad idea. After all, I failed. I wasn't able to save the people I cared about." The other him stared him dead in the eyes and smiled softly. "Okay. Sure. Take my power." The other Davi placed his hands on his face and leaned in even closer until their lips were almost touching. "It'll have a cost, though."
Davi gritted his teeth, and as the darkness kept closing in, he willed his mind to keep moving. Images flickered through his head. He was cold. So freaking cold. All because of the ice. So, he just needed to warm up.
[IT'S OVER. YOU ARE ABOUT TO BREAK DOWN AND CEASE TO BE. DO NOT WORRY. I WILL USE YOUR BODY AS IT IS INTENDED. YOU DID WELL, MY CHILD. I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU.]
Davi's lips moved, the ice cracking as he softly spoke.
[WHAT WAS THAT? SPEAK UP?]
"Row…"
[A SPELL? DO YOU THINK YOUR SHADOW MAGIC CAN BEAT MY ICE? THIS ICE COMES FROM SHADOWS, FOOL. GO AHEAD AND STRENGTHEN IT.]
Davi took one last breath. Ken smiled back at him. He'd save her. "Row Shadow-Light Armor."
[WHAT?!]
It erupted out of the ice and covered the blue fire, shoving it away! Black and white lifted into the air, and Davi screamed as his armor surged out like black flame and covered him from the neck down. Specks of energy danced along his arms and legs, and his eyes lit up as a black aura covered him. He was using a Core Mask. One based on the other, whom he had tried to emulate but failed. It wasn't perfect, and he had no idea how long it would last, but he was doing it.
Instead of being like that other version of himself, he'd instead borrow his power and reach a new level. Shadow and Light. Together. The good, the bad, the he who he was, and the he who he wasn't. He'd take both sides and create a better version.
White flames kept flowing so hot they scorched the darkness, and they flowed over his armor, forming a cloak of white warmth around him. It was shaped almost like a coat, the same one the light version of himself had, but this was his. Davi Hawker's. He was who he was because of the people who helped shape him. Because Olivia showed him that version, because Laerton's words on what he should do, because of Ragna's training.
The shadow hands were burned by the white fire, and all the ice boiled into steam as Davi glared up at the ebony blade.
[IMPOSSIBLE!]
"What's impossible is coming back from the dead," Davi spat. "When you die, your story ends. The book closes, and you move on. Your tale ended long ago, Du'Lac."
[NO!]
"Yes! Row Shadow-Light Scar!" Davi slammed the sword down, and white fire blasted out of his foot, sending his leg up, and he rammed his kneecap into it, cracking the blade.
[STOP! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP! STOP IT!]
Davi let out a snort and sneered, then brought the blade down again, ramming his knee into it for a second time. The cracks began to expand. "What's wrong? You don't have anything to fear. Dead men have no need for that."
[I CREATED YOU!]
"And Haru killed you, but yet here you are! You've done so many wrong things, Du'Lac! Well no more! It all ends now!" For a third time, Davi brought the sword down, and the cracks spread further along. The black hands screamed, and ice erupted off the blade, but the white fire was far hotter and wiped it out and destroyed the hands. The coat he wore kept shaping and flowing freely over his shadowy armor, light and dark mingling together.
[YOU CAN'T DO THIS! I MADE YOU! I MADE YOU! YOU ARE MINE! I OWN YOU! YOU BELONG TO ME! YOU UNGREATFUL WORM! YOU WOULDN'T EXIST WITHOUT ME! YOU DARE DO THIS! YOU ARE MY SLAVE! THIS WON'T CHANGE ANYTHING! YOUR VERY LIFE WAS ALREADY SET IN STONE! FORCES YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND OWN YOU! HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A SLAVE TO DESTINY? BREAKING ME WON'T CHANGE THAT! YOU'LL STILL BELONG TO FATE! YOU'LL STILL BE ITS SLAVE!"
Davi paused. "Yeah. Maybe you're right." His look hardened, and he tossed the sword into the air. "But I'm not your slave anymore." He clasped his hands together and aimed, and for a moment the image of Olivia came to his mind. Just as with Ken, he vowed he'd save her as well. He'd save them all. "Row Shadow-Light Vault." Energy surged out of his fingertips and fired out as a thin beam, striking the blade of the sword and piercing through it. Everything the light touched was broken down and turned to something less than dust.
The Ebony Knight screamed as the cracks continued to expand, and then the blade shattered.
Davi breathed heavily, suddenly feeling lightheaded. His eyes stung, and a mix of blood and tears flowed down his face. The voice of his mother, which had been whispering in his ears ever since the dragon attack, suddenly stopped.
Davi felt his shoulders slump, and for the first time since he had ever been in his vault, he felt warm. He reached up and hugged the cloak of fire that was wrapped around him.
"Thanks, everyone. I couldn't have done it without you all."
'Who do you want to be?'
He wanted to be Davi Hawker.
"Good luck." Davi weakly stared at the blonde version of himself, who was still grinning. The other him turned away and hummed softly. "I wonder, just how will this story turn out?"