The Mirror Knight shook himself as raindrops slid down his back. All around him was a cluster of water, either falling or sliding. The weather did not do much to help his bored mind.

He had been standing like this for longer than he remembered himself. Most likely multiple lives according to men's standards. But the Mirror Knight was no man. His Soul, granted to him by the King himself, had kept him alive since the Great War. When the Giants crossed the Sea… The memories weren't comforting, but they kept him from going crazy.

The Mirror Knight's best distraction however, was his own shield. A shield shaped like a giant mirror, it was seemingly made of glass, but the thing was inshatterable. He had tried many times himself, but the sturdy plate never broke down.

Only once had he seen it break down. Approximately every century, an adventurer came through Drangleic Castle, where he or she was forced to face the Mirror Knight. Once, the Mirror Knight had felt the power of another soul in his shield. Before he could inspect the soul, a dark-purple phantom blasted out of the glass plate in his shield. He had summoned another human, only this one was on his side. The phantom could even heal the Mirror Knight's wounds. It had been a lucky summon too, since the opposing human had two golden phantoms with him.

The Mirror Knight's shield wasn't broken there either, though. The glass which laid sprawled all over the floor had mysteriously reappeared in the shield's mirror again. The silver and black thing was a mystery, indeed, even to the Knight himself. He would've liked to meet the craftsman.

A sudden sound coming from the entrance caused the Mirror Knight to turn his head in that direction. Before him stood a blonde, tall woman wearing the armor set of Faraam, save for the helmet. Her shield was a basic green, but her sword stood out. It was a warped and twisted Scimitar-like weapon. The Mirror Knight had seen it before. The sword was reminiscent of an equally warped owner.

Behind the woman came a gold and white phantom. One was a male mage carrying no weapon but his catalyst, which was ash grey. The other was a tanky looking man, using a greatsword which seemed like it was not supposed to be wielded by any man. The mage wore simple robes, but the berserker wore an unusual set. It looked like black steel, but the shoulders, chest and legs had masterfully forged curves. Penetrating the armor seemed almost impossible at the tip of the curves. Hadn't the Mirror Knight read about a certain group of warriors which used this set?

No matter, because it wouldn't save the man's life if he was struck by the mighty lightning which thundered above.

The trio seemed to eye the Mirror Knight from tip to toe, trying to find a weakness in his shining armor. The Mirror Knight did not want to let them find it, so he broke their concentration by slamming his shield into the ground, and saying: "Who do you seek?"

The woman was unafraid, and took a step forward with her chin raised high: "Your King is who we seek! If you may let us pass, no harm will befall you, knight!"

The Mirror Knight answered by raising his sword high, and letting lightning strike it. It imbued his sword with its deadly power, and after a few seconds, the entire armor was crackling with electricity. "You are brave woman… But no man, or woman, or group of either…" He looked up; "Can slay me."

The silence fell upon them once again, with only the occasional crack of lightning disturbing the silence. The woman was unamazed by his display of power, but the two phantoms displayed more fear. Getting struck by lightning was not pleasant, and being cut with a sword was deadly. Getting struck by a lightning-infused sword which was about as long as they were tall, would indeed scare off most men. However, the woman still stood tall, almost challenging the Mirror Knight to a battle of wills. Would the woman bend to the legendary Looking Glass' power, or would the Mirror Knight fall to the woman's unbendable will?

Rain was sliding down the back of the woman's nose, while her eyes never left the Mirror Knight's. The Knight decided to earn himself the element of surprise.

"Enough of this!" He yelled, before cutting a line of lightning between the woman, warrior and mage. The mage was now momentarily isolated from the other fighters, earning the Mirror Knight time to eliminate him before they could recover. He slammed his shield into the ground, locking it in place, before charging the confused mage. The poor man noticed the hulking knight charging him, and only barely reached rolling away from a two-handed vertical slash. He did not reach recovering however, before the Mirror Knight backhanded him with such power that he was sent flying at least six feet before landing face first. The Mirror Knight raised his sword to finish the job, but was hit by a spell in the back, which caused him to stumble and fall past his fallen enemy. Getting up again, he noticed that the mage had reached recovering, and was now backing away, while the two others were starting to make their way around the path of lightning the Mirror Knight had spawned.

At the end of the path was the Mirror Knight's shield, at which the warrior stopped.

"I see a person in there."

"It's a mirror, come on!" The woman screamed, eager to help her friend.

"No, it ain't me, that be someone else!" He answered, as the figure behind the glass grew bigger and bigger. "I think he's tryin' to get ou-"

The glass shot out of the shield, cutting the man's face severely. Out of the mirror came a deep purple phantom, which shone brightly due to the rain which hit it. The phantom was a man in a Hexer's robe, with the mask of the Lost Sinner. In his right arm was the roaring halberd of the dreaded Skeleton Lords, and in his left was a deep black chime. The man was sinister to say the least, and clearly powerful.

He seemed to recover quickly from being shot out of the mirror, and went after the stunned warrior. His halberd met the warrior's greatshield, and they clashed.

The woman watched both of her companions, wondering which one she should help. She decided the mage, since he was not built for fighting alone.

The Mirror Knight launched a mighty swing toward the stumbling mage, not giving him time to cast a spell or conjure some defense. Lightning was striking the ground around the Looking Glass, making him look even more grand and sinister. Finally, the timing of the Mirror Knight was timed perfectly. Just as lightning shook the ground, the sword cut the mage's chest, sending him flying backwards once again. The Looking Glass realized that he was no longer a threat, and turned around… Only to receive another spell in the face.

Goddamn caster-coward! Good thing she is alone now, he thought, taking note of his Mirror Squire which was fighting of the warrior on the other side of the arena. He turned his gaze on the woman.

"You realize that you are now facing me alone? How will you hope to defeat me? Annoy me to death with your spells?"

"I intend to cut your silvertounge out first, knight, before smashing your precious shield and cutting you open with the glass!"

"Well then," the Mirror Knight answered, before putting his sword in two hands. "Let's fight."

"Gladly."

The woman charged with her sword and shield ready, and raised her sword to attack. Big mistake. The Mirror Knight swung his sword towards her exposed side, lightning crackling in the blade as he did. Before the hit landed, the woman backstepped arrogantly, before imbuing her sword with lightning. The Mirror Knight hadn't even noticed that she had switched her shield out for a golden chime. I am not focusing enough… or at least that is what she is trying to make me think.

The Mirror Knight knew that lightning wouldn't hurt his armor a bit, nor would her sword, but he also knew that this woman was smart. He wouldn't take any chances. Lifting his sword for a horizontal swing, he looked for what she might do next. He was going to try to display power, and perhaps intimidate her, but he wasn't certain about what she was going to do. He decided to scare it out. He swung his sword mightily, almost hitting her with its edge. Following up rapidly, he swung vertically on the next hit. Thunder shook the earth as the blade hit the ground, and the woman stumbled slightly.

She still hadn't switched back to her shield, which surprised the Mirror Knight. How would she defend herself if he just charged her? He did so, and tried to backhand her with his free hand. She rolled under it, and he did a spinning cut to keep her on the defensive. He raised his sword again, and sent lightning in her direction. She was caught off-guard, and the lightning electrified her armor so bad that she fell over while heaving for breath. Before she could recover he placed a foot on her chestplate, and pinned her down.

"I am to give you a few last words. Speak them quick."

She started whispering.

"What?"

Her whispering didn't grow louder.

"May I hear what you say?"

Her whispering grew faster. Then he noticed that her talisman was shining white. All this time she had prepared a powerful spell.

"NOO-!" And then, the eight feet tall Mirror Knight, wearing armor weighing 1.5 tons, was flying backwards, sailing at least six feet above the ground. He collided with his still-standing shield, knocking it over, before sliding at least twice the distance he flew.

Enraged, he picked his shield up, before slowly picking himself up. No clear damages were done to his armor, but his body was aching at the neck, which was where he collided with the shield. The shield was, as always, seemingly free of damage.

He slammed his shield down with such force, that the ground cracked, and thunder split the skies. "Mirror Squire!" he shouted. "Come back to me!" The Mirror Squire turned, and acknowledged, before slowly backpedaling away from the man he was dueling. The mage was slowly picking himself up, while the woman was healing him with her miracles. The warrior was returning to his partners.

"Oh servants of the Looking Glass, may thy soul be transformed into a corporeal being, before unveiling thyself through the Summoning Gate. Unveil!"

The mirror blasted out once again, and stepping forth was a warrior the polar-opposite of the previous summon. This one had the armor of Alva the Wayfarer, the Iron Mask of Heide, and a shield of Drangleic smiths. His sword however, was the most intimidating factor about him: the ultra greatsword of the infamous Pursuer, who collected the souls of Undead who travelled the lands of Drangleic. This sword was a symbol of hate, shame, power and sin.

The woman looked at the trio, before shouting: "Who are you summoning to fight us?! These men wield weapons of Legends, which are written of in stories, never seen in real form! That sword is as infamous as the… man, who once wielded it!"

The Mirror Knight answered by slamming his shield down once again: "Maybe you now realize that it was a mistake to fight me, warrior-princess?"

The woman had clearly lost her stature. Now she wasn't facing one great warrior, but three. The Mirror Knight alone had almost defeated two of them, and now that they were three on three, defeating them seemed impossible! She decided to take on the toughest one herself: "I'll fight the tall one. You two take the others."

"Aye," answered the brutish man beside her. "I'll take the guy with the big sword. See if it'll help him from mine!" He banged his equally giant sword against his shield. She mustered the most confident smile she could. "We can still win, guys. We can still win." She didn't believe it herself, so she avoided looking them in the eye. She wouldn't want to take their confidence from them.

And then they charged. The Mirror Knight took aim at the woman in the middle, intending to make her suffer for the humiliation she caused him. To his right, was the hexer, who ran straight for the man with the huge sword, while he was coating himself in Dark. To his left, the knight he had summoned latest was charging the frail mage, each step almost as loud as the Mirror Knight's own. They were undoubtedly going to win this.

The gaps quickly closed… And they clashed. The Mirror Knight swung a mighty blow aimed at the woman's head, which she backstepped. He swung again, and she ducked under this time. Her follow-up charge was hindered by his mighty shield, before he pushed her nine feet back. He closed the gap quickly, swiping at her legs this time. She countered with a spell, which she had readied after he pushed her. It deflected off his shield, and hit her back instead. She slid backwards, before her path was hindered by a piece of debris. Stars split her vision in multiple places, and she knew that she didn't have long to recover. True enough, the Mirror Knight had already caught up with her, and was charging his weapon with lightning. He sent a line of lightning in her direction, which hit her square in the chest. He kept the string going, before cutting it off. He knew that she was close to being knocked unconscious.

"I'll save you for last." He said, before turning to observe his comrades. They had swapped opponents now, so it was mage-on-mage and knight-on-knight. The hexer was coating his weapon and immediate area with dark, while the mage had more than enough with defending himself and keeping his offensive spells ready for a counter. No opening to retort was granted the poor man though. The knight wielding the Pursuer's sword had no immediate advantage, as his opponent was a sturdy and brave man, but he was keeping his heavy strings of attacks going. He would eventually win that battle, even if he had no advantage at the moment.

The Mirror Knight decided to finish the mage, as he was clearly the weakest link. Stepping in from behind the mage, he put his shield up, like a barricade. The backpedaling man would eventually be trapped between the Mirror Knight's shield and a hexer's maddening spells. Not the place he wanted to be.

When the man's back hit the Mirror Knight's shield, the sudden blockade came so suddenly that he fell forward again. Before he could pick himself up, the Mirror Squire's hexes did. Slowly the man was raised off the ground, before he was hanging helplessly in the air. The hexer whispered words as dark as night into his chime, before absorbing the mage's very lifesource into himself. What was left of the poor man, was a husk, already rotting away. He was Hollowed.

The Mirror Knight signalized for the hexer to help finish the other phantom as well, before checking on his electrocuted foe. She was awake now, but seemingly unable to move. Her mouth and eyes were open, and she was breathing, but her body was still too hurt to move. The Mirror Knight slowly closed the gap between them, before bending down to one knee, and dropping his weapons.

"Are you awake now?" he asked. Her eyes slowly met his, and out came few words:

"What are you?"

The Mirror Knight considered the question, before answering: "As of now, wondering who or what I am is a strange thing to care about. You can say I am a guardian, a monster, a beast, a fighter, a magician… an enjoyer of the moment. But what am I really, right now?" He leaned in to her: "I, am your martyr."

He stood up, and turned around just to see his two squires pin the other man down in a pool of water, before brutally stabbing him to death with their weapons. He turned back to the woman, and bent down again. "You Undead can take quite the beating, am I right?"

She met his eyes, and slowly nodded. "Good. Then this will not be quick." Then he grabbed her shoulders, lifted her up, before slamming her down on his opposite side. Not waiting, he kicked her side so she flew into a set of pillars, which collapsed as she hit them. He calmly walked over to the place where she lied, and saw that she was clearly fading. Not allowing it, he bent down and took her estus flask out of her pouch. He put it to her mouth: "Drink!"

She didn't dare to do anything else, so she obliged. Estus flasks only fixed wounds, but they did not mend any pain. Only a miracle with the right verses could do so. So, when she had taken a few slurps, he grabbed hold of her once again, and tossed her over to his Mirror Squires, which pinned her arms down. "Leave," The Mirror Knight commanded. "You are not needed anymore."

The Squires hesitated slightly, before nodding, and fading away back to their own worlds. The rain was still falling in bucketloads, almost obscuring the Mirror Knight's vision. It fit the situation, he thought. No man, or woman, would humiliate the mighty Looking Glass. No one.

NO-one.

Charging over to her once again, he picked her up by the foot, after which he tossed her into the castle wall. She didn't even hit the ground before his foot collided with her midsection, bulking the armor inwards. Blood spilled from the spot, coloring her cloth crimson. Her face was contorted with pain, but she did not find the will to scream. For once, she regretted her action; pushing the Mirror Knight back with her miracle may have saved her from a quick death, but it was rather preferable to this. Now he was slamming her face into the ground repeatedly, her nose bleeding, and she could almost feel her cranium crack. If she hadn't been Undead, her body would have collapsed long ago. Unfortunately, it hadn't. Goddamn the curse, goddamn my battle-hardened mind, and GODDAMN THE MIRROR KNIGHT!

Then she felt the Knight's gauntlet close around her jaw, and her head was turned to face him. Right there and then, she realized what she was looking at: A cold, ancient stare. One that she had been so foolish to fight, and even more foolish to hurt. The Mirror Knight was a powerful soul, one that she would so like to have herself, but she wouldn't. Instead, she would die, in this cold rain, with blood running down her face and body, while she was regretting starting this hopeless journey.

She stepped through the Mirror Knight's entrance with confidence.

Now, she dies to the Mirror Knight's hand, with regret.