Episode 1 Fangblade Enters the War
Bera. Home of magicians and bowmen, thieves and warriors (and recently pirates too!). No matter how diverse the Maple world was, the mightiest of all was always one Dragon Knight, the strongest and the first to reach level 200. He is well known as the Dragon Knight Fangblade who lives with his beloved wife, the Ice Mage Starlightzz, the fifth in world rankings and the second woman to be among the Great Five (next to Novinha).
Bera has always lived peacefully. Until one day, their neighboring dimension, Scania, fell to darkness. Only the strong have been able to survive in Scania such as the mighty Dragon Knight Tiger and Night Lord Suuushi. Although Tiger and Suuushi were the strongest from their world and was equivalent in strength to the Great Five, the darkness was stronger than that. While Scania burned up, Tiger and Suuushi escaped to Bera to ask for help. And so, begins the story of how the Maple world almost vanished from existence…
Two teenage brothers from another dimension, Broa, decided to step into Bera for a little monster hunting. They heard that they can make better profit in Bera than in any other dimension and decided to take a shot at it. However, they were just your everyday citizens; hang out with friends, tease noobs, do quests, etc… A new town recently opened called Nautilus and the brothers decided to take a look.
"I hope it's a good training spot," one of them spoke. "Then we can watch noobs die at the same time." The other one laughed. But when they reached the area, the town's locations were too easy for them. It was filled with the simplest monsters that were capable of being destroyed by a simple poke. It was mainly a small harbor with many pirate ships. The majority of the people who had just arrived found it a nice place to take a swim at the same time. For two 4th job rank fighters (the highest rank), it looked like a children's playground.
"Ugh, let's get going," he groaned. They started their way back to other towns with harder monsters.
"Wait," the other said. "…did you see that?"
"See what?"
"Over there. There were just bubbles coming out from the corner of that ship."
"Yea there are a lot of fishes here, nothing abnormal."
"No, it wasn't the same…" They both stared at that corner for a while, but nothing happened. Finally they gave up and continued to walk back. Suddenly they both heard drips of water, but by the time they turned around there was already someone standing behind them with his flower sword pointed at their faces.
"You guys," he panted. He appeared to be out of breath. "You're Broians, aren't you?"
"Um, yea" one of them stumbled. "...You're…"
"Yae, it's Korwyn!" he gasped. They both quickly lowered their heads in respect. Korwyn was the leader of the Broa dimension and the third position among the Great Five.
"There's no time for that Broians," Korwyn responded. "Where does Lord Fangblade reside? I must speak to him immediately."
"We can show you, your majesty," Yae replied.
"Be swift, I will follow you." They quickly ran out of town towards Fangblade's mansion.
"Honey, something wrong," said Starlightzz. "Scania is gradually being sucked up and now Tiger and Suuushi are officially reported missing." She stared out their gigantic window in the hallway. The sunlight was so strong that she could not see half of the scenery. "You don't suppose that they are…" She didn't finish her statement.
"They're fine," Fangblade responded. "Our reinforcements there have not been defeated yet. Tiger and Suuushi are probably just secretly in hiding. It's the best for them now."
"Something's still not right…" Starlightzz felt as if there was something not only wrong with Scania, but with the rest of the dimensions in the Maple world. She had a feeling that other dimensions were in a much worse condition and that soon Bera would be destroyed along with them.
The doorbell rang. It was late in the afternoon and they had not expected anyone. Visitors were not allowed to come without an appointment scheduled ahead of time. Secretly, Starlightzz hoped that it was Tiger and Suuushi.
"Hirarii, please answer that," Fangblade spoke. Hirarii was one of Fangblade's knights. Fangblade had over seven knights, all who possessed a special ability that only the Great Five knew about. Only one had the true power capable of controlling fate. If their ability was at maximum, it would surpass the power of all the Great Five's combined. However, such power was nearly impossible according to scientific researches and if it ever existed, the possessor would most likely die instantly. Fortunately, none of Fangblade's knights knew or possessed the one great amount of power, yet. Fangblade on the other hand, believed that among his knights, Hirarii had the most potential for achieving that legend. Hirarii was not standing in the hallway with them. She suddenly appeared by his side.
"Yes, My Lord," she responded and bowed. Without future words, she disappeared and received the door within seconds.
Yae's brother, Ran, was a magician. He was able to teleport all three of them to the front gate of Fangblade's mansion within minutes. Normal people were not allowed to even step onto Fangblade's property. They both felt scared, but it was under Korwyn's command to stay. He thought they might be of some use later on.
A girl of about twenty years of age appeared at the gate. It happened so suddenly that Yae and Ran jumped and nearly tripped. She had long light purple hair and was fully equipped with black and lavender armor. Her mouth and nose was covered with a mask. She looked like a type of warrior, but her occupation was not obvious. She had a bow tied to her back, a pocket of the rarest throwing stars, a dagger, a shotgun, and a long sword.
"You must be Hirarii, the Third of the Celestial Knights," Korwyn stated. "Please, I need speak with Lord Fangblade immediately."
"Of course, your majesty," Hirarii quickly responded, but slow enough that it sounded calm and mature. She unlocked the gate and the three of them stepped inside the holy palace.
Episode 2 The Celestial Knights
"Your majesty," Hirarii spoke. "Why do you bring these citizens with you?" Yae and Ran turned stiff. They were just thinking about running away until Korwyn responded.
"I believe that they will be of some importance in the future," he stated. Hirarii looked back.
"A lvl148 Paladin and a lvl162 Ice/Lightning Arch Mage would be of some use to you, your majesty?" she asked. This time they both really wanted to make a run for it. How did she know everything about them by just looking for a few seconds? What did they know about what's going on anyways? There was a rumor that war was going on in other worlds but the public had never released any information regarding one. Many did not survive to bring evidence, but everyone assumed that it was not true from the very beginning.
"You must look beyond what's on the outside, Hirarii." She did not respond because they had arrived in the hallway where Fangblade and Starlightzz stood.
"Korwyn!" Starlightzz cried.
"What brings you here?" Fangblade asked bluntly.
"I'm afraid that Broa will soon be gone as well," Korwyn stated.
"Have you come for armies?" Fangblade asked.
"No, it's too late for that, and it might be too late for Scania as well. Bera is the only one left. We must protect it at all costs."
"We will deal with that, you must recover from the wound on your arm first." None of them had realized it before, not even Starlightzz. It was underneath his clothing but Fangblade could easily sense the smallest speck of dust on a window. Another young girl appeared by Fangblade's side and walked towards Korwyn.
"I can treat it, your majesty," she said.
"Thank you, Knight of Fourth, Heroine," Korwyn replied. She had short blue hair but it was so beautiful that it sparkled in the light with the rest of her sky blue armor and flowed with her soft, tender voice. Her occupation was also unknown; she carried the same weapons that Hirarii had. However, because she was able to heal, Yae and Ran assumed that she was a special Ice/Thunder Arch Mage, capable of healing. They had heard of such rare cases. Fangblade stared at them both.
"Hirarii, take his two servants to the courtyard," Fangblade sighed. "We cannot have any interference during our meeting."
We aren't servants! they both thought, but who would dare talk back to the most powerful person in the world? She put her hand on their shoulder and they disappeared instantly into the courtyard. Thinking that these Celestial Knights were no different people from them, Yae talked back.
"Just take us back to Nautilus and you won't have to babysit us," he spoke.
"I cannot do that; it's under Lord Fangblade's orders," she responded briefly and sat down on a nearly rock. "And his majesty's too."
"We don't even want to be involved in whatever you guys are in!" Yae shouted. "We're not even servants!"
"Just stay put and you might be spared."
"Spared? By who, you? I've beaten a lot of noobs before."
"How dare you call me a noob." Hirarii's voice was still calm. She had no intention to fight worthless people. Yae gave up and paced in huge circles, thinking that neither of them will get out anytime soon. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A couple of hours later, an explosion occurred hundreds of miles away from Fangblade's mansion. Only the Great Five in the conference room heard it, and a couple of Celestial Knights.
"What's wrong?" Heroine asked worriedly. Hirarii seemed startled.
"There's something…that exploded…" Hirarii paused. "I...don't know what…"
"Well, is it near?"
"No, it's pretty far; probably in El Nath."
"Well, then there's nothing to worry about," Heroine assured.
"It actually is," a voice called from behind. He had short light brown hair that glittered with his navy blue eyes. He was the Fifth Knight, Dolob.
"That's not a normal explosion," he continued. "We should check it out."
"Wasn't Loopedd going to El Nath this morning?" Heroine asked.
"He was actually," Dolob recalled. "He could be caught in the mess by now."
"Then let's go, we'll bring the servants too," she pointed out. Yae and Ran agreed happily, seeing it as a chance to run away even if it's all the way up in the snowy hills. They arrived instantly and saw half of the town demolished into simple twigs, darkening the fresh white snow. There was no sign of the source of the great explosion, or even life. They all got a bit worried.
"I'll go check the marketplace," Dolob volunteered.
"Then I'll check the exterior of the town with the servants," Hirarii responded. Heroine stayed in the central part of town to examine the damage more detail.
The brothers attempted many times to escape but Hirarii had eyes behind her head. They were not strong enough to use their skills to run away either.
"Do I have to put chains on both of you?" she asked.
"Just let us go, we don't want to be here anyways," Ran sighed.
"Maybe his majesty would consider releasing you if you helped us with this situation." Ran changed the subject.
"What are you anyways?" he asked.
"Huh?" Hirarii turned around, wondering what he was asking. Was he questioning her and the other's amazing powers?
"Well your friend is obviously a magician. What are you? A thief or a bowman…or a magician…or a warrior...or a pirate?" Ran made completely random guesses.
"I think she's a thief," Yae responded. "She has pretty good dexterity."
"Bowmen have good dexterity too," Ran corrected. They continued to argue their points. Hirarii figured that they were too busy chatting to think of another escape plan. She continued to search beyond the snowy trees and steep hills. Finally she sees something orange reflecting off the sunlight on one of the cliffs.
Loopedd, she thought. She swiftly jumped from rock to rock up the hill to get to where he was. Yae and Ran watched amazingly.
"See, only thieves can do that with their flash jump," Yae argued.
"Bowmens do that too to climb up trees and hide," Ran stated. When Hirarii brushed off the extra snow covering the rest of the object, it was indeed Loopedd, the Sixth Knight, slightly injured.
"What happened, Loopedd?" she asked.
"Hirarii?" he muttered. "I don't know, there was just a flash and…and then half the town was gone. There was this person standing there afterwards, unhurt. I couldn't see his face, or what was his occupation, but before I could attack him he knocked me unconscious somehow." Loopedd's right arm was slightly fractured, but it could be healed easily with Heroine's help.
"Go back to the mansion with Heroine. Dolob and I will check out what happened here," Hirarii smiled.
"Alright," he sighed, slowly getting up. "But you guys might need a little more help."
"We'll give a call if we need any." They turned around and walked back to town. Loopedd stared at Yae and Ran.
"Are these guys survivors?" he asked.
"No, just Korwyn's servants," Hirarii replied. Yae and Ran yelled at her statement, but they ignored them.
"Oh, he's here?"
"Something went wrong in Broa. This incident could be related to it too."
"I agree." Heroine brought Loopedd back to the mansion and Dolob, Hirarii, Yae, and Ran went deeper into El Nath to the dangerous Dead Mine, where zombies and other creatures from hell roamed freely. Soon there was no more winter, just burning hot layers of molten rock beneath their feet.
"While we're here, we should go kill a Zakum," Yae suggested.
"Right, we have a lot of strong people with us too," Ran agreed.
"Focus, what we're dealing with here is more than a million times stronger than a Zakum," Dolob sighed. "Those things are too easy anyways…" They both thought he was just bluffing. Zakum was the strongest monster in the world. How could anything be a million times harder?
It didn't take long before they realized that Dolob wasn't bluffing. They ran into an army of what appeared to be a million fireballs, but they were all pitch black. Yae and Ran attacked out of fear, but no damage was done. Instead, the fireballs merged into human beings that shot fire out of their body.
"It's no use, their bodies' just regenerate!" Yae yelled.
"My magic doesn't work on them either!" Ran replied with fear. "What are they?"
"So it's true," Dolob stated. "The dark force is within Bera now."
"It's not that much," Hirarii observed as she reached for the bow on her back. Yae and Ran thought that was sarcasm. "We could kill off this group easily." Dolob agreed and took out a compact bow from his pocket. It automatically formed into a golden bow, three times bigger than what was normally sold in stores. As the fake humans approached, Dolob and Hirarii shot out a light arrow at the same time.
Episode 3 The Great Five
It only took them less than ten shots each to wipe out the army. Yae and Ran stood in a corner, avoiding the battlefield. They had to immediately report back to Fangblade of the incident. The repairs for El Nath had to wait. While leaving the Dead Mine, Hirarii spotted a jewel lying on the ground. It was sea blue and beautifully cut so that a million rays reflected among the perfect gem. The sterling silver chain that held it was broken.
Could it be? She thought. She shoved it in her pocket quickly before the others noticed and caught up with their walking pace. Loopedd was healed and doing well when they arrived back. Dolob had reported what they encountered and Fangblade wasn't at the least shocked.
"It's about that time anyways," Fangblade sighed. "We'll just have to be aware of their actions before they occur." The rest of the Celestial Knights entered the conference room and listened to Fangblade and Korwyn. Broa and Scania were officially gone and they were depended on to protect Bera for it was the only dimension left in peace at that time. Yae and Ran were asked to help as well. Knowing that they would be award greatly, they accepted the terms and were given better armor and weapons. Still, they were not informed about who the Celestial Knights really were.
Days and weeks passed as each Knight constantly found small groups of dark forces at random locations. Although they were not knights, Yae and Ran had the same job and thanks to their special equipment, they were able to defeat the darkness. One day, Shynobi, the First Knight, encountered a usual strong force of darkness. He could barely hold it off but received help from a strong bystander. She took off her hood and revealed her face to him. Shynobi immediately bowed and ask her to come to see Fangblade.
"It is so good to see you, Suuushi," Fangblade said relieved.
"I didn't want to come straight to you, in case I was still being followed," she stated.
"What about Tiger?" Starlightzz asked.
"We went separately when we came to Bera, but I'm sure he's doing well. Curryishott should be here too."
Suuushi was right. The next day the Seventh Knight, Keturah, found him meditating inside a tree of the town of Ellinia. Curryishott, the second position, was needed with Fangblade to call in a meeting for the Great Five. Keturah had to ensure his safety and secrecy before he was willing to come out. Almost completed, the Second Knight, NeoJunker, sought to find the last member of the Great Five, Novinha of the fourth position. She was actually plotting strategies for defeating the darkness in the mountains of Perion when NeoJunker found her. Novinha willingly came to the palace.
The only person left was the mysterious Tiger who ruled the world before Fangblade's time. He had been missing for over a month since Suuushi had last seen him. Still, they were all determined that he was at good health. While the Great Five and Suuushi had their meeting for several days, the Celestial Knights continuously searched for Tiger.
Yae and Ran explored the Dungeon area for days. When they searched deep in Sleepywood, they encountered an extremely large force of darkness. The darkness itself was easy to destroy, but they never ended because someone there was manipulating the darkness at the same time. Ran used his ice magic to freeze him and then shock while Yae attacked with his shout ability, manipulating his sword's power by thousands. No damage was done and the two became worried. They still could not see the mysterious figure; however, they assumed that he was a thief because he too threw stars and had the dark sight ability of becoming invisible.
When they needed it most, help miraculously came crashing from the sky. The shiny fairfrozen spear pointed right towards the enemy's head, but he caught it before it had reached his skull. By the time the enemy looked up, he had already been blown away by his powerful kick. He reached for his fairfrozen.
"I didn't think it was you doing this all this time," he growled.
"Things are not what it seems, Your Honor," it laughed. "It's nice of you to finally come out and show yourself."
"Same to you, Salleem," he sneered. Salleem chuckled.
"I guess it's nice to know the face of the person who killed you. But first, dear cousin, why don't you show me your strength if you think you can defeat the darkness." Angered, he attacked directly at Salleem, but he defended it easily. Yae and Ran attempted to help him, but the two did not seem to notice their efforts. They continued in a series of offense and defense until Salleem completely wore him out. Salleem fatally stabbed him with his dagger in the abdominal area. He was unable to attack anymore and fell.
"And they called you the hero of Scania," Salleem spat. "Disgusting." He stole his fairfrozen and prepared to stab him right down the center of the heart. Suddenly the fairfrozen was knocked out of Salleem's hand. And arrow shot directly into the center of his cervical, but he did not feel anything. He was temporarily stunned with the gushing of blood rushing out of his skull. He yanked out the arrow and the wound slowly patched up. During that time someone had appeared in front of him with an evil glare.
Episode 4 The Mysterious Power
"I will protect His Honor," she sneered and forcefully kicked him into the woods. Salleem crashed and broke several trees. Meanwhile, Hirarii did her best to heal his injury.
"Well, if it isn't the Third Knight protecting the little weakling." Hirarii jumped, but didn't turn back. Salleem was faster than she thought.
"I thought you were gone for good," Hirarii growled.
"I was," Salleem joked. "But I came back to destroy the rest of you."
"LastBreath, Hydrange, AnhRau, and Mecate weren't enough for you?"
"They were simply appetizers," he laughed. They were great people who were just below the rank of the Great Five. They all died trying to defeat the darkness on their own.
"You are so sick!" Hirarii yelled and stabbed him again with her dagger from an angle that wasn't noticeable. Salleem didn't move, but was appeased. He slowly grabbed the handle of the dagger from her hands, pulled it out, and tossed it to the side. Fear rose in Hirarii.
"W..what the heck are you?" Hirarii cried.
"While pretty boy over there was busy becoming the ruler of the world and you were obeying that dog's orders, I became immortal," Salleem chuckled. "Don't worry I have no intention of hurting you for now, but he has to go." He was still conscious but was still too injured to move.
"I won't let you touch His Honor!" she yelled.
"Then you just have to die with him."
"Hirarii, please get out of here," he whispered.
"No, Your Honor, I can't leave you to --"
"What happened to calling me Tiger?" he joked. Hirarii paused.
"You're much more than just Tiger now," she stated. "You're Tiger of Scania." Hirarii withdrew her long sword and pointed it at Salleem's throat.
"I can't believe you still want to fight even though you know I'm immortal," Salleem laughed.
"That has never stopped me from before," Hirarii glared.
"Face it, even a Celestial Knight, not even all the Great Fives could stop me." She didn't let him continue his moment of pride and slit his throat. Salleem, for the time, continued with physical attacks. His body was able to stretch freely into many shapes. Hirarii missed frequently but Salleem still didn't attack.
"You're capable of doing more than just waving your sword," Salleem stated. "Why don't you use the rest of your power?" Hirarii ignored him and continued to attack. While Salleem was entertained, he was caught off guard and Hirarii used a strong lightning energy to shock him from behind. He was temporarily paralyzed.
Not wanting to fight, Hirarii dropped a meso bomb next to him and ran away, picking up Tiger, Yae, and Ran at the same time. They teleported away out just before the bomb went off. They only landed in Kerning City, the second farthest town from Sleepywood. They still had a long way to go before reaching Fangblade's mansion, secretly hidden on another island. To avoid being seen, they snuck into a secret passageway away from the civilians of the city. Hirarii was too weak to teleport all of them any further. She healed Tiger's wound and then rested.
"I thought you were a bowman," Ran stated, breaking their long moments of recovering from panic. "How come you used your dagger and sword in the battle?"
"And don't forget, she could also teleport and heal," Yae added. "Only magicians can do that."
"I'm all of them," Hirarii gave up. She was too tired to care about them knowing. "I grew up as a bowman but became more adapted to swordsmanship and learned magic and thievery in my spare time."
"That's impossible," Rae responded. "You could only be one."
"That's for normal people like you," she sighed. "We all have this power, which is why Fangblade created the Knights union: for people like us."They were silent for a moment.
"That's enough of that," Hirarii continued. "We have to get back to My Lord…"
"No," Tiger objected. "You need to rest first."
"My health is not as important as…"
"Don't make me turn it into an order," he objected. Hirarii sighed and gave up.
"Yes, Your Honor…"
"I thought the Knights had more power than those below the Great Five," Yae asked.
"They do," Tiger replied. "But she likes to respect me and Suuushi for some reason."
"It's because both of you are my idols," Hirarii answered. "Without Suuushi I wouldn't have had the hope to become this strong, and without you I wouldn't have became a Hero." (top rank for warriors from the fighter chain.)
"If you love them so much, why did you follow Fangblade?" Ran asked. Hirarii paused for a few seconds before responding.
"Because I'm a Berian," she stated proudly. "Without Fangblade I wouldn't be able to protect my own dimension in the same effective way." To them it was a good reason and Tiger completely understood.
Episode 5 The Decision
The next morning, before the sun had rose, they returned to Fangblade's mansion where they greeted Tiger openly. Fangblade and Tiger had a secret meeting about who the person behind all of this was. Salleem was indeed Tiger's cousin. At a young age, they both sought to become the strongest and the best. Salleem, however, was not as successful as Tiger and didn't accomplish his dreams. Instead, he turned towards the other direction to get what he wanted. Salleem gave up his soul for the power and the rest of the world thought he died anonymously.
Salleem was close to Hirarii too. She helped him try again and again when they were just kids, but Salleem felt jealous of how fast Hirarii was able to learn and left. Now Salleem is enemies with both of the people who cared so much for him, and he feels no pity at all.
Tiger was your casual young teenager who was good-humored, strong, and powerful with his words. He simply did not want the fame or wealth for being famous and strong, but he wanted the power to protect the people in need. Tiger and Salleem had an agreement that they would both be strong to strive for what they want. Now, he couldn't believe that Salleem had turned against him. Does he really need to kill him?
Fangblade had instructed him to do so.
"It's the only thing we can do, Tiger," he stated. "Even if we could stop him without being murderers, the laws state that he will need to be executed for all his sins. He has killed too many, and he tried to kill you too." Tiger completed agreed, but how were they supposed to kill an immortal? Would all of the Great Five and Celestial Knights be enough to stop Salleem?
"Of course he deserves it," NeoJunker stated. "Why should he be treated different from any other criminal?" He was chilling under a tall, shady tree, talking to the other Knights.
"I knew Salleem before," Keturah rejected. "He wouldn't do stuff like this. Perhaps he's just being controlled or consumed within his own despair. For what purpose do we have for doing something so extreme to him?"
"He's dead, Keturah," Shynobi sighed. "He has no feelings, no emotions, no heart. If we send him to heaven or hell, wherever he belongs, he'll finally be at peace and so will we, end of story."
"That just leaves the big issue," Loopedd continued. "How do we kill an immortal?"
"You're a Celestial Knight aren't you?" Shynobi asked sarcastically.
"How can you be so confident that our powers are enough to stop him?" Loopedd yelled. "We're not miracles!"
"Because that's all we have, just suck it up." That was the truth. The rest had no opinions or did not want to get involved with their dispute. As the First Knight, Shynobi was stern and seemingly fearless. None of them wanted to argue with him so they silenced.
Once again, they headed out to search areas that seemed to be in danger. Yae and Ran explored Heneseys, a tiny active town with a huge population, but eventually slacked off in their job.
"Ran, why are we doing this again?" Yae asked.
"Because we're getting good pay and equips to do this simple task," Ran stated.
"We're under Fangblade now," he pointed out. "This can't be an easy job." He scanned the rest of the crowd around them. Everyone was so happy talking to each other or exchanging goods.
"You're right," Ran admitted. "If we fail this job then everyone here will die, even us, and so will Fangblade and the rest of the world. We could go back to the days where we just do quests for people and fight monsters and sell items and do it all over again the next day, or we could do this. I think taking a little more adventure in life doesn't hurt. After all, we won't get an opportunity like this ever again."
"What about our friends?" Yae objected. "We're leaving them all behind too."
"But only for their protection," Ran smiled. "And when all of this is over, we'll be welcomed back as heroes." On that day, Yae and Ran made final visits to their friends and family, and wrote letters and sent packages to those who were too far away. They simply told them that they were going on a huge journey and nothing else. The sun was setting that evening and Keturah had passed by to take them back to the palace.
"I know it's hard leaving all this behind," she smiled. "But in the end you'll be happy you made this decision, I guarantee it. Nothing's better than fighting for your country."
Shynobi and NeoJunker spent their day trying to pinpoint Salleem's location. He was finally discovered by dusk.
"We attack tomorrow," Shynobi stated. "Right before sunrise at Mu Lung."
"Does Fangblade know about this?" Dolob asked. Shynobi avoided the question.
"The sooner the better," he replied bluntly and left for his room.
"We can't do this," Loopedd argued. "Going without His Lord's orders is just asking for death."
"Well, either follow Fangblade, or follow Shynobi," NeoJunker responded with a sigh. "He's going to go even if none of us follows him."
"Stubborn fool," Dolob muttered. The decision rested within each individual, most unable to choose. Everyone left for their rooms without a word after that. The girls were walking down the hallway of their wing.
"Good night, Keturah," Hirarii and Heroine blessed. As soon as she shut the door Heroine raised the question.
"What will you do, Hirarii?" she whispered.
"I cannot disobey My Lord," Hirarii stated. "Shynobi can go die if he wants to. What about you?"
"I don't know," she said slowly. "I too agree with you Hirarii that we should not disobey our master's orders, but we cannot abandon our comrades either."
"We don't even have any camaraderie with Shynobi."
"But Hirari," Heroine argued. Then she paused for a moment. Hirarii looked at her until she continued her sentence. "A lot of people are going to die tomorrow, I can feel it. Tonight will be the last day when all seven Celestial Knights exist."
Episode 6 A Split Road
Before a streak of light appeared in the sky, four Knights emerged towards the center of the courtyard.
"I hope this is good enough," Shynobi sighed. Then he leaded them secretively out of the palace towards Mu Lung. The time in Mu Lung was later than at Fangblade's mansion. They were able to reach there a few minutes before the sun slowly came out. It was not hard to find Salleem; he was waiting for them all along.
"Idiots," Dolob yelled. He released his anger on the table where they had breakfast. The utensils slightly flew in the air and returned back to its position with a small clang.
"Shynobi, NeoJunker, Heroine, and Keturah," Loopedd stated. "I wonder if they're still alive by now." It was approximately 8:45am, two hours past sunrise. Before they were able to walk out from the dining room after eating, Novinha appeared by the doors. They quickly knelt.
"Where are the rest of the Knights?" she asked sternly.
"They left early to go search Ossyria Island," Dolob lied quickly.
"You dare lie to me?" Novinha beamed. None of them responded. "This morning I saw your little friends out in the courtyard all suited up, sneaking out of the palace. Now tell me where they went." Novinha was about to raise her voice again until Starlightzz walked in.
"Relax Novinha," she assured her. "Just tell us, is it something bad?" They all nodded. "Then I will notify Fangblade." Novinha and Starlightzz walked out without another word.
"What do we do now?" Dolob asked.
"Wait to see if His Lord will bother saving their sorry asses," Loopedd sighed. They decided to walk towards Fangblade's office to await their order, or punishment.
"Why did you let them go?" Fangblade asked sternly.
"There was no way of convincing Shynobi out of it, My Lord," Loopedd responded. Fangblade sighed, knowing that Shynobi had always held a sense of authority. If he were to send the rest of his Knights to the battlefield, he could lose them all, or he could discard half of them and it would still leave them with the same helpless fate. Fangblade dismissed the Knights until he figured out his decision.
The Knights chilled around the palace on their own, wondering if there really was anything that could have been done to save all four. Hirarii was casually walking down the hall when she spotted Tiger coming in the opposite direction.
"Your Honor," she bowed.
"Please stop doing that Hirarii," Tiger sighed. Hirarii ignored his comment. "Listen, I need to ask you for a big favor."
"Anything sir," Hirarii responded.
"Bring them back here," Tiger commanded. "They're not capable of fighting Salleem on their own. Hirarii, you could hold off Salleem long enough to help everyone escape. Don't let the fight continue, just bring them all back here first and we'll worry about the rest later."
"Yes, Your Honor," Hirarii shouted and quickly ran off without looking back at his face.
"Hey, be careful!" Tiger shouted back. On the way out the palace, Hirarii dragged along Dolob and Loppedd who accepted the task only because it was under the request of Tiger. They arrived within moments and Mu Lung looked like a mess. They barely recognized the ancient Asian city because more than half of the entire city was demolished. The rest of the city was either on fire or almost completely destroyed. Not very far were the four Knights fighting against the propitiated Salleem.
The Knights used their full potential by attack with all four weapons: the sword, throwing stars, magic, and arrows. Only a few hit Salleem and all had no effect. The four Knights appeared to be worn out already, but still strived to defeat him. Some held minor injuries.
Hirarii, Dolob, and Loopedd ran into the battlefield and did their best to drag the rest of the Knights away from the fight. Dolob took on a temporary solo against Salleem while Hirarii and Salleem swiftly pulled the Knights out.
"I refuse to go," Shynobi shouted stubbornly.
"C'mon man!" Loopedd yelled. "You can do this another day! Let's go!" But Shynobi only ran back towards Salleem. They were able to drag the girls out easily who seemed to willingly go back home.
"He's indestructible," Heroine panted. "It's impossible to even make him feel pain." Meanwhile, Shynobi pushed aside Dolob and fought with NeoJunker against Saleem.
"Dolob, just take the girls and go," Hirarii commanded. "We'll get those two." Loopedd had already rushed into the battlefield. Eventually, Salleem had stop resisting fighting and attacked intentionally. He fatally injured NeoJunker in the waist and Shynobi on his right arm. Hirarii took the closest person, Shynobi, away from Salleem while Loopedd distracted him.
Salleem unleashed a surprise attack from behind and stabbed him with his dagger. Loopedd fell and didn't move afterwards. NeoJunker sought to use that time as an advantage to attack him. However, his speed was slowed due to his injury and Salleem inserted another wound before he had the chance to reach him. Hirarii immediately ran back and clashed his dagger with her sword so hard that it fell out of his hand and was stuck to the roof of a building far away. Hirarii had chopped his hand in the process but it grew back quickly.
"I have to help them!" Heroine screamed and teleported towards NeoJunker and Loopedd. She was too fast for Dolob to catch, so he just secured Keturah and Shynobi from running back too. Heroine first went to cure Loopedd, but he was bleeding so much she was afraid it couldn't be helped. By the time she finished half her work, she realized that Loopedd was already dead. Without hesitation, she swiftly went to NeoJunker and healed his wound one at a time.
Salleem and Hirarii continued their battle in the distance. In an instant, Salleem twirled his throwing stars around his fingers and threw them at Hirarii, nailing her to the nearest standing building before his hand could regenerate. Hirarii's two arms and left leg were pinned against the wall and she could barely move.
"Heroine behind you!" Hirarii yelled. Heroine turned around to see Salleem charging at her direction. She held onto NeoJunker tightly and transported them to another area nearby, but Salleem was already at the spot she moved to.
Impossible, Heroine thought. She defensively created an invisible barrier but Salleem broke through it easily. Heroine gently laid NeoJunker on the ground. With that time lag given by the barrier, she gathered the rest of her energy and directed a gigantic lightning rod directly at Salleen's chest. The lightning rod pierced through Salleem effectively, and Heroine was pleased. Salleem couldn't move, but neither could she.
His arm was transformed into a sharp spear that went completely through Heroine's stomach. She didn't notice it before, but she just smiled and closed her eyes. They both fell back and didn't move.
"Heroine!" Keturah screamed. "Let me go, we need to help her!" Dolob didn't let her go and restrained her arms tightly. Dolob wanted to charge in there too, but that's just like walking into death. Besides, Salleem was idol and it was the best time to flee. Shynobi thought of the same thing and disappeared to help unpin Hirarii.
"Let's go back," Shynobi whispered after releasing her. "It's over."
"No," Hirarii cried softly. She looked up to see the four lifeless bodies in the middle of the burnt city. "He's not dead yet."
"I know, but we have to go now." Just then, Salleem slowly rose from the ground. Fear rose in Shynobi and he quickly grabbed Hirarii's arm and ran. Hirarii resisted and disappeared from his side in an instant. Shynobi looked back and she was gone. Then he turned towards Salleem and Hirarii was there with her sword through Salleem's stomach again.
"You killed them," Hirarii growled.
"We all die eventually, dear," Salleem chuckled. Hirarii responded by shoving a giant energy of ice through him with her other hand. His body froze up to his chest.
"So you're the chosen one," Salleem responded, amused. "No one else can inflict as much pain as you do. But still, it's not enough. You're too weak to unleash its full power." Hirarii went in flames and consumed his body in light, then exploded.
Shynobi ran into the dense smoke and retrieved Hirarii who was lying unconscious with Salleem nowhere to be found. Shynobi saw a few body pieces lying around, but he figured that it was nothing to Salleem to lose a few parts. As he carried Hirarii on his back, he quickly picked up Heroine, NeoJunker, and Loopedd and ran out where Keturah immediately teleported them out and onto the doorsteps of Fangblade's mansion.
Episode 7 Is it a Miracle?
"I am to be held full responsible for this, My Lord," Shynobi admitted.
"Your stubborn actions had cost the life of your own comrades," Fangblade roared. "Nothing can replace a soul, Shynobi." Hirarii had remained unconscious for a few days. Once she woke up, they had the funeral. Their bodies were buried in the center of the courtyard and they didn't allow the public to broadcast the event. A few friends of theirs were allowed to show up. They wept endlessly as tears fell down onto the soil of their grave.
"It's all your fault," Hirarii growled under her breath once the ceremony was over.
"I know, I already got my yelling for it," Shynobi sighed.
"Half of us are gone now!" Dolob yelled. "NeoJunker only went because he didn't want you to go by yourself. He didn't want his best friend to go out there alone. Heroine didn't want to abandon her teammates, plus she had the feeling that a lot of people were going to die and she thought she was the only person who could prevent that. And Loopedd, he didn't even want to go in the first place! They all sold their life to protect you two, all three of them!" Dolob glared stiffly at Shynobi and Keturah. They had nothing to say and lowered their heads.
"It doesn't matter who's at fault," Yae interrupted. "We just have to deal with the future."
"Easy for you to say," Dolob spat. "You didn't see their blood spilling everywhere." Nobody talked to each other for many days and Salleem remained idol and unknown.
"Are we even capable in fighting with so few Knights now?" Korwyn sighed. The Great Five were having a private meeting on a sunny afternoon. "In addition, it appears that they are refraining from talking to one another."
"They have us," Curryishott stated. "We cannot lose hope now."
"If he's capable of killing Knights, then some of us will fall too," Novinha argued.
"But Hirarii," Starlightzz added. "She nearly defeated him by herself. If she can do the same damage on him again and if we join in, he'll be gone for good."
"There's more to it than that, Starlightzz," Novinha replied. "Hirarii has a unique ability, I could tell from her sword techniques. It is true that the power is able to kill even an immortal. The amount of energy she inflicted was seemingly small, but it was already too powerful for the possessor. If Hirarii could possibly inflict any more damage, she would most likely die." Secretly, Fangblade knew she was capable of releasing more power. They called in Hirarii to further discuss the issue.
"It is not under my control," she admitted. "Something like that may never occur again; it is best to not assume that miracles will happen."
"It is not a miracle, Hirarii," Fangblade replied. "This power had always been with you since you were born. You will learn to control it by the time our next battle comes." With that said, the meeting concluded. Fangblade recruited Hirarii when she was nine. He would be the only person who knew her the best and what she was capable of.
The other Knights knew nothing about the special power. They had assumed that what Hirarii had done was just another basic meso bomb. Hirarii could not unleash that power again for days and remained hopeless.
"What are you trying to do?" Dolob asked, seeing her try so hard to do something with a giant rock by just putting one hand on it.
"The impossible," Hirarii sighed. "I'm trying to make miracles."
"Like the one with Salleem?"
"Yea."
"Well, what did you think of at that time? How did you feel?"
"I was barely mobile at that time," she admitted. "I just thought, I want to kill this guy so badly, and then it happened." She tried to imagine the same thing about the rock. Rays of light glowed brightly all over the rock internally, and then exploded into millions of gravel.
"It's not the same," Hirarii sighed. "His Lord is asking me to do the impossible and I can't!"
"Then don't," Dolob shrugged. "Just do what you normally do and hope for the best. You can't blame yourself for not trying." He walked away casually. Hirarii watched him leave and slumped on the ground for several minutes.
"Do you really know who you are?" Tiger asked, appearing out of nowhere. Hirarii sighed.
"No, not really Your Honor," she replied. "Am I more than just a Celestial Knight?"
"You are," he stated. "Fangblade wasn't sarcastic when he said you were born with it." He sat down next to her. "The power you have is not something that can be discovered by anything except when it's in use. That's why not even you know what it is."
"You seem to know more than I do," Hirarii observed.
"I do, because the Great Five and some of whom are at high rankings knew about it for centuries. What you have is more than just the power of God, you have fate in your hands too. It's so powerful that the power may consume the possessor itself and --"
"Destroy them," Hirarii continued. "I don't care if I die as long as Salleem leaves with me, but I still don't know how to unleash it."
"Fangblade knows that it's not something that can be done on purpose."
"Then why did –"
"He simply meant to tell you to use your heart to guide yourself towards that direction." Hirarii felt like an idiot for not realizing that before. Fangblade was always sarcastic from time to time but it was always hard to tell if he was because he always wore a mask.
"And I'll give you all my support to stop this guy," Tiger continued. He reached for the necklace down his shirt and showed it to Hirarii.
"Oh that," she said shocked. "I think I found one at the Dead Mine the other day." She reached for her pocket and retrieved it.
"Oh, so that's where I dropped it." Tiger observed the shiny blue jewel. "Now it's complete; you have both mine and yours." He tied a tough knot on the broken chain and looped both of them around Hirarii's neck. They were rare stones that they both found in the Cold Mine many years ago. Instead of selling them, they made it into necklaces and engraved their names on it. Hirarii gave hers to Tiger before he had left for Scania.
"It really brings back memories," Hirarii smiled.
"And isn't it worth fighting for?" Tiger asked. Hirarii nodded. It always is.
Episode 8 A Love Story
The final battle was set on the day after tomorrow for all the Knights, Great Five, and anyone else strong enough that were willing to participate. The Celestial Knights spent their last day enjoying every last breath of air. There was one Knight who still couldn't shake off the past, Dolob.
"Please, just suck it in," Shynobi sighed. Dolob refused to open his bedroom door to see his face. Shynobi still did his best to promote him to be on his best the next day.
"Just leave me alone," Dolob answered. "Don't worry, I'll show up tomorrow. It's the only reason I have left to live anyways." Shynobi did give up trying to make him see the bright side again. He left to take a stroll in the courtyard where Keturah and Hirarii were happily chatting.
"He's still depressed?" Hirarii asked.
"I've tried for half an hour already," Shynobi sighed and sat on a flat stone chair. "I did my best."
"It's because of Heroine," Keturah started softly. She wasn't sure if they knew before. "He lost his love and with it, all the reason to fight." Realization lit within Shynobi and Hirarii. That would explain why Dolob was more depressed than everyone else.
"I just assumed," Keturah continued. "Because he was always smiling when he was around Heroine. They were actually very close."
"I was," a voice answered. They turned around and saw Dolob slowly walking towards them from the shaded area.
"I'm sorry," Shynobi understood. "I didn't know…" Dolob didn't respond and sat next to him.
"That morning when I found out that she left, I couldn't understand why," Dolob continued. "I was so angry that I didn't bother to think that it would hurt this bad to lose someone you love. I did ask her out before, but she never gave me a response. Then that day when we were clearing out their rooms, I found her diary shoved to the side of her shelf. The last entry was the night before they left. She said that she had to go to protect those who were going out there. Then she concluded that if she lived to see the next sunrise, she would pray for her life and the well-being of everyone else, but stated that if she closed her eyes before then, than 'I want to pray for the world: for Bera, for My Lord, for the Knights, and for my beloved Dolob." He unfolded the ripped diary page from his pocket and showed it to Shynobi.
"If she didn't die, then she would've been my girlfriend," Dolob choked out from under his tight throat. "And Keturah, you would've lived a happy life with NeoJunker. That one battle changed all of our lives so much. I just wasn't able to let it go as easily as the rest of you." Keturah slowly nodded. When she lowered her head, tears flew out of her eyes.
"Me and NeoJunker, we were ready to die for each other," Keturah admitted. They had been together for almost two years. Secretly, NeoJunker was already ready to ask Keturah for marriage. Nobody knew about that, not even his best friend, Shynobi. He did find a beautiful silver swan ring hidden deep in NeoJunker's drawer, but Shynobi never spoke of it and simply hid it somewhere else. Keturah never found out about the marriage or the ring.
"But we promised to fight for one another if the worst happened," Keturah continued. "And Dolob, you should do the same. Heroine would've wanted you to move on too." He nodded.
"And so would've Loopedd," Dolob added. "Even though he never told you how he felt, Hirarii."
"Me?" Hirarii blinked. This was a new fact for everyone.
"I know, I wouldn't have guessed it myself," Dolob chuckled. "He told me he had a thing for you from the very beginning, ever since he moved in here and you were the first one to make him feel at home. He thought you were too absorbed into your job with obeying His Lord to care about relationships. Plus, you are the Knight of Three and he's the Knight of Six. He thought it would've been awkward to ask a higher knight."
"That's just ridiculous!" Hirarii objected. "Why would rank have to do with anything?" Then Hirarii quickly silenced without anymore to say. Knights were only ranked depending on their order of arrival. The higher the number did not necessarily mean that the knight was stronger. However, more respect towards the higher knight began to drift towards a tradition.
"I…just wish he told me," Hirarii mumbled. Hirarii thought about the time when she found Loopedd in El Nath unconscious and when he watched her back during the battle with Salleem. That was the last time she was with him. Loopedd used his last moments not to just defend everyone else, but especially Hirarii. It was definitely not obvious that he liked her, but it seemed possible. Hirarii felt even worse since she could not return his feelings. Even if he was alive, she still loved someone else; someone she could never tell to anyone.
"We never lost them though," Shynobi assured, putting him in the conversation since he was not paired with anyone or even in a relationship. "They're still here, fighting with us, and will always be." After those many confessions, everyone felt better and looked forward to tomorrow's battle. They took one last visit to their comrades' grave and memorial spot before leaving the courtyard.
NeoJunker, Heroine, and Loopedd all smiled at their sight. Some hugged while some gave kisses. But the most unforgettable memory was hearing their laugher carry on with the gentle touches of the wind. They had never left them.