Author's Note: Good day everybody! It's been awhile, I've been dealing with some issues but I've been trying to get back into the swing of things. I've currently got 5 (Count 'em), 5 stories that I'm working on (The ambition is real) two of which being the next chapters for Zelnite and Narza, and the other three being their own new stories/series. And one of those three would be this, to commemorate the official *SPOILERS* Quest mode announcement that the Dark Figure is in fact this mysterious Ark character *SPOILER END* I decided that I wanted to go into detail on exactly how it is that this mysterious knight managed to single-handedly (Or so he claims) slayed all six of the Heroes of Legend. In a rapid-fire Week-Long Lore-er-ific (Patenting this) extravaganza, I'll be releasing a chapter a week on the fall of each of our beloved starters, and just what brought them to the reactions they had when encountering Ark.

I still don't own Brave Frontier, maybe one of these days I'll pull an Ark on their writers, and then I'll be pulling the strings in the writing department, who knows?

ENJOY! DAY 1 ~ Vargas

The Fire Hero Snuffed Out

The battle was raging in full now, the war cries of men fighting for both the survival and end of humanity mingling in the air and drowning each other out. Cannons fired, spells were flung, explosions and eruptions followed swiftly in their wake. The incessant stamping of steel-clad feet pounded against the ground every waking second. All of it , every bit of sound, crashed into itself and produced an almost eerie emptiness to it all, a wordless, soundless mass that hung heavier than the air itself, heavier even than the armor each and every man wore.

And at the center of it all, Vargas, the hero of Agni, legendary wielder of fire, wept. Before him sat the bloody, butchered corpse of a small green haired girl. Gathered around the corpse were all of her animal friends, all docile deer, squirrels, bears, foxes, every creature of the forest was there it seemed, silently mourning her loss. It was almost laughable, to see such a sight in the middle of a battlefield, and one particular man surely would've, if he wasn't on an important mission already.

His name was and relatively frail in appearance, he surveyed the scene before him, noting the plethora of wounds that Vargas had incurred in his battle with the small girl, deciding that now was the time. In his right hand he held his prized divine sword a gift form Lucius, it's blade was plain gray-black steel, its hilt was etched with runes that glowed with a dull blue light. He wore light plate armor over his rusty-orange tunic and blue riding pants. His brown hair was slick with exertion, this was the first of the last of those he'd need to kill, and he had no idea what kind of power the wounded hero yet possessed. He moved in regardless.

"Tell me, oh hero of Agni, did that feel good? Is it satisfying to know that you've ended the life of one so young? A girl who wished for nothing more than for men like you to leave her and her forests alone?" Vargas lifted his face from his hands, anger and misery crossing his face in equal measure at the strangers words.

"And who're...who're you huh? Who do you think you are judging me!?" But Ark ignored him, continuing on.

" She was dragged into this conflict, she was no better than a simple farmhand, a victim in this pitiless war. So please, tell me, how does her blood taste?"

That did it.

Vargas leapt at Arc with a sudden ferocity, his famed blade Dandelga drawn and poised. Arc dodged the first brutal stab at his throat and took up a ready stance. Vargas struck precisely, savagely, it was the rage of a guilty conscience, and Ark intended fully to capitalize on that. "What's the matter Vargas? Trying to prove something? It won't bring her back you know, no matter how hard you hit, nothing will bring her back." The fire hero struck at Ark with his wings, engulfed in flames and just as deadly as the rest of him. "Oh, poor dear, using your wings to fight me. How's it feel knowing that your lover died for those wings? What's it like walking with a constant reminder of your failure to protect your loved ones sprouting from your back?" That struck a nerve, crossing blades, Vargas forced Arc's guard down, before delivering a powerful punch directly to the knight's nose.

"Who are you! How do you know any of this!"

Not even flinching, Arc grappled Vargas to get a firm hold on Dandelga, pulling himself in close enough to speak in the fire legend's ear, out of reach of those wings.

"I'm a disciple of Lucius my dear boy, I know everything he knows. And he knows how heavy those wings really are for you." A savage cry tore from Vargas' throat as he wrenched against Arc's grip with all his might, but Arc continued speaking regardless, summoning all his willpower not to slug the hero of Agni for laying a hand on him. " You know, Lucius sits as high king of the gods now, I can organize for you to be with her again…" He let that statement hang in the air, and he felt the grip Vargas held on Dandelga go slack, he smiled wickedly, it was done.

"You...you can?" The fire hero's voice quavered as he spoke, so trusting, so naïve. The poor man smiled.

"Yes...yes I can Vargas, you can be at ease now, Lucius sits as high king, and the last of the God's Army lies dead at your feet. The war is all but over, you've done your part, a reward is in order."

"I can see her, I can see Lava again, I can tell her I'm sor-" And that was as far as the Hero of Agni got, as his own blade was thrust into his side, piercing straight through his heart.

"Yes, yes you can, It may be awhile though my friend, she's not dead yet after all, I'll work on that though, not to worry." Arc drank in the look of pure unbridled fury that briefly crossed the dying man's features, before his body went slack. He slowly lowered the corpse of the fire hero to the ground, leaving Dandelga buried in his side. "One down, five to go."

...

So there we have it, very short compared to most of my works, they'll get longer, I assure you. This is but a taste of what's to come dear readers. So, as always, please do leave a comment, any criticisms you have, anything I left out, let me know who your favorite starters are, whatever you like, I'm ready and willing to listen to any opinions and feedback. Ta Ta for now, be sure to check in tomorrow, for the Shattering of the Ice Queen!