A/N: Posting a little early because the ESO Beta is this weekend! This finishes off the prologue. Don't worry, the Great Raven will make his dazzling appearance in the second chapter. Thanks again to my two wonderful betas, xXLiquidSugarXx and sarahannmarie.

~P~

Night had fallen, and Yuri was slinking through the Noble Quarter. He had spent the day gathering information. The man the knights were looking for was seen leaving the Pavone estate not long before Terrence's body was discovered. Yuri had a good idea that the suspect was still somewhere in the Noble Quarter since people were whispering about seeing a stranger with red hair dressed in all black.

Repede started growling. Yuri heard the sound of hurried footsteps in the alley he was standing in. He readied his sword, believing he'd been discovered. To his surprise, a nobleman skidded to a halt in front of him. The man's breathing was ragged and sweat ran down his round face and prominent double chin. Yuri realized that the man standing before him was Duke Ian Kerwar, a noble who had been responsible for many of the corruptions that had plagued the Lower Quarter. He was a greedy and terrible man. Before Yuri could sheath his sword, the sound of footsteps filled the alleyway again. These were much slower and softer than the Duke's had been.

"P-please, let me pass!" the Duke gasped out, his beady eyes bulging in his desperation. "I'll do anything, b-but please you can't let him kill me!"

Yuri's eyes widened in surprise. First Terrence ends up dead, and now someone was trying to kill the Duke? A part him wondered if he should just walk away from this. The Duke's death would definitely help out the people of the Lower Quarter.

The Duke's heavy breathing changed in an instant. He let out a choked whine as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. A sword had been impaled through his heart and was grotesquely sticking out of his chest. The blood coated steel glinted imposingly as the life slowly drained from the Duke's beady eyes. The sword was pulled out of the Duke's body, and the nobleman fell to the ground. His murderer was hard to see as he wore all black. His face was partially covered by long red bangs and a matching scarf. Yuri couldn't believe it. It was the man he'd been looking for.

Yuri raised his sword again. "What did you do to Terrence Pavone?"

The murderer didn't grace Yuri's question with a reply. He turned from the alley and started sprinting away. Yuri swore before sheathing his sword, and he and Repede both tore after the bastard. Yuri heard yelling start up in the distance.

The man sped through alleys and passages that Yuri had never been in before. Just when he thought he couldn't run any longer, Yuri found that they had made it outside of the city's walls. The murderer sped into the nearby woods, and Yuri pushed himself to continue to pursue him. They finally stopped in a small clearing which was the first real break in the thick forest they'd come across.

Despite his best efforts, Yuri was leaning over and gasping for breath. Luckily for him, the suspect didn't attack. In fact, he didn't even draw his sword. Repede was panting next to Yuri, though the dog was poised for an attack.

"I spoke with Pavone and convinced him of the best course of action." It took Yuri a moment to comprehend that his earlier question was being answered. "I do wonder why you seem to care so much."

Yuri noted with envy that the murderer was barely out of breath. He managed to straighten himself out before saying, "Let's just say I'm a concerned party. How the hell did you talk Terrence into killing himself?"

The murderer lifted his face from where he'd buried it into his scarf. His mouth was turned downward into a slight frown as his dark eyes focused on Yuri intensely. "He made a grave error in the past that caused me a lot of suffering. I had originally planned to run him through, as I did to Ian Kerwar, but I found him in quite a state. I am a ghost from his past, and when he saw me it was very simple to convince him of the right path." The vigilante took a step forward, and Yuri got ready to draw his sword. Repede growled viciously. "You couldn't have chased me out of the city for only an explanation."

"I was the one who put Pavone in the state you found him in."

Yuri's grip on his sword loosened a little when the man's mouth shifted into a small smile. "You are Yuri Lowell? He told me about you and what you did. I owe you my thanks. Because of you his death was much more satisfying than I could have hoped for."

It was hard to tell if this guy was completely insane or not. He was composed and wasn't being hostile. Yuri had a half a mind to attack and try to drag this strange man back to the Capital. He and Repede could probably handle it. Yet, Yuri was hesitating. Terrence was dead. If this murderer hadn't interfered, then Terrence would have gone after Yuri. Yuri had also witnessed the death of someone else who was despicable. Yuri could remember countless times when the people of the Lower Quarter cursed Ian Kerwar's name, and now the nobleman would never hurt any of them again.

"Are you a part of some assassins' guild?" Yuri found himself asking.

The redheaded man's smile fell. "I answer to no man but myself."

"You're a vigilante." Yuri felt a little better at this revelation. Two terrible people were gone, and it wasn't because of money or a guild's agenda.

"Yes, a cold and hungry vigilante who wants to set up camp. If you're finished?"

Yuri looked around the small clearing. "I could lead the knights right to you."

The older man gave Yuri a bland look. "You could."

"I could also stay here." Yuri smirked.

The murderer huffed. "And why would you want to do that?"

"The knights are looking for me, and they won't find me here." Yuri didn't want to go back to the city. Even if he could smooth things over, he doubted he'd avoid a dishonorable discharge. Yuri would rather be a deserter than have to stand at an inquiry full of pompous Captains who would only revel at the chance to get rid of a lowborn like him. Besides, he was curious.

The vigilante gave Yuri a vaguely amused look before taking another step closer. Repede had relaxed during their conversation, but started growling again at his closer proximity. "You would sleep so close to a murderer?"

"I slept in the barracks for months. You wouldn't believe what some of those guys are like."

The older man shook his head. "I won't drive you off. Just make sure your pet doesn't tear me to pieces while I sleep."

"Repede is not my pet. He's my friend." Repede stopped growling, though he was still giving the darkly clad man a cold stare. Yuri could only imagine what Flynn's expression would be if he knew Yuri was thinking of throwing his lot in with a murderer.

"You have a name? You know mine already, after all," Yuri asked while the vigilante started digging around in the small bag he carried with him.

The man stared at Yuri for a moment. "Clay," he replied in a flat tone before digging into the bag once more.

"Just Clay?" Yuri asked.

"Just Clay."

~P~

There were jagged walls rising in the distance. This was the closest Yuri had been to Deidon Hold in his life. He was trudging through the wild growth a couple of miles off the main road, Repede walking dutifully next to him. Clay was a couple of feet away. The other man had blended well with the night, but now his dark clothes and crimson hair made him stick out like a sore thumb.

Yuri had decided to follow Clay. He had found that the morning light had done little to dissuade his aversion to going back to the city. The only thing that almost drove him back was Flynn. He would send a letter back to Zaphias and tell Flynn that he was alright. That he'd decided to leave the city after all. Flynn was still in the knights, and he could keep charging forward with his dream. Yuri on the other hand would have to take a different approach.

Clay had been amused at Yuri's insistence to go with him. The vigilante had simply warned Yuri not to get in the way. Yuri didn't plan on it. He could still remember the life draining from Ian Kerwar's eyes with striking clarity. Yuri was admittedly intrigued. A part of him wondered what right Clay had to decide who should live or die, while another couldn't find any real reasons why Terrence Pavone and Ian Kerwar should have been allowed to keep drawing breath. Certainly their depravity far outweighed their compassion. Despite this reasoning, Yuri did have a very specific reason to follow Clay. He hadn't tried to capture the man, but if Yuri saw Clay strike out against someone he shouldn't, Yuri wouldn't hesitate to stop him. He supposed that keeping an eye on a man on a self-imposed crusade was the best he could do, now that he wasn't a knight anymore.

Yuri didn't know if he was making a mistake, but he couldn't stop thinking about one thing Clay had said the night before about Terrence. He made a grave error in the past that caused me a lot of suffering.

~P~

A year had passed since Yuri had set out with Clay, and the city of Nordopolica was in an uproar. Alarm bells were ringing, and a building in the distance was ablaze. The moon was new, making the city darker than usual and the distant fire all the more bright. Yuri stood calmly by one of the city's many docks, watching the chaos from afar. A small boat was moored behind him.

Yuri and Clay had become friends, of a sort. While watching Clay's actions, Yuri hadn't seen the older man waiver once. He'd taken to helping Clay out. Yuri had seen more good done at the hands of a single murderer than he had in all his life spent in Zaphias. He sent short letters back to his hometown in order to let Flynn know he was still alive and kicking, but he was never in one place for very long, so he had never received a reply. Yuri hadn't been to Zaphias since he left, and the thought of Flynn always filled him with a peculiar guilt that he could not shake. He had found that the longer he stayed away from the Capital, the less he wanted to return.

Yuri was knocked from his introspection at the sight of two men racing to where he casually leaned. Both were brawny and one of them was wearing gauntlets on both arms.

"Hey, you!" The men had reached Yuri. "You need to leave this area! The docks are closed."

Clay had warned Yuri that men might try and block off his escape, which was precisely why Yuri had stayed behind and stood guard over their boat.

"Why are you so worried about the docks? You do know there's a fire over there?" Yuri asked with feigned ignorance.

"Don't be a smartass!" the one with the gauntlets snarled.

Yuri could see there was no distracting them. He pulled his sword from its sheath and attacked the man without the gauntlets with a side slash. He cried out in pain, clutching his side as blood began to flow through his fingers.

The one with the gauntlets pulled back his fist to swing at Yuri, but Yuri smoothly dodged to the side. He countered with a slash of his sword followed by two quick jabs. He managed to scratch the man along his bicep. The man bellowed in rage and began to attack Yuri with quicker strikes. Yuri was hard pressed to dodge him.

A snarl rang out, and the man cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. Repede had taken a large bite out of his leg. The dog had been watching the other end of the dock but must have rushed over when the fight began. Yuri knocked the man out with the hilt of his sword.

"Thanks." He smiled down at Repede.

The man Yuri had slashed at the beginning of the fight was lying down and groaning. He had already lost a lot of blood. Yuri didn't want the man to die needlessly. He had only been doing his job, after all. Clay preferred, if he could, to only kill his target. Yuri thought that was a good creed to live by. He gave the man a gel to stop the bleeding. The man gave Yuri a look like he was insane, but Yuri simply shrugged. Once the bleeding stopped, Yuri hit the man over the head, just as he had done to his partner.

Repede barked, and Yuri turned to look in the direction the dog was facing. Yuri could see Clay bolting down the street, headed straight for them. Four guards were chasing him, and Yuri readied his blade for another battle. Clay turned to face his angry entourage, letting out a shout as he slashed his blade in an X shape in front of him. Red energy pulsed from his bodhi blastia and flew forward in the same shape. The energy blew away two of his pursuers. Yuri got the idea and sent out an Azure Edge. His own blue energy knocked over the others.

"Just like bowling," Yuri stated blandly once Clay was in earshot.

The older man gave him a small smirk. "I see you had company while I was away. It's a good thing you and Repede are here, or I would have had to deal with six of them by myself."

Shouts rose up from the other end of the street, and Yuri saw that one of guards they'd knocked over was getting up again. "We need to go."

Clay nodded, and the three of them climbed into the boat. Yuri started the small blastia run motor, and soon they had entered the ocean, leaving the chaos of the city behind. Once they had gotten clear of the sight of Nordopolica, they maneuvered the boat into the high growth along the coast. This way larger ships would have trouble pursuing them.

"I thought you were usually more discreet," Yuri commented once they appeared to have gotten away.

Clay hummed. "Nigel knew I was coming. I threatened him years ago, and it has taken me all this time to fulfill my promise. In that time, he continued to barter with people's lives as if they were nothing. It shouldn't have taken me so long." He had a haunted look in his eyes.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. If you hadn't gotten him now, he would have just kept hurting people, right?" Yuri didn't like it when Clay looked like that. It made him think that Clay was about ready to plunge himself into the sea.

"Yes, you're right. I should take my own advice and not dwell on regrets."

They pulled onto shore ten miles down the coast from Nordopolica. They would continue on foot and hide out in Montaic until the city calmed down. They walked in silence for a long time.

"Yuri." Clay's soft voice sounded like a shout in the calm of the night. "Thank you for your aid."

Yuri felt a small grin appear on his lips. "It's no big deal. You're doing something good."

~P~

It had been two years since Yuri had last seen his hometown, and it was striking to see Zaphias on the horizon. Clay had insisted they return to the city as soon as possible, and Yuri had agreed despite his apprehension. Yuri was sitting across from Clay in a bustling tavern at Deidon Hold. Uproarious laughter and smoky air surrounded them.

"There's something I need to tell you." Clay was looking in Yuri's direction, but he seemed to see right through him. "Something you need to know."

"Oh?" Yuri raised his eyebrows with faked nonchalance.

"I started my work eight years ago. The man who taught me everything I know about swordsmanship was murdered, and his killer wasn't prosecuted. The killer was a part of a very wealthy family, and so his father was able to bribe the courts."

Clay was silent for a long time after that, so Yuri spoke up. "So, you took care of him?"

"Yes. He was the first man I ever killed. I hadn't originally planned it, but after confronting him, my anger got the best of me." Clay wasn't looking at Yuri at all anymore. He was staring off to the side, looking like his mind was somewhere far away.

"Is there a reason you're telling me this? I mean, it sounds pretty cut and dry to me."

"That man's name was Shel, and he was my brother. The reason I set out on this journey was because I couldn't live with myself otherwise. The first thing my teacher taught me was that a sword is used to protect. I killed someone I was supposed to protect, Yuri." Clay finally looked back at Yuri, an intensity in his eyes that Yuri had never seen before.

Yuri was speechless. A part of him coldly thought that Clay's brother deserved it, but it was quickly overridden by the roaring idea of what if it was you who killed Flynn? Yuri abruptly stood up, a nausea running through him at the thought.

"I need some air," he heard himself say before he walked out of the tavern.

Repede stood the moment he exited and followed Yuri to the gate that was positioned in the center of the Hold's walls. Yuri stood there and looked out at the formless black landscape, Repede standing as a constant sentinel at his side. Yuri heard a door close and turned to face the inside of the Hold. Clay had walked out of the tavern and was walking over to where they had rented a tent for the night.

"You've done what you can. You're trying to atone with every action you take, and that's the best you can do." Clay stopped walking, but didn't turn to face Yuri. The distance between them was giving Yuri an uneasy feeling, but neither of them moved to shorten it.

"It will never be enough," Clay said. Yuri couldn't argue with that. "Promise me you won't ever forget what a sword is meant for, Yuri."

"I promise."