First chapter about Phantom's Chief Knights! These are just to provide some background on how they became knights, so the length of these chapters won't be very long compared to the others.

Anyway...

Please read and review! You can be harsh in your reviews if you want, it'll help me become a better writer.

This particular mountain of El Nath was surprisingly quiet, completely devoid of life and monsters. Werewolves and Lycanthropes could be heard howling in the distance, but based on their volume, the creatures were still a ways away. Was something going on? Normally the mountains would be swarming with monsters, this one being no exception. But then again, what did he care? He could use some quiet anyway.

Deciding now that it would be a good time to take a break from climbing, the wandering adventurer dropped his backpack down on the hard ice. He then knelt down and took out several barks of wood and rubbed them furiously against each other to start a fire. Once he could see the red color forming between the barks of wood, the level two-hundred-and-fifty Night Lord covered the area with his body and blew on the small red dot gently, giving the fire fuel and allowing it to rise. Deciding that the fire had risen enough, Eckhart sat back down and exhaled, noticing his frosted breath dissipating as soon as it was formed. Holding his hands toward the fire, he felt the heat flow into his hands and course through his arms. As the heat continued to flow, his hands became easier to move and slowly he continued moving them until he could no longer feel the restricting effects of the cold. With his hands free he fished through his bag, hoping to find anything that would provide some entertainment while he was resting. At last, his hands grabbed hold of something and upon pulling it out and inspecting it, he saw that it was an old photo album.

"I haven't touched this for so long…" he mumbled, fumbling through the pages as they showed pictures from his early life with his master along with his journey to become stronger. His lips made slight upward curves as he recalled the memories. The small moments with his master to the outrageous pranks of Jin and Syl. As he continued turning, the pictures became harder to see due to the amount of dust that had been accumulated in the album. Grabbing a random picture out of the album so he could take a better look, he noticed that it was a picture of him along with another woman. The woman had long, wavy black hair and had a huge smile plastered on her face. In her hands was a sheet of paper. If Eckhart could recall correctly, this had been taken when the woman first got her job. If that was the case, then that sheet of paper most likely was her first contract. Ah, that's right. He remembered he had taken the picture in celebration of the woman's first signing into Big Hit Records. If he remember correctly, the band's name was...well, it had something to do with summer.

The next picture was similar to the first, although by looking at their faces it was evident that a long time had passed. While Eckhart himself had remained relatively the same, the woman's hair had been cut short and she now wore glasses. Her smile not as wide as it had been before, but her expression still displayed the same level of happiness if not more. Wasn't surprising, he supposed. After all, it was taken in celebration of her being promoted.

He softly rubbed his hands over the photo, or more specifically her face and hurriedly stowed them back into the album before his tears could stain them.

He remembered the day she told him she was leaving. He remembered the makeup running down her face.

He wondered how she was doing. Was she eating enough? Was she taking care of herself? Was she getting enough sleep?

"Lana…" he repeated the name over and over again as the memories flooded his mind. He was already the strongest a man could be, and without her by his side, what was he living for?

Exhausted from trying to stop his tears, Eckhart felt his eyelids droop. Looking at the pile of wood again, he saw the fire extinguished due to his negligence. All there was now was him and the cold.

Heh, with him sleeping in the cold, maybe it would do something to his mind and have him wake up with amnesia. Maybe then he could forget about everything.

…

"...ease!"

"-ost...ere!"

Who was that? Who was speaking?

"Yo...all!"

Being unable to make out any of the sounds, Eckhart decided to pay it no mind. Perhaps the cold finally reached his mind and was turning him crazy.

"...us...ake...eak..."

…

"...ore...eps!"

No longer able to ignore it any longer, Eckhart forced his eyes open and removed himself from the snowy ground, crawling towards the direction the voices were coming from. Although the voices became louder, he failed to see anything resembling a person. Spending the next few scanning the mountains and finding nothing, Eckhart retreated to his previous spot and once again closed his eyes.

"Emperor...please wait...let me rest…"

Was the cold finally getting to him? Was that why the voices were so clear now?

"Come on Neinheart! Just a few more steps!"

The voices...they sounded like that of a man and a young boy.

"Ah, there you are!" The voices were finally loud and clear, almost as if the sources were right next to him, even though Eckhart knew fully well they weren't. Deciding to humor himself, Eckhart opened one eye, seeing a little blonde-haired boy standing next to him.

"I've been looking for you for a while now. Now you are finally before me, the Night Lord who wields the power of Umbra, the Spirit of Darkness."

Shocked that the voices came from an actual source, Eckhart immediately stood up and held his stars at the ready.

"...Who are you and what do you want from me?" he asked.

"Mind your manners!" Another voice chastised. Behind the boy stood a man with aqua blue hair and a monocle over his left eye. Based on their attire, they seemed to be related. Siblings perhaps? Or not. They looked too different. "You're speaking to the Emperor!"

This young boy an emperor? Preposterous!

"Answer my question first." Eckhart said, unfazed and unconvinced. "How do you know about Umbra?"

"That's simple. I called out to him."

Suddenly, a ringed, horned purple sphere materialized in front of Eckhart and the boy. "The man speaks truth, Eckhart. The young boy you see before is the Emperor of Maple World." Umbra then turned to face the young boy.

"To think that there would be another emperor so soon after the death of Raven...and to think that he would be able to hear my call...you truly are of his blood. For so long I had an odd feeling that something or someone had come, and when I called out, imagine my surprise when I heard an answer. Eckhart, let go of your stars. Hear what the little one has to say. I'm sure this may be beneficial to the both of you. You especially." The spirit said before dissipating.

"Do you see, Neinheart? He really does possess great power!" The boy exclaimed.

"I suppose you are correct. When the emperor told me he had found a maximum levelled Night Lord with special powers I had trouble believing it myself. But here you are in front of my eyes." The man said, adjusting his monocle.

"You have proven to be able to hear Umbra's call. But what do you want from me?" Eckhart questioned, still having not moved from his original position.

"While I was listening to Umbra's call, I felt something…" the young boy said, walking closer to Eckhart. "I felt feelings of sadness, hopelessness...I felt a soul in need of purpose. That's when I knew that it was fate that we'd meet."

Despite Eckhart's suspicion, the boy smiled and held out his hand. "Eckhart, will you join and aid me in my quest for the peace of Maple World? Will you become my knight?"

"I…" he wanted to refuse right away, yet found himself unable to move his mouth.

"Please don't feel pressured. Listen to your heart. Let the voice of your heart guide you down the right path for both the good of your own and the world."

"I…"

Why?

Why did his heart finally feel so at peace? What was it about the boy that made all of his pain and worries wash away? Was this...destiny? Was this what his heart was yearning for all this time? An opportunity for him to fight again?

At last, he could no longer stop his tears from falling. What they were falling for this time, he didn't know.

Regardless of the reason, his mind became clear and with a purpose finally realized, Eckhart took the boy's hand.