Chapter 36

Alpha and Beta

It was quiet and very lonely in the forest by myself. I had clocked in at least half a marathon just by walking alone. Yet that is what seemed off more than anything. It was far too quiet for me, way too relaxed. With my right hand, I drew my blade from my side and with my left, I unholstered the silver handgun on my hip to when I heard a branch snap. I quickly turned 180 degrees and instinctively pulled the trigger where I saw a black mask just a few feet from my own face as the gun was slammed to the side as a sword dug into my left arm before I swung my own blade. I jumped back getting a good look at the attacker.

"Sil, what are you doing here?" I demanded before ripping my left sleeve off my own coat as blood dripped down my damaged arm. He laughed from behind his own mask, throwing the blood from his sword with a quick swipe.

"Itsaka Village 6 years ago today. Do you remember it Kyran?" He asked as the memory of the event came back to me slowly. I remembered what happened.

"The Massacre at Itsaka, I do. The Grimm attacked it. My unit was sent in to assist. We didn't make it time and we took casualties. What about it?" I questioned.

"You honestly don't know do you?" He started to slowly getting angry.

"No I don't Sil." I said as he lifted his mask up to reveal the tears streaming from his eyes.

"6 years ago today, marks the death of my wife Serine. She was there at Itsaka, she was there lying dead amongst the corpses. And your unit arrived later, when they were all dead." He stated in grief.

"We were ordered to hold back." I responded.

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR FUCKING ORDERS! She's dead because goody two shoes 2nd Lieutenant Rhodes decided it would be better to hold off. Rather than save all those civilians, you made the decision to hold back." He yelled.

"How do you know about all of this? HOW!?"

"Mr. Schnee was more than generous to provide your military record and only now did I decide to elect to read it. You could have saved her. Serine would be alive right now if you and your unit entered earlier. She would be here right now." He cried softly.

"I didn't have a choice Sil." I tried to explain before he drew a gun from underneath his coat.

"LIAR! Everyone has a fucking choice! She's dead because of what you have done!" He said putting the mask on face before he drew his sword. "Before, I wanted that power you had. Now...now I don't want it. Serine is a better place than this world. And no damn demon is going to bring back the woman I love. No, I'll make yours suffer. You are dead to me." He growled as my hair went snow white as the wound on my arm healed.

"I don't want to kill you Sil." I said taking up a defensive position as he laughed.

"That is too bad kid, because I want to make you suffer for what you did. And I'll end this right now." He said firing the pistol as I rolled to the side before our swords clashed. Our faces and eyes were locked with each others. He was right though about one thing. Only one of us would leave alive. We both connected multiple flurries and parries with our blades yet with neither of us gaining ground on each other. Not only our equal skill in swordplay, but our need to survive. However, what Winter said about a blood lust building within my very soul. That was no lie either. I had come to love killing, murder had become something of a side hobby for me. It was the darkness I never wanted to admit but it was true. I was born to kill.

Finally, an opening appeared with Sil as I quickly sliced my sword horizontally across his mask, knocking it off his face. The anger in his face, in his eyes as a rage consumed him. He screamed in rage slamming his free hand into my cheekbone as it knocked me to the ground before he aimed his pistol straight between my eyes.

"DIE GOD DAMN IT!" He yelled as a gunshot echoed. Yet it was not his. Instead the pistol he was holding threw itself from his hand. I quickly kicked him off me as I panted taking a deep breath as we both looked to see where the shot came from. However, our attention quickly snapped to a man with shoulder length auburn hair and a beard of similar color. He wore a black turtleneck with the sleeves rolled up. A cigar in his mouth and a plethora of weapons on his back and sides. He chuckled removing the cigar from his mouth. He blew out the smoke before he spoke.

"Did you kiss your mouth with that mouth?" He asked with a ragged and scratchy voice. Yet it was one that I remembered clearly from my own youth.

"Father? What the hell are you doing here?" I questioned as he held his rifle on Sil, not even looking at me as he closed the distance between himself and my attacker.

"Seriously Kyran? Your first question in all these years? You break my heart son. And when did you learn to use a sword? I thought you were a soldier. A dead one at least." He reminded me of such.

"Then how did you recognize me with the mask?" I wondered.

"That ridiculous long black hair of yours. Your mother always loved how your hair was like her's. Long and black as the midnight. It is a shame she isn't here to see you now." He grieved as the painful memories returned to him.

"A real shame indeed. However, as much as I want to reminisce about the past. We have this man to deal with." I said as Sil growled at us in Anger.

"Just because Dad is along doesn't mean a damn thing Kyran. I will kill both of you before I am finished. I will have my revenge." He said unholstering another pistol from his jacket. He quickly fired away as me and my Father jumped in opposite directions. He charged me first as I parried his attack before Carren fired a few rounds into his back as he rolled forward past me and stabbed a knife into my hip as I collapsed in pain before he grabbed my head and put a knife to my neck.

"KYRAN!" Carren yelled aiming at Sil before the knife went even closer.

"Stop Father!" I called out as he still kept his aim.

"Let him go Sil Jaeger...and I won't hurt you." He said.

"No, its already too late for me. My wife is dead. My whole life was devoted to making her happy. And when she died that day. So did I. All I ever wanted to do was see her again and apologize for all the dark and damned things I have done in my life. I know I am burning in the pits of hell for all I have done. But it would be worth it if I talked to her one more time. And now, I'll do what I waited six years to do. And slit this damn boy's throat." He said as the blade went even closer, now just a hair from slicing my jugular.

"SIL! STOP THIS!" He screamed.

"Goodbye, Black Lightni-" He stopped mid sentence as a black blade went past my head covered in blood. Sil's blade dropped from my neck as I fell forward seeing what had happened. A man clad in the armor of the midnight black stood behind Sil Jaeger with his sword pierced through his chest. Blood pouring from the wound as the masked man leaned down to Sil's ear.

"No, not today Monster Slayer." The Black Knight said as he removed his blade from the man's chest. Sil held his bleeding wound before dropping to the ground. Gasping for air by my feet. Begging for the sweet release of death. He looked up at me, eyes terrified and scared as his blood soaked hand reached up and grabbed the collar of my coat, his bloody hand print left on there as his final words left his mouth.

"A-Avenge...me..." He gasped as his corpse dropped to my boots as I stared lifelessly at the corpse. A man who was once a friend turned enemy. A man who wanted nothing more than his final goal in life to be achieved. Now lied dead at my feet. Not because of me, not because of my father. No, it was the Black Knight. A man hidden behind an unknown mask. Someone who's identity is still unknown to me like his motivation. The questioned scratched at my mind ever so slowly since the time I first saw him. Only now to be reawakened.

Who are you Black Knight?