He finally did it!

Blu collapsed against the wall of the church, his breath heavy, his feathers drenched in sweat, and his iron sword held limply in his right wing, the blade covered of splinters. Somehow finding the strength to lift his head, he looked upwards to see the remains of the tens of wooden trunks that he had cut with his sword in the last days. Pieces of woods lying everywhere with the first ones being awkwardly cut while the younger ones were looking better and better cut, reflecting the progress he had made with his first real weapon during his time at the church.

Saying that Blu did nothing but practice with his sword during the last few days would be an understanding. Whenever he was not eating or sleeping, the macaw was outside the church swinging his sword around. Isaiah looked after his training during the whole time. While Nightfly was the one in charge since the beginning, he was more experienced with dual swords while the religious warrior was apparently a master of fighting with a single sword, therefore making him better suited for the task. And a good job he did; Blu was now capable of using his sword like a real knight.

"There, Blu. That should give you some energy," Isaiah said, walking over to Blu with two cups in his wings, holding one to the Spix's macaw. During his stay with him, Blu discovered that the Universal Knight possessed the power to turn himself into a dove. Somehow, his clothes didn't change and shrunk to fit his size in the process. In other words, he was exactly the same as usual, but with white feathers, a yellow beak and feet, and magnificent blue eyes.

"Thanks, Isaiah," Blu gratefully said, taking the cup and slipping a sip in his beak. A delicious almond tea. "Hmm, it's very good!"

"Glad you like it," Isaiah said with a smile on his yellow beak. "Tea is my favorite drink."

"Say, have you seen Nightfly? I haven't seen him anywhere since this morning's breakfast."

"He's in the praying room of the church," Isaiah explained. "Meditating, as always."

Blu couldn't help but twist his facial features into a worrying frown. "Is it me or has he been meditating a lot these days? I mean, I know we're in danger right now, but he didn't use to meditate that much back in Rio. Is something bothering him?"

Isaiah dropped his smile and decided to sit down next to Blu. "No. When Nightfly meditates, it's either to appease his mind and spirit or to seek guidance from his master through magic."

This line made Blu blink his eyes multiple times at this statement. "His master? Nightfly has a master?"

"Of course. Everybody has a master, young Blu," Isaiah confirmed. "Unfortunately, Nightfly's died a long time ago. However, he can sometimes appear to communicate to his student in the form of a spirit or a vision. To do so, Nightfly must be very focused and meditate hard enough to forget everything of our world."

"So magic can even allow us to speak to the dead?!" Blu asked in disbelief. "How exactly is this magic supposed to work exactly? It seems like you guys can do anything with it - controlling elements, making portals, and speak to the dead."

Faced with this question, Isaiah rubbed the back of his head with a wing. "It's a difficult question, Blu. The people of Nightfly's world and us, Universal Knights, have been studying magic for countless generations, and we still don't really understand it. It's a force working in mysterious ways; one could study for over a hundred years and still not understand its design."

"Oh... Okay." Blu slowly stared down at his teacup, trying to process the fact that his world was inhabited by a force not even wizards and sons of God could understand. "So... When do you think the Hollow Face will arrive?" he then asked, trying to change the subject.

"If Hollow Faces haven't changed their speed level in the last few years, and he went from Rio to come here, I'd say he should be here by nightfall," Isaiah explained. "Don't worry; Nightfly and I have set an energy field stretching for many kilometers. If that monster gets anywhere near this forest, we will know it. Your master and I will be at your side to face this devil. Plus, God will be watching over us all," he added with taking the cross hanging from his neck in his wing.

"Thanks, Isaiah," Blu gratefully thanked the Universal Knight, feeling somewhat relieved by his words.

"You should go try and get some rest now. We've been training all morning; you don't wanna be tired before the battle awaiting us, believe me," the dove advised his friend.

"Good idea."

No matter how hard he tried and no matter how many times he rolled from one position to another, Blu could not get himself to fall asleep. His survival instincts feared that the Hollow Face would burst through the resting chamber's wall and run at him the exact same way it did in the streets of Rio. Just thinking about its square-shaped face and the little red lights in the abyss of his eyes was enough to bring sweat on his feathers.

The horrible thought of death perpetuated in his mind. Nightfly's way of describing this creature made it clear it would be hard to defeat - even harder than anything they faced so far. This thing's mind was set on killing Blu and nothing else. What if it actually succeeded? What if Nightfly and Isaiah were unable to protect Blu from this bloodthirsty monster? What if he died by the end of this day and never got to see Jewel or Linda again? Never got the chance to dance with his pearl of the forest or drink hot chocolate with his best friend? Died by getting ripped apart like paper?

A loud sigh escaping his beak, the young Spix's macaw curled himself in his corner, accepting that he would spend the next hours alone with his dreadful thoughts...

Then, at last, the big moment arrived. Blu stood many meters away from the church, in the middle of an open area, his talons digging into the cold, dirty ground. The sky turned dark, allowing the stars to come out and the moon to shine in all its beauty. Tonight, it was full and its light illuminated the area, meaning the avians would be able to see everything. The young Spix's macaw's friends were standing firmly on both side of him with Isaiah on his right and Nightfly on his left. Both had their eyes set forward and nobody said anything ever since they left the church. Not a single word. The cold night breeze brushed against the leaves, creating what almost sounded like a dirge. Quite fitting with the situation...

Blu gazed down at his wings that were firmly wrapped around the handle of his sword. Not wanting to wait until the Hollow Face came into view, he decided to take his weapon out immediately. Yet, no matter how hard he held onto it, his weapon did not bring him any form of comfort. This item was supposed to be the tool that would allow him to protect the people he loved and himself... So why was he still feeling afraid? Why was his body still shaking in fear?

His train of negative thoughts was interrupted when he felt something touch his shoulder. Turning his head, Blu saw his mentor holding a wing on his shoulder and giving him a soft look. "Calm down, Blu. I can sense your fear and worries."

"Nightfly..."

"Don't worry, Blu. Everything will be alright. If he wants to kill you, this Hollow Face will have to kill Isaiah and I first. You have my words not only as a member of the Order, but also as a mentor... and a friend." Nightfly's words were filled with good will and courage. Somehow, they managed to ease the fear in his heart without making it completely disappear.

Managing to pull his beak in a smile, he mumbled: "Thank you, Nightfly..."

The elder Cerulean Macaw returned the smile to his pupil just before Isaiah tensed up and took out his sword. "It's coming!"

"Yeah, I sensed it too!" Nightfly replied, taking out his two black sabers. "Get ready, Blu!" Nodding, and trying to ignore his shaking legs, Blu rose his sword, narrowing his hazel-brown eyes into a glare.

The air became so tense that you could cut it with a knife. With every passing second, the ever-lasting sensation of a snake coiling up around his neck became stronger and stronger, to the point he almost struggled to breathe. Soon enough, the sound of rushing steps could be heard behind the bushes at the limit of the area... And then, he appeared. The Hollow Face rushed through the leaves and toward the trio of avians with no hesitation, running the exact same way he did when Blu encountered him. His hollow eyes were still glowing with red light, the sound of his clicking teeth echoing even from far away.

That was it. The fight for survival started.

Not wasting a second, Nightfly swiftly swung his swords forward. Two slices of air flew all the way to the monster, cutting into its shoulders which sent blood flying in the air. While it did make it roar in pain, the creature didn't stop running with his long arms extended forward for more.

Isaiah stepped forward, clutching the cross hanging from his neck with one wing and rising his sword above his head with the other. "Stormblade! Give me your power!" he shouted, causing a lot of what looked like electricity to burst out of his sword's blade, bringing some extra light into the dark area. Blu had to cover his eyes with one wing for a second before seeing Isaiah stepping forward and pointing his sword at the Hollow Face, a powerful jet of lightning coming out from the tip to collide with the monster's thin body, knocking it back a few feet away.

Unfortunately, despite the obvious damage caused by the attack, the creature somehow managed to land on its two feet and continue sprinting as if nothing happened at all. Blu felt a lump forming in his throat and his heartbeat increasing at this sight. How could one keep running after taking two powerful attacks like this? Did they really stand a chance against this thing?

"Isaiah! Again, but together this time!" Nightfly called. The Universal Knight nodded in response and then rose his sword to send another jet of lightning while Nightfly swung his sabers for another dual air slices.

However, this time, the Hollow Face was ready. Just before the two attacks could reach it, its long legs bent down and then pulled up to make him jump high above the ground. The red glows in its eyes became stronger than before as it opened its jaw and pulled out the most terrifying noise Blu had ever heard. It sounded like a young girl getting skinned alive! Almost instantly, Blu's wings came to cover his ears, feeling as if an arrow was piercing through his skull. He wanted it to stop!

Something then took hold of his two wings. It wasn't Nightfly nor Isaiah's warm and comforting touch; these felt like cold, dry hands. Only when he opened his eyes again did Blu see the skeletal hands of the Hollow Face holding his wings. The two hands were connected to the creature's arms that somehow stretched all the way from his flying position, as if they were made of plastic. Then, in a split-second, the arms shortened again, making the monster fly on top of Blu faster than a slingshot string.

Before Blu could do anything, the Hollow Face opened its non-existent jaw and proceeded to take a bite at the avian's shoulder. "AAARGH!" Blu pushed a devastating scream of pain as he felt the monster's teeth tearing through his flesh. It dug very deep and would've probably snapped his bones, had Isaiah not interfered by grabbing its skeletal head with both wings and pulling it back.

"Let... him... go... you monster!" Isaiah ordered, doing everything he could to prevent the Hollow Face from eating his friend alive. While he did manage to prevent the teeth from digging in Blu's flesh, they were still inside and hurting a lot.

Only Nightfly's intervention made the difference when the Cerulean Macaw stabbed his two sabers through the Hollow Face's back and torso, swiftly pulling him off his student with Isaiah's help, and throwing him many feet away. "Blu! Are you okay?!" he immediately asked afterwards, looking alternately at his student and the monster.

"Well, I almost got my shoulder ripped off, and it hurts like cheese and sprinkles... But except that, I'm okay," the young macaw replied, his wing getting immediately covered in red as he held his injured limb. He then stared at the Hollow Face that, while bleeding from the holes in its torso and cuts on its shoulders, still managed to get back up as if nothing happened. "What's it gonna take to keep him down? He always comes back no matter how many times you hit him with your swords!"

"Hollow Faces are some of the most resilient creatures of evil," Isaiah replied, his eyes narrowed toward the monster. "They cannot be killed by mere mortal weapons; this is why we covered our weapons and yours with magic energy. If they weren't working; he wouldn't be bleeding under our attacks..."

"We need to keep attacking him until his wounds end up killing him," Nightfly added, swinging his sabers to wipe some blood off them. "Be prepared, Blu; the hardest part is coming!"

The Hollow Face's body started trembling violently, just like when Blu saw its face. It almost looked like hundreds of little hands were struggling inside its skeletal body in a desperate attempt to escape. Then, after pushing one more roar, it planted both arms into the ground and made them dig deeply. What was it planning to do?

Blu got his answer when the ground around the three avians started shaking and then came out multiple seemingly disembodied arms in a circle pattern, surrounding them. It didn't take a genius to know that the Hollow Face was the one who made these things appear... but it still looked creepy nonetheless. These hands wiggled violently around in the same way as the Hollow Face with the fingers looking possessed. They then launched at the avians like predators ready to snatch their prey.

Just before they could touch him, Blu's survival instincts kicked in, and he pulled his blood-stained wing away from his injured shoulder, rising it up in a defensive position. "Cobalt Shield!" The royal blue circular magical item appeared just in time to counter the sharp-looking fingers that looked to tear through the Spix's macaw flesh. While the impact was strong, his training with Nightfly allowed him to withstand it with relative ease.

"Excellent reflex, my young pupil!" Nightfly, who was busy fending off the other hands with his sabers, praised with a smile from over his shoulder.

Firmly planting his talons into the ground, Blu stood his grounds as the disembodied hands were hitting over the surface of his magical barrier over and over again. As useful as this technique was, he knew that he couldn't stay on the defensive forever and needed to fight back. So, waiting for the right moment, he brandished his sword and took a swing, cutting one hand off one of the arms. Coincidentally, the Hollow Face pushed a roar of pain right after.

"That's it! We need to cut these hands off!" Blu quickly yelled to his two friends without releasing his guard for more.

Nodding to let their blue friend know they heard him, the two more experienced swordsmen started swiftly cutting the arms grappling at them with their sharp weapons. Every time, the Hollow Face roared in pain - each time louder than the previous one. Once all the arms were cut off, leaving the surrounding ground covered in blood, Nightfly darted away and toward the Hollow Face at an incredible speed, slipping behind it, and planting both his black swords into the back of its legs. The now-pinned monster let out yet another ear-piercing screech of pain.

"Isaiah! Help me!" the hooded macaw called to the Universal Knight.

Not wasting a second, the dove opened his wings, flew up to his friend, and proceeded to pierce the monster's torso with his sword, pinning it even more to the ground. As it screamed and shook its long arms in every direction, Isaiah looked up at Blu. "Blu! Finish him off!"

Blu's hazel-brown eyes widened. "F-Finishing him off? How?"

"Pierce through his skull with your sword!" Nightfly replied. "That should kill him once and for all! Come on!"

The younger macaw stared down at the creature. Even with two birds keeping it down with their swords, it kept staring at him with its empty, glowing eyes, its long arms reaching to him. This monster wanted to kill him, forced him to leave his new home and everybody he loved to go get ready. But now that he had a chance to turn things around... Blu didn't want to do it.

But why? If he plunged his sword into this thing's skull right here, right now, all this would be over. He would be safe and would be allowed to return to Jewel and his friends... but it didn't felt right. Blu never killed anything or anyone before. Even if this monster wanted to kill him, he couldn't just take its life. The mere thought of killing someone was enough to make him tremble and want to drop his sword...

"Blu! What are you waiting for?! Do it!" Isaiah shouted, bringing the blue macaw back to reality.

"I... I can't...," Blu replied with a trembling voice, staring blankly at the Hollow Face.

"What do you mean, you can't?!" the dove asked, struggling to keep the monster down with his sword. "Hurry up! We won't be able to keep it down for long!"

Blu's legs trembled even harder. "N-No! It's impossible! I never killed anybody before! I'm not a murderer! I just can't!"

Seeing his student facing a dilemma Nightfly frowned and gave him the most serious of looks. "Blu, listen to me. I know it must be hard for you. It's the same thing I experienced when I had to kill my very first monster. But sometimes, it's either killing or getting killed. This monster will not stop chasing you until the moment you are dead. I beg you, Blu! Think about your friends and family! Think about Jewel!"

That last sentence caused something to snap inside Blu. As much as he didn't want to kill the Hollow Face... the idea of dying and never getting to see either Jewel, Linda, or any of his friends was insupportable. Having to die just because he happened to see the Hollow Face at the wrong time... It wasn't fair! Why shouldn't he have the chance to enjoy a good, long life with his close ones because of this creature?!

The young macaw had to make a life-changing decision: killing the Hollow Face and losing a part of himself or not doing it and allow himself to be killed, knowing that more monsters could go after Jewel and all of his friends.

A loud scream of anger and desperation escaped the macaw's beak as he shot his eyes open. Rushing forward, he rose his sword as high as he could before bringing it down with all of his force. The screams and commotion came to an abrupt end. All the noises were replaced by a dead silence disturbed only by the cold night breeze...

Many seconds passed before Blu found the courage to open his eyes. Nightfly and Isaiah pulled their blood-covered swords out of the now lifeless corpse. The Hollow Face was missing a piece of its head. Only upon looking up did Blu saw it lying a few meters away. The ground underneath his feet started getting soaked by a red, cold liquid. Before long, everything settled into his mind.

He killed the Hollow Face...

His wing getting too weak, he dropped his sword to the ground and let his Cobalt Shield fading away before falling down on his rear end. "I... did it...," Blu mumbled to himself with a trembling voice, tears starting to rise up in the corners of his eyes.

The moment of weakness was disturbed when the warm wing of Nightfly came to take Blu's right one. Looking up, he saw the serious, comforting stare of his mentor. "It's okay, Blu. It's over now..."

Unable to contain himself any longer, Blu allowed tears to come out of his eyes and onto his cheeks, sobbing, and planting his face into his mentor's chest. Nightfly responded by wrapping his wing in a comforting way around his crying student with a look of sympathy.

"Shhh, Blu. Everything's fine. It's over..."

Author's note: I think that might be one of the darkest and most important chapters I have written for this story so far. This fight was notably longer and more violent than the previous ones... but it's mostly the ending that I think was the heaviest part.

Blu has officially lost his innocence. I know you must think that it wasn't logic since Blu has been training to fight monsters and protect everyone from the start, but trust me when I tell you that nothing could have prepared him for his very first kill. It doesn't matter if it's a human being, an animal, or even a monster; when you kill someone, you lose a part of yourself that you can never get back. This chapter marks a huge turning point for Blu; things will be a lot more serious from now on...