Chapter 2-

Signals

The sound of groaning stone echoed throughout the small room, cracks beginning to form on the arms of the great stone throne on which Lord Drakkon sat. He stared down at the still smirking Displacer in front of him, the weaselly figure still holding out his hand confidently. The Ranger's gloved hands dug into his seat, showing no sign of strain as the hardened stones began to crumble. Finally, the white-clad ruler stood to his feet, the thundering of his boots echoing around the chamber as he stomped down the steps. The silver of his dark blade shone dangerously as he came to a stop in front of the void dweller before him. It was only now that he realized he was a few inches shorter than the Displacer.

"…If you think you are funny," the Ranger hissed, the malice clear in his tone. "You've found yourself in the wrong court."

The Displacer only grinned. "I never joke about an offer," he murmured, seemingly unperturbed by the man's sudden rise in violence. "I can give you exactly what you want. All you have to do is campaign with me for, say, a year, and I'll hand it over to you no strings attached."

Blue eyes narrowed inside the helmet, teeth gritting for a moment. "What proof do I have that I can trust you?" Drakkon growled, hand tightening around the hilt of his sword.

"There is none," the taller man replied, his grin never fading. "However, I can offer you something else. The only other thing that has eluded you on your quest."

A glare caught the red visor on the Ranger's helmet. "What?"

Teeth flashed as the grin widened. "Revenge."

Kyle ran down the streets of his old neighborhood, dodging and rolling out of the way of a trashcan that slammed into the ground behind him. He rolled to his feet and kept running. He couldn't let the black mass catch up. He put more power into his legs as he ran, his hand reaching out. He grabbed the handle of the front door to his old home, quickly shoving it open and rushing inside.

The door slammed, the young athlete wincing a little as he expected the glass to shatter. When it didn't, he jumped back and turned, leaping over the back of the couch and landing on his family's old coffee table. He jumped clear just as he heard a roar from the kitchen, the specter of his father crashing into and through the table. Kyle landed on the hearth, yanking his sword free from the rack on which the fire poker usually hung. Without any more wasted time, the young man turned and slashed with all the power he could muster. The silver blade cleaved straight through flesh, severing the head of his old man's visage.

The blue-eyed man huffed for air for several moments before he took off running again. He shoved past the likeness of his sister, ignoring both the shrill, demonic scream that left her and the warm, sticky fluid starting to run down his neck and chest. He slammed through the back door of the house, continuing to run as the scratching of the vile darkness grew louder in his ears. He jumped the fence and never let up, not bothering to take heed of his direction as he ran as his only goal was to gain all the distance he could from the encroaching black mass.

After what seemed like hours, Kyle ground to a halt, his tennis shoes digging into the asphalt below as his eyes widened. He knew exactly where he was but had no idea how he'd gotten there. The scratching had retracted slightly but still itched within his ears, never lessening to below acknowledgeable range. He stared at the figure in front of him, wondering how the older, blonde women stood before him in the very same alley he'd met Soldier in. He took in the dull yellow dress with faded flower patterns, the little red flats on her feet, and the glistening pearl earrings, never for a second doubting who they belonged to.

"Mom…."

The sound of his voice echoed in distortion, all other sounds dying away until there was only dead silence. The woman in front of him straightened up a little and slowly turned around. The young man winced as he felt the woman's piercing grey eyes stab into him, an accusatory look driving through them. "…Yooou…" the apparition hissed, her eyes narrowing as Kyle gaped at her. "You evil spawn…."

"Mom," the blue-eyed man replied slowly, raising his hand submissively. "I can explain. It was all a big acci-"

"Shut up!" The scream made the athlete flinch, fear coming to his eyes as he looked back at the distortion of his mother. "You can explain nothing! You murdered him! Your own father! You murdered him and left us with nothing! You destroyed everything!"

Kyle slammed his hand over his ear, trying to block out the sound of thousands of nails on a chalkboard, covering his other ear with his wrist as he still held tightly to his sword. He looked up in terror as the vision of his mother put a foot forward and continued to screech. "You brought suffering on all of us! Because of you, we'll all die! Your father may have been a beast, but you! You're a MONSTER!"

The young man never had a chance to react as black tendrils suddenly shot from the woman's back, the same ooze filling her mouth and eyes and starting to drip down her cheeks and chin. Kyle let out a gasp as his limbs were ripped outward, spreading his body out with enough force to make his joints strain. His sword clattered to the ground as the man clenched his eyes closed, pain filling his mind as the ambient screeching stabbed into his eardrums. He grit his teeth and opened his eyes, terror the only emotion shown. The sinister vision of his mother smirked wickedly before lunging forward.

Kyle surged forward, cold sweat covering his forehead and dripping down his face. He panted for breath, his chest heaving. He stared wide-eyed into the darkness, the cotton sheets bunched around him as if to hold him in place. He continued to breathe deeply until his eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight streaming through the window. He looked around the room that the princess had provided for him within the castle walls, making out the faint outlines of the meager furnishings within.

He took one final, deep breath before he threw the covers off his legs and pulled them over the side. He reached out and found the drawer of his end table, pulling it open and reaching in to pull out one of the long match sticks he'd been provided with along with the sheet of what could only be sandpaper. He struck the match a few times before it finally lit, casting its orange glow on his room. He turned a bit more and used his hand holding the sandpaper striker to lift the globe of the lamp resting there, quickly holding the flame to the oil-soaked wick, which soon caught flame.

He let out a relieved sigh as a warm glow filled the room, the young man waving the match out as he let the globe back down. He dropped the spent match on the tabletop before turning around, hands on his knees. He tried to calm his still rapidly beating heart, but each time he came close to slowing its rhythm, images came flooding back of the traumatic dream. The same dream that had been plaguing him every night since he'd passed out after his and the princess' fight against Nightmare Moon. He shook his head and sighed, giving up on trying to breathe out his stress. Instead, he looked to his desk where a bottle of ink and a feather quill sat.

With a groan, he pushed himself up, grabbed the lamp off the end table, walked over to the desk, and sat in the wooden chair he had been provided with. He set the light down in the corner before leaning to the left and opening one of the two drawers in the desk, the right drawer more than twice the size of the left. He opened it and pulled out a sheet of scratch paper, laying it on the desk as he pushed the drawer back in. He stared at the page for a moment, apprehension in his eyes.

He knew he should just try to go back to sleep. He also knew that if he did, the nightmare would just be waiting for him. He'd brought the dreams to Father Time's attention, and the Father had seemed at least mildly concerned about the description. Time had told him he'd look for a solution or at least some sort of remedy. In the meantime, he'd instructed Kyle to keep up with the dreams, writing them down every time he had one and noting specifically what changed from one night to the next. As the young man uncorked his ink and began to write, a thought went through his mind. I don't think he expected me to write so many.

He simply shook his head and continued, describing every detail as he remembered it. He spent several hours recalling the events, going through a few more sheets of paper as he did. Once he finished, he waited for the ink to dry, rolled the pages together, and used a piece of twine to tie it together. He leaned to his right and opened the larger drawer, nearly three weeks' worth of rolled papers greeting him.

He shook his head and deposited the new roll on top of the growing pile. The drawer slid closed with the sound of wood on wood, the young man putting his elbows up on the desk as he buried his face in his hands. He stayed that way for several long moments before letting a breath out and clasping his hands together. He glanced out the window, noting just how dark it still was. It would still be at least a few more hours before dawn broke, the sun rising under the power of Celestia's magic. He gave a little huff at the thought.

That had been a difficult pill to swallow. When Father Time had come to him one morning during his recovery, running a little late for the first time, he had asked where the princess was. The Father had, without hesitation, told him she was busy lowering the moon and raising the sun. The statement had been said so casually that Kyle thought Time was joking. Oh, how wrong he'd been.

To be honest, Kyle still hadn't believed him until a few days later when the princess had asked for a meeting with him. She had confirmed the Father's claim with a light giggle and a smile. Then came the rest of the conversation.

The young man remembered it well, a slight frown picking up on his face for a moment. He looked to the window again, the night seeping in through the glass. Come first light, he'd get to make good on his word.

Several hours later and Kyle strode down the stone halls of the castle. The path he walked was one he'd walked before, though only once, and in the labyrinth of corridors, once was not nearly enough. He let out a tired sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. He shook his sleeve as he put his hand back down to his side, the long sleeves of the cotton shirt he'd been given behaving stiffly, much like the trousers he'd been given. He let out another sigh before stopping and taking stock of his surroundings, several moments passing before he came to a conclusion.

"I am so lost," he muttered to himself, closing his eyes and sucking in air as he frowned in frustration. Blowing out his breath, he started to walk again in hopes of finding someone that might have some idea of where he was. He passed hall after hall, took turn after turn, but the only thing he managed to do was make himself even more lost than he already was. Eventually, he stopped and let out a growl, the hall splitting up at a crossway.

"Great job, dumbass," he muttered to himself as he looked down each hallway. "You've gotten so lost you don't even know how to get back anymore." He started to turn in circles, his head doing much the same. Just as he was about to play eenie-meenie-miny-mo, the sound of footsteps drew his attention to the hall that had been on his left when he'd found the crossway.

A young woman, or pone, he still hadn't gotten used to that, walked towards him, her mind seemingly elsewhere as she looked to the ground. She wore simple, dark brown pants, a loose long sleeve blouse tucked into the waist, a dark belt holding it up. Her pink striped red hair was pulled back into a bun, or at least the parts that weren't trying to escape as she walked along. Her lips moved as if she were working out some sort of equation, dark green eyes intensely glued to the floor.

Kyle watched her approach, not moving out of the way until she was practically on top of him. He stepped out of the way, the pone never the wiser. He perked an eyebrow before clearing his throat. "Um, excuse me."

The woman practically jumped out of her skin, causing the young man to jump back a bit as well. She turned and looked at him, eyes wide as she tucked her arms against her chest. As her sleeves fell back, he took notice of the dark green tattoos wrapping around her forearms and wrist, starkly contrasting against her honey skin tone. They both blinked at each other for several moments, each afraid to move or say anything.

"Um, sorry," he apologized, slowly straightening back up. "I didn't mean to scare you. I, uh, just need help making it to the throne room. I got myself a little lost."

The woman stared at him for several more moments before she took an almost soundless breath. She looked up at him with a renewed smile and nodded, motioning for him to follow her. She turned, looked to each hallway then smiled a bit wider before going down the hall he had just come from. The man groaned internally as he followed along behind her. Wordlessly, they moved through the hall, the woman taking deft turns as she followed a path that only she could see. Kyle tried his best to work out the route in his mind, but he simply frowned and shook his head after trying for several minutes, attempting to dislodge the forming headache.

A few minutes more, and they arrived in front of a set of double doors, a guard stationed on either side of said doors, steel armor glinting in the light. A breath of relief escaped the man before he turned to his escort with a smile. "Thank you," he said, putting his hands together and giving a slight bow. The redhead only gave a small smile in return, giving her own little curtsy before straightening up, turning, and going along her merry way.

A brow quirked over Kyle's eye as he watched her go. "Okaaay," he muttered to himself before turning back to the guards and starting forward. As he drew closer, the two men, one with a small golden gem in his forehead, crossed their spears over the doors.

"State your business," the right guard ordered, light shining from his companion's gemstone.

"I'm here to meet with Celestia," Kyle answered, glancing nervously at the glowing jewel a few times. "She said she'd be introducing me to a Lord today."

The guard looked him over a moment before glancing at his partner, who nodded. "Alright," he conceded, the pair removing their spears. "In you go." They stepped out of the way and pushed the doors open, something illuminating underneath the sleeve of the first guard as the other's gem shone brightly.

"Thank you," Kyle said with a small bow, quickly making his way inside. The doors closed behind him as he strode forward. Celestia stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to her throne, speaking with a sharply dressed man, his dark dress pants and vest marking him as someone of great importance. Even his shirt, long sleeves holding closer to his toned arms, seemed to be made of better materials than Kyle had seen anyone else asides the princess wear.

As he approached, the princess glanced his way, a smile spreading over her face as she spotted him. "Mister Fawkes," she greeted, turning to face him properly. "How nice of you to meet us."

"Even if you are a bit late," the man added, his tone unaccusatory as a playful smile lifted the corner of his mouth.

Quirking a brow, Kyle took another second to take in the man before him. The sideways grin, deep, shining green eyes and matching gemstone, well-groomed golden hair, even his silvery skin all seemed to give off an almost ethereal glow. Reverence poured from the man like a wordless hymn, almost as if the one before him deserved the respect he commanded. Although, the softness of the smile and coolness of his gaze betrayed a kindness and patience beyond the imposing stature in front of him.

"...Mister Fawkes?"

The young man jolted as he realized he'd been staring, blinking as the princess looked at him with some concern while the older man's amusement only seemed to grow. "Uh… sorry," Kyle apologized, unconsciously reaching up to rub his neck.

Celestia watched him a moment more. "...Are you feeling alright, Kyle?" She asked, dropping formalities in favor of concern.

The young man paused at that, his mind calculating just how much he needed to say at the moment. "I've… been having some trouble sleeping," he finally admitted, the princess' frown deepening. "I've already spoken with Father Time, and we're hoping we can find a solution."

"...I see," Celestia murmured after a moment, continuing to eye the young man. "Perhaps we should postpone."

Kyle's eyes widened. "Princess, I-" he started before he lost his words. He paused and looked to the floor, his throat tightening around the scar tissue that remained from his fight. His fists clenched, and he took a breath before looking back up. "I said before that I was ready to fight," he restarted resolutely. "I was given my powers so that I could protect people, and I still plan to do just that."

Silence filled the space as Kyle finished, his gaze never faltering as he and the princess looked into each others' eyes. A low chortle finally broke the silence between them, drawing their attention to the older man beside them, his warm laughter filling the space nicely. "He certainly seems to have the conviction you were telling me about, your highness," he chuckled, eyes falling on the boy before him.

The tanned woman blinked for a moment before she let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I almost fear that bringing the two of you together may very well be the end of my already fragile sanity," she muttered to herself, fingertips on her forehead as she shook her head with closed eyes. Her gaze was stern when she looked up as she looked at each of them with her arms crossed, hip kicked out, and wings slightly flared. "Despite that and the developments you have just informed me of, Kyle, we shall move along as planned. That said," she paused to wave a hand to the sharp-dressed man who stood a bit straighter, "allow me to introduce you to your new master, Duke Silverline."

The duke bowed his head slightly, Kyle quickly following suit in respect, both men straightening up soon after. "It's a pleasure, Kyle," Silverline greeted formally, beaming as he stretched a hand out to the young man. "Hearing how you helped the princess to banish the Nightmare has left me most impressed."

"Oh, uh…" Kyle stuttered, reaching his own hand out while trying to ignore the slight flinch that Celestia gave at the word "Nightmare." "I didn't really do a whole lot, y'know. I was just sort of a distraction while Princess Celestia did the real leg work."

"Nonsense," the pone replied with a slight chuckle before something a little more serious glinted in his eyes. "I wouldn't be offering you a knighthood if you were nothing more than a distraction."

The young man gulped. "No, I, uh, guess you wouldn't," Kyle murmured, a tingle running up his spine at the suddenly very dark look on the duke's face.

A few tense moments passed between the two as they let go of the handshake, Silverline's expression returning to what it was. "I assume you know the basics of what a knighthood entails," the Duke continued, folding his arms behind his back.

"Um…" The young man murmured, nervously rubbing his hands against his trousers. "Not really? I only know that I'll be learning under a master knight, though Time and I never discussed it in detail…."

"Hm," the pone hummed, quirking an eyebrow as the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "Then allow me to educate you." Silverline straightened up a bit, clearing his throat as he tamed his smile. "Upon accepting my offered apprenticeship, you will spend at least one year as a page in my household. Perhaps more, perhaps less, depending on the evaluation of both my wife and I. Once you are deemed worthy, you will begin your time as my squire, learning true combat and strategy. Again, this will be a time of evaluation for you and, depending on how well you listen and learn, should last little more than two to three years for someone of your age." The fair-haired man stopped and looked down at him, gaze stern. "This will not be an easy road, but it will be rewarding if your true goal is as you say it is. However, if you walk this path for greed or power, you will find yourself in the mud with the other swine. Do I make myself clear?"

Kyle found himself standing ramrod straight, arms to his side stiffly. The young man could only nod in answer.

"Any questions?"

The boy shook his head.

"Good." The Duke's dark expression left as quickly as it had come, leaving his easygoing smile in its place. "I believe this will be the beginning of something fantastic."

"If you are quite done, nephew," Celestia interrupted, bringing herself back into the conversation while also drawing up Silverline's grin a bit more. "I don't believe there to be any reason for you to continue scaring your potential squire."

The man gave a little chuckle at that, glancing at his aunt for a moment. "No, I don't believe there is," he agreed, his eyes returning to the young man before him. "So? What'll it be, young Fawkes? Join me in House Silverline? Or…" he paused and once more allowed his gaze to harden, "will you let this opportunity pass by and wait for the next?"

Pale blue eyes stared up for a moment into unfathomable green before the boy turned his gaze away. Subconsciously, he brought his hand up to rub at the scar along his throat. This wasn't exactly what he'd thought he'd signed up for. At least three years to become a knight? And that was if he did everything perfectly without having any knowledge of sword fighting or anything like that. Even his fight with Nightmare Moon could be chalked up to nothing more than luck. But… that was why he was here, wasn't it? The reason he gave up his old home? His old life? His family?

He grimaced for a moment as thoughts of his nightmares came rushing back to him. What family did he have left? His father was psychotic, not to mention dead, and his mother was deranged. The only other person he'd have wanted to go back to was-

"Kira." The word was out before he could stop it, slipping out under a quiet breath. What would she want him to do? It didn't take much thought to put that one together. His worried, uncertain gaze hardened, steadfast and sure of his decision as he looked up into the eyes of the Duke.

"Let's do it."

[Author's Note]
I've only recently become aware that a majority of the self-promotion I thought I was doing on this site is null, so allow me to do this properly. All of my content is available in multiple places and all with varying degrees of content. For instance, every single chapter I've posted over the last four or five months have illustrations that go along with them! Unfortunately, I have no clue how to add images to stories on this specific site. On top of that, all this content and more is available on my several months in advance. Additional perks that can be found on said are monthly polls to see which story gets updated from one month to another, access to private livestreams, and an exclusive chat room on Discord. If any of that interests you in any way, check out my LinkTree at /BCorman84