"The Apprentice"
Elvaans bowed as Umbra passed them by. She headed towards the dungeon where Icon was being imprisoned. She was trouble by her Master's insistence on recruiting Icon to their cause. Ever since she joined, she has been her Master's most loyal servant. She rose up the ranks and become her Master's most trusted follower. She had become so powerful that the Master's other followers feared her. She stopped at the prison cell where Icon was kept. Looking at Icon, she kept thinking why the Master would recruit someone so weak. Is the Master tired of her? Or she has lost her Master's favor? She has done all what her Master orders her and the Master repays her with this? Passing his power to a weakling Hume Mage who can't even beat her in battle? All the power she has right now comes with a terrible price she had to pay...
-O-
"Zeid! Stop and face us!"
Zeid stopped in his tracks at the sound of the voice challenging him. He turned around and saw two Elvaan Paladins, a male and a female. "You will pay for all the Elvaans who have died by the blade of your scythe." the male Elvaan Paladin said.
"You Elvaans Paladins are really blinded by pride. One by one you challenge me to a duel and each time one of you die, you blame me for their deaths. This is becoming ridiculous."
"How many Elvaans did you kill during the war? Hundreds? Thousands? How many elvaan families have been deprived of their parents because of you?" answered the female Elvaan Paladin.
"You Elvaans blame me for that also? War was started by your country. We only defended our right to survive as a nation. Stop blaming me for the deaths of your fellow countrymen. You should ask your leaders to stop their mad ambitions of world domination."
"Still you have to die. More and more of our kind will die if you are allowed to live." the male Elvaan Paladin replied.
"Don't give me any more of your reasons. I'm tired of you Elvaans constantly challenging me. The only reason you elvaans keep hounding me is because if you ever get defeat me, you will be considered a hero by the populace of Sandoria. Dream on it will never happen. Be gone! I don't want blood spilled today." Zeid turned and walked away.
"You have no choice but to fight us." yelled the male Elvaan Paladin. He drew his sword and charged Zeid. He thrust his sword towards Zeid's body but Zeid easily evaded him. Zeid refused to engage the paladin. He was tired of all this. Zeid just kept on evading the paladins attack. "Arrogant Galka! I won't be merciful just because you refuse to fight." yelled the male Elvaan Palidin angrily. He cast spell of Flash blinding Zeid temporarily which gave him a chance to hit Zeid in the arm. Zeid armor saved him from serious injury but he was still blinded. Rhe paladin cast spell of Banish at Zeid which sent Zeid stumbling backwards. "Now let's see how arrogant you still will be when I cut your head off!"
The male Elvaan Paladin thought Zeid was helpless because he was blinded, how wrong he was. As he approached Zeid, Zeid cast spell of Stun on him stopping him on his tracks. Zeid then fired a spell of Thunder at the male Elvaan Paladin causing him to shriek in pain. Zeid then fired another spell of Stone knocking the Paladin down.
Zeid cried out in pain as the blade of a great axe, broke through his armor and struck his back. The female Elvaan Paladin had joined the fray. Zeid was now fuming mad. The female Elvaan Paladin swung her great axe at Zeid again but Zeid caught the handle of her great axe midway. The female Elvaan Paladin tried to wrest her weapon away from Zeid but even with only one hand holding the great axe, Zeid was still strong enough to hold on to the great axe. Using his other free hand, Zeid aimed the edge of the handle of his scythe at the female Elvaan Paladin's throat. She choked as the tip hit her and let go off her weapon. Zeid then swung his fist, still holding the great axe, at the paladin, knocking her back several meters.
"Enough of this! I don't want bloodshed today." Zeid said as he threw away the great axe.
"There is no way you will live through this day."
Zeid turned and saw the male Elvaan Paladin holding a great bow, aimed at him. "So ends the life of the great Zeid." the Elvaan said smiling.
As the arrow left the hand of the Elvaan, Zeid moved towards the Elvaan and parried the arrow with his scythe. With one quick swing, Zeid sliced in half the great bow of the Paladin before he could take another shot off. "You give me no choice. Zeid swung his scythe upwards slashing open the Paladins body armor. With another vertical slash ended the life of the male Elvaan Paladin.
"Noooooooooooooo ..." yelled the female Elvaan Paladin. She was crying. "You killed my husband! You murderer!" She stood up, drew a dagger, then charged towards Zeid with crazed rage. Zeid just stood there not moving as the dagger pierced his armor, hitting him in the stomach. "What kind of Galka are you? You still stand after I slashed your back and pierced you in the stomach?" the female Elvaan Paladin asked.
"Many have learned their lessons too late and you will join their ranks." Zeid replied. Zeid put his hands around the neck of the female Elvaan Paladin and raised her off the ground. The Paladin desperately tried to take Zeid's grip off her neck but to no avail. Zeid then cast a spell of Blizzard at the throat of the Paladin. The Paladin died instantly. She slump to the ground after Zeid let go off her. "Elvaans, such a stubborn and foolish race, Pride will be their downfall."
As Zeid prepared to walk away, he noticed someone standing nearby looking at him. It was a young Elvaan girl. She was staring at Zeid. Zeid could see in her eyes she wanted to cry but held her tears at bay. Zeid turned away and started his journey back to Bastok. As he reached North Gustaberg area, he noticed someone following him. Zeid sighed as he thought more of the Elvaans had come to kill him. He angrily turned and yelled. "Why are you Elvaans so stubborn? Can't you understand I tire of killing you every other day?" What he saw instead was the little Elvaan girl who was staring at him a moment ago. she had followed him all the way from Jugner Forest. The Elvaan girl stood still when Zeid saw her. Zeid approached her and asked. "Why are you following me?"
"I want to be your pupil. I want to be a Dark Knight." the Elvaan girl replied.
"You are an Elvaan and a girl. You are not fit to become a Dark Knight." Zeid replied. "Go back to Sandoria and be a paladin."
"I want to be a Dark Knight. I want to be like you. If both my parents couldn't kill you, what is the use of being a Paladin? I want to be strong like you."
"Your parents? Those two paladins were your parents?" Zeid was shocked to hear.
"Yes those where my parents. I am now homeless. Please accept me as your student." the Elvaan girl kneeled and bowed to Zeid.
"I killed you parents and you want to be my student? Have you lost your mind from witnessing your parents death?"
"I want to be strong. I want to be like you. Please accept me as your pupil."
"You are crazy. Be gone. I have no time for people like you." Zeid answered and hurriedly left the Elvaan girl.
-O-
When Zeid entered Bastok, the crowd noticed he was wounded and hurriedly crowded him. They wanted to see if they could help him in any way. Zeid waved them off. Suddenly he heard a crowd shouting near the gate. He turned and saw Humes and Galkas taunting the Elvaan girl who had been following him.
"Little girl you lost? Are you crazy to step foot in Bastok?" shouted someone from the crowd. The crowd then started to pelt her with things. The Elvaan girl just stood there, receiving whatever the crowd threw at her. She didn't try to run or defend herself. She just kept staring at Zeid.
"Enough!" Zeid shouted at the crowd. The crowd stopped throwing when they heard Zeid's voice. They backed off as Zeid approached the Elvaan girl. "You really want to be a Dark Knight?" Zeid asked the Elvaan girl.
"Yes I do."
"What is your name?"
"Umbra."
"Umbra, I will accept you as my pupil. But whether or not you can survive the training to become a Dark Knight is another story. If you die or get permanently injured, do not blame me."
"I am not afraid. I can take anything you throw at me." Umbra replied. Her voice was so cold, as if her soul had left her.
"You there." Zeid pointed to a Galka. "Take her to the apartments and find a place for her to stay alone. And if anything happens to her you will answer to me. You better make sure she is not harmed in any way." the Galka bowed and told Umbra to follow him.
-O-
The morning after.
Umbra was standing in the sweltering heat in the middle of Bastok Mines with around two dozen other students. They had waited for around two hours already for Zeid to show up. Zeid finally showed up finally after another hour. "You all want to be Dark Knights. This I say to you. Most of you will not survive the training. Maybe all of you won't survive. Training starts now. Follow me." They followed Zeid inside Zehurn Mines. Zeid gave pickaxes and baskets and told them. "You have to fill those baskets with ore. Ten baskets in one day's time, those who can't fill ten baskets will be asked to leave. Go."
-O-
Midnight.
Of the two dozen students, five had quit midday. Another four weren't able to fill up their baskets. Zeid surveyed the remaining students. He didn't find Umbra among them. He told his assistant to go and look for her at the mines when Umbra suddenly appeared. She was carrying her last load of ore out of the mines. She had done it. Ten baskets of ore, Zeid was impressed with her will to succeed. She had makings of greatness. He approached her to ask if she wanted to quit. Umbra just shook her head and left.
-O-
For another three weeks all they would do was to mine ore. By the end of the third week only nine including Umbra survived the first part of the training. The next four weeks they learned magic. Umbra was way ahead of the learning curve than her classmates. She learned her spells very quickly. At the end of the fourth week, Zeid took them inside Korrokola Tunnels. The next test of the training was about to begin.
"See those worms? Pick up a stone and throw it at them." Zeid told his students. "Your next test is to absorb whatever they throw at you for three hours. You will not die; someone will watch over you and cure you. This will test your endurance to magic spells. You cannot fight back. You may think with someone curing you it will be easy. I assure you it will not be a walk in the park." The remaining nine students positioned themselves in several spots inside the tunnel. For three hours they got bombarded with spells of Stone and Rasp from the Land Worms. It was like unending torture. Pain then soothing magic then pain again back and forth. Two didn't last an hour. By the end of three hours only Umbra, two Galkas and two Humes survived the day.
-O-
For the next two years Umbra would endure every trial and test Zeid put her through. A day before their class would graduate, tragedy happened. Umbra was practicing her weapon skills in preparation for the final test the next day. Her fellow classmate, a Hume named Zex had been taunting her. Ever since he had always picked on her because she was an Elvaan but Umbra would just let it go until that fateful day. Zex as usual tried to scare her and intimidate her.
"I heard tomorrow we go to Beaudeux for our final test. That place is Quadav stronghold. I think you should just give up right now. You may not live to become a Dark Knight if you go." Zex taunted Umbra. Umbra just walked away from him as usual. Zex followed her and kept taunting her but umbra would just ignore him. Pissed with her refusal to talk to him, Zex ran behind her and pulled her hair. He pulled it so hard that Umbra got yanked back and fell down. At that moment Umbra snapped. She was staring at Zex like as if looks could kill. Zex saw her eyes and got frightened and started to walk away. Umbra stood up and let out a very loud yell and charged Zex with her scythe. After enduring more than two years of pain to her path of becoming a Dark Knight and all those times Zex would bully her, she had enough. Her patience wore off and the only thing in her mind was revenge and payback for all the things she had suffered over the years.
Zex's specialty was great sword. Umbratook her first swing at Zex aiming for his head. She missed as Zex ducked to evade her attack. Zex swung is great sword upwards but Umbra blocked it midway with her scythe. Both were almost equal in strength when it came to physical prowess, neither had the advantage over the other. Zex then started his magic attack on Umbra. He kept changing spells at Umbra to keep her off balance but Umbra resisted most of the spells he threw at her. Umbra always had an advantage when it came to magic. She used a spell of Aspir to suck the remaining mana out of Zex. Sensing defeat, Zex wanted to stop the fight and he threw his great sword away. "I give up Umbra. You win today." Zex smiled as he raised both his arms in a sign of surrender. He thought Umbra would just stop there but he was wrong. Umbra swung her scythe and impaled Zex. The other students stood in shock seeing what Umbra did. Umbra was out for blood. By the time Zeid had arrived after hearing what had happened, it was too late. Zex had already died. He ordered Umbra to be locked up for what she had done. Later that night he visited her. When he saw her eyes he saw the same expression he saw years ago when he first meet her. No emotion and that cold stare.
"Umbra, after all these years I thought I had taught you how to endure pain and to keep your emotions at bay. After all the training you went through, you still lost it today. I am disappointed." Zeid said as he shook his head. "I cannot decide what happens to you. This is Bastok, we have laws. It will be up to the higher authorities to decide your fate." Umbra just kept quiet and didn't say anything. "You have more than exceeded my expectations of you." Zeid continued on. "I never thought you would even survive the first day of training but you have become one of the best pupils I ever had the privilege to teach. It is really a pity it all came to this." Zeid then turned to take his leave of Umbra.
"I never told you the real reason why I begged you to teach me to become a Dark Knight." Umbra finally spoke. Zeid stopped in his tracks and turn to look at Umbra. "That day when I saw you kill my parents. I knew there was no way I could avenge their deaths if I went back and trained to be a Paladin like them. We Elvaans always held our heads up high. We always want to win. It is an inherent nature within us. It is true Elvaans wanted to kill you because of the fame that comes with it. At first my plan was to kill you using the skills you taught me. But as days and months passed, I realized something else. Revenge would be useless. So what if I kill you, the same fate would befall me. Everyone would try to kill me for I was the one who killed you."
"It is good you realize revenge is pointless. It will never end. I am proud of you." Zeid answered back.
"It wasn't your fault my parents died, for it was they who challenged you to a fight. After all these years with you I feel your pain. And the loneliness that comes with power. You are powerful Zeid. People will want to kill you. I know you want to go away and hide from the world. Let us go away, you and me to a place where no one will find us. We will find our little place in this world where we will be happy." Umbra replied.
Zeid didn't answer Umbra. He knew now Umbra had idolized him like a god. It had to end. She had become something else. Something Zeid didn't want her to be. "There is no future with me Umbra. My life is filled with danger wherever I go."
"Are you turning me away because I am an Elvaan? I thought you are better than that Zeid. I should have known better." Umbra had stood up from the floor where she was sitting. "Know this Zeid, if I ever get out of here I will hunt every Dark Knight in this land and show you the folly of you shunning me."
"You will be locked up in this dungeon for the rest of your life if I can help it." Zeid replied. "I will not kill you. I do not have the heart to do so. You are like a daughter to me. That is howI feel for you in my heart." said Zeid walking away from the prison cell.
"Zeid come back here! Let us go away together! Zeid..." yelled Umbra with no avail.
-O-
Zeid was pleading his case to spare Umbra's life before the Bastokan Council when news arrived. Umbra had escaped from her prison cell. In her wake more than a dozen Bastokans had died trying to stop her from escaping. The council was very angry with the news. The head of the Council pointed at Zeid and said. "This is your entire fault. Your ego blinded you. You should have never accepted her as your pupil. We tried to reason with you years ago but you wouldn't listen to us. You wanted to spite the Elvaans by training one of them to be a Dark Knight and a girl at that. Look what has happened now."
"I will take responsibility for my actions. I will go find her and deal with her. After that you can punish me whatever way you see fit to do so." Zeid answered back. He took his leave from the council. Outside two Iron Musketeers, Volker and Iron Eater tried to stop him from going after Umbra and volunteered to go in his place. Zeid politely turned them down and said it was something he had to do himself.
For the next two months Umbra went on a killing spree. She first targeted Dark Knights but after awhile took on anyone who she saw fit to kill. She had gone mad. Zeid tried his best to catch up with her but she always eluded him. She banded a small group of followers; together they terrorized Vanadiel to no end. Finally her luck ran out when nations banded together to stop her reign of terror. She fled to the snowy wastelands of Xacabard where Zeid finally caught up with her. There was a snowstorm that day in Xacabard. Visibility was so bad and it was very hard to walk through the thick layer of snow that had fallen to the ground. Umbra had wandered around aimlessly when she heard a voice calling out to her.
"Umbra, stay where you are. It is useless to run now. Your reign of terror has to end."
When Umbra heard the voice she recognized it right away. It was her mentor Zeid. He finally caught up with her. "Zeid! You remember I asked you before to go away with me and hide from the rest of the world? We can still do it." Umbra shouted as she could not see where Zeid was with the snowstorm blinding her.
"You disappoint me Umbra. I had so much expectation of you. You instead turned into something so evil." Zeid said as he appeared in front of Umbra.
"I wanted to experience how it is like to be you, too be all powerful." Umbra laughed out loud. "It feels so good to kill someone. The rush you get when you see someone's face knowing their end has come. Isn't it what you feel when you kill someone Zeid?"
"I am not a monster like you Umbra. Stop comparing me to you!"
"If I am a monster, what do you call the one who trained a monster all of these years?"
"Come back with me Umbra. I can help you. Stop this madness. There is still hope."
"Hope? Can't you see how I am hunted like a crazed animal nowadays? There is no going back for me now." Umbra replied. "There is a saying though the pupil will one day best the mentor. I wonder how true that saying is." She twirled her scythe above her head as she walked toward Zeid. With one swift motion turn her scythe downwards and slashed Zeid. Zeid evaded her but Umbra kept coming. She attacked Zeid non stop causing him to backpedal. With one lucky hit her blade slashed Zeid's right arm.
"I wasn't planning on fighting you but you leave me with no choice." Zeid told Umbra. Zeid started to retaliate. Both their scythes clanged back and forth. Zeid was amazed on how much Umbra's fighting skill had improved in the months since he last saw her. She was almost at par with him. He was holding back as much as possible giving Umbra a slight upper hand. Umbra was able to slash Zeid again, this time on the right arm again. Zeid armor didn't hold up the second time and he was now bleeding.
"You are holding back I know. Too bad I am not doing the same thing." She proceeded to slash and hack Zeid even faster and more ferocious than before. Zeid got slashed again this time in the chest. Zeid finally stopped holding back his attack and launch a counter offensive using magic spells. First he cast a spell of Poison at her, and then cast Aspir to drain her mana and then cast Drain to drain her life force. Umbra got weakened by Zeid's magic salvo and slowed down the speed of her offense. Zeid used his mastery of scythe skill and pummeled Umbra with all his might. Umbra staggered back from the ferocity of Zeid's counter attack. Finally using the power of the snowstorm he cast a spell of Blizzard at Umbra. Zeid was able to knock Umbra's weapon from her hand using the force of his spell. It was all over. Umbra got cornered at the edge of a ravine. She had no where to go.
"Surrender Umbra. I promise you no harm will come to you as long as I live." Zeid said.
Umbra looked down the ravine and a smile formed in her face. "I will not give you the pleasure of defeating me. Thank you for all those years or tutoring me to become a better person. Goodbye my dear mentor. I love you forever." With that, umbra stepped off the ravine plunging herself down the endless chasm. Zeid could not reach her in time and that was the last time he saw of her.
-O-
"….. Umbra ….. Umbra"
Umbra was startled awake from her daydream. She turned and saw it was the Master who was calling her.
"You have been staring at Icon for the past half and hour. Your mind was somewhere else. Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing Master, I was just thinking of something."
"I notice you have been very uneasy since Icon arrived. Is there something you should tell me?"
Umbra looked at her Master and found the courage to speak out what she wanted to say to him. "Master, have I done something wrong? Ever since the moment you found me and rescued me from that ravine I have been a loyal servant to you. Why do you want to pass on your power to him rather than me? Am I not worthy to be your successor? Am I not the best apprentice you have? Tell me what have I done to deserve this treatment from you?"
"Umbra, Umbra, Umbra my dear. One week more and all will be revealed. I have not forsaken you. You still are my favorite. You will soon learn why I will not let you have my power. Have a little patience my dear. I promise you I have not forgotten all you have done for me."
"I am sorry I doubted your actions Master. Forgive me." Tears were falling down her cheeks.
"You are crying? I have never seen you cry all these years. What happened child?
"Nothing Master, can I ask a favor from you Master?"
"Yes you may. What is it?"
"Can I leave for a few days? I have some unfinished business to take care off. I will be back as soon as I can."
"You may but remember to come back a week from now. You will see the rise of a new power in Vanadiel."
"I will be back Master. I promised."
-O-
Zeid was walking through the streets of Bastok Mines when he noticed a strong presence near him. He looked around and saw a figure leaning on a wall. He recognized the figure.
"I never thought I would live to see the day you and I will meet again. I thought you had perished when you stepped of the ravine." Zeid said.
"It has been awhile my mentor." It was Umbra. She stepped out into the light. She had not changed all these years. She was still cold and emotionless.
"You have resurfaced after all these years. What are you planning to do? Who is the Master you serve? Tiny Heart told me you took Icon away because you're Master wanted him."
"That is none of your business. I have unfinished business with you though." Umbra pointed to Zeid. "You refused to go away with me before. I thought you would be happy to run away from the world. As I told you before I will kill every Dark Knight to show you there is only one worthy to be your pupil. Me. Only I am worthy. You better keep an eye on Tiny Heart. I promise you he will not live to see the day of the duel in Jeuno. He is not worthy to represent us Dark Knights. I will kill him."
"I ask you again, where did you bring Icon?" Zeid said.
"Goodbye my Mentor. We will be seeing each other again." Umbra didn't answer but turned and walked away instead. Zeid ran after her but two demon spawns appeared out of nowhere to block his path. "Out of my way I don't have time for you." Zeid said as he slashed the two demons. The demons didn't even have the chance to defend themselves, Zeid was too quick. But the demons had given Umbra enough time to disappear. Zeid wondered how powerful Umbra had become. She had demons as her bodyguards. Zeid knew darkness was coming to Vanadiel and will consume the land in years to come.