CHAPTER 1: THE CLOAKED MAN.

(POV: Mysterious Narrator.)

Sometime after the events of Mordred, Sodor and its residents have been trying their hardest to return to normal. But Sodor being Sodor, you can't have without it's usual chaos when you have Edward's two little Brothers, Bill and Ben, being very mischievous. However, enough with that side comment, that's not where this part of the story that I tell is focused on. As I said earlier, it had been sometime since the battle against Mordred had ended, and Lady was now on her seventeenth birthday and on a day sometime afterwards, she was to have an early marriage with a person of her choosing so they could be coronated on the same year when they both are 18. However, she wasn't all too excited, as she sat in the garden.

(POV: Lady.)

As I sat in the garden of my family's palace, I couldn't stop thinking about a certain nobleman who I loved. I had known Thomas for about three years now, and my feelings for him haven't once died.

"Should I tell him? Or Should I not?" I asked myself as I sat by the fountain.

Ever since that one Christmas, where Thomas gave me that bouquet of golden roses, I could no longer say no to being with a man like him, for it was the type of person who he was that made me fall for him the way I did. However, I was still yet to find the courage to admit my love to him. As I continued to decide whether or not to admit my feelings to Thomas, my train of thought was interrupted as my father came walking out of the palace towards me. From how he looked, he had something to tell me.

"Lady.." He said to grab my attention.

"Yes, father?" I asked, wondering what he wanted to tell me.

"Apparently, we're not the only royal magicborn family within this island." He said to me.

"We're not?" I exclaimed.

"No, we aren't." He replied to me. "And even though his parents are deceased, I bet Allen would be an excellent spouse for you, don't you think?"

"I guess." I replied sadly.

"Is there something wrong, Lady?"

"I'm fine." I responded. "I mean... I'm supposed to marry a prince, aren't I?"

"I guess so." He replied. "Anyway, he'll be coming here tonight.

"Right."

As my father went back inside, I felt a major bit of guilt for lying to him. As much as I wanted to tell him, I wasn't sure on how he would react to my feelings towards Thomas, for he was one of my Sorcerer-Knights, especially after his excitement of us not being the only royal magicborns on Sodor. As I then felt more sad than ever, I knew that I had no choice but to go through this.

(POV: Jackland.)

As I went deeper into the palace to get things ready for the arrival of Prince Allen, as well as the gathering for Lady's birthday, I wasn't fully convinced of my daughter's answer that she was all right. She had a deep sadness within her voice and it just plagued my mind. I hadn't heard it when she responded to me when I said her name to get her attention, so I knew it wasn't with her since she awoke.

"She must have someone else she loves." I concluded within my thoughts. "If that is why she became saddened from hearing the news I brought, then I should make it more optional for her to have Prince Allen as her spouse."

As I then set on this thought, I decided that it would be best to give Lady and Prince Allen sometime, before setting their engagement in stone. If my daughter indeed loved someone else, I needed to find out who it was first before Allen takes the role as her husband. Though she had a point, I didn't believe she truly wants to marry a prince.

(POV: Mysterious Narrator.)

As King Allcroft continued his way down the halls, he didn't know that the very person who Lady loved most of all was currently on an extracurricular assignment/mission within a passageway that was just recently discovered. As he clashed blades and parried attacks with a shadow soldier, Thomas was gritting his teeth and dodging attacks as he then sliced it down.

(POV: Thomas.)

It had been many months since I slayed Mordred. Lady had been in mind quite a bit since then, and my feelings for her had only been growing. As I then sheathed my sword, I knew that when I got a chance to see her I had to admit my love and feelings for her. However, I wouldn't know of the wall that would soon come and stand in my way to her, as I then headed off to find the misuser of magic that I was assigned to eliminate. My target was a high ranking member of a cult, that was similar to the Knights Of Mordred. The cult was known as the Tembris Shrine, one dedicated to the Dark Goddess within the old Sudrian mythical folktales of long ago. The very same one that Billster told me about after he heard it from Blue-Spark's previous wielder. Knowing from experience on how dangerous that cults like this can be, I came prepared and had my link with Caliburn all set and ready to be summoned. Ever since Lady cleansed it and gave it to me as a Christmas present, Caliburn was very much a treasure to me, and I had been using it when I needed to dual wield most ever since. As I then made it to the Misuser's lair, I summoned Caliburn, and drew it and Excalibur out of their scabbards before kicking the door open. As I then looked about, I found it dark and very quiet. Nothing stirred, nothing sounded. It was all silent. As I then entered with major confusion I began to look through the Library to see if I could find any answers. As I then walked through an aisle, I saw a book that caught my eye.

"Time travelling spells?" I thought with interest. "I wonder if King Allcroft knows about these."

As I shook my head and tried to get my focus back on the matter at hand, I placed the book back and continued on with my search with the misuser. As I then got into the lair's epicenter, I gasped at what I saw. There in front of me, laid my target. Laying in a puddle of blood as deep slash wounds were all over his chest.

"A skilled swordsman has ended him." I thought as I took in the info. "But who would be even skilled enough to do as many as this?"

However, as soon as I had my question, it would be answered, as I suddenly felt the presence of another person behind me, and barely dodged the attack as the blade scratched my cheek. As I then drew Excalibur, and I got a good look at the swordsman who slayed my target and attempted to ambush me. He was a well fit build with a blue cloak hiding his face, and a coat that went down to his ankles, which had details that were obscured by the cloak. The coat also had red cuffs that had blue diamond shaped gems on them that seemed to stop just before his elbows. However, the one thing about this man that shocked me the most was the fact that his sword was invisible and I couldn't see it's blade. However, that fact didn't stop me for when he scratched me with it, I could tell that my opponent's sword was the same overall length as Excalibur as well as thickness, width, and type. As I then decided to use a downward slash maneuver, I suddenly was taken back in surprise on how he defended against it.

"He's a duel wielder!" I exclaimed within my mind, as the man in the blue cloak parried me back to the outside.

Feeling that there was another sword in his left hand, I drew Caliburn and began to face him again. However, as I tried to use different attacks and sword-spells that I knew, I only found them being stopped before they could really start.

"How does he know my moves?!" I questioned within my thoughts. "What does he want from me?!"

As I then found my footing, and saw my opponent charge at me with a Sword-Spell activated, I activated one as well and charged at him to defend against it. However, when our blades clashed this time, I heard gut wrenching screams of familiar voices, as well as images of many blurred, seemingly familiar people being cut by two gold swords from the first person view. Though I couldn't make out everything, all that I saw was enough to make me ready to vomit and made me fall to the floor, trying to catch my breath. As I then looked up towards him, I noticed a scowl across the man's lips, looking at me with pure hate.

"Consider this encounter a warning." He then said to me in a very dark tone. "The next time we meet, you will die."

As I then watched him pull an object out from beneath his coat before blowing into it and Gold-Dusting away, the words, tone, and dialect of his voice all plagued my mind. All of them seemed both very familiar and unfamiliar to me at the same time. It was as if I knew who this cloaked figure was, but didn't at the exact same time. As I then found my composure, I slid my two golden swords back into their scabbards and began my way home. Unaware of the fraction of the ego my attacker mentality had transferred to me through his memories.

(To be continued...)