Disclaimer: I do not own Maplestory in anyway.
Chapter One: Beginnings
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and the animals were playing around. Empress Krystal had graceful blonde hair and calming sky blue eyes. She wore a very simple dress and a shawl around her. Holding onto her right hand was little Cygnus. Empress Krystal's Knights walked with her toward Kerning City to talk with the Dark Lord. Empress Krystal had a great deal of troubles to talk about with her dear friend from childhood. As they neared the dojo in which Dark Lord trained thieves, Cygnus saw a young boy – with bandages that were wrapped over his one eye and covered his mouth – getting attacked by students from the dojo. The young boy had refused to fight back and merely tried dodging the attacks. Cygnus tugged on Empress Krystal's dress. Empress Krystal stopped and looked at Cygnus.
"What is it, honey?" Empress Krystal looked at what Cygnus was pointing at. The young boy was now fighting against a dagger, never the one holding the dagger – but the dagger. Empress Krystal immediately had one of her knights to stop the fight. "Alex, stop that fight." Alex was Empress Krystal's Dawn Warrior. Alex went toward the children. Just as the dagger was going at the young boy, Alex tried to stop them from stabbing the boy. Alex came too late. He stood in shock as the young boy took the dagger to his upper arm. His one visible eye stared at the stabber. Alex ran up and took a look at the wound. Before the other boy could run away, the Dark Lord grabbed his collar. Behind him was Jin and Syl, they were standing with great anger. Alex ignored them and gently removed the dagger. Alex had expected the boy to yell out in pain, but the young boy merely bowed in thanks. Syl and Jin came over to the young boy and cleaned the wound. Empress Krystal came over and smiled. "It has been a while, my dear friend."
"Oh Krystal, what a surprise. Give me a few minutes to deal with these little students of mine." The Dark Lord said. Empress Krystal nodded with a knowing smile. The Dark Lord punished the boys and told them to bow toward Empress Krystal before allowing them to leave. Jin and Syl quickly closed the wound and wrapped the bandages around his arm. The Dark Lord came over to the three children. "You've done well Eckhart. The wound wasn't too serious. You dodged it better. But remember to never let it happen again. Jin, Syl, bring him inside and treat the cuts and bruises."
"Yes, father." Syl replied and led the two boys inside the house. Alex stood next to Empress Krystal and Cygnus. The Dark Lord looked over at her and smiled brightly.
"Krystal, I'm amazed that you'd come and see me." The Dark Lord said happily. Empress Krystal smiled. The Dark Lord looked down at Cygnus. "Is this your daughter?" Empress Krystal nodded, "She's a beautiful young lady. I'm sure she has a heart of gold." Cygnus thanked him. "Let's go inside to talk more comfortably." The Dark Lord led Empress Krystal, Cygnus, and her Knights into the dojo. Upstairs, Jin and Syl were trying to get Eckhart to talk about what happened. Eckhart refused to talk and escaped Jin and Syl's questioning. Eckhart wanted to escape outside. His adoptive brother, Jin, and the master's daughter, Syl, have always been overprotective of Eckhart – even though he was the older one. As Eckhart finished going down the stairs, he stopped and bowed to the Dark Lord and his guests; before excusing himself. Eckhart went stealthily toward his usual meeting place. The place was on the outskirts of the meadow. A small stream flowed gently through the meeting place.
"About time you showed up buddy." The owner of the cheerful voice, had green hair and blue eyes, said happily. Eckhart smiled under the bandages. "I know I say it all of the time, but you look like a mummy." Eckhart's friend noticed the injury. "Eckhart, your arm. What happened? Oh no, those students were bullying you again." Eckhart's friend was so angry that Eckhart had to calm him down, but it ended up agitated his wound and he gasped in pain. "Oh Eckhart, I'm sorry."
"It's fine Ezekiel. It's not that bad. Plus you know how I feel about getting back at them." Eckhart said with a small smile. Ezekiel sighed with disagreement. Eckhart knew that his friend was always annoyed with the way he handled every situation.
"You're very kind-hearted, you know that? Sometimes I wonder how you keep yourself sane around them. I would have fought back if I was in your position." Ezekiel said while climbing up to the branch and sitting there.
"Haha, that's why you're not me. Do you plan on slacking off? Because I definitely won't; I'll leave you behind if you do." Eckhart said while relaxing his muscles. Ezekiel smiled.
"You have fun. I'll start after you warm up." Ezekiel watched Eckhart stretch and massage his arm before pulling out his throwing stars. After warming up, Ezekiel and Eckhart started to spar against each other. The two of them sparred for a few hours. At the dojo, the Dark Lord sighed in worry.
"You believe the seal will break in the near future." Empress Krystal nodded. "Will your knights be ready?"
"Dark Lord, we've been trained since the beginning to fight the Black Mage. If anything, we should worry about the common people and the adventurers' safety." Alex said in reply. The Dark Lord nodded slowly and looked outside. It was still sunny.
"Krystal, you need to be careful. If the Black Mage gets released then he'll go after the Dark Crystal that you hold."
"I know." Empress Krystal looked at Dark Lord. "Your daughter, Syl, has grown into a beautiful young lady." The Dark Lord smiled with pride.
"Syl and Jin are the two candidates who will succeed me. The two of them show great promise. They are bright young children."
"Dark Lord, what of the other young man?" Empress Krystal asked out of curiosity.
"You mean Eckhart. He has great skill. The boy has shown more promise than both Syl and Jin combined. The only problem is that Eckhart has made it quite clear that he has no interest in leading in my position." Empress Krystal sat quietly and wondered.
"Even though…" Dark Lord stopped her mid-sentence.
"He has given me valid reasons on why he shouldn't take over my position. Personally Krystal, he's always prepared. He knows his weaknesses and works on solving them and problems that arise. I believe he would be an amazing leader. Not to mention, he never brags about anything, and rarely complains. Krystal, sometimes I wonder if he'd ever get angry with anyone. For Eckhart has never gotten angry with Jin, Syl, or me." Dark Lord said softly. Cygnus tugged on Empress Krystal's dress.
"What is it honey?" Empress Krystal asked with a motherly voice.
"Mommy, can I go outside to play?" Cygnus asked with cute puppy eyes. Empress Krystal thought about it and was about to say no, when Alex stopped her. Lena, Krystal's Wind Archer, watched Alex from the corner of her eye. A tea cup and saucer was held in her lap. Lena had light green hair, golden eyes, and was dressed in a silk top and shirt. Next to her was Aria, Empress Krystal's Blaze Wizard, a fiery red-head with lime green eyes that shone with strength. She was dressed in a red magician's dress and her matching boots. Jack the very last of the knights stood next to Alex. He was Krystal's Thunder Breaker. He had a tan complexion with dark eyes. Everyone could tell that he was a pirate at the heart yet loyal to his Empress.
"Krystal, it should be fine if I go with her right? Lena, Aria, and Jack will stay with you. We'll stay out for a few hours and return." Alex said while Cygnus pleaded. Empress Krystal nodded and smiled.
"Alright Alex protect my baby alright? Should anything happen to her, you'll be on cleaning duty for a month." Empress Krystal said sternly. Alex smiled and nodded. Cygnus smiled happily and dragged Alex outside. Empress Krystal continued talking with Dark Lord.
"So why did you suddenly want to play outside, Princess?" Alex asked as he followed behind her. Cygnus turned her head back slightly.
"Mommy doesn't want to talk about the blood stuff with me around. So I wanted to walk around, and give her time to finish her talk with the Dark Lord." Cygnus replied with confidence. Alex followed her shocked. When did Cygnus become so wise? Alex suddenly noticed an old lady fall. He looked toward Cygnus and saw her chasing a butterfly. He sighed and went toward the old lady and helped her up. While he was doing that Cygnus had chased the butterfly to a meadow. Eckhart was sitting on the branch and saw a platinum blond girl come onto the field chasing a red butterfly. Eckhart had stopped sparring with Ezekiel, two hours ago. Ezekiel had needed to do something and left. Eckhart didn't want to go back to the dojo, so he had taken a small nap.
Eckhart stood up slowly when he heard a loud roar in the distance; something smashed into the ground hurling dirt and stones in every direction. It was a Crimson Balrog, a creature that resembled a demon with ragged claws and tatted wings.
"What the hell? What is that monster doing here?" He prayed that the Crimson Balrog would not see the little girl. However it wasn't meant to be; Eckhart didn't have time to wonder because it was heading towards the small figure. Cygnus was about to catch the butterfly when she noticed the area around her grow darker than the area two feet away. She turned around and yelled out in shock and fear. The Crimson Balrog had its claws in the air ready to slash her to pieces. As the claws were coming down at her, she fainted as she suddenly flew into the bushes. Eckhart had somehow managed to get to Cygnus when the claw came down, leaving Cygnus with a few scratches and blood stains from Eckhart rolling in the grass. Eckhart, however, wasn't so lucky. The attack had punctured his right lung and as he lay there with his arms holding onto Cygnus protectively; he could feel his life slipping away and the coldness seeping into his legs. Elsewhere in Kerning City, Ezekiel noticed the shift in the way the wind blew and gasped in worry. Ezekiel started running toward the meadow where he had left Eckhart alone.
"Something is wrong." Ezekiel entered the meadow; he noticed the Crimson Balrog and quickly hid in the bushes. Ezekiel saw the trail of blood and went toward it, while keeping hidden from the Crimson Balrog. When he got there, Ezekiel ran over to Eckhart and looked for a pulse. There was none. Ezekiel noticed Cygnus and smiled weakly. "Eckhart, you protected the Empress' daughter." Ezekiel summoned Umbra. Umbra was the spirit of the darkness, a god-like spirit. "Darkness… is there a way to give my time to Eckhart?" Umbra nodded. "Eckhart has always been the one who was more skilled than I will ever be. Darkness give Eckhart my time. Please!" Umbra nodded and the purple light engulfed Ezekiel and Eckhart. When the light had died out, Ezekiel gasped and felt the heat fading from his body. Ezekiel noticed Eckhart suck in a huge breath and his eyes opening slowly. "Well hey there buddy. Glad you woke up from your beauty sleep. Don't talk; I need to explain a few things." Eckhart's eyes spoke for his questions. "Eckhart… you were always better than me. I'll never be able to catch up. You will take my job of being the first Night Walker. Umbra will teach you everything you need to know. Eckhart… you were destined to do great things. Don't forget it. I believe in you…" Ezekiel took his last breath. Eckhart laid there shocked. Eckhart slowly sat up and picked up Ezekiel and Cygnus. He treaded slowly toward the mountain that had a tomb. Eckhart gently sat Cygnus against the wall was he brought Ezekiel inside. He laid Ezekiel against the stone table and took a cloth and covered him. No one would miss Ezekiel, because Ezekiel was an orphan like Eckhart. Eckhart took a deep breath and greatly regretted it. Eckhart went out of the tomb and covered it with a boulder. He picked up Cygnus and started back toward the meadow. When they reached the outskirts, Cygnus woke up and saw Eckhart.
"You're that boy from earlier today." Cygnus said in shock, Eckhart hid himself and Cygnus from the Crimson Balrog. Eckhart looked at her and nodded slowly. He took in his surroundings and jumped up to the tree branch. Eckhart let Cygnus move to sit down on the branch.
"Stay here and don't move. If you want better support than hug the trunk." Eckhart said quietly and softly. His voice was merely a whisper. Cygnus could only nod and watch Eckhart walk up to the Crimson Balrog. Eckhart fought against the monster and noticed that his attacks weren't doing anything but making the Crimson Balrog angrier than before.
"Call my name! Call it!" a voice said with urgency. Eckhart jumped back and yelled out.
"Umbra!" Umbra aka Darkness materialized and started attacking Balrog. Eckhart used his magic enhanced throwing stars. After a long fight, Eckhart managed to kill the Crimson Balrog. He looked at Darkness with contempt. Darkness smirked briefly before disappearing. Eckhart jumped up to where he put Cygnus and helped her down onto the ground. In the distance, Eckhart could hear yelling.
"Cygnus! Cygnus! Honey! Where are you? Cygnus!" Empress Krystal yelled out in panic and worry. Alex was following right behind her yelling as well. When the two of them reached the meadow, Cygnus saw Empress Krystal and ran toward her.
"Mommy!" Cygnus said happily. Empress Krystal hugged her tightly.
"Oh Cygnus, you're okay. You're not hurt are you?"
"No mommy, I'm fine. I only have a few scratches." Cygnus replied. Alex noticed Eckhart standing where he had put Cygnus down. Eckhart had his hand on the wound and his breathing was in short gasps. Alex noticed that Eckhart was about to fall and ran over to grab him before he hit the ground. Alex quickly looked at the wounds.
"Dear Minerva! Krystal, we got a problem. This boy needs medical care right now." Alex said while picking Eckhart up. Empress Krystal nodded and started back toward the dojo as fast as they could go. When they arrived Aria and Lena quickly came over to look at Eckhart's wounds. Aria went to work on healing, while Lena took out a potion and uncorked it.
"Alex, what happened?" Jack said from behind him. Alex sighed and shook his head. The Dark Lord came down and watched Aria and Lena work. Empress Krystal stood on the side with Cygnus. When Aria finished she took a deep breath and relaxed. Lena poured the potion slowly as Eckhart drank it. "Okay… so this boy is Eckhart correct?"
"Yes. We'll have to wait until he wakes up to find out what happened." The Dark Lord said gently.
"I think, if I'm allowed to assume, that Eckhart had fought a Crimson Balrog in order to protect Cygnus." Alex supplied quietly. The Dark Lord's head snapped up in worry. Empress Krystal gasped in shock.
"A Crimson Balrog? How is one here in Kerning City? They live deep down in the Ant Tunnel." The Dark Lord replied. Jack sighed softly.
"A storm is brewing. Krystal something might be happening in the future." Jack said with a heavy feeling running down his spine. Alex looked at Eckhart and returned his gaze toward the Dark Lord.
"We should move him to a bed…." Alex said softly. The Dark Lord nodded and led the way to Eckhart's bedroom. Cygnus ran after them. When the Dark Lord opened the door to Eckhart's room, Alex found it to be very plain. Alex gently put Eckhart on the bed and moved the blanket up. Cygnus pulled a chair over and sat down in it. Alex and the Dark Lord smiled and left the room. Alex looked at Empress Krystal and noticed that she was tired. Alex went over to Aria.
"How long do you think she'll keep forcing herself to stay awake?" Alex said in a whisper. Aria looked at Alex with a face that told him to go and tell her to rest. Alex laughed nervously. Alex looked over at Jack and they both smiled playfully. They went over to Empress Krystal and Alex picked her up bridal style. Jack had ask for them to stay until Eckhart woke up and led the way to the room that the girls would stay in. they would spend that evening relaxing and enjoying each other's company.