Disclaimer: I do not own Maplestory in anyway.

A/N: I would like to thank all of you who have read my story. Please continue to support me from the shadows. A few reviews would definitely brighten my day. I have a twist on the OzxEckhart so it might not be what you're all thinking.

Haunani: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you like how Eckhart is. The knights really don't get enough love anymore. As a matter of fact, Eckhart is also my favorite Cygnus Knight. I assure that his awesome mask will not be left out. You'll just have to continue reading to see what happens.

MrTouchnGo: Thank you for taking the time to read my story! Also thank you for the advice and tips, I'll keep them in mind. I'll try to find the mistakes and fix them as soon as possible. Thank you!

MysticMoon: Thank you for brighten my day with every review you leave. You're my first official storystalker. Well I really hope this chapter is as good as the other ones. :D

Chapter Seven: Unseen Destiny, Past Questioned

The house was almost too silent for Eckhart's liking. Eckhart studied the three job instructors that stayed with him. They were all male and wore robes. Tylus was wearing a brown robe with a huge two handed sword on his back with a beard. Tylus was standing next to the fire and sighed. Pedro stood off to the side. Eckhart could tell that he was the job instructors for the rumored pirates that sailed the oceans. He wore a purple robe, and had a double chin. His weapon was hidden within his robes. Obviously, Eckhart could see where the weapon was concealed. The last of the instructors in the room was Arec, whom Eckhart knew he would be seeing more of if he wished to grow stronger. Arec was quietly standing against the stairs, his blue robe made him stand out like a sore thumb, yet Eckhart had a difficult time finding his weapon or weapons.

"Studying us already I see." Arec said quietly. Eckhart blinked with an emotionless expression. Tylus sat down in his chair.

"To think that we'd actually see him at our doorstep, it was quite a surprise." Tylus said deafeningly. Arec merely shook his head in annoyance.

"I think talking with such a loud voice at such a time defeats the idea of being quiet, so Robeira can do her job." Pedro said in a gentle whisper. Eckhart watched as the two of them started bicker. Arec sighed when he saw a flash of pink flash by him. Eckhart could feel danger and slid farther away from the two instructors. A hard whack was heard, and the two instructors were rubbing their heads in pain. A bow of blue and purple had been the weapon of choice. A young woman with yellow braided hair stood with her hand on her hips. She was dressed in a pink robe.

"Either both of you quiet down, or I'll knock you both to kingdom come." She said with quiet venom. "For the love of Minerva, will you two at least act your age? I swear that you both are being extremely childish. I thought you both grew out of that when we were able to become instructors."

"Rene, your words goes on deaf ears. Those two have constantly been at each other's throats for as long as I could remember." Arec whispered softly. Rene sighed at his words.

"Why is it that you're the only one that thinks things through?" Rene asked in reply. Arec could only shrug in return. She turned toward Eckhart, who decided it was wise to keep his mouth shut until spoken to. "This is the boy that they were all worried about? I don't see anything about him that requires them to be worried about. In fact, I'm more worried about the girl then him." Tylus and Pedro both recomposed themselves. She sent a glare at the two men. They merely looked away from her. "If I hear you both again from upstairs, you both better be on guard." She returned upstairs with elegance that only a bowman could accomplish.

"You can ignore those two." Arec told Eckhart, who merely nodded in return. "However, could you explain what happened to the girl?"

"Yes." Eckhart took a deep breath and started telling them what happened to the village in great detail. The three instructors kept quiet throughout his entire explanation. Eckhart watched as Tylus's face change expressions every now and then. It went from patiently listening to anger, then full out hot-headed rage. Eckhart finished and waited for some reaction from the other two, knowing completely well that Tylus wasn't pleased with what happened in Shiver Village. Pedro got up from his spot and left the room. Eckhart blinked in confusion. Arec merely shook his head and sighed under his breath. "Um…."

"I'm surprised that you ended up in Shiver Village." Tylus said as quiet as he could. "That village has been difficult to reach these past few years."

"You mean to tell him, that the legend that originated from there isn't just a mere legend." Pedro whispered from the top of the stairs. Arec glanced up at him. A book was held within Pedro's hands. Eckhart eyed it wary of what could be in it.

"I suppose we should explain to him. If he's meant to know then it won't be so hard for him to understand." Tylus replied. Arec closed his eyes as if he was extremely tired.

"Tylus," Arec said softly. His voice was sort of ghostly from Eckhart's perspective. "I would recommend that you save that for tomorrow. It is late and I'm sure he would like to sleep and worry more about the child upstairs, than a legend that connects with the Black Mage."

"No, it's alright. I think I should listen." Arec opened his cold eyes and stared at Eckhart. Eckhart merely returned it with his own stare. Arec pushed himself off the wall and walked past Eckhart to the door. Eckhart blinked as a cold breeze came into the house. "What's wrong with Master Arec?" Both Tylus and Pedro were silent, a cold feeling settled in the room. Eckhart sighed and stood up. "I'm not sure I understand, but that legend must have hit an old wound for Master Arec." The two of them looked at Eckhart. "I'll see if I can bring him back. If I hear the wind correctly, there should be a horrible storm tonight." Eckhart grabbed his cape and tied it around his neck and pulled the hood up. Eckhart disappeared from the house.

"He…." Pedro started half-heartedly.

"Is just like those instructors said he'd be like. He's quiet, observant, and patient with almost everything that comes his way." Tylus finished. Pedro sighed.

"We shouldn't have thought about bringing up the legend with Arec in here."

"And see what happens when we leave three idiot men together. They go and accidently rub salt into unhealed wounds." A feminine voice said sadly. The two men looked up and saw Robeira robed in yellow. Her pink hair was held mostly to her left side; her pink lips etched into a frown. "Pedro, you knew better than to bring it out."

"I thought…." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I should apologize to him once he returns. How is the child doing?"

"She's a strong child. However, the fact that she's the only survivor hasn't really been absorbed." Robeira answered. Rene was sitting across from Tylus.

"What is Minerva thinking? That boy's destiny is shrouded in such darkness. She's placing an entire world's burden on his shoulders." Rene spoke softly.

"Arec has been waiting for him. He will be teaching Eckhart things that the other Victorian job instructors couldn't." Tylus returned quietly.

Elsewhere in the freezing weather, Eckhart walked around looking for Arec. The moon shined above him. The moonlight was in a sort of crimson color, yet not entirely crimson like bright blood. Eckhart saw traces of footprints in the new pure snow. Following them he could feel an uneasy aura surround him. The wind blew furiously from the northeast direction. Eckhart froze at the sudden chill that assaulted him.

"Child of the darkness, what brings you to this cold and unforgiving place?" An airy voice whispered around him. Eckhart scanned his surroundings with wary. "Do you believe that you'd find your answers from the forests of El Nath?"

"You shouldn't listen to those voices all the time. They're there to deceive and confuse the listener, and lead them into a never ending cycle of torment." Eckhart spun around on his heels. The owner of the voice nowhere to be found for the snow was beating down on him.

"Master Arec, why are you in the middle of the torments then? Why would you try to lose yourself in them?" Eckhart could hear Arec laughing. His laughter sounded like broken glass on repeat.

"What a surprise that such a young man could figure out so much. But you don't understand the hardships of fighting a losing war; of losing the things most precious to you." Eckhart felt Arec's cold fingers brush against his plain porcelain mask. "I can still see it. The snow dyed red with that sticky warm liquid. I can still smell it. The sickening stench of rotten and burning flesh floating in the frigid air that made me lurch my empty stomach. I can still hear it. The screams and yells of fellow comrades and cries of the innocent drowning each other's voices out. I can still touch it. The memories still haunt me for the endless pity of being stuck in a torment created by my own selfish hands. These hands are stained with the blood of the innocent, in trying to protect the innocent, I killed more than saved." His voice was strained and laced with a hatred directed not toward Eckhart but himself. Eckhart stayed silent at his words, trying to think of something to say in return.

"If I was in your shoes, then I could do nothing more than accept it and believe that I could still make a difference upon the world." Eckhart said softly to Arec. He laughed tiredly. Eckhart moved toward where he believed that Arec would be. The illusions of the heavy snow disappeared and Arec sat against a tree with his robe wrapped around him.

"I'm astonishment beyond comprehension. To think a man like you could understand my pain and torment, you are definitely the Child of the Darkness." Arec said softly, pain laced his words. His eyes were closed. "The legend was built around protecting the future. The future of this world, but…"

"Wait, the legend was built around the future? Wouldn't it make more sense if it was built around the present for the future?" Eckhart replied with curiosity. Arec smiled weakly.

"The legend holds some truth to it. Pedro and Tylus do not understand it well enough to be telling you about it." A short pause. "The Shiver Village was known for being rich in a certain gem, a gem that many avaricious men sought, whether it be for power, or the money that could be gain from trading it. It was wanted nonetheless." Arec's face remained emotionless through the next part. "I grew up near that village. The people there were never hungry. However, many of them formed some underground cult. The cult led to the Battle of Endless Shivers. Turns out it was a Black Wings group that wanted to gain what was lost to them. To find the gem would give them the power to revive their unholy master." Arec opened his cold eyes and sighed. "I don't know what became of the gem. The protectors hid the gem and were slaughter by the Black Wings for thwarting their plans."

"Master Arec, I can understand why this legend would affect you to such degrees; however, I can also understand that the Black Wings need to be stopped." Eckhart said in return. "I feel like I should tell you that it seems like they don't wish for my being to exist. They have been constantly trying to kill me. Or at least a faction of them wish for my death."

"That is because like the very few of your kind, you are a Child of the Darkness." Arec whispered from his spot on the snow. He lifted his hand up to stop Eckhart from speaking up. "I'll explain, but not tonight. It isn't time for you to understand that part of history just yet." He stood up slowly. "You are free to look for information about it, but I doubt you'll find anything useful." Eckhart looked away with downcast eyes. "No need to look that way. I promise you that you will get that information. For it is my duty to tell you about it." Eckhart looked up at him. Arec was smiling weakly. "Time can only tell you what destiny has in store for you."

"…."

"The feeling that I get from you, tells me that you have a great destiny to fulfill. Come, we should return to the house. Those four would skin me alive if I didn't come back and they found me frozen like a statue." Arec said with a smile full of mischief. Eckhart smiled under his mask.

"What are you thinking, Master Arec?" Eckhart queried with curiosity.

"Shall we play a trick or a treat?"

"A treat full of tricks sounds like a good idea." Eckhart replied with a tone that made Arec chuckle.

"It seems like we're going to have a lot of fun. Especially since I know you were dying to ask me to train you." Arec said while making a few devious plans in his head. Arec explained to Eckhart what they were going to do and Eckhart merely shook his head at a few of his ideas.

"I think I'm starting to like having you as a master, Master Arec." Eckhart said after Arec finished explaining. Arec chuckled. They went about working on their little project.

"Good to know we're on the same page, Eckhart. However, we're going to get in so much trouble with Robeira and Rene."

"I'd just blame it on you." Eckhart replied mischievously. Arec stared daggers at him.

"You think you'd get off the hook without some punishment?" Arec said darkly. Eckhart merely looked at him innocently. "Your eyes will not save you Eckhart."

"We'll see." Eckhart muttered softly under his breath. They both looked at the door when a creak was heard. They were right smack dab in the middle of the open door. Eckhart was on the ground with Arec's dagger at his neck. Pedro stared at them shocked. Blood was staining the pure white snow.

"What in the world Arec! What's gotten into you?" Pedro exclaimed with worry. Eckhart blinked at Pedro, the shadows hid his eyes. Arec grinned evilly and stabbed Eckhart.

"Arec, don't kill… him…." Rene ended in a whisper. Arec looked at his blood soaked dagger. His face was emotionless. Eckhart was gasping for his breath. "Arec how could you? What's wrong with you suddenly?"

"Are you enjoying yourself Arec?" Robeira asked. Arec looked at her and shivered involuntarily. Her voice was soft yet it under toned danger. Tylus merely listened from inside the house. A massive grin was plastered on his face. He smirked. Both Arec and Eckhart started to fade into nothingness. Robeira sighed softly and stared at the two behind her. "Did you both really believe that Arec would lose it like that? He's one of the most self-controlled people here." They both gaped like a fish out of water.

"Then where are they?" Rene asked. Eckhart walked out of the shadows perfectly fine. Arec came out next to him. Both of them masked their pleasure from tricking the others happily. "Oh there they are… AREC YOU IDIOT!" Eckhart watched with amusement as Rene started reprimanding him on tricking her. After a few minutes of that, Eckhart focused his attention on Robeira and tilted his head in question.

"The child will be fine. A little rest and therapy will help her return to her normal condition." Robeira answered, turning to the group she told them to return inside or forever freeze to ice.

A/N: So I feel that this is a chapter where not much happened. I'm sorry for the crappiness of it. Anyway, read, review, criticize, anything but flames are fine. Thank you for sticking with me for another chapter. I really appreciate it. Now isn't there a holiday coming up, a one full of tricks and treats?