Disclaimer: I do not own Maplestory in anyway.
A/N: Okay, I decided at the beginning of the month that I'd do a Halloween special. I hope this extra chapter makes up for the time that I neglected my stories. Therefore this chapter really doesn't have anything to do with the story really; other than the fact that it develops the character's personality. It's also a gift on one of the spookiest nights of the year, not to mention that I'm sure that Eckhart would love to play dress up for all of you. Enjoy!
Chapter Eight Point Five: Tricks or Treats Special
It was that season once again in Ereve. No scratch that, it was that season once again in all of Maple World. The world was filled with vibrant reds, oranges, golds, and browns. There was rarely any green left. The chilly wind chilled the Maplers to wearing their jackets and decorative scarfs. Pumpkins littered the towns and cities in festivities. Signs of monsters, ghouls, ghosts, witches beware found in front of cobwebbed houses. The world was celebrating the rise of dead. A time when monsters from the other world come to the surface; they intermingle with the living humans in Maple World. The festivals were being kicked into full gear on Victoria Island and everywhere else. Somewhere in the sky on a beautiful island of Ereve, a group of Cygnus Knight Trainees were chatting with excitement and eagerness to enjoy the night. They were finally given a day off after pestering Neinheart about it until he finally gave up. They were all in their costumes for the night. There was only one problem that stopped them from leaving the island. They still didn't get permission from either the Empress or the Chief Knights. Sure Neinheart gave them his permission but for the love of the night; they couldn't bring themselves to ask the Chief Knights at least. So they clustered around on the main street whispering among themselves. Eckhart watched them from the shadows and shook his head with displeasure.
"What are you doing Eckhart?" a playful whisper came from behind him. Eckhart continued watching the little trainees for a bit longer.
"Hawkeye, why are you dressed up like a wolf?" Eckhart inquired quietly. Hawkeye was gaping like a fish. Eckhart turned to look at his comrade. "What?"
"How do you always manage to do that?" Hawkeye exclaimed in a whisper. Eckhart looked at his comrade's costume. Hawkeye was dressed in an orange-gold colored outfit with a bushy tail and fluffy wolf ears. He even had the sharp canine teeth in his mouth. His orange hair matched his outfit and his sparkling blue eyes shone in the dark night.
"Do what?" Eckhart asked as he watched Hawkeye face palm himself.
"Know it was me in a wolf costume without looking behind you?" Hawkeye asked with awe. A shuffle of leaves brought Hawkeye to attention.
"He's Eckhart. I believe he knows everything." A cheerful voice ringed behind Hawkeye making him jump in surprise. Eckhart smiled softly under his mask.
"Well, Oz it is nice for you to eavesdrop into our conversation. I suppose you're wearing a nice red cat costume, with the tail and ears included." She pouted as she emerged from the bushes. Hawkeye was smiling happily.
"I enjoy eavesdropping into your conversation. Plus, everyone else is already dressed in their costumes. You're the only one that decided to not join the fun of the festivities." Oz replied. Eckhart could hear her sad under tones near the end.
"You sure you aren't going to celebrate the festivities with us?" Hawkeye probed. "It's a once a year experience after all. Come on a little fun wouldn't hurt."
"You guys go and enjoy it. There are some things I need to work on." Eckhart replied before waving good-bye. Hawkeye and Oz looked at each other. They were unsure of what to do.
"I suppose we failed our mission, Oz." Hawkeye said quietly. "Why doesn't he ever take a break? For as long as we've been knights together, I've never seen him relax and have fun."
"I don't know. Eckhart has always been hard to understand. I've known him since I was little." Oz replied; her tail swished in the chilly autumn wind.
"Oz! Hawkeye! Where are you two?" Irena asked. Oz and Hawkeye walked over to her. "Mihile is waiting for us." She tilted her head questioningly. "Where's Eckhart?"
"He didn't want to come with us. He said he had something to take care of." Hawkeye responded. Irena sighed. Oz looked at her costume.
"You're going as a witch? You look so nice!" Oz exclaimed. Indeed, Irena was in a black witch outfit. Her pointy hat sat elegantly on her head.
"Why thank you Oz. Come on now. Mihile might be impatient if we take too long." They walked back to the great hall.
"Irena, what did Mihile decide to be this year?" Oz asked with curiosity. Hawkeye listened intensively. The colors from the decorations shone nicely through the night.
"Something like a bishop; it would have been nice if Eckhart would join us. He could have been the vampire or something dark." Irena replied. Mihile was standing with Cygnus when the others arrived. Cygnus was dressed up like a fairy princess.
"Where's Eckhart?" Mihile probed.
"He said he had something to do. Why is he like that anyway? It's a day for having fun." Hawkeye replied. Oz merely looked at the direction in which they had come. Irena shrugged and urged the group to have some fun.
"Mihile, Hawkeye, it's alright. We shouldn't force him into things. Plus, the trainees are starting to become restless. We shouldn't leave them waiting. The night doesn't stay young for long." Empress Cygnus said. "Knowing Eckhart, he'll probably meet up with us later tonight." She smiled innocently. Neinheart and Shinsoo looked at the group as they walked off to enjoy the night. Shinsoo sighed softly and laid his head down on the grass. Neinheart walked over to his desk and cleaned it off. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind made Neinheart glance up from his cleaning. A figure stood a few feet away from him, just out of the moonlight's reach. Shinsoo opened his eyes at the figure.
"What is the matter Eckhart?" Shinsoo spoke gently. The figure stepped out from the shadows revealing himself to be Eckhart. His mask was shining brightly from the reflected moonlight. Neinheart walked over to Eckhart carefully and cautiously. He was radiating an ominous aura. Shinsoo squinted his eyes with worry. It was like this every year; Eckhart would always lose control of his darkness during the celebration. Like every year, Neinheart and Shinsoo would help him regain the control. Some years are worse than others; this year seems to be a little worse than most. As Neinheart got closer to Eckhart, he could see the dullness in Eckhart's eyes. Other than dullness, there was a hint of bloodlust drifting in his eyes. Neinheart took a step back worried. "How are his eyes, Neinheart?" Neinheart merely sighed and looked at Shinsoo.
"They're worst this year. There's a bloodlust in them. He seemed to still have control over his actions like always. But the darkness has been eating at him as of late." Neinheart replied. Eckhart started swaying on his feet before crumpling. Neinheart rushed over to him. He removed Eckhart's mask to look at his face. There was sweat covering his skin. "Eckhart! Come on focus."
"Neinheart…." He looked up at Neinheart. Neinheart's face held concern. "Sorry, you had to see me like this…." Shinsoo nudged Eckhart gently.
"Eckhart, you must remember your lessons. The more you fight against it like you are, the more it hurts you." Shinsoo advised. Eckhart took a deep breath before falling into a state that Neinheart always disliked seeing Eckhart in. It only took a few moments before Eckhart's eyes were back to normal and he sat up slowly.
"I'm sorry about this happening every year. It seems like I'm still not able to control it well enough…." Eckhart said with his eyes closed. Neinheart shook his head.
"It's alright, Eckhart. You're still human like the rest of us." Neinheart said in return. Eckhart smiled one of his rare smiles before adorning his mask once again. He stood up shakily and dusted off the dust. Neinheart stood up and stared at him. "What are you going to do now? I hope you're not planning on staring at the moon all night. It really wouldn't hurt to enjoy the night for its moments. You always seem to be preoccupied at every moment of the day…well night in your case."
"Are you implying that I work too much?" Eckhart asked in reply. Neinheart chuckled softly. Shinsoo smiled at Eckhart.
"I believe that you're being extremely diligent, Eckhart. It wouldn't hurt for you to relax every once and awhile. I would prefer it if you took today to enjoy yourself. It would help to calm your nerves." Shinsoo paused before nodding to Neinheart. Neinheart left the room before returning with a small bag in his hands. He put the bag down on the table in front of Eckhart. "Open it" Eckhart cautiously opened it.
Oz was running around happily gathering the free treats and a few tricks. Hawkeye was being just as childish as Oz was; while Empress Cygnus was laughing cheerfully, enjoying herself immensely. They were grabbing all of the candy they could get their hands on. Irena and Mihile walked at a nice pace behind the three, watching over them. Irena chuckled softly at their happy faces. Oz pulled on Hawkeye's tail and stuck her tongue out in a joking manner, before running away from him. Mihile had an extremely small frown etched on his face. Irena waited until the other three were far from them before confronting Mihile.
"What is wrong, Mihile? Are you really annoyed with Eckhart for not coming?" Irena accused. Mihile glanced at her before turning away. "Mihile, I don't care why you two want to kill each other; however I warn you, if you ever make Cygnus cry I won't forgive you."
"Eckhart is being stuck-up. I can't stand the way he always thinks himself as number one. He's not any different from us. He's not…."
"That's enough, Mihile. We don't know enough about him to judge him. I'm pretty sure Eckhart knows more about us then the amount of our information combined about him. I've always known that you had a dislike for him, but seriously don't you even think about having those feelings hurt Cygnus because you decided to have a fight with Eckhart. I do know that it would rarely happen due to Eckhart keeping himself under control." Irena looked at him accusingly. Mihile raised his hands in defeat.
"I understand Irena. I won't do anything stupid that could hurt Cygnus's feelings." Mihile replied. Irena merely sighed and left him behind. Mihile watched as Irena started teasing Hawkeye. The four laughed happily.
"Cygnus, are you having fun tonight?" Hawkeye asked with sparkles in his eyes. He couldn't wait to dig into the bag of treats. Cygnus nodded with a huge smile. A cool strong wind blew the leaves into the air and made them shiver from the cold. Cygnus hugged her arms in order to keep her warmth. The full moon floated brightly in the night sky. There in the middle of the moon, a figure stood with a cape flowing in the chilly wind. The four knights looked at the figure alert, while Cygnus stared at the figure with a tilt of her head. Mihile stood with his hand on his small concealed dagger. Hawkeye had his hands in his pockets; Irena had her bow ready and Oz stood with her wand out. One moment the figure was next to the moon, and then the next moment the figure was kneeling in front of Cygnus. The figure's face was hidden by his hood; with an airy voice the figure spoke softly and gently toward Cygnus.
"Empress Cygnus, it is a pleasure to have you here on Victoria Island. I hope you have enjoyed your stay here on the island." Mihile tensed and watched with alert eyes on the figure's movements. Cygnus smiled brightly at the figure that kneeled before her.
"Why thank you for worrying about me, but I must say I'm extremely pleased with this year's celebrations." She kneeled down to his level and hugged him tightly around his neck. "I'm glad you decided to join us, Eckhart." The other knights stood shocked at the figure. The figure stood up while gently holding onto Cygnus, before removing his hood and revealing his shining mask. Oz gasped with happiness, and ran over to hug him. Eckhart smiled under his mask. "I was worried that you would decide to have a lot of paper work to avoid the break."
"I was persuaded otherwise by a few annoying people. After all, you all wanted me to hang out with you guys today." Cygnus smiled happily at them all. Eckhart was in a nice vampire outfit that made him look handsome in many of the girls' eyes. "Shall we enjoy the rest of the night?"