CHAPTER 9

Later on in the middle of the night after settling in Gebal Castle, Commander Greil stepped outside after hearing a roar. Thinking it was the roar of King Caineghis, the king of the beast tribe laguz nation Gallia, he stepped out front. Ike quickly chased after him after seeing him leave.

"Ike, what the heck are you doing up in the middle of the night?" Greil asked.

"Oh, sorry, Father." said Ike. "But I saw you step outside and saw you leave the castle." He later asked where Greil was going at that kind of hour."

"This has nothing to do with you, boy. Go back inside Gebal Castle and get to sleep." Greil said as he gave out a direct order to his own son.

"Stop treating me like some sort of child!" Ike hollered. "I mean, I don't mean to yell and holler, but I think you need to stop treating me like some sort of child!"

"Hmph." Greil said as he grunted. "You always were some sort of stubborn pup, son. Hey, what say we calm you down and chat a bit, eh?" asked Greil. Ike let out a sigh, and then walked with Greil into the dark depths of the forest.

As Greil and Ike walked, Greil asked Ike how he was getting used to mercenary life, and the way he approached the art of combat. Ike did state that he was a better fighter, but still never understood why Greil was putting him in charge of everything. Greil held a moment of silence.

"Ike, whenever the time comes… when I leave this world… you're going to have to take over the company in my stead as the faithful, fearless leader of the ragtag Greil Mercenaries." Greil stated to his son. Ike was shocked. Greil then asked what was the matter.

"Father… how could you say such things?" Ike asked. Then, the roar that Greil heard from bed reached not only his ears again, but it reached Ike's ears for the first time.

"Ike… please. Go back to the castle now. I've no more time to talk." Greil said. Ike nervously went back to the great Gebal Castle. However, Ike did not want to leave his father alone. He later chased after him after hearing another roar. Thinking it was the roar of a dragon, Ike went to investigate.

"Damn it, Father! What's going on?! I can't just leave you out there in the dark like this!" Ike exclaimed to himself. He quickly rushed over to find Greil.

Back with the other mercenaries, Titania wondered where Ike was going at that late of an hour. Ross then stated that he went to find out where Greil was going. However, Samantha was not having any of later put on a cloak, and raced out of the castle.

"Samantha, where are you going?!" asked Oscar.

"With Ike!" Samantha exclaimed in response.

"Wait a second, Samantha!" Ross exclaimed. He later went after his sister.

"They are going to get themselves killed, let alone an eye stabbed out!" said Mist.

"Just relax, Mist." said Oscar.

Back with Greil, he was fighting off the figure he saw earlier, known as the Black Knight. Soon afterwards, Ike, who arrived there first, saw Ross and Samantha run up to him.

"Ike, tell Ross and Samantha to stay away from this fight!" said Greil as he struggled with himself. The Black Knight later exchanged words with Greil as he threw him a golden-bladed sword. Greil wondered what was going on.

"I would most likely prefer if you used the weapon you taught me with so that I might see you at full strength, General Gawain, Divine Cavalry Commander of Daein." the Black Knight sai to Greil.

"Listen here, Gawain was my name once." Greil said. "But I rid of that name long ago. Now, the only weapon I need is the axe Urvan." he said as he brandished the axe.

"You want to perish, do you?" asked the Black Knight.

"That voice… I remember you well." Greil said. "Do you honestly think you can defeat me, the man who taught you how to fight with the sword?" he later asked the Black Knight. "Hah! What a fool you are. Just come and try me now!" Greil said as he charged at the knight. However, just after a couple of swings. Greil was brutally stabbed, Ross later ran to get help after witnessing the full action. Samantha stayed.

"Unbelievable. So this is what has become of my teacher, hasn't it?" asked the Black Knight after making a statement. "Now, give me what I came for, or I am pulling your entire family tree out by the roots."

"...L…Le…Leave here at once!" said Greil with his dying breath after being fatally stabbed in the chest.

"Commander!" Samantha shouted.

"Father!" Ike also shouted.

"...Pathetic, stupid liars." the Black Knight said. "All three of you." Then, not only was the roar of a wyvern heard in the distance, but also the roar of King Caineghis.

"Hm… wyverns, or the king of Gallia…" the Black Knight later said. Then, a wyvern-riding sword and bow wielding knight later descended from the sky while mounted on a giant gray and black wyvern. Named Adrian, he was one fo Daein's finest sword and bow wielding wyvern knights in service to King Ashnard. He told the Black Knight to immediately return to Ashnard.

"Hmph." the Black Knight grunted. "Sadly, I must make my departure." He later used warp powder to make his getaway.

"Blast… of all the foolish…" Greil said. "But of course the one who made him the way he was… was me…"

"We have to get him back to Gebal Castle!" said Ike. "Samantha, get the others!"

"Yes, sir!" Samantha said.

"You're going to be fine, Father…" said Ike as he carried his father back to the castle. However, Ike was wrong. Greil had succumbed to his stabbing injury and died on the way back to Gebal Castle before even seeing the light of day again in Gallia. Ike was left crying.

"What have they done… WHAT HAVE THEY DONE?! " Ike cried out. " THOSE DAMNED DAEIN BASTARDS OF ASHNARD! THEY WILL PAY FOR THIS IGNORANT AND SELFISH ACTION! " Ike later exclaimed. He was left speechless about the great Commander Greil's death. That was the key moment when madness struck within Ike; he even stated that he was going to go after the man who killed his father.