Note: These are being crossposted from Archive of Our Own, so if these chapters seem to be coming out unnaturally fast, they were written before they were posted here, so if you're curious, that's the reason why. This isn't to say there won't be any waiting period, but so you know.

Finally, here is the beginning of some action and getting the story going! Note, however, that there will be a bit of filler between some of them, as some things still need to be accounted for and lead to further development along the lines. In addition, there will be characters that'll pop up later and alternate between important and side characters, but they all have a role to play later; they alternate between tremendous and small contributions, but they all will have parts.

Also, this part with Duran will have extra material that will be expanded later.

Duran's Failure

Champion of the Tournament. Strong, mighty, courageous, brave. All these flew through his mind as he stood on the castle's walls, his blue eyes watching the open plains outside. Indeed, the Kingdom of the Plains lived up to its name.

If only he could keep himself awake long enough to fully see it!

"Tired?" a voice said from behind, frightening the young man; he whirled around, sword and shield out. "Whoa! Hey, hey, take it easy!"

"Oh...it's just you." Duran sighed, putting his weapons back where they belonged.

"Sorry I startled you." the armored soldier apologized.

"I-I wasn't startled." the younger man protested. "You...you just caught me off guard. Just a little, though."

"Ok, whatever you want, tough guy." the soldier jested, though Duran gave him a sour look. "Hey, I'm only teasing." he then noticed the young man's tired eyes. "Not used to staying up so late?"

"No, it's not that," Duran answered him, reclining on the wall. "It's just…" he was cut off by a yawn. "Huh." he chuckled. "Guess I am. A bit." indeed, he wasn't exactly used to NOT having Aunt Stella ordering him to get into bed, lest she gives out a few 'taps' to the backside of his head.

"It's hard during the first few times." the soldier admitted. "I remember my days when I was first in the guard. Of course, you get used to it with time, but I'll admit, a good few cups of coffee can do wonders for you."

"I'm not even allowed to drink the stuff," Duran admitted.

"Really?" the soldier was surprised.

"Aunt Stella's rules." he openly admitted, realizing what he had just said. But, Goddess, this night watch was getting to him more than he thought.

"Well, let me know, and maybe I can slip you a few. After all, what she doesn't know…" the soldier began to move away, but not before turning back to the younger soldier. "It's just a few more hours; then our shift's over. I'm going to make one more round. Try to stay awake until then, ok?"

Duran nodded, the older soldier going off. Yet despite his words, he lost that battle rather quickly, his eyelids refusing to cooperate until he finally found the darkened veil hanging over him, plunging him into a still and silent slumber.


He wasn't supposed to be up; his parents would surely get onto him. And he had to tread lightly so as not to wake Wendy. And even more so to not garner the attention of the one he wished to see.

"Is this necessary?" a female voice questioned, the young boy peeking around the corner and seeing a green-haired woman with her hair kept up in a ponytail and a light blue dress with a mauve corset on. The one she addressed was garbed in golden armor and light blue hair that fanned out behind his headband, a small mustache above his lip.

"You know well that if I hadn't been called, then it wouldn't have been as crucial as it is, Simone." the man told her, the woman biting her lip.

"Still...Loki…why now? Why has that Dragon Emperor or whatever he is risen to now?"

"Dragon Lord." he corrected. "And honestly, that I don't know. Since the fall of Pedda, he has had no allies save himself and the rest of his forces. Yet, even after dealing with that mess, he has remained in the shadows even then. So if he's acting now, it's all the more reason to take him out here and now."

"Why you, though?" Simon questioned.

"You know well why," he told her. "Status doesn't negate responsibility to one's country."

"And not your family?" Simone interjected. "Duran has yet to become a young boy, and Wendy has just been delivered into this world."

"Simone…"

Just then, as the child moved his foot, he, to his horror, landed on a rather creaky board of wood, clearly getting the attention of the two adults. "And what do we have here?" Loki asked, he and Simone coming over to see the wild-haired boy by the stairwell, who just presented a sheepish smile. Drat.

"Duran, what do you think you're doing?" Simone asked with her hands on her hips.

"Well...you two were talking," he answered softly, somewhat intimidated by the two adults towering over him. "Like...a lot. All this week. And...and well…" he was at a loss for words. It was useless, he had been caught, and he knew it.

It was then that Loki and Simone couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry about that, hun," Simone told him. "But this is an adult discussion. Now, go back to bed."

"But mom, why are you so scared? Daddy can do it!" the woman's eyes, as well as her husband's, widened; they looked at each other, then at the young boy. "Daddy and King Wichard can get a dragon!"

"Well, lookie here," Loki said, looking at Simone. "From the mouths of babes."

"Don't think this means anything," Simone told him. "I...I still don't you to…" she then fell into his arms, embracing her.

"I know. I know." Loki told her. "And truly, I don't want to either. Yet you know well what happened when Pedda declared war on every other country. How the Dragon Lord's forces wrought destruction wherever they could, along with the other advancements that Pedda had on the rest of the world, and how Valsena was captured before. If any of this has even the remotest chance of happening again, it must be stopped as soon as possible!"

"Yeah!" Duran exclaimed, pumped up. "You're gonna get a roast dragon for dinner!"

"Maybe…" To the boy's surprise, Loki said, then scooped him up. "Or maybe I should have an eavesdropping boy who doesn't go to bed!" he then buried his face in his stomach, playfully gnawing, all the while Duran released peals and peals of giggles.

"Daddy! No! Do-ho-n't! Tickles!"

"Shh! You two are going to-"

"WAAAH!"

Simone rose her palm to her head and sighed, Loki and Duran smiling sheepishly as the woman made her way upstairs to comfort her now awake infant. The boy looked back at his father. "You gonna be ok though?"

"Yes," Loki told him earnestly. Perhaps he should be sending him promises like this, but what else could he say to the child? "But until then, you're the man of the house. And that means taking care of your sister and mother when I'm gone."

"And Aunt Stella?"

Loki chuckled. "Yes. AND Aunt Stella." funny, considering that his sister-in-law wasn't exactly too fond of him at first, yet then again, she didn't think anyone was good enough for Simone. Still, after some years, she had softened up a bit. He then put Duran down. "I'm to meet with Richard soon. So I'll need to be heading off."

"Wait!" a voice from the stairwell cried out, Simone coming down with the swaddled form of an infant. The baby could now take in solid food, but still, she always wanted to be by her mother's side whenever possible. "At least let this one here get to see you off."

"Of course," Loki said, giving Wendy a small peck on her bare forehead, then a full-on kiss to his wife. Duran received a rustle to his hair; the armored man then headed to the door.

"Have fun!" the boy called out, his father giving a wave goodbye before exiting the home.


And out of their lives.

He opened his eyes, only to have a bright, hot light assault them. "What the-" Duran uttered, his fatigue washed away by alarm as he saw the courtyard below seemingly burst into flames. Yet, this was an illusion…sort of. Rather than crimson flames, he beheld a crimson figure. Almost too fast for him to see, the figure seemed to flare into being just inside the portcullis. Then, in a flash of light and a ripple of wispy afterimages, he was before one of the ramps that ascended to the top of the castle wall. Another flash, and he was atop the wall. The young man rushed forward and down the stairs to the side of a fallen soldier. "Hey! C'mon! Get up!" he half-shouted and pleaded, only to receive no answer. Whether he was either unconscious or dead, Duran didn't know; he looked around and saw several others in the same state. "The Hell is going on here?!"

"Hey, you ok?!" he turned to see the same soldier he had previously been talking to approach him. "Looks like you're the only one in this area that wasn't taken out!"

"What happened?!"

"I don't know, but there's fire everywhere!" the soldier explained. "And some guys said that two people burst through the gates! One was a tall guy in armor black as night, and the other was in some sort of cape!"

'Cape…' he didn't know why, but that particular detail stuck a chord of familiarity with Duran. "As in, a shroud of sorts?"

"Yeah, like that! Why?"

It...no. No, it was too coincidental. And yet…"Come on!" Duran called out, brandishing his sword and shield. "We've got to ensure they don't get to King Richard!"

Nodding, the other soldier took out his weapons and made their way from the walls and down to the lower area, surveying the damage and looking for a potential trail left. Several fallen forms were littered all around, this only fueling Duran's desire to tail down whoever had dared do this!

"Look!" the soldier with him called out; someone was there. "It's him!"

The red-cloaked individual gave a passing glance back at the two, only to then disappear again. "No, you don't!" Duran rushed forward, the cloaked figure only having the wisps he left amid his teleportation be the only thing to meet the tip of the young man's blade.

"Go after him!" the other soldier shouted. "I'll go in and check on King Richard!"

"Right!" Duran pursued the red hooded figure who was magically inclined; he finally ceased to teleport just enough distance away atop one of the walls, Duran standing right behind him. "Stop right there!"

So simple. He thought. THIS is the great Valsena's line of defense?

The red wizard strolled through without a care in the world, noting the many bodies surrounding him. He smiled at the sight of the carnage. After so long of being undercover and going about as a wandering drifter, he could finally show what he was. And, in turn, throw down every enemy that came his way. Such a display of his power was what he lived for, what he had endured such trials to present; it was all refreshing to him.

"Stop right there!"

The figure did indeed stop, a low chuckle emitting from him. "My, my…" he began. "Such an eager youth you are…." He turned to face the young man.

"Y-You!" Duran KNEW it! He KNEW that he had seen him before!

"Yes, I." the red-cloaked man confirmed. "Such a stunning performance you had shown before. And I must say, your dear Aunt wasn't too bad of a looker herself."

"RAAGH!" Duran cried out, leaping up and slashing his sword, only to have it met little more than red wisps and dead air.

"I suppose that now you've won a tournament, you think you're suddenly the best and most skilled swordsman. Yet if I recall, wasn't the tournament strictly the 'youth division'?" again, the young man slashed, only to meet nothing, the cloaked man appearing behind him. "So King Richard is now employing mere children into his ranks? Shame. A clear indication the old fool's growing senile."

"Don't you DARE insult His Majesty!" Duran roared, quite winded from chasing the man all around by now, yet his pumping, boiling blood was more than enough to keep him going.

"Then come over and do something about it." turning to face him, the man undid the wrapping around his head, revealing a long, luxurious mane of golden hair and piercing, contrasting violet eyes. He wore a long, black tunic that came to his ankles, brown slippers, and had large, golden rings on his wrists. "Well?" he questioned. "I gave you an open invitation."

Duran needed no more, lunging forward. In response, the blonde wizard produced several fireballs from his hand, heading toward the young man. He found himself unable to move forward, relying on his shield to keep the hot flames from touching him, yet he could already feel the heat; he momentarily cursed his long hair as the danger of it catching fire was very real. Still, amidst the flames, he persisted, going forward and rolling out of the way of the fiery barrage. Having gotten to the backside of the wizard, he rose his sword to strike-

Only to hit nothing once again.

"Ohhh, I hope that kid's ok…" indeed, a part of himself was thinking, well, what was he thinking leaving someone so young to fend for themselves? Still, there was little time for thinking of anything other than getting to His Majesty before whoever these creeps were! Seeing the main entrance to the castle, the soldier burst through the doors, only to see even more fallen comrades. Moaning came from some of them, yet given how many were unmoving, it only made him press on further. Finally, going up the stairs and down the hallway, the soldier thrust open the doorway to the throne room. "Stop right there, you-WHOA!"

He was cut off by a massive, blackened blade just inches from slicing through his head. A darkly clad figure was forced back through the doorway, only for the soldier to see a sight that made his heart nearly stop. "Y-Your Majesty!" the King was outright FIGHTING this guy! Sword in hand, King Richard had grabbed a sword and shield and proceeded to try and fend off this intruder himself, if not for the sake of those that had fallen in an attempt to protect him.

Memories came rushing back to him as he and the darkly armored foe battle, sword against sword, the clanging of metal and shouts and grunts echoing throughout the hallway, the soldier finding all he could do was helplessly watch. A young prince he was once—a young prince who one day became KingKing. Yet, in his time as a prince, despite his heritage and position in the royalty, he always felt it unfair that others should have to die for him due to his status. After all, had not enough died when Pedda launched their attack beforehand? Had not his kin, his parents, perished along with several others in the siege of Valsena before? And had not Loki been lost?

No. He would NOT allow such a thing to happen again! Not if he could help it!

The dark knight slashed his sword horizontally, barely missing Richard's stomach, the KingKing repaying in kind by swinging vertically, only to have it stopped by the blade his foe possessed.

Excellent job at getting your ass kicked. A young, boisterous voice said in his mind.

Hey, not ALL of us are perfect! A younger him shot back at the other young man.

Look, do you want to learn this or not?

More than anything.

Why...why was that particular event coming to him now?

Look, you're holding it too hard. Another slash of the blade came down. You need to have some ease when you keep it. Otherwise, your movements are going to be too stiff. There has to be a degree of flexibility. Another block with his shield. Yeah, like that. Flexibility. Act as if the sword is an extension of your arm. Because essentially, it is. An extension of the arm...why? Why did "his" image come into his mind?

Flexibility. Duran mentally repeated, a flurry of what appeared to be a small pocket of a literal hailstorm coming his way. The sword is an extension of the arm. King Richard himself had told him such as a boy. And thus, it had been etched into his mind, never to be forgotten. It had gotten him far enough to get to where he was now. Champion. The youngest soldier in the King'sKing's royal guard. The best.

The best at getting his ass handed to him by some girlish man in what could've been mistaken for a red dress!

On and on, Duran struck. Blow and blow, slice after slice with his sword, and block after block with his shield. Yet still, it yielded no result. "Fight me, damn you!" the young man shouted, continuing to slash his sword. Again, the wizard teleported away.

"You're looking a little bit run down…" the blonde magician observed; Duran released heavy sighs and huffs. "And believe it or not, I'm a little pressed for time."

"So…" Duran huffed. "Why come here at all?"

"I wanted to see what the so-called 'Kingdom of the Plains' had to offer. Whether or not they WERE supposedly the strongest nation in the world." the wizard smirked. "I now see that it's all talk. The old fool that rules this place has grown too soft and lax since his warring days."

"Don't...speak...of...His...Majesty...THAT WAY!" Duran leaped forward, only to find his throat seized by the wizard, lifting him off the ground.

"I shall speak as I see fit!" the wizard shouted, having grown somewhat tired of this fool's continuous, fruitless attempts against him. Honestly, how thickheaded was this child? Still, no matter, for soon, it'd all be over.

Inside the Palace

"Your Majesty!" the soldier shouted, trying to get closer, only to find himself forced to back away again by the barrage of attacks sent in the other's direction. King Richard began to lose his standing against the darkly clad knight.

Yet still…the image of his friend came to his mind. Something about the way that this fiend moved...no, everything was about how this fiend moved. His mannerisms, his strikes, it was all so familiar.

"GAH!" Just then, the knight began spinning around, creating a whirlwind all around him, knocking Richard off his feet. Then, he slashed and sent several disc-shaped wisps of wind in his direction, which he blocked with his shield, yet a good few of them managed to make contact with him, his cheeks being cut and his arms and legs receiving several slices as well. The knight then came forward and didn't even give Richard the time to defend himself, his foot stomping down on his chest, keeping him in place. A good few 'cracks' were heard when he did so. Raising his sword, he readied himself to deliver the killing blow-

"MAJESTY!" the soldier found his opening. Leaping in front of the dark knight's sword, a mass of dark energy was produced from the blade meant for Richard, yet it was delivered to the sudden intruder. The energy pierced through the armor and sent him flying against the wall, crashing into one of the suits of armor that stood in front of the entrance to the throne room; the soldier fell and landed on his stomach, unmoving and silent.

To Richard's surprise, it was then that he saw the knight pause and gaze at the soldier he had just disposed of as if fascinated by what he had just done. Or maybe, from the way his hand began to shake, shocked? He then looked to the KingKing, then to his sword, as if contemplating what he was about to do; what for what reason? He seemed so confident in himself before, so why now? Had what he had just done affect him so much?

Again, why did 'his' image come to the ruler's mind?

"There he is!" several voices cried out, the sound of several feet rushing forward heard as the few soldiers that had survived or weren't too gravely injured surrounded the both of them, swords and spears and whatever else they could get their hands on at the ready to strike. The knight looked to Richard, then to the mob surrounding them, then to the fallen soldier taking the blow meant for the KingKing.

Then, to everyone's surprise, the knight appeared to evaporate from their sight, leaving dark wisps of smoke as the only reminder he was once there.

Outside

"There's also another reason that I came." the wizard mentioned, smirking, Duran cursing as his hands were burnt and he was forced to release his grip on his only means of defense. "I hear your King Richard has some knowledge of some little trinkets."

"T-Trinkets?" Duran questioned, feeling his body grow lax due to lack of air.

"Maybe you've heard of them. Do the words 'Mana Stones' ring any bells?" Mana Stones? What in the world would his KingKing know about such things? But one thing was clear. Whomever this guy was, his intentions in invading the castle weren't merely due to just wanting to get a kick out of how many guards he could take out. "Heh. Look at you." the wizard strengthened his hold on the young man's throat. "THIS is the champion? The youngest soldier to join the guard? Then again, you ARE just a boy, aren't you? Just a young, silly little boy. It's not as fun when you're no longer playing with a toy sword, now is it?"

"S-Stop calling me a boy!"

"Hm? You don't WANT to be a boy anymore?" the wizard smirked. "I feel you tremble. Don't feel ashamed. Fear is only a natural response."

"I'm not...afraid! E-Especially...of you!"

"And look at you, literally wasting your breath. And you came at me with no strategy or discipline, just swung your sword like a madman in my direction. No forethought, no maturity...indeed, you are just a silly little boy."

He felt himself beginning to slip. "D-Damn you. Damn you to Hell…"

"Hell, you say?" the wizard questioned. "Funny you should mention that. As I pondered just how to release you from your misery, little boy." the hand clasping Duran's throat suddenly grew hot, unbearably so. "Should I roast your insides until your little more than a pile of ash?" His hand grew icy cold. "Or should I turn you into a sculpture to smash? I'm feeling generous, for even if your performance was poor, you get a gold star for trying. So I'm offering you the chance to take your pick." Duran found himself unable to form words, the world beginning to turn black. "Oh, you can't decide?" Suddenly, the young man found himself dropped to the floor. "All right...I'll give you the best of both worlds!" the wizard lifted his hands, blazing flames in one hand while searing cold was in the other.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Both the wizard and Duran looked to see a swarm of survivors coming around the corner, weapons at the ready. Then, more soldiers rushed in from the other side, surrounding the two. The wizard looked around, surveying his surroundings, then to the young man on the ground. He remembered his Queen's words well. "No more than necessary. This is merely a test of their defenses.

Koren then looked to Duran. "Consider yourself fortunate, boy. But when you eventually get back on your feet, I'd advise you to learn your body's limits. As well as how, no matter your superficial title, you're nothing but a foolish, silly little boy."

With that, the wizard disappeared.

"N-No." Duran protested, rising to his feet, though his movements were wobbly and disoriented, the world little more than a series of swirling colors and shapes. He grabbed his sword and shield yet could do little more than stumble forward, the blade dragging along the stone ground. "Get...back here…" he didn't get far; his hand released his sword, and his body gave out. Falling to his knees, the young man found nothing more than a black void awaiting him as he fell forward into complete and utter darkness.

Note: I took some of the Darkshine Knight's attacks from the game, as well as gave some hints as to whom his true identity is, though I don't want to make it TOO too obvious, though anyone who's played the game/watched a walkthrough already knows who he is. Anyhow, here's hoping that this satiates the appetites of those waiting for the story to start, and I hope that you all are here with me the next time! Next up is Angela!