Chapter 2

The walk to the castle was long and harrowing. The march had only made it halfway there, yet tiredness and exhaustion had started to bleed through. At least in Natsu. He really should have gone to bed early last night.

They walked on a raw pathway, littered with sand and leaves and twigs and grasses. They were now deep into the Valley of Endless Whispers—the demon's territory. The death and disease was evident in the scenery around. On one side of them were the brown and grey mountains, dead and passed. The dirt was dry and the trees yellow and dead and ailing. A strange pallidness and pungence hung in the air. The clouds were heavy and dark, obscuring the purifying sun. Air was cold and diseased.

On the other side was the sea shore, edged cliffs that overlooked the enraged and raw waves. The waves crashed powerfully and loudly against the cliffs, sometimes leaving dark waters over the edge and other times taking a piece of the land with them. The water was black and hollow, poisoned. One dip could kill a human, or turn them into a mindless beast invariably controlled by the demon's whims.

Natsu was tired, and yet alert. A singular enemy motion, and he would draw his sword. Not that he could do anything beyond that, but with sword in hand he could at least die a warrior's death. He felt exposed and insecure of his surroundings. This was the demon's territory. Invariably corrupted through the centuries of his pungent and infected magic over these lands. Who knew what awaited them here?

"Guard down, knight. No need to panic."

Natsu heard.

That voice was deep. It clashed with Natsu's heart, synchronised with its beating. A deep set fear landed itself over Natsu's chest. What… what was this fearsome voice calling out to him?

He turned around and saw the man that was talking to him.

All Natsu saw… was greatness. He stood vehemently frozen in place, his eyes widened. He had to look up to grasp the complete height of that… beast.

The man was almost 9 feet tall, covered in an armour the likes of which Natsu had never seen before. Metallic plates jutted out of his body in various places, fearsome spikes adorned his body, and his feet were massive. So massive and heavy infact, that if he were to smash his foot on the ground, it would descend effortlessly. He was a walking machine. Natsu had never seen anything like him before.

The man clanked past Natsu, the sound that his armour emanated causing Natsu's entire body to shake and virbrate. He shadowed over Natsu, and his shadow could fit another Natsu in it. Natsu gawked at him as he walked by, and soon his shadow was gone.

Natsu's hand around the hilt of his sword loosened and fell by his side. His limp body could only stare. What exactly did he see?

The massive man was now at a distance. The march went on, and so did he as he followed after it. Natsu stared, unblinking, unflinching. All his tiredness gone to the winds. His heart beat fast and erratically.

He just saw a Sentinel. This… this was one. The legendary warriors that were known to carry the entire Order over their shoulders. This 'man' that walked past Natsu just now had probably slain tribes and hordes of dragons and giants all by himself. That's what Sentinels were known for. Natsu just saw… a God.

The sentinel halted and turned back. His eyes almost glowed from inside the darkness of his massive helmet. Ram horns curled around the either side of his temple.

"Keep up, knight. Don't be left behind."

He ordered. His voice thundered.

Natsu gawked at him for a while longer, before nodding hurriedly and joining his tail. He walked behind the man, engrossed in his massive shadow. He studied the armour in detail.

So this was the legendary Cloak armour. Each sentinel would have a Cloak armour especially designed for them, from outside and inside. Boosting their skills and hiding their weaknesses—if they even had any. This man's armour looked dented at many places, rusted and dusty, but strong and fierce nevertheless. He was glorious.

Today, Natsu had seen glory with his own eyes.

"Natsu."

"Huh?" Natsu responded.

The sentinel walked on. "Natsu. Is that your name, knight?"

Natsu realised. His heart burst with anxiety and anticipation. This slayer of Gods knew his name? This sentinel? This god amongst knights? How?

"Yes sir!" Natsu responded almost spontaneously.

The sentinel laughed in a hoarse voice. It almost sounded like he was coughing.

"At ease. This is no drill. Just trying to have a friendly conversation. The walk is long and tiring."

Natsu slowly eased up. This sentinel was talking to him. That alone it itself was glorious. Sentinels rarely appeared before people like Natsu, let alone talk to them. Let alone… know his name. Was this a blessing on Natsu?

Natsu cleared his throat. "Pardon me sir, but… a question…"

The sentinel glanced at him. "Out with it."

Natsu flinched. He studded his words together carefully.

"With… with all due respect, How… how do you know my name, sir?"

The sentinel laughed again.

"You're the flame user. Aren't you?"

Natsu's eyes wavered. So that's how he knew his name.

He slowly hung his head. The joy at the fact that the sentinel knew his name was immediately diluted with the revelation of how.

Natsu's magic… was a matter of deep internal contention for him.

He was definitely a flame user. Fire was lauded as the most ancient and the most powerful form of magic in their world. The last known fire mage in the Order had existed centuries ago, and he was a great sentinel of the highest order. He had achieved unsurpassed greatness. It was said that great actions were written in the destinies of fire magicians, whether good or bad.

When Natsu joined the order and first showed signs of being able to use fire, he became instantly popular amongst his peers and friends. The word reached even the Table and the King that a fire magician had joined the order for the first time in centuries.

But it was soon to be discovered that… it was all a waste. Natsu was bad at magic. Below standard. Extremely sub-par. He could create embers out his fingers, and heat his body up to slight degrees, but that was it. It really went to show that the man dictated greatness, not the magic he held.

Natsu, disappointed, kicked a pebble on the ground.

The sentinel glanced at him.

"What's wrong? Don't like fire?"

Natsu fumbled. "N-no, sir. That's not it."

He sighed. "I am… just not too good at it. It's a shame that people only know me because of my magic. And that too is a waste."

The sentinel stared at him for a while. In silence. This sentinel too was once a knight. He had been where Natsu was right now.

He looked up at the dark clouds in the sky, hovering, pulsating, crackling.

"You know… that's not the only reason I know your name."

Natsu looked at him, intrigued. "It isn't?"

The sentinel shook his head. "Bardstown. Remember? Three years ago, you went on a mission there. You saved a girl from the resident raiders. I was following your mission with great interest."

Natsu's eyes widened. This great sentinel was keeping tabs on him and his little simple rescue mission. That was the mission that granted Natsu his knighthood. Natsu had thought that no one would know about that mission. That's how sidelined it was. He still didn't know why he went on it, with that quest having no scope for his rank growth and neither a good reward. Did Natsu really care for the people that were affected by those raiders? He didn't think that growing up in a world of selfishness and personal gains he would have any empathy left.

"Why, sir? I-I mean why did you follow my mission?"

The sentinel kept his eyes on the obscured sun. "Well, it was a good cause for one. I applaud your desire to help out the people in need."

Natsu looked at the ground. "I don't know if I really wanted to help them out. Maybe I just did it for some glory."

The sentinel laughed. "Don't lie to yourself. What material glory was there to be had in that mission? The people were poor, they had barely scraped up enough reward. Nor were they important clients of the kingdom or regular customers for your efforts to have brought you any recognition. Neither was the enemy extremely powerful. There was no glory in that mission. Only… goodwill. Accept the fact that you cared about them."

Natsu looked up at the sentinel, and then back down, his mind now heavy with thoughts. Did he really? Did he really care about what happened to those people? Was he really such a person? He didn't think he had it in him.

But in a world where everyone was out for themselves, did it really carry much weight?

The sentinel cleared his throat. "And second… I wanted that mission for myself."

Natsu was flabbergasted. He looked at the giant walking beside him. It was already surreal that he was talking to a sentinel, someone only already considered a mystery.

"Why, sir? I thought that that mission wouldn't befit someone of your status."

"That's all horseshit." The sentinel retorted. It seemed that he was well aware of the state that the order was in. Everyone strived for personal excellence and material rewards. They would slay enemies for glory rather than to help someone out. And it seemed that this man didn't like that one bit.

"What's our motto, young knight?"

Natsu gulped. Was he really deserving of saying it?

"To… To fight for those that can't, sir."

"Say it with pride! To fight for those that can't." The sentinel roared proudly. "And by fighting for those unarmed and poor weak people, what did you do?"

Natsu softly nodded. "I… I fought for those that couldn't?"

The sentinel looked at him, causing Natsu to flinch. "Exactly! You upheld the very virtue that this Order should strive and live by! You fought for those that were weak. Desperate. Unarmed. Poor. You did it without expecting a reward or a personal gain. You did it because of your empathy and compassion. You did it because you are a knight of the Ordeal. But at the forefront, you did it because you are a good man. Remember that, always."

Natsu couldn't help but look at the great man walking next to him. His words rang deep in Natsu's mind. It made an impact. It shifted some of the rocks of ignorance laden in his mind and made way for realisation. Was he really a good person? Was he really deserving of being called a knight? Was he really a knight of the Ordeal?

"Do you think that I am a knight, sir?" Natsu asked. "I mean… I have a knight's medallion and armour but…"

"That doesn't make you a knight." The sentinel said. "A man picking up a sword from the ground and fighting to protect his family, from enemies that he knows he can never defeat. A man dying by that enemy's sword and buying his family enough time to escape. A man fighting for someone else. A man fighting for virtue, honour, compassion and love. That is a knight. What you do makes you a knight. Not the meaningless objects that you hold in your hand. You are a knight. Think of the people you saved by putting yourself in harm's way. Think of the people you protected without caring for your own safety. Think of the family that you kept from being ripped apart without caring for your own family. You are an ideal knight."

Natsu… couldn't help but smile. Such words had never been spoken to him by someone else. Let alone a sentinel.

A sentinel was sworn by oath to never tell a lie. That means this man meant every word he was uttering.

For once, Natsu felt like he had done something. Something good. Something worthwhile. He was a knight. And he shouldn't be embarrassed of himself. That's what this sentinel meant.

Natsu exhaled in relief. He was now more comfortable around this gentle giant. "May I ask you something else, sir?"

The sentinel nodded. "A lot of time before we reach the castle."

Natsu sighed in anticipation. "May I know your name sir, if you wouldn't mind?"

The sentinel laughed again. "Out of all the things you could have asked me, this? Haha! Have you heard of the Ram?"

Natsu nodded. "Yes sir. The Ram. The great Sentinel Captain Gildarts Clive. Who… who hasn't heard of him. He is a legend."

The sentinel groaned. "Heh. Flattery will get you nowhere, boy. I don't know about a legend. But I am Gildarts."

Natsu stopped dead in his tracks. Shivers ran down his spine. He was… talking to the Ram? How stupid could Natsu be? The ram horns on his helmet should have been a clear giveaway. Why didn't he think of that first? Not that this man was someone who would take offence. But still…

Natsu stared at the sentinel's back as he walked ahead, and Natsu was left behind. Gildarts Clive. One of the greatest knights of the order. He had once broken and lifted a mountain with his bare hands to clear a way for a battalion of knights. He had slain dragons, beasts, demons, demigods, giants and wyverns single handedly. He was said to have been in a level of his own even amongst sentinels.

Natsu had… this whole time… been talking to a god amongst men.

As his feet still stood frozen in place, Gildarts turned around to look at him.

"Walk up, Natsu. Stay with the march—"

Gildarts disappeared. Natsu could only watch. Just a moment ago, that giant man was there… and now he wasn't. Where did he go?

Gildarts appeared right in front of Natsu, and extended his arm over Natsu's head. Natsu slowly looked up at his towering figure. He appeared to be in distress.

"Outta the way, kid." He said in a strained voice.

Natsu nodded and slowly walked to the side. He had less than no idea of what was going on. As soon as he turned around to face Gildarts again, he now did.

He gasped. Before Gildarts stood a minotaur. Taller and bigger than the beast of a man that Gildarts was. Its muscular legs and hooves frozen in place. It's entire massive body quivering. Cuts and bruises, festering and infected adorned its body in all places. Flies hovering around it, and a pungent smell worse than the smell of the rotten valley hung in the air.

With its two arms, the minotaur held a giant battleaxe and had brought it down over Gildarts's outstretched arm. They were both struggling. If Gildarts hadn't been there, Natsu would have surely been cut in half right down the middle. He was that close to death.

The remaining two arms of the minotaur were free. As it reached for the second battle axe on its back, Gildarts moved first. He unlatched his greatsword off his back and slashed the minotaur across its chest. All Natsu saw was Gildarts's left hand moving across the minotaur's chest right to left.

Then, it was over.

The upper half of the dead minotaur fell to its right side, while the lower half collapsed to its left. Blood poured out of its separated waist that faced Natsu.

Gildarts lifted his greatsword up in the air with one hand and flicked it around like a popsicle, sending the blood on it splattering around. Some drops of blood landed near Natsu's feet.

The noise sent waves of realisation through the marching party, and everyone turned around and unsheathed their weapons. But the battle was already over.

Natsu silently watched Gildarts's walk over to the minotaur's face and study it closely.

"Look at the horns. 110 years old. Young. Male. Packless. Rogue. Probably rebelled against the pack leader and was excommunicated. Why, though?"

Gildarts pulled one of the eyelids open, and looked deep into the minotaur's eye.

"Hmm. Look. Irises like the waning moon. That means this creature was corrupted by the demon king's power and went insane. Poor beast probably touched the same rock that the demon king had touched once."

Gildarts stood up and turned around. He called for a paladin captain from the front of the marching party.

The messenger paladin came running down back, and knelt before Gildarts.

"Send the message up ahead that we have already reached the point where normal wildlife starts to get corrupted by the demon king's power. Tell everyone to be on their guard."

The paladin nodded and ran up ahead again.

Gildarts sheathed his greatsword on his back and turned to Natsu.

"En garde, Natsu. Also, I applaud your alertness to future threats. I was wrong to have assumed that we were safe. Good job. Let's continue."

Gildarts joined the march again.

Natsu slowly looked down at his feet. He gasped, and almost threw up. He was this close to a painless death. One snap and it would have been over.

Was this what awaited him at the demon's castle?