CHAPTER 3

  Saying the Knights Academy is difficult is an understatement. We have to have good grades and must be physically fit while also training in our respective weapons. Not only that, but we have so much homework I'm barely able to keep up. Laura, Addam and I decided to make a study group to keep each other on track with homework and tests. My friends usually help me get used to this modern technology despite the constant struggle. Whenever we have free time on our hands, we spend it watching movies and playing video games to have fun while also teaching me how to use this amazing technology.

  Present Day:

  “Tanner, are you ready yet? You can’t be late for the Magic Affinity test! Laura is waiting for us!”

  “I’ll be right there, Addam! Just give me a minute to tie my shoes!”

  I finish tying my shoes and glance out the window to check the weather. The sky is bright blue with fluffy clouds and the sun shining brightly, illuminating my room; The day looks incredibly beautiful. I grab my longsword, strap it to my back, and open the door to find Addam waiting for me.

  “Alright, let’s go.”

  Addam greets me with a smile, and we start walking toward the Affinity Test room.

  “Do you have any idea what your magic affinity is?”

  “No, not quite. I’m still not fully sure how magic works.”

  “Well, let the mage of the group help you understand.”

  “Enlighten me, oh great and wise one.”

  We both laugh at my comment.

  “Everyone has only one type of magic affinity. The affinities are Water, Fire, Earth, Air, Lightning, Darkness, and Light. Everyone has some level of magical ability, but each person can store a different amount of mana in their body. Think of it like a glass of water. A full bottle represents your total mana. You can increase it through training, but that takes time. Some people practice their magic in areas with high mana levels. Others use magic potions to keep their mana up during missions. That’s the basics.”

  “If that’s the basics, I’m not sure I can handle the complicated stuff. Hold on, what are yours and Laura’s affinities?”

  “Laura’s is Air, and mine is…”

  He hesitates, and I look at him, confused. Why the pause?

  “If you don’t feel comfortable telling me, it’s fine. I didn’t mean to pry.”

  Addam forces a smile. It’s obvious he’s troubled, but he speaks up anyway.

  “No, it’s fine. My affinity is Light.”

  “Cool! You guys are awesome with your magic affinities. I’m excited to figure out mine.”

  We reach the Magic Affinity room, where Laura and Zak are sitting on a bench waiting for us.

  “Good morning, Addam, Tanner! I was just talking to Laura about some exciting news—once we figure out your magic affinity.”

  Laura speaks up excitedly.

  “I’m assuming Addam explained magic and magic affinities to you, right?”

  I rub the back of my head, feeling a bit sheepish.

  “He did, but there’s a lot to memorize all at once.”

  Laura smiles comfortingly.

  “Don’t worry, It was a lot for me to learn as well. Just have some patience and you will be able to understand magic. You’ll learn a lot more once you start actually using magic.

  Addam’s excitement is very noticeable, and I can tell he’s eager to see my affinity. But is it really that special?

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  We walk into the room, and it’s the exact opposite of what I imagined a magic room would look like. There’s a giant mana crystal in the center, but off to the side, a row of computers line the wall. A young woman is working at one of them. She has short black hair and glasses that keep slipping down her nose. She is wearing a white lab coat over a green shirt, white skirt, and black heels.

  “Good morning, everyone. Am I correct in assuming one of you is here to check your magic affinity?”

  I step forward, both nervous and excited.

  “Yes, ma’am. Please let me know what I need to do.”

  The woman looks at me, surprised.

  “Where are my manners? I’m sorry, young man. I’m Kathrin.”

  I extend my hand.

  “Nice to meet you, Kathrin. I’m Tanner, a new knight at the academy.”

  She smiles warmly as her glasses slowly slide down her face again.

  “Oh, how exciting! Well, I won’t take up too much of your time, so let’s get started. Please place your hand on the giant mana crystal.”

  I walk toward the crystal, feeling nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before. So I have no idea what to expect.

  I place my hand on the crystal, and Kathrin moves to the computer, focusing on the screen.

  “Good! Just keep your hand on the mana crystal while I jump-start it.”

  I follow her instructions, staring at the crystal. Slowly, it begins to glow. I feel a surge of energy—unusual, but strangely familiar.

  “What?! This is unbelievable. I need to document this immediately!”

  I start to worry. What exactly is happening to me?

  “Um, is everything okay?”

  Kathrin is dumbfounded, but she manages to speak.

  “Tanner’s magic abilities don’t match any of the effects from the mana crystal. There’s no clear answer!”

  Addam, Laura, and Zak all stand frozen, saying in unison:

  “What?!”

  Zak speaks up, unsure if he heard her correctly.

  “Sorry, but did you just say the mana crystal can’t determine what type of magic Tanner has?’

  Kathrin stares at me, unsure of how to respond.

  “Yes.”

  Laura then suggests a solution.

  “Tanner, you should have a spell now that you've tested your affinity. The mana crystal should have given you a simple spell for you to use. Try it out and see.”

  Addam looks concerned, but he’s also eager to see what happens.

  “I think we should move somewhere if you need to test this spell.”

  I look down at my hand, then up at everyone.

  “I don’t think we need to move. I have a feeling this spell isn’t meant for offense.”

  Everyone looks confused, but Addam is the first to speak up.

  “How do you know? Can you tell?”

  I look at Addam and Laura, confident in my feeling, while Kathrin watches, curious about my magic.

  “Okay, try it out then.”

  I extend my hand toward Kathrin.

  “Light Heal!”

  A small ball of light shoots from my hand and quickly makes its way to Kathrin.

  “Wow! I feel so much better. You must have healed me? If that little ball of light is any indication, then I guess that means your affinity is Light.”

  I look at her curiously, my mind flooded with questions.

  “If I have healing magic, that makes me a healer. In that case, I need to learn magic as quickly as possible.”

  Laura and Addam both smile, excited to learn about my magic affinity. Laura speaks up.

  “Let’s start a training session then. Adam and I both need to train anyway, so we can begin after our classes.”

  Before we can settle on a time, Zak interrupts, clearly excited to share something.

  “Sorry, everyone, but it looks like your training session will have to wait. I have some exciting news for all three of you.”

  We all make our way to an empty classroom while waiting for Zak. Addam, Laura, and I sit up straight, eager to hear the news. It only takes a few minutes for Zak to pull out a letter and place it on the teacher’s desk.

  “This is a very special letter from the king. It took a while to get here, and it’s of high priority. It’s a mission from the king.”

  All three of us stare in shock.

  “Yes! Finally, our first mission!”

  I’m so excited. Finally, I get to show off my training and hard work.

  Laura and Addam share the same excitement. Missions are a big deal for knights. They’re how we get paid and rise in rank. The more missions we complete, the less time we spend in school, but usually, starting missions are easier, though they can be great for ranking up.

  Addam speaks up, his excitement clear.

  “When and where is our first mission?”

  “The location is Dragtree Village. Tanner, I believe you’re from there, right?”

  I freeze for a moment, but I don’t think much of it.

  “Yeah, I’m from there. Does that mean I’ll be able to see my family?”

  Zak smiles, clearly pleased with our reactions.

  “You will get to see your family, but keep in mind this letter was planned carefully. There are rumors that bandits are nearby and might attack your village.”

  I start to feel nervous and worried.

  Is my village going to be okay? Is there any way we can help them?

  Zak notices my concern and reassures me.

  “Don’t worry, Tanner. These are just rumors. It’s not confirmed that the bandits will attack. Dragtree is surrounded by trees, with only one small path leading in. I’m sure your family is safe. We’re going to investigate and confirm whether the rumor is true. Would you be willing to help us?”

  I nod with determination, my thoughts on my father and little brother. The idea of anything happening to them scares me.

  “Of course. It’s the job of a knight to protect people. I’ll do everything in my power to protect my village.”

  I turn to Laura and Addam, my face filled with both determination and a silent plea.

  “Laura, Addam, will you help me protect my village?”

  Addam smiles and gives me a one-armed hug.

  “Do you really have to ask? Of course, we’ll help. Like you said, we need to protect people.”

  Laura stands up, walks to me, and places her sheathed sword over her heart.

  “I promise to use all my power to help your village.”

  I smile, grateful for being so lucky to have such good friends.

  “Thank you, everyone.”

  Zak then gives us the final details.

  “We’ll take a car for this journey, since it’s a long distance. We’ll leave tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. and meet me at the academy entrance. The mission will last three days, so plan accordingly.”

  Laura, Addam, and I exchange looks, making sure we understand what needs to be done.

  Laura looks at Zak, her expression stoic.

  “I think you’ve given us all the information. If we have any questions, we’ll call you.”

  “I need to do everything I can to protect my village,”

  I say quietly.

  —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  The next day

  I make my way to the front of the school, still yawning from the early morning.

  “I hope Dad and Noah are doing okay. I guess we’ll see soon enough.”

  I spot Zak, Laura, and Addam in the distance. I quicken my pace and reach the front of the school.

  “Hey, everyone, sorry if I kept you waiting.”

  Addam yawns, trying to speak through his exhaustion.

  “You’re okay. We weren’t waiting long.”

  Still tired, we all head to the car and drive to my village.

  The car ride is mostly quiet, with Laura, Addam, and I catching up on sleep, getting the rest we need.

  We step out of the car, and I see a familiar little boy with red hair sprinting toward me.

  “Tanner!”

  Noah’s shout comes as he runs so fast he tackles me to the ground, making me grunt in pain.

  “Hey, Noah! You're just as energetic as ever. I take it you and Dad are okay?”

  Noah smiles, ecstatic to see me. His grin stretches from ear to ear, showing just how happy he is.

  “Yeah, we’re doing fine. Work has been tough without you around, but we’re good—and even better now that you're here.”

  I grunt as I get up and introduce my brother to my friends.

  “Everyone, this is Noah, my little brother. He’s a bit energetic, but if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask him.”

  Laura is the first to speak up. I can tell she’s acting like a big sister because of how she talks to him.

  “Hey, Noah. My name is Laura. This here is Addam, our teammate, and Zak, our instructor. I’d appreciate it if you could give us a hand, and in turn, we’ll do the same.”

  Noah looks at Laura, then turns his gaze toward me.

  “Are you and Tanner dating?”

  Addam and Zak start giggling. They try to hide it, but I can still tell.

  I blush uncontrollably from the embarrassment.

  “Noah, you can’t just ask that! Use your brain. I’ve only been gone a few weeks; it takes longer than that to form a connection with someone.”

  Laura, however, is the complete opposite of me. She keeps her cool and looks at Noah.

  “Tanner is someone I have great respect for. After the Knights’ exam, he risked his life to protect my little brother, and I can’t thank him enough for that.”

  I can still see Addam and Zak holding back laughter. I look back at them in frustration, which makes them stop.

  Finally, after composing themselves, both Addam and Zak walk over. Addam speaks first.

  “Sorry, Tanner. That was just a 10-year-old question we couldn’t hold in.”

  I sigh in defeat, understanding they weren’t laughing at me but rather at my brother’s innocent question.

  “You don’t need to apologize. Anyway, aside from his random chaos, where’s Dad? I thought he’d be with you.”

  Noah looks at me, still grinning.

  “Dad’s out collecting firewood for our school. He should be back soon.”

  I glance at Noah, then at Zak and Addam, a little worried. They can tell why I’m concerned.

  “Don’t worry, Tanner. You can relax. They aren’t here yet. We’re a few days ahead of when they’re supposed to arrive.”

  I can tell Zak is being vague to avoid causing Noah any panic. I start to calm down.

  “Okay, then. If that’s the case, let me show you all around the town. It’s pretty small, so don’t expect a long tour.”

  Noah jumps around excitedly since it’s rare to have guests over.

  “Can I please lead the tour?!”

  Laura and I chuckle lightly, while Zak and Addam smile. I pat Noah on the head, trusting him to lead the way.

  “Of course you can. But make sure to explain what everything is so they know, okay?”

  Noah smiles happily and eagerly agrees.

  “Okay, I will!”

  Noah and I show my teammates and instructors around my small village. We visit my home, the school, the park, and the neighborhood housing. After about 30 minutes, we finally meet up with my dad and is the first to extend his hand to greet him.

  “Good afternoon, sir. I’d like to explain why we’re here.”

  Dad’s expression turns serious, concern clear in his face.

  “I want to thank you for taking up this task, especially since this village is difficult to get to. This is about the bandits, correct?”

  I stare at my father, concerned about how long these rumors have been circulating.

  “How long have these rumors been going around?”

  Dad gives me a reassuring smile, letting me know he and Noah are safe, as we can hear him playing outside.

  “Don’t worry, Tanner. Everyone’s safe for now. The rumor started when I got a note at my door a few days after you left.”

  Zak and Laura exchange confused looks, unsure whether they believe my father.

  Zak, being our mentor, is the first to speak up.

  “May I please see the note?”

  “Of course.”

  Dad pulls out the note, showing that he isn’t lying.

  “Laura, Tanner, and Addam, there are a few things about this mission that don’t add up. Do you know what that is?”

  I think for a moment.

  “Is it that the note seems too obvious? I don’t think bandits act like this. They don’t give others time to prepare.”

  Laura speaks up quickly.

  “The note is way too obvious. Bandits don’t give you time to prepare—they attack without warning. But this one explicitly states they will be coming, giving the town time to prepare and hope that help will arrive.”

  Addam looks at Laura and Zak, piecing the clues together, but Addam speaks first.

  “Meaning this note doesn’t add up. We might be dealing with something much stronger than regular bandits.”

  I speak up, curious and worried about what exactly we’re up against.

  “Can we tell what these people are after? Why would they give us time to prepare?”

  Zak smiles, like he was expecting us to ask that question.

  “That’s a good question. Sadly, that’s something I don’t have the answer to. The most basic assumption is they want your supplies, but right now, none of us can come up with a solid explanation. For now, I want you all to patrol the village for the next few days. Anyone who needs to leave should report to us, as we’ll be handling those tasks. Protect this village and show them the pride of a knight.”

  We all salute, bringing our weapons to our hearts in loyalty to that order that was just given. As I salute, I notice a wave of pride and happiness on my dad’s face as he watches me.

  The five of us begin to patrol the village, letting the residents know that we’re here to keep them safe without causing panic.

  It’s a lot of work, but with help from my father and Noah, we manage to get most of it done. While helping at the school, I’m stopped by my teacher, Ms. Brighid. She has a happy yet guilty look on her face.

  “Hey, Tanner, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

  I smile at her.

  “Yeah, it has. How are the newer students doing? Are they behaving?”

  Ms. Brighid smiles and laughs lightly, but her guilty expression doesn’t fade.

  “They’re behaving, though some of them can be a pain. But I know they have good hearts. So, Tanner... you’re finally a knight, like you dreamed of, right?”

  My smile brightens as I feel a little more confident.

  “Yes! It took a lot of hard work, but it all paid off in the end.”

  The guilt on her face deepens. It looks like something has been bothering her for a while.

  “Tanner... I just want to say I’m sorry. I pushed you so hard, and I said some things I wish I’d said differently when you were younger. But I want you to know I’m so proud of you for becoming a knight, and I’m sorry I wasn’t a better teacher to you.”

  Tears start flowing down her face. I think back to how hard it was to learn anything in school, how some of the things she said made me feel like there was something wrong with me.

  I hug her, knowing how much this has been weighing on her. My short height means I can’t see her face, but I speak to let her know how I truly feel.

  “It’s true that it was hard for me to learn. But I want to thank you for pushing me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now. I know it was tough, but I understand now that you did it to help me achieve my goal. So, Ms. Brighid, thank you for being my teacher.”

  She cries even more. I realize this is what she wanted to say before I left, but kept to herself. After a few minutes, she stops crying.

  “Thank you, Tanner. You were a wonderful student. I wish you the best.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Brighid. I wish you the best, too.”

  We exchange one last hug before I let her know I have to continue patrolling the village. I meet up with Laura, and we start patrolling together, since Addam and Zak are handling the forest around my home.

  As we walk and see Addam and Zak finishing their patrol in the forest, I hear a voice I never want to hear again.

  “Wow, Tanner, is that you? Don’t tell me the knights in this kingdom are getting desperate.”

  I turn around to see Jayson, and immediately, I lose all my confidence. I am unable to speak. My head drops to the ground, and my body starts to shake lightly.

  Laura notices, glancing at me and then back at Jayson, realizing he’s not a good person.

  “And who is this chick? You look sexy. How about you have me patrol the village with you instead of this guy? He’s not worthy of being around someone as beautiful as you.”

  I can’t see her face since I’m stuck looking at the ground, but I can tell Laura isn’t happy with the way he’s talking.

  “Thank you for the compliment, but my teammate here earned his place on this team, and I’d appreciate it if you showed him the same respect you give me and my teammates.”

  Jayson laughs arrogantly.

  “Do you realize that the person you are with is the weakest fighter in this village? Knights are supposed to be tall, strong, smart and honorable soldiers. Yet he is small, weak, stupid and has no skill with a sword.”

  I muster the courage to look up and see Laura’s face, calm, but her clenched fist shows just how angry she is.

  “Let me ask you a question. If there is a child stuck and unable to move and a hoard of deadly monsters starts attacking you and the child, would you be willing to die protecting them?”

  Jayson looks at Laura like she’s asked a stupid question.

  “Huh... obviously not. I can’t just throw my life away because of one person. That's so stupid.”

  Laura gives Jayson a stern, angry look.

  “A knight’s duty is to fight for its people, to protect them, and to risk their lives doing the impossible. That’s why you’ll never be a knight. Tanner is someone who has risked his life to protect others, even though he isn’t the strongest. As far as I’m concerned, Tanner is a stronger person and knight than you could ever be.”

  This angers Jayson, and it looks like he wants to throw a punch, but instead, he just walks away, muttering angrily.

  Finally I am able to speak again.

  “Thank you Laura.”

  She looks at me and smiles.

  “We’re a team, right? We should have each other’s backs. I know you would’ve done the same. Come on, let’s finish our patrol for the day.”

  I smile, grateful to have people who have my back.

  “Alright let's go.”

  We finish up our first patrol of the day, luckily with no incidents aside from dealing with Jayson. We have dinner at my place while I help my friends and teammates set up a tent. Since my house is too small to accommodate guests, we set up a campsite to sleep in.

  I smile as I look at the camp.

  “Addam, Laura, thank you for dealing with Noah all day. He’s very chaotic, but he has a good heart.”

  Addam smiles brightly, clearly happy to help.

  "Don't worry, Tanner. We are knights; it's our job to help people. He kind of acts like me when I was his age."

  I notice Laura blushing happily, and she looks like she wants to say something about my brother.

  "Your little brother is so cute; I can tell he admires you a lot. I’m sure that if Noah and Will met, they’d be great friends."

  My expression relaxes even more. I feel incredibly relieved that my hometown and family are safe and liked by my friends.

  Zak glances at the time, realizing how late it is.

  "Great job, everyone, on your first day of patrol. Now, please get some rest. We need to wake up early tomorrow. I’ll take the first watch. Laura, I’ll wake you up in four hours. The order will be me, Laura, Tanner, and Addam. Congratulations on your first day—now get the rest you deserve."

  We all speak at the same time.

  "Thank you, Sir."

  We all sleep soundly until it's time for our turn. The night passes surprisingly smoothly. If bandits were going to show up, it would be now, while we're asleep. Regardless, I’m not complaining since it means my village is safe.

  Since we’re not used to sleeping in shifts, we feel a little groggy but slowly start to wake up once we go through our routine. The town is very quiet since no one is awake yet. It’s around 6:00 a.m. We split into two groups, with Zak and me at the forest and Addam and Laura in the town.

  As the day goes on, the town becomes livelier as people begin to wake up. We continue to help more and more people until it's time for lunch at 12:00 p.m. The sandwiches aren’t the best—the bread is stale, and the vegetables and meat don’t taste fresh. But I’m not going to complain; there have been times when I’d either eat very little or nothing at all due to the lack of crops and food we could manage in the village.

  We continue our patrol for the second day for about four more hours. Addam and Zak have just finished patrolling the forest when my worst fear for this town comes true.

  Laura stares at the forest with a shocked expression—one that doesn’t fit her personality at all. Zak and Addam hurry over to us, quickly drawing their weapons. Addam pulls out his Grimoire while Zak unsheathes his sword.

  Two figures stand in the forest. One is a hooded figure, cloaked in a brown hoodie that covers most of his body, while the other doesn't hide his face but carries a giant axe. The weapon is so large, I don't even know how he’s able to carry it. The man has a giant scar on his face, and his upper body is clad in strong armor that looks like it belongs to medieval times. From what I can tell, they’re not from this village, and they clearly have malicious intent. It’s terrifying how strong they seem, even just standing there. They don’t even feel human.

  Laura shouts in a rage so intense, it's unlike anything I’ve ever seen from her.

  “You Bastard!”

  Laura starts running toward the two men as they split up, the hooded figure heading into the town while the man with the giant axe runs into the forest.

  I call out after her, but she’s too enraged to listen to anyone.

  Addam calls out after us with concern, but we don’t listen.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Tanner, Laura, wait! This is a trap!”

  I run after Laura, trying to catch up with her. Her speed is faster than when she moved during the Knight’s exam.

  “Laura, wait!”

  We both keep running until we reach an open area. We’re too far to call for help or escape. We need to come up with a plan, or we’re both going to die.

  The man with the scar on his face starts smiling creepily. It’s a sadistic, twisted smile that sends chills down my spine.

  "I didn’t think it would be that easy to lure you guys away. I guess Eclipse really was right—a simple plan was the better one."

  I don’t know what he’s talking about. Eclipse? Who is Eclipse? And what plan? What could they want with my village? It’s a town far from the capital, with barely any supplies.

  Laura, in her anger, speaks up. It sounds like she doesn’t care about the mission anymore or what this person has to say.

  "You’re going to pay for what you did!"

  The big, burly man looks at her in confusion, unsure what she means.

  "Sorry, kid, but I don’t remember you. Who are you again?"

  This only aggravates Laura further. Her hands turn into fists, her knuckles going white.

  “You killed my father 10 years ago. I was the little girl you laughed at when you took my father's life away!”

  The scar-faced man smiles and laughs harder, as if everything is a joke to him.

  "Ah, I get who you are. Yeah, your father died a painful death. I’m surprised you stayed alive. Maybe I should visit your mother and see what she thinks."

  Without any hesitation Laura sprints and swings her sword to his head.

  After Laura and Tanner left:

  Zak speaks up and goes into a fighting stance.

  “They can’t worry about them right now; the guy is coming. Right now, their top priority is the safety of everyone in the village. It doesn’t seem like they want to make friends.”

  Addam, although worried for them, starts to focus on the task at hand. He gets into a fighting stance and readies himself.

  “If I don't focus on controlling his magic, then people will die. It's now or never.”

  “Everyone get inside and don’t come out until the fight is over!”

  All of the residents start going inside. Panic starts showing on everyone's faces, and muttering of worry can be heard throughout the small village.

  Zak looks worried for Addam, unsure if now is the right time for him to fight. Addam has strong magic but has never been able to control it.

  “I need to be the one to carry out most of the fighting. Letting Addam fight might be too risky; he might end up hurting himself or others.”

  “Addam, get behind me and support me from the back. Let me handle the fighting, protect the residents, and make sure no one gets hurt!”

  Addam gives off a determined but worried look. He calms himself down and focuses on his teacher and the hooded figure.

  “Yes, Sir!”

  Zak runs toward the hooded figure and swings his sword, aiming at the figure's shoulder. But with extreme ease, the figure dodges the swing and starts floating in the air.

  Zak then jumps high into the air and swings his sword again, missing a second time. The brown-hooded figure frowns in disappointment.

  “Is this really the best you’ve got? I guess the sword kingdom doesn’t have any capable knights this year.”

  This angers Addam. He gets ready to release a spell, aiming it at Zak.

  “With the light of the world, increase man's physical form. Light tempest!”

  Zak starts running and moving a lot faster than before. He jumps into the air, swinging his sword again. This time, he is fast enough to jump up and make the hooded figure bring out their own weapon. The sword the figure carries has a gold hilt.

  “Wow, congratulations. You actually managed to take my weapon out. Not many people have the power to do that. Let’s see how much you and your student can take.”

  Zak changes his fighting stance, smiling cockily.

  “Bring it on! With his honor as a knight, he will protect this village and its people!”

  Back to Tanner and Laura:

  10 years ago:

  A man with a muscular build, holding a sword and shield, moved swiftly through a training arena.

  “Laura, your stance is too wide, and your swings are too predictable. Change it up.”

  Laura was swinging her sword, struggling with the training from her father. She was sweating and panting heavily, trying to move as swiftly as she could to match her father.

  “Yes, father.”

  Despite her tired state, she listened to her father's feedback and implemented it.

  “Good, Laura! That’s better. Let’s stop here for today. You’re doing a great job.”

  Laura put her hands to her knees, breathing heavily.

  “Thank you, Dad. Does this mean I can finally get ice cream with you?”

  Laura’s dad pretended to ponder for a moment, smiling at his little daughter.

  “Well, since you did such a good job in both your academics and training, I think you deserve a little reward.”

  Laura jumped for joy, ecstatic that she got to spend time with her father. She quickly ran and gave him a hug.

  “Yay, thank you, Daddy! Can Mommy come along too?”

  Laura’s dad smiled happily, thankful that he could make his daughter happy.

  “Of course, sweetie. Let’s change out of these clothes first and shower as well.”

  Laura had a big smile on her face and ran back into her home.

  “Okay, Daddy, I will let Mommy know, and I will be out of the shower quickly.”

  Laura’s family got ready and went out to their favorite ice cream place. It was a small spot in the residential district next to the park that Laura’s family used to visit before she started training as a knight.

  Laura, Shera, and her father all sat down at a table outside, listening to the kids playing in the background.

  Laura’s father patted Laura on the head.

  “You’re doing a great job, I’m proud of you. Your grades are excellent, and your fighting skills are improving very quickly.”

  Laura smiled happily at her father's praise and his gesture, but Shera spoke up, sighing at the man.

  “Honestly, Darius, I’m proud of her too, but she can’t have ice cream after every training session. You’re spoiling her way too much.”

  Darius chuckled at Shera, knowing that she was right but still couldn’t help but see his daughter happy.

  “I know, I know, but come on, you have to admit that she’s doing much better than the other high-ranking noble children. She deserves to be a kid.”

  Shera sighed. They both knew that Laura was strong for her age, but she wanted Laura to eat healthily and stay disciplined. She put her hand to her head, almost like she had a headache, but secretly enjoyed the moment she was having with them.

  “Honestly, you two are impossible.”

  Laura and Darius laughed together, enjoying their peaceful moment. The Creston family enjoyed their time together, happily walking around the kingdom, talking, eating, and having fun as a family.

  But that all changed quickly. Their happy moments turned into complete and utter chaos in just a few minutes.

  Screams of horror could be heard from people around the kingdom. Buildings were burning and destroyed, knights were on the ground, bloody and lifeless. All from one man.

  The man held a giant axe and wore big armor that looked incredibly intimidating.

  “I’m looking for Darius. I heard he is one of the strongest knights in this kingdom.”

  Darius looked at the man, then back at Laura, while Shera readied her weapon, standing next to Darius. Darius carefully spoke up.

  “Why are you looking for him?”

  The man with the big axe had spoken up, smiling sadistically.

  “I was given orders by someone I can’t say just yet. And… I wanted to see how strong this man is.”

  Shera had become furious, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her sword.

  “So, you killed all these innocent people just to fight Darius?!”

  The man's sadistic smile had widened, becoming creepy.

  “Of course how else would I get the strongest knights to come to my direction. Now tell me where he is before I kill you and your family.”

  Darius had become furious towards him, shouting at the axe wielder. This had scared Laura, and she had hidden behind her father with scared tears in her eyes.

  I am Darius if you want to fight me fine, but stay away from my wife and daughter you understand me! Or you will never see the light of day again!”

  The sadistic man had continued to smile, and the two of them had sprinted toward each other, swinging their weapons at each other.

  Sparks had flown through the air, and Shera had used this moment to swing toward the big man's back. The axe wielder sees this and kicked her hard in the stomach knocking her away.

  “I am here to fight Darius. Stay out of this before I kill you too.”

  Darius started to get scared for his wife and child.

  “Honey, protect Laura, I can hear monsters running around. I will deal with him!”

  Shera was about to interject when she saw hordes of monsters behind them.

  “On it.”

  Laura started crying but had looked toward her mother.

  “Mommy Let me help.”

  Shera, without hesitating, had quickly interjected.

  “No you can’t handle these monsters, there are way too many for you, your training was not enough for this.”

  Laura stood there, stunned, tears flowing down her face, scared for what might happen to her parents.

  Laura turned around to see her father fighting for his life against the axe wielder. He swung towards him and slashed his face.

  “Damn you really are strong. But too bad I’m stronger!”

  The axe-wielder swung his weapon toward Darius. Due to the harsh and quick swings, Darius became completely defensive.

  Shera started getting worried as she continued fighting the monsters in front of her, unable to assist her husband.

  The axe wielder used this opportunity and swung his axe towards Darius’s arm and succeeded cutting his arm off, before Darius could even react the axe wielder again swung at his shoulder leaving a deep opened wound with his blood slowly spilling out.

  “Daddy!”

  Shera looked terrified and worried for both her daughter and husband but couldn’t do anything and continued fighting the horde of monsters that never seemed to end. She looked back at her daughter who was crying and running towards her father. Shera was doing her best to hide her tears feeling helpless.

  “Laura wait, it’s too dangerous!”

  Laura didn't listen and ran to her father.

  “Daddy please get up! You said you were strong, that no one can beat you please!”

  Darius smiled at his daughter putting his hand on Laura’s head.

  “Hey sweetie sorry but it looks like I won’t get to stay with you.”

  Laura started bawling, and her tears didn't stop.

  “Please get up. I promise to be a strong knight please, Ple-”

  She was unable to say any words, and only tears and her sad screams were uttered from her mouth.

  “Hey it’s okay Laura we will see each other again. Protect your mother and tell your mother to protect your brother. You have a kind heart so don’t ever lose it.”

  Laura held on to her father's hand, which was still touching her head, until it fell to the ground.

  “Daddy please no!”

  The axe wielder smiled sadistically before his expression changed to disappointment.

  “This is disappointing and here I thought he would be a tougher opponent.”

  Laura got up and took out her sword. Her eyes shifted from those of an innocent little girl to those of a raging and furious killer.

  “I’ll kill you!”

  She sprints towards the man swinging her sword, but he punches her sending her flying.

  Shera finally finished beating the monsters and quickly made her way to Laura. The man saw this and, smiling at Laura, said one final thing.

  “If you want to kill me, get stronger and make it fun.”

  Shera hugged Laura, trying to comfort her in any way she could while Laura cried in her mother's arms.

  Through her tears, Laura spoke, making a vow to herself and to her mother while hugging her.

  “I swear I will kill him, make him pay for killing daddy. I promise to kill him and make him pay!”

  The axe wielder disappeared without a trace, leaving a trail of dead civilians and in her wake.

  A few days later, Shera held a funeral for her husband.

  She rubbed her stomach, holding back her tears as she looked at the grave, holding Laura’s hand.

  “I can’t believe he figured out I was pregnant with another child. And I’m sorry he will never be able to see his father.”

  Current Day with Laura and Tanner:

  As Laura runs to the bulky man, he effortlessly blocks the attack with his giant axe. They continue their fight, with the man toying with her while I stand back, stunned and unable to move.

  “There needs to be something I can do. It seems Laura and this guy have some history but if we want to live, I have to do something. Damn it, what can I do? What should I do? Do something damn it!”

  I look back at my sword, remembering King Arthur's words.

  “A knight's biggest weakness is their self-doubt promise me you will learn to overcome it.”

  I take a deep breath, assessing the movements of both the man and Laura.

  “My first action needs to be helping Laura if we don’t help each other right now we will both die. She is too angry to listen to anyone right now, so the best course of action should be to help her fight and when there is an opening run back to my village.”

  Their attention is on each other. The man is focused on aggravating Laura, while she continues to fall for the taunting.

  I see an opening at the mans back and swing my sword towards the opening. But he easily blocks the attack.

  “Did you really think that it would be this easy? You’re a fool if you think that slow and weak attack is enough to even scratch me!”

  He swings his axe, throwing me far. my back hits a tree causing me to grunt in pain. It feels like I’ve broken a few bones. Despite the pain, I manage to get up and try to help Laura.

  The man is still toying with Laura, making sure she’s as angry as possible. Usually, Laura is calm and collected, but this doesn’t even look like her. Her ferocious, angry face doesn’t match her. Her anger completely changes her fighting style, her swings are so predictable that even I can tell where they’ll land. She usually elegantly dodges and attacks unpredictably. But in this fight, she’s only attacking, not caring who or what she hits.

  The bulky man swings his axe, aiming it at Laura’s right side. I use all my speed and strength to stand my ground and block the attack, protecting Laura. Laura doesn’t seem to care; her focus is only on the scar-faced man.

  “Tempest!”

  Laura starts floating in the air, jumping from tree to tree. She moves so fast that even I can’t follow her. The burly man smiles, clearly enjoying the show of Laura’s speed.

  “Go to hell!”

  She thrusts her sword straight at the man's back. With complete ease he blocks the attack, smirking. I see the opening Laura unintentionally made, and i’m not going to make it in time. The big man swings his axe smashing her to the ground, then kicks Laura like a ball causing her body to go flying across the forest hitting multiple trees.

  Her body starts bleeding heavily, yet the anger is still clearly visible on her face as she tries to get up. I run to her, only to be stopped by the humongous man in front of me.

  “She won’t be able to get up for a while so why don’t you help entertain me?”

  I start sweating from how terrifying he looks. His height is monstrous compared to mine, his arms and hand looked to be the size of my face and the giant axe that he wields looked even more massive up close. It was the largest weapon I have seen in my life! My hands begin to shake, but I stand my ground. The scar-faced man looks at me with a smile on his face, his smile sickens me at my core and is disgusting and cruel, clearly enjoying watching others bleed.

  “Hahaha! I didn’t think that a scared kid like you would even come close to being a knight. How did a small weak and pathetic kid like you end up a knight?”

  I’m still shaking from intimidation, but I manage to speak my mind.

  “I became a knight because the king saw potential in me.”

  The buff man laughs, clearly seeing me as a joke.

  “Hahahahaha! A small and weak person like you, appointed by the king?! Wow, if you are a knight King Arthur must have lost his touch.”

  This angers me, since Arthur is someone I respect a lot and I am not going to have someone look down on him.

  “You have no right talking bad about King Arthur. He protects, inspires and gives people hope! A stupid dumb ass like you shouldn't even be talking when you aren’t even a knight yourself!”

  The scar-faced man stops laughing for a few seconds. It’s creepy, almost as if time stood still for a moment, until he shows me his eerie, joyful smile.

  “Big words for such a small and weak kid. But let's see if you can back up the talk.”

  I run up to him and swing my sword at his right side. With ease he blocks the attack, he brings his leg up and tries to kick me. I roll to my left going around him, jumping as far as I can to create some distance.

  The man charges at me and swings his heavy axe at turbo speed attacking me in multiple directions. It takes all my strength and speed just to block the oncoming attacks multiple times and the weight of his attacks messes up my parries and keeps throwing me back.

  “Come on, where is all that big talk? You’re more disappointing than the girl!”

  The big man then swings his weapon faster than before in the match with Laura. The blade of the axe hits me right on the shoulder with blood splattering everywhere. I scream in pain from the swing and the cut covering the wound with my hand. Luckily my arm didn’t get cut off, but I can tell from his skills he was not aiming for a clean cut.

  He swings downward toward my head, I block the attack but yell in pain as the force is enough to break the ground. The force of the impact and my weak arm caused me to get smashed to the ground.

  My injured body is bleeding everywhere and my body is in a lot of pain. As I try to get up but the giant man kicks me, sending me flying towards Laura.

  She looks in my direction, finally calming down slightly, showing a bit of worry for me, but still has the angry expression aimed at the man.

  “Great, now I can heal Laura.”

  Weakly, before the giant man can run toward me, I shout a spell.

  “Light heal!”

  The light surrounds her, all the broken bones in her body start healing, and open wounds begin to close. The blood fades away, and her energy starts returning.

  “N-no Tanner you idiot!”

  The big man starts smiling.

  “Oh, so you can heal people. And a very good one at that. But it looks like you should have healed yourself first!”

  He runs towards me and Laura get up and runs towards me but is not fast enough to protect me. The scar-faced man thrusts with the small blade on his axe into my chest. He lifts me up with his weapon like an animal that was just speared, and throws me across the forest.

  I hit a tree and feel the blood leave my body. I start feeling cold, and the life in my eyes begins to fade. I hear Laura calling my name, concerned for me, but I have too many serious injuries to answer. My eyes close as everything grows colder.

  “Tanner!”

  Back to Addam and Zak:

  Zak sprints toward the hooded figure, moving faster than before thanks to Addam’s magic. He aims right at the hooded figure’s head, but the hooded figure blocks the attack with ease and counters, aiming for Zak’s side. Zak blocks it just in time. Quickly, Zak swings his sword toward the masked man’s head, seeing an opening. But the hooded figure blocks it with their hands, moving faster than before.

  The hooded figure is impressed with Zak’s movements, taking an interest in their opponent.

  “Tell me, are your names Zak and Addam?”

  Zak and Addam stand still, dumbfounded. Addam speaks up, still in shock.

  “Yes, how did you know our names?”

  The hooded figure frowns sadly, as if almost in pain.

  “It doesn’t matter. I came here to fulfill my goal.”

  Zak, determined, speaks up.

  “And that is?”

  The hooded figure still has a sad expression.

  “You would never understand.”

  Zak gives a confused look, clearly not understanding his opponent.

  “Try me. What is it that this village has that’s so important?”

  The hooded figure then stands still, not moving.

  “Lives that shouldn’t be allowed to live anymore.”

  The hooded figure runs toward Zak, swinging his sword at his shoulder. Zak does the same, and their weapons clash with sparks flying as they start their combat, trying to land a blow. Each attack is either parried or dodged, making for a pretty even match.

  Addam tries to focus on aiming his next spell but hesitates.

  “They’re moving too much! I can’t get a clear shot for an offensive spell!”

  The hooded figure then produces a magic spell, summoning a giant ball of light aimed directly at one of the houses.

  Addam jumps in front of the house and shouts his own spell.

  “Light Shield!”

  Addam’s Grimoire starts glowing, and a giant shield of light forms in front of him, protecting the house from any potential danger.

  Zak is slowly starting to lose his endurance. He swings and attacks the hooded figure’s head, but it’s blocked. Quickly, he jumps away to gain some distance.

  Zak is panting heavily, showing how fast he’s been moving.

  “Alright then, I guess I need to show Addam why I’m a teacher.”

  Zak yells with all his might, surrounded by a blue and red aura. Zak sprints towards the hooded figure and without Addam’s spell he is moving faster, hitting harder. His speed and strength are far beyond what they were during his teachings back at school.

  Zak swings his sword at the figure’s waist. The attack is blocked, and the hooded figure swings at Zak’s neck. Just as quickly, Zak blocks the attack with incredible reflexes. The fight continues back and forth, neither one landing a decisive blow.

  Addam stands still, in awe of his teacher’s strength.

  “I need to find a way to be helpful. I can’t just sit here and do nothing while Zak does all the fighting.”

  Addam starts charging up a magic spell.

  And just then, a giant ball of light shoots from his hands, and his Grimoire starts glowing brightly.

  Addam’s eyes widen as it looks like the magic attack will finally hit its target.

  But sadly, the magic attack changes direction and hits Zak.

  Zak is sent flying across the village, hitting the ground multiple times.

  “Zak, sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

  Zak, in pain, grunts as he speaks.

  “Focus on protecting the villagers! Understand!”

  Zak is panting heavily. Addam can tell his endurance, combined with the magic attack, is starting to take its toll.

  Zak, despite being exhausted, continues to fight at the same speed and strength, showing his incredible resilience.

  Zak jumps high into the air and swings his sword at the hooded man’s side, but it’s easily blocked by the hooded figure.

  Looking closely, the hooded figure seems to not even be breaking a sweat. He’s breathing normally, calmly, as though he isn’t even trying.

  Zak doesn’t stop, maintaining the impressive speed of his attacks, but the hooded figure easily dodges each one. The hooded figure swings his sword, aiming for Zak’s head. Luckily, Zak blocks the attack, but the hooded figure then releases a flurry of monstrously powerful and swift attacks.

  While Zak is able to parry them, it’s not enough to block everything, and he still gets hit, suffering cuts and bruises before being thrown back to the ground.

  Zak is bleeding and bruised, doing everything he can to get up, but his injuries are too severe.

  “There has to be something I can do to help. I’m just slowing him down. I need to think of something—some way to control my magic. Some way to be useful! How can I turn myself into a weapon?”

  It’s only after thinking these words that Addam gets an idea for controlling his magic.

  “A weapon?”

  Addam looks down at his Grimoire, remembering how many mages like himself had weapons aside from just a book.

  “Maybe I’ve had my magic all wrong. I’m not a mage who can just use spells as attacks like other mages. I’ll fight like Laura and Tanner. I’ll fight like my teacher—fight with honor, like a knight!”

  Just then, Addam’s Grimoire starts glowing, ascending high into the air. A sword of glowing light drops down to the ground.

  Zak continues to try to stand up, turning toward Addam in complete shock at what he’s witnessing.

  The hooded figure flies straight toward Zak to finish him off.

  But before anything happens to Zak, Addam gets into a fighting stance and swings his sword at the hooded figure from a distance. To the hooded figure’s shock, a slash in the shape of light quickly flies toward him. It hits the hooded figure directly.

  “Yeah, eat that, you hooded bozo!”

  The smoke clears, and the hooded figure is still floating in the air as if nothing happened.

  “Oh, come on! Not even a scratch?!”

  The hooded figure begins to run at Addam as fast as possible.

  “Oh crap!”

  Addam swings his sword, trying to protect himself, and luckily blocks the attack, but the hooded figure relentlessly swings his sword, attacking Addam swiftly.

  It takes everything Addam has to block some of the attacks, but he still receives multiple cuts on his body because of his lack of experience with a sword.

  Zak still tries to get up but is still unable to.

  He finds a healing potion and opens it, but just before he can drink it, the hooded figure shoots a small magic attack at the potion, destroying it.

  The hooded figure looks at Addam and Zak.

  “Let me show you just how futile it is to fight against me.”

  The hooded figure moves so fast that no one can keep up. He slashes Addam across the shoulder, legs, and arms, then kicks him across the village.

  Both Zak and Addam are bloodied on the ground, struggling to move.

  Back to Laura and Tanner:

  “Am I dead? No, clearly not. I can still hear Laura calling my name. I’m so cold, it’s so dark, and I can’t move. I need to get up. Get up. Fight. Why am I fighting? Oh, that’s right. That strong man with an axe is threatening my home.”

  I see a small ball of light. It feels warm, comforting, and powerful. I walk over to it.

  “I want strength, power, enough to protect others and keep them safe.”

  The ball of light slowly starts moving into my body. I feel an unwavering amount of power from it.

  “Get up. It’s time to get up.”

  I realize what is at stake—my friends, my family, my home. I can’t let it be destroyed.

  “I refuse to let some random bandits destroy my home and harm my friends. I am a knight and my duty is to protect people!”

  I start to get up and see my wounds healing. No, not healing—I’m… regenerating?! All of my injuries are fixing themselves, but my mana begins to lower.

  “So, I can regenerate as long as I have mana.”

  I see the giant man start walking toward Laura.

  “It looks like your little friend is dead... Oh now I remember you. You’re the little girl crying that your dad was too weak to kill me.”

  Laura then starts yelling angrily.

  “I’ll kill you! I’ll make sure your death is so painful you will beg for mercy!”

  Quickly, I run up to the man and block his attack from hitting Laura. The giant man looks at me, smiling with a creepy, excited grin on his face.

  “Oh, you actually lived; and here I thought you were dead. This is going to be fun.”

  The man swings his axe downward toward Laura, but I quickly push her out of the way and move myself to avoid the attack. I then find a spot to hide for both of us behind a few bushes.

  Laura’s expression exudes anger. Her fierce look almost intimidates me, but I grab her hand before she can give away our hiding spot.

  “What the- Tanner your alive?! Let go of me Tanner, I have to kill him!”

  This really hurts me. I don’t like seeing someone I respect like this, carrying so much pain.

  “I’ll explain later. Laura look, I want to beat him just like you do. I have an idea, can you work with me?”

  Laura still looks angry, but her expression slowly softens into a more calming one.

  “Okay fine... what is your plan?”

  The giant man swings his axe, trying to find us, destroying bushes and deeply cutting into the trunks of trees.

  “Come on! This is boring I was having fun. Come on show yourself! Fight like the stupid honorable knights you are!”

  I start whispering since he's getting closer to us.

  “Laura, can you use any other magic spells aside from tempest?”

  Laura looks offended. I can tell that if I’m not careful with my words, she might not follow the plan.

  “I can’t control any other wind magic spells. It’s hard for me to control and learn new magic spells.”

  I look at her, still hopeful about my plan.

  “I don’t need you to control it. If anything, I need you to let loose. Make it as powerful as possible, don't worry at all about control.”

  Laura looks at me, confused.

  “What?”

  I grip the sword on my back, ready to fight.

  “Listen, Laura, there’s a cliff nearby. I need your help luring him to the edge, and when I’m there, I want you to stay a good distance behind us and use your wind magic. The debris and wind might be enough to knock him off the cliff.”

  “Tanner, are you positive that this is going to work?”

  I look at her, beads of sweat falling down my forehead.

  "Honestly, no. But if that doesn’t work, then we’ll both die here. I refuse to die in my hometown when there are people here I care about. If you have a better idea, please tell me."

  Laura looks up with a still angry, but determined, expression.

  “I have nothing… fine, I’ll go along with your plan.”

  The man with the axe sees us and gives the creepiest look I’ve ever seen in my life.

  “Found you.”

  He swings his axe downward, and both Laura and I quickly jump to opposite sides, dodging his powerful swing.

  I run and jump till I am eye level with him and swing my sword at his head. But he blocks the attack with ease.

  “What a puny attack! Let me show you a strong swing!”

  I run to the side, and as he swings his axe downward, just barely avoiding the swing. The ground beneath me shakes, and dust, dirt, and grass fly into the air, creating a smoke screen. The force of the attack sends me flying backward.

  Laura then jumps and swings her sword right towards his side. But the man blocks the attack, I use this time and the smoke of the dust to swing at his back when he isn’t looking.

  “Your opponent is me, you bastard!”

  The giant man gives a creepy, cocky smile. It doesn’t even look like I’ve hit him.

  “Fine, let's see how long your regeneration ability lasts!”

  Instead of attacking I jump back to create distance from him. But he runs straight towards me and swings his giant axe to the side of my head. I block the attack, but it sends me flying. The force of the attack was so strong that the swing cut the tree that I was just behind knocking it to the ground.

  I continue to fight him, getting beaten in both strength and speed. I’m not even trying to fight him at this point; I’m just trying to maintain distance and survive.

  As I continue to distract him, I make it to the cliffside. I look back at the forest and see Laura still charging up a powerful magic spell.

  The man with the axe starts walking menacingly in my direction, not paying attention to Laura at all.

  “Come on Laura, hurry!”

  He starts raising his axe, getting ready to swing it downward toward me.

  “This was amusing but not enough for me to keep you alive. Goodbye Tanner!”

  He swings his axe downward with incredible speed and strength. I jump to the side, barely avoiding the attack, and the force sends me flying.

  “Looks like you don’t think with your brain because we just won against you!”

  I stab my sword into the ground, making it as deep and sturdy as I can.

  “Laura, do it now!”

  Laura doesn’t hesitate and releases her powerful stored up magic spell.

  “Hurricane!”

  The spell causes the trees and bushes that were cut down earlier in the fight to be sent flying toward the cliff. They hit the man, sending him falling downward toward the bottom of the cliff while I grip my sword as tightly as I can.

  Laura is filled with many emotions, almost as if she’s struggling between them.

  "Laura, we need to go now! Addam and Zak are fighting on their own! We can't win against them unless we work together. The other guy may be down now, but I'm certain he isn't dead. But if we don't leave now, Addam and Zak might die."

  Laura looks conflicted for a few moments, but then anger completely consumes her, just like the fight with the giant man.

  “You're telling me I should just leave while the man that killed my father is right here unconscious!? Unable to move!? Screw this. I want to make sure he has the worst pain he ever experienced!”

  She starts sprinting toward the cliff, but just before Laura even gets far down, I grab her hand and stop her from moving, leaving Laura with a shocked expression.

  “Let go of me Tanner! This man deserves to die for everything he has done!”

  I struggle to hold her back; it’s taking all my strength just to keep a grip on her hand.

  "We are knights, Laura. We can't go around killing others, no matter how messed up it is. Knights are supposed to be a symbol of honor and protection. If your father were here right now, do you think he would want to kill another person out of anger? He would want to make sure that what happened to you doesn’t happen to others. Please... please fight the urge to kill him and help me protect my home!"

  Laura stands still, petrified, almost like a statue. She struggles and stutters through her words.

  “Okay... lets go.”

  Both of us run back to Addam and Zak as fast as we can. When we get there, we see Addam and Zak on the ground, bleeding.

  I shout the healing spell to help heal Zak and Addam.

  “Light heal!”

  Addam and Zak both look up, sighing in relief that we finally came back. Zak is the first to speak.

  "Good to see you two are finally back. How about giving us a hand?"

  The hooded figure then speaks, drawing our attention to him.

  "All the pieces are almost in place. Finally, it's time to kill the real enemy."

  The hooded figure then sprints into my house.

  I’ve never felt more fear in my life than what I’m about to witness. The hooded figure grabs my father and brings him high into the air.

  “Dad no!”

  My little brother calls out after him as well.

  “Dad!”

  Hooded figure and Dante:

  Dante isn’t scared; rather, he remains eerily calm. He grunts from the uncomfortable feeling of being held by his shirt, hundreds of feet off the ground.

  "I was wondering if someone like you would show up. You're the one who unleashed the monsters into the kingdom, right?"

  The hooded figure has a frown on his face. It’s not that he’s sad Dante knows about his plan, but rather that he’s upset about what he needs to do.

  "Yes, you're correct. I did it for a reason—reasons you would never understand."

  "With age comes wisdom, I've lived longer than you. Tell me, who are you? I should at least know the person who's going to kill me."

  The hooded figure pulls down his hood.

  "I see, it all makes sense. If there is no other way then I will accept this."

  The hooded figure speaks, frowning.

  "This isn’t going to be easy for me either. I’m sorry."

  The hooded figure then flies down fast and slams Dante to the ground.

  Dante starts grunting in pain.

  Back to Tanner:

  “Dad!”

  I sprint toward my father, running faster than I ever have before.

  “Tanner, stay back!”

  I don't listen and keep running toward him.

  “Tanner, take care of Noah.”

  The hooded figure then releases a blinding light, as if he’s exploding.

  The hooded figure stares at my father.

  “Goodbye.”

  A giant explosion of light bursts forth, blinding all of us.

  When the light appears, we are surrounded by a black force field that protects me, Laura, Addam, Zak, Noah, and Ms. Bridget.

  The force field disappears, and to my complete and utter horror, I see that my entire village is destroyed. A giant crater, the size of the village, surrounds me.

  So many emotions flood through me. I couldn’t protect my father; I failed to protect my home.

  I scream and cry from the result of my effort.

  2 hours later:

  We stay at the village so Zak can make a report about what happened to the king. Laura, Addam, and I all wear depressed expressions, knowing what we must live with now, and how much our failures have cost everyone their lives.

  We failed our mission in the worst way possible and innocent people paid the price.

  "Noah, I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect everyone."

  It’s hard hearing my brother cry. All of his friends, everyone he knew, is dead because of my failure. Noah, my little brother, who is only 10 years old, now has to live with the fact that everyone he knows is gone.

  Noah continues to cry in my arms. I can’t hold back my tears either and cry with him.

  Laura:

  Laura is at the edge of the forest, hiding behind a tree. Her eyes are red and swollen, a result of how much it feels like she caused the failure of the mission. Tanner’s words echo in her mind countless times.

  "We are knights, Laura. We can't go around killing others, no matter how messed up it is. Knights are supposed to be a symbol of help and protection. If your father were here right now, do you think he would want to kill another person out of anger? He would want to make sure that what happened to you doesn't happen to others.Please... please fight the urge to kill him and help me protect my home!"

  Tears start to form on Laura's face as she deals with so many conflicting emotions about her father, what Tanner said, and her actions during the mission.

  "I was so sure that I knew what being a knight meant. I lived and trained like a knight my entire life. But now... I don’t even know what it means to be a knight anymore. I don’t know what I’m doing. And because of me, Tanner’s..."

  Laura continues to cry harder, uncontrollably.

  Addam:

  Addam thinks back to the fight he had against the hooded figure. He feels how useless he was, how useless he still feels. The fact that it’s too late for him to do anything meaningful eats at him, and how he made everything worse instead of better. Out of anger at himself, he punches a tree hard, cursing himself.

  "Damn it. Why do I have to be so useless?! I made a promise to Tanner, to Laura, that we would succeed in protecting his village. Screw this stupid body! Screw this stupid Mana! Why… Why did I have to be born with this?"

  Zak:

  "Damn it. These kids shouldn’t have to live with something like this. Seeing a mission fail never gets any easier. I hope these kids are going to be okay. They should know it wasn’t their fault; it's rare for a mission like this to receive false information. I hope this is something they can recover from. If they want to be strong knights, as cruel as it sounds, all three of them need to overcome this. For now, they can cry, but they need to learn to get up and learn from this."

  Tanner:

  I hold Noah’s hand as I walk him to the outer side of the village. I see Addam and Laura looking down at the ground ashamed.

  “Guys, can we talk?”

  This causes Addam and Laura to wince, scared of what I might say.

  "Noah, can you go to Miss Bridget and stay with her for a bit? I need to talk with them."

  Noah listens and walks to Ms. Bridget, while I turn my attention to Laura and Addam. Their eyes are squeezed shut, and I can tell they’re both barely holding back tears.

  "Help me get stronger, not just physically, but mentally as well. I need to be able to stand on my own and face whatever comes next."

  Addam and Laura look at me in surprise. Laura speaks up, and I can tell she’s holding back tears.

  "You're not angry at me for... almost ignoring your village?"

  Addam speaks up as well.

  "Your village is destroyed, and you're not angry with us?"

  I look at them with a determined expression, my red eyes from crying so much clearly showing to them.

  "My father would be pissed off if I sat and cried for the rest of my life. He wanted me to become a knight who protected people. It wasn’t any of your faults that my village is gone; it’s the fault of that hooded man and the axe-wielder. So help me fight against them. Help me get stronger so that what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else."

  Laura and Addam look at each other, then back at me. Addam is the one who speaks up.

  "We will help you get stronger, but just know this: it isn’t you or Laura who’s going to be the King of Knights. It's going to be me."

  Laura speaks up as well.

  "Excuse me, you're looking at the best knight in the academy. If anyone is becoming the King of Knights, it’s going to be me."

  I speak up, smiling, but can still see the sadness in my eyes, showing that I’m going to be strong and move past this.

  "I've wanted to be a knight more than anything else. It will be me who becomes the King of Knights."

  “Addam, Laura… let's get stronger together.”

  Addam and Laura look at me, wiping their tears as well, speaking at the same time.

  “Right stronger together.”

  A few days before the attack on Tanners Village:

  It is damp, dark, and cold. The rain hits the ground heavily, the sound of thunder loud and frightening, but not as frightening as what the young boy feels at this moment. The loud sounds of car engines, breaking branches, and the shouting of men and women intimidate anyone in this man's situation.

  “Don’t let him get away!”

  “There he is! I see him!”

  "For the glory of the Shield Kingdom, don't let him get away!"

  A young man looks pale and sickly. Scratches and scrapes cover his body, and it looks like he hasn't slept or eaten in days. The Sword Kingdom is in the distance as he does everything he can to reach it and alert them of the oncoming threat. He starts panting heavily, with only the rain cooling down his body. The only thing keeping him going is the message he needs to deliver to the Sword Kingdom.

  “We need to catch him before he gets to enemy territory!”