Fire.

Iron.

Sparks.

Clashing Weapons.

Blood.

Death.

Scenes all too familiar to Shade ran rampant through his mind, another nightmare perhaps?

It wouldn’t be the first, nor would it likely be the last.

Weapons stuck in the ground, many broken while others were merely left behind.

Had it not been for the war torn land around him he might have mistaken it for a graveyard, though this was no graveyard, this was a battlefield.

One he could never forget, no matter how many times he tries to.

No amount of magic or memory erasure could ever fully erase it.

She wouldn’t let him, after all, this was when their contract was formed.

The rain poured down on him, burning as it hit the open wounds on his body, his armor broken apart from the battle that had taken place.

He could barely get a single breath of air in as he forced himself fully upright, now in a kneeling position as he weakly scanned the battlefield.

This couldn’t have been the end, right?

There’s no way, not after everything they’d been through.

Yet from his perspective all that remained were husks, broken bodies of those who once walked alongside him.

Shade knew he couldn’t stay here though, not if there was anyone else alive, so he reached over to his weapon, an iron spear, and hoisted himself up from the muck.

His body ached and tried to give out, but he wouldn’t let it, forcing it to move forward with each step, the rain growing heavier by the second.

Though soon his mind was wracked with guilt as he began passing by the bodies of his former comrades.

Oto.

Feros.

Radogan.

Lily.

Ryder.

All gone, defeated in battle by one simple move.

Had they really underestimated their opponent so severely?

Then the sounds of battle caught his attention, one that raged on even after everything had happened.

He had to know who survived, who had been pushing themselves this far.

They should’ve ran, if they did they would’ve lived to see another day.

Though as he made it up over a hill his eyes saw a sight he hadn’t expected, yet one that made perfect sense in his mind.

The one who had survived the blast was none other than Aranea, her eyes burning bright like hellfire as she refused to give in, never bowing to the hand fate had dealt her.

Despite her clear injuries, broken armor and frayed yet flowing crimson hair, she never backed down or gave in, opting to die fighting instead of running.

Her opponent on the other hand was a different story, showing no signs of damage or weakness at all.

The Dark Lord, Conqueror of Terminus, Ruler of all Realms, Tamer of the Fell Dragon.

His armor looked to be a dark silver with clear signs of wear and charred black in some areas, spikes protected his wrists and shins, a simple knightly helm rested atop his head, though the thing that stood out the most was his black cloak accented with gold and dark purple sigils hung from his shoulders.

Its design was strange and foreign, even to these lands… yet none could deny his power.

How could they?

Every member of the resistance had been wiped out with just a single attack, only two heavily injured members remained.

Sparks flew as Aranea’s halberd collided with the Dark Lord’s longsword, her full force swing barely even making him budge.

In one move he easily pushed her back, a deep slash forming in the handle of her halberd.

This wouldn’t last much longer, she would fall… sooner or later, none of her abilities seemed to work on him, nor could her weapon pierce his armor.

Yet Aranea knew she couldn’t back down, not now, not here at the end.

Gripping her halberd tightly she charges in once more, aiming to kill him here and now.

Sparks fly once more time, their weapons clashing at a rapid rate as their fight comes to a close.

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In that moment she manages to dig through the armor, her halberd piercing into his shoulder, barely missing his head.

However pain fills her stomach, causing her to glance down and see the Dark Lord’s sword piercing through her stomach.

Quietly she lets go of the halberd, her trembling hands reaching for the sword ran through her, as if she could do anything to avert her fate now.

Though as she did another flash of pain went through her as the Dark Lord ripped his blade out, letting the blood flow freely as he watched the last bit of light leave her eyes, her body falling backwards onto the ground.

Now only Shade remained, a broken and scared kid who didn’t know what he’d gotten himself into.

Standing before him was pure evil, a twisted malformed version of darkness given physical form.

The shining crimson dancing along his blade showing just how effortless it was for him to massacre all of them.

All it took was a single night.

No army.

No long drawn out war.

Just the Dark Lord.

As if sensing Shade’s presence the Dark Lord raised his head, looking towards the barely surviving outlander.

Through his helmet one glowing purple eye could be seen, an indicator that it was already over.

In that moment five spikes of malformed darkness pierced through Shade, skewering him and bringing him back to the ground.

The purple and black of the magic swirled together in an eerie abyssal look, a sight that none could easily forget.

“Is this really it?” Shade had thought to himself, tears welling in his eyes as the rain soothed his body. “Why, why did things turn out this way?”

In his final moments, as he lay there dying to this abyssal magic, a memory flashed through his mind.

A quest he’d forgotten about, one that seemed to have no significance until now, one that only he’d gained access to.

[The Contract] is what it had been called, and upon completing it his reward was a simple silver ring engraved with blue markings.

Supposedly belonging to an entity that none dared to speak of, fearing her wrath, yet should you become her servant you could never die… or so the rumors spoke.

He was never one to believe in those kinds of things, but now? Now he’d try anything for one more chance.

“One more chance… just give me… one more chance!” Shade cried out as he slid the ring onto his hand, a cold feeling rushing over him in that instant.

Time began to slow, the rain freezing in the sky above him, the fires stilled and even the Dark Lord’s magic froze in place.

Soft footfalls echoed through this frozen place, a woman wrapped in soot covered wrappings walked into view.

Silver jewelry adorned her ankles, wrists, fingers and neck, all bearing the same simple design with blue markings.

Her hair seemed to be white but covered in the same soot as her wrappings, giving it a more ashy appearance.

Though she should’ve struck fear into Shade… he couldn’t help but feel at ease, her gentle smile seeming to calm his dying mind.

Calmly she crouched down to his height, allowing him to get a good look at her eyes, one was a striking azure blue, the other a deep emerald green.

She took his hand in hers, lifting it up as if he could be broken by the subtlest movement, a kindness in her eyes as she spoke.

“With this, the contract is sealed… your wish will be granted.”

Then everything began to fade to white, the last thing he saw being the Dark Lord twitching ever so slightly, as if seeing through whatever magic had been cast.

Soon he’d be back to relive it all again.

Over and Over.

Time after time.

Always seeing the same thing.

Until-

Until he shot up in his bed, drenched in a cold sweat from the nightmare he had been reliving once more.

How many times did it make now? He’d lost count after the 45th…

“It’s just a nightmare…” he muttered to himself, now slowly looking to the side as he could feel someone watching him.

There he was met with the concerned eyes of the kid he’d taken in, the one from the fell blood cult.

Wynn, that’s right, that was her name.

She must’ve seen him tossing and turning in his sleep, too afraid to do anything, knowing the fell blood cult she was likely punished for “overstepping any boundaries” her master had in place, even if it was just to check up on someone.

Shade tiredly locked eyes with the kid for a moment before sighing, still mentally kicking himself for bringing her along.

“It’s alright, I’m fine… and don’t worry about any rules you had before, we’re not with the cult now.” he says in a tired morning voice, his mind still struggling to fully wake up.

Wynn slowly nodded, the concerned look never leaving her eyes. “L-Lady Oslain wishes to see you…” she barely muttered out, clearly still not used to her new environment.

“Figures…” Shade sighs once more as he stands up. “Go ahead and meet up with her, and be sure to get yourself some food too.” he calmly says while standing from his bed, now grabbing a spare set of clothes and moving to the bathroom. “...and you don’t have to be formal with her, Lady Osalin already wants you to just call her Emma.”

“R-Right…” Wynn quietly replies, simply watching him for a moment before scurrying off.

After a while Shade made his appearance before Lady Oslain, now looking at least half presentable in his standard attire.

She looks at his form from atop her throne, taking some small amusement in his hastily put together look.

“Pleasant dreams?” she asks with a small smile on her face, a hint of smugness in her voice.

While normally this would annoy Shade he’d already grown used to her… unique… personality.

“As pleasant as ever.” He calmly replies, his voice staying a bit cold and focused. “Now, what did you need me for?”

Lady Oslain smiled and leaned forward “Remember Resovult? Well we’ve finally found an entry point for you.” she happily states, though anything like this is too good to be true with her.

“What’s the catch?” Shade asks cautiously, having grown used to her little tricks.

“Simple really, you have to take Wynn with you, the child is the key and you’ll see why once you get there.” Lady Oslain replies with a smug vagueness that easily makes Shade annoyed.

“Really, that child is the key?” Shade remarks with a click of his tongue, taking a moment to look back at the entrance where she could be seen. “You do realize sending her into that place means she will die, right?”

A soft laugh comes from the fair lady, her amusement growing more and more with each passing second. “Oh if she was in any danger I wouldn’t send her, but since she’ll be with you I know she’ll be fine… after all with such a powerful guardian she will easily make it out alive.”

“Really? So you expect me to drag a kid along with me while I complete my mission?” he retorts, more and more annoyance in his voice.

“Yes, not only because you are her master now, but also because she’s more valuable than you will ever know.” Lady Oslain calmly replies, now looking at Wynn. “Trust me, I haven’t led you astray yet, have I?”

“No, I suppose you haven’t… but if the child dies then it’s on your hands, not mine.” Shade retorts while turning to walk away now. “Wynn!”

The child lets out a tiny squeak, a bit surprised to be called out so suddenly. “Y-Yes?!”

“Pack your things and meet me in the library… we’ve got a mission to embark on.”