More than a year ago

Morning haze condensed on the lush cold greens of imposing trees, forming crystal dew. Dim dawn light scattered on the pearls, illuminating the tranquillity of this ocean of leaves. Felix walked upon a winding dirt trail hidden within this wild paradise. This was the North Acrean Forest, home to a multitude of untamed species. The road wound and bent, following the outskirts of the green wilderness.

Felix had just returned from the Northern States for the first time in years. His destination was unknown; something seemed to be calling down in the Kingdom. He would let the winds of fate guide his path. He let his gaze wander as he walked. The forest seemed peaceful, much too peaceful. Barely any wildlife could be detected in his vicinity.

The last time I trekked this path, the journey was... eventful, he recalled, a slight smile gracing his lips.

He lost himself in the soothing sound of the rustling leaves, recalling memories long past. Nostalgia overcame him, and a tear formed in his heart. He sighed. The path ahead was long and arduous, but he would persevere; his wish was within reach.

A cry in the distance drove him out of his reverie. He knew the sound; it was a constant during the war. It was a velocidragon, a bipedal reptile mount commonly used by knights in the Kingdom. The cry pierced the silence, followed by the tremors of its hurried footsteps.

More than one, he thought.

He ducked out of sight, hiding within the dense bushes by the road. He watched in anticipation, a hand on his black sword. The wait was short. Dust clouds burst into the air as the beasts' talons dug into the dirt path. Three of them ran in a spear formation. On their backs, two armoured knights guarded the rear while a lady in a fluttery blue dress took point.

Felix squinted, striving to pierce through the dust to see the reason for their hurried pace. Unable to, he scaled the nearby tree, hiding within the branches overlooking the trail. From his vantage point, the situation was clear.

Wolves, he thought. No... something more.

The beasts resembled wolves, but their structure was bipedal. Sharp frontal claws dug into the trees while powerful hind legs kicked the earth, propelling them forward with tremendous speed. They were slowly gaining on the dragons.

The riders cracked their reins, spurring the dragons forward, but the distance was slowly shrinking. A bend in the road was approaching. A squad of wolves broke off from the pack and dove into the thicket, intending to cut off their path. The lady at the front noticed, but nothing could be done; forward was the only way.

As they reached the bend, the squad of wolves launched themselves at them, their serrated jaws aiming for the mounts' throats. Their assault was quick and deadly, but the riders were prepared. Blades plunged into their gaping maws, impaling their brains in the process; their lifeless husks tumbled to the side.

The remaining wolves quickly changed their strategy, targeting the legs instead. This decision proved correct as the beasts tripped and rolled, propelling their riders forward. The knights ducked into a ball, using their armour to soften the blow.

The lady was less fortunate. Airborne, the edge of her dress caught hold of the sharp branches sprinkled around the path's edge, ripping. She flailed and fell unhurt into a soft bed of leaves and muddy ground.

She rose to her feet unsteadily, unsheathing the dagger hidden beneath her now battered skirt, prepared for battle. A wolf pounced, but just at the right moment, a knight stood before her. Its teeth ripped the armour off the knight's shoulder, digging into the skin; blood flowed. The wolf grinned, tasting the red liquid in its mouth, but it failed to realize that the blood was its own, for a blade found its mark. The weapon plunged below its jaw, reaching for its skull. Life left the beast.

The trio fought bravely, and their foes dwindled, but more were coming. They regrouped, gasping for air while the beasts surrounded them. Weary and wounded, the chase had gone on for far too long. Even the beasts enjoyed the small respite. The two sides eyed each other, ready to strike. Felix remained on his perch, having no intention of interfering.

Down below, the wounded knight removed her bloody helmet, uncovering her feminine features. Her hair was the colour of blood, while her eyes emitted a stout determination. She held her blade so firmly that her knuckles paled. There was not a trace of fear on her face. She knew the chances were slim, but she would fight.

"Why would the wolf clan..." her knightly comrade said, removing his damaged helm.

His hair closely resembled hers but was much shorter, while their features were almost identical despite being of different genders.

"No," the female knight replied. "Shapeshifters."

Realization dawned on him; the pursuit, hired killers, shapeshifters, the Shades of Arham! His eyes narrowed, a grim look on his face. The situation was much worse than he thought. He prepared himself for his eventual death. His only regret was that his sister would die with him.

The lady in the back stood forward. Her dress was in tatters, and her golden hair was marred with mud, but her beauty shone like the sun. Despite the threat of death, she was calm and composed, yet Felix noticed cold sweat pouring down her nape.

"Who is your leader?" she asked. "What do you hope to gain by making an enemy of my Kingdom?"

Her tone was harsh, imperative. The wolves recoiled back under its weight, but one stood its ground, sneering.

"Money, what else," it said, fluent in the tongue of man.

The lady frowned. She had expected this response but not so bluntly. Something was wrong.

"Since you target me, you should know who I am. I can pay more than what you were offered."

The wolf's sneer grew larger, showing his sharpened teeth.

"Tempting, but a geas binds me to this task. My apologies, your Highness."

She looked around: the flesh they cut, the blood that spilt, everything was gone. Not a trace of the battle remained. She remembered the sight of the first wolf she cut down, evaporating like a shadow in sunlight. There was no doubt they were the Shades of Arham.

But... sarcasm, she thought, from a shade? I thought their whole race was apathetic by nature.

"Fortunately for you," he added, "my employer wished for you to be brought to him alive."

His body shifted. The fur covering him vanished, leaving only an ethereal dullness. His limbs elongated, and his racial features faded, leaving behind something akin to a blank slate of shadows. While his limbs were translucent, his core was an abyss.

He reached into the void of his chest and freed a small black collar from its depths. He examined the object briefly before throwing it on the ground before her. While the object seemed banal, its aura was so dense and dark that she recoiled, abhorred.

"A relic..." she said. "Am I supposed to put this on?"

She didn't try to mask her look of disgust.

"If you would. It's nothing dangerous. Just a little precaution," he said.

"In case I try to bash your head in?"

"Among other things. I wish you wouldn't make this more difficult than it has to be."

"You really think I'll just play along with your little game? Do you have any idea who you are trying to provoke?"

"A spoiled brat who cannot do as she is told, it seems. Besides, you do not have a choice in the matter."

His face had no features and was black as night, yet she knew he must have been sneering at her while reveling in her upcoming defeat. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She made eye contact with her two guards, synchronizing for a joint assault when the female knight coughed.

Her cough was intense. She put her hands on her mouth, trying to keep whatever was threatening to come out inside. Each time she coughed, it only worsened. The shades had no intention of doing anything and only watched.

The other knight went to her, concerned. The lady stood her ground, staring at the shades' leader, trying not to show her anxiety. The cough was sudden and violent but didn't last long as a mass of blood was expelled from her mouth. Her hands and armour were now stained with fresh blood as she fell to her knees.

"Poison," the other guard said as he pressed two fingers on her neck, checking her pulse. "The wound to her shoulder, if I had to guess."

Her veins turned dark blue as they expanded in size. She tried to stay conscious, but the pain grew worse with every moment. Sweat poured out of her pores as she resisted the urge to scream. Her skin turned black, starting from her wound, rushing towards her extremities.

"We only need the Princess," the shade said, amused. "The others are... expendable."

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The Princess pounced, disregarding her safety. Her golden mane turned shades of crimson as if flames had burst into being. She cut through the distance and reached for her guard's long sword.

"Richard, take care of her," she said as she passed him.

While maintaining her extraordinary speed, she unsheathed the blade and swung in one smooth motion, killing two beasts. The metal was sharp, and the strike deadly. The leader was astonished—not by the assault he had expected but by the skill she had shown. It was worlds apart from her earlier display.

After her first victims, her pace didn't falter. She sought a new target. Despite the rage that threatened to consume her, her head was cool and her heart colder. She chose to strike the weaker ones, hoping to cull their numbers.

Flames twisted around the blade, forming a vortex, while anything unfortunate enough to taste its edge was reduced to ash. The beasts charged toward her, disregarding their lives, and she cut them down like vegetables. Their onslaught seemed endless. Her legs grew heavy, her arms weak, and sweat poured down her face, staining what remained of her dress. But she would not stop until each and every one of those beasts was dust.

How dare they poison her, she thought. HOW DARE THEY!

At first, her enemies were countless, but they dwindled quickly under her sword of flames. She had lost count of how many she had butchered, but now, only one remained. The leader stood alone on the field, impassive. Their lack of features made it hard to know their thoughts, but she imagined he must be conflicted. She took pleasure in his suffering.

Unfortunately, she was much too exhausted. The battle had taken its toll, and she needed rest. She fell to one knee, gasping for air, and used the sword as a crutch to lean on. Silence reigned for a while; only the knight's intermittent cough could be heard.

While the battle raged, Richard used every method he knew to alleviate the poison's effect. He had a great breadth of knowledge concerning medicine, but that poison stumped him. Without the necessary facilities, the best he could do now was to slow the spread as much as possible. She would succumb if not adequately treated soon.

"Impressive," the shade said as he slowly clapped his long limbs together. "Impressive indeed, Claire Rothguard. I must say, you are much stronger than the rumours make you out to be."

She frowned, only now realizing that their disguises had been blown. She turned towards the female knight, whose straight red hair had become golden curls. She checked the bracelet on her wrist. The once-white bracelet was charred, and some edges had melted off.

I was careless, Claire thought. Now they know I'm not the Princess.

"This won't do at all," the shade added. "We can't have the Princess die, now can we? Good thing the poison used isn't fatal to her kind. She'll just suffer until the antidote is administered. Too bad I didn't bring it with me."

Claire's expression sunk; she had failed in her duty. The most she could do now was to help her brother leave with the Princess. She was confident he could cure her once they got away, but her hopes were dashed.

"Do you really think this is all we have prepared to deal with you?"

The dust evaporating in the light started condensing again, reforming the bodies once slain. This time, however, they took a form similar to their leader.

Half of them are missing, Claire thought. I just need to kill them again and again until no more are left.

She was panting heavily, and her legs were weak, yet she forced herself to stand up. She took her stance with difficulty, readying herself to resume the fight. Although her situation was hopeless, she stood tall with determination in her eyes. She had someone to protect.

Before the fight could start, a small dagger cut through the air, shattering the skull of one of the shades closest to her. The shade exploded into black mist as it met its demise. Claire was surprised, but she expected the creature to reform eventually. Such eventuality never came; the shade remained dust.

Soon after, two more daggers flew, this time, however, passing through two foes each. Claire was stunned. The throws were expertly made, and judging by their trajectories, they were made from the branches of a tree.

She looked upwards, trying to discover the location of her protector, yet none could be detected. A gust of wind passed her by. She turned, following it, only to see a strange man standing before the Princess.

Fear overtook her. She pushed the ground with all her strength, trying to close the distance, but her legs were at their limits. She collapsed on the ground, despair in her eyes. Her brother was unarmed, but when he saw the stranger, he instinctively swung his fists. The blow only struck the air as the stranger picked up the Princess and evaded the strike, increasing the distance between them.

That's quite the poison, Felix thought with the Princess in his arms. It seems specially designed for her bloodline. They came prepared. Anyone else wouldn't have long left to live.

He dropped to one knee, holding the woman with one arm while the other struck the wound on her shoulder with his palm. The hand turned black, and the girl started convulsing slightly. Black blood started seeping out of the open wound. Colour slowly returned to her visage, and her blackish veins returned to normal.

The Princess opened her eyes and started coughing violently, trying to dislodge the mass stuck in her throat. Using his supporting hand, Felix lightly taped her back. A mass of black blood was ejected from her mouth, staining the ground. Finally, the poison was purged.

"She's going to be fine now," Felix said to Claire, who had crawled to them before facing the remaining shades. Felix could swear one of them was frowning.

"How did you do it?" the shade asked.

"The poison? Why should I tell you when you are about to die?" Felix replied.

"It seems you don't know who you are messing with!"

With a clap of his arms, all the other shades converged toward him. One by one, they were absorbed into the mass. As more shadows were integrated into the amalgam, its shape became unstable. What started as a man-sized blob now surpassed some of the trees. Once the last was absorbed, it took a few moments to regain its former form.

Felix had no intention of interfering, opting to only watch the whole process, intrigued. Shades were rare constructs, and he had never heard of them possessing such an ability.

Once it reached its final height, the mass started thrashing. Its long arms collided with the trees along the path, uprooting them easily with each blow. A deafening cry was emitted from its core, toppling trees from the sheer weight of the wind it created. Its aura grew so massive that it threatened to crush the trio behind him. Felix stood, unshakable, as if a boulder in a storm. He let the wind pass him by, unaffected.

They seem to be fighting for dominion, he thought.

The inner battle continued for a while longer, clearing a circular area around them. Some stray blows were aimed at Felix and the trio, which he used his sword to deflect. Although they were made of shadows, the size of the arms reflected the weight of the blows. Felix, however, used minimal efforts to redirect them. The black sword danced in the air, lightly touching the ethereal limbs, changing their course slightly. Without purpose behind the attacks, changing their paths was a simple thing for Felix.

Another blow was aimed at them. Felix did the same as he had done countless times before and prepared himself to receive it, but something was different. This blow was sharp and robust, clearly distinct from the previous ones. With the trio at his back, Felix couldn't dodge it, so he simply took it.

His feet dug into the ground from the force of the blow, but the blade above his head was straight and unyielding. Any other sword would have broken from such a terrifying blow, but this one was still impeccable, as if such a blow meant nothing to it. Although the strike was blocked, the pressure kept increasing. Felix would soon be overwhelmed by the weight.

He twisted his body, dislodging from the pressure's hold before slashing at the arm from the side. Despite its sharpness, the blade didn't dig deep into the limb, propelling it backwards instead. Unbalanced, the gigantic shade lost its footing and tumbled backwards. Felix took the opportunity to attack.

He pounced forward, using its mass as holds. He climbed up the giant, reaching its head. From there, he twisted his core while airborne and, with a revolving slash, embedded the black blade into the creature's head. The shade tumbled head-first into a mass of trees, crushing them. Unfortunately, the wound was shallow and healed almost instantly.

"Give up," the giant said as it rose to its full height again. "As long as light exists, so too will shadow. We are eternal, for we are part of this world."

Felix scoffed at the notion and chose to deal another blow, this time to its leg. The giant fell backwards once again, crushing even more trees in the process.

"It doesn't mean anything if you can't beat me," Felix said, his face a sign of boredom. "Honestly, I'm disappointed. I thought you would prove more of a challenge."

A mass of shadows erupted from the ground, covering Felix's body and restricting his movements. He struggled to free himself but to no avail. He was stuck.

Clever, he thought calmly, hiding most of his arm below ground to surprise me. I really didn't see this coming.

The giant tried to squeeze him to death, but he was much stronger than the shade thought possible. Despite using all its strength, Felix was close to getting free. With no other alternative, the creature brought Felix to its chest and trapped him inside the void. He disappeared amidst the blackness.

The giant then turned towards the remaining trio who had watched the scene, shocked. Claire and Richard stood before the Princess, weapons at the ready.

"Don't bother," the shade said. "You can't resist."

Despite the overwhelming odds against them, the duo stood resolute. They had their pride as knights and would sooner die than forsake it. The Princess gazed calmly at their assailant. Despite her predicament and the pain she had endured, her golden eyes exuded a serenity that unnerved the shade. Seeing the radiance hidden within, the creature hesitated for a moment.

As the Princess awaited her fate, the shade's ethereal body started deforming, shifting between tangible and incorporeal. The shift repeated for over a minute, its interval shortening with each change until the creature expanded, bursting into particles of darkness. Its remains blanketed the forest in its gloom before dissipating into the light. At the centre of the explosion stood Felix, clad in an armour of dark scales that disappeared upon contact with the outside air. The shift was so sudden that the trio didn't notice the strange attire, only his cloak tattered from the battle.

"Thank you," the Princess said while bowing, still weak from the poison. "We couldn't have managed without your help."

"Think nothing of it," he replied. "I have my reasons."

He approached the trio, the two knights clearly still on guard against the stranger. Felix paid them no mind, bent down, and picked up the neglected necklace. He examined it briefly before smiling and stashing it inside a leather pocket on his belt. He then pointed towards Claire, or more precisely, the white bracelet on her wrist.

"This shouldn't be too much as a reward for your life, right?" he said.

"So you're a relic hunter, I see," Claire said, not even trying to hide her disdain.

"Ha! Don't compare me with that bunch of fanatics. I'm just a mercenary trying to make a living. Besides, those bracelets are done for. They're wastes now, but I know a few people who would pay good money for them."

Claire wanted to refuse, but the Princess stopped her. Those "wastes" were once the relics of a deity from an age long past. The Queen had lent them to her for her protection. Even if they became unusable, giving them to a stranger would have been unthinkable, but the Princess had something else in mind.

"I don't mind. You do deserve a reward," she said. "In exchange, I would like to hire you as our escort. Our people should be looking for us, but as you can see, our mounts have suffered, and Claire and I are injured."

She did her best to look pitiful. Felix caught on quite quickly, and a smile escaped his lips. Anyone who could survive the Royal Court's intrigues and machinations was shrewd. He took a moment to consider the offer. He wasn't in a hurry, and any direction was as good as any.

Dealing with royalty is a hassle, though, he thought.

"Just until you reunite with your people," he said reluctantly.

Claire was obviously unhappy about the turn of events and kept mumbling under her breath. Richard simply kept an eye on the stranger, ensuring he could react to anything unexpected. They waited until the girls were strong enough to walk, then started their journey out of the woods.

Most of the time, the group walked in silence. Only occasionally would the Princess ask Felix some questions, to which he would respond without divulging much. Their relationship was temporary, and there was no need to make friends in the first place.

Time passed, and the morning light gave way to dusk. The group was exhausted from the arduous trek right after the fight for their lives, but fortunately, the path leading out of the forest was soon in sight.

"Why do you think the 'Shades of Arham' tried to take you captive," Felix asked unexpectedly.

A complex emotion appeared on the Princess's face before she sighed in resignation.

"Too many possibilities, but I intend to find out. By the way, I never asked your name. I am Christina Aleria Dragneel, First Princess of the Kingdom of Althera."

"Just call me Felix."

Christina tried to recall any mention of a mercenary named Felix, but none came to mind. She was still racking her brain when heavy stomps were heard in the distance. She squinted and was overjoyed to find out that the sound came from the rest of her escort coming their way.

She turned towards Felix, wishing to thank him, but the place he stood just a moment ago was now empty. She scanned the forest around her, hoping to find clues to his whereabouts, but all traces of him had vanished. Too preoccupied with the new arrivals, they had missed his departure.

So be it, she thought while looking into the distance. I have a feeling this will not be the last time our paths intersect.