In the pale moonlight, the wind howled whipping around a lone figure that struggled against the gale, one feet ahead of the other. He was making progress, not much but still it was noticeable, he saw the tree line and grinned, in no time he would get to his destination, he pulled the cloak close around himself to prevent the cold from getting to him, that was a complete fail but it kept him slightly warm, just a few feet, he paused when he thought he saw something in the forest, he drew his sword

"Who's there?" He called out and received no answer

"I am the captain of the 4th squadron of the knights of the circle, show yourself" He yelled into the night

"I apologize captain" A voice called from the forest and out stepped knight, he wore the colors of the circle and the sigil of the three great houses was drawn on his shield, he started toward the captain

"What squadron?" The captain was having none of it, he readied his sword

"4th captain, i thought i was the only one left" The knight said as he took another step

"So did i… What happened to you?" The captain asked

"We were attacked captain, i - there was blood everywhere, i was knocked out in the panic" The knight said grimly

"Every one was gone?" The captain asked disbelieving

"Yes captain" The knight staggered over to the captain and dropped to a knee

"Pull yourself together, we're just a few miles from the keep" The captain eyed him wearily and then turned to survey the treeline

He squinted when he thought he saw a glint of metal and readied his shield

"Are you sure you - " He paused in shock and looked down, a sword poked out of his stomach, he turned wide eyed

"You should pay more attention. Captain." The knight said as he stood

"Y-you…" The captain chortled as blood poured from his mouth

"Don't you wish you wore armor tonight" The knight smirked and he grabbed the hilt of his sword and twisted his sword

The captain dropped to his knee and fell face down to the ground

"You'd think he would have been more cautious" The knight said as he took off his helmet, his blonde hair whipped around his face

"Wonderful acting, i was so engrossed" A voice said and a man materialized, he wore a blue tunic and brown breeches with a leather jacket over his tunic and climbing boots, his blue eyes shone in the dark and his ashy hair blended into his surrounding

"Ah, Yleina; you flatter me" The knight smiled

"To think Aldea almost got us exposed" Yleina scoffed

"I did not" a lady stepped out of the forest and stomped over to the men

"He almost saw you" The knight snapped

"He didn't. Thanks to you" The lady scoffed

"Where's Gariel?" The knight asked

"Here" A young man materialized and knelt before the corpse

"Will he do?" Aldea asked uncertainly

"Did you have to ruin his body so" The young man sighed as he drew on the body

"Don't blame me, Aldea was almost spotted and i couldn't tell if he had mind relay" The knight shrugged

"It will do for now, we'll need another body soon" Gariel said calmly

"It's the middle of a war, we'll find another soon" Yleina said

"I need a soak in a hot pool" Aldea smiled as she watched her other half work

"Me and you both" The knight grinned

"Stop whining" Gariel looked up from what he was doing to scold

"Sorry" They apologized the same time and glanced at each other

With a grunt the young man turned his attention back to the corpse and a minute later was done, he stood

"We should make a fire" He said

"But we have you" Aldea pouted

"I don't want to drain my Mana" The ravenette said and turned on his heels

"We're leaving it here?" Yleina gestured to the corpse

"it will get covered by the snow before anyone passes again if that's what's your worried about" Gariel said and retreated back to the forest

"I suppose so" The rogue pause and stared at the corpse, it had started twitching already

"come on" Aldea motioned and skipped after the nemocrancer, the knight shrugged and followed behind them leaving behind a very disturbed rogue

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

A moment later another straggler struggled through the gale, he had no cloak to keep warm with unlike the other knight and he had discarded his armor in a certain cave somewhere, his mind swirled with countless thoughts, he had to continuously push them up so he could focus on the road ahead of him or rather the snow covered ground, he had a scowl on his face, which was quite out of character for someone like him, had he seriously misunderstood the deamons so?, he grit his teeth.

He was supposed to hate them, why -

"Kid, are you lost?" He heard a voice and looked up, snapped out of his daze

He stared at a man who stood at 5'6 and had ashy hair that whooshed around with the wind

"…" He narrowed his eyes and thought, where was he supposed to go again, that way- no the other; He was lost.

"Something like that" He finally spoke

"Yleina" The older man stared at him

"Eh - Alister" The young boy said

"What are you doing out here?" Yleina asked

"Well aside from freezing to death, i'm trying to get back to my camp" Alister chuckled nervously

"Is it close-by?" Yleina arched his eyebrow

"I - Have no idea" He shrugged ignorantly

"Come with me, my teams close-by" The rogue turned and started toward the forest "OR you could stay here and freeze to death" He said over his shoulder

'Well - Compared to staying here, it does sound like a dream but then i could continue towards the keep, but the forest could be even colder, do i really want to die frozen? But then again he could be a bandit… Ugh i've misjudged enough already' Alister thought and then grinned

"i'm coming" The young boy said

They walked together, side by side and listened to birds chittering as their boots crushed twigs and leaves that littered the forest floor

"Are you with the circle?" The rogue asked glancing at the boy to see his reaction

Alister froze 'What do i do? He might be a comrade or he might not be'

"The circle??" He scratched his head ignorantly again

"You've never heard of the circle?" Yleina blinked shocked

"What's that?" Alister asked

He might have been naive but he could smell the blood that had soaked the old mans fingers. Beads of sweat had formed on his head and had started to slowly roll down, problem was he was a horrible liar. He gulped, being stared down by a murderer wash't all it was cracked up to be, this man before him had killed hundreds

"You're skittish" The rogue said and the knight in training looked up shocked

"It means you're lying" The rogue continued and sighed

"I…" Alister started

"Are they really so desperate they'll conscript kids"

"I'm not a kid, i'm 18" Alister narrowed his eyes

"A knight in training then, What happened? Daddy shipped you off to the war to teach you a lesson" Yleina asked

"What are you going to do?" Alister paused and glanced at the other man set to run

"There's not much to do, a lot of kids have died already" The rogue shrugged

Alister blinked and then furrowed his brows

"What about you? Are you fighting in the war?"

"Not really" Again yleina shrugged

"Then why?" Alister pressed

"There's not much to working for kings and queens, for all their grand plans and what not; they're only looking out for themselves" Yleina sighed

"That's not true, KIng - " Alister started but was interrupted

"Lemme guess some reason why your king is better than the rest" Yleina grinned

Alister opened his mouth and then closed it

"In time kid, You'll probably start to regret being a knight" Yleinasaid

"I doubt it" Alister countered scowling

"Come on, i sense my comrades, just don't mention you're a knight in training" Yleina said

Alister blew a raspberry and stomped after the rogue

They walked into a clearing, where two men and a woman sat round a campfire talking and laughing

"Finally he arrives" The one farthest from the rest spoke haughtily, by his side a woman leaned against him

"And he brought a body" Aldea grinned wickedly

"The boy's mine" Yleina said as he sat

"I'm not anybodies" Alister muttered

"A slave?" Gariel arched his eyebrow "I didn't think you kept slaves" He added

"I'm not a slave dammit!!!" Alister hissed pissed

"And with a such a mouth on him"

Alister took a step backward and paused when he felt cold steel pressed into his side, he inclined his head and saw a man clad in armor

"Are you a knight?" He asked surprised

"AHAHAHAHAHA" The man laughed "Am i a knight? Oh that's good"

"…"

"Actually i AM a knight, first company" The man said and pulled back his sword

"Really?" Alister asked

"Fuck no kid, Look i don't know what brawns told you but we don't work for kings or queens unless of course we're paid enough" The man said

"You're mercenaries?" Alister said more of a statement than a question

"Smart kid" Gariel said sarcastic

"Give him a break love" Aldea smiled and ran a hand through the necromancers hair

"Take a sit kid" Yleina said

Alister dropped to the floor cross legged, the knight sat beside him

"The names knight, so i kinda go with the outfit" Knight said taking off his visor

"Alister" The boy said

"I'm Aldea and this here's Gariel, our resident necromancer" Aldea grinned and snuggled closer to the Nemocrancer who had a scowl on his face but seemed not to mind

"N-nemocrancer" alister stuttered

"Shhhh, the king of this place isn't exactly kind towards magi" Knight said brightly

"You never know when a knight might be close-by" Aldea chuckled

"What's funny?" Alister arched his eyebrows

"I've fought knights before and they all seemed sold on the illusion that their regents are such benevolent beings, they almost worship them" Aldea said

"That's not true" Alister protested

"How would you know?" Knight asked

"Well… i uh had a friend who was a knight" Alister said after some thought

"Poor kid" Aldea shook her head

"Probably lying in a ditch somewhere while their regent sat in their castle sipping tea or whatever it is regents do" Knight grinned

"He's not dead" Alister frowned

"Dying then?" Gariel arched his eyebrow

"Wha- No" Alister said

"Oh, that dulls things" Knight sighed

"Do you get your kicks from watching people die?" Alister glowered

"Cool it kid" Aldea said

"People die everyday yak now" Knight shrugged

"I'm trying to get some sleep" Yleina groaned, he leaned against a tree branch and had both eyes shut tightly

"Sorry" Knight said unapologetically and passed a bread pack to Alister with a wink

The knight in training scarfed down his dinner and yawned sleepily

"Get some sleep, tomorrow we need more bodies" Knight said and received glares from both the necromancer and Aldea

"Bodies?" Alister asked sleepily

"Nevermind him, his mind gets smaller everyday" Gariel said calmly

"Goodnight" Alister yawned and lay on his back, in no time he was asleep

"You'd think they'd be more impossible to deal with" Gariel said

"Knight in training huh?" Knight grinned

"Hgkh" Yleina sat with a start "Y-you knew?" He asked shocked

"My familiar sees quite far" Gariel shrugged

"We knew before you did" Aldea said and gestured to the insignia that was printed on the boys satchel

The three great houses, the house of fire; The house of water and the house of air; And the regents crown that encircled them

"But why didn't you kill him?" Yleina asked

"We figured he'll be useful in getting us into the fort" Knight said

"He seems genuinely lost, we'll get him there and he'll get us in" Aldea licked her lips

"We won't even have to kill him, he'd do it himself"Gariel said, his grey eyes shone as he stared into the fire

"And you'll get all the bodies you could ever want" Aldea giggled

" It seems we'll be done with our mission sooner than expected" Knight said with a smile

The rogue stared at the knight in training who tossed and turned, he grit his teeth then sighed, there was nothing he could actually do for the boy now