The night had come into passing as the dawn of a new day rose in Avalon's sky. Nightingale was the first to witness its bright and brilliant colours that filled the ocean with its radiance. 

Ever since last night when he encountered the sword, Excalibur. He was not able to get a wink of sleep as lingering thoughts of regret still crowded his mind. But he had already made his resolve; to deny his heritage.

He began waking up his crew, informing them that it was time for them to move out, to journey deeper into Avalon.

They began their day, packing up their bags and taking down the tent. They then proceeded to have their breakfast. It wasn't grand as only leftover bread was all they had to eat.

After their breakfast ended, they began their journey with Nightingale leading the way. He followed his trail back, leading them towards the old cathedral as he remembered seeing a passage that led underground in between the twin flight of stairs.

It wasn't long as it took only took them less than 5 minutes to reach the cathedral. His crew were awing to its view, as the cathedral was magnificent and beautiful with the sun's light shining through the colours of the old tinted glass.

Inside the cathedral, they were surprised to see that it was home for the wildlife. There were deer, and birds chirping all about as the young adventurers carefully tread their paths, without alarming the wildlife.

The crew were surprised as Nightingale had suddenly stopped in his tracks, as he stood to face the flight of stairs. It was only so that he could reach for his flashlight as he reached it out from his pockets and continued ahead.

Pulling out his flashlight in preparation, he waited for the others to catch up to him before leading them into the passage ahead down the stairs that led underground.

The passage they went through, was filled with cobwebs. There were cracks all over the walls as it showed its old age. It was a surprise to see it still holding up, as it looked like it would collapse at any given moment.

It had been more than fifteen minutes as the passage continued leading them deeper underground. Nightingale felt the air thinning with each step he took. It would be dangerous for them to stay lag behind as he began increasing his pace.

Alas, the air became thick again as the passage came to an end. He saw a faint light, and as he exited through, his eyes widened as he saw the large cavern he stood in.

The cavern was massive, expanding to miles as a forest and a ruined city was hidden within it. It was like a dome with a massive opening from above as light shone through, filling the cavern with light. The gateway too was in view, as it was placed after the city.

Nightingale noticed that the others had joined him in the view, with mouths gasping at the cavern's sight. He began walking down the steps as there was a stairway that led them down into the forest.

It took them a while to trek through the forest. Reaching the ruined city, the saw large buildings with architects similar to the cathedral above ground.

The buildings were covered with large vines with trees sprouting from within. It had seemed as nature had claimed the city as its own. The cobblestone roads were covered in dirt and grass as parts of the road had been cut off.

The banners hanging from the flagposts were tattered and had almost withered away.

This city had been abandoned for more than a thousand years since its civilization had left to return to its old world.

Nightingale and his crew journeyed deeper through the city, as they were headed for the gateway. His crew were looking all about, examining each building as they saw libraries, taverns and houses nearly crumbled away.

Nightingale came to a halt, as he stood staring into the dried fountain that laid before. It wasn't the fountain that he was staring at. His crew gathered around him and saw a memorial.

" ARTHUR PENDRAGON "

The name was carved on the stone as Nightingale froze staring into its name.

"I finally found you, father." He said in a small whisper.

They spent there longer than they expected as they paid their respects to the funeral of a great king.

There were no tears for Nightingale to shed as Arthur Pendragon was not his biological father, but only a father he inherited by blood in his reincarnation.

He forced himself to look away and started back on his path, as the others followed him from behind. There was no exchange in words, as his crew remained silent in their journey.

Along the path they took, there were old statues of knights, lined on the sides of the road. The others still remembered their encounter of statues, as they stared, watching the statues with wary.

"Oh please don't come alive." Pee Aun begged.

"I'm so sick of statues right now."

"Yeah, man. So do I." Darren agreed.

Half an hour later, they finally reached the edge of the city as the large gateway as in view, not more than a hundred metres away. The gateway was 50 metres tall, with vines were dangling from above.

The path that led them towards the gateway was clear, free from the forest. It wasn't long before the reached the gateway, as Nightingale had already begun wondering how they would bring the gateway to life.

As they neared the gateway, a large formation of rocks bordered the path's sides from the forest. They were almost there, the end of the start of their journey was near.

Nightingale and his crew were filled with excitement as they hurried over towards gateway. Smiles were drawn on their faces as they went up the steps and drew nearer.

Nightingale who was in the vanguard went to a halt with his hand holding the others back. He felt wary of their situation as a silhouette slowly emerged from the darkness.

"I've been expecting you." A familiar masculine voice spoke, as it sent Nightingale into a shock.

The others were confused about the situation as they remained silent behind Nightingale.

"Who are you?" Nightingale asked as he went into a defensive stance, his free hand ready to reach for his firearm.

A man emerged from out of the darkness as he wore a large coat, with his head covered by his hood. He revealed his face as he slowly pulled his hood, with a grin that grew on his face.

"I am you, Nick." He answered with a loud and clear voice, that sent echoes into the cavern.

Nightingale's eyes widened into a shock as he saw a mirror of himself. The stranger had his face. Judging by his features he was an older version of Nightingale. His face was ageless, but he was taller with broad shoulders.

"What do you mean by Nick?" Pee Aun asked, his faced filled with confusion.

"Oh yes, of course, you'd be clueless." The man who had claimed to be Nightingale spoke.

"Even in my time, you never did find out, of my identity, of our secret."

"That he—" He pointed at Nightingale.

"—was your old beloved friend, Nick Ohmsford."

He told them the truth as they were in a shock and immediately believed that Nightingale was their old friend who had long been dead.

"That's impossible." Arielle cried.

"He died saving me!"

"Of course, he did. But me being here is already enough to prove his identity and his existence." His older self stated.

"What is your goal, for spewing out my secret?" Nightingale roared at him.

"Not much, really." He answered.

"I came here for a different reason, Nick."

"It is to set you on a different path," His older self stated as he pulled out a sword that appeared from the void.

"And for that path— requires you all dead." He announced.

For a moment, Nightingale's caught by his fear as his older self emitted a large killing aura as he finished his words. In his defence, he immediately reached for his firearm and began firing at him.

The bullets were sliced into pieces by his older self's sword with inhumane speed as he stood untouched with a large grin that mocked Nightingale of his efforts. 

"Run!" Nightingale screamed at his crew, but they were locked in their feet by their overwhelming fears.

"GO!" He screamed again as he pushed Darren who were closest to him towards the rest.

Nightingale immediately turned to face back his opponent, but he had swiftly teleported in front of his face. Sending his fist into Nightingale's chest.

The others had managed to regain their feet as they hastily ran for their escape.

Nightingale groaned in pain, as the blow was strongest he had been hit by before. But he did not back down as he used all his strength to regain his footing and went for a counter attack.

But his older self was too quick for him as he caught hold of Nightingales fist. He began twisting the fist he caught hold of, as Nightingale fell onto his knees moaning in pain.

Using his strength, his older self threw Nightingale towards the side, crashing onto the ground. He saw that his younger self's friends were trying to escape as he started to give chase.

"Please don't struggle. You'd only make your death more painful." He pleaded.

In a flash, he disappeared away from Nightingale and reappeared behind his closest prey, Darren and sent his long sword striking into his back.

Blood dripped along the side's of the blade as he pulled the sword out from Darren's chest and he fell, lifelessly onto the ground.

The others had seen what had befallen upon their friend as they screamed in their fears, tripping onto the ground as they tried crawling their way for an escape.

Nightingale forced himself back up as he began charging heroicly towards the man who had killed his friend. He had his hands clenched into a fist as he sent a blow that successfully made its way into his older self's face.

His older self was knocked slightly by the blow filling his face only with rage. The blow had done nothing but to piss him off more as he turned his attention towards Nightingale.

"You call that a punch?" He exclaimed as a creepy smile grew on his face.

"I'll show you a punch!" He roared as his hand clenched into a fist, and was sent straight into Nightingale's face in a speed he could not defend himself against.

The blow was strong enough to send Nightingale off his feet as he flew straight into the rock's wall. His spine broke upon impact as he screamed in pain and fell unconscious, with his body hung in the rock.

His older self turned his attention back to his fleeing preys as he continued his slaughter. His face showed no expression, only that his eyes were filled with killing intent.

It was only minutes later as Nightingale slowly regained his consciousness. His eyes widened into a shock as he saw his crew, his friends' lifeless, bloodied bodies lying dead before him.

Tears began dripping down his face uncontrollably as he saw his older self, the murderer approaching his final prey, Alicia.

"Stop!" Nightingale cried.

"STOP!" He screamed and begged with all his might as he tried pushing himself back onto his feet. Ignoring the pain and his injuries, he wanted to try to save his last surviving friend. 

"I'm sorry—" His older self apologised as he tightened his grip on his long sword.

"—but it has to be this way, Nick." He replied as he threw his sword like a spear that cut straight through the air and pierced Nightingale's shoulder as it pinned him back against the wall.

Blood splatted out from his shoulder, as Nightingale cried in agony. He saw his older self continuing ahead as he went closer towards Alicia.

"It's alright. You won't die from that. It takes a whole lot more for us angels to die." He assured him.

But Nightingale was desperate as he both his hands gripped onto the long sword's blade as he tried pulling it out from his shoulder. His hands had cuts that went deep by the blade, with blood spewing all about.

He ignored the pain as he continued, crying for him to stop his madness.

The older Nightingale stood staring into Alicia's face and was surprised to see she had abandoned all hopes of running away. He pulled out a sword as he went on to face her.

"I'm sorry, Alice." He said.

"It's alright, Nick. I can understand that you're forced to." Alicia replied with a faint smile, and her eyes wet.

"Because those, aren't the eyes of a murderer."

He froze as he heard her words and realised that tears were dripping down the sides of his face. He had tried so hard in holding his emotions, but it had seemed that he had shown her his true face.

"I'm sorry." He gritted his teeth as he wiped his tears away before slashing down onto Alicia.

Nightingale saw Alicia's body drop onto the ground as her life had left her body. He screamed with all his rage, that echoed into the cavern.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" He screamed in his fury as he pushed his chest forwards with his shoulder digging deeper towards the sword's hilt. His efforts were in vain as he had no strength left in pushing the sword's blade out from the rock.

"Why? WHY?!" He screamed again.

"WHY DID YOU KILL MY FRIENDS? YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!" He roared.

"THEY WERE MY FRIENDS TOO!" His older self roared back at him with rage and began walking towards Nightingale.

"Even after they betrayed me, and brought me pain—" He paused, gritting his teeth as he stared into his pathetic younger self.

"—but I could not forget the memories I had with them in school."

"I too loved them!" He roared at Nightingale's face.

"But if I have to kill them to change the future, our future!"

"I will." He declared.

"Fuck you!" Nightingale spat at his face.

He wiped the saliva off from his face before sending his fist up into Nightingale's chest.

Nightingale did not groan in pain as rage and anger had muffled over his pain. His arms trying to reach out for his future self's neck, but the sword that pierced his shoulder kept him at bay.

"How does it feel to be powerless?" He mocked Nightingale.

"To watch your friends die away while being powerless to save them."

Hearing those words made Nightingale scream in rage as he knew he best the feeling of being hopeless. He wanted power, a power enough for him to exact his revenge.

"Yes, that's it." The man jeered as he noticed Nightingale's newfound bloodthirst.

"You see, we're like day and night. You a mortal, while me a god." He boasted with his arms opened wide, and a smirk on his face.

"I have plans for you, Nick."

"And I need you, to kill me."

"A grand scheme!" He exclaimed.

"I will change the path that you will take, I will turn you into a better man than I was. A man, who won't make the same mistakes as I did."

"I've betrayed my sister's trust. Leading her towards her death. I can't bring her back now, but what I can do is to ensure that you won't fall in the same fate."

"But it requires me in being the villain."

"So please, do kill me. Cause if not—" He said as he stared into Nightingale's bloodthirsty eyes who had remained listening quietly.

"—I will kill everyone you will and would love." He stated in a cold voice that sent chills down Nightingale's spine.

"I'm doing this not just for my sister, but for you, Nick. And this path won't be as painful as the paths that I have went through."

"Take him away." His future-self ordered as the gateway came to life. And what stepped through were two large demons that had the appearance of a monster.

They did not speak but only grunted as they did as they were told, pulling the sword out from Nightingale's shoulder. He groaned in pain, but the demons ignored his scream as they dragged his body back through the gateway.

"I swear on my soul, I will turn him into a man you would be proud of, sister." He whispered to himself as he followed them through.